tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13795042467983943822024-03-13T02:04:12.698-07:00Author ID JohnsonEvery author needs a place to connect to the reader, to offer insight into the expanded lives of the characters, answer questions, and share the thinking behind those crafty plot twists. This is where I will let you in to my world as I create the people and places you love to read about.ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-3059385899767620552020-05-14T18:18:00.005-07:002021-03-08T10:54:45.335-08:00Why I'm Writing Webnovels, and You Should Be Too<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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When I was first introduced to the concept of webnovels and the services eGlobal Creative Publishing provides for authors, I did a lot of research. I quickly ascertained that webnovels are huge in other countries and that there was a good possibility that this type of entertainment would continue to grow in popularity in the US. I had never even heard of a webnovel before I started talking to the folks at eGlobal, but it looked like a great opportunity to get my backlist of novels in front of a brand new audience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Seeing that I had absolutely nothing to lose by signing the nonexclusive contract to work with eGlobal on my backlist of books, I decided to sign a contract to put five of my series and one standalone novel into their care for listing on whatever web platforms they thought appropriate. By then, I’d had several email conversations and one lengthy phone discussion with some great people who really knew their stuff and were happy to answer all of my questions. It became clear to me that this was more than a contract; this was a partnership.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I became part of the eGlobal family, other opportunities to improve my craft, widen my audience, and increase revenue began to present themselves. The first was a holiday writing contest. I’d never even entered a writing contest before, but winning the popular vote in this one was exhilarating! It was also a great opportunity for me to introduce my already existing readers to a brand new style of reading.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After that, I had the chance to do some great training on how to develop stories specifically as webnovels and then the opportunity to put that training to use as I entered an exclusive contract to write a webnovel for eGlobal, which would then be published on the Webnovel website. Along with that, I got to work with three other writers to craft a separate story that has been so much fun to collaborate on! Seeing my webnovel,<a href="https://mangatoon.mobi/en/detail/352240" target="_blank"> </a><i><a href="https://www.webnovel.com/book/racing-hearts-will-the-actress-marry-him_18641322206593605">Racing Hearts: Will the Actress Marry Him?</a> </i>live on Webnovel has been so much fun! Unlike the typical retailers I publish on, the feedback on Webnovel is quick and specific. I absolutely love reading the comments and reviews these enthusiastic readers post on a daily basis. It’s also thrilling to watch the view count go up, people add my story to their collection, and gift their power stones!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think it’s become abundantly clear to all of us lately that the world around us is changing. There are huge opportunities for writers to find new readers all around the globe, but those who get out in front first will have a better chance of finding life-long fans and building a true following in this new medium, so I am excited to a part of eGlobal’s family. These are people who know the market, they know webnovels, they know the movers and shakers, and they want to see me be successful. I’d have to be crazy not to grab ahold of this opportunity with both hands!<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should partner with eGlobal to add your backlist to webnovel sites, whether or not you should go through their training program to learn how to craft your writing style to meet the expectations of a new market, or whether or not you should write something specifically for eGlobal to partner with you to get your work in front of literally millions of new readers, I say, give it a try and see how it goes! You literally have nothing to lose. If you have specific questions, I am more than happy to answer them for you! I can be reached at <a href="mailto:authoridjohnson@gmail.com" style="color: #954f72;">authoridjohnson@gmail.com</a> and would love to chat with you about the opportunities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t think that you have to choose between writing webnovels and continuing in your other markets either. I am an award winning writer with bestselling titles on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I write in several genres under four pen names, but ID Johnson is my primary pen name, which I use for historical romance, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. I’ve had several Bookbub Featured Deals in the last two years and have an email list of over 11,000. I’ve been able to continue to grow my readership by “regular” methods as I’ve spent the last six months exploring new opportunities, particularly those with eGlobal Creative Publishing. Why limit what you’re doing when you don’t have to? The readers are out there. You just have to reach them. You might be able to do it by yourself, but eGlobal makes it a lot easier!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Find my books here: <a href="http://authoridjohnson.com/">authoridjohnson.com</a></div>
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Find eGlobal's website here: <a href="https://www.jianlaiglobal.com/">https://www.jianlaiglobal.com</a></div>
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Find my webnovel <i>Racing Hearts </i>here: </span><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.webnovel.com/book/racing-hearts-will-the-actress-marry-him_18641322206593605">https://www.webnovel.com/book/racing-hearts-will-the-actress-marry-him_18641322206593605</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Find my Bella Moondragon page on SofaNovel here: <a href="https://www.sofanovel.com/author/Bella-Moondragon-3604904597">https://www.sofanovel.com/author/Bella-Moondragon-3604904597</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Find my ID Johnson page on SofaNovel here: <a href="https://www.sofanovel.com/author/ID-Johnson-3604940239">https://www.sofanovel.com/author/ID-Johnson-3604940239</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Find my new story <i>Mage of Wolves </i>on GoodNovel here: <a href="https://www.goodnovel.com/book_info/21000012695/null/Mage-of-Wolves">https://www.goodnovel.com/book_info/21000012695/null/Mage-of-Wolves</a></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-27539773816459814872019-07-11T09:07:00.000-07:002019-07-11T09:07:18.136-07:00Let's Talk About GraceI know it's been a while since I've posted on my blog. I've been so busy writing books the last two years, the blog has gotten a little neglected. But what I want to talk about today doesn't belong in a book, though it definitely has to do with writing. I thought about the best way to deliver this message last night as I was attempting to fall asleep. I considered a Facebook Live because I feel like it might get a little more attention than a blog post. But I'm not sure I'm ready to put my best face forward just yet. That is, I'm not sure I'm ready to go live and say coherent things to who knows who might be watching. So for now, I'll stick to what I do best and get my thoughts down on "paper" where I can always go back and revise if something doesn't quite come out right.<br />
Last night, I was perusing Amazon as I often do, looking at books in my genre, checking out reviews and rankings and book covers and all of those sorts of things, and a couple of reviews caught my eye. I'm not going to mention the books or the authors here, and I'm not even going to call out the reviewers who seriously need to consider some life changes, but I am going to talk about something that was missing from the reviews in question, and that important item, which seems to be missing more and more from our lives in generally, especially when we are hiding behind screens and keyboards, is <b>grace</b>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all need a little grace sometimes. Picture credit: Pixabay</td></tr>
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<b>Grace</b>--the ability to give a person a little bit of space, some mercy, to forgive a little or a lot because it's the <i>kind</i> thing to do. That's not Merriam Webster talking or the Bible or even the nagging sound of my mother's voice I sometimes hear in my head when I need to make better choices. That's life telling me that sometimes we all need a little bit of mercy, a little bit of forgiveness, a little bit of "overlooking."<br />
I was reading reviews of some new authors, people who have just started their careers, trying to launch books with little to no funds, I'd guess, no mailing list, no publisher, no social media following. Some of the reviews were so harsh and ugly, it just made me sick. Why do we have to be so hard on each other? If you read a book by a new author, and you don't like it, of course you have the right to tell others what you disliked and possibly warn them from making a purchase of a book they will also have problems with. But one star reviews because a book needs a proofread, or because you found the plot too predictable, just seems spiteful to me.<br />
I have never left a one star review on a book ever, and I have hundreds of reviews posted on Amazon with over 50,000 views. Even when I've read a book that seems absolutely terrible to me, I always find some good to focus on in the review and give at least two stars, often three, because everyone needs hope, everyone deserves to know they are not a complete failure, that they may have hard work ahead of them, but that doesn't mean their dreams are shattered all over the floor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why would we want to make anyone else feel this way? Picture credit: Pixabay</td></tr>
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<b><br />Grace</b>. Why not come to the review page with a handful of grace? Why not sprinkle a little bit of sunshine in a world full of anger and madness?<br />
I've been writing long enough that I realize that my style might not be everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay. Occasionally, I will get an ugly review, but I have enough good ones to let those others go. I do read every single one of them, though, and I try to learn what I can from the bad ones, though, for the most part, there usually isn't much to learn except that people can be angry about books sometimes for reasons that seem irrational to me. In the case of these other authors whose work I looked at yesterday, I read some of what they wrote, made some downloads, will finish and review, and when I do, my reviews will remember that I am talking to real people with feelings. I get that reviews are for other readers and not for the author, but that doesn't mean we can't be kind when we communicate our feelings, knowing the author will most likely read every word.<br />
<b>Grace</b>--that's all I'm asking for in this world of keyboard warriors who feel invincible behind their screens. If you take those screens away, you'll see people just as frightened of criticism as the ones they are attacking. And face to face with harsh reviewers, I'm sure they would also appreciate a little <b>grace</b>.<br />
<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-74243397918434578502019-01-01T17:42:00.001-08:002019-01-01T17:42:52.279-08:00Saying Goodbye to Writer's Best FriendFor the last few weeks, I've been thinking about writing this post--an update on how 2018 went for me as a writer and an outline of what I planned to do in 2019. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be doing it without my best friend, my dog, Kassidy, at my side.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kassidy as a puppy</td></tr>
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Kass joined our family three and a half years ago and has been my constant companion for much of that time, always nearby while I am writing. This year, I wrote 20 full-length novels, an accomplishment I am proud of and planned to mention in this post anyway, but it seems odd that she's not here to celebrate it now. She was there when I finished, Friday evening, when I sent my last manuscript of 2018 to my editor. It just happened to be The Chronicles of Cassidy, Book 5. I closed my laptop, looked down at her where she lay by my feet, and said, "We did it, Kass. We wrote 20 books this year." She crawled up onto my lap and put her paw on my chest, like she was trying to give me a high-five or something. It was like she knew we'd done something special.<br />
I say "we" because ever since I've become a full-time writer, she's either been on my legs or on the couch next to me as I write most of the day. She'd always let me know when it was time for both of us to take a break, every couple of hours. She was always right--and insistent that, no, it couldn't wait until I finished that sentence or paragraph. It was break time--now!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I wrote a lot of books with her hovering over me like this.</td></tr>
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I'm sure some people will want to know what happened, so I will say that we were out of town. Some neighbors were watching her, and she got away from them and was hit by a car. It was quick, and I hope painless, for her. It was devastating for all of us, and now, about three days later, it is still hard to believe she's gone. Our neighbors buried her for us in the back of our property, and we plan to build a little garden there. My youngest daughter, who loved to read to Kass when she was alive, has gone out there each day and read to her, so we'll make sure there is a bench, some flowers, and a marker.<br />
Some might say she was just a dog--and to some extent, that's true. She wasn't a person as regular human, upright, word-speaking people are concerned. But to us, she was just about as peoply as a pet can be. She was funny and bright, fast as lightning, and could climb a ladder a lot quicker than I can. She would tell us when there was a person at the door, a squirrel in a tree, sometimes a falling leave in the yard. She wanted to be a part of everything we did, and in most ways she was--especially if it involved people food.<br />
Kassidy will certainly be missed, and when I start writing again in a week or two, it will be hard to carry on without her, but I know I will find a way.<br />
The next book on my list to write is <i>Annihilation</i>: The Clandestine Saga Book 7. Since Cassidy Findley is a big part of the story, it will be challenging. I'm glad I just finished the fifth book in the series named for my feline friend as that would've been harder to write without her.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kassidy and Cassidy Findley have a lot of character traits in common.</td></tr>
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Writing must go on, however, so I am looking ahead to the rest of this year. As I mentioned, in 2018, I wrote 20 full-length novels, well over 2 million words. I published 20 novels as well, which was my other writing goal, though some of those books were written in 2017 (there was a lot of overlap, though.) For 2019, I hope to scale my writing back a little and am only planning to publish 13 new novels. But I am working on audiobooks for <i>Titanic</i>, <i>Melody's Christmas</i>, and the Clandestine Saga. It would be great if I could release an audiobook every month this year, but we shall see.<br />
As far as writing is concerned, 2018 was a stellar year for me. I grew my following, wrote a lot of books, got some great reviews, and connected with a lot of readers. I feel like people are starting to recognize my name. I've gotten a lot more emails from readers this year and even had someone recognize my name when I said I was a writer. Those are all great things. In 2019, I'd love for there to be more of the same. If you've signed up for my newsletter or follow me on social media, then I'm so glad that we've connected, and I hope we can get to know each other better this year. If you've left a review on one of my books, you can be sure that I've read it. If you've told your friends about my writing, or suggested or gifted one of my books, you've helped my circle to grow, and you're an amazing part of my success. I value every single person who has supported my writing career over the last four years, and I hope you'll stick with me into the future.<br />
This post definitely isn't what I'd envisioned a few weeks ago. I am glad I've had this opportunity to share with you my wonderful friend Kassidy. And when you read about the fierce female character of the same name in my books, I hope you'll remember her namesake and pat your special friends on the head an extra time or two because you just never know when they might be gone.<br />
My wish for you for this new year is that you will be loved and appreciated, that your goals will be met, and that you and your friends and family will be safe and well. I hope you find lots of great books to read in your favorite genres and plenty of time to read them. If you're an aspiring writer, may 2019 be the year when you put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and see what you can create, or if you're already a writer, let this be the year your words resonate with thousands of readers. Whatever you do this year, I wish you success and happiness. Thanks again for sticking with me, and have a blessed 2019.<br />
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<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-51143505143050372992018-11-11T14:04:00.001-08:002018-11-11T14:06:30.524-08:00Elliott Set for Early ReleaseOver Labor Day weekend this year, I participated in the International 3 Day Novel Writing Contest again. If you're not familiar, writers have three days to produce a novel. I've done it a few times before (<i>Transformation</i>, <i>Titanic</i>, and <i>Aaron</i> were all products of the 3 Day.) This year, I knew whose story I wanted to tell. If I was going to be essentially locked in a room inside a character's head for three days, it needed to be someone I liked. So, I decided to write Elliott's story, and I'm glad I did.<br />
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Unlike the first two books in the A Vampire Hunter's Tale series, Elliott's story doesn't involve historical events or figures recreated as vampires. It focuses more on how he got to be the character we all know and love today. And honestly, parts of his past are heartbreaking. It's no wonder he's always trying to make everyone laugh. As the saying goes, if you don't laugh, you'll cry.<br />
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I've decided not to wait on the results of the 3 Day to release this novel. We were promised word about a long list of winners in October and didn't get it, and since the book is edited, cover is made, formatting is done, I'm going to go ahead and release <i>Elliott</i> to the world on November 15. I'll come back and update this post with a link when I have one. I wanted to let you know because, over the years since I first started writing in this world, I've had more readers tell me how much they love Elliott than any other character I've created (and that's a lot of characters considering this is my 34th publication.) For me, this book isn't about vampires or hunters or guardians. It's about examining the struggles we all go through in life, the ones that stick with us and make us who we are. We all have ghosts of our pasts we carry along with us, those voices we hear in our head that either tell us we can, we can't, or we never will. I'm not sure if Elliott's story will make you laugh or cry, but I hope it will make you think and reflect on how you got to be you. After all, it's only through that sort of examination that we can ever figure out who we're going to be.<br />
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As always, thanks so much for all of your support. I don't blog as much anymore as I used to now that I'm writing more books, but I do plan on writing at least one more blog post this year to let you know about the goals I set for 2018 and how I managed to accomplish them (assuming they're all met by the end of the year. So close!) Until then, happy reading.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLq2SbEIMjx7Qhui7gGFN5TDk0S3QHRETzs9w88UO_ewADY-R7A_-gjTPEeYsA37j1Pvn_ci2_ncLyG84vPl7sHC0n-3XhzFCuXwrmHfxKXCmqdywtF_I8w_0MqNHHmEyuAc0w70CBcP-/s1600/Elliott+copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLq2SbEIMjx7Qhui7gGFN5TDk0S3QHRETzs9w88UO_ewADY-R7A_-gjTPEeYsA37j1Pvn_ci2_ncLyG84vPl7sHC0n-3XhzFCuXwrmHfxKXCmqdywtF_I8w_0MqNHHmEyuAc0w70CBcP-/s320/Elliott+copy.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Elliott</i> will be available on Nov 15, 2018 on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited</td></tr>
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ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-27987545855128963492018-05-12T19:37:00.000-07:002018-05-12T19:49:34.759-07:00I'm Writing The Chronicles of Cassidy At Last!When I started publishing almost four years ago, I was a reading intervention teacher at two different elementary schools. I worked with a lot of fourth and fifth graders who wanted to hear about my writing. They were fascinated with The Clandestine Saga, even though I never told any of them the title because that series isn't exactly for kids. I promised them, though, that someday I would write a series they could read.<br />
My intentions were to take Cadence Findley, the main character in Clandestine, and create a series about her younger sister, Cassidy. Since the kids at school seemed to want to read about vampires, I thought Cassidy would be the perfect heroine for them. Even though it's been a long time since I initially thought of writing this series, I'm proud to say the first book in the series, <i>So You Think Your Sister's a Vampire? </i>is finally finished, and I'm hoping to publish it in July. I hope that those same kids who were asking so many years ago will be excited to read it, along with lots of other kids and adults who like The Clandestine Saga series.<br />
The series will be at least three books long and will follow along as Cassidy Findley discovers something odd is going on with her older sister. It parallels The Clandestine Saga but is appropriate for kids as young as ten years old with no bad language or other inappropriate content. There will be some vampire slaying eventually, but it won't be as descriptive as the other series written for adults. I let my second grader read this book, so it's definitely fine for audiences of all ages, in my opinion, but I think grownups will like it, too.<br />
I will be looking for people interested in receiving an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review soon, so if you think you'd like to read it before it's published, let me know at authoridjohnson@gmail.com. Below, you'll find an excerpt to give you an idea of what the novel is all about. (Please keep in mind my editor hasn't gone through the manuscript yet!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Adult Vampire Adventure, Coming Soon!</td></tr>
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<br />
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Chapter One<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You think
you know someone, and then they go and turn into a creature of the night, a
bloodsucker, a vampire, right before your very eyes, and then you realize, you
don’t really know anyone at all, perhaps not even yourself.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">My name’s
Cassidy Findley, and up until a couple of weeks ago, I was living a pretty
mundane existence. I live in a small town in rural Iowa where the most exciting
thing that ever happens is someone shoots a deer or a friend’s hog has piglets.
No, really, those are the kinds of stories I’ve come to expect to hear in the
hallways of Shenandoah High School on a Monday morning. Okay, I might be
exaggerating a little bit; sometimes there are stories about who is going out
with who or who met a hot stranger at the mall—which happens to be about an
hour away from here in Council Bluffs, so no one can ever verify those sorts of
stories. Yeah, nothing exciting ever happens in Shenandoah, that is until the
night before Thanksgiving. Nothing would ever be the same after that night.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Actually,
things started to head in the direction of a downward spiral a couple of nights
before that. My older sister, Cadence, is nineteen and attends college at the
University of Iowa in Iowa City—well, she did go to college there, anyway. I’ll
get to that soon enough. She was back in town for the week because of the
holiday, and I was so happy to see her. My sister and I have always been very
close—until recently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Her whole life, my sister has
talked about wanting to be an elementary school teacher, so the fact that she
dropped out and took a job with some sort of security company would’ve been
shocking if I hadn’t already figured out by then what was happening. Again, I’m
getting ahead of myself. I guess it would make sense if I just started at the
beginning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence was
super popular when she was in school. She was a cheerleader, in the choir, and
in a half-dozen other clubs. I do some of those things, too, but I definitely
don’t get the same sort of attention as Cadence did, which is fine. I don’t
need that sort of spotlight. Not that she ever seemed to want it either, but
that was just part of who she was. My sister is beautiful, with long brown hair
and big brown eyes. I’ve seen guys literally crumple when she flashes them her
dazzling smile. She’s totally oblivious, though. Still, being so well-liked
garnered her a group of friends that went practically everywhere with her when
they were in high school and a boyfriend that was the envy of all the other
girls. Even after she and Jack broke up, he still continued to follow her
around like a puppy dog every time she came home. So, it was no surprise that
one of the voices I heard through our adjoining bedroom wall that night was
his.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I try not
to eavesdrop as a rule. I think it’s underhanded and sneaky. But… my sister’s
friends are loud, so I can often hear most of their conversations just by not
listening to any music or watching anything on my laptop when they’re chatting.
Like I said, none of what I overheard was on purpose. And sometimes I wish I
hadn’t heard anything at all. But I did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was
sitting on my bed, trying to decide whether to watch a movie or catch up on
some TV when the whole group of them came up the stairs. I closed my laptop and
went into “not eavesdropping” mode. I heard Cadence’s friend Drew Peterson’s
voice first. She’s still in high school and on the Varsity cheerleading squad.
Since I’m on the JV squad, sometimes we practice together, and she’s usually
nice to me. She has short, curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She’s really
pretty, but unlike my sister, she knows it. Drew’s the kind of girl who will
use her looks to get whatever she wants, and I always wondered why my sister
hung out with her when Cadence usually likes people who are more down to earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I remembered
that she used to date my sister’s friend Kash Donetello as soon as I heard his
voice. “That’s why,” I reminded myself. Drew started hanging out with my sister
when she was dating Kash, and even though they broke up a while ago, Drew has
stuck to my sister like bubble gum on her Converse. She just won’t go away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Drew’s
laughter peeled through the wall, and I heard my sister mention she has a paper
that she’s got to work on. Why her friends were here while she was doing
homework is beyond me, but I figured it is back to the sticky factor. Once
someone has latched on to Cadence, she has a hard time shaking them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I heard her
two other guy friends—the aforementioned Jack Cook, ex-boyfriend and star
baseball player who now attends college in Nebraska, and Jon Chancellor, who
decided not to go to college. Jon is one of those guys who is always joking
around about everything, and although I’ve personally never thought he was
particularly funny, I guess Cadence does. She has always had a strange sense of
humor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I could
hear two other female voices, too, though not well-enough to make out what they
were saying. Still, I knew that they are my sisters real best friends, the ones
she’d choose to keep if she had to whittle down this group. Taylor Christianson
and Sidney Cox are to Cadence what my two best friends, Lucy Burk and Emma
O’Sullivan, are to me. I have other friends, too, like Milo Parker and Wes
Standford, and then there’s Liam White who is super cute, but I think is just
using me to pass Algebra II. If I had to pick my two BFFs, though, there’s no
question it would be Luce and Em hands down. I know that’s a lot of names, and
for right now, you probably don’t have to worry about most of these people. The
only ones that are super important are my sister, of course, and Drew. If I had
known then what I know now about the fate of Drew Peterson, I would’ve burst
into my sister’s bedroom and ordered everyone to go home immediately.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But I
didn’t do that because I had no idea that the conversation my sister was having
through that paper-thin wall would be so significant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I adjusted
my position on top of the floral print bedspread my mother had purchased me a
few years earlier when I decided I was too old for Disney Princesses and tried
not to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> listen to my sister’s
conversation. You’d think the walls would be thicker considering that was
supposed to be the master suite. Despite the fact that Cadence had an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">en suite</i> bathroom and a closet big
enough to hide all of her friends should my parents ever care that she was
practically throwing a party in her bedroom, I was never jealous. My parents’
bedroom was downstairs in what was meant to be a mother-in-law suite, but my
Grandma Janette lives in Des Moines and my other grandparents still have each
other. So, everyone else has spacious bedrooms with attached bathrooms, and I
have to walk down the hall a little way to take a shower. Really not a big
deal—not even a first world problem. Still, I could practically hear my sister
and her friends breathing, which is why I can say I definitely wasn’t trying to
hear what they were talking about.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But I heard
nonetheless. Drew was talking about an Eidolon Festival. I’d never heard that
word before and thought at first that I just wasn’t hearing it correctly
through the drywall, but I did what I always do when I hear a word I don’t
know—I looked it up. Even before she stopped talking, I had it on Wikipedia.
Since I was pretty sure she wasn’t talking about idolizing anyone, that only
left one alternative. “A specter or phantom,” I read aloud, my forehead
crinkling. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why would anyone want to go to
a festival for that? </i>I wondered. It definitely didn’t sound like something
my sister would like. She wasn’t even a fan of Halloween. Not that she was
scared; she just thought it was pointless to walk around dressed like someone
you’re not, trying to scare people or collecting candy. I tended to agree with
her and waited to hear her tell Drew to forget about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
discussion went on for a few minutes, and I could hear Cadence saying she
didn’t want to go. It sounded like Taylor was actually afraid, like she was
about to cry, so I thought for sure this would be the end of the discussion. But
then Drew started whining, and I know that’s my sister’s weakness. “You all
went away to college and left me here,” she was saying. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
kryptonite, the tears of Drew Peterson melted my sister’s iron resolve, and the
next thing I hear is Cadence agreeing to go. I can hardly believe my ears.
Whatever this thing is, it sounded dangerous, and it’s not even in town.
They’ll have to drive to Villisca. A festival of ghosts in a town made famous
for an axe murder? I’m pretty sure this is a bad idea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know what
you’re thinking, and you’re right. You’re asking yourself, “If Cassidy Findley
is such a good girl, why didn’t she get up and go tell her sister not to go?”
Or, “Why didn’t she head straight downstairs and interrupt her parents’ viewing
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CSI Miami</i> to let them know her
older sister was planning to lie to them and use a cover story of spending the
night at Drew’s house to sneak out?” And you’re right—you’re absolutely right.
I should’ve done one or both of those things. And now, here we are, a few weeks
later, and everything in the world is completely different. This is a guilt I
will carry with me for the rest of my life. I no longer feel like the good girl
who always makes the right decisions. What I overheard that night has led me
down a dark hole, one where I not only eavesdrop on every other member of my
family, I’ve also become a master of deception. As a matter-of-fact, I’m pretty
sure someone is dead because I didn’t stand up and say something. What’s even
worse (yes, worse than death) is that, because I chose not to burst through my
sister’s door and tell her not to go to that stupid festival, my sister is now
a vampire; I’m almost sure of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Chapter Two<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The night
before Thanksgiving, I went to bed a little earlier than usual. I wasn’t
particularly tired, but I was worried, and I didn’t want to hang around my
parents any more than I had to because I was certain they would be able to tell
something was bothering me. Cadence had sat around the house most of that day,
trying to act inconspicuous, but I could tell by the way she twisted the ring
on her right hand that she was anxious. I wanted to ask her why she had agreed
to go to this festival if she knew it was a bad idea, but she had no idea I
could overhear her conversations with her friends in her bedroom, and I was
still under the impression that breaking her trust would be worse than just
letting her go. For the most part, my sister has good judgement, and I still
expected her to find a way to talk her friends out of going.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ever since
I’d heard Drew use that word—Eidolon—I’d been doing some research. I thought if
I knew more about where they were headed, maybe I could come up with some sort
of a way to trick them into not going. But no matter how much searching I’d
done using the keywords I’d overheard from their conversation, nothing came up.
Even though I had heard enough to know this Eidolon Festival in Villisca was
supposed to be the night before Thanksgiving at the witching hour, which is
3:00 AM, nothing popped up. I’d considered asking Emma to help me because, when
it comes to computers, Em’s a whiz, but I didn’t do it. I was still thinking I
was overreacting, though somewhere deep down inside, I felt a stirring, like
this night would be a turning point of sorts. I played it off, because that
just sounds ridiculous. I wish I would’ve listened to my gut.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We were
eating dinner, chicken casserole, one of my mom’s specialties, and the table
was mostly quiet except for the clatter of silverware. I could tell my mom was
going over her list for Thanksgiving dinner in her head, and my dad was
probably thinking about the football games he’d be watching the next day.
Cadence was much quieter than usual, and I wanted to ask her to stay there with
me that night, to watch a movie, but when she was done eating, she cleared her
throat and said, “I’m heading over to Drew’s.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh?” my
mom had said, clearly not expecting that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yeah.
She’s having us all over to watch movies. I might just sleep over at her house.
I don’t want to come back in the middle of the night and wake everyone up.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My sister wasn’t looking at either
one of my parents. She was looking right over their heads, like she couldn’t
meet their eyes. And I wanted to yell out, “Liar!” But instead I shoved a fork
full of noodles and overcooked chicken in my mouth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Dad looked at Mom and shrugged.
“Okay, honey. Just be back plenty early in the morning.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I was hoping you could give me a
hand in the kitchen.” My mom managed a small smile, but she didn’t protest.
Now, I wonder if perhaps her intuition had kicked in, and she’d somehow sensed
her oldest daughter was in danger, but like me, she’d chosen to ignore that
voice in the back of her head.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Sure. I’ll be back in plenty of
time,” Cadence had said, a nervous smile on her face. She’d scooted her chair
back, the legs screeching across the surface of the oak floor beneath our feet,
and took her plate into the kitchen. I wanted to follow her, to confront her. I’d
taken another bite of my dinner now tasting nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The break in the silence started a
conversation between my parents, and my mom started talking about the sales on
Friday. She has friends who go Black Friday shopping, and while she’s not much
of a fan herself because of the crowds, she seemed to be considering going this
year. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“May I be excused?” I asked,
interrupting their conversation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Sure,” my mom had said, as if she
wasn’t expecting me to be so polite. I’m not sure why I asked either—it’s not a
rule at my house—but I was in the kitchen a few seconds later, practically
running into Cadence as she came around the corner of the counter by the
dishwasher.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Oh, Cass. You scared me,” she’d
said, clutching her chest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I’d wanted to say if she scares
that easily, perhaps she shouldn’t go out tonight, but I had just stood there,
holding my half-eaten dinner. I remember noticing she wasn’t quite dressed like
someone who was going to her friend’s house to watch movies. She was wearing
knee-high brown boots, thick tights, and a skirt. I’d seen her bring down her
brown jacket, which I assumed she’d toss over her brown cashmere sweater. I
didn’t comment on the fact that sleeping in that outfit wouldn’t be very
comfortable, and maybe she should consider taking an overnight bag. Instead, I
just muttered, “Sorry,” and stepped around her to scrape off my plate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“You got plans tonight?” she’d
asked. My sister was always trying to figure out whether or not I had a secret
boyfriend. I could see the twinkle in her eye as she hinted that this is what
she was really asking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“No,” I’d said, thinking now would
be the perfect time to tell her I know more about her plans than I was letting
on. Instead, I turned on the tap and rinsed my plate before sticking it into
the dishwasher next to hers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Well, you should call one of your
friends or something. You never have any fun, Cass.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I was thinking at least I am not
sneaking out behind mom and dad’s backs, but I just looked at her, wondering
why we were so different. I would have never considered doing such a thing, and
my sister was supposed to be a good girl, too, though I know this isn’t the
first time she had lied to our parents.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I must’ve been staring too
intently, because her forehead furrowed. “You okay, Cass? You feeling all right?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I’m fine,” I’d managed, trying to
force a smile, but my face was frozen, and I am guessing it came across as a
grimace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
She did not look convinced. “Okay.
Well, I hope you find something fun to do.” She smiled at me and headed toward
the kitchen door.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Cadence!” I hadn’t meant for my
voice to be so loud, but she’d stopped and turned to face me, still puzzled.
I’d taken a few quick steps over to her and wrapped my arms around her. It took
her a moment to hug me back, and at the time, she’d probably thought I’d lost
all of my marbles. “Be careful,” I’d said into her shoulder.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
A nervous giggle had escaped her
lips. “I’m just going to Drew’s,” she’d reminded me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Somehow, I’d managed to regain my
composure and stepped back, releasing her. “Right.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Cadence continued to look at me
like she thought I might need to be professionally evaluated before she said,
“Goodnight, Cassidy,” and backed out of the swinging door into the dining room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Goodnight.” Only she hadn’t heard
me. She was gone by then. I could’ve ran after her, grabbed ahold of her, and
not let go until she promised me she wouldn’t go to that stupid festival, but I
didn’t do it. I stood in the kitchen, fighting back tears, wishing I’d been
strong enough to speak up. While I was certainly unsettled, even then, I had no
idea that was the last time I’d ever see my sister alive. She’d come back to
the house later that night, but by then, I’m pretty sure the change had already
started taking shape, and she was already undead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Whatever the reason, I’d gone to
bed early that night, thinking there was a shift on the horizon, something
bigger than anything I’d ever known before. Eventually, I’d dozed off, but my
suspicions that all was not well were confirmed when I awoke sometime between
4:00 and 5:00 AM to the sound of an unfamiliar voice coming from my sister’s
room, an engine outside, and footsteps on the roof.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments or on my Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonAuthor/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonAuthor/<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-86526838144044532082018-01-31T06:19:00.000-08:002018-01-31T06:19:04.812-08:00It's the Blue Moon!If you've seen the news (or even been on social media) recently, you know there are all kinds of crazy things going on with the moon right now--eclipse, super, blue moon, right? This blue moon is particularly important to me because it actually appears in <i>Illumination</i>, Book 5 of The Clandestine Saga.<br />
<br />
For years, readers had been making one specific request regarding the series, or at least complaining that I'd made one particular choice as a creative artist. If you've read the series, you can probably guess what I'm referring to (I don't want to give away any spoilers!) The events of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0129UBE3K" target="_blank">Repercussion</a></i> (Book 3) all had a purpose, but I would be the first to admit I agreed with the readers. But how could I undo what had already been done?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0hqd96qT7PedqoGHckMRGFpLfoUX643r1YcdKxcvH8nGboO7arNbxMB7o_0SmYvaiqVpZ5olK8umfUo_wCooR6wupBcS_SVgog0qkiFB2B6lLnA6R_pHr5V1-9U3f-fLxFBFusc7NsuX/s1600/bluemoon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0hqd96qT7PedqoGHckMRGFpLfoUX643r1YcdKxcvH8nGboO7arNbxMB7o_0SmYvaiqVpZ5olK8umfUo_wCooR6wupBcS_SVgog0qkiFB2B6lLnA6R_pHr5V1-9U3f-fLxFBFusc7NsuX/s1600/bluemoon.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will the blue moon really open a portal like in <i>Illumination</i>?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Enter the Blue Moon Portal! In <i>Illumination</i>, Cadence discovers that on the night of a blue moon, a portal will open that allows a Guardian to come back from the other side. But the use of the portal come with a price, and there's a good chance something evil will come through. <i>Illumination</i> revolves (see what I did there?) around Cadence's decision as to whether or not using the portal is a good idea and the consequences of her choice.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisthQvPKxSUFd_xOLeQqlmToJYu7bHj7qnyEPEz11P0NY2tSR3_XgoC2zEQ_z6y_-xyrv1Yppg57GufeG9PVilULLgZC1jamyYiEWUeoBkS7US077gD40n7BqGNnbCZBLVUwcicmi3Nn1V/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisthQvPKxSUFd_xOLeQqlmToJYu7bHj7qnyEPEz11P0NY2tSR3_XgoC2zEQ_z6y_-xyrv1Yppg57GufeG9PVilULLgZC1jamyYiEWUeoBkS7US077gD40n7BqGNnbCZBLVUwcicmi3Nn1V/s320/2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will Cadence make the right choice for her team?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you haven't started reading The Clandestine Saga yet, you can find the first book, <i>Transformation</i>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T44TSDI" target="_blank">here</a> for only 99 cents. If you're all caught up but haven't taken on <i>Illumination</i> yet, find it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075PV76TH" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUVhJXD58XBkDX_KjdKNpnAtWrOnaEIwAhQ3K0nhlcZrrjNuHeQ0Pn6TJ91G9VTD0Ki6PNlkt_k6pWawuDZhuvvM7RlIRBe9qjRNt0CHi38P9AlzbdDtJm9iInrBEzrF52KwpOko_Ii93/s1600/Transformation+eBook+cover+copy+small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUVhJXD58XBkDX_KjdKNpnAtWrOnaEIwAhQ3K0nhlcZrrjNuHeQ0Pn6TJ91G9VTD0Ki6PNlkt_k6pWawuDZhuvvM7RlIRBe9qjRNt0CHi38P9AlzbdDtJm9iInrBEzrF52KwpOko_Ii93/s1600/Transformation+eBook+cover+copy+small.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What if everything you've ever known is a lie, and you're really a Vampire Hunter?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm also excited to announce that the whole series will be getting new covers soon! Stay tuned for the reveal and information about when you can expect the first novel in the spinoff series <i>Backstories</i>.ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-86778355557392580492018-01-13T16:18:00.000-08:002018-01-13T16:18:30.729-08:002018 Promises to be a Great Year!Hello, Readers!<br />
It's been a while since I've updated my blog. I've been busy trying to get several books out at the end of the year. I'm excited that <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LKZRFT" target="_blank">Waiting On Love</a></i>, Book 4 of the Heartwarming Holiday Sweet Romance series will be out in just a few days on January 20th. My next endeavor will be to write book 5, Shamrock Hearts. The feedback I'm getting on this series has been wonderful! People really seem to like the Christian themes integrated with holiday romance<i>. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076RVXNKN" target="_blank">Melody's Christmas</a>,</i> <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774JNWXN" target="_blank">Christmas Cocoa, </a></i>and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077VZ1597" target="_blank">Winter Woods </a></i>have all been well received. My plan is to write a new romance novel for all the major holidays this year including: Valentine's Day (<i>Waiting on Love</i>), St. Patrick's Day (<i>Shamrock Hearts</i>) Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years! The best feature of this series is that you don't have to read them in order. If you'd like to start reading with the current holiday, it's no problem. You won't be behind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEqQgkzrreLsWmeV_bgYRzOHK3Q3c6UiVzpWXripYTTw2t48cIdRmQu6SyxyLzDT446xT6C4xTCFvBn7SR9WppshM01HUvqRCqQzYRNR3ciwflCLSHe8KQ-lcHkXIbmSWpCxdztD6mDOq/s1600/wating+on+love.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEqQgkzrreLsWmeV_bgYRzOHK3Q3c6UiVzpWXripYTTw2t48cIdRmQu6SyxyLzDT446xT6C4xTCFvBn7SR9WppshM01HUvqRCqQzYRNR3ciwflCLSHe8KQ-lcHkXIbmSWpCxdztD6mDOq/s320/wating+on+love.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LKZRFT" target="_blank">Waiting On Lov</a>e is now available for preorder!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKZEi_MzD-8UmN2HPBZ1LlNgRzTI5cwHGbSJw4D5vnz-L9JUCHnFmVm7jO0A-_uf8xIQ7MaZSuxIZlhK1nllpJ_3AXyrdk2nEWzIJPK1I_QcJe1e7sn_UStXhuDM2RtGAleiE9Jniwptk/s1600/Shamrockhearts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKZEi_MzD-8UmN2HPBZ1LlNgRzTI5cwHGbSJw4D5vnz-L9JUCHnFmVm7jO0A-_uf8xIQ7MaZSuxIZlhK1nllpJ_3AXyrdk2nEWzIJPK1I_QcJe1e7sn_UStXhuDM2RtGAleiE9Jniwptk/s320/Shamrockhearts.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shamrock Hearts will be available for preorder in February! I'll keep you posted!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCN1F1dQ_uVtBt6l4yu0-euIoG0Wsismh7E0xDKiYPiuSN-24Gky_n8OmXisPCrEhJvtc8G7P8a40VeZunIwO1u-94DVekzZRkE1w7lQGNcQTl-veUBgqB2YCrYDuRgwoIRDwlJjrJS2u/s1600/Residuum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCN1F1dQ_uVtBt6l4yu0-euIoG0Wsismh7E0xDKiYPiuSN-24Gky_n8OmXisPCrEhJvtc8G7P8a40VeZunIwO1u-94DVekzZRkE1w7lQGNcQTl-veUBgqB2YCrYDuRgwoIRDwlJjrJS2u/s320/Residuum.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VHBVCN" target="_blank">Residuum</a> is also available for preorder!</td></tr>
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As the banner above will tell you. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VHBVCN" target="_blank">Residuum</a></i>, the third book in the Ghosts of Southampton series, is finished and is now available for preorder. Over the years, I've gotten lots of inquiries about the fate of Meg and Charlie. Find out what happens when Titanic docks in New York City. Will Meg's past keep haunting her or will she outrun the ghosts at last? If you haven't read the first two books, you can read hem now. I will say, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MQM29L" target="_blank">Prelude</a></i> has themes that have made some readers uncomfortable, though everyone agrees they have been handled tactfully. I think it's important not to shy away from difficult themes. If we are to bring about change, we have to be willing to talk about even the most uncomfortable topics.<br />
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I'm also working on a spinoff series from The Clandestine Saga called Backstories. So many people have asked me over the years about where the Guardians came from. How did Jamie know he was a Healer? Did Elliott really sell used cars? So, I decided to write about their pasts! I am hoping to release the first two volumes in the spring. If you haven't read The Clandestine Saga, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T44TSDI" target="_blank">Transformation</a></i> is available for only 99 cents.<br />
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My first Urban Fantasy series, Reaper's Hallow, will also be out in the spring. It follows the journey of an elementary school teacher, Ru Robinson, as she discovers what it means to be a Keeper. She discovers a past she'd never dreamed of an a future tasked with hunting down Reapers and sending them back to Hell. Luckily, she has a team of other Keepers to show her how it's done. The first book, <i>Ruin's Lot</i>, will be out in the next few months.<br />
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I have a lot going on, but 2018 promises to be the best year yet of my writing career. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter, you'll want to do so. That way you'll know when a new release comes out or I'm doing a giveaway. You can sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/ci-iSX" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I sincerely hope that 2018 is a stellar year for you and yours as well! Feel free to drop me a line at authoridjohnson@gmail.com or leave me a comment. Best wishes to all of you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67LjWLrT7xsTcuMt0m04oUTEOkhpLkMcqcDW2TRp6jvtowchnsB-KxYhtI3t3qQjbIZBWOiSOmAB6TbHct0G3p41hA0cOwHFxh0ynqPlDWtbhiw8vFnSPyQnvhfBft-oRwkwRLrPHUqeo/s1600/book+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67LjWLrT7xsTcuMt0m04oUTEOkhpLkMcqcDW2TRp6jvtowchnsB-KxYhtI3t3qQjbIZBWOiSOmAB6TbHct0G3p41hA0cOwHFxh0ynqPlDWtbhiw8vFnSPyQnvhfBft-oRwkwRLrPHUqeo/s320/book+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of these books are either now available or will be published in 2018!</td></tr>
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<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-69479022923666560722017-11-02T13:50:00.003-07:002017-11-02T13:57:45.584-07:00Excerpt from Residuum: Ghosts of Southampton Book 3I'm finally writing the sequel to <i>Titanic</i>: Ghosts of Southampton Book 2! I have heard from so many readers that they are really interested to hear what happened to Charlie and Meg after they arrived back in New York City. We are all hoping for a happy ending, but first our two heroes will have to face some demons. After all, Meg's been through a lot with the loss of her father, the abuse of her mother and uncle, and now <i>Titanic</i>. Charlie survived the sinking, but that doesn't mean everything is as it should be. Here's the unedited prologue for <i>Residuum</i> I've just written. I hope that you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.<br />
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Also, <i>Prelude</i> is now available and will be free today, November 2, 2017. It is the prequel to <i>Titanic</i> and you can find it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MQM29L" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Residuum</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uXB4V3U8aL5tSyYpaDezoEIiMGP0asjivKnBnznGRfF9Ovaiu7X-mM2RGWYyTHSmxZrFJxrP41KmQWYAufrH-rwS09fftK6NCFheqccaOPvJRKXgD_ZHFOJQeP9KriGhwdIESV-2JhdB/s1600/Residuum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uXB4V3U8aL5tSyYpaDezoEIiMGP0asjivKnBnznGRfF9Ovaiu7X-mM2RGWYyTHSmxZrFJxrP41KmQWYAufrH-rwS09fftK6NCFheqccaOPvJRKXgD_ZHFOJQeP9KriGhwdIESV-2JhdB/s320/Residuum.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This amazing cover for <i>Residuum</i> was created by JC Clarke at The Graphics Shed</td></tr>
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Prologue<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The water
was so cold, little crystals of ice immediately formed atop anything and
everything that crested the surface. The sensations below weren’t any better,
however. It was as if a thousand tiny pins were plunged into my flesh all at
the same time. Even through my leather shoes, my coat. It didn’t matter; so I
took them off. The entire Atlantic Ocean was already pulling me down. I didn’t
need anything else hastening my journey to the abyss.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The man in
the brown leather chair cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. “And
then what do you remember next?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There was a
long pause of consideration as thoughts fought to both spring to the surface
and hide deep in the recesses of his mind. At last, a sentence was formulated.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to decide what to do. There’d been plenty of
chances, mind you, to climb into one of the lifeboats. I’d declined. Even
though I’d been below deck and had seen what it was like down there, had seen
the water crawling up the walls, lapping up the staircase, one concrete step at
a time, I suppose even then it was difficult to wrap my mind around what was
actually happening. But I was determined not to take the seat of another,
particularly a mother or child. And though I had given great consideration to
what I might do when I inevitably found myself in the Atlantic, my plan wasn’t
as developed as I would’ve liked.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You say
you had a plan though?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Not
really. I suppose I’d like to think I had one, that I would come up with
something spectacular at the last moment to save myself. That’s what I’d
reassured everyone else, all those who beckoned me aboard the lifeboats with
them. In retrospect, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had climbed aboard a
lifeboat. No one else filled those seats. Hundreds of empty seats. Did you see
that? In the papers?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He glanced
up from his notes. “I did. I read it later, after the reports were filed.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Right. So,
here I was trying to be… heroic or chivalrous, I suppose. It turned out my
efforts were wasted, and I ended up dying because of it. Momentarily, anyhow.”
He remembered what it had been like to slip away and then come crashing back to
his own existence and pushed those thoughts aside, returning to his previous
thought. “I believe there’s another word one might use to describe my actions
in turning down a perfectly good lifeboat.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He
scratched his balding head beside a thin line of light brown hair. “And what
word might that be?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Foolish.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There was a
“hmmm” sound in response, which was neither an agreement or a disagreement. “So
once you were in the water, what happened then? Do you remember exactly?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The words
were having difficulty placing themselves in the correct order again. It took a
moment of forced introspection. “I had intended to find something that would
float. I assumed, a ship with that much lumber aboard—deck chairs, tables,
doors, what have you—would have enough debris to easily find something I could
mount and wait. I was under the impression that the lifeboats would come
back—the half-empty ones for certain. It made little sense to me to think that
those people, the thousand or so who had made it safely aboard a life vessel--would
sit idly by. I assumed it would only be a matter of moments before there was a
rescue party, if you will. I also remembered seeing a light on the horizon
before we went under. I thought this other ship would be our salvation. It
turns out I was mistaken in all of my optimistic assumptions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“In answer
to your inquiry, however, there really is no order of things, no chronological
account I can replicate for you. There was no time. Curious souls often ask me
how long it took for the rescue boat—that’s what they like to call it, which I
find quite ironic—the rescue boat to come back and begin to check to see who was
still alive. I can’t answer that question, honestly. It was an eternity. It was
the blink of an eye. I can’t precisely tell you what happened after I found
myself completely submerged in the Atlantic. Nothing happened. Everything
happened. All at the same time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There was a
long pause as the thin man in the upright leather chair seemed to ponder how to
proceed. “Can you describe how you felt?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He pressed
the palm of his hand into one eye socket, pressing hard enough to feel an ache
before running his hand through his brown hair and straightening the hem of his
jacket. He cleared his throat. “I felt like I was going to die. My body was
both on fire and frozen solid at the same time. It’s hard to describe, but at
some point, the human body becomes so cold it burns. I had the fleeting thought
that there were three choices that lay before me, and I didn’t truly have any
options because there was no time to weight the potential outcomes. I only had
time to react.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What were
the choices?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The first
one was to fight—to swim as fast as I could in any direction; it really didn’t
seem to matter which. Thrash about, try to make a headway in one bearing or
another. I couldn’t see any of the lifeboats, so there was no sense in
attempting to reach one, but swimming would be action, and action seemed to be
an option.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The next
was to do nothing. To stay perfectly still and allow the ocean to take me, as
it so clearly wanted to do. As I said, I could feel it pulling me. It wasn’t
the suction created by the ship or some such rubbish would-be scientists will
try to explain in their overly-wordy, overly-educated statements. It was the
ocean itself. She wanted me, wanted all of us, and her lapping waves were an
invitation to let go of everything I’d ever known before and simply cease to
exist.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He went
quiet again, and the man across the room seemed perplexed as to whether or not
he should issue another prompt or simply wait. He tried the latter for a
lengthy while, and then, just as his thin lips parted to probe, the story was
continued.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The third
option never really existed. I just thought it might. I thought there was a
chance that I could employ the same tactic I had every other time I’d been in
such a precarious situation, sure of nothing but certain death. It didn’t work
this time, however.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What
tactic is that?” he asked, squinting behind his thin-rimmed glasses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The answer
came more quickly than expected. “Wake up.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
inquisitor absorbed the answer and then gave one short nod of the head. “I
see,” he said quietly, as if it had never occurred to him that one might even
think that was an option. “I suppose it makes sense one might assume, under the
circumstances, they must be having a dream.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“A
nightmare,” he corrected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Indeed.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Once I
realized that my preferred escape method was not a true possibility, a parade
of familiar faces skirted through my mind, people I wished to see again, and I
began to look around for an alternative. That’s when I saw the collapsible.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“About how
far away do you think it was?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“In truth,
not far at all. At that point, it didn’t matter, however. Any sort of movement
whatsoever was excruciating. All of my joints had frozen stiff after just a few
minutes in the water. It could’ve been a hand’s breath away and reaching it
would’ve been nearly impossible. I’d say, it was less than ten yards’ distance.
It may as well have been floating up next to the mocking moon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And yet,
you were able to reach it, eventually.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I was. I’m
sure I don’t know how. When I started out on my journey, there was quite a
commotion surrounding the upturned vessel as those nearby struggled to gain
traction and buoyancy. By the time of my arrival, everyone was much more…
still. Some were grasping hold with all their might. Others slipped below the
surface and were not strong enough to recover from the siren call of the abyss.
There was no helping them, no matter how badly the others wished they could
assist. At that point, it truly was every man for himself.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You were
able to find a spot somehow, and to grab hold?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Somehow,”
he agreed. He began to strum his fingers on the arm of the couch
intermittently, as if typing out a message using Morse Code.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And you’ve
no idea how long you were there, you say?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No.” The
answer came quickly, unlike all of the other words that refused to form
coherent sentences.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Do you
remember being plucked from the water, then? When the lifeboats finally
returned?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No.”
Equally as easily accessible. “I don’t remember anything again until after I
awoke on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carpathia</i>.” He was quiet for
a very long time again, before he reconsidered his statement. “That’s not true.
I do remember something else.” His voice was soft now, just above a whisper,
and the man across the room leaned forward in his chair, straining to hear.
“It’s the true reason I’m here.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What’s
that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
strumming stopped, and he looked up, a shift in his countenance. “The
photographs in my mind are one thing. I see their faces. That’s… troubling.
It’s not the worst of it. But every time I close my eyes, I distinctly see each
of them. A woman with short, curly hair. A man with some sort of wrap on his
head, his face frozen in anguish. Literally frozen. A little boy, maybe six,
clinging to a woman I presumed to be his mother. A baby wrapped in layers of
blankets and nestled between an arm stiff with frost and a bosom that would
never feed the child again. Their faces are haunting, and they are everywhere.
Despite that daily terror, it isn’t the worst.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It isn’t?
What is it then? What could possibly be worse than seeing the faces of the dead
everywhere you look?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Dr.
Morgan, have you ever considered the different definitions for the word
‘drown’?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
question seemed to take him aback, and he scooted his shoulders into the chair.
“No, I can’t honestly say that I have.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I looked
it up in the dictionary because I was curious as to precisely what it might
say. It’s such an interesting word. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does
it? Drown. Drown. Drowning. It sounds almost as morbid as the meaning behind
it. The latter definition is almost as unsettling as the first, though, when
you think about it. You can’t just stick to the first definition, mind you,
doctor. You have to read them all. ‘To die under water of liquid or other
suffocation.’ Yes, of course, we all know that one. We were all trying so hard
to avoid it that night, though I’m not sure any of us thought of the true cause
of death—freezing. Nevertheless, the Atlantic that night was full of over two
thousand persons trying hard not to succumb to the first definition of the word
drown. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If you’ll
read further, however, my good man, you’ll come up with another definition. ‘To
overwhelm as if to render inaudible, as by a louder sound.’ Dr. Morgan, since
I’ve arrived back in New York City, I’ve heard all sorts of loud sounds.
Whistles, horns, people shouting, doors slamming, music playing. Some of them
startle me because I now have a new association with each of them. I can’t
imagine what might happen should I ever again hear the loud popping sound of a
firecracker exploding, much like the distress signal that was fired off that
night. But one thing that still eludes me, Dr. Morgan, is the second part of
that definition—a louder sound, one that renders the original sound inaudible.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m not
sure I know exactly what you mean.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It’s quite
simple, really, Dr. Morgan. I’ve come here, I continue to come here, because
I’m hoping that you can help me extinguish, or otherwise drown out the constant
noise I’m hearing, not with my ears but with my mind. Not just while I’m
sleeping but even when I’m awake. It never stops. It’s there all the time. And,
Dr. Morgan, while I’m quite certain that a psychiatrist of your caliber is just
as capable as anyone in the world at helping me with this problem, I must admit
I’m afraid it might be a lost cause.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why do you
say that, Mr. Ashton?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Because,
Dr. Morgan, it’s been nearly six months since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titanic</i> sank, and I still hear them. I still hear the screams, the wails,
the cries for help. I still hear the thrashing sound of two thousand people
desperately trying to survive, trying to accept option one and fight for their
lives, for those of the ones they love, many of which were right there with
them, freezing to death, being dragged under by the pull of the Atlantic. I’m
afraid, Dr. Morgan, that I’ve reached the startling conclusion that, despite
the irony of the word itself, there’s no helping my situation. Quite frankly,
kind sir, I’m of the opinion that nothing drowns out the sound of drowning.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr. Laurie
Morgan was silent for some time, taking in the statement his patient had so
decidedly declared, not sure how to respond. Eventually, he cleared his throat,
and taking off his spectacles, he picked up a cleaning cloth off of the desk
beside him and began to carefully clean the lenses. “Mr. Ashton…” he began.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Please,
call me Charlie.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Right. Charlie,
I do think there is an answer, that we will find a way to make the noises stop,
or at least lessen. I understand you’ve been through the sort of traumatic
experience only a few people can identify with. However, I believe if we
continue to work together, we will eventually see results, and you’ll begin to
feel much better.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Charlie ran
a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh. He wanted to believe the
doctor. He’d already made some progress in the few months they had been working
together, but he didn’t know for sure if there was any solution. Today had been
a bit of a breakthrough in that he was able to tell the doctor precisely what
it was that was still troubling him. Choosing to be optimistic, he nodded, and
reaching over next to him on the lounger he refused to lie on, he grabbed his
hat before standing. Dr. Morgan rose out of his chair and stepped forward, and
Charlie had to tip his head and peer down at the much shorter man. “Thank you
for your time, doctor.” He extended his hand, and the doctor shook it. “I will
see you next week.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Thank you,
Charlie,” Dr. Morgan replied. “Yes, next week. I hope to work on finding some
answers then.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Charlie
nodded and forced a smile, thinking that might be all but impossible. He headed
for the office door, and waving goodbye, he let himself out. The receptionist,
an older woman with graying hair, smiled at him, and Charlie wished her a good
day before making his way down and out of the office building into the busy
streets of New York where amidst a crowd of thousands, he felt just as alone as
he had when he’d been floating in a sea of faces in the frigid Atlantic.<o:p></o:p></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-14032351401202830292017-09-17T13:09:00.002-07:002017-09-17T13:52:29.848-07:00A Day in the Life of an Indie Writer!Today is Sunday, and even though I am watching the Chiefs beat the Eagles and will definitely watch the Cowboys play the Broncos, I'm also working. Now that I am a full-time writer, I have to use every moment I can when I'm not "momming" to work on writing and all of the other stuff that goes along with attempting to be a successful Indie author. So, here is a look at my day so far!<br />
<br />
1) Check email--get rid of all that junk I don't need but haven't unsubscribed from. See an email from another awesome writer who wants to do an email newsletter swap, email her back, set up dates, reduce price on <i>Cordia's Will: A Civil War Story of Love and Loss</i> so that it's a good price for her readers on Sept. 22. (Incidentally, it's now 99 cents for you, too! You can pick it up <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NYPE7KW/" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVImNhKPnwk73Y3E79w3YCMwZChPXZHd8PO13nHZ-cZurZiZLeBJ4DdNnuISp1e0UBwrXd0Du6OnwHac37193mbhDwJPSZl23zEvBGQhrGyJnZQBPSoz6c0fZWhwoHILOReXociyqZstMP/s1600/Cordia+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVImNhKPnwk73Y3E79w3YCMwZChPXZHd8PO13nHZ-cZurZiZLeBJ4DdNnuISp1e0UBwrXd0Du6OnwHac37193mbhDwJPSZl23zEvBGQhrGyJnZQBPSoz6c0fZWhwoHILOReXociyqZstMP/s320/Cordia+small.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NYPE7KW/" target="_blank">Cordia's Will </a>is only 99 cents for a limited time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
2) Check on my <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1US3JQGN5DNEX" target="_blank"><i>Prelude</i> Kindle Scout campaign</a>. See that (surprisingly!) we are still in Hot and Trending!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzby1X-GNplJNue2bTfYpmiLe5K9bHFcXKrq63cm_FiHG516jQ1iDtJTAHBK7knWdDeHrjChALPpaVk2NfYgUrkAnXOa-8UdxMtcCMtkb0XdPcg1UOGnWXKcoX8OId289K5_zXFu7R6Aj/s1600/Prelude+by+ID+Johnson+INSTAGRAM+TEASER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzby1X-GNplJNue2bTfYpmiLe5K9bHFcXKrq63cm_FiHG516jQ1iDtJTAHBK7knWdDeHrjChALPpaVk2NfYgUrkAnXOa-8UdxMtcCMtkb0XdPcg1UOGnWXKcoX8OId289K5_zXFu7R6Aj/s320/Prelude+by+ID+Johnson+INSTAGRAM+TEASER.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nominate <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1US3JQGN5DNEX" target="_blank">Prelude</a> on Kindle Scout and you could get it for free!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3) Check in on <a href="https://www.kboards.com/" target="_blank">KBoards</a> and comment in response to a witty post by the amazing author Steve Vernon whose <i>Kelpie Dreams</i> is awesome, and you can find it <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CYNM152" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
4) Check on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonAuthor/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, Amazon Marketing Service, and Bookbub ads (no, I didn't actually get a Bookbub, but I have been approved to run ads with their peeps, so I do that a bit.)<br />
<br />
5) Re-price 1000 keywords on an AMS ad because it's not working too well. (This takes a loooong time.)<br />
<br />
6) Check my email subscription and the report from my last newsletter.<br />
<br />
7) Check my Instafreebie links. (I just listed The Doll Maker's Daughter at Christmas for FREE last night, and you can get it <a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/23QZo" target="_blank">here</a>!)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin02OWn5x_tqtY9OVK7hl8zWl9VRmdf4JTiqiu5vM48ycavh2GVu4GKq6oLW2GGDw5zyJ4LkmbpSXCBbUFy94WO-xnT11RamHD0dmS5gQEEvZJOSq9VVy-SG8Uwjnt6SXq0hNca1xVFaCf/s1600/dollmaker+not+flattened.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin02OWn5x_tqtY9OVK7hl8zWl9VRmdf4JTiqiu5vM48ycavh2GVu4GKq6oLW2GGDw5zyJ4LkmbpSXCBbUFy94WO-xnT11RamHD0dmS5gQEEvZJOSq9VVy-SG8Uwjnt6SXq0hNca1xVFaCf/s320/dollmaker+not+flattened.jpeg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Download Doll Maker on <a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/23QZo" target="_blank">Instafreebie</a>! Read the whole novel for free!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
8) Set up a FREE promo for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T44TSDI/" target="_blank">Transformation</a> for Oct. 7-10.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTmHUx6S2S7jBb87dpF2FmGuhHeiG9vOkyVIHFMuvWCmiIi4di8DTuL83duKO34VLaISbwNmF6LJ-AcFKtYCsR6s5eGtR2mBtK6z7nl9zlxF_y4NBGAH1pKOz0tUx1LAcPstCdT9LWIj_/s1600/Transformation+eBook+cover+copy+small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTmHUx6S2S7jBb87dpF2FmGuhHeiG9vOkyVIHFMuvWCmiIi4di8DTuL83duKO34VLaISbwNmF6LJ-AcFKtYCsR6s5eGtR2mBtK6z7nl9zlxF_y4NBGAH1pKOz0tUx1LAcPstCdT9LWIj_/s1600/Transformation+eBook+cover+copy+small.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T44TSDI/" target="_blank">Transformation</a> will be free October 7-10. Read it for 99 cents today!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
9) See that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075PV76TH" target="_blank">Illumination</a> is now life for pre-order for only 99 cents through October 15, and post that to Facebook. Tag my incredible editor.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq66rpXL4Do03a1pufCV5u6THP25QTlogphSq7S6AmG4ffFFkyP3_sVGyr5ll22sEj8_lpsBsB0jUdQguPOVWmYLMkiBXumERMrvSYFs3oM0AD8wCR5nPSgpRmOccG34666d4vH51nMJdP/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq66rpXL4Do03a1pufCV5u6THP25QTlogphSq7S6AmG4ffFFkyP3_sVGyr5ll22sEj8_lpsBsB0jUdQguPOVWmYLMkiBXumERMrvSYFs3oM0AD8wCR5nPSgpRmOccG34666d4vH51nMJdP/s320/2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-order <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075PV76TH" target="_blank">Illumination</a> while it's only 99 cents!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
10) Send an email to the incredibly talented JC Clarke at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGraphicsShed" target="_blank">The Graphics Shed</a> about some upcoming book covers she is working on.<br />
<br />
11) Decide that some people might not realize how hard Indie authors work so write this blog post!<br />
<br />
This is about four hours worth of work, and I haven't written a darn word that counts! My plan is to start writing <i>Melody's Christmas</i> tomorrow and to have it available in November for pre-order. It's my first contemporary romance, but I'm excited about it. I am a huge fan of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, and this one will go right along with those storylines.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0Gl3gAg550nr8PU5t6TheLTXfd0nnapKveNx-KAMyUpElhw9Bdsb142jzG5_fFzAEsMkh476UrDKdUOZ9ddg1zIOh0mZhmfRAcuA7A4ur6DyGFHxzbHBQ_66Rhi5BpnxPbmuljqj173Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-21+at+9.08.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0Gl3gAg550nr8PU5t6TheLTXfd0nnapKveNx-KAMyUpElhw9Bdsb142jzG5_fFzAEsMkh476UrDKdUOZ9ddg1zIOh0mZhmfRAcuA7A4ur6DyGFHxzbHBQ_66Rhi5BpnxPbmuljqj173Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-21+at+9.08.43+PM.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melody's Christmas will be available this winter! The amazing cover is by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGraphicsShed" target="_blank">The Graphics Shed</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
What are you up to on this Sunday afternoon? Whatever it is, I hope you get to spend some time with your family and friends!ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-74192942547114752662017-08-13T20:53:00.003-07:002017-08-13T20:56:06.380-07:00Excerpt from Illumination: The Clandestine Saga Book 5I'm so excited about Illumination--I can't wait to finish writing it so I can get it out to waiting readers. I'm in the process of writing it right now, but I had to share an excerpt with you. I think you'll be just as excited as I am. Here's one of the exciting plot twists I don't think anyone saw coming (including me!) And please remember this has not been edited yet. (I literally just wrote it.)<br />
<br />
<b>***Caution--this contains SPOILERS! If you have not read the first four books in The Clandestine Saga precede with caution! This will ruin it for you!***</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BIrG_UylXBx6SAvrp5tlExmRqqrSa9yJ5JaGgYJkoeFQXisEdR91j0RwNwfwCyMCI-UHY1yBydv-zuC797WiS-B_0Bg5OvFVGpYyUhs7eB6KShATQ9X7pdLdya-kBTjgvMAClwK8_65w/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BIrG_UylXBx6SAvrp5tlExmRqqrSa9yJ5JaGgYJkoeFQXisEdR91j0RwNwfwCyMCI-UHY1yBydv-zuC797WiS-B_0Bg5OvFVGpYyUhs7eB6KShATQ9X7pdLdya-kBTjgvMAClwK8_65w/s320/2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tentative release date for Illumination is Oct. 1, 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cadence had a hard time tearing her eyes away from her
grandmother’s tranquil face, but she did as she was instructed, and at the back
of the book, she found a letter-sized envelope with the inscription, “Kid”
written on it in familiar writing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She was so
shocked, she almost dropped the album.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What is
this?” Cadence asked, almost afraid to touch it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I found it
a few day ago when I was looking through the album. It was New Year’s Eve, and
I was filling a bit melancholy, missing your grandfather something awful, so I
thought I’d have a look at some of the old photos. And that fell out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> “When do you suppose he left it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m not
sure,” Janette admitted. “He came to visit about a week before the… what do you call it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sierraville
Incident?” Cadence asked, referring to the operation on which Elliott had lost
his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes. He
came to visit pretty frequently, especially if he was already in Shenandoah
checking on Cassidy. He missed you. A lot. We both did. So… he’d come and
visit, and we’d sit and reminisce a bit. I guess he slipped that in while I
wasn’t looking.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With a deep
sigh, Cadence carefully unsealed the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of
notebook paper. She unfolded it and began to read.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear Kid,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you are reading
this, then something has probably happened to me. You’ve been gone on your
“find myself’ tour for about four months now, and I’ve been missing you a lot.
I know I can get you on the IAC but that’s not the same as seeing your goofy
grin or feeling your tiny punches in my arm whenever I say something out of
line. The truth is, I’ve been feeling a little off lately, like something bad
is about to happen, and while I’m not sure what it is, there are a few things I
wanted you to know in case the “impossible” happens.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">First of all, I’m
really sorry that I tried to get you kicked off of the team. There were a few
reasons for that. Yes, you were a distraction—a bigger distraction than we’ve
ever encountered before. It was pretty clear to me from even before the Eidolon
Festival that Aaron was completely hung up on you. I think I saw it a long time
before he knew it himself. I was there when he handed you off to Hannah, and I
remember why he did it, too, though I guess he had pushed those thoughts out of
his mind. He was too close to the situation for other reasons then. Now, here
you are, a beautiful young lady who clearly has feelings for him. While I
couldn’t blame him for being distracted, I was trying to prevent it from
happening.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I also didn’t want you
to get hurt. I thought maybe he’d assign you to another team. It makes sense—if
he was worried about being able to concentrate on doing his job all of those
years before when you weren’t even around every day, why not just send you off
to another region? I was hoping that the thing with Henry would get you
re-assigned, not released. At the time, I was willing to take either one. You
were bound and determined to get yourself killed. I still don’t know how you
managed to survive those first few hunts.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Once Aaron almost died
protecting you, I felt like I had to do something. You needed to go. But by
then, I was starting to admire you quite a bit. I’d never seen anything like
you. Of course, you know the rest. Taking out Barbarosa was enough to solidify
Big E and Little C for life. (Okay—I just made that up right now, but I like
it!)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The only problem was,
it wasn’t much longer before I started to realize it was going to take
something major for Aaron to realize what an idiot he was being. I felt like
the universe was shifting in that direction, trying to get his attention. In a
way, I think I kind of volunteered myself. I caught myself saying things like,
“The two of you will get together if it’s the last thing I do,” more than once,
and while it was kind of funny before we knew about titanium bullets and rogue
hunters, I’m starting to realize I may have set myself up to take one for the
team.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And I’m okay with
that, so long as the two of you figure this thing out.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You are meant to be
together; that’s clear to me and to everyone else in the world. Now if you
would just accept that, you’d make everyone’s lives a bit easier.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m sure if something
has happened to me that Cass is probably really upset, and I’m very sorry for
that. She’s such a good kid. I was so honored to have the opportunity to look
out for her for all of those years. Please remind her that I love her very
much, and you can let her read this as well if you want to.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Also, I did try to
contact Amanda, like you recommended, but I don’t think she’s interested in
hearing from me. I do feel better about trying, though. So thanks for that.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I didn’t mean to write
a damn book, but I guess I feel better knowing that, if something does happen
to me, you’ll at least have a few answers. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All right. Hopefully,
this has just been a waste of an hour-and-a-half (What? I’m a slow writer!) and
none of this was necessary. But, if something does happen to me, remember that
I love you very much. Hope to see you around some time, once in a blue moon.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elliott<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence
read the letter twice, tears streaming down her face as the sound of his voice
filled her head. When she was done, she folded it back up, handed it to her
grandmother, and began to sob uncontrollably.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Janette
patted her gently on the back, “There, there, darling. It’s all right,” she
whispered quietly. “I’m sure the last thing he would want is to cause you grief
all over again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
Cadence knew that was true, it was still very difficult to get a grip on
herself. It had been over six months since Elliott had died, and it still
seemed like yesterday. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eventually,
she was able to get a handle on her emotions, and she excused herself to go
into the restroom to wash her face and blow her nose. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sighing,
she dried her face off on a towel and tried to get control of herself. What was
done was done. Now, she just needed to move forward. There was so much to do
and never enough time to do it. Forcing herself not to think about Elliott
anymore, she went back to the living room, happy to have received word from him
but resolved not to let this distract her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When she
walked back in, she could see her grandmother reading the letter. She sat down
next to her, and saw a tear winding its way down her cheek. “Grandma? Are you
okay?” she asked, quietly, placing her hand on her knee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He knew….”
she whispered, shaking her head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finishing
the letter, she inhaled deeply, folded it up, and slid it back into the
envelope</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cautiously,
Cadence asked, “What’s that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grandma
Janette took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “If I tell you, I’m certain
Aaron will be very cross with me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Grandma,”
Cadence began, “if you and Aaron—and Elliott—have a secret, I think you should
let me know about it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Janette
opened her weary eyes and looked into Cadence’s. “Do you know what a blue moon
is?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Caught off
guard by the question, instead of a revelation, Cadence wasn’t sure how to
respond. “I… don’t know. It’s just an expression, isn’t it? Like ‘see you
around’?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sure.
Usually. But a blue moon is a real thing, too. And sometimes people get
confused and think it’s something it isn’t.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Grandma,
I’m not following,” Cadence replied, scooting back against the couch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Some
people think a blue moon is when you have an extra full moon in a season—but
that’s not quite right. It’s actually when you have an extra full moon in a month—at
least for our purposes. They are both very rare.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Okay…”
Cadence said, confused, but doing her best to follow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“For
thousands of years, people have believed there was something magical about the
blue moon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And what
does the blue moon mean to you, Grandma?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once again,
Janette took a deep breath. Exhaling, she re-situated herself so that she was
turned toward Cadence. “When I was younger, I heard a story about a Guardian
who had come back from beyond. He was accidentally killed by a Hunter, and the
Hunter felt so terrible, he searched to the ends of the earth to find a way to
bring him back. On the night of a blue moon, he took his friend’s ashes out, on
a cloudless night, and set them on the ground, urn open. Just as he had been
told by an ancient Guardian, a portal opened, and he was able to speak to his
friend.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, my
goodness,” Cadence sighed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I never
believed that was possible. Don’t ask me why. I mean, with all of the things
you and I have both seen in our lifetimes, why not? Right? But… after your
grandfather died, well I had to give it a try. I wanted to see him again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And… did
it work?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes,”
Janette replied.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence’s
eyes widened. “You mean, you’ve been able to speak to Grandpa—after he died?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, but
only on these rare occasions when the moon is blue, the sky is clear, and the
portal is willing to open. It doesn’t always work, darling.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence
could hardly believe her ears. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her
head in her hands. “Why didn’t… why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, I
didn’t say anything because… I suppose there’s a reason Aaron didn’t want you
to know, dear.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But… if
there’s a way that I can see Elliott, talk to him again, why would he want to
keep that from me?” Janette pursed her lips, her hands folded in her lap, and
Cadence knew immediately there was something else, something she wasn’t saying.
“Grandma?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It’s a
portal, darling. You know what that means, right?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Are you
saying—it’s a doorway?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Janette
nodded her head once.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence
jumped up off of he sofa and spun to face her grandmother. “It’s a doorway! He
can come back?”<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Calm down, dear!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence ran
her hands through her long brown hair, tangling her hands at the roots, and
began to pull. “Oh, my God! Grandma! Why? Why would Aaron keep this from me?
You’re telling me that Elliott could actually come back—walk through a portal
from the afterlife—like nothing ever happened—and no one bothered to tell me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Darling,
it’s not that simple,” Janette replied, her voice still calm and even.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Twirling
around to face away from her, Cadence shot back, “Seems pretty damn simple to
me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Cadence
Josephine, watch your language,” Grandma Janette scolded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Taking a
deep breath and crossing her arms, Cadence tried to calm herself. “I’m sorry,
Grandma,” she said, slowly turning around to face her. “I guess, I just don’t
understand why Aaron wouldn’t tell me this. What in the world could possibly
keep him from telling me that we can bring Elliott back? Is there any reason in
the world that he wouldn’t want him to come back?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I think
that Aaron will have to answer that question for you, sweetheart.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cadence
couldn’t think of anything—not one thing—in the whole world that could possibly
prevent her from bringing Elliott back if it were possible. And yet, she had to
believe there must be something. She collapsed onto the sofa next to her
grandma, careful not to jar her, and leaned her head back, staring up at the
wide wooden beams of her grandmother’s living room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It took her
a few moments before she finally collected herself enough to turn her attention
back to her grandma. “So… why didn’t Grandpa ever come through?” she asked
quietly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, he is
quite happy over there,” Janette said with a smile. “One thing I didn’t tell
you, that’s very important, is that, once a Guardian comes through, they can
never go back. This old fellow I was telling you about, he decided he wanted to
go back after a while, and nothing would kill him. Not even a Hunter’s bullet.
Nothing. So… while it was possible for your grandfather to come back, I would
die eventually, even if I didn’t re-Transform, and then we’d never be together.
No, it’s better this way. I can still see him every so often, and he gets to
stay on the other side.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b>The tentative release date for <i>Illumination</i> is October 1, 2017!</b></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-25350388746745454142017-06-27T19:11:00.001-07:002017-06-27T19:11:34.406-07:00Get Saving Cadence: A Clandestine Saga Novelette for Free on InstafreebieI recently heard about an awesome site for readers called Instafreebie. Have you heard of it? You can download novels, short stories, previews, etc. for free. It's a really great site for readers to discover new authors, and after participating in a live chat with several of the Instafreebie crew last week, I decided to give it a whirl.<br />
I've downloaded a couple of books from there, and so far it is very simple to use. I've selected the epub option, and the books have gone straight to my iBooks app on my MacBook. However, you can also choose a .mobi file or a PDF, which are easily transferable to your Kindle or the Kindle app. If you're not sure how to get the book onto your device, their support people are amazing and can help you out fairly quickly.<br />
In order to try out their author services, I wrote a new novelette (about 7500 words) based on The Clandestine Saga series entitled <i>Saving Cadence</i>. In this new story, we get to see the Eidolon Festival from the first book, <i>Transformation</i>, from Aaron's perspective. In <i>Transformation</i>, the focus is on Cadence and how realizing she is at a celebration surrounded by Vampires ultimately leads to her discovery that she is capable of becoming a Vampire Hunter, should she choose to do so. In this new story, we get a better understanding of why protecting her is so very important to Aaron, the Guardian Leader, and his team. I think people who have read the other books or who are trying to decide whether or not to give the series a try will equally enjoy this new story. Some of my loyal followers have already voiced their opinions, and the overall consensus is that they love the story (and they are also very happy to see one of their favorite characters again.)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-0a9HRQZFDkQ9bQ8rSa6PTMXMalvtPKobVyVDuqZTgS4Y55RWkvih3T_qzrXfoa65wuK07olS-nJG1o0NXqWQgMXnGwHbGVsxo6KoDWY6pM0sfMFwm2ktx72mzg7oMZ4qPa1njhfEfka/s1600/Cadence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-0a9HRQZFDkQ9bQ8rSa6PTMXMalvtPKobVyVDuqZTgS4Y55RWkvih3T_qzrXfoa65wuK07olS-nJG1o0NXqWQgMXnGwHbGVsxo6KoDWY6pM0sfMFwm2ktx72mzg7oMZ4qPa1njhfEfka/s320/Cadence.jpg" width="210" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Download Saving Cadence for free on <a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Ej6IH" target="_blank">Instafreebie</a> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whether you are eagerly awaiting book 5 or are new to the series, I hope you will check out <i>Saving Cadence</i> on Instafreebie. You will need to sign up for my newsletter in exchange for the novelette, but I promise not to spam you, and you can unsubscribe anytime. My email is managed by MailChimp and it is super easy to unsubscribe with their services.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Check out <i>Saving Cadence</i> <a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Ej6IH" target="_blank">here</a>, and let me know what you think! You can find <i>Transformation</i>, the first book in the Clandestine Saga on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com//dp/B00T44TSDI/" target="_blank">here</a>. It's currently priced at 99 cents.</div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-44737194322681132702017-04-28T17:07:00.003-07:002017-04-28T17:07:55.933-07:00Putting Everything Out There--For Kindle ScoutI have eight days left in my Kindle Scout campaign, and I feel like pretty much everyone on the planet has heard about it. I've Tweeted, I've YouTubed, I've Tumbled, I've Pinned, everyone's been LinkedIn, my Grams are all Instant, and of course my Book of Faces has had nothing but "NOMINATE ME!" right up in their business for weeks on end. Yep, I've shouted it from every social media mountaintop in the range.<br />
None of this has been easy for me, mind you. I am not one to pester the crap out of everyone most of the time. Sure, I'll ask my friends to support my kids' fundraisers at school. But I don't feel like I'm constantly shouting, "Buy my book!" so that it just becomes white noise. Maybe my friends would disagree, but I don't think so. I never know what to say when someone I have known for a while says, "I didn't know you were a writer." Well, yes, I suppose so.... But part of Kindle Scout is that darned Hot and Trending list (the one I haven't seen in over a week) and to get on there, you have to do a lot of self-promotion. Is it the be-all and end-all. No. Does it help? Likely. At the end of the day, if my writing isn't good, it won't matter how long I've been on there. And if the writing is good enough, it won't matter if the only person who nominated it was me. (And I did by the way....)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Not only is hard to find the places to beg for nominations, it's hard to convert those nominations as well. Take this blog, for instance. I have had a huge amount of support from Books Go Social tweeting and retweeting about my blog the last two weeks. I've had over 1500 visits to my blot posts about Kindle Scout in that amount of time, but I've only had a few (like less than 10) visits from my blog to my Kindle Scout page. So that means the people who visit here either don't think my book is interesting enough to check out, they think it will take too long to nominate, or they intend to do it but end up getting distracted and not going back.<br />
So listen, this is me putting myself out there asking you to go to my nomination page and just read the blurb and maybe part of the excerpt. If you think it's crap, then don't nominate it. But if you think the writing is good, the story is interesting, the cover is cool, or anything of merit can be found in <i>Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i>--even if it's not the type of book you usually read--please go ahead and nominate it. You don't have to have a Kindle to read the free copy (if I get published through Kindle Press you will get a free copy). You can read it on any smart device, including your computer. Obviously, you don't even have to read it (although I would hope you would, eventually, once you get through that huge stack of other books you are planning on reading first.) I honestly think this book has something to offer to the literary world and that a lot of people will like it. A lot of people have read it and do like it. It deserves a chance to be published, but without enough eyes on it, it may never even get a second look by Kindle Press. So, please, check it out and then make your decision. You can find it <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a>. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL<br />
And if you've read this far, thank you for your support! I really can't wait until this campaign is over so I can crawl back into my little writer hidey hole. (I'm sure you all agree.)ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-84993918609742358102017-04-23T12:21:00.001-07:002017-04-24T20:26:28.999-07:00Kindle Scout Campaign--Halfway There!Today marks the halfway point of my Kindle Scout campaign, and boy am I tired! It's a lot of work marketing your work 24/7 for two weeks. Though, overall, this has been a great experience, I will be happy when it is over!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJtcHYIWcitIC7WOhu_KcM10cW0ZO4pZMAGV0cDYl9Jk5dd6gKP7Nu6ioI3TP7VfcCuQ56HbEGr2XLX69yujLjSwM5U1mWeVJK3XW3vIzIReU5GUtutLw2k_M5PeAZxx7LUwAHPKqfOfP/s1600/kindle-scout-banner-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJtcHYIWcitIC7WOhu_KcM10cW0ZO4pZMAGV0cDYl9Jk5dd6gKP7Nu6ioI3TP7VfcCuQ56HbEGr2XLX69yujLjSwM5U1mWeVJK3XW3vIzIReU5GUtutLw2k_M5PeAZxx7LUwAHPKqfOfP/s640/kindle-scout-banner-cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you heard of Kindle Scout? It's a great way to get new books and have a say in what is published next.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
My campaign started off very strong, and I spent the majority of days 2-14 on the Hot and Trending list. I fell off about three and a half days ago and can't get back on to save my life. Granted, I haven't tried much in the way of paid promotion the last few days, but I have done a lot of social media marketing myself, and none of that seems to be very successful. I have managed to trump up about 50 page views per day, which isn't awful, but there have been a lot of books added to the site the last few days and they seem to be dominating Hot and Trending, along with the books in their last few days.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcFZyCZw7yiWoDk4B9hRV81P7I17EHSdxWdDPYdjM0JBe-4inn3xF-JcbL3rIQcb7KXv4Eff1VAQpHEBOFqYmG3Lyps5tSzZNThpna-iuRDFvnv2uMT34GN6F0TTqPxABYOJqC8rDdKiy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+2.05.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcFZyCZw7yiWoDk4B9hRV81P7I17EHSdxWdDPYdjM0JBe-4inn3xF-JcbL3rIQcb7KXv4Eff1VAQpHEBOFqYmG3Lyps5tSzZNThpna-iuRDFvnv2uMT34GN6F0TTqPxABYOJqC8rDdKiy/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+2.05.32+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For better or worse, these are my stats so far....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you are thinking about launching a Kindle Scout campaign, my strongest piece of advice would be to go to <a href="https://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=213112.0" target="_blank">KBoards </a>and read the entire thread about Kindle Scout. It's very, very long, but it is full of tips and information about how to launch a strong campaign. You can also read a book by Lincoln Cole, a Kindle Scout winner, entitled <i>Kindle Scout Guide.</i> You can find his book and a ton of information and statistics on his website <a href="https://www.lincolncole.net/ks-guide/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I believe part of the reason I was able to stay on Hot and Trending so long was because I ran a promo with <a href="http://www.scoutboost.com/" target="_blank">Scout Boos</a>t one day early on. Scout Boost is a new option through the same people who brought us Genre Pulse and BookGrow. I've had a lot of luck with them in the past.<br />
I also contacted my friends at <a href="https://www.booksbutterfly.com/" target="_blank">Books Butterfly</a> to see if they did anything for Kindle Scout, and though they don't advertise it much, they do. I saw a big spike in views on that day as well. I've also had some Tweets of my blog scheduled through Books Go Social, and they'll be doing more the last week of my campaign.<br />
You probably don't have to run promos to be a winner on Kindle Scout. There have been several books chosen who really didn't have a lot of views or hours in Hot and Trending. However, my thought was, I want to get this book in front of as many people as possible, and since I had some money in my promo budget, I decided to invest it here. Hopefully, it will pay off as a good launch whether I end up self-publishing or winning a contract with Kindle Press.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibB9XKO76xBbxLMbHmBrsK-bULQsEA6cMPsG9j1Dccf1sj4pOJ-r9PasK4h_vWOPfbD-kJznD7KC4IQUOTj0COJcFX7ucxozGOP0xlYug3ttKL7Tz4CToukXe0-SXEkk7CxiFVXWIDx9fc/s1600/cold+person.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibB9XKO76xBbxLMbHmBrsK-bULQsEA6cMPsG9j1Dccf1sj4pOJ-r9PasK4h_vWOPfbD-kJznD7KC4IQUOTj0COJcFX7ucxozGOP0xlYug3ttKL7Tz4CToukXe0-SXEkk7CxiFVXWIDx9fc/s1600/cold+person.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What I look like trying to get back to Hot and Trending</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Even though I wrote what I consider to be a great novel (betas agree on that as well), it's been edited by three different qualified individuals, and I have an amazing cover, I am not particularly hopeful that I will win. There are a lot of great books out there, and they only take about 3% of those that are entered. One thing is for certain, though. Over the course of this month, literally thousands of people have seen my cover and my name, and that can't hurt. Fingers crossed for a big win in a couple of weeks, but either way, at least people are seeing Ginny and Spencer's story and can decide for themselves whether or not they want to read it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQs6ANNzrWRQwdYQtBXAABe7SmwhHoFraB7MOCgOiPIzh3m73M3BGNy9zm8dIbf8Gj1L-jFLzwcNsq9Cjv38of0_BkvjuSjgARRixLfiwzo8HUZ9j2Zy84UqDFX4Q80TTbWsezScl7XlxI/s1600/Moon+with+link.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQs6ANNzrWRQwdYQtBXAABe7SmwhHoFraB7MOCgOiPIzh3m73M3BGNy9zm8dIbf8Gj1L-jFLzwcNsq9Cjv38of0_BkvjuSjgARRixLfiwzo8HUZ9j2Zy84UqDFX4Q80TTbWsezScl7XlxI/s320/Moon+with+link.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Please consider supporting my Kindle Scout campaign for <i>Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i>. You can read the first 5000 words on Kindle Scout, if you'd like, and decide for yourself if I've earned your nomination. If you like the book, it only takes a minute to click the blue "Nominate me" button and then leaving stars for the various items (cover, blurb, etc.) are optional.<br />
You can find it <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a>: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaGe3KsJyVlHZMHU8zvlcVibiLBCfEacZj2k0AmJ1xASKyEMXNF_jQf56xfdGn8Uycdmf1Tq9lb5y9QeYOUGejlp8aHZGwqve1iQ7anedFpK9i9o0e0r5eDWdMuKvi8FTNdqeD-H3kHBO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+2.15.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaGe3KsJyVlHZMHU8zvlcVibiLBCfEacZj2k0AmJ1xASKyEMXNF_jQf56xfdGn8Uycdmf1Tq9lb5y9QeYOUGejlp8aHZGwqve1iQ7anedFpK9i9o0e0r5eDWdMuKvi8FTNdqeD-H3kHBO/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-04-23+at+2.15.13+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nomination screen. Click the blue button--please!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-26323046777885954472017-04-11T15:57:00.004-07:002017-04-11T15:59:19.627-07:00 An Unreliable Witness—Genevieve of Kindle Scout Nominated Beneath the Inconstant Moon<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i> is a novel
set in 1840s Baltimore. It primarily tells the story of one young woman,
Genevieve Cawley, and how she struggles to overcome the insurmountable loss of
her true love, Spencer. More than a romance story, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moon</i>” provides a look into the psyche of a woman who is teetering
on the edge of madness and those who care enough about her to pull her back out
of the abyss. It also reveals the darker side of Victorian era treatment for
insanity and hysteria and takes the reader on a heart-wrenching journey through
the world of medical treatment options of the past.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb84RkRkvXv6pvksWgkHcGrm-8TEY0ys_e_ypFMwZ9OUqvNxs_XPldxO6_Cg2nOteyQJuoZdtuqmITBkJ0qDvNlSV9GRQ3Bjf3pRTIMUCeypvBaLRcv8ozAQjHEWbQO12kVTaEFEOCf2C/s1600/Beneath+the+Inconstant+Moon+Small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb84RkRkvXv6pvksWgkHcGrm-8TEY0ys_e_ypFMwZ9OUqvNxs_XPldxO6_Cg2nOteyQJuoZdtuqmITBkJ0qDvNlSV9GRQ3Bjf3pRTIMUCeypvBaLRcv8ozAQjHEWbQO12kVTaEFEOCf2C/s320/Beneath+the+Inconstant+Moon+Small.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nominate now on Kindle Scout! Click <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
When
we first meet Genevieve, she is so broken she isn’t even certain of her own
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is confused by the people
around her, where she is, and what she is doing. All she knows for sure is that
she is waiting for the return of her true love, Spencer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;">“But
you see,” she began, sitting up a bit, “you always call me that—Mrs.
Edwards--and that’s not my name either.”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We get a glimpse back into
Genevieve’s memories when the story goes back from 1846 to 1844, and we can
instantly see how dependent she has become on Spencer to keep her anchored to
the world around here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;">Here
she was now melting into the moonbeams, forgetting herself entirely, Spencer
filling her universe and causing her to lose track of anything and everything
else.</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
But we also learn that Genevieve is
a fighter, and when her parents urge her to forget about Spencer and move on,
she refuses. It is only when she finds out she is carrying Spencer’s child and
that her father may lose his business if she does not sacrifice herself by
marrying Isaac Edwards that Genevieve accepts that sometimes our choices are
really not our own. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhZds0frS25I4NL5qMJZ-kni9XmnDHoMjd_zJLOgc8S-PVUHVfOdG2sS4fUBXHZWS7F7hJBVfTWDpWLLmfK-I0Czgl8-gsPdm_1IJB_iQJjSBFMD08fcTnfTFDQSXffa2v_N2shYFi-db/s1600/Aivazovsky._Moon_over_Odessa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhZds0frS25I4NL5qMJZ-kni9XmnDHoMjd_zJLOgc8S-PVUHVfOdG2sS4fUBXHZWS7F7hJBVfTWDpWLLmfK-I0Czgl8-gsPdm_1IJB_iQJjSBFMD08fcTnfTFDQSXffa2v_N2shYFi-db/s1600/Aivazovsky._Moon_over_Odessa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginny is devastated when Spencer is lost at sea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;">“Mr. Edwards is a good man. Give him the
opportunity to woo you, Genevieve. You’ll see. He may not be your first choice,
but he is likely the best—perhaps your only—remaining choice.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>—</i>Clara
Cawley, Genevieve’s mother</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Even
though everyone else believes Spencer will never return from his trip to the
Caribbean, Genevieve never gives up hope. As she sits by the window, day after
day, watching for his ship to come in, she remembers how they first met one day
while walking on the beach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;">“I felt that he had
come into my life for a reason, and while he was passing next to us, it was as
if the universe was in full alignment, but as he drew behind me, and I walked
out of his proximity, everything came crumbling apart.”</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
As the years go by, Genevieve never
gives up hope that Spencer will return to her, though her grip on reality has
began to wane.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: black; color: blue; font-size: large;">“Our love story began beneath the moonbeams,
and he promised to return to me from this very voyage sitting alone beneath the
same silvery light. I have no reason to doubt that Spencer will make his way
home one day—soon. I can only assume that the reason for his delay is because
of that same shining orb, that it isn’t Spencer who has been dishonest, but it
is the moon who should hold blame. And so, even as I feel the glow above me,
even as it illuminates your pretty face, my friend, I know that it is not to be
trusted, that the moon is a fraud, and I expect my husband to return to me soon
not because of the waning moon, but in spite of it.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuE_oGgh7kN-iEXho2GzbtOyZatnvPCU732kkbUeB0f_F_ATp7l_IE4eyPSHtIToPVsRf0N0iJn1B7xtGl4DC4Nw1IEbeUpic0VryKp1hrgEM8aIIfnql3WLacINfwhhcNIL7jM8H47ad/s1600/Luna-Reflection-Sea-Superluna-Night-Super-Water-1826849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNuE_oGgh7kN-iEXho2GzbtOyZatnvPCU732kkbUeB0f_F_ATp7l_IE4eyPSHtIToPVsRf0N0iJn1B7xtGl4DC4Nw1IEbeUpic0VryKp1hrgEM8aIIfnql3WLacINfwhhcNIL7jM8H47ad/s320/Luna-Reflection-Sea-Superluna-Night-Super-Water-1826849.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How can she trust the moon when it has betrayed her?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Genevieve,
whose friends throughout the novel refer to her as Ginny (those who do not
cannot be trusted!) was a complex character to write. Not only did I have to
make her likable despite her misgivings, I had to make her authentic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She could not be sensationalized or comical
or else she would be difficult to empathize with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is her sweet nature and kind spirit that
first draws in the reader, and one cannot help but begin to sympathize with her
plight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though she is not as physically strong
as many of the other female characters I have written about, she does not break
easily, and she certainly reaches heroine status by the end of the novel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
She
is not completely reliable, however. That was the essential element of Ginny
Cawley that this story relied upon. As a reader, you mustn’t believe much of
what Ms. Cawley says, or does, or even thinks. It is this driving feature of “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moon</i>” that compels the reader to keep
moving forward. What is really happening? Who are these people? Where are they?
And perhaps most importantly of all, will we ever really know the true Ginny
Cawley?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .5in 196.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
If
you like suspense novels with unreliable main characters, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl on the Train,</i> then you will
certainly like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i>.
Visit my Kindle Scout page <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a> and nominate “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moon</i>.” If my book is chosen for publication by Kindle Press, you
will get a free copy. If not, you will be notified once it is available for
purchase. You can also read the first 5000 words on Kindle Scout.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-64026848560215354552017-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:002017-04-08T20:34:15.388-07:00Kindle Scout Campaign Day 2: Oh. My. Goodness!So as you may have gleaned from the title, this is day 2 of my 30 day Kindle Scout campaign, and I am exhausted! It's hard work trying to get people to nominate your stuff! You wouldn't think so, but it's true! Luckily, today is a Saturday, so I was able to spend aaaalllll day online, bugging the crap out of my friends, checking the Hot and Trending list, and basically giving myself an ulcer. I'm quite certain that I will be as mad as my main character by the end of this month!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBLf4qzLvCJvQjyITgquZmyu-kJmKxf4fLtfPLStPBZiP2fL1nXgFSKiZ7eRsCD84kMsobRQlv1ua5svhgWq5qy2feE2V0QVCm8kBzZ1nueJpsC9LTXm1N6xa-trzFCMAgR1nd-iKCwv7/s1600/promo+banner+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBLf4qzLvCJvQjyITgquZmyu-kJmKxf4fLtfPLStPBZiP2fL1nXgFSKiZ7eRsCD84kMsobRQlv1ua5svhgWq5qy2feE2V0QVCm8kBzZ1nueJpsC9LTXm1N6xa-trzFCMAgR1nd-iKCwv7/s320/promo+banner+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the awesome banners made for me by Author Shout!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Authors don't get a whole lot of feedback from Kindle Scout as to how the promo is going during the campaign. Every morning at 6:00ish I'll find out how many views my page received and how many hours I've spent on the Hot and Trending list. The H&T list is the top 20 titles enrolled in the program at one time. No one really seems to know how a book gets and stays in H&T, but speculations assume it has something to do with number of views and nominations. It isn't enough to have people just come to your page and take a look around; they have to actually nominate your book. Or at least, that's the theory. I had 0 hours on H&T yesterday even though I had 182 page views, which I thought was pretty good. Today, I've been on H&T since 9:00 AM and it's almost 11:00 PM, so I should have at least 14 hours when I check tomorrow, depending upon what the night brings.<br />
As far as spreading the word goes, so far most of my efforts have been on Facebook and Twitter. I did submit a BookBub Partners ad today but I don't think it's been approved yet because nothing has happened, and I also created a Pinterest ad which is definitely still in review. I've had a lot of help from friends on FB today, which is awesome, but I know my most loyal peeps will probably do everything they can in the next few days, so that might exhaust itself soon. I've done two post boosts, which seem to be getting some attention. I also posted in a lot of the book promo groups I am a member of.<br />
I also have a company called Author Shout working for me, which I picked up off of Twitter for $10. They found me. They made two amazing banners for me and have been Tweeting and did some FB posting, which is great. Twitter hasn't been too exciting as even my most loyal retweeters haven't bit on any of my Twitter pleas, so maybe I can tap into their followers later in the campaign. I also haven't started really bugging my author friends yet because I'm trying to pace myself. It's hard when you really want to get the word out but you also don't want to run out of steam.<br />
Kindle Scout shows you the website where your traffic comes from, so I would like to thank the sole blog post reader of yesterday who clicked through my link! If you would like to see my campaign and nominate Beneath the Inconstant Moon, you can click <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a>. I would really appreciate your support!<br />
The thing I really have to keep in mind is that public support is just part of the secret equation. Ultimately, someone at Kindle Press will decide whether or not my manuscript works for what they do. Hopefully, they will think so no matter how many hours of H&T I can stir up or how many page views and nominations. But drawing in more readers definitely doesn't hurt, so please check it out and send your friends. If they choose my book, anyone who nominates it gets a free copy, which is really cool.ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-3208766099870355692017-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:002017-04-07T17:27:17.252-07:00Nominate Your Favorite Books for Publication with Kindle Scout!While Amazon's Kindle Scout program has been around for almost two years now, I've found not a lot of readers are familiar with the program. This is a short intro to how Kindle Scout works so that avid readers will know how they can have a say in which books Kindle Press publishes next.<br />
<br />
Kindle Scout is a new program that allows authors to submit unpublished novel-length manuscripts for consideration for a publication contract with Kindle Press. This is a great opportunity for upcoming authors for many reasons, and it also allows readers to have their voices be heard by the number one book retailer in the world--Amazon.<br />
<br />
For readers, the system is pretty simple. Just go to the Kindle Scout page <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/">here</a> (or go to kindlescout.amazon.com) and you'll see how it works pretty quickly. Books that have been accepted into the program are displayed for readers to peruse. You'll see the cover, a synopsis, and have the opportunity to read the first 5,000 words of the novel. You can read about the author and see links to his or her other books.<br />
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Each reader has a chance to nominate three books at a time. In order for your vote to count, you must have the book nominated on the last day of the campaign, so keep that in mind. If your favorites are selected for publication, you'll actually get a copy for free. If not, you'll still get an email from Amazon when the author publishes the book elsewhere. That's it! Nominate books, get free books, read free books!<br />
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You can find out more about Kindle Scout and even watch a short video <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about">here</a> on the Kindle Scout About page.<br />
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My newest novel, <i>Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i>, will be featured on Kindle Scout from April 7, 2017 until May 7, 2017. I would love it if you would check it out and give it a nomination if it sounds interesting to you. If I win, you'll get a free copy! If I lose, you'll get a hilarious email from Amazon letting you know that I am a L-O-S-E-R. It's a win/win for you, really. ;) Click <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL" target="_blank">here</a> to see my Kindle Scout page for <i>Beneath the Inconstant Moon. </i> Here is the address if the link is not working:<br />
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OT9F85ZHLEKL<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT8jU-RgIRVPJo9b9aLpBrlYhyH_IpqYF1yjO-lh38eJunRtKNSowaWcka1lFOioHREXYcgXJDIhwNVckZdluweXzydxM-hBIUMn4uJmVsczu3009c9AaodXvqNn_pZJHulKWSRuwu3yo/s1600/Moon+with+link.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT8jU-RgIRVPJo9b9aLpBrlYhyH_IpqYF1yjO-lh38eJunRtKNSowaWcka1lFOioHREXYcgXJDIhwNVckZdluweXzydxM-hBIUMn4uJmVsczu3009c9AaodXvqNn_pZJHulKWSRuwu3yo/s320/Moon+with+link.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Whether you vote for my book or not, I hope you'll check out Kindle Scout. How awesome is it that you will have a say in choosing the next best seller?<br />
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Kindle Scout program, so please leave a comment and happy reading!<br />
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<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-14792036874320821982017-02-14T18:53:00.000-08:002017-02-14T18:53:50.262-08:00Using Word's Tracker Feature for Beta ReadersOkay--not the most exciting title, but you get the idea! This blog post will walk you through how to use the Tracker feature of Microsoft Office Word as a beta reader. As I prepare to send my newest manuscript, <i>Beneath the Inconstant Moon</i>, to eight to ten of my most helpful fans, I want to make sure we all get as much out of the experience as possible. While there are other ways to offer feedback to a writer, using the Tracker feature is a great way to embed comments right into the manuscript where I can read them and then take them to hard (or press the nice little X button!)<br />
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The first thing one needs to do is turn the Tracker feature on, which is pretty simple. Just click on the <b>Review</b> tab:<br />
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The Tracker feature is a great way for me to get specific feedback while you are reading. Is this sentence too confusing? Let me know! Something doesn't sound right? You really like a particular word choice? Think something may not be making sense? You can let me know all of that right as you are thinking it so I can better understand the emotions of the readers. Whatever you are thinking, someone else may also have the same thought, so I'd rather hear it from you first!</div>
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I so very much appreciate all of my beta readers and all they do to help me in my writing endeavors! Thank you all so very much! And if you are new to my blog and would like to consider becoming a beta reader, please email me at authoridjohnson@gmail.com. Fellow authors, feel free to share this post with your betas!</div>
<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-59847722748854472962017-02-04T14:57:00.000-08:002017-02-04T14:58:27.926-08:00Beneath the Inconstant Moon--Chapter 1 Excerpt Beneath the Inconstant Moon <i>is my NaNoWriMo project, and it's just about finished. I've never written anything like this before. Inspired by stories like</i> Shutter Island <i>and</i> The Girl on the Train,<i> I wanted to write a story where the main character could not be trusted! Set in Baltimore in the 1840s, this is a romance novel full of suspense and heartache. Whether or not Genevieve will have a happy ending is yet to be determined! Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1. Please let me know what you think in the comments or on Facebook at </i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/IDJohnsonAuthor</a><br />
<i>Thanks for stopping by!</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gUXXCT7YK0WaGX4BOGuuYC3i0DHM9i0Ojkr9UpUbYXDUFz9xGrN4z26vnBKtiuhYlEJAvhVi3kITOluthRv2RQ_cS_-Xx6ej7-Ia_3qozxl89znGr9hAcTpBPqKAN3pnpT5ZKIwIXzjC/s1600/Beneath+the+Inconstant+Moon+Small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gUXXCT7YK0WaGX4BOGuuYC3i0DHM9i0Ojkr9UpUbYXDUFz9xGrN4z26vnBKtiuhYlEJAvhVi3kITOluthRv2RQ_cS_-Xx6ej7-Ia_3qozxl89znGr9hAcTpBPqKAN3pnpT5ZKIwIXzjC/s320/Beneath+the+Inconstant+Moon+Small.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digital art by Renata Lechner<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">Photography by Cathleen Tarawhiti</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">Model - Danielle Lightfoot</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Chapter 1<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
1846<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ocean
seemed to have a temper. It wasn’t calm and serene as it had been just the day
before. Rather, the waves were rolling in against the rocks so furiously the
whitecaps seemed to bubble as they broke and attempted to reform with the next
in succession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would not be a good
day for her husband to return, not with the sea so angry. It would be better if
he waited until tomorrow when perhaps the ire had died down a bit, and the
water would welcome him back to solid ground, at last, with the gentleness he
so deserved after such a long and tumultuous journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She could
only assume it had been tumultuous or else he would have returned by now. He
was long past due, having reached the apex of the appointed amount of time many
months past. But she knew he would be there any day now, any moment. And that
is why she sat sentinel by the window, rarely leaving her post, watching and
praying for him to return.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The view
was a bit obstructed, and it seemed that many of the clippers that came in
looked similar now that time had passed. There were occasions when she was
certain she spied the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mary Ann</i>
nearing port, but after waiting hours for her husband to disembark and make his
way home, she would be forced to accept that the ship she had been watching
must not have been his. And so she continued to watch for hours, craning her
head when necessary to get a better view, sometimes late into the night when it
was much more difficult to see and exhaustion blurred her eyes. Eventually, she
would give up and find her way across the room to her bed, steadfast in her
belief that tomorrow would be the day her husband would arrive home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It would be
horribly boring, maddening even, if it weren’t for her baby to keep her
company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even now, as she watched the
waves toss about and spray the seagulls with salty brine, she glanced down at
her sweet angel’s face where he lay sleeping in the bassinet beside her. She
reached down to stroke his cheek softly, afraid she might wake him. His blond
curls poked out of his snow white bonnet, and he cooed a bit in his sleep. He
was such a happy baby, such a peaceful little soul, and she couldn’t wait for
her husband to return so that he might hold his son at long last.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Madam?” a
voice was calling nearby. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
She startled, not aware that anyone
else had entered her room, and turned to address the woman. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, please be quiet,” she whispered sharply.
“You mustn’t wake the baby.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The woman drew up her shoulders and
took a deep breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Madam, are you done
with your dinner plate, or shall I leave this bit for later?” the woman asked
through clenched teeth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
She looked at the plate curiously.
Had she eaten dinner already? Was it that late in the day? It seemed like it
should still be morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There wasn’t
much left on the plate, only some bread crust and some other unrecognizable
scraps. She wasn’t even sure what she may have eaten for dinner, assuming she
must have been the one to eat whatever had previously occupied the plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She looked up into the impatient eyes of the
woman who had the mysterious plate thrust at her in a clenched fist and finally
managed, “I’m finished, thank you. That should be all.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The woman nodded at her sharply,
and then offered a small cup to her. “Your medication, madam,” she said, her
lips drawn into a straight line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
She looked at the medicine for a
moment. She really didn’t like taking it; it made her feel—odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Must I?” she asked with a sigh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Come now, Mrs. Edwards,” the woman
insisted, forcing it into her hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You
know how he gets when you don’t take it. And please don’t cause another uproar.
I can’t handle any more of that today.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
She dropped her eyes, and took the
medicine, absently wishing the help would stop calling her that name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She didn’t bother to voice her annoyance
again, not after that reminder. Sometimes it was better to just remain silent
and endure. Once her husband returned, she wouldn’t have so many hardships to
bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She took the medicine, swallowed it
down, and took a sip of water.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Very good, madam,” the woman
nodded. “I shall be back in a few hours to check on you before bedtime. Is
there anything else you require?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“No, that will be all. Thank you,
Scarlet,” she replied.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
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The hard look was back about her
face again as she turned to go, shaking her head and mumbling, “My name is not
Scarlet.”<o:p></o:p></div>
ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-11861346217468193642017-01-21T16:52:00.000-08:002017-01-21T16:52:41.613-08:00An Open Letter to a Negative ReviewerDear Reviewer,<br />
Thank you for taking the time to purchase, read, and leave a review for my book, <i>Ghosts of Southampton: Titanic</i>. I understand that you have millions of books to choose from, and I am honored that you selected mine. While this particular book sells far more copies than any of my others, for some reason, I am struggling to get reviews, and since yours was only the sixth one to post in almost a year, I was excited to see that five finally change to a six. <br />
Unfortunately, that is where my excitement ended.<br />
Before I comment on your rude and practically pointless comment, let me go back up a bit and tell you a little bit about myself and this book. I am not a full-time writer. I am also a mother and a teacher. One of my daughters has autism. I have a long commute. I like to visit Disney World and the beach. My point? I am a human person--a real one--with a low budget and a passion to tell stories. I am not a traditionally published author with the backings of a major publisher to catch all of my "vocabulary" mistakes--I pay an editor a nominal amount for that. I hire talented, practically undiscovered cover artists to make my covers. I rely on my own devices to spread the word and hustle my own books. I am an amateur writer with the goal of becoming a household name someday.<br />
Yesterday, I was feeling pretty good about my possibilities, too. I found out that my tiny little Amazon check was going to be twice as much this month. It's been almost two months since a day has passed with zero book sales, though my sales are usually only one or two books per day, not the hundreds or thousands professional writers sell. Still, I am hopeful that someday I will be able to count on my Amazon check to make my car payment.<br />
So, I was feeling hopeful yesterday, thinking about my next work of historical fiction which should be ready to ship to the editor soon (remember the editor--the person who is supposed to check for mistakes in my "vocabulary"?) and then I read your review.<br />
You see, I don't mind critical reviews if they are politely worded and constructive. One of the best reviews I ever got was three stars and it really caused me to reflect on my character development. It made me a better writer. I even got a one star review once and that made me realize I needed to go back and look at a book I hadn't touched for years. I needed to have my new editor take a look at that one.<br />
But your review was not constructive at all. It offered nothing but the snidely worded advice that I needed to check a few errors in my manuscript. Let me quote it in its entirety for anyone else who might be reading this post.<br />
<br />
Learn Vocabulary<br />
I forced my way through the ridiculous wording. "she clinched her eyes" "later" instead of "latter" & a host of other mistakes. Bleh...<br />
<br />
Now, let me say, I appreciate the sentiment. You found some errors that both my editor and myself overlooked. I have since gone in and made the changes. But let me ask you something, is this how you typically address people in your everyday life? Do you normally tell colleagues or even random people on the street that they need to change something by using such rude commentary? Do you realize how <i>ridiculous</i> you sound in pointing out two mistakes in a 70,000 word book and not even commenting on the plot or anything else? Did you just assume that I, the author, wouldn't read your review, or do you even care that you actually offended a real-life person--who has feelings--and called something I labored over for months "ridiculous"?<br />
But it seems I am not the only victim of your wittily worded feedback. I checked out some of your other reviews. Even the ones where you said you liked the book you gave some backhanded compliment or were downright overly critical. Thankfully for me, mine wasn't the worst review you left, though if you read this, I have no doubt you will go and change what you had to say and make it even uglier. But that's okay because on behalf of all of the other authors you have left rude and unhelpful feedback for, let me just say, we hear you--<b>and nobody cares.</b><br />
You see, I've sold just as many copies of this book today as I have every other day this month. I know for a fact that at least five people have marked your review as "unhelpful" in just a few hours. I look back at the reviews <i>Ghosts</i> has received on Amazon and Goodreads, the emails I've gotten from random readers, the comments people have left on Facebook, and I realize that I cannot let the comments of one clearly unhappy individual dictate how I feel about myself as a writer or as a person. At the end of the day, not everyone is going to like everything that I write, and while I am always thankful for the feedback, some comments are more meaningful than others, and I am done worrying about yours.<br />
So... thanks again for letting me know we'd missed "clenched" and "latter." I'm sorry the storyline and the characters of Meg and Charlie were not enough to help you get passed these "vocabulary" errors. I hope that, if you are a writer yourself, you will take the leap and put your work out there because, while it is scary as hell, it's worth it. When you get positive feedback from just one stranger, you know you made the right decision. <br />
For my fellow writers who may see this post and say, "You just have to let negative reviews go and ignore them," I agree. That is what I usually do. I may regret ever writing this. But I must say I feel better for the moment. In the time we live in where everyone is standing up for their beliefs and their rights, why should we as authors continue to put up with this type of review without reminding the world that we are people, too? If you can't say it constructively, then keep your views to yourself. Otherwise, the only person who ends up looking <i>ridiculous</i> is you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaTp-Mjq6Bn1_SpJBQ39VRe9TVzEUKKh_rpEYo3JKOABqHn65JtmHm_-CuI1MtOtjt1sgi5T4kRVB8zD6vJ8RqXUAo2XSXsNTjFYjH5g-u0FlJfGuu4fKUm9DxUyYxDoDHMIGtw5017-H/s1600/Ghosts+of+Southampton+book+cover+1+-+FINAL+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaTp-Mjq6Bn1_SpJBQ39VRe9TVzEUKKh_rpEYo3JKOABqHn65JtmHm_-CuI1MtOtjt1sgi5T4kRVB8zD6vJ8RqXUAo2XSXsNTjFYjH5g-u0FlJfGuu4fKUm9DxUyYxDoDHMIGtw5017-H/s320/Ghosts+of+Southampton+book+cover+1+-+FINAL+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
If you'd like to check out <i>Ghosts of Southampton: Titanic</i> for yourself, you can find it on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D0GZ230">here</a>. If you've read it and you have some helpful feedback to leave, even if it's critical, please leave a review. I love to hear from readers, especially when what they have to say helps me to become a better writer.<br />
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ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-67293576467100032382016-11-12T10:56:00.001-08:002016-11-12T10:56:26.375-08:00New Author Promo Site from Genre PulsePerfect timing!<br />
Just as I am preparing my blog post about the amazing promo I did about two weeks ago, one of the sites I used--one I only have fantastic things to say about--came out with a new service today. It's an Author Coupon site! They will list all the sites that have discounted promo services in one easy to use location. This is really huge, and I'm so happy it's from a promo site I already trust. James at <a href="http://www.genrepulse.com/">Genre Pulse </a>is great to work with.<br />
<a href="http://sociali.io/ref/H4152340">Check it out</a> and let me know what you think in the comments!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">http://sociali.io/ref/H4152340</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT4DHmKU5na6rl4AgI7X7cC2RLAx_lvXb8P4liY2cDRizc3h_3tPNEGc8WonysV7zalGhksZT7STPohxjk0vtglAbAoCsoMliiXQ3C7hQffwJiao7KRsDeQDS_eCj-X79F5kfs8DoZZSx/s1600/AC.jpg" /></div>
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<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-68385186334744315842016-10-16T20:53:00.002-07:002016-11-15T16:12:48.453-08:00A Taste of AbsolutionI know many of you have been waiting for <i>Absolution</i>, the fourth book in The Clandestine Saga, for over a year. I am working on it now, and my tentative release date is December 1st with pre-order available through Amazon on November 1st. More info on that to come soon. However, the tone will be a bit different in this one. I am hoping to make the Vampires a bit more terrifying. Since it is almost Halloween, who isn't ready for a little scare? Here's an excerpt from Chapter Seven. This is completely <b>unedited</b>! I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54h5nPyYQ3WoYC7o7C64gDufm4JwWLP3Xql7EWjjz8hL2OyzMIdJ0ajTcfUiaTzVq3SHWvBmV5CaAySXDnFdez7g-nXTLmaDhsVB0SvdUChD3HrCmZbEqjhl9qdFYJyoFXbazNymb8cfN/s1600/absolution+small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54h5nPyYQ3WoYC7o7C64gDufm4JwWLP3Xql7EWjjz8hL2OyzMIdJ0ajTcfUiaTzVq3SHWvBmV5CaAySXDnFdez7g-nXTLmaDhsVB0SvdUChD3HrCmZbEqjhl9qdFYJyoFXbazNymb8cfN/s320/absolution+small.jpeg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absolution by ID Johnson</td></tr>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lightening illuminated the sky off in the distance, and thirteen year old Julia Cannon bolted upright in bed. Looking out her bedroom window, she saw that the wind was picking up and a rumble of thunder confirmed her suspicion that it was about to storm. She hated storms, always had, but was particularly frightened of them since a tornado had ripped through their neighborhood when she was ten, and while her own home was hardly touched, seeing many of her friends left homeless, one of them motherless, had been enough to make her anxious every time the skies looked threatening.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another boom, this one closer, made her jump. She looked at the time. It wasn’t quite one o’clock yet, which meant her mother probably wasn’t home yet. She worked as a nurse in Tulsa, which at least twenty minutes away from their home in Catoosa on a good night, and now that it was raining, she probably wouldn’t be home for at least another half an hour. Another crack of lighting sliced across the sky, and Julia pulled the covers up to her neck, closing her eyes for a moment, hoping that would somehow calm her nerves; it didn’t and the next peel of thunder sent her cowering beneath the sheets.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A bellow of wind brought in the rain. Julia peered out from under the blanket just as a flash of lightening illuminated the sky and she could see the deluge coming down in sheets now. A tree branch began to screech its way across the glass in her bedroom window, and though she could see the culprit each time the sky lit up, she couldn’t help but imagine, perhaps, it was something else; perhaps it was really the long sharp claw of a witch floating beneath that same scraggly old maple. The flashes began to illuminate the objects in her room as well, and as her eyes began to adjust from darkness to light, back into darkness again, she began to watch as the shadows in her room shifted and changed their forms. She blinked her eyes, holding them shut for a moment, assuring herself that her closet door was still firmly shut, that no one was sitting in her rocking chair across the room, that nothing had slithered beneath her bed.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, when she could stand the ravages of her imagination no more, she slid her hand out from beneath the bed and picked up her cell phone. She quickly dialed her mother, and with each ring, her heartbeat increased. Eventually, her mother answered with a distracted, “Julia? What are you doing up?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Sorry, Mama,” she whispered sharply. “The storm woke me up. I was wondering if… if you were about home.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The connection wasn’t good, the storm likely interfering with the signal. “I’m driving home now, honey,” her mom reassured her. “But it’s raining pretty hard. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Now, go back to sleep. Okay?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“All right, Mama,” Julia agreed. “Be careful.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I will, sweetheart. See you in a bit. I love you,” her mother replied.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before Julia could respond, her mother ended the call, and she found herself forced back into utter aloneness, the storm still shaking her house and her soul.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Julia assured herself aloud. “It’s just a storm. There’s no tornadoes, or my mom would have said. And there’s no witches… or ghosts… or vampires.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the last word, Julia heard a soft creaking sound from downstairs, followed by a shuffle, and then complete silence. Her heart stopped; was that her mother coming in the back door? Was it her imagination? Or was it… something else? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She listened with her whole being, waiting to see if she heard footsteps on the stairs. If it had been her mother, she would have said something, since she knew Julia was still awake. And, if she had been so close to home, wouldn’t she have said she was about to pull into the driveway? No, it couldn’t have been her mother. Perhaps, it had only been her imagination. She was scared--and jumpy. Just then, she thought she heard another small creak from the living room, as if the floorboards were shifting under the weight of someone--or something. If it were a murderer, surely he would have made his way up the stairs by now. Her mind shot to the news she had heard today, about the Jogging Path Slayer in Philadelphia. Maybe he had made his way here, to Oklahoma, to her house. Maybe he had decided to start murdering young girls in their beds instead of joggers. Maybe she would be his next victim.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She knew it all sounded ridiculous. Murderers didn’t just wait downstairs for you to come down so they could kill you. It was nothing; it had to be nothing. Still, she listened carefully for another sound. She heard nothing, except for the boom of the thunder outside. Maybe she couldn’t hear him climbing the stairs because of the storm. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You’re being ridiculous,” she whispered. “Are you a little girl or a woman? You’re old enough to stay home by yourself. Surely, you can go downstairs and make sure the house is still locked up.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She hesitated for a moment, wanting to hop out of bed and go alleviate her own fears, but she was still scared. Suddenly, there was a droaning noise, and her ceiling fan turned off. It came back to life for a split second, but then it went off again. The power was out. Now, the terror began to well up inside of her again. Not only was she all alone, a storm raging outside, strange noises downstairs, she wouldn’t even be able to turn on the lights. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a flashlight downstairs; she knew exactly where her mother kept it, on top of the refrigerator. It was pretty powerful. If she could go get that, she might feel more at east until her mom got home. Of course, getting there would be horrifying. She did have the flashlight on her phone, but it wasn’t very strong. She took a deep breath. Her mom always said she should have a flashlight when the power went out in case something happened and she needed to go outside or someone came to the door to see if she was safe. With another deep breath, she slid out from under the covers and put her feet in her slippers. She grabbed her robe, and hands shaking, slid it on, tying the belt tightly around her waist.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“All right, Julia,” she whispered. “Stop being a baby. You can do this.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She picked up her phone, trying to decide whether she should use the flashlight to make her way down the stairs or just leave it off. After all, if there were someone--or something--waiting for her downstairs, the flashlight would alert him that she was coming. If she left it off, she could be more stealthy, and maybe he wouldn’t know she was coming. If she saw him first, she could maybe get away or hide. Or wait for her mother to come home.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe she should wait for her mother to come home.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You’re such a baby,” she said, clutching her phone. For now, she left the light off. She knew her way down the stairs in the dark, and the flashes of lightning were enough to help her find landmarks along the way.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With another deep breath, she pulled herself to her feet and willed herself to jump away from the bed so that no spindly hands could reach out from beneath and grab her ankles. Of course, nothing happened, and she hurried past the closet and the rocking chair--was it moving?--and made her way out of her bedroom into the hallway.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their house was two story, but it wasn’t very big. There were two bedrooms up here, hers and her mom’s, and then downstairs there was a living room, kitchen, a small parlor, and a dining room. The stairs led to the living room where the front door was located. Her mom always pulled into the car port and used the back door. So there was absolutely no reason why the front door should be unlocked or disturbed in any way. From the top of the stairs, she peered down below, trying to ascertain whether or not it looked as if it had recently been opened; she couldn’t tell. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She approached the top of the stairs. Inhaling deeply, she put her foot down gently on the top step. No creak. After a moment, she slowly picked up her other foot and put it down on the next step. Again, not a sound. Grasping the handrail to steady herself, she repeated the process, one step after the next, pausing each time the lightning and thunder shook her soul, and cautiously made her way down the stairs. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When she reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, something brushed against her arm. Jumping, she flailed her arms out wildly, catching a branch of her mother’s ficus plant as she did so. Her heart pounding, she pressed her hands to her chest, still grasping her cell phone. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It’s just a plant,”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> she thought to herself, afraid to say anything out loud now. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took her a few seconds to regain her composure. Once she had calmed down just a bit, she slowly entered the living room. She surveyed the room cautiously. Even with the help of the lightning, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The sofa stood between her and the front door. As she carefully stepped around it, she glanced back over her shoulder. She noticed then that the closet door was slightly ajar, which seemed odd. But as she turned to peer into the dark space about ten feet behind her, she didn’t see anything alarming. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-06acf523-d0c3-c4bc-abc8-c78b074df2a1"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It wasn’t until she returned her attention to the front door that something caught her attention. She wasn’t sure what it was at first. Holding her breath, and feeling her heart stop mid-beat, she slowly took a step forward, squinting in disbelief as she attempted to confirm that what her eyes were seeing was really there. She took another step forward, and then, she was certain. There, in the glass of the front door, she could clearly see a face. But this was no ordinary human face. This was something else entirely. The skin was so pale, it was practically glowing in the dark, the lightning disclosing bloodshot steel gray eyes. Long stringy black hair framed the ghoulish features, the lips were blood red as well, and though the expression was frozen in a grimace, the teeth were elongated and sharp, the nose wrinkled in a snarl. It was as if someone had propped a Halloween mask outside on her porch. The cell phone slipped from Julia’s trembling hand, and with another crash of thunder, the sudden realization that this face not only was no mask, but that it was not on her porch at all invaded her very soul, and a ripple of terror swept through her body. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, she saw the creature step fully out of the closet and step quickly in her direction, arms outstretched.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you think will happen to Julia? Find out in </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Absolution</i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, coming soon! And if you haven't read the first three books in the Trilogy, you can find Book 1 </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Transformation</i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T44TSDI/">here</a>.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now you can pre-order Absolution for only 99 cents through December 1, 2016 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG8VOWG">here</a>.</span></div>
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ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-28196316200709958012016-08-13T16:20:00.000-07:002016-08-13T16:20:16.300-07:00Advertising Through Amazon is Working for Me!I've been running adds for my Kindle published books through Amazon for over a year. Most of the time, my ACos (Advertising Cost of Sales) runs around 400%, but I set up some new adds at the beginning of this month, and they are doing really well. One of them is actually at 75%, another at 102%--which means they are actually profitable. People are seeing my adds, clicking on them, and buying my book! I know that's how it's supposed to work, but it hasn't been working that way for me, until this new set of adds. So what did I do differently this time? Good question! Let me see if I can explain!<br />
First of all, I took advantage of all of the room I've been given within the add without repeating anything. I didn't restate the title, as I have in the past. I didn't include information they can get from the title, the cover, or anything unimportant. I tried to compliment the synopsis so that, once a potential reader clicks through, they can find out different information from the book blurb, not a repeat of what I already said. I think this has helped!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzG1ekuk0avrs2CIsp1-YB_arwKozesfAaQK6Q56P9WSyKdhJl4kncGdI3wORWsBQRc0TA8U8PDqANpPHgtLCsiiI_C0XUydkj4iu5V9orLzHPq5-uK7GK2T7nuSgYEsxTbEoAKGRrjvX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+6.12.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzG1ekuk0avrs2CIsp1-YB_arwKozesfAaQK6Q56P9WSyKdhJl4kncGdI3wORWsBQRc0TA8U8PDqANpPHgtLCsiiI_C0XUydkj4iu5V9orLzHPq5-uK7GK2T7nuSgYEsxTbEoAKGRrjvX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-13+at+6.12.40+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My current add for Transformation</td></tr>
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I'm also not running ads for the second and third book in my series. People are probably not going to buy those books until after they buy the first one, so I may as well sink my advertising money into that first book instead of the second and third.<br />
The books that are doing the best have the most professional coves as well. They are the two that I paid the most for. Most of my books do have professionally designed covers, but when it comes to that initial image, you get what you paid for. Look at these three books. Can you tell me which cover I paid the most for?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxVJyqGBzkUhG0MNOaNYzHcu9NV_Yyv3zOHHL2ruWM2SBvILRUEjPCWoz8_q52dFy-hBVJZPOchFP847IZzQmf6ckS7fovdkCJ_NmnIOd-8SYmivuusamIShyphenhyphenI_KKrmJ6EBVi6qtRa5B7/s1600/Ghosts+of+Southampton+book+cover+1+-+FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxVJyqGBzkUhG0MNOaNYzHcu9NV_Yyv3zOHHL2ruWM2SBvILRUEjPCWoz8_q52dFy-hBVJZPOchFP847IZzQmf6ckS7fovdkCJ_NmnIOd-8SYmivuusamIShyphenhyphenI_KKrmJ6EBVi6qtRa5B7/s320/Ghosts+of+Southampton+book+cover+1+-+FINAL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-mwDRPNmcdcj2uIFiz0yLAud7BF1n1jUWjQ2hE6bVHNVfQH0-AkQ2T4zHl2TIZRIFjLeoQn2KurUAn-SuIx-sGd2c1Nv-6UQnmzgB_KpUdl77hIDJ_I8EitU8MR8GErCEx6pvICR26oe/s1600/Small+doll.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-mwDRPNmcdcj2uIFiz0yLAud7BF1n1jUWjQ2hE6bVHNVfQH0-AkQ2T4zHl2TIZRIFjLeoQn2KurUAn-SuIx-sGd2c1Nv-6UQnmzgB_KpUdl77hIDJ_I8EitU8MR8GErCEx6pvICR26oe/s320/Small+doll.png" width="226" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxNO5eBczQJ20tV1VChZ1sNnJAJWsx32jvBUidXzRDIQ_rqjPrgRpUji2zKgzr9py9Sze359CCsZ2MfLHIa8ZVI_aZu0_IceBtn_TeRBk_NBULu1yp-bkkJ8kAT-Rie_vUoohXJilsx2_/s1600/Resurrection+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxNO5eBczQJ20tV1VChZ1sNnJAJWsx32jvBUidXzRDIQ_rqjPrgRpUji2zKgzr9py9Sze359CCsZ2MfLHIa8ZVI_aZu0_IceBtn_TeRBk_NBULu1yp-bkkJ8kAT-Rie_vUoohXJilsx2_/s320/Resurrection+small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The answer is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D0GZ230#nav-subnav">Ghosts of Southampton</a>. I paid $30 on Fiverr for the cover for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WZX9QD2/ref=series_rw_dp_sw#nav-subnav">Resurrection</a>, and I did the cover for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019169ZWW#nav-subnav">Doll Maker </a>myself. Transformation is selling really well with these new ads, and I definitely think the professional cover is helping!<br />
I've seen a huge boost to my sales this week, and even though I'm still not a "Best Seller," it's nice to see my books climbing the charts! I'm having more luck running ads through Amazon Kindle than anywhere else I've ever tried!<br />
Where do you like to advertise? What works for you?ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-91832940220834210832016-05-13T14:18:00.001-07:002016-11-12T20:10:42.163-08:00How to Publish a Book That Doesn't Suck (In 4 Easy Steps)Let me start by saying, I am no publishing expert. These are just words of wisdom I have picked up as I have traversed the field of writing, editing, and publishing. Besides writing eight books, I have edited hundreds of manuscripts, and read thousands of published works, many of which were self-published. Based on this <i>vast</i> experience, this is my advice to you, my fellow members of the Indie Writing Club.<br />
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<b>1) Think long and hard about your plot, talk it out with someone, and look for holes.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrcoCVgr2GsUTw6E1FvcVuhQI2vSrBTSoZANgrssHtHIrJ8d0cbvyt8xEMjgC_EGNV_CMkWh2Cz7XQ5Cu1vrGYfUxVfI9ZttwPt3xApnSGuDNNk2M5N40V9q539gongQed3K4kWQ6ldVC/s1600/hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrcoCVgr2GsUTw6E1FvcVuhQI2vSrBTSoZANgrssHtHIrJ8d0cbvyt8xEMjgC_EGNV_CMkWh2Cz7XQ5Cu1vrGYfUxVfI9ZttwPt3xApnSGuDNNk2M5N40V9q539gongQed3K4kWQ6ldVC/s1600/hole.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let your readers fall in a plot hole!</td></tr>
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Pretty much anything you can think of has been done, one way or another, before you were even born. It's hard to think of a completely unique idea. Sometimes authors get overzealous with their creative juices and end up concocting story lines that don't make sense or have lots of plot holes in them. If your story idea is no good, the flow is messed up, events happen out of order, the pacing is off, or it doesn't make sense--it's not a very good story. Find someone you trust (another writer, perhaps) and talk through the plot before you even start writing. Otherwise, you may be spending a lot of time writing a really crappy book.<br />
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<b>2) Take your time</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8a_G9MK7FSMflFt-M5YZGGeE8Sn5AmBcbRNjfyOvdOh7VuUIT-IUA8QNlMRnKbHob33oN75_9Csh7f6DFqlHKVvRGZU4z9y9reXkhnTamhpxDvA79vtsPyw6OonvUeBMnlzM3UfpmB5lR/s1600/The-clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8a_G9MK7FSMflFt-M5YZGGeE8Sn5AmBcbRNjfyOvdOh7VuUIT-IUA8QNlMRnKbHob33oN75_9Csh7f6DFqlHKVvRGZU4z9y9reXkhnTamhpxDvA79vtsPyw6OonvUeBMnlzM3UfpmB5lR/s320/The-clock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time is on your side!</td></tr>
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It seems like some authors try to turn out a new book every couple of months. If you've got a team of experts behind you, maybe you can do this. Otherwise, slow down a little bit and make sure that what you are producing is a quality product. I know I published my first book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSAYTVQ">Deck of Cards</a></i>, before it was ready, and I paid for it. If you don't believe me, check out the one star review that is still haunting my dreams today. Even though I have since gone back and made a lot of changes (including hiring a new editor, having several other authors read over it and suggest changes, etc.) that particular reader had a poor experience, and I may never see that horrible review go away. Let my mistake pay off for you and learn from it. Slow down and make sure that all of your ducks are in a row before you hit publish.<br />
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<b>3) Hire a good editor!</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone can benefit from a good editor</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
Someday, in all your spare time, look over a random sampling of ebooks on Amazon and notice how many of them list an editor. Now, of the ones that do, look to see how many of them are Indie books. Have you noticed that not very many Indie books list an editor? There are a lot of reasons for this. Some people just don't think about giving their editor credit. Some editors would rather not be listed. However, in my recent experience, I have noticed that a lot of Indie books don't seem to <i>have</i> an editor <i>to </i>list. You need an editor--or at the very least a good proofreader; you cannot possibly catch all of your own mistakes on your own. Of course editing costs money, but there are some good editors available for less than you might think. You can find some of them on <a href="http://www.fiverr.com/">Fiverr</a>, and the best ones will usually take more than one look. It's worth your time and money to hire someone else to look over your work--and no, your spouse doesn't count unless he or she happens to be an editor.<br />
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<b>4) Beta, beta, beta!</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_02qExW68cKvz2X3hCy1EjYAtHpaVo4LEyebSixfmzLjv0CN5yCiRNLxN3DuCZ7d287l20KFO623a2ZzxBj6Ncr-6yr2oarUZ5kxGLGtinq52vVix7hwyNb1Y97_YgjvU029RCqVI-P_/s1600/reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_02qExW68cKvz2X3hCy1EjYAtHpaVo4LEyebSixfmzLjv0CN5yCiRNLxN3DuCZ7d287l20KFO623a2ZzxBj6Ncr-6yr2oarUZ5kxGLGtinq52vVix7hwyNb1Y97_YgjvU029RCqVI-P_/s1600/reader.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let other people read your work before you publish it</td></tr>
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Please don't publish a book that no one else, other than you, has ever read. You may get lucky and have a great story with no plot holes and nothing out of sequence that makes perfect sense the first time around. But chances are that's not what you have. You need at least a few people to read over it before you release it to the world to check for all of the other things we've talked about. They are not necessarily proofreaders or editors, although I have had a few betas catch mistakes my editor missed. I try to have at least five, and sometimes as many as twelve, people read over every book I write before I publish it. People who give lots of feedback and ask lots of questions always get invited back, and I usually give them a signed paperback copy. It's not hard to get a few friends to read your stuff, but I suggest getting a few other people as well--fellow writers, friends of friends, avid readers, etc., You want people who won't spare your feelings. There are a lot of groups on Facebook that provide beta readers. You just have to look around, and don't be afraid to ask. Most people don't mind getting something for free and having their opinion listened to as well.<br />
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Again, these are just my suggestions. If you follow them and your book still sucks, don't blame me. I love Indie writers and the whole idea that we no longer have to have our work approved by big publishing houses to get our stories told, but we have to be smart about it. Let's work together to stop the crappy books and fill in those plot holes with roses, not manure.<br />
If there's anything I can do to assist you in your writing endeavors, please let me know. You can reach me at authoridjohnson@gmail.com. Happy writing!ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-76528202536998143562016-05-11T15:13:00.000-07:002016-05-11T15:13:23.138-07:00I Hate Pirates! I've been attacked by pirates--and I am livid!<br />
And they aren't even the cool Captain Jack kind. <br />
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These are the kind that take your books and give them away for free--without your permission.<br />
Listen, I'm not a big time author. I barely make enough money a month from my eight books to pay the electric bill. If I'm ever going to be a "real" author, I need every penny that comes from my writing to go into my pocket--so I can feed my kids!<br />
Today, I decide to do a search of each of my titles on Google to see if any of them happened to show up where they shouldn't. I didn't think I'd find anything. I mean, after all, who am I that anyone would want to bother to upload my novels to a pirating site? They're practically free already!<br />
Well, I was wrong. I found <i>Cordia's Will, Deck of Cards, Transformation, Repercussion, and Resurrection</i> all available for instant download on multiple sites. For free. Without my permission.<br />
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And some of these sites are impossible to contact. The ones that did have contact buttons got an ear full, believe me, and my threats of sending in lawyers are no joke either (as soon as I can find one who has a few spare moments and works for peanuts, like me.)</div>
Who do these people think they are? And more importantly, who in the world would dare use these sites? Don't they know they are stealing? Do they care? If you really want to read my book that badly for free, let me know and I'll send it to you! But don't take it without asking. That's just wrong.<br />
Some of the sites were even in other countries. I have no idea what I can do to get them to take down my books.<br />
There are enough free books available from authors on Amazon who give their permission you can read free books for the rest of your life. I have over 4000 books on my Kindle app that I have downloaded from Amazon when authors are giving them away for free. There's no need to use these pirate sites.<br />
So... I'm super bummed right now about this whole thing And really, really pissed off. Please help spread the word that people should not download books from these sites. If it's not Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, or something like that, it's probably not legitimate. So don't do it! <br />
And thanks for reading my rant. If you'd like to offset my loss in earnings from these swindlers, please feel free to visit my Amazon page and buy one of my books. It will cost you up to three dollars, but you'll feel okay about that when you're not burning in eternal hell fire!<br />
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<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1379504246798394382.post-87252243273531139032016-03-05T20:39:00.001-08:002016-03-05T20:39:11.295-08:00Ghosts of Southampton: Titanic Cover RevealI'm so excited to announce I finally have a cover for my upcoming release, <i>Ghosts of Southampton: Titanic</i>!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GS will be ready for pre-order soon!!</td></tr>
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This was my entry for the 2015 3-Day Novel Writing Contest. Though the jury is still out on a long list, short list, and/or winner, I decided to go ahead and move forward with the novel because this is a story I think my readers will really enjoy, and I just can't keep waiting for an official word from the judges.<br />
So, my plan is for GS to be ready for pre-order on March 15 with a release date on April 15, which is the same date the ship sank in 1912.<br />
The process of choosing a cover was not easy! I worked on it myself for quite sometime. Finally, I decided to hire the same designer who re-did the cover for <i>Transformation</i> last month. It's great to finally see Meg's face with my own eyes!<br />
I'd love to hear your feedback about the cover, and the title of the book. I've heard that it is confusing, that it seems like it might be non-fiction, or that putting the word Titanic in the title is overused. What do y'all think?<br />
Also, if you would like a copy for free in exchange for an honest review, please email me at authoridjohnson@gmail.com. <br />
Who's looking forward to finally reading Meg and Charlie's love story after all of these months?<br />
<br />ID Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712251360030760608noreply@blogger.com1