Spring Release for Trial of Marriage 3

Posted in Article, ebooks, Free, indie author, self publishing, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

Coming Soon – Trial of Marriage 3

I am working on the final book of the Trial of Marriage series. Yes, after many requests of asking when is it coming, just know I heard you, I’m sorry for the long delay, and it’s on its way, coming soon this spring. I’ll be posting updates periodically to keep you in the loop. I’ll admit it’s a great feeling of accomplishment when a story ends, but it also brings a little sadness too. When you have a piece of work, that you have put your heart and soul into creating, it’s a bittersweet moment when the story ends forever. And, honestly, how can it not? What I know for sure is I plan on giving the story and characters the proper goodbye it deserves, and I hope my readers will be happy with the final ending too.

Lately, I have thought about how long it has been since the second book, and since there was such a long hiatus (again sorry), I am offering for free the first book of the series for a limited time only. Just sign up for my email list to get a PDF copy sent to you, easy peasy. Also, before the big release date for Trial of Marriage 3, I am planning a few giveaways to start things off, so do not forget to sign up because the majority of the giveaways will only be those who sign up.

In moving forward and thinking ahead, there are two books I plan on releasing in 2018. One being a book 2 for Love vs. Career and the other will be a brand-new story. A lot of good things are coming, and I’m looking forward to being able to share them with you.

R. Lynn

13Aug2014

Why Is It Like Pulling Nails To Get A Book Review?

Posted in Article, ebooks, self publishing, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

Come December 2014 it will be two years since I began writing. All in all, I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts and stories, but one thing I’m still struggling with is getting book reviews on Amazon.

It puzzles me because my books get a decent amount of sells. In addition, even with giving away free copies I still only manage to get between five to ten reviews. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the ones that take a moment of their time to leave one. Yet, I remain amazed when I see other self-published authors such as myself getting huge numbers of reviews and it really peaks my interest in learning what their secret is in achieving such a productive response?

I do know that Goodreads is a good source and they have groups that offer read for reads or book swaps in return for an honest review; unfortunately, with my busy schedule that option just won’t work for me.

Honestly, I don’t think readers realize just how valuable their input is for authors. Their response helps a lot because it reaffirm if an authors book have gone in the right direction or not. In reading up on this topic I came across a few great tips that readers should know:

Don’t be afraid of being honest. Do, however, remember to be helpful (and not mean). Don’t just say “it sucks” but tell everyone why it sucked.
Don’t give away the ending of the book. You can allude to it very vaguely (“the ending surprised me”) but don’t say specific plot details.
You’re not being graded. Write a review as long or short as you want. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece of art—think of it more as a conversation or what you might tell people you know about this book.
Make sure that you read the book before you review. This seems like it should be obvious but… it’s not.

I can only speak from my standpoint but if you’ve experienced the same or can shed some light on the question I would love to hear from you.

R. Lynn

31Jul2014

FREE EBOOK PROMOTION

Posted in Article, Book review, ebooks, promotion, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

If you are an author you’ll be happy to learn that the site Author Corner will promote your eBook for free. All you have to do is provide: 1) A cover of your book; 2) A brief description; 3) One or more purchase links; and 4) Categories for your book. It’s that simple.

Take a minute to visit their growing BookShelf — you’ll find some interesting eBooks in all different genres.

25Jul2014

Free Book Promotion Resources for Authors: Book Trailers

Posted in Uncategorized by R. Lynn

Reblogging …

readers+writers journal

Make Your Own Book Trailer for Free…or Almost Free

Everyone loves short videos. They don’t take long to watch, even at work, and they’re easy to share on social media and then talk about. Book trailers are one of the most effective ways to promote your book online, but they can be expensive to make and many self-published authors are confused about where to start. Below, a short video with the 6 “must haves” for book trailers.

Resources for Getting Started

If you have a PC, chances are you have Movie Maker already installed on your computer. Or download it here. There is no Mac version, but Iskysoft makes something similar Macs for $49.95. You can download it here.

Online Options

There are several free and low cost online options for creating a book trailer. We’ve assembled a few here:

Images

You cannot use any photo you find on the web…

View original post 181 more words

24Jul2014

Use These 7 Sites to Promote Your Book for Free

Posted in Uncategorized by R. Lynn

Reposting…

readers+writers journal

Yes it really is possible to promote your book free, if you’re willing to do some work yourself. Below are 7 sites that cost nothing to use and that can help you take your book marketing, publicity and advertising strategy to the next level. Some are designed specifically for independent and self-published authors…others have another purpose but can be adapted to help you promote your book without breaking the bank.

Provides links to hundreds of active, independent reviewers who don’t charge for reviews. Registration is required.

An online community where authors freely post biographies, works, news, events and articles for readers to discover and read.

Gives away free books once a week and promotes the free book on its site for a week. Also has an index of other free book resources.

Stands for “Help A Reporter Out”. Connects reporters looking for a story with writers looking for publicity. Authors…

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7Jul2014

Posted in blog tour, ebooks, Uncategorized by R. Lynn

Welcome Raquel Kechagias! Her Book Tour for the The Fire of the Soul Series stops by here on Day Three. I asked her to participate in a Q&A about her new release Last Ashes.

Synopsis

Chaos has descended on the Underworld, as promised. Anna is un-resigned to her fate as Christian’s ideal wife. She refuses to be weak and submissive but she knows the power he holds over her; if she denies him, everyone she loves will die. However, when dismembered corpses start appearing on the castle grounds, Anna finds her courage to fight against the evil in the world, starting with the Overlord.

~Q&A~

RLA: What is the name and genre of you latest work?
RK: I would classify my books as Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy. I say this for two reasons. The first is that there is a lot of romance in the story. The second reason is that there are a lot of dark themes in the books; including sexual abuse, rape and torture to name a few. There is one scene in particular in ‘Last Ashes’ that I was conscious and hesitant about including in the books. I won’t leave any spoilers but I’ll say this, the Mer-folk have no sympathy or empathy for any ‘Land-walker’ and those who help them suffer because of it.

RLA: Tell us about ‘Last Ashes’.
RK: What can I say about my new book? Honestly if I could sum it down to one word it would be ‘intense’. There is endless action. There are situations where we see Anna struggling to be more, to do more than she’s ever thought she was capable of. We see the same of some of our favorites and not so favorite characters and even the new characters. One of the biggest things to happen in this book is that we get two see two characters, who were only mentioned before, in action. So yea it’s intense!

RLA: Did you find any character(s) in your book hard to write?
RK: I found that there were a few characters that were hard to write. It wasn’t so much the character themselves but rather that it was writing the characters to be more than what they had been mentioned to be. For example Manea and Novak. I also found writing Christian’s ‘good side’ to be difficult as well. It’s difficult to build these characters up, to continually say that this is what they are and then all of a sudden bam! They’re something entirely different to what I’ve been making the characters and readers believe. It’s difficult but fun and certainly worth the effort.

RLA: What can we expect from you next?
RK: There’s a few projects I’m working on at the moment. The first is ‘Blood Magic’ which is going through the editing stages. It’s a prequel and spin-off from the story, featuring Adrian or aka ‘Shade’ as the main character. There are several characters from the series and new characters as well. The second is ‘The Eternal Flame’ the final book in the series which I’m currently drafting at the moment and the third is my next series ‘Hell-bound Angels’ which I’m planning and plotting away at. It’s something I’m really excited about. It’s entirely different to ‘The Fire of the Soul’ but I know you will all love it.

RLA: Where can readers purchase your book?
RK: At the moment you guys can purchase my book at Amazon. Within the next two weeks you’ll be able to purchase paperback copies and copies from iBooks, B&N, Smashwords, Nook and Kobo.

~About Raquel Kechagias~

Racquel Kechagias was born in Sydney, Australia in 1991. She is the oldest of seven children and although they drive her a little mad she loves them to bits. Racquel spent her childhood nose deep in a book, preferring their company to that offered by the outside world. At the age of 8 she had grown past the children’s section of the literary world and began to grow up with company of the greats such as Shelly, Stoker, King, Tolkien and Poe. From that moment she was inspired by the intricate worlds. She longed to share the knowledge and passion that it took those authors to create their worlds and from that moment on her life was transformed. Racquel Kechagias is the author ‘Last Ashes’ the second book in the ‘Fire of the Soul’ series.

~Connect with Racqual Kechagias~

Website
Pinterest
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

12Jun2014

Click for Cash – WCCF Gives

Posted in Article, donation, Uncategorized by R. Lynn

There’s a wonderful organization called LeMoyne Community Center that has a great educational enrichment program for boys and girls, and I’m asking you to help them out by casting your vote in a contest they are in with WCCF (Washington County Community Foundation) to win $1,000.

It is called Click for Cash. Please go on to the WCCF site at http://www.wccfgives.org/ then click the participate list and find the LeMoyne Community Center, click it and that instantly casts your vote. It’s that simple. You have till Sunday, June 15th to do this. You may vote from your computer and phone and if possible pass along to your friends as well.

Thank you,
R. Lynn

9Jun2014

The Falling of Love Book Tour – Marisa Oldham

Posted in Article, blog tour, ebooks, good writer, self publishing, Uncategorized, writing by R. Lynn

I would like to welcome romance author Marisa Oldham to my blog. This is the first day of her book tour and I will be asking questions about her book The Falling of Love, as well as, thoughts behind her Dreamcast selection of characters.

Marisa, What inspired you to write The Falling of Love?

I’ve had Grace’s story in my head since I was about fifteen years old. I think growing up over the years, watching and experiencing how tragic love can be, was a huge inspiration to me.

Did you know from the beginning it was going to be a series? Yes. I actually did. If I hadn’t broken the story up the book would’ve been about 900 pages or more. I always knew what the beginning, middle and end of the story would be. It just works for it to be a series of 3.

What’s your favorite part of the book? The sweet love between Grace and Ian in the beginning really touches my heart, but I’ll admit, I love the drama towards the middle and end of the book. I think that THAT is what makes readers fall in love with this story and really tugs at their heartstrings.

What was the hardest part to write in the book? Ian’s changes and the turmoil he goes through. What I put Grace through. Sometimes I think I’m too hard on her character.

If you could have dinner with one character out of your book who would it be? Why that character? Ian – the simple answer, because he’s hot and even though he makes poor choices, when he’s himself, he’s amazingly loving and romantic. I wish what I wrote would magically appear before me in the form of my dream guy. I think where a lot of readers will really fall in love with Ian is in The Falling of Grace, book 2.

Tell us about your Dreamcast and why you choose who you did?

Grace was easy to cast – she’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. At first, I was thinking Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but then my sister said that Candice Swanepoel was a better Grace. I agreed with her because Candice possesses an innocence while still looking like a sex goddess. That is Grace to me. I was lucky to find a photo of Candice when she was about Grace’s age in TFOL.

Ian was probably one of my most difficult to cast. He’s a cross between a young Axl Rose and Jared Leto. I was using Bartek Borowiec, a male model, for a long time, because for young Ian he was perfect, but he’s too feminine looking to be Ian. Jared Leto is more how I picture Ian at an older age. For now, he’ll have to do because there is no one else out there that looks like Ian.

Jaden is also hard to cast because he’s a mixture of guitar player Izzy Stradlin, Trent Reznor, Richard Fortus, and my friend and musician Paul Kenny. They all could pull off playing Jaden. I chose Izzy for this dream cast. I may choose one of the other gorgeous men for the TFOG dream cast.

Michelle is the most difficult of them all to cast because of her wild curls. I see her with the face of Miranda Kerr, but I’ve found very few photos of Miranda with curly hair. The other day my sister said that Megan Fox with curly hair would make a great Michelle, which is true, but for now, it will have to be Miranda Ker and you’ll just have to imagine her with wild curls.

James always looked like James Hetfield to me. So he was easy. I wonder how the lead singer of Metallica would feel about me casting him to play Grace’s overbearing brother? LOL.

Brandon and Bailey were easy to cast. I just looked for a beautiful, young redhead and a handsome young red-haired boy. I think they’re pretty perfect.

Micah is a little hard to find photos for because he’s covered in tattoos but rocks a 50’s greaser style. I managed to come up with a few different photos for him, but they’re all different men.

All the others in my dream cast were very easy to select. I knew what I was looking for when I was searching for Ian’s dad, John and his mother Rose. Eddie is even named after who I think he would look most like and that is Eddie Vedder. Can you tell I love rock n’ roll?

RLA: I would like to thank you for stopping past and I wish you all the best on your tour Marisa.
MO: Thank you for hosting me, it’s been a pleasure.

The Falling of Love is available on Amazon.

Marisa’s Social Media Link:

Marisa’s Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

15May2014

Can You Copy Online Pictures To Paste Onto Your Website?

Posted in Uncategorized by R. Lynn

I first posted this article in March 2013; I’m reposting to make it current because I feel it’s important information to be aware of when it comes to pasting copied pictures online.

R. Lynn Archie, Romance Author

Have you ever wondered if could get you in trouble for pasting a copied online picture onto your blog, website, or using for some other key business? I can say that personally, I did not until I decided to self-publish.

I cannot even tell you the countless number of times that I found myself searching through Google Images, in need of a stunning picture for a school project. Even now years later, I hear friends and collegues claim Google as their site of choice, when needing to find the perfect photo, to create an invitation, or use in a PowerPoint presentation for work. Regardless of rather the photo is for hard copy or not, if you are not the owner you don’t have the right to use it. In my opinion, I think that using it online only makes it more likely, for the copyright owner to learn about his/her…

View original post 330 more words

6May2014

Promoting And Marketing A Book Or An eBook

Posted in Uncategorized by R. Lynn

Reblogging some useful tips by Don Charisma

Don Charisma

I’ve been asked indirectly to give some advice on promoting and marketing a Book for a friend. This is probably starting to fall under the category of work, and generally my work is paid for. However part of marketing oneself is giving away free high level concepts and ideas. So this is what we can do for you at our commercial side – DonCharisma.com.

DonCharisma.org-Book-Open-Pages-morgueFile

I’m calling this a “30 minute blog”, because I’ve set my stopwatch and will stop writing at 30 minutes.

Promoting And Marketing Plan

You’ll need a plan. The plan should include your timescales. Promoting and marketing either costs money or you expend effort, ie hard work and do it yourself.