Final 2016 #EggcerptExchange spotlight: The Sheriff Meets His Match by @JacqBiggar

Welcome to the final 2016 Eggcerpt Exchange on The Maze! Today I am pleased to feature fellow Twitter/Triberr author-friend Jacquie Biggar and her Wounded Hearts novella
The Sheriff Meets His Match.

Synopsis
When a jaded sheriff is drawn to an exasperating woman in trouble, anything can happen.

Laurel Thomas has always experienced life from the outside looking in. She likes the warm welcome she's received in Tidal Falls and wants to make a home in this friendly little town, far away from her egocentric family. But then her uncle arrives and she learns the past has a way of catching up to her.

Jack Garrett is satisfied with his uncomplicated life. He has a good job as the sheriff of his hometown, a nice home, and a beautiful teenage daughter. So why is he struggling against his attraction for the disorganized new hire at the department, Laurel Thomas? She threatens everything he's worked so hard to avoid—like falling in love.

Can two people with enough emotional baggage to sink a ship find a way to give each other a chance, or is this match doomed to drown?

Excerpt
“This isn’t a good idea,” she whispered as his head lowered.

“Probably not,” he agreed just before he consumed her, there was no other word for it. She’d been kissed before, but never like this. There was nothing but Jack. From the faint spicy scent of his cologne paired with the impossible width of his shoulders, to the exquisite firmness of his mouth upon hers.

Laurel grabbed his forearms and held on for dear life, caught up in a maelstrom of desire. He tasted like the finest chocolate, wickedly delicious and bad for her health. This couldn’t end well for either of them, but she couldn’t bring herself to step back.

Soon.

Just a little more.

Buy Link (Amazon worldwide): http://authl.it/3qq 

About the Author
Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family. She loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She spoils her German Shepherd, Annie, Calico cat, Harley, and swears she can't function without coffee.

Learn about upcoming news, contests, recipes, and more from her newsletter.

You can follow Jacquie via:  Website | Facebook | Twitter |

And don’t forget to check out her blog.
She has many giveaways that run every month sponsored by herself, The Authors’ Billboard, and Sisters of Suspense, so you don’t want to miss out!

Author Interview

The Maze (TM): What inspired your latest book?
Jacquie Biggar (JB): I’ve wanted to write a holiday romance for some time now and with the Christmas season fast approaching within my series, Wounded Hearts, it seemed like a perfect fit.

TM: What is your typical day like?
JB: First things, first; Coffee.

Then I usually open my blog, check for comments that need answering, do the SM trail, and end with my emails. That takes up most of my day, then it’s family time. Around nine or ten at night the house gets quiet and I can work on my newest project, a paranormal romance. I do that until midnight or so, go to bed, read a couple of chapters, and start the whole process over the next day. I know, exciting hey?

TM: Sounds a lot like my typical cycle. How much time do you spend promoting your books?  What works best for you?
JB: Probably not as much as I should be, it’s hard to promote without making people tune you out. You need to be inventive. Meme’s are great and easy to set up; I use Canva.com for mine. Paying for ads can help, just don’t let it eat up all of your budget; a couple that I’ve found good are Choosy Bookworm and The Ereader Cafe.

Other than that I think it’s key to make friends with likeminded writers. There’s nothing better than having a large group of supporters guarding your back.

TM: Indeed; as with the Eggcerpt Exchange! How has your experience with self-publishing been?
JB: I’m happy I decided to go the self-publishing route. It’s enabled me to be my own boss. That being said, there’s no one else to blame if I don’t succeed. There’s a lot of work involved in becoming an indie author. And that’s after writing the best novel the world’s ever seen. You need to be willing to take on all aspects of the business, because that is what being self-pubbed is; a business. From cover design, to formatting and uploading, to book-keeping and promoting. Writing is a full-time job.

TM: Do you have critique partners?
JB: Yes, I do. Critique partners are crucial to the writing process. They are your beta readers, editors, critics, and biggest supporters all rolled up into one neat package. I belong to a fantastic group called Lethal Ladies, which is a part of RWA’s Kiss of Death chapter, specializing in the romantic suspense genre. I also belong to a group of four wonderful ladies from my local group, Vancouver Island Romance Writers, who I cherish for their kindness and generosity.

TM: What genres are you drawn to as a reader?
JB: I generally look to romantic suspense novels for my reading pleasure. I like the tension and the fight to overcome evil that is the mark of a good suspense book. The hero/heroine have to fight tremendous odds to get their happy ever after. It makes the reader gain empathy and keeps those pages turning.

Thank you for having me as a guest today, and remember—it’s all about the romance. ~Jacquie Biggar

***
Enter this Amazon giveaway for your chance to win
an e-copy of Kings, while supplies last!

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: Paid Email Marketing for Authors #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Smiling girl with dandelions
c2015 by AndrOleksiienko
Depositphotos ID 74345911.

If you have been following my Marketing for Authors 101 series of posts under the umbrella of The Business of Writing, you know that so far I have written about…

• Dos and don'ts of Twitter marketing,
• Giveaways,
• "99c is the new Free",
• The BookBub "Roller Coaster," and
• Free Email Marketing for authors.

Today I'm here to discuss paid email marketing options, and I have to admit I've been kicking this particular can down the virtual road for more than six months.

Why?

Because until now I wasn't entirely convinced that paid options were worth it.

I'm here to tell you that they are.

Since April 2015, I have been experimenting with paid advertising—Twitter, Facebook, and web site promos in addition to email lists—for most of my books, even my perma-free and limited free offerings. General findings:

• Twitter-only packages are not worth it. Period. It's like dropping leaflets about your book from 100,000 feet above the planet and hoping they will land where readers will find them and act upon them. In reality, most of the leaflets will land in the ocean. And we all know what sorts of readers fish are. :D
  
  
• Same with Facebook-only and website-only packages. Maybe not quite as bad as broadcasting to the Twitterverse, but close. These two options do carry the advantage of having a bit more permanence than Twitter, where your tweets get flushed off users' screens within mere nanoseconds. Though the feed-flushing happens with Facebook too, you do have the option of curating posts to preserve them on your author page.

This left paid email advertising, and for the six months of my experiment (April–October, 2015), I was beginning to believe those weren't worth it either.

In those days, I had yet to realize that marketing is not about landing sales. Marketing is about increasing public awareness about you and your product so that, eventually, customers will gain the confidence to make those purchases.

There are a bunch of paid email services out there, but the ones I've had the best experiences with are:

• Book Barbarian. Science Fiction and Fantasy genres only; this includes paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and so forth. It's primarily an email advertising service, but pricing ($15-$30, depending on book's price) includes a permanent link on their web site, and promotions via Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. Their email subscriber list is only 15K, but they are dedicated science fiction and fantasy readers, so the clickthrough rate is much higher. They will waive their "first book of a series only" rule if you want to pay extra to promote the first two books, but in general I have found that paying to promote subsequent books in a series is not worth it. Your best advertising is always the first book itself.
  
  
• Books Butterfly. Paid advertising for permafree, limited free, and $1 or less titles only. Pricing is based around "guaranteed" download numbers, which seems a bit iffy since it's tough to guarantee book sales/downloads. However, this is a great option to use in combination with ENT or BookBub promos because of the link they provide for rank tracking and other statistics. Rank-tracking link for Dawnflight is HERE. Note that the tracking did not start until the day after Dawnflight's BookBub promotion; the novel got as high as #286 of all paid Kindle books on the morning of 3/4/2016. Next time I'll schedule the Books Butterfly promo to run at the same time as the BookBub promo to capture the ranking highwater mark.
  
  
• eBook Soda. Flat fee of $15 regardless of genre or sale price, making it a good value, especially when used in conjunction with other promotions. Limitations: minimum length restrictions (20K for novellas, 50K for novels), rated at least 3.5 with at least 8 reviews unless the book is a new release.
  
  
• Ereader News Today. This site used to be the be-all, end-all of ebook marketing until BookBub dethroned it, but it still packs quite a wallop. IF you can get your book selected for promotion; submissions are juried. Cost varies by genre and book's promotional pricing ($30-$135). Main restrictions are that the book must be at least 125 pages, listed on Amazon, and not promoted on ENT in the past 90 days. More information is given here.
  
  
• Genre Pulse. Your book must be 99 cents or free. The full promo is $40, and they now have genre-specific ($16-$19) promo options. They give coupons to repeat advertisers that are good for the full promo option. The biggest thing I like about Genre Pulse is the campaign link they give you, which allows you to see your clickthrough stats.
  
  
• The Fussy Librarian. Another site where the cost varies by genre ($10-$16 as of this writing), but they don't charge you more if your promo price is higher than 99 cents. They offer a rerun discount coupon, good for 25% off, which is nice if you are running your promotion for a long time. They encourage you to add on genres at half off the regular advertising rate, but I've found that to be not worth it even with the discount. Your book must have at least 10 reviews on Amazon with an average 4.0 rating, unless it's a new release and you have at least one other book in your backlist that has the minimum 10 reviews/4.0 rating. It must be priced at $5.99 or less, and there are no length restrictions.

Paid email services I may try again at some point:

• Betty BookFreak. This used to be a free site; they now charge $12-$15 for placement depending on what type of listing you want (Daily Pick, New Release, or Daily Underdog), rather than by genre. They also have an interesting option I have not seen with any other paid email service: $30 will get you placement on their welcome newsletter to new subscribers for 30 days. You may capitalize on this if your book is free, and if you are willing to commit your title to that long of a promotion period.
  
  
• BookGorilla. It still costs only $50 to feature one 99-cent novel, regardless of its length or genre, which is not bad for an email list that's now more than 350K subscribers. Click HERE to view their spreadsheet of % reach for their subscriber list broken down by genre and subgenre. "Starred" title promotion (first page of their daily email) is a $100 add-on charge, and that's not worth it unless you are promoting a genuine bestseller (87% subscriber reach) or your book falls into one of the most popular genres among subscribers (mysteries enjoy 55% subscriber reach; most romance subgenres are in the mid-30-percent range). A distinct drawback is that their lead time for scheduling promotions is too far out (minimum 6 weeks) to coordinate with a BookBub deal.
  
  
• BookSends, but only if they ever reactivate their partnership with advertising on Pixel of Ink, which is currently still closed to author-submitted advertising. BookSends charges different rates by genre and book's price. Unless you enjoy flushing your money down the crapper, DO NOT pay them an extra $35 to put your Amazon affiliate tag on a free book!! I would not pay an extra $10 for Facebook, or $10-$30 extra for EReaderIQ promotion, either.

If you have a favorite site for paid (or free, for that matter) email advertising of books, please leave a comment and the link so we can all check it out. :)

Happy promoting, whatever options you choose!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Jem gets real in JEM by @MichelleAbbott4 for #EggcerptExchange

Today I welcome another new-to-The-Maze author for the 2016 Eggcerpt Exchange, Michelle Abbott. Give her a hand, folks, she's British! 

(Bonus points if you correctly identify 
the movie reference. :D)

Michelle writes New Adult romance and has four books to her credit.

Jem Synopsis
Two injured, stubborn souls meet unexpectedly. Will they save each other from their demons or have they been too damaged for too long to see past the pain?

Growing up, all Jem knew was hatred and the pain from his father's fists. Taunted by the kids at school, he was alone, until a girl with carrot coloured hair sat next to him.

She smiled.
She listened.
She cared.

She was his angel, and he knew he’d love her forever. But Jem’s father hurts him in a way he never expected by taking him away from her.

Now eighteen, scarred inside and out, Jem trusts no one and has worked hard to ensure he'll never be helpless again. But then he runs into his angel. The only problem is she doesn’t recognize him. Jem needs her to remember him, to show him that their time together meant to her what it did to him. For once in his life he wants to have mattered to someone, to her.

Devon is attracted to the muscular, tattooed, pierced hottie standing by the pub quiz machine. That is, until he punches a guy clean across the bar for daring to touch him. She’s had her fill of violent men and intends to avoid this one at all costs.

Excerpt
She’s walking beside me and I can’t keep my eyes off her. Back when we were kids she was taller than me. Now I tower over her by about eight inches. I can’t believe I’m getting to spend time with her, even if it is to apologize to her friend. In fact, I think I should thank him. She hugs herself and rubs her arms.

“Are you cold?”

“Yes. I left in a hurry and didn’t bring my jacket.”

I tug off my sweatshirt and put it over her head. She pushes her arms through the armholes. I run my fingers through her long hair to loosen it from the neck of my sweatshirt. Her hair is soft against my fingers. I’ve always loved her hair. The color is darker; it used to be carrot colored, now it’s a deep copper red. I feel her body tense. Too much touching. I reluctantly step back out of her space. She looks cute in my sweatshirt. The hem reaches her knees and the sleeves cover her hands. She’s looking straight ahead and she’s not speaking. There’s so much I want to say to her. I want to know what’s been happening in her life all these years. Has she had a good life? What kind of things does she like doing these days? Did she ever think of me? I frown as her words come back to me. She said Quinn is her neighbor. Which means she not here on vacation. She lives here.

“Are you okay?”

At the sound of her voice I realize I’ve stopped walking. “How long have you been living here?” I ask. Her hair hangs over her eyes and my fingers itch to sweep it away from her face so I can look at her green eyes.

“A month. I used to live in London.”

I know. “So, if Quinn isn’t your boyfriend, who is?” Tell me so I can hate him.

She turns and continues walking. “No one. It’s just me and my son.”

I fight to keep the stupid grin off my face. I tap my fingers against my leg. I’m full of nervous energy. “It must be hard raising him on your own.”

“It’s not so bad, he’s a good kid.”

I nudge her. “He’s got a good mum.” She smiles at me for the first time and it makes me feel like I’m four years old again. I want to skip. I slide my phone out of my jean’s pocket. “Let me give you my number so you can call me if you ever need any help, or a babysitter.” She hesitates and bites her lip, a frown forms between her eyes. Oh come on. I want a way to keep in touch with you.

“I already have a babysitter. Quinn.”

I smile at her. “You should never put all your eggs in one basket.”

She unlocks her phone. “Okay, give me your number.”

I watch her slim fingers as she keys my number into her phone. I stop her before she can put her phone away. “Call me, I want to make sure you’ve got my number right.” And that way I’ll have your number.

Buy Links:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU |


Book trailer:


Interview with Jem
 
Job?
I work at an amusement arcade, fixing the machines when they go wrong, handing out change and that kind of thing. It pays my bills, it’s local and the hours suit me.

Currently residing in...?
Hemsby in Norfolk. I’ve got a trailer right by the sea. There’s nothing like walking along the beach every morning. It keeps me calm.

Level of schooling, or self-taught?
I had to quit school when I was small because my father moved us all at the last minute after someone reported him to social services for child cruelty. He never enrolled me in another school. I taught myself all I need to know.

Favorite food?
Don’t have one. I eat to live, I don’t live to eat.

Most important goal?
To get Devon to remember me and love me again. To take care of her and show her that I never forgot her and never stopped loving her.

About the Author
Michelle Abbott lives in the UK and hates describing herself in 3rd person.

She  loves to write new adult romance about heroes who begin as the underdog and are protective of their girl.

She's an avid reader of romance, is addicted to coffee and loves wine and chocolate, so yeah, not the most healthy eating and drinking habits. :-) She spends way too much time online when she should be writing. She collects teddy bears and occasionally knits a couple of rows on a sweater she started years ago, which she may eventually finish in time to wear for her funeral. :-)

Follow Michelle via:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads |

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Accolon is hooked in Ch 11/Sc1c of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee.

Here in the Appalachians of southwestern Virginia, we might be in for another cold snap or two before winter decides to release its grip for the next six months. 

But for now, the sun is shining, the breeze is balmy and delicious, the daffodils are in full flower, the grass is greening and lengthening, and our goats are frisking about like yearling kids.

Okay, fine. Three of our goats are yearling kids! But even the oldsters are kicking up their heels in celebration of spring.

It's spring in today's excerpt of Raging Sea too—the "lusty month of May," to be precise and to borrow a phrase from Lerner & Lowe's musical Camelot. And Accolon stands far closer to throwing his self-control away for his best friend's wife Morghe than he ever thought he would get.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |
Chapter 10: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2a | Sc 2b | Sc 3a | Sc 3b | Sc 3c |
Chapter 11: Sc 1a |  Sc 1b |

Raging Sea Chapter 11, Scene 1c

©2016 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

It galled him to retreat, but he needed distance to keep from acting upon either of his suicidal desires—to kill her, or to take her right here and now. He dipped his head and backed toward the door. “You needn’t trouble yourself with this mission. I can arrange everything.” And I can complete my original mission at last.

“Of that I’m sure.” Her tone told him exactly how far she trusted him, and it made him wonder when she had started reading minds. “But everything is already arranged. I am visiting Maun, with my husband’s blessing, to better acquaint myself with our people living there, and he thinks it’s a fine idea for his best warrior and most trusted friend to escort me. The fact that I insisted upon traveling via a merchant’s vessel with some extra passengers, rather than a private one, demonstrates my willingness to be frugal with Clan Moray’s resources.”

“And Urien isn’t traveling with you because too many clan matters pin him here. How convenient.”

“So many, in fact, that he shan’t miss your presence for several days. I suggest you get started.” She pointed a nod toward the door, and he was only too happy to oblige her. “But, Lord Accolon—” A low thrum of warning in her tone made him stop and turn. “The next time you call me mad or use any other disrespectful term or tone, I shall lop off your pleasure pole and feed it to you.”

He couldn’t help but recall the gruesome demonstration of that very act in the Scotti laird’s hall, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Morghe really could read minds.

Sweeping her a deep bow, he couldn’t help but grin.

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Contest winners, and Garrin gains the upper hand in KINGS by @KimHeadlee and PD Novak

A funny thing happened on the way to
the battlefield, but no one is laughing.
Kings by Kim Iverson Headlee
and Patricia Duffy Novak.

Today on The Maze I am pleased to offer another excerpt from Kings, a novella I cowrote with longtime friend and writing mentor Patricia Duffy Novak.

But first, please join me in congratulating the following winners (already notified) of my latest contests! 

• Autographed copy of Dawnflight: Nicole H.
• Print copy of The Color of Vengeance: Frank K.
• E-copy of Dawnflight: Kayelle A.
• E-book of choice by Kim Headlee: Barbara B., Lawri F.

Didn't win this time? No worries; my next contest will be starting soon! To be the first to hear about my giveaways and receive other cool content, sign up for The Dawnflier, my monthly newsletter. :)


As promised, here is another excerpt from Kings—and Garrin gets the upper hand!

EXCERPT

Years of practice in hand-to-hand combat had honed Garrin’s reflexes to a point as sharp as this Arthur map Uther’s sword. The instant the blade’s pressure eased, Garrin dropped and rolled, crashing into the stranger’s legs. As the man fell, Garrin yanked the sword from his grasp and sent it flying, then reached for his adversary’s throat. Garrin watched in satisfaction as the other man’s face turned red.

He’d teach this fool not to invade Helvar, regardless of whatever magical protection he bore.

“One hell, you say. I hope you enjoy it there.”


BOOK INFORMATION
GENRE – Fantasy (Sword & Sorcery)
PUBLICATION DATE – 3/16/2016
LENGTH – 10K words
PUBLISHER – Pendragon Cove Press
COVER ARTIST – Natasha Brown


BOOK SYNOPSIS
A funny thing happened on the way to the battlefield.

Arthur, High King of Brydein, must fight the last of the rebel kings to acknowledge his right to govern them all: his old nemesis, King Urien of Dalriada. Before he can lead his army to where Urien’s forces sit ensconced, however, a fey man appears from the midst of a sudden, eerie storm to block the way. The man claims to be the high king of an altogether unknown land… and he wields uncanny power the likes of which Arthur has never seen.

Garrin, High King of Helvar, steps into a patch of mist. A breath later, he’s standing toe to toe with a man claiming to be the high king of an altogether unknown land… and this warrior-king is leading an army into Helvar, wielding a sword that resists Garrin’s magic. Only, the man insists that his sword isn’t enchanted and that Garrin isn’t in Helvar anymore.

What the bloody hell—or five hells, in Garrin’s case—is a high king to do?

Their encounter reeks of an enemy mage’s dark arts, and no one is laughing.

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: Free Email Marketing for Authors #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Smiling girl with dandelions
c2015 by AndrOleksiienko
Depositphotos ID 74345911.

Welcome to Part 5 of my Business of Writing series, Marketing for Authors 101!

In previous installments I covered:

• Dos and don'ts of Twitter marketing,
• Giveaways,
• "99c is the new Free", and
• The BookBub "Roller Coaster."

For an excellent overview about book marketing, I commend to your attention this article posted on the BTSEMag blog by DP Denman. My favorite bit: 

"Marketing isn’t about sales. Weird, eh? Think about it. When you see a commercial on television, how often are you in a position to buy what they’re selling at the same time? Unless they’re talking about pizza and wings, not very often.

Marketing is about building name recognition that eventually leads to sales." (emphasis mine)

Email is yet another form of getting the word out about your books, and there are many ways to go about it, free as well as paid. In Part 6 of Marketing 101 for Authors, currently planned for next week, I will share my experiences with paid email book marketing venues other than BookBub. Today I'm here to discuss:

Free Email Marketing

A publicist I had hired a decade ago to help promote my second NY-published novel, Liberty, had a saying that went something like this:

Marketing requires three elements:
skill, money, and time.

What you lack in one element,
you must make up for by exercising the other two.

Jo-Ann is no longer in the PR business, but her words continue to guide me, and I hope they resonate with you too.

If you lack the money to hire folks to market your book, you cannot just ignore the promoting and hope for the best. That's how I found myself having to rebuild my audience from scratch in 2013 when I decided to dive into the shark tank that is Independent Publishing.

Trust me on this point: you need to pour your own time into self-promotion, and become adept at using the requisite software tools, if necessary.

The most obvious form of free email marketing is for you to distribute your own newsletter. Rather than reinventing that particular wheel, I direct your attention to my earlier blog post about The Author Newsletter.

I still email my monthly newsletter, The Dawnflier, via Mail Chimp (the free version) as well as to a list of several hundred contacts who have not yet elected to switch over. In it I usually share exclusive content with my subscribers, as well as giving them updates about my books, upcoming tours, giveaways, and personal appearances. If you would like to join them, I would be delighted, thanks! The signup link is HERE.

As mentioned in that post about newsletters, I experienced a bit of a learning curve to develop my HTML-based newsletter design. That curve flattened once I discovered the "save as template" option, however. Now I call up my newsletter's template, replace the text and photo(s) as necessary, and then overwrite the previous month's template. This trick is particularly useful for reporting information about upcoming appearances, and blog tours whose signup periods can span several months.

BookBub offers 98 Book Marketing Tips, of all types and stripes. Tip #10 applies to the topic of the author newsletter:

10. Welcome new subscribers with an email autoresponse. When people subscribe to updates from you via your website, send them a welcome email including either a link to a permafree ebook, sample chapters, or some sort of freebie as a “thank you” for signing up.

This is something I confess I need to get set up, since I do have a permafree title, The Color of Vengeance, that I can offer to new subscribers!

Free Email Marketing Other Than Your Own Newsletter

I am disappointed to report that the list of sites offering free email book marketing is dwindling rapidly.

Many sites have either excruciatingly long (on the order of 6 months) queues for their free email promo opportunities, have converted to paid advertising only, or have disappeared altogether.

One that falls into the latter category deserves special mention here.

HarperCollins did a stellar job of shafting thousands of indie authors by buying the huge mailing list that had been built by The Midlist, which the publishing giant now uses exclusively for promoting their own authors. I was fortunate enough to have discovered—and had several of my books selected for free promotion by—The Midlist last year prior to the buyout. Those free promos netted me dozens of paid downloads and pushed my books to Amazon "bestseller" status for a day or two after their promotion each time. I mourn its loss.

Since the list for "free email book promotions" is an ever-changing one, I invite you to run an Internet search of that phrase. I will list two that don't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, both of which are geared toward romance readers and authors:

• Romance Lives Forever blog run by Kayelle Allen
• Romance Readers Club (if you can schedule your free promo 6 months in advance)

Another option—not technically free, but it entails a one-time cost so it should pay for itself sooner rather than later—is to purchase the "KDROI" (Kindle Direct Return on Investment) browser plugin offered by 5MinutePublishing.com. The direct link to the software is HERE, though the site may require you to sign up for their newsletter (and I do apologize for that annoyance) before you can establish an account with them.

I've found KDROI to be well worth any momentary annoyance, however, since it allows me to schedule free, permafree, and 99-cent promos with around two dozen sites at a clip.

If you have experienced memorable results via free email promotions, please leave a comment; we would all love to hear about them!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Meet Angelica, narrator of IN THE CONTEXT OF LOVE by @LindaKSienkwicz for #EggcerptExchange

For today's Eggcerpt Exchange entry on The Maze, I am pleased to introduce author Linda K. Sienkiewicz, who writes women’s fiction/contemporary romance. Her debut novel is titled In the Context of Love. 

Synopsis:
Angelica Schirrick wonders how her life could have gone so far off-track. She remembers her forbidden high school romance with Joe Vadas, the son of Hungarian immigrants. Scandal tore them apart, Joe disappeared, and she’s spent years trying to recover from the split. Shortly after, a devastating family secret shattered her sense of self, leading to a multitude of bad choices that include marrying a man with a missing finger and secrets of his own. She leaves her husband and, with two children in tow, begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her back home to Ohio. She must find a way to put the past to rest before she can be open to life and a second chance at love.

And what if Joe returns? Will he help her or tear her family further apart?

Praise for In the Context of Love:
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of #1 NY Times Bestseller DEEP END OF THE OCEAN: “With humor and tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.”

Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Michigan Notable Book MOTHERS TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS: “Sienkiewicz’s powerful and richly detailed debut novel is at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey. It should be required reading for all wayward daughters, and their mothers, too.”

Eggcerpt from In the Context of Love:
The word prey rose from my stomach and lodged in my throat. My mother’s face flashed in front of me as I turned to look at him. Everything inside urged me to keep walking. He could easily outrun me and pull me down from behind, like a yellow-eyed cat on a gazelle. I read in a magazine that meeting your attacker’s eyes is the key to survival, so I pulled my jacket around myself and stayed focused, ready to push all my energy into hitting back or knocking him off balance, even though I could hardly stand straight. Headlights illuminated the street, throwing shadows; three teenage boys inside a car looked menacingly at me as it passed, exhaust spewing a noxious smell.

“I say something wrong?” Gavin asked. Teeth clenched; I held steady, giving him nothing. He tipped his head to the side. “Hey, I’m not the bad guy. The bad guy’s the one hiding between the buildings, circling you in a low-rider. You shouldn’t be alone on the streets this late.”

I straightened up, trying to look taller as he closed the space between us. My nipples pulled tight. “You can’t hurt me.”

“Hurt you? Why would I do that?” He put his hand under my chin and asked me my name. I wondered if he could tell I was shaking when I told him. He said, “Pleased to meet you, Angelica. I’m Gavin Schirrick, protector of lost women and stray cats. Or is it lost cats and stray woman? You make me forget. You make me forget everything.”

I saw the flash of his teeth as his lips caught mine before I could turn my head. Maybe I didn’t want to turn away. He was 80 proof—smooth, clean, and potent with a peppery bite. His hand went to the back of my neck as he teased his tongue inside my mouth.

I didn’t think to ask what he wanted to forget.

Buy Links:
In the Context of Love
may be purchased in paperback or e-book editions via: 
Amazon paperback | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | 

Here’s an interview with Angelica Schirrick, the narrator of In the Context of Love:

The Maze (TM): What is your birthdate?
Angelica Schirrick (AS): I came screaming into this world on June 30, 1958, weighing a mere 6 pounds and 5 ounces.

TM: Where were you born?
AS: I was delivered by midwife Rose Rumble at my great aunt’s farm in Wisconsin. My mother, since she wasn’t married, was supposed to give me up for adoption. I’m glad she didn’t.

TM: What’s your favorite type of pet?
AS: I grew up with a gorgeous fluffy collie named Cookie, so I’m awfully fond of dogs, but at this point in my life, I’d rather have something low maintenance. I’m thinking goldfish, canary, or a rock. Yes, a pet rock would be swell.

TM: Who is your significant other?
AS: The “Gypsy King” or Hungarian heartthrob Joe (Jozsef) Vadas will always be my first and only love.

TM: What is your secret desire?
AS: I would love to surprise Joe with a trip to France to visit Jim Morrison’s gravesite in Pere Lachaise. He’s such a Doors fan. I’m not (please don’t tell) but a whole week in Paris with Joe would be heavenly.

About the Author:
Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz attributes her creative drive to her artistic mother, who taught her to sew, and her father, who let her monkey around with the gadgets in his workshop. Her poetry, short stories and art have been published in more than fifty literary journals. She has a poetry chapbook award from Bottom Dog Press and an MFA from The University of Southern Maine.

Social Media Links:
Website | Twitter (@LindaKSienkwicz) | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook |

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Have a sparkly #EggcerptExchange with The Marquesa's Necklace by @PJMacLayne

Add sparkle to your Monday with
The Marquesa's Necklace by P.J. MacLayne!

Synopsis:
Harmony Duprie enjoyed her well-ordered life in the quiet little town of Oak Grove—until her arrest for drug trafficking. Cleared of all charges, she wants nothing more than to return to the uneventful lifestyle of a historical researcher she once savored.

But when her beloved old car “George” is stolen and explodes into a ball of flames, it sets off a series of events that throws her plans into turmoil. Toss in a police detective that may or may not be interested in her, an attractive but mysterious stranger on her trail, and an ex-boyfriend doing time, and Harmony’s life freefalls into a downward spiral of chaos.

Now she has to use her research skills to figure out who is behind the sinister incidents plaguing her, and why. And she better take it seriously, like her life depends upon finding the right answers.

Because it might.

Excerpt
“Have a seat, please,” he said, indicating an armless office chair—at least its seat was padded. He sat on the other side of a desk covered with an assortment of files and paperwork, and picked up a file from the top of the stack.

“Harmony,” he said tentatively.

“Detective Thomason,” He might be trying to be friendly, but I still hadn’t forgiven him for arresting me.

He cleared his throat, and set the file back on his desk. “Did you let anyone borrow your car today?” he asked.

“No, my keys are right here.” I started digging through the contents of my purse.

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, after I pulled out my checkbook, a packet of pink tissues, and a paperback with an almost-naked man on the front cover and piled them on the corner of his desk. His mouth twitched. “Have you made any new enemies recently, Miss Duprie?” I guess he got my message about the terms of our relationship.

“Besides a certain insufferable cop?” Even in the artificial fluorescent light, I saw the red rising in his cheeks. I could almost hear him counting to ten as I pretended to consider the question. “I think Larry, the florist, is ticked off that I’m not receiving flowers anymore. And Bart at the grocery store yelled at me last week when I went through the ten items or less line with fourteen items. But what does that have to do with someone stealing and wrecking my car?”

Interview with Harmony Duprie from The Marquesa’s Necklace and Her Ladyship’s Ring.

What’s your job?
I’m currently working as a researcher for a group of authors. Most of my research is on the English Victorian era, but I’ve also explored the life of the scientists at the McMurdo station on Antarctica and the Rockefeller family. Before that I was a librarian for the City of Oak Grove. Circumstances forced me out of that job.

What’s your favorite place to visit?
I love the Washington D.C. area. The museums, the stores, the large number of activities. No matter     how often I make the trip, I’m never bored. But I don’t want to live there, it’s too busy and too crowded for me to stay for more than a week or so before I want to go home.

What’s your most important goal?
I want to be the chief librarian in a small-town library. I’ve got a Master’s Degree in Library Science, and until I was arrested from drug trafficking, I thought I had a change. I wasn’t, of course. Selling drugs, that is. But that’s still my dream. I may have to move to make it happen, and that’s what’s holding me back. I really like living in Oak Grove.

What’s your favorite food?
Anything Italian, really. Spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan. I don’t go as far as making my own pasta but I do make my own sauce. I usually make too much of whatever I’m preparing so that I have leftovers to either share with my landlords or have to eat later on.

Are you wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between?
I don’t share this information very often, but I’m relatively wealthy, thanks to an inheritance from my parents. I just choose not to live that way. I’d rather live only on what I earn. I rent an apartment, buy my furniture second-hand, cook for myself. It’s simpler that way.

Buy links for The Marquesa’s Necklace:
Barnes & Noble | Kindle | iTunes | Kobo |

Author Bio:
Born and raised among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, P.J. MacLayne still finds inspiration for her books in that landscape. She is a computer geek by day and a writer by night who currently lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. When she's not in front of a computer screen, she might be found exploring the back roads of the nearby national forests and parks. In addition to the Oak Grove Mysteries, she is also the author of the Free Wolves paranormal romance series.

P.J. MacLayne can be reached on:

Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Amazon |

***
Kings by Kim Iverson Headlee and Patricia Duffy Novak
is a FREE Kindle download today; hurry and snag your copy!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

New Fantasy KINGS by @KimHeadlee and PD Novak is FREE on Kindle 3/21/16! #ASMG #IARTG

Their encounter reeks of an enemy mage’s dark arts,
and no one is laughing.
Kings by Kim Iverson Headlee
and Patricia Duffy Novak.

Today on The Maze I am thrilled to introduce Kings, a novella I cowrote with longtime friend and writing mentor Patricia Duffy Novak!

BOOK INFORMATION
GENRE – Fantasy (Sword & Sorcery)
PUBLICATION DATE – 3/16/2016
LENGTH – 10K words
PUBLISHER – Pendragon Cove Press
COVER ARTIST – Natasha Brown


BOOK SYNOPSIS
A funny thing happened on the way to the battlefield.

Arthur, High King of Brydein, must fight the last of the rebel kings to acknowledge his right to govern them all: his old nemesis, King Urien of Dalriada. Before he can lead his army to where Urien’s forces sit ensconced, however, a fey man appears from the midst of a sudden, eerie storm to block the way. The man claims to be the high king of an altogether unknown land… and he wields uncanny power the likes of which Arthur has never seen.

Garrin, High King of Helvar, steps into a patch of mist. A breath later, he’s standing toe to toe with a man claiming to be the high king of an altogether unknown land… and this warrior-king is leading an army into Helvar, wielding a sword that resists Garrin’s magic. Only, the man insists that his sword isn’t enchanted and that Garrin isn’t in Helvar anymore.

What the bloody hell—or five hells, in Garrin’s case—is a high king to do?

Their encounter reeks of an enemy mage’s dark arts, and no one is laughing.

Excerpt

Something prickled in Arthur’s awareness, and he felt the hair of his arms lift. He glanced up to see a massive thunderhead boiling across the sky. Heat lightning flared within the cloud, blue tinted and alien.

Can this be Morghe’s doing?

It was no secret that his sister practiced the forbidden arts, and she seemed to take perverse delight in directing her petty spells at Arthur. She had never forgiven him for forcing her to marry Urien, even though the match had made her a queen, but Arthur had never perceived her magic as a serious threat.

Had she learned how to control the weather? Was this why Urien had chosen to leave his citadel and go on the offensive rather than digging in and letting Arthur come to him as the other rebel kings had done?

The knot in Arthur’s stomach gave its answer.


CHARACTER BIOS
Arthur is a warrior-king, military strategist, diplomat, and great in the sack with his wife, Gyan. They have three children. He loves a good friendly bout with swords, blunted or otherwise, and can hold his own in a verbal duel too.

Garrin is a mage-king and warrior, not so great with diplomacy but is willing to learn, and you’ll have to ask him how good he is in the sack with his significant other, Kaitlyn. If you dare. He is well versed in herbal lore and makes a terrific camp stew.

***

Kings by Kim Iverson Headlee and Patricia Duffy Novak
is a FREE Kindle download today; hurry and snag your copy!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

Accolon IS tempted in Ch 11/Sc 1b of RAGING SEA by @KimHeadlee #amwriting

Graphic overlay c2016 by Kim Headlee.

As far as I know, I'm the only author of Arthurian fiction who has given any thought to the viewpoint of  Morgan le Fay's favorite lover, Sir Accolon.

To give Accolon some depth, and in keeping with fine Arthurian tradition, I made him be the best friend of Morghe's husband Urien. Unlike with Lancelot, Guinevere, and Arthur, however, in The Dragon's Dove Chronicles the friendship shared between Urien and Accolon was in place long before either of them had met Morghe.

All of that to say, there is much more at stake here than just two random (if powerful) men butting heads over the same woman.

In today's excerpt of Raging Sea, Accolon begins to get an inkling of just how hot burns the fire that he secretly yearns to play with.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 
Chapters 1–6 in Raging Sea: Reckonings

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5a | Sc 5b |
Chapter 8: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2 | Sc 3a | Sc 3b |
Chapter 9: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 1c | Sc 1d | Sc 1e |
Chapter 10: Sc 1a | Sc 1b | Sc 2a | Sc 2b | Sc 3a | Sc 3b | Sc 3c |
Chapter 11: Sc 1a |

Raging Sea Chapter 11, Scene 1b

©2016 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

“Practicing your diplomacy, I see.”

Accolon turned. Morghe was wiping her hands on a cloth and grinning. She dropped the cloth onto the table and stepped around it to within arm’s length of him. Dressed in the plain-spun garb she favored while working inside this chamber, she looked more like a nun than the chieftainess of the most powerful clan of Brydein—and yet that only heightened her allure.

To rein in his emotions, he tried to picture her in the former environment, on her knees with hands folded and head bowed. It didn’t help much.

He cleared his throat. “As are you, my lady.” To her raised eyebrow he added, “Excusing a servant from duty because of a mere cut.”

“Not so ‘mere’ as you might think. You didn’t see how long it took me to stanch the blood. Any deeper and she’d have lost the tip.” Not one trace of defensiveness marred her tone.

She undulated closer; he bridled the instinct to retreat. Nothing was happening between them, and nothing ever would.

“You summoned me, Chieftainess?”

“Indeed. How is your shoulder?” She laid a gentle hand upon the exact spot she had field-dressed last year despite the fact that he would have killed her if he hadn’t been hit by that damned spear. “I’ve noticed how you rub it sometimes.” Her pressure increased as she began small circling motions that did feel good once the sting abated.

He shrugged her hand away. “It is well enough, my lady. How may I serve you this day?”

She searched his face for God alone knew what, for God alone knew for how long. At last, she withdrew a small object from the pouch attached to her belt.

It was a loop of gold wire, curved and strung with three pearls of different colors: white, silver, and black.

She reached behind his head to pull his ear close to her lips. “I need you, Lord Accolon, to retrieve this bauble’s mate.”

Straightening, he resisted the urge to bristle. “Please permit me to remind you, Chieftainess, that groveling about on hands and knees is what slaves are for.”

Her laugh tinkled like a delicate bell as she smoothed her hair where it had been pulled back into its braid. “It isn’t lost.” She laid that warm, fragrant hand against his cheek… and of a sudden, groveling in the dirt at her feet was the only thing he could think about doing. Sheer force of will kept him upright, gazing into her alluring violet eyes. “Find the crofter who lives near the spot where you and I… danced last year, and bring him and everyone in his household to me.” She lowered her hand, and with the other one rolled the pearls between thumb and forefinger. “This will prove that I sent you.”

He felt a tingle as her fingertips brushed his palm in the act of giving him the earring. Another, lower part of him stirred awake too. To distract her from noticing it, he let his ire flare. “You must be mad if you think they can stay here. My lady.”

“Of course they shan’t.” She sidled closer, brushing the bulge with her hip. Damn her, he couldn’t prevent it from twitching. A slow, sultry smile parted her lips. It took his last shred of self-discipline to resist the temptation of sampling them. “That is why you shall be escorting all of us to Maun.”

It galled him to retreat, but he needed distance to keep from acting upon either of his suicidal desires—to kill her, or to take her right here and now. He dipped his head and backed toward the door. “You needn’t trouble yourself with this mission. I can arrange everything.” And I can complete my original mission at last.

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!