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Writer's picture: Nikki BroadwellNikki Broadwell

Starting things off with another book review--The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith is another page turner. I've read her Vine Witch series and loved it. Her writing flows onto the page and takes you out of your reality and into hers with ease. All of her stories are tales that inhabit unusual worlds with unique characters, some good some bad. With that said here is a link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Spell-Luanne-G-Smith-ebook/dp/B093SHTLLB/


I'm not going to bore you with all the books I've started recently and stopped. I am hard to please these days! I guess what they say about first paragraphs is true--if they haven't hooked you by then, it's too late. If they start with too many unpronounceable names and maps, I'm out. (Or if an animal is killed on page one and this goes for moves too.) I want to read stories that don't require flipping back to remember details or names or are so sad that I'm crying within minutes. Too much sadness to have my entertainment be sad as well.


I have just begun one that I'm hoping I continue to like. ( I hate not having a book to read!) Cauldstane by Linda Gillard. Can't say too much about because I'm only on chapter 3, but so far so good. Intriguing, at least.


I am working feverishly to finish the third book of my Coyote Trials series. Should be out in a month or so, I hope. Here is the cover and the blurb:

Problems arise for Sara and Istaga when Sara changes her mind about their living arrangements. The rez, where Istaga has been living and building their unique house, is no longer where she wants to be. Sara’s unexpected pronouncement throws Istaga into confusion. He was just beginning to understand the baffling behavior of the human species. Meanwhile, their nearly four-year-old daughter, Kaliska, who has been living as a coyote, is kidnapped. The men who have her know what she is and plan to cash in on it.


Searching for Kaliska leads Istaga and Sara on a wild goose chase that separates them even further. Will they find their baby and repair their relationship, or will this be another rift that cannot be mended?


As far as marketing goes, this has been a dry spell for me. I've been working on my writing in order to escape the world's problems and hoping that things get better. Trying to sell takes too much energy. I hope you writers are writing and that you readers are reading! And I hope this email brings some brightness to your life. Check out my recommendations and please, if you get the chance, follow me on Bookbub!


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At the moment I'm reading Ladies of the Secret Circus. It's by Constance Sayers and I'm reading it because I like the first one of hers, A Witch in Time . The current one is not as good as the first, imo, but it is keeping my interest. A Witch in Time is unique in ways that I can't disclose. You will have to read it to understand. If you like unusual and quirky stories, that have magic in them, you will probably like it.


I you haven't tried Beth Cato's books, I highly recommend them. Start with The Clockwork Dagger and move on to The Clockwork Crown. They are in the genre of steampunk and science fiction, but I recognized them as fantasy as well, in the best possible sense of the word. Story is intricate and different, settings are steampunkish and interesting. And there is a 3rd book in the series that I just discovered! I will be reading that one soon.


V.E. Schwab is another author I love. The latest series I've read is called Shades of Magic--it is unputdownable! Great writing, incredible imagination and a story that keeps you guessing until the last minute--Magic and parallel Londons is all I will say. She is the author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue--another wonderfully conceived book and how I discovered this other series of hers...


The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow is a great book (if you like witches and all they represent--)super writing! And the first one I read of hers, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, is even better! Sorry not to give more details, but these books are meant to be savored and discovered, not dissected.


There are many more I've read in the past year that should be on this list. If you go to my Bookbub Page you can read more in depth reviews for many of them. Thanks for reading!

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I have given up on most of the usual ways of marketing. WHY???



I'm sure you are astounded reading this. ALL authors HAVE to do their own marketing--it's nearly a full time job! Remember my post about this very issue a while back? 'When the usual ways no longer work?'After beating my head against the wall a hundred times, I'm at the same point once again.





I will tell you what I've run up against before I explain myself.

  1. Amazon--needs zillions of keywords, competing against TOO many others in the same categories

  2. Pinterest--completely impossible interface--totally confusing..little to no traction when I've attempted it--sudden unexpected bills racked up.

  3. Google ads--tried that--didn't work

  4. Bookbub--haven't completely given up on them, but finding it more and more difficult to get any traction. Unsure as to why.

  5. Bookfunnel--still working on that, but again--too few sales.

There are many more things I've tried and given up over the many years I've been doing this. Is it really possible that I have not yet found my readership? Recently I have redone nearly all my book covers, edited the books to make sure they are well-written with little to no typos and no grammatical errors.

Well, maybe people just don't like your books, you say. ALL of them? I have twenty-five now. AND I have just reread some of them. I am my ideal reader--I actually love my books. ARE there more me's around? There have to be--I'm not THAT unusual. Lately I reread my Gypsy series--loved them all and have now changed the titles and the covers to more properly represent the storyline (and bring them up to date) If you haven't read them, they are now titled, The Tower, The Page of Pentacles, and The Ten of Swords. Yes, my protagonist is a Tarot card reader. https://www.amazon.com/Nikki-Broadwell/e/B007EE1LN0%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share


My marketing has narrowed down to my website shout-outs, Bookbub, (when they work) mailerlite (bookfunnel group promos and my own) and Facebook, which is also confusing to me and mostly doesn't work well. But at least I'm still capable of doing it. I wonder if these ad interfaces are getting more difficult or if I'm just tired of trying?


Basically I've decided to do what I enjoy and try not to attempt things that are frustrating and incomprehensible. My list of enjoyable things:

  1. Youtube videos and readings. It was hard at first to see myself as old as I am, but once I got used to it, I could deal. I like doing the readings from my books--still slim to no followers or even watchers, but hey! I enjoy it, right?

  2. Animoto--I do my teaser videos there--can choose the music and the images--very fun...I highly recommend. Here is a link to my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBrA6eaqmOkY4AWU4npQ1g/videos

  3. Bookbub is fun because of making up the ads (on Book brush or Canva) and finding authors to target--I like the simplicity of the interface and being able to pause them if they go nowhere...

  4. Writing. This is the most fun of all. Right now I have begun a third book in the Coyote series I wrote back in 2014/15...I've redone the covers, and again, I LOVE these books!!! I love the characters who are getting deeper with each book, and I love the way they write the books for me. DREAMCATCHER is the name of the new one--should be out by early spring. The other two can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Desert-Sunset-shapeshifter-ebook/dp/B00MJ6IWEE


So in closing, I hope you got something out of this. If you're a new author I wish you well. And if you've been writing a long time, I wish you the best. And maybe you're a reader and not a writer? If so, thanks for reading.

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