Help Dingo Dogs!

Dingo Animal Lovers need your support!

Stray dogs of Armenia need your help to survive the winter. Please make a donation. Every cent counts.

 

You can go to their Facebook Page and look at some before/after photos. Dingo Animal Lovers are one of the best people I have ever met. No one else has done as much as them. They are great, kind, and brave girls and guys, and they need your help.

You can read more HERE and show your support by making a donation.

Thank you!

John Wick

"People keep asking if I'm back."
 http://youtu.be/2AUmvWm5ZDQ?t=1m58s

This has been my favorite movie quote for the past months. Last night I watched John Wick in the theater. And loved it. Such a brainless action movie, like playing a video game and knowing you won't lose. And Keanu is still badass.

I lost the count of how many heads were shot and how many times the audience gasped, and I honestly  loved John Wick. So much I'd watch it again if I had the time. Because it was a no-brainer. And because my brain had been so tired recently, I needed something like this. But the biggest reason why I loved this movie is because the guy John Wick was after was such a typical example of the rich daddy's rotten son, that I loved each violent, bloody step he took to reach that little m0th3r!@(%3r and shoot his brains out. I wish I had my own John Wick for obvious reasons.
After the movie ended, I heard a few guys say, Whoa, so much for the dog, and had to roll my eyes. Of course it was not just for the dog. Those guys broke into his house, beat the hell out of him, stole his car, damaged the other one, and killed the dog to which he was emotionally attached. I think these were enough for a retired assassin to start a bloodbath.

And Keanu rocks. I saw him first in Point Break and have loved him since. I loved him in Speed and in The Matrix, liked him in Devil's Advocate (though I have grown tired of that movie), didn't like him in Dracula (because in Dracula I love only Gary Oldman), and think I need to rewatch Little Buddha.

John Wick is full of good action, no shaky camera work or fast-cuts. The music is great, the characters are good, the back story is interesting. It has style and it delivers. If you're not turned off by violence and blood,  cursing and swearing, and are into video games and action movies, give John Wick a try. It's great.

EDIT: Oh my God!!! Keanu is 50? FIFTY?!!! Keanu Reeves is 50 years old? Unbelievable.

December 7, 1988

It happened at 11:40 in the morning. And lasted 40 seconds.
And took away the lives of 25.000 people. And left half a million homeless.
My great nation, it's unbelievable how much you have endured.

France?

Judging by my blog's statistics, I get visits mostly from the USA and Armenia. USA is not unexpected: I write in English and sell mostly in the States.

Armenia is a bit strange though, considering that not even my friends know that I write and publish on Amazon. Not that it's a secret; it's just that no one really cares.

But there's a strange activity from France. I get more views from France than from the USA and Armenia combined, which is rather strange as I haven't sold a single copy in France.
So, who are you, mysterious people from France that visit my blog? Don't be shy and say hi. Or maybe, Bonjour?

Photo from favim.com.

I'm going permafree

I'm not sure if I have been telling about my free promotion experiments. If I haven't, then here's a short summary: A few times in the past I have made Witch Hollow Book 1 free as an Amazon experiment. The result is that I gave away almost 6000 books, but they didn't bring me much sales or reviews.

If you read my blog you probably know that my first attempts at writing in English weren't successful. Recently I've come to the conclusion that if I don't consider my first books good, then I shouldn't expect people to pay for them. And Ta-Dan!! From now on Witch Hollow Book 1 will become permafree.

But that's not all. I also don't like how the second book was written, so it becomes permafree, too!

I'd make the 3rd book free, too, but unfortunately I need to eat :) And pay my bills.

I can hardly wait to finish the 5th book and move to other things. I have so many projects at the moment; sometimes I wish there were 50 hours in a day or that I didn't have to sleep. The 5th part of Witch Hollow is almost done, but that doesn't mean it will be available in a week. Alas, there's still a lot to do: going through one more draft, editing, proofreading, beta-reading, then going through the whole book one last time, and proofreading one last time... Oh, boy! Who said writing was easy? No, seriously, are there still people who say that writing is easy?

Going back to the free promotion. I wouldn't actually call what I'm doing now a promotion. I don't think I have ever promoted Witch Hollow books, for obvious reasons. Yes, once again, I don't think they are very well written. When I had just begun, I had no idea what was popular in the YA market at the moment. If you read books on writing and publishing, you will hear lots of advice about checking the genre and the best sellers to see what people read today. I didn't do that. To be honest, I don't think anyone has to do that. You don't have to see what's popular and go in that direction; you can just sit in front of your computer and jot down whatever you have in your mind. But! This is not a very good idea if you want to create something popular instead of just writing down a story for yourself, which might eventually find its reader, but might also fail to bring you a penny.

What I did was just writing something, writing my way through the English language, learning how to use it, and also how to use it well. I didn't know anything about self-publishing; I didn't even know there was such a thing as beta reading. Want to hear something worse? I published my second draft without even sending it to an editor!!! Yes, I did that. I don't think many have been more stupid. Why on Earth did I think I could jot down a novel in Russian, Google-translate it into English, and publish it? Read the previous sentence and you'll know why. I wasn't just stupid; I was an idiot. But I'm glad for all the mistakes I've made. It's not the end of the world, and I've learned a lot. I know that smart people learn from other people's mistakes, but I've already proved I wasn't smart two years ago.

You'll probably ask me how did I end up with positive reviews if my book was so bad?

And now I will probably contradict myself, because I don't think that my first books were that bad. They were just different: not profitable and not aimed to be popular. But it happened that they found the readers who were into that not popular type of stories. At that time I was reading and loving Little Women and Anne of Green Gables, and it shows.

And while I was writing this post, great guys from Book Scream just twitted me about featuring Witch Hollow and the Fountain Riddle on their page. Talk about luck!

I am also experimenting with the Kindle Countdown. If you don't know, Kindle Countdown is a KDP feature that lets you offer your book for a discounted price for a short period of time, slowly raising the price back to the original. To use it you need to be involved in KDP Select, which means granting Amazon exclusivity and not having your book at any other retailer. I like to have my books at as many retailers as there are, but when I had just published Witch Hollow and the Spider Mistress, I signed up for KDP Select as another experiment. You can't leave Select for 3 months, and there's also this small box you have to tick so that you won't continue your time in Select after the 3 months. I had forgotten about that box, and after 3 months my involvement in KDP Select had been automatically renewed. I will leave Select in January, and while I'm there I guess I should use that Countdown feature. So, in a day or two, Witch Hollow and the Spider Mistress will become $0.99, then in another day or two it will go up to $1.99, then to $2.99, and will end up at it's original $3.99. This will take a week. I will tell you about the results.

Alright, time to go back to writing. And if you want to know when Witch Hollow Book 5 becomes available, sign up to my mailing list. Just click HERE and fill the short form. No spams! Never ever!
I plan to give away a gift card to one of my subscribers (or maybe two), but haven't decided yet for what.

Stay tuned to win the gift cards when I come up with an interesting idea. Or help me out and share your own ideas in the comments section below.

My library

Have I already showed off my library? I can't recall it, so I'm going to do that right now.

Just look at these pics! Aren't they amazing? In case you wonder, those red volumes in the top right shelf are everything written by Walter Scott. Oh, I loved his books. I still do. And it saddens me to see that not many read Walter Scott anymore. OK, you might try to argue, but I have done a bit of a research and have come to the conclusion that Scott, Stevenson, Vernes, they are not so popular today. Harry Potter is popular; Ivanhoe and Quentin Durward not anymore.

The blue volumes under Walter Scott is the John Galsworthy collection, including the Forsyte Saga, which I am currently reading. I have to admit I'm advancing rather slowly, I don't know why, but the Forsyte Saga hasn't yet gripped me.

There's a glimpse of Tolstoy and his twelve tomes; Dostoyevsky is on the bottom shelf, and O'Henry and Oscar Wilde are waving their hands impatiently. I see Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the left, and George Sand, and Erich Maria Remarque beneath them. And I can also distinguish dozens of classic detectives like Georges Simenon and James Hadley Chase. Ahh, does anyone still read them? I know, I know, you and I do, don't get angry. But we're in such a minority.

 

These are the books in English. They are in minority; most of my books are in Russian. Well, what did you expect? Soviet Union! Anything we read was in Russian. I love the Russian language, I write in Russian better than I do in English. If I had the time I'd translate my books into Russian, but I have too many unfinished projects at the moment, no time for translations.

One day I will gather all these books (and the thousands of volumes that are still in boxes because the shelves are not enough) in one place and will have a library that will move the envy of Belle from the Beauty and the Beast. That's right, that prince's library is nothing compared to mine. All I need is a very big house. Or maybe a palace ;)

Ohh, I see Dumas in red hardbacks, I see Mark Twain in orange, I see Dickens in green, and Jules Verne in blue. And there are Main Reed, Stendhal, Somerset Maugham, Jack London, R.L. Stevenson, and a big collection of sci-fi of 1950s and 1970s. And did you notice that all of them are in hardbacks? Who bought paperbacks back in the day? Hardbacks were the big deal. Hardbacks ruled!

Ohh, Huxley, how much I need that book now. Such a pity these last shelves are in the country house, and I won't get there until summer. Sorry, Huxley. But I will read you, I promise.

I see lots of Armenian and Russian classics in there. I haven't read a book in Armenian for a decade. Such a pity. I love Armenian classic literature, but at the moment, for obvious reasons, I read books only in English.

And here's the latest addition to my huge library. They will never become classics, but they will certainly have their special place in my library. And did you notice that my books have been getting thicker with each volume? Just look at the Spider Mistress. Looks like Witch Hollow's latest installment has gormandized too many pancakes. I can hardly wait to add the 5th book to the list. That will happen very soon. Until then, happy reading! <3

My Mailing List

I've got a mailing list!
I have no idea why it took me so long, but from now on you can subscribe to my mailing list and receive news about promotions, sales, and new releases.

And no, I won't do this to you:

 

But once in a while I plan to do this:

I plan starting promotions, giving away gift cards and other prizes, so if you're interested, subscribe to My Mailing List. Be sure that I won't share your email, and remember that the unsubscribe button is always there ;)

Click here: http://eepurl.com/9xCv9, and join the list. It will be fun :)

Hobbit and LOTR bloppers

I thought you and I needed some fun and laughter.

I need to rant!

You know that moment when you think that everything in your life is at last starting to get better, when you say, "Hey, it's not really that bad," and then something happens that makes you feel even worse than you were? Well, that moment has just knocked at my door. Sadly, I didn't suspect it was so close. Yes, I'm that naive, I stupidly considered that the days of my forever depression might come to an end. At last my eyes were getting better. In case you care, I have had trouble with my eyes for the last twenty years. It's something that doesn't want to go away. I could tell you all the types and names of eye medication, but I probably will never be able to count the times my eyes have been injected. Yes, it's painful. Yes, I go through that a few times a year. Yes, I'm  tired. And yes, it's the shittiest thing that can happen to a writer. When your eyes behave like that you have to admire Life's sense of humor. Ah well, it doesn't stop me from writing 2000 words per day.

 

Wish I could write more, but I'm happy for these 2000. It could be worse.

So what was I saying? Oh, right, everything seemed to be going well. I had at last found a way to receive my Amazon royalties. I was in so much dept and the bank interest was so high, that it was gone almost immediately. "Never mind," I told myself, "at least you received your hard-earned money."

So what happens next? 

Shit happens. I mean, this happens:

And they are costly. Oh boy, very costly. And not mine. I don't care about expensive china, ceramics, vases and sets, but those are not mine. And I'll have to pay. No idea how much, but probably no less than $400 for each. Have been searching for similar vases everywhere, but no luck so far.

Yes, that sucks! And I wonder why I'm laughing so hard now. Maybe I'm going crazy?

Nah, not for two vases. I guess I should appreciate Life's sense of humor. But I will repay. Ohh yes, I will repay you, you cruel, sadistic, cold-hearted Life! And that will happen sooner than you expect! X-)

Do you have en elderly friend?

I just watched a sweet, beautiful video and have been crying for the last ten minutes. Watch this video and join me in this heart-warming moment. Brazilian students are learning English via interacting with retired Americans. This is why I love internet. It's a blessing for the humanity, as much as the new technologies are, when they are used for the good. They make the communication so much easier. And what do we need so often if not communication?

These elder people are so sweet, so generous, and so happy for helping the younger generation that I began crying again.

I have an elderly friend too. We met while we both were in the line to an ophthalmologist. I don't even remember how I started the conversation with the old grandpa sitting next to me in the hospital's corridor, but some time later we were already on our way to the store on the other side of the town to find the eyeglasses he had lost a few days before. Sadly, we didn't find the eyeglasses, but we found something better: a friendship. I encourage you to do the same. Find an older friend for you, you both will gain a lot from that friendship.

I always had a soft spot for elderly people; I love to hear them talk, tell me about the times when I wasn't even born, tell me how it was in the Soviet Union, how it was after, how it is now. I love stories, and who has the longest stories if not older people?

I'll leave you with this video (in case you're too much embarrassed to cry in my presence) and go call my old grandpa friend and see how he's doing today.

Stay well,

Irena

I have found Pemberley!

Mr. Darcy's house exists! Jane Austen didn't just made up Pemberley, she was inspired by an enormous, astonishing, incredibly big British estate called Wentworth Woodhouse. And here's how it looks:

 

 Photo via The Telegraph

Yes, it's amazing. I hate adjectives, but Wentworth Woodhouse is jaw-droppingly incredible. With 365 rooms (one for each day of the year), 5 miles of corridors, the longest facade in whole Europe, it had to be tended by 1000 servants.

Just look at this lovely drawing room:

 

Photo via Dine

Seems that the Dashwood sisters will now come in and have a nice conversation with you about the weather or the bad roads.

And just imagine attending a ball in this marble salon and meeting a handsome but secretive gentleman, who awards you with a dark, long stare:

Photo via Dine

Now good news: Wentworth Woodhouse is for sale. 7 million pounds. And needs repairs that will cost 42 millions! While I'd never pay such money for this house even if I were the richest person in the world, I'd still love to walk across its corridors that stretch for miles, enter all the 365 rooms one after the other and feel the haunting presence of the people who have once inhabited the estate starting from the 1725.

Photo via Dine

Maybe one day I will visit this incredible place and feel a touch of history, as well as interact with the spirits of Austen's characters. Let's wait and see.

More on the estate HERE and HERE.

Big Hero 6

Oh, how excited I was about this cartoon. That big white zephyr that looked like the Michelin guy seemed to be a fun character. And he was, actually. But the story was so all over the place. I might give away spoilers, so you've been warned. But first, Michelin guy and Baymax:

My point is obvious, so I'll talk about the plot. In the beginning of the movie we learn that the boy, Hiro, and his brother Tadashi are orphans, living with their aunt after their parents have died. OK, Disney loves to have orphans as their protagonists, but at least the boys had each other. On the 25th minute the big brother dies. Not just dies, he explodes in the burning building along with their very nice professor. EXPLODES! In a kid's movie. I was one of the few adults in the theater, and I turned to my right and looked at the kids. They were staring at the screen with their mouths gaping. "He died," a girl whispered dejectedly, and silence again.

Seriously, what the hell was I watching? I had gone to the theater for some fun and laughter, and one of the protagonists, who was a sweet, caring big brother, explodes. Then there was the scene at the funeral, everyone wearing black and mourning. If I had gone alone, I might have just left then. That's how depressing was this cartoon.

And then the plot slowly (very slowly) began to turn into a cliche superhero story. Superhero costumes, stupid powers, overdone ideas. Oh, my!

Somewhere by the end of the movie we learn that the good professor's daughter has died too. Not just died, she has exploded in the portal. And yes, we see that scene as well. My goodness, I had no idea I had gone to watch a melodrama.

Also, the movie had one of the most underdeveloped villains. And Baymax, the heart and soul of the movie, suddenly turned into Flash, who had eaten too much donuts.

Edit: It was late at night yesterday, and I forgot to mention the thing that bugged me the most. In order to be admitted to the school of geniuses Hiro has to come up with an invention that would impress the professor. What he comes up with is so astonishing, innovative and incredible, that I couldn't understand why Hiro needed to get into that school. Possessing such genius and talent, he could easily found his own school and train his own students.

This has to be the most disappointing cartoon I had watched in years, or even decades. The only good point was the wonderful, truly masterful animation. But then, I have always preferred my cartoons in 2D.

I want to thank the Fall Out Boy for the song in the middle of the movie. At least that song helped me feel a bit better. And I still can't get it out of my head.

We could be immortals!!!

I will never write romance

Or new adult, as they are called today. Or erotica. Or anything containing phrases like: "I wasn't living before you came" or "before you came, I wasn't feeling alive."

A fellow author asked me to beta read her erotic novel. I'm on the 7th page and I want to die. Seriously, kill me please and end this torture. Even though I fear I might sound like an elitist I still can't help ranting a bit. Romance is not my genre, and I wonder if most of them go like this: I saw his curved body come out of the swimming pool, the water drops glistening across his washboard abs (no idea what that means), his long, wet, golden hair sticking to his temples, his perfect chiseled jaw covered with a stubble alluring me to lick it with my desirous tongue.

Oh, boy. No, this is not my genre. Never will be. On the second page they feel the electricity already (how do you feel the electricity? And shouldn't it be painful?). On the third page she wants to feel his strong arms, he wants to make her moan with pleasure. On the 4th page his arrogance makes a cameo. On the 5th page she says no, you arrogant bastard, while thinking, Oh, yes, oh, please! On the 6th page they kiss and twine into each other, she tries to resist, but he's soooo irresistible.

And then. . . I don't know, haven't read the rest yet. I don't want to upset a fellow author and tell her I can't finish her book, I know not through hearsay how hard it is to write a full-length novel (not that short stories are easier to write), but my eyes, MY EYEEES! 

And I was so enthusiastic at the beginning. I remember thinking why not, this might be a good idea, and I can do this once a week, provide comments to fellow newbie authors and help them with their undertakings.

  

NO! NEVER AGAIN!

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind romance in books, characters falling in and out of love, but when love and sex are on every other page, and the plot is nonexistent, the book stops being interesting. Give me Gillian Flynn or John Grisham any day of the week, but please spare me his chiseled abs and the musky smell of his skin. Nothing against the genre or those who love it, but this is so not my type of book that I couldn't help ranting a bit. And where else could I rant if not on my blog? :)

And I just googled washboard abs. I was seriously expecting something like this:

It was a bit different though. Just a bit. 

But then, I learned a new term today, although I'm probably never going to use it in my entire career. Ha-ha-ha!!!

Stephen King: The Rolling Stone Interview

In case you have missed this, Stephen King is interviewed by The Rolling Stone. He talks about his career, religion, money, and writing. It's always interesting to learn more about the King of Horror. Glad to see King agrees with me that The Tommyknockers is terrible, as well as The Dreamcatcher. I remember being bored out of my mind with these books. So bored that I began skipping pages--something I had never done before. But despite that, the ending of The Tommyknockers was awesome. I'm talking about the last 2-3 sentences, where--SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS--Gard is lying in the pool of his own blood and the flying saucer is hovering farther into the space, taking him into the unknown and the unexplored. And still, I'm not going to say that those 600+ pages were worth it. What I'm going to say is that The Tommyknockers were ten times better than the The Dreamcatcher. If The Tommyknockers were reminiscent of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers, then The Dreamcatcher was a more perverted type of the Alien. Turns out there can be something worse than aliens bursting out of your chest while you're alive, and that is when aliens burst out of your butt while you're alive. I thought maybe the movie adaptation would be better, but can you keep a serious face when Morgan Freeman's eyebrows look like this?

 

Yeah, neither could I.

Oh, and The Tommyknockers and The Dreamcatcher are not King's only bad books. I am on the 900th page of Under the Dome, and I can't remember a time when I had to struggle so much to finish a book. I don't even know if it's a thriller, a sci-fi, or just Santa-Barbara TV series. But I can swear with my life it's not scary. And not even thrilling. It's just a bunch of guys under the dome being nasty to each other, good guys doing idiotic things, bad guys failing to spread menace. 

So why am I still reading King? Oh, right, I need to learn to write in English. I meant to say to write well.

45 ways to avoid using the word 'very'

In case you have missed this wonderful post by writerswrite.co.za, here's the link: 45 ways to avoid using the word 'very'.

I hate the word 'very.' I try to avoid it at all costs. It cheapens the sentence and most of the time is useless. Never rely on 'very' for expressing a character's emotion. Find a word that is expressive by itself.

In my recent 107.000 word novel the word 'very' appears 70 times. After the final edit I will get rid of at least the half. No, I will get rid of 60 veries. Get rid of them. Clean up your MS, your readers will be very happy.

photo © Amanda Patterson

Matt Corby

Why oh why I hadn't heard of this singer before? What an amazing experience I had been missing! Thank you, internet. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Funny story: I learned about Matt Corby from an article about. . . man buns! At least you heard of him from my blog :-P 

Enjoy!

Eliza Graves

As I had previously said, I was planning to watch Eliza Graves on Halloween. I am so pleased with my choice. It was great! Really great! It had been a while since I had enjoyed a movie so much. Suspenseful, thrilling, with great costumes and decorations. I loved everything about it. 

And what an outstanding cast! Michael Caine, Ben Kinglsey, David Thewlis, Kate Beckinsale. And I totally loved the way Jim Sturgess looked in the movie. Always considered mustache to be creepy, but Jim Sturgess wasn't creepy at all. On the contrary, I'd say that he looked vulnerable and confused. Well, who wouldn't be confused to appear in an asylum where the stuff behaves like a group of demented loonies, and where the superintendent encourages the sick illusions of his patients.

There were some good twists in the movie, and sadly, the trailer gives away one of them, but it didn't make the movie less entertaining or suspenseful. And the twist in the end! I hadn't seen that one coming. What a surprise it was! No, I won't spoil it. You'll have to watch yourselves.

The movie did have its weak points and slow moments, but what movie doesn't? I absolutely loved the Gothic atmosphere. The devices used in a Victorian era asylum were bone-chilling, the lack of knowledge of human nature catastrophic in its consequences.

Overall, it was a great movie. But how else? It's based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story, it was doomed to be good.

Happy Halloween!

What to listen to on this day:

Samhain Eve by Damh The Bard. One of my most favorite musicians. Damh The Bard's songs are always magical for the genre lovers.

What to watch on this day:

The Woman in Black (full movie). A Victorian suspense, lots of spooky scenes, a haunting score, a bone-chilling villain. And Daniel Radcliffe!

 or 

(if you're too much of a chicken)

One of the best South Park episodes. It spoofs Stephen King's The Shining (which seems to be on sale right now), and is funny as hell.

Personally I will be watching this:

Eliza Graves. Not only it's based on one of E.A. Poe's short stories, but the events of the movie take place during one of my favorite eras, and it's also about an asylum, and I have just began The Asylum by my favorite writer of Gothic Victorian suspense. It's such a shame that this is John Harwood's last book for me. I hope he'll pen some more, he's a masterful writer.

What to read on this day:

The Haunting of Hill House

Yes, you have been postponing this for so long, but tonight it's the time to read this book at last.

What? You're afraid you might get too scared? Alright then, try this one, you coward!

Witch Hollow and the Wrong Spell

Happy Halloween, everyone!

7 Bone-Chilling Books To Read For Halloween

Just stumbled upon an article at Buzzfeed suggesting 7 bone-chilling books for Halloween. I've read two on the list: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, and Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.

Sharp Objects is actually my favorite novel by Miss Flynn. I've read all three of her books and the famous Gone Girl is on the third place (Dark Places was better). But I wouldn't call Sharp Objects bone-chilling. It was a standard mystery about murders in a small town of weirdos, and by the middle of the book the identity of the murderer was obvious. And still, I loved it more than other novels by Gillian Flynn, because Sharp Objects was atmospheric, filled with haunting memories and the feeling of guilt and pain

I can't even imagine why someone would put Doctor Sleep in the list of bone-chilling reads. There was nothing bone-chilling about this book. It was not even bone-cooling. Not even skin-prickling. It was boring. Lethargic. Tedious. And not a jot scary. Buzzfeed says, "Try reading Doctor Sleep but don’t expect to do too much sleeping." That is strange, because all that happened to me while I was struggling my way through Danny's adventures was falling asleep and feeling sorry for starting that book (I'm one of those diligent readers who always finish the book and almost never skip the pages).

Other books on the list are:

Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone, which sounds interesting and suspenseful. The sample's already on my Kindle.

The Girl with All the Gifts, which for some reason doesn't have a kindle version, preventing me from giving it a try.

The Accursed. 1057 pages? No, thank you. I'm currently on the 859th page of Stephen King's Under the Dome, so once again no, thank you.

Fiend. A zombie novel. Zombies are not my thing. Maybe it's time to give them a try?

White Is for Witching. Witches!!! Yes, I think I might like this one... but wait, where is the kindle version? o.O No e-book? What a shame.

And while we are on it, let me remind you that a hangman comes to life on Halloween night in The Witch Hollow and the Wrong Spell. ;) Although, it's not that blood-chilling, after all it's a kids' book.

But the cover is pure Halloween, is it not? :))

Feeling good on a Wednesday

It's Wednesday evening, I have lots of things to do but ignore them all. The lazy bee has stung me again, and I'm just reading and listening to music.
Laugh as much as you wish, but I like this song. Or is it a song at all? :)

But I like it and I listen to it, and I also watch the video, and when at 0:50 I see Butters dancing happily in a pink tutu and feeling good, my heart melts into a warm puddle.

Always had a soft spot for Butters

 

I'm not familiar with Lorde's music, but maybe after this episode I'll check her out. I wonder if she sings as well as Sia in this video.

To Free or not to Free

This has been the big question for a very long time. I've watched authors debate, argue, and discuss the free giveaways vs permafree, the pros and cons, the possible results...

Here's what I have learnt--there is no absolute answer. Many authors say they never give away their books for free. Others claim that free is what made them. My take is this: if you have series, it might be helpful to make the first book permafree and promote it like crazy.

My first book has been free for some months now. But I don't promote it, so the free doesn't do much for me.

BUT. A short search on Amazon will bring up lots of free titles of the first books in the series, and many authors make a good use of it.

Another BUT. Don't go free if that's your only book. It won't do much for you. Most of the time free is helpful when you have other books too. Better when they are a part of series:

You will have to decide for yourself to free or not to free, I will only tell you how to do that.

When you publish with Amazon, you can choose to go exclusive with them, or publish on other platforms too (Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Nobles, Apple store, etc.). If you publish exclusively with Amazon, you will have 5 days every 3 months to make your book free. You can use all 5 days in a row, or spread them over the 3 months. Amazon does not let you go permafree. Your book has to be at least $0.99.

But if you choose to publish with other vendors, too, then you can make your book forever free. Here's how to do that. Publish with Smashwords. Smashwords let's you choose free without any limitations. After you make your book free at Smashowrds, Amazon's system will detect a lower price and will price-match your book. Thus, in a short period of time, your book will become $0.00 everywhere.

 

And then you will have to promote and promote it. If you won't to make a good use of the free promotion, don't just sit back and wait for a magic to happen. Free doesn't do much unless you market and promote your book.

Good luck!