Sneak Peek: Fat Assassins

Today we have a sneak peek from the humorous novel by Marita Fowler: Fat Assassins.

Southern style sweet-potatoes Shasta and Ulyssa have stuck together through thick and thin since their escape from third grade fat camp. But on one dark day, they both find themselves unemployed and searching for a new job. Confusing mafia lingo leaves the girls thinking they’re being interviewed to cope with a rodent infestation and they’re shocked when they receive a target profile and an envelope full of cash. They want out, but it’s too late. The mob doesn’t allow do-overs. But the clock is ticking and when the body count is still zero after multiple attempts, the boss decides to bring in additional assassins to finish the job and tie up loose ends. And the girls just happen to be one of those loose ends.

This book is available on Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes.

And now, an excerpt from Fat Assassins

Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Fat Assassins”

For the Love of the Book

I read a Facebook post recently where an author was bitterly complaining about the service (yep, that’s the word they used), they were receiving from an administrator at an Indie book site. The service was slow and they weren’t happy that it had taken several weeks to have their book featured. And, just the other day a reviewer friend of mine who just lost a family member, emailed an author apologizing that their interview would be delayed and explaining why. The response back from the author was silence, no sympathy, just silence, and then eventually, a short email from the author tersely asking when they could expect their interview to be posted. This is unacceptable behavior, online or face to face.

So, here’s the deal. Actually, there are two things. First of all, the folks we interact with online are real. Yes, they are. They’re not just smiley little icons or names with this @ in front of them. They’re real people. I heard someone say the other day that when we’re online we should pretend we’re not. Pretend you’re face to face with the other person and treat them with the same respect and courtesy you would in real life. It’s a good thought, and I’ll take it a step further. I’m going to be here for a while. The majority of my income is derived from my book sales so the relationships I have with you and the other folks in the reader/writer community are very important to me. So, if there’s a website I think is helpful I’ll share it and perhaps even mention it in an article that I write, or if there’s a reviewer who I think is doing a great job then I’ll do everything I can to support them. Continue reading “For the Love of the Book”

Tip: Createspace Proofs Are Perfect for Edits

Back in the olden days, before eBooks and the internet and such, we used to print out manuscripts. Crazy, right? Now, with all these great ways to electronically generate books, we crank ’em out, edit, and proof read them in digital form. Guess what? I think that’s a BIG mistake.

The venerable Ed McNally wrote about self editing in this post. Like Ed, many people suggest you load it on your Kindle, or read it out loud, etc. All those techniques are good; but the one thing I think makes a huge difference is – printing it out. Continue reading “Tip: Createspace Proofs Are Perfect for Edits”

Six Ways to Drive Beta Readers Crazy

Beta readers are like gold. They are awesome, generous people who give their time to help you work the bugs out of your manuscripts before you publish. Just like anyone else you enlist or pay to help you finalize your finished product, it’s a relationship that works best when you have mutual respect, cooperation, and good communication. I’ve been a beta reader and have had my manuscripts read by them. During that time, I’ve learned that there are six guaranteed ways to ruin that relationship and drive the poor betas up the wall: Continue reading “Six Ways to Drive Beta Readers Crazy”