Pondering promotion

The Cauldron Bound is formatted, just waiting for me to hit publish.  Now I am pondering how to promote it.  I have three problems: No reviews, my book is not free and I have a limited budget. Luckily, there are things that I can do.

So what am I doing once I have hit publish?

* Signing up for Ebook soda and Bargain Booksy.

* Signing up for the next scavenger hunt that Night Owl reviews has.

* Running a release week sale. Maybe. ( If only Publit’s campaign feature was available. sigh.)

* Do a giveaway or three.

* Posting to Kboards and Mobileread.

 

Some of these things are free, some isn’t, but at least I have a plan on how to spread the word about The Cauldron Bound when it is out.  I am no fool. I know that this list doesn’t guarantee a lot of sales, but it increases the likelihood that I will have some sales. I do know that to build sustainable sales I need to release more book in the series, and a bit closer than it was between Exile and The Cauldron Bound.

Brownie recipe

This is the brownie recipe I use, it is based on this recipe by Gina Homolka, except with some tweaks. I didn’t like the taste the water gave it, so I switched it out. I do think that if you replace the butter w oil, in the original recipe, you can use it for brownies in a mug. 

2-4 tbsp butter

1/3 cup sugar ( I prefer brown sugar)

1 egg

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

flavouring ( go wild. I have added a splash of coffee, cinnamon, etc.)

Pre-heat oven to 200 C

Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from heat, stir in sugar, egg and cocoa powder. Mix until smooth, before blending in the flour, when there are no streaks, add eventual flavourings. Then, add the baking powder. Stir until the baking powder is blended in.

Grease a small pan , and pour in the batter.

Put in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes.

 

 

Wednesday Snippet: Meet the Vizier!

This week’s teaser is from The Alchemist’s Apprentice. It is from the second scene, and I did my best to make it non spoilery. Not long now, before the release!

 

Mahin’s gift whispered to her that Jafar was in the study.  She paused in front of the closed door, then opened it and stepped inside.

Jafar looked up from the scroll in front of him, a frown on his face. The frown vanished when he saw her. “Mahin!”

Her husband dropped the scroll, and hurried to meet her. “Is something wrong with the unborn child?” He led her to a padded chair.

She smiled at him. There were new streaks of grey in his  beard. The title of vizier were taking its tolls. “The baby is just fine.”

Despite their differences in age and background, being around Jafar felt like being surrounded by a cocoon of love and support.

“What gives me the pleasure of having you here?” Jafar asked.

“I need to talk with you about Sherezade.”

Jafar looked worried. “Is she sick?”

Mahin shook her head. Part of her wished it had been that easy. “No, she is healthy. She helped me select herbs for a tisane… but the way she selected the herbs made me suspect she has a gift.”

She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. He had been surprisingly accepting of her gift, but she knew that accepting your wife didn’t always mean you accepted  your children’s gifts.

The result of my busyness

This spring has been busy, busy, busy. I am about to see the fruits of my labor be published next month.

I’ll admit that I cannot believe that I am about to release a short story and one novella at the same time.   I am proud of them, and I cannot wait to share them with you!

I am especially curious how the sales will be compared to Exile’s, since they have professional covers. I am also interested to see how Exile’s sales will be affected by The Cauldron Bound. Yes, I am hoping there will be a sales boost!

This will be an exciting summer! Especially since there is a new cover in the works for Exile. It will be as pretty as the cover for The Cauldron Bound.

 

Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway is over. Only one person entered. I am a bit disappointed over this, but not surprised, since I knew from experience that few people enters giveaways that I host, unless I am part of a bloghop.

The winner is Suelder. I am going to e-mail her later today, when I get home from work.

 

 

Pondering world building

So, one of the comments the copy editor had was that she felt some terms I used lacked context. Which surprised me, since it was the first time I had gotten that comment ( though  Chrysoula wanted me to clarify some stuff.)

It did get me to think about world building. Or more specifically, my world building. I do write notes before I start a book, normally between 2000-3000 words.  Which is based on what I know *before* I write the book.  Except, I didn’t realise until now that I need to write notes after I finish the first draft too. *headdesk* Especially with such a complex Universe as the Portal Universe, were every book takes place in a different realm.

So, anyway, right now I am doing worldbuidling. Putting stuff that is in my head down on paper, and expanding the notes that I already have written. 🙂 Once that is done, I will begin revising Daughter of the Dark.  I am looking forward to it. A lot.

Cover reveal: The Cauldron Bound

 

TheCauldronBound_Huge

 

I have been walking around with a goofy smile on my face since this cover landed in my inbox yesterday. It fits so the story perfectly. It is a novella taking place in a bronze age setting.  I don’t think I could get a better cover, unless I hired someone to paint a cover for me. The cover was designed by Cora Graphics.  She is revamping the covers for Exile and Daughter of the Dark too.

 

Friday Giveaway: Exile

So! Chrysoula discounted her Senyaza series on Amazon to boost their sales for a limited time. I cannot do that for Exile, so I am giving away 5 copies instead. I admit that I am hoping that my rankings will magically rise.   (If you don’t use Amazon I will e-mail you an e-pub copy.)Exile avatar

Gwyneth has no desire to devote the rest of her life to being aPriestess of Gwynfar, no matter what plans her mother has made. But as her birthday approaches, marking the moment when she becomes an adult – and must choose – another option suddenly appears. She can escape her mother – and her destiny – by stepping through the portal into another world…Only to find that destiny has a tendency to follow.

You can read an excerpt here.

Just leave a comment to enter the giveaway!  The giveaway ends  on Monday.

Done

It has been a hectic month, but the copy edits for the Cauldron Bound are done.  The Alchemist’s Apprentice is edited and formatted, and uploaded to Amazon. Which means that   I have no pressing deadlines.  *thud*

Now I am going to make dinner, and then I am going to read something. Since I am so tired. Then tomorrow I am going to poke at The Alchemist’s Apprentice keywords. I think they might be too narrow.

But that is tomorrow.

 

Snippet Wednesday: Teaser #3

The furniture reminded him of the Elvin furniture his mother had described when she told him tales from her childhood. As the survivors from the escape through the Portal had died, his clan had lost the knowledge of how to make Elvin furniture, which showed in the more utilitarian furniture and stamped floor they used.

 Not long now, until the Cauldron Bound is out! But The Alchemist’s Apprentice is even closer. I know I should post teasers from The Alchemist’s Apprentice, but it is so short that it is hard to avoid spoilers. But you can read an excerpt at my webpage. 🙂