Friday Snippet, Valentine’s Day Edition

 

Love is Love AlwaysHappy Valentine’s Day, everybody.

I am halfway through writing my first paranormal romance novel and in the best spirit I’ve been in a long time. Changing my method, I have outlined the whole story, down to writing what went in every chapter. My productivity has increased tenfold and I have had days where I reached 5k words without having a brain stroke. Soon, I’ll be starting working on the cover and the blurb.

In other news, Marie’s Journey has gathered two 5 stars reviews from two readers who are loyal to The Ginecean Chronicles.

Linda of the Night’s free promo is still on, and several people told me they enjoyed the short read.

Now, for this romantic day, I’ve chosen a small excerpt from The Last Centurion:

“Did I do something wrong, little thing?” He brushed her eyes with his lips, his hands caressing her body in long soothing caresses.

She lowered her head to his chest, too overwhelmed to find the words to answer him.

“Diana?” He raised her chin with a finger, then left a chaste peck on her closed lips. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and he lowered his head to kiss her again. When he gently pushed at her lips to coax them open, a rush of pleasure made her lightheaded, and she anchored herself to him, grabbing his arms circling her.

He misunderstood her gesture and leaned his upper body away from her. “May I kiss you?”

Diana saw the intensity in his stare, and heard the pleading tone in his voice. She knew he thought he would perish if she denied him that kiss and so she had to tell him her secret. “It was my first kiss.”

It took a moment for him to react to her statement, but his eyes became liquid.

She had to lower hers. “I’ve never been kissed before.”

Without letting go of her, Marcus fell on his knees and pressed his face against her belly, his strong back shaking, his arms tightening around her waist. She passed her fingers through his hair and let her tears flow, then kneeled before him and laid her forehead against his. “Kiss me as you’ve never kissed a woman before.”

Friday Snippet, Valentine’s Day Edition

The Main Fact Behind a Free Promo

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The publishing industry has evolved at such pace since I joined this arena that whatever marketing strategy worked two years ago, it doesn’t work anymore. I wasn’t able to find the exact number  of published books per day in the USA, but I wouldn’t be surprised if exceeded the million mark. As an indie author, it is difficult to emerge among a sea of literature that varies from sublime to rotten garbage. I fought the idea of the freebie for a long time, missing the first wave of the tide that two years ago took unknown authors—with a good sized backlist—to stardom.

The publishing industry is evolving, and as an author who wants to succeed so am I. So, I am offering some of my books for free now and then, and I am writing in different genres to branch out and connect with a larger number of readers. Because, at the end of the day, what it really matters is to have my painstakingly written words read. And when you run a free promo and wake the next morning to a lovely review like the one below, it’s all worth it.

Beautiful, short, perfection*

“A love story in a classic style, a good introduction to an author who is new to me.
Nothing more need be said. Read it.”
P.

 

*Review left on amazon.co.uk for Linda of the Night, a day after the title went free.

The Main Fact Behind a Free Promo

Linda of the Night: Free Promo

My sweet, YA short love story, Linda of the Night, will be free for three days, starting today. Advertising a short isn’t easy. Although people love stories that can be read in one setting, very few sites are prone to feature them. So far, I have heard back only from Great Books Great Deals and eBookSoda. This morning, I woke to the pleasant surprise of Linda entering the 100 free list in the Teen & Young Adults Romance category, which it means that other sites must have accepted and promoted my short as well. Cheers.

Linda First Day Promo Valentine 2014 Detail

Linda of the Night: Free Promo

The Priest: New Year, New Promotion

Yesterday, The Priest was promoted by both eBookSoda and ENT. I dropped its price from $4.99 to $0.99 for the promotion, and waited for the results. Today, I woke and immediately checked the ranks, and found that The Priest had reached the 100 chart in the paid Dystopian Science Fiction Bestsellers list category. Not too bad.

The Priest ENT #57 paid Febbraio 2014

The Priest: New Year, New Promotion

Two Years Ago Today…

I became an author. One of the most exciting days of my life. In twenty-four months, thanks to the full support of my family, I have written several hundred thousand words, published six full novels, two children’s books, one short, and I collaborated to four different anthologies. To make a long story short, I am happy. And this is what happiness looks like to me:

Second Year Anniversary

Two Years Ago Today…