Serial publishing is big these days, and many ebook authors are publishing their work in installments. It harks back to the Victorian era, when thousands of people would read installments in the newspaper of the latest novels written by Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, and others.
Well, I've joined the trend, and I'm publishing my latest ebook, "Rose Of Skibbereen" in weekly installments. The second installment is online now, and you can find it at Smashwords and Amazon. It's available at a special price of 99 cents a copy for a limited time, so I recommend downloading it right away!
"Rose Of Skibbereen" is a family saga that spans the late 19th century all the way up to the present. It's about a girl named Rose Sullivan who emigrates to America from Ireland, in search of a better life. She arrives in America at a time of great change, and her life transforms in ways she never could have imagined back in her little town of Skibbereen, Ireland. It's got romance, heartache, action, twists and turns, and a cast of unforgettable characters. A crackling good read, if I do say so myself!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
"Rose Of Skibbereen" Is Out
I like to write many types of fiction, and my latest project is a romance/family saga about a girl named Rose Sullivan who comes to America in 1880 from a small town in Ireland, and the many twists and turns her life takes after that. It's called "Rose Of Skibbereen". Skibbereen is the name of the town in Ireland that Rose comes from, and it just happens to be the town where some of my Irish relatives came from, back in the 19th century. It's a town that is famous for being hard hit by the Great Famine of the 1840s, and in fact contemporary reports say that conditions were worse there than in any other place in Ireland. There's even a song, "Dear Old Skibbereen", which tells the story of an Irish farmer who is forced to leave his home because of the terrible tragedy of the Famine.
So, you might ask, is this book I've written based on my family history? I've done a fair bit of family research, as well as reading up on the Irish immigration of the 19th century, so there are some similarities. Like most writers, though, I've found that once you get the characters on the page, they take on a life of their own, and they go off in directions you never dreamed of. Rose, her friend Mary, and the handsome but mysterious boy named Sean all had their own ideas about where this story should go, and I just sat back and let them have their way. The result is an entertaining multi-generational story of love, betrayal, joy, tragedy, and a lot of other emotions during a very tumultuous time in the history of Ireland and America. I'm offering the first installment for free at the moment, so I hope you'll download it and enjoy the ride! Here's the link: Rose Of Skibbereen
So, you might ask, is this book I've written based on my family history? I've done a fair bit of family research, as well as reading up on the Irish immigration of the 19th century, so there are some similarities. Like most writers, though, I've found that once you get the characters on the page, they take on a life of their own, and they go off in directions you never dreamed of. Rose, her friend Mary, and the handsome but mysterious boy named Sean all had their own ideas about where this story should go, and I just sat back and let them have their way. The result is an entertaining multi-generational story of love, betrayal, joy, tragedy, and a lot of other emotions during a very tumultuous time in the history of Ireland and America. I'm offering the first installment for free at the moment, so I hope you'll download it and enjoy the ride! Here's the link: Rose Of Skibbereen
Sunday, February 17, 2013
A Character Interviews Her Creator
Since my ebook "13 Horror Stories" has been such a success, especially on Amazon UK, I thought I would conduct an author interview. However, this one's a little different in that I asked one of the characters from the book to interview me, the author. You'll have to bear with this character, Sally Withersfield, the main character of my story, "The Beauty Part". She's a little strange.
Sally: So, how did you come up with the idea to write about a beauty queen like me?
Me: I was fooling around with some flash fiction ideas one day, and I hit on the idea of a story with a character who's narcissistic, stubborn, and who can't stand rejection. That eventually became you.
Sally: I bet it was fun writing about a beauty queen. I mean, we're such amazing people!
Me: It was interesting, for sure. You have some very unique character traits.
Sally: And my looks? Did you picture what I looked like?
Me: I did have a picture in mind of what you looked like at the end of the story. It was not a pretty one, though.
Sally: Well, I admit I was probably not looking my best. I had just found my husband Todd in bed with another woman. It's the kind of thing that would make any woman come apart, you know?
Me: Yes, you certainly did come apart.
Sally: I think Todd was still in love with me, even though he seemed a bit, well, stunned by my appearance.
Me: Stunned is a good word for it.
Sally: Oh, he'll come around. I think he was just surprised at my stick-to-itiveness, you know? We beauty queens never give up!
Me: You can say that again!
Sally: Do you think you'll write a sequel? Maybe you could write about what happens after Todd gets over all that shivering and jabbering he's doing at the end of the story. It could be a kind of happily-ever-after story, about the wonderful life we have together. He'd have to get used to my appearance, of course.
Me: Of course.
Sally: But I still think it would be a really gripping story.
Me: Maybe. I kind of like the way it ends now. I think the readers can imagine what's going to happen next. Although, I'll give it some thought.
Sally: Promise?
Me: Promise.
Sally: Good. I'll make sure to come back in your dreams and give you some ideas.
Me: Uh, that's what I was afraid of.
That concludes our author interview for today, folks. Stay tuned for more interviews with characters from my ebooks!
Sally: So, how did you come up with the idea to write about a beauty queen like me?
Me: I was fooling around with some flash fiction ideas one day, and I hit on the idea of a story with a character who's narcissistic, stubborn, and who can't stand rejection. That eventually became you.
Sally: I bet it was fun writing about a beauty queen. I mean, we're such amazing people!
Me: It was interesting, for sure. You have some very unique character traits.
Sally: And my looks? Did you picture what I looked like?
Me: I did have a picture in mind of what you looked like at the end of the story. It was not a pretty one, though.
Sally: Well, I admit I was probably not looking my best. I had just found my husband Todd in bed with another woman. It's the kind of thing that would make any woman come apart, you know?
Me: Yes, you certainly did come apart.
Sally: I think Todd was still in love with me, even though he seemed a bit, well, stunned by my appearance.
Me: Stunned is a good word for it.
Sally: Oh, he'll come around. I think he was just surprised at my stick-to-itiveness, you know? We beauty queens never give up!
Me: You can say that again!
Sally: Do you think you'll write a sequel? Maybe you could write about what happens after Todd gets over all that shivering and jabbering he's doing at the end of the story. It could be a kind of happily-ever-after story, about the wonderful life we have together. He'd have to get used to my appearance, of course.
Me: Of course.
Sally: But I still think it would be a really gripping story.
Me: Maybe. I kind of like the way it ends now. I think the readers can imagine what's going to happen next. Although, I'll give it some thought.
Sally: Promise?
Me: Promise.
Sally: Good. I'll make sure to come back in your dreams and give you some ideas.
Me: Uh, that's what I was afraid of.
That concludes our author interview for today, folks. Stay tuned for more interviews with characters from my ebooks!
Friday, September 7, 2012
"13 Horror Stories" Cracks the UK top 25
This is a day I dreamed about but wasn't quite sure it would ever happen. My ebook of horror short stories, "13 Horror Stories" is climbing the charts on Amazon UK. A few days ago it was #25 in the horror short stories category, and today I've watched as it has steadily climbed to (the last time I checked) #19 for horror short stories and #82 for short stories of every category. Woo hoo, let's break out the champagne!
I am gratified because it means that my hard work is paying off. I have been a writer all my life, but even though I love fiction and got a Master's in English Literature because I wanted to keep reading it, I spent most of my life doing other kinds of writing. Just about every other kind, including catalog copy, speeches, trade magazine articles, blogs, newsletters -- you name it, if it involves putting words on a screen (or on paper, which is how I started out years ago), I've done it. I wrote a few short stories along the way, and I even got a handwritten rejection letter from The New Yorker magazine once (handwritten rejection letters are supposed to be not as bad for the ego as typewritten ones, because they mean an editor took a little extra time to tell you your work was unsuitable). I never pursued my fiction writing dream with any great effort, though. It was too scary to actually reach for, so I pushed it away.
Until I turned 50 and realized that if I had any intention of realizing my dream I'd better get to work. So, I started writing fiction every day, mostly awful stuff at first, but slowly the stories got better. I joined writing groups, kept polishing my craft, and started sending my stories out to online magazines. To my surprise, some of them got published. I kept writing, and then the ebook revolution came along. Now it was possible for anyone to publish a book, to reach an audience, and to get exposure for their writing.
I jumped in with both feet. I put out first one book of short stories, then another. And another. Now I have 11 books listed on Amazon. Some are horror books, some are humor, and some are the kind that pull at the heartstrings. I don't stick to one type of writing. My horror books don't have zombies, but they do have twists that sneak up on you. My humor is verbal; not in your face. My books are not mainstream, but they're finding an audience, and that's so gratifying.
Dreams can come true.
13 Horror Stories UK edition
I am gratified because it means that my hard work is paying off. I have been a writer all my life, but even though I love fiction and got a Master's in English Literature because I wanted to keep reading it, I spent most of my life doing other kinds of writing. Just about every other kind, including catalog copy, speeches, trade magazine articles, blogs, newsletters -- you name it, if it involves putting words on a screen (or on paper, which is how I started out years ago), I've done it. I wrote a few short stories along the way, and I even got a handwritten rejection letter from The New Yorker magazine once (handwritten rejection letters are supposed to be not as bad for the ego as typewritten ones, because they mean an editor took a little extra time to tell you your work was unsuitable). I never pursued my fiction writing dream with any great effort, though. It was too scary to actually reach for, so I pushed it away.
Until I turned 50 and realized that if I had any intention of realizing my dream I'd better get to work. So, I started writing fiction every day, mostly awful stuff at first, but slowly the stories got better. I joined writing groups, kept polishing my craft, and started sending my stories out to online magazines. To my surprise, some of them got published. I kept writing, and then the ebook revolution came along. Now it was possible for anyone to publish a book, to reach an audience, and to get exposure for their writing.
I jumped in with both feet. I put out first one book of short stories, then another. And another. Now I have 11 books listed on Amazon. Some are horror books, some are humor, and some are the kind that pull at the heartstrings. I don't stick to one type of writing. My horror books don't have zombies, but they do have twists that sneak up on you. My humor is verbal; not in your face. My books are not mainstream, but they're finding an audience, and that's so gratifying.
Dreams can come true.
13 Horror Stories UK edition
Friday, July 27, 2012
"Bone Chillers" Is Out
I admit, I'm wacky. I'm one of those people who likes to feel afraid. I like that feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear an unknown sound in the dark. When I hear
footsteps in an empty house. When I get a sudden shock. That's why I write scary stories. When I get a number of them together, I publish them in ebook form. My latest ebook is called "Bone Chillers", and it's a collection of nine scary stories.
Here you'll meet shape-shifters, transformers, monsters, water spirits, the undead and the unclean. There are people with blood on their hands and vengeance in their hearts. There's an old man who thinks an evil troll is after him; two gangsters who meet a mysterious young woman in the empty desert; an acting coach who says he can help a young actress with her fear of confined spaces; a food critic who gets bitten by a strange wolf-like creature in a restaurant; an Irish monk in AD 1000 who thinks the world is ending, and much more.
I think this is one of my best efforts yet. It's available for only $2.99 at Smashwords. It'll make you think twice about being in the house alone on a dark night.
Whatever your phobia, whatever your weakness, the Bone Chillers will expose it!
Here you'll meet shape-shifters, transformers, monsters, water spirits, the undead and the unclean. There are people with blood on their hands and vengeance in their hearts. There's an old man who thinks an evil troll is after him; two gangsters who meet a mysterious young woman in the empty desert; an acting coach who says he can help a young actress with her fear of confined spaces; a food critic who gets bitten by a strange wolf-like creature in a restaurant; an Irish monk in AD 1000 who thinks the world is ending, and much more.
I think this is one of my best efforts yet. It's available for only $2.99 at Smashwords. It'll make you think twice about being in the house alone on a dark night.
Whatever your phobia, whatever your weakness, the Bone Chillers will expose it!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Aliens And Teens: My Latest Humor Ebook Is Out
I don't know what it is about aliens and UFOs, but something about them strikes me as funny. I keep writing stories about wacky alien/human encounters. Some writers think these encounters are fraught with peril, others focus on the history-making possibilities, but I like to imagine an alien falling in love with a bratty American teenager. There's a shared bond between aliens and teenagers, I think. They both look different, their minds work differently than inhabitants of Earth, and they speak a language only they can understand. It makes perfect sense to me that aliens and teenagers could get along.
I have some stories about encounters between aliens and humans in my new ebook of short stories called Funny Fantasies. There is also a story about an Irish genie, a daffy princess on a medieval quest, a village pharmacist who has to deal with customers who turn into monsters once a month because of a witch's spell, a story in the tradition of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves tales, and lots more. These are G rated stories, so the whole family can enjoy them.
My books are priced reasonably -- Funny Fantasies is only $2.99 -- so the laughs are not expensive. Read a sample at Smashwords. I'm sure you'll like it!
I have some stories about encounters between aliens and humans in my new ebook of short stories called Funny Fantasies. There is also a story about an Irish genie, a daffy princess on a medieval quest, a village pharmacist who has to deal with customers who turn into monsters once a month because of a witch's spell, a story in the tradition of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves tales, and lots more. These are G rated stories, so the whole family can enjoy them.
My books are priced reasonably -- Funny Fantasies is only $2.99 -- so the laughs are not expensive. Read a sample at Smashwords. I'm sure you'll like it!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Big Chills Is Climbing!
The results are coming in, and as of 10:30 AM Eastern Time today, January 27, the free promotion for my ebook Big Chills is a success. Big Chills has been downloaded 284 times on Amazon and 66 times on Amazon UK. It's up to #15 on for short stories in the Kindle Store, and it keeps climbing.
How high can it go? I'd love to see it hit #1 for short stories! If you're reading this and you like short horror fiction, please download Big Chills on your Kindle. You'll get some very entertaining stories to read, and I'll get a higher rank on Amazon.
Thanks!
How high can it go? I'd love to see it hit #1 for short stories! If you're reading this and you like short horror fiction, please download Big Chills on your Kindle. You'll get some very entertaining stories to read, and I'll get a higher rank on Amazon.
Thanks!
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