Book club love

I was supposed to be there, and I was so sorry a looming deadline caused me to miss out when a group of lovely readers, members of the Happy Bookers book club, recently met one evening to discuss CROOKED LITTLE LIES.

I can honestly say I write for book clubs or more accurately for the member discussions they give rise to. Readers form clubs for that very reason, so they can talk about what they’ve read. A book is a great way to discuss the good stuff, the sometimes-hard life stuff. You can review a fictional situation and the resultant actions of a character with far less emotional investment than if those same circumstances were personal. Unlike real life, reading about a difficult journey gives us distance, a perspective, and time to sort through our feelings. It’s easier to talk in the abstract and still, it can be its own form of therapy. That’s always my hope, anyway, that along with sheer enjoyment, a story I write will be inspiring of openhearted, in-depth and spirited conversation.

The members of the Happy Bookers called me before they began what I heard was a lively discussion of CROOKED LITTLE LIES. They passed the phone around to say how much they enjoyed the story and a bit about what it meant to them. I was thrilled.

Thank you Happy Bookers! Your phone call that evening was a delight.

Pictured are: Jink Willis, Teresa Brown, Beth Fletcher, Sandy Singletary, Betty Channing, and Julie Jakubson

Members not shown: Carol McVey, Shirley Morrell, Jane Presley, Windy Bordo, Mary Van Compernolle and Rebecca Gilman

A shout out to Amazon & Lake Union & to readers everywhere!

When my wonderful agent, Barbara Poelle, and my lovely editor, Tara Parsons, let me know that CROOKED LITTLE LIES was slated to be a July pick for Kindle First, a program offered by Amazon to their Prime members where they can choose one of what was that month 4 books and download it free, I was excited. Being a Prime member myself, I was familiar with the program and knew it would mean the novel would get a lot of exposure. Kindle First is a great way to find new authors. But I never imagined, and still have trouble wrapping my head around the actual end result. Unwrapping this plaque that was sent to me by the wonderful team at Amazon/Lake Union and seeing the actual number of downloads there were in the month of July quite literally gave me goosebumps. It's incredible to think that more than 175,000 readers chose to download and read my book on their device!

Thank you can hardly begin to express my appreciation. This could never have happened without the support of so many people, Barbara, Tara, and the whole Amazon and Lake Union publishing teams. A huge shoutout to them and to all the Kindle First readers who participate in this fantastic program every month and to readers everywhere. As long as you keep reading, I, and other authors, can keep writing!

I love hearing from readers. If you read Crooked Little Lies, let me know. Let's keep in touch!

CROOKED GOOD TREASURE HUNT: Win an AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Amazing TREASURE HUNT starts TOMORROW, September 1.

Don't forget that BEGINNING tomorrow you can look for CROOKED LITTLE LIES on shelves at 1700 WALMART stores across the U.S. (It may appear later in some locations.)

And if you FIND it and PHOTOGRAPH it there in the store, then SHARE the photo on social media Facebook and/or Twitter, naming your location and TAGGING me (on Twitter, @barbarasissel, on Facebook, Barbara Taylor Sissel, Author) you will be entered to win one of five $20.00 AMAZON gift cards!

The hunt will last all month, giving you plenty of chances to find, photograph and share CROOKED LITTLE LIES and be entered to win a CROOKED GOOD treasure! A drawing for each of 5 WINNERS will be held on October 1.

Can't wait to see all your PHOTOS. One of the most exciting things for me about a book debut is HEARING from readers and seeing WHERE a book I've written has TRAVELED to and been read!

It's no lie! Kindle First books have something for every reader....

It is an honor and also exciting that my latest novel, CROOKED LITTLE LIES, has been chosen to be an Amazon Kindle First selection for the month of July. One of the most gratifying aspects of such a promotional opportunity is that the book will be introduced to thousands of readers. Some will be familiar with my books, but for so many more my name and my work will be new.

As a writer, it’s wonderful, imagining the numbers of readers who might hold my book in their hands. Who might read and become engaged with the characters and the story as it unfolds. It’s a huge part of why I write, and it means so much to me to hear from readers. It’s the most gratifying thing learning that something I wrote has resonated with a reader in some way, or perhaps sparked a discussion, or even helped them see a similar situation in their own life in a different way that was of help to them.

My desire to write came from the joy of discovery I found in reading. Reading was and continues to be one of the great loves of my life. But sometimes, given the plethora of books published every month, it’s hard to find one I want to read. And that’s another reason I was so thrilled that my novel was chosen to be a Kindle First pick. As a reader and also an Amazon Prime member, I already knew the value of the program. First, only four novels are offered each month, which narrows the scope, and each one is presented in a straightforward manner with great cover art, a succinct description and a letter from the editor further defining the premise. With all this great information offered in a nutshell, it’s hard to make a mistake. And you can’t beat the price of the Kindle First books! If you’re a Prime member you can pick one for free. Non-Prime folks can have one for a $1.99. Another aspect of the program I like is that the books/authors are generally not the hot list, the ones you see over and over everywhere. Many times, they’re new and fresh, at least to my story hungry mind.

If you haven’t checked out the Kindle First authors, I recommend it. I’ve found so many books I’ve enjoyed through the program. To name a few: I was pulled into Catherine McKenzie’s book, HIDDEN, from the first page. The opening scene is a heart stopper. I couldn’t put it down after that. D.M. Pulley’s, THE DEAD KEY. First, I fell for the title. And the story behind it is every bit as compelling. I was reading it on my phone in the grocery check-out line of all places! Emily Bleeker’s WRECKAGE is another page-turner. The idea behind it … of people, modern-day, cell phone using, connected 24/7 people being stranded on a tiny deserted island after a plane crash with zip for electronics … was really interesting, but what kept my attention riveted was what happened in the wake of their rescue, the stories that were told, the lies that became truths. THE PERFECT SON by Barbara Claypole White was another discovery with a different sort of theme. There are family dynamics at the novel’s heart, but not your ordinary family dynamics. The book addresses issues that evolve from a dynamic that isn’t so perfect. I always wonder about it when, as humans, we describe a family or a person as normal. What does it mean really? This book made me reexamine that particular question again. Read it to the last page no matter what because the ending is just perfect.



In closing let me mention one last book. I only just found it. In fact, when it was offered as a Kindle First selection, I didn’t download it because it sounded so dark. Titled A DARK LURE, it’s by Loreth Anne White, and it’s billed to be about a serial killer, hunting the one victim who got away. I returned to look at it a few times, finally downloading the sample and after reading just a couple of paragraphs, I was hooked on the gorgeous writing, not to mention the immediate edge-of-the-seat thrill that’s present from nearly the first word. Then getting into the story, I’m finding it’s far more absorbing and layered than the simple hunt by a killer for his lost prey. So although I’m reading with my eyes wide shut, I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.

I have other Kindle First books queued on my Kindle. My TBR list is long enough now that no matter where I find myself, I know I’ll have something good to read. Go check them out, if you haven’t already. There’s something for everyone, every month. You won’t be sorry.

The art of waiting

The book ready to go!!

It's almost impossible not to draw a parallel between the birth of a child and the birth of a novel into the world. As a mother, I mean. Maybe it's different for dad authors. The biggest similarity, for me anyway, is the waiting. The closer the day comes, (or in the case of the kids, the closer it came) the more antsy I get, the more nervous and excited. Normally it's easy to lose myself in the writing of a new story, but for some reason that only works sporadically in the final weeks before a new book--one so many have worked on so long and hard, one I've dreamed of long before I set down the first word--comes out.

It seems whether it's books or kids, I need a bigger distraction, one that's more physical. As time shortened before the childrens' arrivals, I cleaned obsessively. I made drapes. I stitched entire layettes, flannel gowns with silk-ribboned drawstring hems, little embroidered jackets, tiny overalls with puffy, decorative trapunto knees. T-shirts with snap shoulders by the dozen.

The distraction still under construction...

Now, as the day approaches for CROOKED LITTLE LIES to make its debut, I'm gardening like mad, making a miniature fairy garden this time to defray the anxiety of waiting. I think, if I'm not mistaken, a few fairies have come to scope out the location. Sort of like I hope a few readers will scope out this post and possibly even look for the book on Amazon. Oh, I can't even say how delicious the build-up is. You know what they say, anticipation is everything!

I can't wait to share CROOKED LITTLE LIES with the world! It's coming in August!

Just do something! What writing and gardening have in common.

Recently, as I finished a final round of edits on CROOKED LITTLE LIES, my novel that is coming out shortly from Amazon/Lake Union, I was also putting in the major elements of the garden that has been in the planning stages since I moved out to the country a year ago, and I was thinking how similar the two occupations are. Either undertaking begins with a thought, an idea, an image, some whisper of something that sends you out the door or to the desk. Notes are jotted down. Sketches are made. Plans are put into action. Sometimes you hit a wall. Out here in the country, in particular, where there aren’t the usual parameters, like sidewalks, driveways and privacy fences, to define the area, I’m often stumped. How far should I take the limestone dry-stack wall? What, exactly, should the cedar rail fence with its adorable peaked arbor encompass? I go outside and stare, trying to decide. It’s very like sitting at my computer, wondering which way to take a plot or a character in a story.

Gardener’s block and writer’s block have a lot in common. There’s a certain despair, rising levels of frustration and anxiety. I can almost see this little person in my head pacing the floor, wringing her hands. Until a voice speaks up, yelling: Just do something! In the case of writing it means type a sentence even if it’s gibberish. In the garden, it might mean getting a few rocks, adding them to the existing wall and stepping back to evaluate. Or it might mean digging up that entire clump of daylilies, because they’re in the wrong place. It can get complicated with crafting a story, too, requiring of anything from ripping out an entire plotline to totally changing an ending.

Built from cedar harvested on the property, this little arbor
 in January looks pretty bare, but it has lots of potential.

And the two processes also share similarities in the method by which either one is created. Both start with good bones. In the garden, I begin with hardscaping, a wall, a length of fence, statuary or a pergola—some focal point to build around. In story writing I begin if not with a fully fleshed synopsis then at least I will have the bones of an idea. And in either case, for me, anyway, the bones need to be strong and compelling. I need an ocean’s worth of enthusiasm, because either way, I‘m going to be lost in this muddy, unknown territory for awhile. Either project is going to take time to complete, and there are bound to be setbacks, small heartbreaks and jabs of disappointment, never mind the odd bouts of confusion, the times I grope around wondering wondering where I am. It’s as easy to garden your way into a corner, as it is to write your way into one. 

But there is one difference between the two occupations, one that I discovered only now, as I sent CROOKED LITTLE LIES back to my lovely editor for the last time. I went outside to the garden, my go-to place. It’s always been my sanctuary even as it can be the greatest source for distress, and as I

This is Sophia, my beautiful garden muse,
found this spring. 

was looking over results of my early spring efforts so far, and feeling impatient that the perennials are so small, that the shrubs haven’t filled in, that the trees will need their canvas-strap supports for another six months and I hate how it looks, the word STOP! popped into my head. A voice continued: You’re missing it, the beauty now. The beauty of beginning, of watching something grow. It often happens that I’ll hear this voice, my higher self, the one that knows how to find the joy in life. And I’m so grateful for it, to have cultivated it so it’s usually louder than the voice of my frustration. It’s this voice, what I’ve come to think of as the voice of my joy, that sees me through the hard places in life. It’s there whenever I care to listen no matter what I’m doing, and definitely whether I’m writing or gardening. But back to the difference between them, standing in the garden that day, while I did slow down and let my vision fill with the beauty that is already in evidence, that little voice spoke up again to whisper that while the book was finished, the garden, like so many other gardens I’ve begun in my lifetime, never will be done. I will always walk outside and see something I want to do there. In fact, I will quite possibly die thinking of the phlox or some other clump of whatever flowers, how tomorrow I will move them as they have overgrown their place in the border. And perhaps that is a garden’s value, that one is never finished conspiring with nature over its creation. It comforted me, even elated me, having that thought. And I guess it does share a similarity with writing after all. I can’t see how I’ll ever be finished with conjuring plots, either, for the characters that continue to get up and walk around in my head.

Read, Don't Wear Your (Kindle Nation Daily) Shorts!

 

Kindle Nation Daily, (website link), the brainchild of Stephen Windwalker, Windwalker Media, is a webzine/newsletter about all things Kindle, and so much more, offering readers free book alerts, cogent indie-related articles and Kindle news, plus tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Kindle experience. It is no accident that it is the most popular Kindle community on the web. In addition to their Facebook page, which daily showcases a plethora of e-books for all tastes--from thrillers to romance to literary and historical, just every genre you can imagine--and all budgets, the webzine also sends out daily email blasts called Kindle Shorts. Not the kind you wear but the kind you read! In addition to an author biography and bits of other data, each short contains a generous excerpted serving of the book, usually the opening chapters, enough certainly to decide whether the work is to your taste. For readers it’s a great way to discover new authors without spending a dime. And today the featured short is an excerpt from my novel, The Volunteer.

Briefly, the story centers on psychologist Sophia Wilmot who through a haunting sequence of events finds herself holding the power to save death row inmate Jarrett Capshaw from execution. Sophia resists becoming involved, and wouldn’t have, if it were not for Jarrett’s wife and children. It’s his family and their struggle to survive, to come to terms with this calamity, that she can’t resist. But families are what The Volunteer is about, how they’re made and how in one single, horrifying instant, they can be broken. It is a story about mothers and the lies they tell to protect their children, to keep them from being hurt. But what happens when the truth comes out anyway and nothing and no one is spared? Sometimes the truth has the power to break your heart, and in Sophia’s case it will also endanger her freedom and threaten everything she has ever believed about her life.

I hope you will be intrigued by this short enough to check out and subscribe to the Kindle Nation Daily so you can sign up to receive the Shorts via email for yourself. I guarantee you will find authors and genres you love. And do visit their Facebook page, as well, to discover even more great new books every day. As an author myself I can’t say enough good about the variety of ways there are through this outlet to promote e-books. For me, the marketing end of this venture has been the most daunting and confusing. I didn’t even know where to start and when I found the Kindle Nation Daily website, I was thrilled. There it was, a variety of marketing plans laid out in a straightforward, creative and professional manner that from experience I know delivers fantastic, track-able results. Marketing a book, or any product, I think, is a cumulative adventure. It builds from each effort and having a plan is key. Having Steve’s support and the choice of the many venues he provides has been invaluable to me. Other authors agree. Read what they have to say here. All I can do is add my thanks and appreciation to theirs.