Now you have a choice of winning either ebooks or paperbacks of my two babies…

Yes indeedie – I now have two giveaways going on. One on rafflecopter for ebooks of either book here:

Book description:

 1. “Do Unto  Others” (short  story) – Jeremy is  a street hood, lawless and unchained. When he is wronged by a local businessman, it becomes his mission to seek revenge.  But his new enemy has friends – ones that don’t take kindly to intruders.
 2.  “Colors” (short story) – Harrison Street.  attorney, biker wannabe, coward. When he finds the bike of his dreams, it seems too good to be true. It is.

 3. “Simona Says” (novella) – Simona has had it rough. Death, disenchantment, and disappointment are all part of her life. She wants to be happy for a change, and she’s willing to do just about anything to find some.  Anything.

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Or a new Goodreads event where I’m giving away paperback copies. That link is here:

Book description:

A small town in western Pennsylvania – quaint, simple, peaceful. That is, until The Elder takes up residence. He has an agenda – one that is 1,000 years old, and cannot be denied. One that will change the lives of many – and end the lives of any who interfere.

So, like, what are you waiting for? 🙂

Now you have a choice of winning either ebooks or paperbacks of my two babies…

Yes indeedie – I now have two giveaways going on. One on rafflecopter for ebooks of either book here:

Book description:

 1. “Do Unto  Others” (short  story) – Jeremy is  a street hood, lawless and unchained. When he is wronged by a local businessman, it becomes his mission to seek revenge.  But his new enemy has friends – ones that don’t take kindly to intruders.
 2.  “Colors” (short story) – Harrison Street.  attorney, biker wannabe, coward. When he finds the bike of his dreams, it seems too good to be true. It is.

 3. “Simona Says” (novella) – Simona has had it rough. Death, disenchantment, and disappointment are all part of her life. She wants to be happy for a change, and she’s willing to do just about anything to find some.  Anything.

—————————————————————————————————————

Or a new Goodreads event where I’m giving away paperback copies. That link is here:

Book description:

A small town in western Pennsylvania – quaint, simple, peaceful. That is, until The Elder takes up residence. He has an agenda – one that is 1,000 years old, and cannot be denied. One that will change the lives of many – and end the lives of any who interfere.

So, like, what are you waiting for? 🙂

Now you have a choice of winning either ebooks or paperbacks of my two babies…

Yes indeedie – I now have two giveaways going on. One on rafflecopter for ebooks of either book here:

Book description:

 1. “Do Unto  Others” (short  story) – Jeremy is  a street hood, lawless and unchained. When he is wronged by a local businessman, it becomes his mission to seek revenge.  But his new enemy has friends – ones that don’t take kindly to intruders.
 2.  “Colors” (short story) – Harrison Street.  attorney, biker wannabe, coward. When he finds the bike of his dreams, it seems too good to be true. It is.

 3. “Simona Says” (novella) – Simona has had it rough. Death, disenchantment, and disappointment are all part of her life. She wants to be happy for a change, and she’s willing to do just about anything to find some.  Anything.

—————————————————————————————————————

Or a new Goodreads event where I’m giving away paperback copies. That link is here:

Book description:

A small town in western Pennsylvania – quaint, simple, peaceful. That is, until The Elder takes up residence. He has an agenda – one that is 1,000 years old, and cannot be denied. One that will change the lives of many – and end the lives of any who interfere.

So, like, what are you waiting for? 🙂

There’s a new kid in town – The Reader Depot – and it’s starting to catch on. Want to gain another edge, writers?

As a FREE Author Member you receive automatic inclusion to The Reader Depot  Facebook group. This is where we discuss marketing ideas, think about innovative ways to market your beloved books and above all help you sell more books. Every fortnight one lucky author who is registered for membership will go in the draw to receive a free promotion and believe me, it’s a good one. Membership is limited to published authors. 

(Click on the logo to go to the site)

SCAM ALERT! I was approached by a 5-star review exchange group on Facebook…

This morning, I had a message in my inbox on facebook. The content follows:

Hi Thomas,

I was wondering if you would be interested in exchanging five star reviews on Amazon? I leave stellar reviews and I also belong to a close knit group of about 25 individuals on FB who you can also exchange reviews with you. We are all about fast no BS exchanges. Some of the guys will even let you craft your own review and simply paste it for you. There is nothing better than receiving e-mails from people who REALLY read my work telling me how much they enjoyed my writing. With that being said, this is a business. How else can you explain author‘s who write plots like a kindergartner becoming best selling authors? As authors we have to stick together in our promotional efforts so that our work can become more visible to the public. If you are interested let me know. If not, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND and there will be no hard feelings.

Best Regards,

Ben

The motherless sludge sucker that sent the message goes by Author Ben Harris, Jr. 

I almost told him to go off in a corner and violate himself, but under the advice of the gracious Lucy Pireel, I politely turned him down and went on my merry way. Be on the lookout – they’re everywhere….

Do You Read Self-Published Books Differently? | Catherine, Caffeinated

I read a novel that was published by a major UK publishing house over the summer, and in the middle of it, I came across a you’re that should’ve been ayour. I blinked, but that was about it. It certainly wasn’t the first time I’d come across a typo or a small mistake in a traditionally published book, but I can’t remember the titles of any of the other books I found them in, and I wouldn’t have thought any more about this one except for having to come up with a topic for today’s post. As an experiment, I read through the book’s not-so-positive reviews on Amazon.co.uk, but found no mention of this typo. Everyone else had apparently forgotten about it as well.

But…

Click on Catherine’s image to read on…

 

Brandon’s World: Indie Authors Are Spending Too Much Time On Social Self-Promotion

There are thousands of eBooks released every single week by indie authors and sometimes they feel a need to stand out in the crowd. Most turn to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or participate in the Goodreads community. Some people think that authors are spending too much time on social self-promotion at the expense of honing their craft.

Click on the cover to read on:

 

The eBook Author’s Corner features my pal Jinx Schwartz today…check it out!

Click on the cover to go there!

 

With thanks to Travis Luedke: a must-read for authors on Goodreads…

This is copied from an email from ‘Author Marketing Experts Inc.’: Those of you who don’t understand the power of Goodreads, or how to harness that power, pay attention:

Feature Article: Harnessing the Power of Goodreads
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During the past year, Goodreads has really become a front and center social network for authors. First, with their new Amazon relationship, and now it would seem that they’ve doubled their membership to 20 million. Though many authors and publishers vowed to close their accounts after the Amazon merger, it seems that Goodreads is still going strong and still maintains its independence of Amazon. If you’re not on Goodreads or if you haven’t touched your account in a while you should consider this site and the benefits it offers.

There have been many success stories from Goodreads, authors who “got noticed” by having lots of activity there, mingling with other members, getting tons of reviews, and while success isn’t guaranteed on this site (or anywhere) Goodreads can really help you get a leg up on your promotion. So, how did the massive growth of this site happen?

Their CEO, Otis Chandler, cited three primary factors behind the acceleration: “a critical mass of book reviews,” “explosive” mobile growth, and international expansion.

To understand Goodreads as an author, what works and what doesn’t, you have to understand the average demographic of the site, which is adult female, many with college age kids and surprisingly, a whopping 81% of them are Caucasian. They are avid readers, though many are less affluent than the average Internet user so low-priced books and free books do very well on this site.

One Main Focus on Goodreads

This morning, I interview my pal Gina Fava, author of the new Hell Ranger thriller “The Race”..come join us!

Click on the cover to get it on Amazon!

Book description:

Rome, The Eternal City. Home to Devlin “Lucky” Lucchesi, husband, father, and car racing champion, whose lucky existence makes his alter ego as a special op HELL Ranger feel far away. 

Until…Ishmael Zaid, an elusive international terrorist, and a villain from Devlin’s past, masterminds a terror attack that decimates Rome’s train station and rips Lucky’s life apart. 

Devlin vows revenge. He teams with his HELL Ranger crew to battle Ishmael’s “Race” of followers and to diffuse a dozen more bombs set to wipe Rome off the map by midnight. The stakes skyrocket when Ishmael kidnaps Devlin’s young son and violates the sanctity of the Vatican, robbing one of its ancient relics to use as a symbol of war on mankind. Devlin and Ishmael finally collide in a showdown that will ultimately determine the fate of the world, and there will be HELL to pay.

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TR: Good morning, Gina, and welcome!

GF: Good morning, Thomas, and thanks so much for having me…

TR: It’s my pleasure. So, let’s get started, shall we? How old were you when you wrote your first piece?

GF: In high school, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot blew me away, and his Night Shift short stories prompted me to write my own shorts to entertain family and friends. 

TR: What were they, and in what genre?

GF: The stuff I wrote in high school were all thrillers, but after I returned from studying abroad in Italy during college, I sent my short stories and feature articles (on travel mostly) out to the rest of the world.  

TR: What made you start writing to publish?

GF: After I had seen the world a bit, and experienced life, I realized that I had novels clamoring to get out too.

TR: Voices that can’t remain unanswered, eh? So, what was the inspiration for “The Race?”

GF: The main inspiration is the city of Rome, Italy.  I lived and studied there, and I return often to explore–it’s always changing, yet it always stays the same.  Rome is fast-paced, exhilarating, sometimes frightening, other times warm and inviting, but always thrilling and full of intrigue.  The city inspired characters so caught up in a suspenseful plot that I just had to share it!

TR: It sounds like a fascinating setting for a story. Tell us a little more about it, and where it’s available.

GF: In The Race, Formula One champion Devlin “Lucky” Lucchesi’s life is torn apart in a terror attack.  Devlin vows revenge against Ishmael Zaid, a villain from his past, whose “Race” of followers have set a dozen bombs to wipe Rome off the map.  When Ishmael abducts Devlin’s son and violates the sanctity of the Vatican, Devlin and his covert HELL Ranger crew must race against time to beat Ishmael at his own game.

It’s available from Steepo Press in eBook now, on Amazon and Kobo, and it will be released a few weeks later in Trade Paperback at indie booksellers and at Amazon.

TR: Very nice. Exciting, isn’t it? Now, is there a particular place or setting where you get your writing ideas?

GF: Dreams; headlines; twists on history; what-if extrapolations on real life; my husband’s genius spin on something he learned.  Of course, every trip to Italy uncovers a bunch of new ideas for me.

TR: Nice to have a hubby to help you come up with story lines 🙂 Okay, so you are published traditionally. What made you choose traditional publishing?

GF: I believe both methods offer strengths and weaknesses.  That’s why a hybrid of both likely presents the best alternative for any writer.  For me, it’s about choice, and how an author chooses to allocate his or her publishing rights.

TR: Good thought. It is all about freedom and choice, isn’t it? Now, if you had to choose the most important element in an author’s platform, what would it be?

GF: While every element is important, I believe that human connection is vital.  So, whether it’s meeting in person at a signing or event, or else chatting and sharing information across states or continents via Facebook, the goal of any author’s platform is genuine connection and these two methods work best for me.

TR: Well said! What mistakes have you made in regards to publishing and marketing your work, and what will you do differently in the future?

GF: I believe that I underestimated the amount of time and organization required in putting it all together (ie the editing phase, the promotion phase, etc.)  Going forward, I’ll utilize many of the great apps and programs available to authors in producing, promoting, and managing my books.  For example, Scrivener for writing the manuscript, Grammerly.com for editing, Goodreads for connecting with readers–all of these were great options that I picked up along the way.  Now, that I know about them, I’m spreading the word to new writers!

TR: It can be an achingly long process, can’t it? Do you have an idea for your next book?

GF: My next book, The Sculptor, is a suspense thriller, akin to the mystery stories of Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Dan Brown, and Daniel Silva.  It’s about a graduate student, Mara Silvestri, who discovers that she’s targeted by Rome’s serial killer, dubbed The Sculptor.  After uncovering family secrets that draws him to her, Mara must turn the table on him, before she winds up the prized masterpiece in The Sculptor’s collection of plastered victims.  Due out in 2014, there’s an excerpt of the novel on my website that I hope your readers will enjoy reading it.

TR: I hope so, too. Gina, I want to thank you again for stopping by. The very best of luck with “The Race”, and your future writing, as well.

GF: Thanks so much, Thomas. I had fun 🙂

Folks, that’s a wrap. “The Race” sounds great – and centered in exotic Rome, too boot. It’s out there. What are you waiting for?

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A little background on Gina:

A University of Buffalo graduate, Gina Fava holds a WNEC law degree and has studied at the American University of Rome.  But, it’s her first-hand experience with bomb scares, car chases, over-eager carabinieri, and dodging gunfire while living in Rome during the Persian Gulf War that spurred her extensive research in counter-terrorism.  She’s an avid auto racing fan, and she frequently travels Italy to hunt down her characters’ favorite wines.  She is the author of award-winning short stories, and is a member of International Thriller Writers.  A Buffalo, New York native, Gina Fava resides with her family in New England.  Her second novel, The Sculptor, is due for release in 2014.  The Race is available in eBook and in trade paperback on Amazon.com.  

 And if you’d like to get in touch:

Website:          www.GinaFava.com
Blog:                www.GinaFava.wordpress.com
Facebook:       www.facebook.com/Gina.Fava.Author
Twitter:            @GinaFava
GoodReads:    www.Goodreads.com/GinaFava