Happy Friday everyone! I just finished the second chapter in RRR, and that felt good! I decided about the middle of last week that I needed a logo of some type but want to save most of my budget for marketing The Truth Turned Upside Down launch 6/1. So…I headed to Fiverr, which is loaded with talented individuals and here is the result! I feel somewhat like a real author and slightly in balance. Two promotions starting next week for both my print and ebooks, A Goodreads giveaway (don’t worry I will share all the info) and RRR slowly taking shape. Now I sit nervously and wait. I’m better at frantically working, but this launch didn’t ask me how I felt…. TGIF!
ebooks for sale on Amazon 6/1/20~Pre-order now!
T-minus 4 days!
Ok, June 1st is a BIG day for me! All three of the ebooks in The Truth Turned Upside Down series will be for sale on Amazon. I have two book covers for The Truth Lucy Saw. I used the one without Lucy in a recent promotion and felt fairly confident with how the cover was received, but never tested it or asked for reader input until now. Which one is more suitable for the book ~ a YA novel written for ages 15-18 or older? Lucy ends up in her mid twenties by the end of the story and I am unsure if the image of the little girl would give people the wrong impression about the audience for which the book was written. What do you think?
All my best~Penelope
Special Powers!
If you asked me what types of special powers I would like to have, most would fall under the category of “magical house-cleaning powers”…but what if you get to really choose a supernatural power and use it on Mars? Clean up on aisle three young man! Yeah, I know it’s a tuff one! I came up with a few but I need more. RRR, sorry~ Red Rock Redemption, needs more input. I went over it all last night, its mapping out to be a three book series. There is just so much to cover I don’t think anything less than three books will let the story flow. I’m almost done with chapter two of book one ya know. Subscribers will get a sneak peak in June. Want to become one? No problem: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xwiq2g2b03
If you are on my Amazon author page wondering what I am rambling on and on about go check out my prior posts @ www.penelopejbristolwrites.com. I am getting ready to launch The Truth Turned Upside Down Series but a writer has to write! It’s literally all that keeps me sane these days with learning my way around the publishing arena (not for the faint of heart). Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Oh yeah….drop me a comment about YOUR preferred superpower!
All my best~ Penelope
Red Rock Redemption character names…
I am half way through chapter two of RRR, Red Rock Redemption, my next novel and I need help with characters’ names. The two protagonists in the novel are both female, Peyton Lawrence (25) and Mia Roberts (17) but I need two other male main characters to balance out all that estrogen. One is going to be Mia’s classmate who is also 17 and the other is ageless as the moment but possibly in his 40s. The oldest male character will be a senior officer on a spaceship headed to Mars. I like Kai, Trevor and Max for my younger character but need something really strong for the older guy. Help!
Mia and Max might be a cute couple or is that TOO cute? I want your input please! Happy Hump Day ALL!
All my best ~ Penelope
First Promotion!
Looking for a summer read? Check out these hot new titles, including my own~The Truth Lucy Saw. This is my first promotion y’all! So Excited, Happy Saturday.
All My Best ~Penelope
Social Distancing, I mean Social Media….
Ok, so I am unsure if its just me, but are any writers naturally good on social media? I’m like a fish out of water on there guys! I created my Twitter account last summer and gained a whopping 51 followers in a year! This is not too bad considering I did NOTHING on that account for almost 9 months. I know how this social media game works, I ran an Etsy shop for 4 years in a previous lifetime, but somehow it still does not make it less cringey. Don’t get me wrong I loved interacting with my Etsy customers but writing a book is different. A book is like a piece of me out there and I am supposed to get people to want to engage with ME! Thats a bit scary, ok its terrifying …….
I now have a facebook page too and have spent hours scrolling through and joining different author and especially indie author groups. It’s a vast ocean of people and resources and I feel like a toddler in floaties trying to stay close to the ladder. I know all authors must go through this-these growing pains but I still would prefer to not feel clueless and lost in space for the time being. This too shall pass, I hope! I hope you are well -I’m in my pajama bottoms trying to navigate Library Thing! Cheers!
https://www.facebook.com/penelope.bristol.351
All my best ~ Penelope
ARC-New to Me!
Books are now ready to be published-one small issue, zero reviews! Just email an ARC (advanced reader copy) to your ARC team they said. Ok, I’m on it…..wait I don’t have an ARC team. I have 50 followers on twitter, is that who you mean? Two credit card swipes later and I’m officially on Booksprout with a copy of the first book in the series ready to rock and fancy reader magnets inside from Book Funnel. That was 3 days ago and no activity? I don’t know what I’m doing- is an understatement. Today I posted the giveaway to my twitter account and thought…..put the link on your blog too! I hope someone finds it here : )
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xwiq2g2b03
Pre-Launch on the brain!
So my book(s) are edited, covers ready to go -About the Author-yeah I did that! But, the more I research about this pre-launch phase the more I learn I need to do. Luckily, there is a whole indie author world out there with a wealth (if not overwhelming) amount of information available. So, I am wading through it like a person wades through a house that was flooded by an unexpected tropical storm. I keep finding these treasures floating around me like Book Funnel and Library Thing. I feel excited but also drained!
I watched a 32 minute youtube video on Ingram Spark last night and I still don’t know why I would use it to print my book verses KDP. Should I be exclusive with KU or go wide? I didn’t even know what “go wide” meant until yesterday. It means you are not exclusive with Amazon and can sell other places like Walmart or even bookstores. Will anyone even like this book? Ok, back to Book Funnel and Library Thing-let me rest there for awhile. My mission is to get pre-launch reviews! I feel pre-launch its comparable to open heart surgery….
All my best~Penelope