Books I've enjoyed...

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!

MARKETING: forgotten in the dirt

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.

Click Me

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.

The goddess says....

Stay focused and centered. Don't let the news get you down. Let your mind wander but not into negativity. Pause before acting, speaking and thinking.

This message resonates with me. I've been too immersed in the news, which can make us all crazy. It's geared to get us riled up. The 4th of July, a holiday I've never been fond of, broke me apart this year. Since moving back to California I've had many of these moments, but yesterday made me realize a fundamental truth. If we come together as community to watch a funny little parade, there is no separation. This supposed separation is created to induce anger and chaos. And in many cases it has succeeded. But if we step back, take the pause, there is no difference between us. We are all human beings on the planet struggling to find our place and learn why we are here.

Making judgements about others is folly. We can never know what it is to walk in another's shoes. And this goes for everyone, even the ones we want to hate. But yesterday I thought to myself, 'what if you just concentrate on where you are?' There is no point in getting lost in causes that are beyond our ability to change. But locally we just might have a voice. And like noticing the bee on the lavender plant, there is so much around us to consider.

My heart is full right now. I live amongst the redwoods. There is fog nearly every morning, the mist that feeds them. It comes from the ocean a mile away. And when the sun appears it is soft, not harsh like the light from the sun in Tucson, from where I moved. Tucson has its own beauty but I needed trees, fog, the sea air, for my body and my soul--And I just realized that I needed community.

Thanks for reading!