Guest Posts: Dragons of Levathia

Dragon species found in Levathia

Guest Post by Katy Huth Jones

Over 300 years before the events of MERCY'S PRINCE, Prince Valerian's ancestor led several shiploads of people escaping persecution in a land across the Great Sea. They settled in a beautiful, primitive land which they originally called Frankland, after their homeland, but within a short time the settlers encountered dragons of all sizes. Some of these were deadly to the humans and their animals, and so they changed the name of their new land to Levathia. Here are the six major species.

The great dragons: The largest is the blue-green Albinonix, who is 90 feet long from nose to tail with a 45 foot wingspan. He is almost 400 years old, a sentient creature who can speak mind-to-mind with a few gifted humans. The great dragons agreed to remain in the far north of Levathia when Valerian's ancestor made a covenant with them. Because of their size and ability to breathe fire, the great dragons are extremely dangerous, even to those who can communicate with them.

Sea dragons: These elusive monsters are thought to be at least as long as the great dragons, but they rarely come to shore and so sightings have been few and fantastical. Because of their size and temperament, they are considered to be extremely dangerous.

River dragons: These resemble Earth's saltwater crocodiles. The biggest ever killed was nearly 30 feet long, but most adults range between 10 and 20 feet in length. Coloring is a murky dark green, so they can more easily blend in with their environment. Because of their aggressive temperament and insatiable hunger, they are extremely dangerous to humans and livestock.

Scavenger dragons: These resemble Earth's komodo dragons. The largest measured was just over 12 feet, but most adults range between 6 and 9 feet in length. Coloring is sandy brown to blend in with their habitat in the Plains of Mohorovia and the border region of Levathia, including the Highlands. Occasionally a scavenger has been found ranging deeper into Levathia. Although not usually deadly to humans, they do harbor poison in their saliva and deliver a nasty bite, and so avoidance is recommended.

Tree dragons: These are smallish, averaging 3 feet in length with membranous wings used to glide from tree to tree. Coloring depends on location; the northern species has rougher scales to better hide on the trunks of their favorite evergreen trees, while the southern species has smoother scales to match the bark of southern trees. Not dangerous.

Burrowing dragons: These are the smallest dragon species, with the largest ever measured just over 3 feet from nose to tail. Most are between one and two feet in length. They resemble Earth's monitor lizards with ridges running along their backs, and live in burrows, eating mainly insects. Not dangerous, and in fact many people have kept them as pets.

These dragons can be found in the YA Christian fantasy MERCY'S PRINCE, which is exclusively available at http://www.amazon.com/Mercys-Prince-Katy-Huth-Jones-ebook/dp/B0115KNDS4 in paperback or Kindle format.

About MERCY'S PRINCE: A heart of peace in a time of war

As second son of the King of Levathia, seventeen-year-old Valerian desires the quiet life of a scholarly monk. But when he fails to save his older brother in battle, Valerian must instead become crown prince.

While a traitorous knight schemes against him, Valerian meets Mercy, a pacifist Healer with whom he can speak mind-to-mind like the great dragons. Their bond emboldens Valerian to seek out the legendary dragons and ask for their help against the monsters who killed his brother.

Can Valerian survive the traitor's assassins long enough to find the dragons? And if he does, can he convince them to lay aside their hatred of humans and help him save the land from destruction?

For more about the author, visit her blog http://katyhuthjones.blogspot.com

or follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/KatyHuthJones

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katy-Huth-Jones-Author/318819684805145

or Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/piccolokate/

Blog Tour: The Soul Stone--Jamie Marchant

The Soul Stone

The Crown Princess Samantha and Sir Robrek struggle to solidify their rule in the aftermath of the king’s murder and Duke Argblutal’s attempt to usurp the throne. They are thwarted at every turn by those who seek power for themselves and desire to prevent their marriage. Just when they think their problems are solved, a deadly curse begins to spread throughout Korthlundia and Samantha becomes pregnant.

Samantha must fight off priests, enemies, and her closest advisors while Robrek discovers the reason the goddess chose him as king, to defeat the Soul Stone, a stone capable of sucking the soul out of its victims, which threatens to obliterate all life in the joined kingdoms. Their archenemy, the Bard Alvabane, awakens the Soul Stone and plans to use its power to reclaim Korthlundia for her people (a people driven out over a thousand years ago by the hero Armunn). Armunn had to sacrifice his life and soul to contain the Soul Stone. Will Robrek have to do the same? Will the young couple have only a few short months to love each other?

The Soul Stone

Chapter 1

In the palace courtyard, Robrek Angusstamm stirred the cauldron, brewing the potion that would cure Duke Argblutal’s former forces of the mass diarrhea caused by the princess’s supporters in the palace. Argblutal had attempted to usurp Samantha’s throne, and Robrek had just helped her retake it. The potion was ready except for the final ingredient—his magic. Robrek spread his hand over the cauldron and closed his eyes. Pure joy and pleasure flooded his body as his magic flowed out of him. Nothing felt this good. He smiled as he opened his eyes. The potion would provide a nearly instantaneous cure.

Robrek took the ladle from the waiting servant and began ladling out the potion to those waiting. They were bent over from discomfort, and the smell was atrocious. Robrek tried to breathe only through his mouth.

The crowd broke into cries of “Long live Queen Samantha!” He looked up and saw Samantha on the palace balcony. Holy Sulis, she’s beautiful! How can she truly be mine? It still seemed like a dream that they’d been handfasted the night before and that she had spent the night in his arms.

The man in front of him groaned, reminding Robrek of the task at hand. He filled the stricken soldier’s cup. “Thank you, Milord,” the soldier said, startling Robrek with the use of his new title.

Robrek filled another cup, then looked back at Samantha. A servant came forward and bowed. “May I, Milord?” The servant reached for the ladle. Robrek relinquished it, but felt awkward doing so. He wasn’t used to standing around while others worked. He supposed it was just one of many things he’d have to get used to as consort. Can I truly be king? He shook his head at the absurdity of the idea. Only in bards’ tales did peasants become kings, but what had his life been if not a bards’ tale?

Up on the balcony, Samantha raised a hand, and the crowd fell silent. “My people! Duke Argblutal murdered your king and tried to steal my throne. He has suffered the fate Sulis intended for such betrayal. Let us celebrate this victory, achieved with so little loss of life.”

The crowd roared its approval, and Robrek beamed at her. Duke Caedmon stepped onto the balcony beside Samantha, and Robrek frowned slightly. Caedmon disapproved of him, didn’t think him worthy of the princess.

Caedmon removed Argblutal’s head from the pike. Robrek suspected Darhour, the captain of the princess’s personal guard and a former assassin, had put it there. Where is Darhour? Robrek would have expected him to be by Samantha’s side, but the only two guards with her were Bearach and Conroy.

Caedmon raised his hand for quiet. “Let us remember the fate of those who raise their hands against the goddess’s chosen!” Caedmon dropped the head into the midst of the crowd. As the crowd roared and tossed and kicked the duke’s head about, Robrek felt a surge of nausea. For what Argblutal had done he’d deserved to die, but did they have to desecrate his remains?

Samantha’s eyes sought him out in the crowd, and she smiled down at him. Lost in that smile, he forgot everything else.

The thousands of peasants who had joined Samantha’s army as she’d marched on the palace and who now filled the courtyard erupted into dancing and celebration, and Robrek was swept up in the dance. People pounded him on the back and beamed at him, accepting him as he’d never been accepted in the village of his birth.

At the edge of the crowd stood Wild Thing, his Horsetad mare, with Brazen, Fancy Man, and Holy Writ—the magical bronze, silver, and gold horses who had changed his life and helped him win the contest that allowed him to claim Samantha as his bride. Now, the despised youngest son of a peasant farmer would be king. Now, surely, he’d be able to do what he was meant to do and heal in peace. Beyond that he couldn’t imagine what his new life would be like.

But having Samantha in it would be enough.

:She liked your moves, didn’t she?: came the laughing voice of Fancy Man, who taught him how to dance, among other things. :Now I’ve taught you all I know.:

Holy Writ nodded her head and snorted. :Thou hast done well.:

:It is your destiny.:

Robrek laughed as Brazen again said her oft repeated line. Robrek felt happy and at peace. With the horses and Samantha beside him, he had nothing to fear.

Robrek danced over to the horses and gave each one a hug around the neck, ending with Wild Thing. :Wild Thing and Robbie big heroes.:

He scratched her neck. “Yes, my girl, I guess we are.”

He looked over at the line of soldiers waiting for the remedy and noticed one limping badly. He approached the man as his cup was filled by the servant. “Your foot pains you?” he asked.

The man started and turned to Robrek, eyes widening when he saw who had addressed him. “Er . . . er . . . yes, Milord. I stepped on a nail about a week back, and I’m afraid it’s began to fester. I fear I might lose it, Milord.”

“Not while I’m here you won’t. Drink it down.” He pointed to the cup. “Then come with me.” After the man drank the remedy, Robrek led him to the nearby mounting blocks and had the man sit and remove his boot. The foot was swollen and red. The nail wound on the bottom was oozing pus and turning green. Red lines of infection travelled up the man’s foot. If it weren’t for Robrek’s skills, it would definitely have to be amputated. Robrek reached out to touch the foot, and the man flinched. “I have to touch you if I’m going to make it better,” Robrek said. “It won’t hurt.”

The man nodded, but he was trembling slightly. Robrek put his hand on the foot, closed his eyes, and went into a healing trance. He gathered the infection and pushed it toward the hole in the foot, so that it streamed out with pus and blood, but after a few moments, the pus stopped flowing, and the foot slowly reduced to normal size. The greenish tinge and the redness disappeared, and finally Robrek closed the small puncture wound.

When Robrek opened his eyes, the man’s eyes were wide with awe. The man fell to his knees. “My life for yours! How may I serve you, Milord?”

Author Bio

From early childhood, Jamie has been immersed in books. Her mother, an avid reader, read to her, and her older sister filled her head with fairy tales. Taking into consideration her love for literature and the challenges of supporting herself as a writer, she pursued a Ph.D. in American literature, which she received in 1998. She started teaching writing and literature at Auburn University. But in doing so, she put her true passion on the backburner and neglected her muse. Then one day, in the midst of writing a piece of literary criticism, she realized that what she wanted to be doing was writing fantasy novels. Her muse thus revived, she began the book that was to become The Goddess’s Choice, which was published in April 2012. The second volume in the series, The Soul Stone, was released this June.

She lives in Auburn, Alabama, with her husband, son, and four cats, which (or so she’s been told) officially makes her a cat lady. She still teaches writing and literature at Auburn University. Her short fiction has been published on Short-Story.Me, and my story was chosen for inclusion in their annual anthology. It has also appeared in the anthologies—Urban Fantasy (KY Story, 2013) and Of Dragon and Magic: Tales of the Lost Worlds (Witty Bard Publishing, 2014)—The World of Myth, A Writer’s Haven, and Bards & Sages.

Buy Links

Black Rose Writing: http://www.blackrosewriting.com/sci-fifantasy/the-soul-stone

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Stone-Kronicles-Korthlundia/dp/1612965466/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435314904&sr=8-2&keywords=jamie+marchant

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-soul-stone-jamie-marchant/1122191714?ean=9781612965468

Contact Links

Website: http://jamie-marchant.com/
Blog: http://jamie-marchant.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Marchant-Author/164706710298768?ref=hl
Twitter: @RobrekSamantha
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5258855.Jamie_Marchant

CIAN Contest Winners

2nd Place! You can check out the book here.



Beggar Magic

Facebook Author Events: Tips and Tricks

Facebook is kind of annoying.

Let's just get that out of the way. Especially if you are running any sort of a page other than a personal one (to promote a blog, your books, a business), they are a royal pain. My author Facebook page has a moderate following of 388 folks. My average post is seen by maybe a tenth of them. . .unless I boost, but I'm not going to boost unless I'm doing a full-scale ad which I do somewhat rarely. My Facebook page is not for promos so much as it is to interact with people who read my books and enjoy them (if you want to be one of the people with a 1 in 10 chance at seeing my posts, you can follow me on Facebook here.) . . .

However, the character limit on Twitter and me don't get along and the Tsu and G+ turned out to be ghost towns, so I do spend a bit of time on Facebook.

One of the best ways to have fan interaction and maybe meet some new potential readers is with a Facebook Event. You can arrange one yourself or hop on an existing one with multiple authors. Usually if you are doing an "On Your Own" author event it should be around a specific purpose, like a new book release. A lot of the "multi-author" ones have fees. There are two sorts of fees. Fees that go to pay for door prizes and fees that go to pay the event organizer. I have on several occasions donated towards a door prize, but I haven't tried one with a flat fee for the organizer. I would only personally pay for an event if I had a good accounting of where the money was going and I don't think I'd pay much more than $10.

But here are some general tips I've found to get the most of the events:

1. Give away ebooks! Yes, it may seem counter intuitive to give away what you are trying to sell, and (unless you have multiple books on the market) I wouldn't give everyone who attends a free book, but from my experience readers who interact with you and then win a book are more likely than other readers to leave precious reviews or tell their friend about your books. If you have a series, giving away the first book in the series is also a great way to get people hooked to buy later books. 
2. It can be helpful to have a promo running at the same time as the event, something that makes people think they are getting a deal. I don't consider this a requirement, but it definitely helps.
3. If you are doing a loner event, consider having a contest where people get entries by inviting their friends. Chances are all your friends/fans already know about your book. Your friends' friends, however, probably don't, so if you can get your friends to invite their friends (and the incentive of something like $10 to Amazon or Etsy doesn't hurt) you'll reach a whole new audience.
4. If you do a multi-author event try and have it be one specifically catered to your genre. If you're a fantasy writer sandwiched between two romance writers, their fans may not be particularly interested. If a fantasy writer goes before you, their fans might stick around for your time slot. I'm not saying don't do multi-genre events, but try and see if the organizer is willing to put you close to other authors in your genre. 
5. Ask questions. If these people haven't read your books yet, they probably don't have a ton of questions for you. They may not even be all that excited about your book (yet), but if you lead off with a question about them that relates to the book, wait for them to answer, and then respond with your own. . .it generally works out and people interact and have fun. 
6. Don't over do it. The average author slot for these events is a half hour to an hour. As a participant, the events I have left early, I usually left because the person running it posted every thirty seconds, and it was just too much to keep up with. One post every five to ten minutes is more than enough, if they are well planned posts.
7. Make some cool looking image ads. I personally like Canva.com to make them. (You can see one I made for Lands of Ash below) You can use them to share cool quotes from the book, your tagline, things like that. Having an image makes your posts stand out in what is usually a constantly moving feed. 
8. If doing a multi-author event, it's polite to stick around for the other authors' segments but not required that you stay for all of them. You can pop in and out if it is a longish event or just hit the one before and after you. 
9. Plan ahead, but be flexible. I usually plan out a certain amount of posts and have all my links and images in a file so I don't have to dig for them during the event. However, it's good to be able to improvise on the fly. If you find your group is receptive to a certain sort of interaction but ignores another, don't be afraid to adjust.
10. Make sure you share multiple ways that they can connect with you (Facebook, Twitter, Website) and if possible give an incentive for them to do so (an entry in a drawing for a door prize).
11. If you are doing giveaways watch for Facebook's rules. They change every so often, but it is good to do some sort of legalese "Facebook isn't responsible for this contest" post . . . you can also run your giveaways through a third party ap. I use Rafflecopter and link to it off site. It has the added benefit of linking them back to my blog or Facebook page.
12. Don't assume people have read your books. I don't know how many times I've gotten invited to an event for a "new to me" author and found that all the giveaways hinge on answering questions about books I haven't read. 
13. If you are doing prizes, make sure you are clear as to how the winners will be picked (I personally like to do random.org to select a winner) and when the giveaway closes (I suggest editing the post to say, "WINNER SELECTED!).
14. Have fun! People want to see that YOU are excited about your books. If you are, they get interested.
    
    
    
    

OH NO! Amazon eats reviews for breakfast!!!

There's been a lot of fuss lately about Amazon deleting reviews. I so far haven't lost any, but I know authors who have or have had their reviews of other authors' books deleted.

The policy of not allowing people to review "close friends" and relatives is not new by any means. This has always been their policy, and if a review mentions knowing the author, they usually delete it. This is to keep authors from getting all their friends and relations to talk up a book ... most authors I know do not actively pursue reviews from friends/relatives. However, it isn't unusual for them to leave reviews of their own free will. Sometimes they look like regular reviews. Sometimes it's kind of obvious (My grandson is such a sweet boy. He's written such a nice book.) ... either way, it's always technically been against the rules, but you can't control your relatives. 

So that hasn't really changed. What has changed is the "proprietary" system that Amazon is now using to determine who is in violation of this rule. 

Now their reason for keeping it proprietary is partially to stop people from finding a way around it. Like if people figured out it were through whether the reader knows you on Facebook, disconnect your Facebook account from any connection to your author account, or just quit the site altogether ... if it is IP address, use an IP blocker. If it is email, get a second email. 

So because I don't think anyone for sure knows how Amazon is making these choices (and it is probably mostly done by computers anyway. I doubt most of the removed reviews are getting looked at by an actual person. That would just take too much manpower and manpower is expensive), it's hard to really speculate how to avoid triggering their "wrath."

I will say that I do find the new system problematic because it doesn't account for how connected people are in this age of interwebs. All the marketing advice Indies have gotten for the last several years has been about how to connect with our fans. We're encouraged to actively engage, to have social media they can follow us on, to answer emails. Not doing so was seen as marketing suicide. I don't know how many times I've seen authors assert, "You're selling yourself as much as your books." 

So even though I'm on the "don't panic" side of this whole thing, I did sign the Change.org "let's see if we can get Amazon to reconsider" petition (see here).

A couple of notes: I don't think it is fair to call Amazon's new policy censorship. Amazon isn't a forum for the free exchange of ideas. They're a business. Saying that deleting reviews off their own site is "censorship" is kind of like saying you are censored if you get kicked out of Arby's for doing a song and dance routine on their tables. You can't do whatever you want in someone else's place of business because "free speech."

The Arby's thing may or may not be personal experience. My singing voice would get me removed from anywhere.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes! What to do about it!

1. Sign the petition. No idea if it will help, but it won't hurt.
2. If you are an author who likes to review, consider having an alternate username/account for reviewing on Amazon. Authors know authors, and Amazon is automatically suspicious of authors who review other authors (so review at all, I guess, unless we're talking about products or books written by Cardassians.). I usually review under a screen-name. It also prevents revenge reviews from authors who didn't like that you left a 3 Star on their poorly plotted baby.
3. Review on other platforms. A lot of authors are spooked by Goodreads, but the very reason that it can be kind of scary (it does not have much oversight so people can leave troll reviews without fear of them getting deleted or having their account banned) works both ways. Even though Amazon owns Goodreads, they aren't too concerned about policing reviews there. 
4. Review on a blog: it's your own space. You make the rules.
5. If you are an author who has lost a review, consider getting it as an "editorial review." If the review is posted on a blog, Amazon isn't too picky about what qualifies. 
6. I personally doubt a 'like' on a writer's Facebook page is enough to trigger a review removal. If you have a page set up as a personal account rather than an author page, however, it might be. You really need to set up as a page, not a person, when you're doing author stuff. 
7. Some people have suggested that having gifted the account through Amazon will trigger it. This makes sense, but is problematic if you use this method to get books to Book Bloggers, which I have (it's just easier than trying to email them the file and get them to transfer it onto their Kindles) ... however, this may be a practice we'll have to rethink. So far none of the reviews I've gotten through this process have disappeared, though, so I'm cautiously optimistic that having gifted just the book they review is enough to trigger deletion. 

One thing I've learned in the last year and a half or so of doing this is that being an indie is all about flexibility. It's about admitting that what worked last year, last month, last week might not work any more and looking for another way.  So just keep moving, keep adapting, and keep writing. 

Who knows if Amazon will even be here in another ten years? 

Bad Reviews Sell Books

I'm subscribed to a lot of bargain book emails. Mainly because I frequently use them to advertise and like to track what sort of books are featured on each list, but also because I sometimes purchase books from those lists . . . I also like to see the pretty covers.
The other day one of the emails had a free book with an intriguing title and cover, so I clicked through to check it out. The book sounded interesting, but it only had ten reviews, a couple of which rated it lowly. So I skimmed down to the first low rated review. It said the book was "Not a thrill ride. A little slow paced."

So I immediately downloaded it.

Why? Because I dislike the frenetic pace of "thrill ride" books. I prefer a more leisurely read that lets me poke around and explore the world without having to worry because the characters are in mortal danger ALL THE TIME (See my list of top reasons why I stop reading a book here).

So I immediately brought this amusing anecdote before one of my writer's Facebook group and a lot of them just simply didn't get the point. I find the attitude frequently found in writers' circles is that negative reviews are "bad" or "unfair." This is unfortunate. Sometimes bad reviews can be frustrating (see my post here on what writers find annoying about reviews), but the "people shouldn't leave reviews like that. I wish Amazon would remove them. Please vote them unhelpful!" doesn't help the writers in the long run.

Here's why: the point to my story about the low-rated-review was not that the review was wrong to rate the book that way, it was that the review provided me information that caused me to actually download a book I was on the fence about. The low-rated-review got the writer a sale! (well, a free download, but I might've purchased if it weren't free, depending on my current budget ... I need to check that.)

I've seen writers actually state that a low rated review is preventing them from getting sales. One low star review is rarely enough to turn away readers, especially when you have the powerhouse of your Amazon sample right there. I've seen a general assumption that any low star rated review is from a "troll" or someone who willfully or stupidly misread the book.

It turns every low star review into an instant pity party where a bunch of other authors will pat you on the back and tell you how awful the reviewer is.

But as in the case of my story, sometimes that negative review is actually what you want, a review from someone who isn't in your target audience that might draw in someone from your intended audience ... Here are a couple instances where "negative" reviews might work towards you.

• Issue Reviewers: these reviewers don't care what your story was like. All that matters to them is the representation of a particular issue. These sorts of writers come from both sides of political/social/religious lines. "I didn't like it because the main character was a man-hating feminazi." "I didn't like it because it didn't pass the Bechdel Test. Not enough strong female characters." "I don't like how the author portrayed Christians/Atheists/Hindus/Social-Workers/Stay-At-Home-Mothers/Working-Moms/Dragonflies."  You can't please everyone in this day and age. However, the majority of readers will not care about this particular issue, and if they represent the opposite side of the coin, they may be drawn in. Very occasionally, these reviewers actually have a point, too. 
• I didn't like this particular element/aspect. This is the example that started this thread. I don't care for fast paced books. The person who reviewed didn't care for slow paced books. If something is a matter of taste, then you're actually helped by a reviewer who points it out because what they didn't like might be what someone else was looking for.
• Writerly-writing stuff. Writers tend to be picky readers. Also, anyone who has taken advanced literature or English classes might fall into this category. Key phrases to look for to identify a reader who is trying to be an armchair critic/professor, "Exposition. Purple prose. Point of view/Head Hopping. Filtering. Telegraphing. Passive voice. . ." anything that basically if you weren't a writer or someone who analyzes writing, you probably wouldn't know what it means. I was not taught about "Point of View" until college level creative writing courses (which tend to be electives). It's just not something that comes up for non-writers. And yes, there are reasons for all of these issues to be addressed during the editing/re-writing process, but once the book is done, most readers aren't going to be carefully analyzing it for these issues. If a reader knocks you down a couple stars for this sort of thing, don't sweat it. The average reader is going to glance at the review, think the reviewer is being nitpicky, and ignore them. (Similarly to first item on this list, occasionally they may be right. It's never bad to take into consideration that you still have something to learn that could make your writing better.).
• I expected this but got this . . . this actually made the list of "annoying things in reviews" that I linked above. Because it is annoying. I wanted a romance, this was a tragedy. I wanted to laugh. This book wasn't funny. I didn't know this book was Christian fiction! If you labeled the book well and the marketing isn't deceptive, yes, it can feel unwarranted, but these sorts of reviews don't hurt sales. The person got the wrong sort of book for them, but this will help future readers to avoid making the same mistake, and if they like the sort of book the reviewer didn't, it can actually lead them to buy. While it is annoying, don't berate the reviewer. They may have bought the book off a "people who bought this also bought. . ." link without bothering to check the category. They may have been recommended the book by a friend. They may have picked it up impulsively on a free or bargain day and forgotten what it was by the time they actually read. Whatever the reason, their review does not harm you. Give them a break. 
• I dint lyk et. Okay, in my last one I said to give the reviewer the benefit of the doubt and not call them stupid, but the typo-filled negative review . . . yeah, people don't take those seriously. I wouldn't actively mock the reviewer, but it is okay to roll your eyes a bit. Still, they don't hurt you.

Reviews that can hurt sales . . .hmm. . . if a reviewer actually lies/misrepresents the content of the book, this can be an issue, and if your stats start to skew more negative than positive, it can also hurt you in the long run, but it can be a sign that you need to target your marketing a little better. Or maybe improve the book? Sometimes that actually is necessary. Take it down, edit it, fix the truncated ending, add in a strong female character . . .if enough reviewers are mad about it, think about changing it. 

Still, remember: the average reader isn't rating the value of the book when they review. That's completely subjective. They are rating based on the experience they had when reading the book. This is where the writer gives up some control, but that's okay. You can't control life/readers/reviewers. So try not to fuss about them. If you really need to, stop reading them!

Amazon Prime Day: Indie Author Edition!!!

If you are at all into Online Shopping, then I'm sure you've heard rumors of Amazon's big "Prime Day" bash. July 15th only they will be hosting what they hope will be a bigger sales event than Black Friday. . .

Well, of course most of us Indies are on Amazon anyway, so while you're grabbing up big screen TVs or Kindles or whatever floats your boat, grab some Indie Books!


Here are some free and discounted Indie Deals for July 15th (all these promotions are subject to change so please check to make sure the price is still valid before you buy):

Her Imaginary Husband

HER IMAGINARY HUSBAND will be 99 cents ~ ★★★★★ How can Nikki date the campus cop with Her Imaginary Husband hanging around? Romantic comedy. Click HERE.

Second Son (The Minstrel's Song Book 2)

THE SECOND SON will be Free!  

In an attempt to manipulate the future, a nation is forced to decide between brothers. A family-friendly-fantasy novel for all ages. Long before Aom-igh needed a champion, Llycaelon had a second son. Click HERE.

Turned: A Werewolf Love Story (The Regency Shifter Series Book 1)

TURNED will be Free!

A Sweet Shifter Paranormal Romance. Click HERE!

The Bramblewood Werebear (The Regency Shifter Series Book 2)

THE BRAMBLEWOOD WEREBEAR will be Free! 

A Sweet Shifter Paranomral Romance. Click HERE!

A Stitch of Honor

A STITCH OF HONOR will be Free!

A Science Fiction short. Click HERE!

Malevolent (The Puzzle Box Series Book 1)

MALEVOLENT will be Free!

A YA Paranormal Romance. Click HERE!

Chronocrime (The Spacetime Legacy Book 2)

CHRONOCRIME will be Free!

A YA Urban Fantasy. Click HERE!

Dragon's Bride (The Dragon and the Scholar Book 4)

DRAGON'S BRIDE will be Free! 

The fourth book in the Dragon and the Scholar Saga, a Sweet Fantasy Romance sees Dragon Prince Ewan travel into the past to regain his human form and reunite with his beloved. Click HERE!

The Place of Voices (TimeDrifter Series Book 1)

THE PLACE OF VOICES will be Free!

 "Uplifting and entertaining" Historical Fantasy THE PLACE OF VOICES by Lauren Lynch FREE July 15! Click HERE!

Kept

KEPT will be $1.99!

Can a woman with a messy past find love with a good man? Reality-driven fiction filled with real issues and real hope. A Christian Romantic Suspense. Click HERE!

LINKED (The Bening Files Book 1)

LINKED will be 99 cents!

When a cryptic message and a string of crime brings Jordan and McKenna face-to-face, for the first time in a decade, neither anticipates their hasty Vegas nuptuals. Persuading her their relationship is worth the risk, and his protection needed, means keeping the only woman he's ever loved, alive.  A Romantic Suspense. Click HERE!

A Valley Experience (Inspirational Life Experiences Book 1)

A VALLEY EXPERIENCE will be Free!

“One single decision can send you careening down a path where you don’t want to go.” "Well written and focuses on real life issues even though it's fictional. Absolutely loved it!" -Undercover Book Reviews. Christian/Inspirational Romance. Click HERE!

Operation Dark Angel: The Rise of Nicolaitanes (The Apocalyse Series Book 1)

OPERATION DARK ANGEL will be Free! 

How can one military operation bring about the downfall of the world's governments? What happens when a single man attempts to take over the entire world? Christian Thriller. Click HERE!

Sodom: A Nation On Its Knees (The Search for the Righteous Book 1)

SODOM: A NATION ON ITS KNEES will be Free! 

If God sent his angels down to earth to find the righteous, would you be one of the chosen ones? A Christian Thriller. Click HERE!

House of Slide Hotblood

HOUSE OF SLIDE HOTBLOOD will be Free!

A YA/Paranormal Fantasy! Click HERE!

Whispers of a Faded Dreamer

WHISPERS OF A FADED DREAMER will be 99 cents!

A YA Christian Fantasy! Click HERE!

Beauty Within (Riley Family Legacy Novellas Book 1)

BEAUTY WITHIN will be 99 cents!

Could a parking ticket signal Katherine's second chance at life and maybe even love? A contemporary Christian romance. Click HERE!

Waiting for Appa: A Science Fiction Short Story

WAITING FOR APPA will be Free!
An Award Winning Christian SciFi Short Stroy! Click HERE!

Liberty (Citizens of Logan Pond Book 2)

LIBERTY will be 99 cents!

When the financial collapse of America wipes out life as Carrie knows it, she finds the will to survive with a man determined to hate her. Dystopian. Click HERE!

The Collins Case (Heartfelt Cases Book 1)

HEARTFELT CASES: THE COLLINS CASE will be Free!

A Christian Suspense Novella! Click HERE!

The Kiverson Case (Heartfelt Cases Book 2)

HEARTFELT CASES: THE KIVERSON CASE will be Free!

A Christian Suspense Novella! Click HERE!

Forever, For Always

FOREVER, FOR ALWAYS will be 99 cents!

Vada has been on the run with a new identity for four years now, fearing the man who killed her husband and set her up for it. Will she finally let her guard down and let herself love again even though she can't tell Isaac the truth? Romantic Suspense. Click HERE!

Shatterworld

SHATTERWORLD will be 99 cents!

 Amish wannabees flee to another planet, only to find conflict has followed them. 

Christian Middle Grade Scifi! Click HERE!

My Life as an Onion

MY LIFE AS AN ONION will be 99 cents!

An Interracial Paranormal Romance! Click HERE!

Beggar Magic

BEGGAR MAGIC will be 99 cents!

This YA Steampunk Inspired Fantasy takes you into a world of musical magic where two girls from different backgrounds must fight to defend what matters most. Click HERE!

Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset (The Sunset Lands Beyond Book 1)

AERISIA: LAND BEYOND THE SUNSET will be Free!

In this fantasy series, Hannah Winters has gone from Earth to Aerisia, college student to prophesied savior. She must now contend with danger, betrayal, and romance, while mastering a new skill... magic. Click HERE!

The Amazing Adventures of Toby the Trilby (The Toby the Trilby Series Book 1)

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF TOBY THE TRILBY will be Free!

A Middle Grade Christian Dystopian SciFi! Click HERE!

The Devil's Due (The Blackwell Files Book 5)

THE DEVIL'S DUE will be Free! A Thriller/mystery, former soldiers Alton Blackwell and Mallory Wilson are pulled back to Afghanistan to rescue a teenage friend whose Al-Qaeda uncle has nefarious plans for her. As they race to recover the teen, they battle Al-Qaeda terrorists, a resurgent cult, and a web of intrigue in which the label of friend and foe is not easily assigned.  Click HERE!

Daniel the Camp-er (Daniel the Draw-er Book 2)

DANIEL THE DRAWER will be Free!

A Middle-Grade Chapter book! Click HERE!