Work, More Work, and a Rainbow

I’ve missed you all and felt it was time to give you an update on my work.  If you checked out my “Books” page then you know I’m trying to get Honeysuckle Love published by November 19.  I think I can do it.  And I have some amazing plans for this book.  First, as I mentioned in a previous post, HSL is going to be all over the e-book store world.  That’s great for consumers but a bit daunting for me.  It means learning how to format my book for Smashwords which doesn’t use the same formatting as Kindle.  This may not be the biggest deal for some authors, but it’s a big deal to me.  I want to make it right.  If you’re paying for it, it needs to be right.  It needs to be professional.  I’m a stickler for those things.  Again, that perfectionism which all of my heroines seem to possess as well.  So I’ve been consumed with it.  Every comma and paragraph spacing.  Every indent and chapter heading.

I also plan to sell paperback print editions of my book through Amazon.  And I plan on doing lots of giveaways on goodreads and my blog.  I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time researching blogs that review books by indie authors.  Yikes.  And that’s just compiling the list.  I haven’t actually sat down to write my request for reviews yet.  Speaking of, if any of you know book bloggers or are a book blogger yourself, I’d love to get my book(s) to you for review.  Just contact me at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com. 

I haven’t neglected Hoodie.  I am in the process of laying out the book for print edition through Amazon, and it will be available through Smashwords, Nook, iBookstore, Kobo, and Sony by the end of November.  Yay!  I’m forfeiting some Amazon Kindle advantages by publishing in other e-book stores, but I think that in the end, the benefits of reaching a wider audience will outweigh the Amazon perks.  That’s the hope, anyway.  We’ll see how it goes.  And while we’re on the subject of Hoodie, I’d like to thank you all for the reviews on Amazon and goodreads.  If you know your friends or family members read the book and haven’t reviewed it, encourage them.  Good reviews or bad.  Hey, I want the truth and so do potential readers.

I’m leaving you with a tiny blurb from Honeysuckle Love.  I’ve been listening to this song nonstop for the past several days and included it in my novel because it’s special to me.  And I think it speaks volumes about Evan and his feelings for Clara.  You won’t know why Evan knows this song from the excerpt, but you’ll discover the reason when you read the book.  And you’ll see more excerpts in the upcoming weeks as we get closer to the release date.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the excerpts so far and that you like what you read in the coming weeks.

 

HSL Excerpt:

Clara nodded, and Evan leaned over to kiss her. She tasted like butter from their popcorn, and he thought he’d like to snack on her instead. She clutched the popcorn container against her chest as his kiss turned into something more forceful. She was aware of the other moviegoers, the lights that had not yet dimmed, and pulled away.

“There are people all around us,” Clara whispered.

“Oh Clara,” Evan said. “You still haven’t listened to Silver Rainbow?

 

Silver Rainbow, Genesis (1983)