Tag Archives: Amazon

It all began two years ago on a winter afternoon…

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Saturday Love Final CoverThis year I will self-publish another book on January 1. I’ve done it for the past two years, and I now think of it as my way of renewing my pledge to keep on keeping on at the writing and publishing thing. But it does have a story…

It was after Christmas, everyone was content, and for once I wasn’t running anywhere or doing anything. That’s when I decided to take the leap into self publishing. I already had two ebooks out (Secrets of the Lotus and Winter Solstice) through Lyrical Press. And I had this third manuscript just kind of hanging out on my computer desktop. (Stephen King calls them “trunk novels”, and the description is pretty apt. Because you don’t know what to do with them, you tuck them away somewhere, but every now and then you open the trunk and have a peek.)

Weeds and Flowers coverThat was how Weeds and Flowers came to be published. Half young adult romance, half coming of age novel, a sprinkling of mystery and a pinch of autobiography, Weeds and Flowers doesn’t fit in any particular genre, but I always knew it was a good story. Even if it is a tough sell. I first published it on New Year’s Day 2012 through Kindle Direct Publishing, although it’s gone through revisions and is now on its third edition (and available in paperback as well as ebook).

Ducks_CoverLast year I found myself in a similar situation. Kids happy, husband happy, everyone content to stay in for an afternoon…and lo and behold, I had another trunk novel just begging to be published. That’s how Ducks in a Row found its way into the published world through the magic of CreateSpace and KDP on New Year’s Day 2013.

This year, I’m doing it again, but I’m doing it on purpose. Saturday Love is the sequel to Ducks in a Row, the story of Will and what happens to him after the events of Ducks. In Saturday Love, you’ll become better acquainted with Will’s loving and lovable family, including his handsome brother Patrick (the one who coins the phrase “Saturday love” to describe the way he feels about his new girlfriend), his younger sister Lisa (who may yet have her own story…) and his beautiful, strong mother Anne, the matriarch of the Hubbard clan. And yes, it’s a romance, so there’s a new lady in Will’s life. You’ll be able to find Saturday Love on Amazon and many other online retailers in paperback and on Amazon for Kindle on January 1, 2014.

What a week! Time to give some stuff away…

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Okay, it’s really, really good to be sitting here on THIS side of last week. I feel like it’s the first breather I’ve taken all week. In addition to returning home at 11 o’clock Sunday night from Las Vegas, this was the first week of my online book tour, the last week of school for two of my kids and the week I had to get the school library packed up. I’ve been up at six AM and going until I put my kids to bed all week.

To make it all the more fun, on Wednesday I got up to a fantastic email from Amazon telling me the Kindle version of my book had magically transformed into a string of letters and numbers that nobody could read. I’m not kidding, it was like it was in some sort of code or something. I swear that happened sometime SINCE I put it online. So I had to spend a fair amount of time Wednesday re-uploading the Kindle version, seething all the while because I was technically promoting a book that wasn’t even available for more than twenty-four hours–at least not available in the preferred format. I felt like I was on a speeding train going somewhere I really needed to be…but I’d left the luggage that would make the trip worth it.

Please understand, I’m not complaining, exactly. I’m EXplaining my absence from here.

And I want to make it up to you. I’ve been planning to give away copies of DUCKS IN A ROW and WEEDS AND FLOWERS for a while, and today seems like a great time to do it. So please, be my guest. Download my other two indie babies. And if you’re only interested in CLOSE UP MAGIC, I’ve got something for you there, as well. I’ve already posted Chapter One online. In a few minutes, Chapter Two will join it. You can find them here: CLOSE UP MAGIC.

Happy reading!

Well, that’s embarrassing…Kindle issue alert!

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This morning, I woke up to a notice that my new book Close Up Magic is showing up as a string of unreadable characters on readers’ Kindle devices. After my initial shock, I checked it out, and sure enough, it was. Holy cow! What happened to the file between a couple of weeks ago when I uploaded it and now, I cannot tell you. I’ve never heard of Kindle Direct being hacked, but I do know that I uploaded a good file, checked it over thoroughly and didn’t hit the publish button until I had every confidence it would be worth the buyer’s money.

Ah well, I talked yesterday about best-laid plans.

At any rate, long story short, if you purchased Close Up Magic and it isn’t working properly, please return it! I would never want anyone to be stuck with a bad copy of one of my books! And if you haven’t tried it out on your Kindle yet, give it a try. I think there are limits to how long you can return a Kindle books, and I don’t want you to run into a block there.

And if you do return the book, I hope you’ll check back in about twenty-four hours. I uploaded a new file this morning, tested it on the preview reader and know it’s good. I will keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way!

In other news, consider joining me on my book tour today. I’m over at Flirting with Romance, talking about all sorts of flirty, romantic things. It’s a fun interview and not nearly as long as yesterday’s post on the Dan O’Brien Project!

Welcome to My Book Day Party!: Contest Winners!

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Welcome! It’s a very happy release day party for Close Up Magic today. First order of business has to be giving away the Kindle Paperwhite, of course. With the help of Random.org, one name was selected, and that name was…Glen Held! Glen’s a fan of the Close Up Magic Facebook Page, so I’ll get in touch with him and find out how to get the Kindle to him.

Second order of business is that yes, I am in Vegas, where Close Up Magic takes place. And I’m doing my best to make it to as many of them as possible, but I also promised a $20 gift card to those who gave me suggestions. And the winner of that card was…Bessamy Snoderly!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaways and who have helped me promote Close Up Magic. I can still use the help, but I’m afraid it’ll have to be out of the goodness of your heart…although I am giving away a basket of magic tricks later this month on my virtual book tour. It starts Monday and I hope you’ll all join me there. In the meantime, check out my Twitter feed today for pictures of me and Close Up Magic in Las Vegas!

For the love of it: Reviews and the Writer

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Reviews. What would we writers do without them? It’s really the only method we have of getting into our readers’ heads for a glimpse an idea of what we’ve done that works…and what hasn’t. Just recently, I discovered a new review on my book Ducks in a Row that revealed a lot to me of how it’s been received. The reviewer wrote that the book’s subject matter put her as a reader in an uncomfortable place emotionally because it deals with a marriage in trouble and an extramarital affair. She winds up with what might be my favorite line from any review any of my books has ever received:

“I highly recommend this unsettling book.”

Why does that line appeal to me so much? One reason. I intended the reader to be unsettled. Not only by the subject matter, but by the emotions of my characters. Human beings are not perfect, and married ones can be less perfect than most. Marriage is hard work. No matter how idyllic your ideas about love and marriage might be, you remain human after you say your vows. And eventually you end up hurting each other in ways both large and small.

That was what my book was about and this reviewer got it.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working hard to secure reviews for my contemporary romance Close Up Magic. It’s harder than you might think. For every ten people you offer a free copy of your book to, you might get three reviews.

That’s pretty darn understandable, if you consider that most book reviewers don’t actually get paid for what they do. They do it for the love of reading, whether they blog their reviews or just post them on Amazon and Goodreads. So when I ask somebody to review my book, I’m asking them for several hours of unpaid labor, for which I will pay them with my sincere thanks…and hopefully an enjoyable read.

To date, I have six reviews on Amazon and several more promised, so I’m not doing too bad. Here’s what some of the reviewers have said:

“Family and forgiveness play their own parts in Close Up Magic, both in ways that are insightful and also leave you with a sense of the good in humankind.” — Five stars

“The magic element of the book made it fun to read. I have always been a skeptic when it comes to magic, but the story had me believing that maybe Andre did have something special.” — Five stars

“Michelle Garren Flye does a fantastic job of putting her readers into the heads of each of her characters – her words making one feel so profoundly their desires, their reticence, their range of emotions as they fumble towards each other and true love.” — Five stars

“Close Up Magic is an enchanting story that will make the reader believe in romance and magic!” — Four stars

“An overall compelling and magical story that fans of contemporary romances are sure to enjoy.” — Four stars

“Whoa…I do believe in magic and the incredible ambience it creates in this wonderful romantic story.” — Four stars

My thanks to all my readers and especially all my reviewers!

If you’d like to read more from my reviewers of Close Up Magic, click here: Close Up Magic
If you’d like to read the whole review of Ducks in a Row, click here: Ducks in a Row

Happy Print Party! Welcome me to the world of books actually IN print and win a free proof copy!

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Yay! It’s that day…Print Day! Capital letters, please. Surely an important day in my career, even if it is the result of self-publishing. Today, you can buy a novel by ME with MY name on the cover! Yippee! Have a peek:

Ducks_Cover

So far, it’s for sale at CreateSpace and Amazon. So go buy it now! Or if you’d like to go the more economical way (or just flat out prefer ebooks like I do), check out the Kindle version. If you like it, leave me a review, please! I love hearing from readers. You can even email me your praises at michellegflye@gmail.com.

All that said, how about a giveaway to celebrate? In the course of perfecting my book (and you’re still going to find editing mistakes in it, trust me!), I went through three proofs. Proof 1 doesn’t even have page numbers, and one of the characters is misnamed (oops!). Proof 2 is pretty close to as perfect as I got it, however, I did change the back pages and my bio a bit for Proof 3. To celebrate my book’s print birthday, I’m giving away one signed copy of each proof. All you have to do is leave me a comment right here!

I’ll be back later to give you a little taste of the book, but in the meantime, here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:

Cady Summers thinks she has all her ducks in a row: great house, beautiful family. Then her estranged twin sister Cam shows up…pregnant. Envious of her sister’s condition and lonely with a teenage daughter and a workaholic husband, Cady’s life no longer seems to have the perfect order she has always cherished.

A recovering drug addict and absentee mother of two, Cam Taylor has never had any order in her life. Afraid of his reaction to her pregnancy, Cam flees the man she loves, seeking refuge in the only home she still knows.

Can the love between the two sisters provide a healing balm for the wounds of her scarred marriage or will Cady seek solace in the arms of another man? Can the reunion with her sister give Cam the courage she needs to face the man she loves or will she let her past mistakes come between them?

Where the Heart Lies on Kindle for iPad

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Where the Heart Lies on Kindle for iPad

Where the Heart Lies on Kindle for iPad

A Quick Update: Books and Short Stories

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Two bits of news to share with you today. The first is that WHERE THE HEART LIES is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Would love to see my book get some sales before it’s even “on the shelf” so to speak. (Please remember it is an e-book, so don’t order it from Amazon if you don’t have a Kindle!) Check it out here: Where the Heart Lies Pre-Order for Kindle.

Second, and just as exciting, my short story “Agapi Mou” was accepted by Turquoise Morning Press for their Foreign Affairs anthology. I don’t have many details yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. I’m kind of excited about this one for several reasons. First, I will be earning royalties for it. Although I’ve been in anthologies before, I’ve never earned royalties for them, just honorariums or one-time payments. Second, it will most likely be print. Third, I’m really impressed by Turquoise Morning Press. They have a very professional business and put out some beautiful products in both print and e-book format. I’m thrilled to be associated with them.

So that’s it for now. I’m off to write and gloat over the final, completely formatted PDF of WHERE THE HEART LIES that I received from Carina Press last week. It’s just as gorgeous as you might imagine!