Rebooting the Book

One thing that happens to authors sometimes is that their books, for one reason or another, drop out of publication. What do you do with a book that's already been published? Unless you're a household name, odds are, no major publisher is going to lift a pinkie finger to snatch it up, no matter how awesome it is.

The options left are limited:

1. Stuff it back in your shelf and forget about it: Once upon a time this was really the only option authors had. 
2. Self-publishing: Though the vanity press has existed for centuries, this has become so much more a thing during the digital age. It does, however, make the author responsible for every single aspect of the book--artwork, formatting, editing, and promotion, in addition to the actual writing. This gives you lots of control, and all the profits, if there are any, go straight back to you. But each aspect of the book can cost you hundreds, leaving the idea of profits slim, unless you're very good at the promotion angle.
3. Small Press: There are a bunch of publishers out there, primarily e-first companies that are perfectly willing to look at previously published novels, novellas, or short stories. You have to be careful though. Not all of them are honest and some of them couldn't care less if your book sells or not.

I'm at a position with my career where I have a lot of out-of-print material to handle, due largely to the dissolution of my largest pubisher. I've been really slow at getting the 30 or so works they had of mine back out, but I've taken a multi-prong tactic, basically including all 3 of the options above.

Why different options for different works? Here's a few things for anyone with that kind of backlist to think about:

• Cost and cost/profit analysis: These are not the same. Cost is straight up, do I have the money right now to pay a good cover artist? An editor, if the original wasn't that great (I'm lucky that way--most of my editors have been good.)? Promotion?  Cost/profit is figuring out if the book is going to eventually make back what you paid out. Both are important.
• Branding: Does the book still fit the brand you've established or are hoping to build? If not, the back of your hard drive might be where it belongs. At least one of my stories will not be going back up for sale, because it's just not where I want my readers to go.
• Series: Do you intend to write more, or is it being returned to you as a complete series? One reason I chose a publisher for my newest re-release is that I want to add more books to the series, and want an editor and cover artist, which I simply don't have the cash to pay out of pocket. It's a publisher I trust, run by people with both good romance pedigrees and good business sense. Yes, they take a chunk of the profit, so I am paying for all those things out of my sales. But their distribution department will help make sure my book reaches a wider audience than just my current readers.
• Updating, or putting it out as-is. I have a series of books which involve a lot of tech. Now that tech is 10 years out of date. So do I self-pub? The updates might actually change the plot. Would a publisher help me with that? I haven't actually made that decision yet.

At this point, I want to give a shout out to my newest publisher,. This coming week (Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019) one of my favorite novels is coming back out into the world. You'll be able to find it in e-book and print at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play. I'll come back in and post the links as soon as they're up! Hopefully a sequel will be scheduled later this year! It's so good to get back on the horse--or dragon--or dolphin again! Happy 2019, everyone!

Supernova distributes to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo and Google Play.

Dead! Well, not quite. Yet.

Heidi’s day started out well enough, studying dolphins with best friend and research partner, but things took a turn when they got caught in the middle of a drug exchange. Her friend is missing, probably dead, and Heidi was shot at and left to die, too.

Girl meets…guy?

Then the hottest boat bum she’s ever seen rescues her. Tall, dark and handsome, Jake is every girl’s dream. Still, the last thing on her mind is romance. The drug dealers figured out pretty quick she wasn’t dead. Now, they want to finish the job, and her mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous rescuer might not be able to save her—or himself.

Cursed!

Jake’s got a fishy secret of his own—complete with fins. He’s exiled from his colony and cursed to shapeshift with the moon. As a merman, Jake can’t afford to be around humans, especially a marine biologist who might discover his species. But he can’t throw Heidi to the men after her. He’ll fight drug lords, pirates and even the gods to protect her. Piece of cake, right? It’s easier than the other problem, the biggest problem of all: the massive attraction growing between Jake and Heidi, an attraction neither can deny.

A centuries-old merman and an air-breathing, very human scientist might fall in love,  but where would they live? And can that love even survive?

Spring Rituals...

This month, the sun will pass across the Earth’s equator on March 20 at 6:45 EDT and in the Northern Hemisphere, the moment will be known as the Vernal Equinox. Literally translated, equinox means equal night but most people mark it as the beginning of spring and a time when the days will start becoming longer. More sunshine; hallelujah!

I start planning what to buy for my flower and herb gardens long before the first daffodils are peeking through the snow. Invariably, I will have whole clusters of the little yellow beauties pop up, only to be covered by a couple of inches of snow but I don't mind. They are the first glimpse of what is in store for the coming months and I couldn't be happier.

This year, lavender and rosemary are at the top of my list along with some basil for the pesto we enjoy all summer and there’s nothing like fresh mint. If you’ve never grown mint before, be forewarned, you need to contain it or it will take over your garden.

As much as I enjoy my gardens, it’s also time to go through the closets and cull clothes, books and whatever else I thought I couldn’t live without last year but haven’t used since I made that decision. Most of the time, my house-cleaning efforts are laughable. I have been known to name the dust bunnies but for some reason spring brings forth a bout of cleaning that has my husband scratching his head and planning a fishing trip.

I enjoy my little rituals; my familiar touchstones that give me a sense of accomplishment and a new beginning. The old ones celebrated the Vernal Equinox with rituals that some call magic and some just describe as the old ways. Before they welcomed the new they banished the old with a ritual that said good-bye to winter and welcomed the spring with wine and honey cake and a blessing for the work to be done and the strength to do it.

Maybe I’ll start a new ritual and end my cleaning and planting with a little reading vacation. A good book, a glass of wine and a little honey cake sounds like a fabulous reward for all of the work I have planned.
What about you? Do you have any seasonal rituals that usher in the coming season? I’ll leave you today with a delicious recipe for little honey cakes that are made in muffin tins. Just in case you feel like celebrating.

Honey Cakes

½ cup honey (fresh local honey is best)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar packed
½ cup butter (real butter is best)
1 egg
2 cups flour (I prefer the unbleached)
½ teaspoon baking soda
Approximately 2 Tablespoons milk

Sift flour, cinnamon, and soda together in small bowl. In large bowl cream butter and sugar. Separate egg. Add yolk to butter and sugar mix and set white aside for later. Add honey gradually to butter mix. Stirring until blended. Fold in flour mix slowly. Add milk as needed so that the batter is stirable but thick. Whisk the remaining egg white to a stiff froth and fold gently into the batter. Fill muffin tins ½ full. Sprinkle a little sugar on the tops. Natural brown sugar works wonderful. Bake at 425 for 15 -20 minutes.

***I used a dark muffin tin in an electric oven and the result was not wonderful. If you use dark pans I recommend knocking the temperature down to at least 400 and check them after 10 minutes.

Have a glorious spring, whatever you have planned!

Happy Reading…

Paris Brandon

http://parisbrandon.com

Leprechauns, Fairies & The Irish Otherworld

Since we are in the month of all things Irish, I have a question for you.

Do you believe leprechauns and fairies really exist? 

I was brought up in a home where their existence was an accepted truth. From my earliest years, holidays spent in Ireland included long walks in nature, and invariably a leprechaun sighting, or a gift left by a leprechaun for us. Usually it was a feather, a special stick or stone, but sometimes it was the sighting of a rare bird or a double rainbow.

I’ve collected leprechaun stories from a wide variety of people. Some end with a blessing, others with a curse. Local friends took us to hidden fairy forts, stone circles, and ancient forests with shifting dimensional energies where the Sidhe (fairy folk) come and go to the Otherworld.

Who are these magical beings?

Long ago the island known as Ireland was ruled by a race of magical beings said to have arrived in a flying ship from cities to the north. They were the Tuatha de Danann, the tribe of the goddess Danu. They commanded supernatural powers, respected nature, and ruled in peace and harmony for a long time. Christian monks later wrote of them as kings and queens, but they were considered gods and goddesses by their people. When they were finally overpowered by invaders, they shape-shifted into the fairy folk, or Sidhe, and went to live underground. In fact, they accessed inter-dimensional portals into the Otherworld. They still live there today, and enjoy surprising humans from time to time. 

 

Do you have a leprechaun story to share?

 

I wrote To Kiss A Leprechaun as a tribute to these shining ones, and the magic and myth that makes Ireland such a special place.

To Kiss A Leprechaun

Think “Beauty & The Beast meets Sleeping Beauty”…



Lorcan, Prince of the Leprechauns, has been cursed by an ugly spell for centuries. Every year around St. Patrick’s Day he chooses a village girl to kiss. It brings prosperity and well being to the seaside village of Glen Kisswich. This year Aine Byrne is the lucky lady – not! She doesn’t want to kiss a guy who’s uglier than a toad, prince or not. Besides, she’s got a crush on another guy. What’s a girl to do? 

Only the kiss of Lorcan’s soul mate can lift the curse. What are the chances he’ll find his true love with a bloodline that blends human, fairy and mermaid? To make matters worse, somebody is determined to stop The Kiss from happening.

Guest Blog: Nancy Lee Badger: Dig Into Haggis: An Acquired Taste

While researching facts to add to my romance novels set in Scotland, I learned about a staple food called Haggis. In truth, I have heard and even tasted the American version of this treat. Yes, I use the word treat, because the taste must be acquired. My taste buds have not fallen under its spell, but when it is offered…I dig in.

Haggis is usually made by stuffing a sheep’s stomach with sheep’s pluck, what we know as the animal’s cooked heart, liver, and lungs. Onions, oatmeal, suet, and spices are added, and the mixture is put through a meat grinder. The stuffed sausage-like food is then cooked in an oven. The coarse texture has a distinct taste similar to goose liver pate, such as foie gras, a well-known French delicacy. The Scots eat it like candy.

In my first book in my Highland Games Through Time series, I mention haggis in a less-than positive light. My heroine, Haven MacKay, is upset with a friend and thinks:

     Where had Jake run off to? Was he stuck in the long food lines? Or, had he escaped inside the beer tent?

     I hope he chokes on a mouthful of haggis.

In my second book in the series, My Banished Highlander, my hero from ancient Scotland finds himself at a present-day Highland Games, and he is hungry:

     The aroma of haggis made his stomach rumble and reminded him that his mistress had sent him to procure their noon meal.

I cannot say that my personal experience tasting haggis is the same as one might experience when visiting Scotland. America does not allow the use of lungs, and sometimes casings other than a sheep’s intestine are used. I have spread what Scots call tasty pudding on crackers at Burns Suppers back in New Hampshire. ‘Burns suppers’ are traditionally held in late January to commemorate the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. As his poem Address to a Haggis, is recited, giggles echo among the diners, and glasses of whisky clink. Check out the poem in its original text as well as it’s idiomatic translation HERE  http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Address_to_a_Haggis

Why would someone create such a food? Well, when all you have to eat is leftover sheep parts and you are near starvation because you are down to your last sheep, someone came up with the idea to use…ah… other parts. (I refuse to talk about fried testicles) The first mention of haggis is from way back in the 14^th century, and some think it might have originated in Scandinavia, but the modern haggis is considered a traditional Scottish dish. Today, many are served in artificial casings, and sometimes served deep-fried in batter, or as a pizza topping. Unfortunately, it is illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lungs. The situation was further complicated in 1989 when all UK beef and lamb was banned from importation to the US due to BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease. Read more about this ban HERE   http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/04/haggis-banned-in-the-u-s-a/

So, imagine my surprise when I saw bags of haggis chips for sale at a Highland games festival in North Carolina. I bought some, and the flavor was very reminiscent of the haggis I have tasted.  The ingredients listed are: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Haggis, and various seasonings. Looks like someone snuck this by the US food patrol!

BLURB: My Reluctant Highlander

Skye has spent the last five years trying to forget the blacksmith who followed her back to 16^th century Scotland, to help fight evil. Sending Jake Jamison home against his will was a disastrous mistake. Stealing his heart was not part of the plan.

Jake must share his secret, Skye must give her heart fully, and both must dare to love in the time they have.

BIO:

She loves chocolate-chip shortbread, wool plaids wrapped around the trim waist of a Scottish Highlander, the clang of broadswords, and the sound of bagpipes in the air. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.  

Connect with Nancy:

Blog                   

Website              

Twitter               

Facebook           

Goodreads         

Amazon Author Page    

MY RELUCTANT HIGHLANDER buy links

Amazon                          http://amzn.to/11H0Hg1 

AmazonPRINT             http://amzn.to/12pX5Qc

NOOK                            http://bit.ly/16a7lim  

Barnes&Noble PRINT http://bit.ly/10UQa3Z

KOBO                            http://bit.ly/12lX2V5

AllRomance                   http://bit.ly/19aBsI6

Smashwords                  http://bit.ly/11DtTDE

iTunes                            http://bit.ly/12Ic1bl

Don't forget to leave a comment...and put your email address in the comment box! One lucky person will win a tote filled with autographed paperback books by the following authors. Nancy met up with them at the recent Romance Writers of America Conference. A winner will be chosen on Thursday, September 12th. The tote includes:

LORD OF DARKNESS by Elizabeth Hoyt

CRAVE THE MOON by Lori Handeland

WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY by Abigail Sharpe

A FAIRY TALE SAMPLER from Eloisa James

MY HONORABLE HIGHLANDER by Nancy Lee Badger

And a bag of Haggis Chips, all in a Tote (courtesy of  AVON)

*an international winner will receive a selection of ebooks instead.

**please leave contact information

 

Everyday Magic

At the beginning of the book, IT’S MAGIC, there’s a short prologue in which the mysterious magical matchmaker, Maxwell Magic, speaks to the reader explaining that adults no longer believe and dream like children. He goes on to speak about everyday magic, the simple pleasure of smelling the air after a summer rain, the tingle of excitement from a cool breeze off the ocean, the delight in tasting freshly fallen snow.

Want to have magic in your life every day? Break from your routine and enjoy simple things just for yourself. Here are my top ten suggestions:

10. Don’t anticipate, be spontaneous. If you plan too much it ruins the magic. Okay, so you’re a planner. At least write down my ten things and post them on your car dash. Then, in the middle of errands etc., just do one of the things on the list (uh, don’t do it while driving, okay?)

9. Have dessert first, or better yet, go to a restaurant and just order dessert (even if you’re on a diet, once will not hurt).

8. Take a disadvantaged person to the movies.

7. Buy a book in the bookstore for someone in line, or tell the person at the drive-through, you’re paying for a latte, burger, chicken dinner whatever for the next driver. Don’t do drive-through? Drive-through anyway and pay it forward for the person behind you.

6. Walk through the grass barefoot.

5. Read a book from a genre or an author you’ve never read before. Then leave a review for it--just out of the blue.

4. Go on a picnic lunch (Too cold? So? Dress warmly and have an insulated carrier—OR have the picnic lunch inside on the floor). It doesn't have to be fancy. I have had a picnic lunch outside composed of canned sardines, cheese and saltine crackers (one of my date’s selections a long time ago—and no, the lunch wasn’t part of the date—it was an extra). Okay, sounds hideous to most of you. But it tasted great out there communing with nature.

3. Meditate outside for twenty minutes (the quieter the place the better).

2. Go on a long walk or a bike ride.

1. Spend a night at home with someone special and no television or computer.

You’ll be surprised how much better you feel after you break from your routine and see life through a brand new set of filters. It is, after all, magic!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobbye Terry writes as herself as well as Daryn Cross in fantasy/sci-fi and Terry Campbell (as a co-writer) in romantic comedy.

Her latest book, ROSE, is a romantic comedy novella.