New Release– End of Lonely Street by Alicia Dean – Plus an Awesome Giveaway

I’m excited to share my latest release from The Wild Rose Press on what would have been Elvis’ eightieth birthday. ‘End of Lonely Street’ is a Vintage Romance Short Story set in 1957, in the era when Elvis first burst on the scene. Like my heroine in the story, I am a diehard Elvis fan. (As you probably figured out, I took the title from a line in Heartbreak Hotel, which was Elvis’ first million selling record).

Check out End of Lonely Street and enter to win GREAT prizes…

GIVEAWAY: - Entries accepted from January 8, 2015 through noon on January 22, 2015

Three prizes – 

Elvis Gift Basket including DVD, CD, plus more

$25 Amazon Gift Card

$10 Amazon Gift Card

First place winner has first choice, second place winner has second choice, third place winner receives remaining prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Haunted Retreat

As a writer sometimes you just need to get away and re-charge your brain cells.  The best way we light a fire under our dormant muse is to hang out with like-minded friends, brainstorming, eating chocolate and drinking wine.  We do this several times a year by going on a weekend retreat at a fun place in our state, Arizona.  And nowhere is more fun to us than staying in a hotel that is supposedly haunted.  For us as writers the fun of delving into ghost lore comes from learning the story behind the haunting and then exaggerating it to another level. 

We blogged about this retreat once before, but today we were reminded about how much fun we'd had and how we need to do it again. Maybe this post will bring back all the memories and get us motivated.

In the spirit of Halloween, here's our ghost story.

One of our favorite haunted places to visit is Jerome, AZ.  Jerome is an old mining town set on the side of a mile-high mountain.  The timeworn, crumbling buildings are now home to mostly artists who sell their work in the shops lining the main street.  Jerome is a wonderful little town to purchase gifts of sparkly jewelry, scented candles, lovely paintings and beautiful handmade clothing.  And when you get hungry you must stop in the Haunted Hamburger for lunch, but be sure to save room for dinner.  The Asylum, the dining room in the Jerome Grand Hotel features mouth-watering entrees and a great wine list.  Besides, you never know who might drop in to say ‘hello’ while you’re dining there.  Local legend tells the story of a lady who roams the building looking for her daughter who died at birth.

A couple of years ago during October a group from our local RWA chapter reserved the entire third floor of the Jerome Grand Hotel, which sits on top of the mountain.  This Spanish mission style building, constructed in 1926, started out as the United Verde Hospital.  In 1930, it was known as the most modern and well equipped hospital in Arizona and possibly the Western States.  In 1950 as the mine operation was being phased out, the hospital was closed and the building remained vacant for 44 years.  In 1994 the building was sold and the new owners turned it into the Jerome Grand Hotel.

When the hotel doors were opened in 1997, the haunting began.

“What makes the Jerome Grand Hotel a worthwhile place to stay, is the fact that this is probably one of the most active haunted locations in the world,” according to www.ghostlyfavorites.com.

As we checked into the hotel we were told stories of strange noises coming from empty rooms such as coughing, labored breathing, and even voices.  We were told not to be surprised if the lights or TV's turned on and off by themselves.  As we made our way toward our room, our spines tingled in anticipation of a ghostly encounter.  Several in our party felt cold spots in the hallway and there were reports of strange sensations. 

On Saturday night, the Jerome Grand took our group on a fun ghost hunt where we got some great orb pictures.  We didn’t see any ghosts while on the tour, but some creepy events happened to us after we went to bed.  Our room phone rang at midnight waking us up, but when answered, no one was there. The ringing phone was a bit spooky, but the scariest of all was the feeling of panic Bev aka/Dani had as unseen hands tugged on her body as if trying to scoot her off the mattress.  Since this hotel was once a hospital could it have been a nurse trying to move a patient?  Convincing ourselves this was only a dream we tried to go back to sleep, until Chris aka/Tia screamed that someone had yanked her hair.  After that happened neither of us slept until the sun came up.

Was all this real or just active imaginations of creative romance writers?   A personal experience can either change your mind or reinforce your belief in paranormal activity.  We believe there are things that can't be explained.  And, besides, who doesn’t love a good ghost story?

Our next story will have a ghost in it. We're finishing up the last chapter as we write this blog. Meanwhile check out our latest release, Time's Enduring Love. It's a time travel set in Kansas during 1866. We think you will enjoy reading it and we promise that you won't be scared.

Happy Halloween,

Tia Dani

http://bookswelove.net/tiadani.php

Time's Enduring Love by Tia Dani

Time's Enduring Love

Libby Strammon believed her life was on track. A young woman of the tumultuous 1960's, she worked hard to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor so she could open a practice in the small Kansas farming community where she was raised. But when a perilous storm sweeps her back a hundred years into the past she is forced to rely on her instincts while navigating the changed world that a hundred years difference has wrought.

Kansas Volunteer, Lieutenant Matthew Dome's magnetic attraction to the slightly odd woman who appeared out of nowhere wars with past promises made—promises he'd failed to keep. He yearns to have the fascinating spitfire by his side, but can't let go of the past and his guilt long enough to convince himself she belongs in his life.

When circumstances send Libby and Matthew into danger, and a buried secret is revealed, Libby races against time to choose between returning to the 20th century she is familiar with or remain with Matthew who loves her but failed her once before?

http://www.amazon.com/Times-Enduring-Love-ebook/dp/B00EVXABV0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1378345765&sr=8-2&keywords=Time%27s+Enduring+love


We hope you enjoy reading our latest release.  As you know we write in various genres, but it seems like time travel/paranormal and fantasy is our favorite.
We've been thinking about promo ideas so if any of you readers have an idea about what you'd like to see from us, please let us know.  Tia (Chris) makes some lovely jewelry and greeting cards.  We will be having some contests very soon and we're happy to offer either as gifts.

Check back often because we are planning some fun events.

Have a great week,
Tia Dani

Tia Dani is a multi-published writing team made up of good friends, Christine E Jones (Tia) and Beverly (Dani) Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings, and, best of all…they’re having the time of their lives.

Find us at Amazon, The Wild Rose Press, Breathless Press, and Books We Love







   





 

Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop Going on Now until the 18th!

Like to read? Like a little variety? Like to win prizes and discover new authors? This is the hop for you!

Over 60 authors and bloggers from the 15th to the 18th have joined the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop and are giving away tons of prizes, included books, gift cards and book swag. The grand prize is a $71 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner's choice) as of this writing.

Caris Roane, myself and Bella Media Management are sponsoring the hop. To see the list of participating blogs, you can visit my author site at www.hdthomson.com. Hop to see you there!

Author Spotlight on Marin Thomas

The Cowboy Next Door
Cash Brothers Series

July 2013

Hard-working cowboy Johnny Cash has always been a protector to his little sister's best friend, sweet but tough cowgirl Shannon Douglas. It's pretty crazy for girls to ride bulls-yet it's her life to live. Then he realizes he's got some purely male instincts toward her, too. But absolutely no way can he fall for his boss's daughter-if he loses his job, there'll be hell to pay at home....

Shannon was raised to be strong and independent. She wants a national title so bad she can taste it-and she needs Johnny's help. His protectiveness drives her crazy... the same way his kisses do. But she's not about to hang up her bull rope because of him! Her heart says he's the one-but her own stubborn streak might push away the only man who might actually understand her.



Marin Thomas grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. She left the Midwest to attend college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she played basketball for the Lady Wildcats and earned a B.A. in Radio-TV. Following graduation she married her college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony at the historical Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years she and her family have lived in seven different states but have now come full circle and returned to Arizona where the rugged desert and breathtaking sunsets provide plenty of inspiration for Marin's cowboy books. 

Stake Your Claim re-released

Kim Watters here. I'm proud to announce that Amazon has re-released my former Avalon book Stake Your Claim. I love the new cover. How about you?

Eden Delgado holds Charles Kipling personally responsible for her father's death in a mining accident twenty years ago. There's no way she'll allow his smooth-talking, good-looking grandson, Jake, to resume operations.

Jake Kipling has his own agenda and wants to restore the family mining tradition in Arizona. As a Kipling, he wants to prove he can provide jobs and services as his ancestors once had. As a man, he wants to connect with his past and discover the life of a father he never knew. His father was also one of the men killed.

Eden, this passionate, loyal woman--a woman, who weaves her way into his heart and his soul--fascinates Jake. But when it comes to love, can Jake walk away from his obligations and his heritage? Can Eden, who is attracted to his strength and protectiveness, betray the cherished memories of her father by falling for him?

 
http://www.amazon.com/Stake-Your-Claim-Kim-Watters/dp/1477811087/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370955842&sr=1-7&keywords=kim+watters

Spotlight on author Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Human No Longer Backstory

By Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Human No Longer. It’s my 17^th published book – yeah! – and my fourth vampire novel. First, let me tell you where I got the idea for it. About five years ago, I was still trying to please the agent (who I no longer have) who’d sold four of my earlier paperback novels to Zebra in the 1990’s and, because she didn’t seem to like any of my new potential concepts, I asked her what she would like to see. Out of nowhere, she said, “You know your 1991 Zebra vampire novel, Vampire Blood? I liked that one a lot. The characters. Well, how about writing me a sort of sequel with basically the same cast, but with this premise: A woman, a mother, after being turned into a bloodthirsty vampire, must learn to adapt to the human world and still be a good mother. You know, how would she deal with everything when she had children she loved; didn’t want to hurt or leave them…but still had the need to feed on blood? Still had all the urges and desires of a vampire?

Yikes. I hated the idea but, to please her, I went ahead and begrudgingly wrote the book. I tentatively called it The Vampire’s Children or The Vampire Mother or something like that. I finished it. Not too happy with it. I had never liked writing what other people wanted me to write. Stubborn, I guess.

My agent, in the meantime, had begun her own online erotic (which I don’t much care to write) publishing company and when I’d gotten done with the novel she was too busy to even read the finished book. She handed it off to an apprentice intern. An intern? What? Who didn’t like it at all. Duh. So, disgusted, I tucked the file away on my computer and, fed up with the whole agent thing, returned to writing what I wanted to write. An end of days novel called A Time of Demons and a new vampire novel where the evil vampire wasn’t a mother. In 2010 I went with a new publisher, Kim Richards at Damnation Books/Eternal Press, and she contracted not only those two books but asked me if I’d like to rewrite, update and rerelease all 7 of my older out-of-print Leisure and Zebra paperbacks going back to 1984. Heck yes, I said! So for the next 2 years I was busy doing that. Some of those books were over twenty-five years old and very outdated. Their rewriting, editing and rereleasing took a lot of work and time.

Then, in late 2012, I decided to take a very old book of mine (Predator) which was contracted to Zebra Paperbacks in 1993 but, in the end, never actually released, and just for the heck of it, as my 16^th novel, self-publish it to Amazon Kindle Direct. Just in ebook form. A kind of grand experiment. The first time I’ve ever tried self-publishing. See how it’d sell. Dinosaur Lake. A story about a hungry mutant dinosaur loose in the waters of Crater Lake that goes on a rampage. Hey, I wrote Dinosaur Lake before Jurassic Park, the book, ever came out! Really. I had my cover artist, Dawne Dominique make a cover for it…and it was stunning with a dinosaur roaring on the front. And I did everything else myself. Editing. Proofing. Formatting. With forty years and endless publishers behind me I felt I was capable. And it’d been selling so well I decided to self-publish another one…and I remembered the mother/vampire book. Hmmm. So I revamped (ha, ha, inside joke), polished, and self-published it, as well. I retitled it Human No Longer. Got my fabulous cover artist, Dawne Dominique, to make me a lovely haunting cover with a troubled-looking woman standing outside a spooky house, with two children behind her in its shadows, on the front and voila! All in all, I don’t think the book turned out half bad. In fact, with the changes I made I think it’s not bad at all. Now I just hope my readers will like it.

So that’s the story of Human No Longer. My 17^th published novel.***

Amazon Kindle address: http://www.amazon.com/Human-No-Longer-ebook/dp/B00AU50VD6/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356736168&sr=1-9&keywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith

***************************************************************************

About Kathryn Meyer Griffith...

Since childhood I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21, over forty years ago now, and have had seventeen (ten romantic horror, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and two murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press and Amazon Kindle Direct.

I’ve been married to Russell for almost thirty-five years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha, live cats Cleo and Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Books available at Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith

                                                                                                            

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night (Leisure, 1984; Damnation Books, 2012)

The Heart of the Rose (Leisure, 1985; Eternal Press Author’s Revised Edition 2010)

Blood Forge (Leisure, 1989; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2012)

Vampire Blood (Zebra, 1991; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

The Last Vampire (Zebra, 1992; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition 2010)

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZU77j_q4S8

Witches (Zebra, 1993; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition 2011)

The Nameless One (short story in 1993 Zebra Anthology Dark Seductions; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

The Calling (Zebra, 1994; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

All Things Slip Away (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2006…Amazon Kindle Direct ebook & paperback 2013)

Egyptian Heart (The Wild Rose Press, 2007; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011) My self-made

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogCNYKzPqc

Winter’s Journey (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011)

You Tube Book Trailer address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZYCs2DVhHg

The Ice Bridge (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011)

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28HZqu-my1g

Don’t Look Back, Agnes novella & bonus short story: In This House (2008; ghostly romantic short story out; Eternal Press 2012) You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3q9rZryFMo

BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons (Damnation Books 2010) 

You Tube self-made Book trailer with original song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0-U9c2Lwfo

The Woman in Crimson (Eternal Press 2010)

You Tube Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcRBvDI5G4Y

The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Fiction: Volume 1 (I did the Introduction)

4 Spooky Short Stories (Amazon Kindle 2012)

Telling Tales of Terror (I did the chapter on Putting the Occult into your Fiction)

Dinosaur Lake (from Amazon Kindle Direct 2012)

Human No Longer (Amazon Kindle 2013)

Scraps of Paper –Revised Author’s Edition (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2003; Amazon Kindle ebook 2013)

My Websites:

http://www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith (to see all my book trailers with original music by my singer/songwriter brother JS Meyer)

http://www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.jacketflap.com/K.griffith

http://www.shoutlife.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/profile/KathrynMeyerGriffith 

http://www.romancebookjunction.ning.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

Spotlight on author K.T. Roberts

Elusive Justice
Book Two in the Gerard-Kensington Detective Series

Two detectives, two cases . . . seemingly unrelated until a baffling discovery entwines them forever . . .

Tate Kensington thought she was out of homicide for good. Missing Persons is hard on the heart, but it gives her the resources and spare time she needs to help a young girl desperately searching for her beloved brother.

Meanwhile, with a murder case that has him stumped, Zachary Gerard is beginning to resent all the time Tate's been devoting to her pet project instead of him. Zachary's murder victim is turning out to be way more than anyone ever suspected, and the red tape isn't making this case any easier.

When it suddenly becomes clear that the two cases are not as independent as Kensington or Gerard thought, secrets long buried will be revealed, and the pair will team up once again on the hunt for . . . Elusive Justice.

http://www.amazon.com/Elusive-Justice-Gerard-Kensington-Detective-ebook/dp/B00BEIKPES

Spotlight on author Connie Flynn

SHADOW ON THE MOON
Dana rushes to the Arizona mountains to save the wolves she has vowed to protect. They aren't the ones killing hikers and campers, but something is, and before Dana knows it, that 'something' is hunting her.

SHADOW OF THE WOLF
Lily wasn't born a predator, someone made her that way and she managed to escape, but her past is chasing her -- the Shaman who's vowed to avenge his dead wife and the werewolf who made Lily and intends to drag her back for punishment.

THE FIRE OPAL
A Cajun woman returns for her mother's funeral to a bayou she fled from so long ago. Unspeakable evil lives in that swamp and the only hope for the town residents is the Fire Opal that she must get back. But not alone. The childhood sweetheart she deserted has returned to stand by her side.

OLD BONES
All she wanted was a beautiful remodeled home, but when digging brings up a skull of unknown origin and her rebuild is put on hold, she finds herself racing for her life inside the natural history museum with no idea who or what was chasing her.

Author blurb:

 The books of Connie Flynn, a bestselling, award-winning author of ten novels and several short stories. She has been putting her legacy books on Kindle as time allows and is also working of several new novels. She writes in several genres, including paranormal romance, romantic comedy and action/adventure, contemporary fantasy. She also writes mystery/suspense as K.C. Flynn. Look for several new releases in 2013.

Amazon author page: http://amazon.com/author/connieflynn -- link for books
Website, http://connieflynn.com
Blog: http://imaginationgonewild322.blogspot.com/
Facebook Social Page: https://www.facebook.com/connie.flynn.378
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieFlynnAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConnieFlynn
Email: connieflynn@yahoo.com
Subscribe to Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/qOHbT

Seduction to the Altar by Tia Dani

We are excited to announce that Seduction to the Altar is now on the forthcoming list, and available for pre order, at Breathless Press.

Blurb:

Maria Tortorici needs a husband. Her high-school reunion is imminent, and awaiting her is a bet she made long ago. Bring a husband or face the music. Determined not to be the victim of her mischievous girlfriends, Maria devises a plan...enchant her younger assistant with a birthday present he’ll never forget.

Sexual attraction isn’t the only thing Edward Russell has for his boss. She’s everything he wants in a woman. The hang-up? How to convince her he’s man enough to handle a strong-minded woman like her.

But will he still want her once he learns of her conniving plan?

http://www.breathlesspress.com/seduction-altar

More good news for Tia Dani. We signed a contract with Breathless Press for a second book with them. We'll talk about that book next time.

Until next month happy writing.

Tia Dani

Death Unseen

Available now from The Wild Rose Press

Come Fly With Me

Available now from Amazon

Protecting Katie - Free for Limited Time

Protecting Katie is up on Amazon as a free download for a limited time. It actually hit #42 in Amazon's Contemporary Romance list, which was a very nice surprise to wake up to!

Below is a short blurb of the contemporary romance:

5 Stars and Top Read - Writers and Readers of Distinct Fiction

"Not wanting to ruin the ending for the reader, I will say this, a brilliantly written story. One I completely recommend to anyone who likes a good book....Bravo! I loved it!" - Terri Ann Armstrong, WRDF Reviews

Morgan Stone will do anything to keep his daughter, Katie. But would he steal? Yes. Lie? Absolutely. Cheat? Most definitely.

When Jeff, Katie’s biological father, threatens to file for paternity, Morgan, blind to anything but the need to protect Katie, strikes back with photographs of Jeff with one woman while engaged to another. With evidence of his ex-partner’s infidelity, he meets Jeff’s fiancée, Kristen St. John. In less than thirty seconds, he destroys her dreams with damning photographs of Jeff in the arms of another woman.

Can Kristin believe the evidence of her fiancés’ infidelity? Caught in the middle of a battle between two men, Kristin doesn’t know who to believe or trust, especially her heart when it comes to Morgan. She finds herself falling for this fierce, loyal man. But when it comes to loving Kristen, will Morgan find it within himself to give up everything, even Katie?

You can download your free copy here at Amazon.

Also, Shrouded in Darkness, my paranormal book, the first in the shrouded series is on sale for $99 at Amazon. This is also for a limited time.

Happy Black Friday.

Kim Watters here.....because I'm crazy enough to hit the stores to shop today, I didn't schedule any author interviews. So I'm going to leave you with a few blurbs of the short stories I have up over at Kindle and Barnes and Noble. Enjoy.

Discovering Jenna

Reclusive children’s author Jenna Winslow hides behind her books to keep life from disappointing her. She’d rather spend her time in museums with the dinosaurs she writes about, until she meets a man who makes her want to live again.

Matt McCutcheon is confined to a wheelchair but doesn’t let life confine him. He’s determined to unearth the mysteries of a woman whose physical scars camouflage wounds that go far deeper. But are his efforts to unlock the warmth and beauty inside Jenna enough to draw her back into the land of the living?

http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Jenna-ebook/dp/B005PII8XS

Dog Days of Summer

An introvert at heart, newly divorced Emily Bryant will do anything to bring a smile back to her son’s lips--even adopt a complete stranger’s dog from a want-ad. But once she meets the owner, Daniel Gibbs, and the big-eared, furry mutt, Sir Isaac Newton, the smile she so desperately wants for Jeremy might just grace her lips as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Days-of-Summer-ebook/dp/B005PIMJEW

Scales of Love

All Rachel Haskin wants is one good man who will accept her and her menagerie of unusual and cold-blooded pets. When her cousin sets her up on a blind date, will Seth Armstrong fulfill her ideal for the perfect husband material, or will he just be another one date catastrophe in the making?

http://www.amazon.com/Scales-of-Love-ebook/dp/B0062PEEVI

When Johnny Comes Home

Audrey Robert’s masquerade is about to end in disaster. For years, she’s written love letters to Johnny and signed them with her sister’s name. Now, the man she adores is coming home to marry his pen pal and Audrey is left to face the consequences of her deception.

Injured during D-Day, Johnny Davenport is shipped home. His only plan: to find the woman whose love letters kept him sane and hopeful throughout the destruction of war. Nothing will stop him from drawing out the beautiful, shy girl he left behind and making her his wife.

But once the true writer is revealed which sister will he claim?

http://www.amazon.com/When-Johnny-Comes-Home-ebook/dp/B0062PBDX0/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322164870&sr=1-2

The Five Parts Of Amazon

Amazon, Amazon, Amazon! This eRetailer sets the example for the power of online selling. Currently, the largest online retailer in the United States, Amazon did over 9 Billion in sales in the first Quarter of 2011. Not bad for a website that started out initially selling books.

We may wonder how these huge profits might benefit all of us – the little guy. They certainly do. Because of their large profit margin, Amazon has been the leader in developing one of the most user-friendly programs for authors to promote and sell their books. The benefits do come back to us by way of better software development, better book sales programs and customer support. The Amazon programs for authors are the easiest to work with and navigate in the industry and have set the standard for the other eRetailers such as Barnes & Noble and Google eBooks. Apple is limping behind. Below are the Five Parts of Amazon that you as a writer should be familiar with:

Amazon Advantage

Amazon Advantage is considered a “self-service consignment program” where you can sell and promote your books online. You apply for membership ($29.95), indicate the title(s) you have for sale and Amazon orders books directly from you and sends them to the customer. You pay for shipping to Amazon. Amazon keeps 55% of the List Price set by you but they have the right to change the price. More at: http://amzn.to/ax8Bk

Sell on Amazon

Sell on Amazon is for Individual and Professional Sellers. This program is for those who want to sell their book on Amazon and handle the stocking and shipping themselves. You list your items, handle payment from customers and ship the item. Amazon takes a small fee and you keep the rest. More at: http://amzn.to/kmI8pU

Create Space

Create Space is Amazon’s Print-on-Demand program for print books. You only order the number of print books you need. Set up is fairly easy and your book is listed on Amazon and you receive 40% royalties of the list price. Firebird can help you prepare your manuscript in print format if needed at a very good price. More at: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/

KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)

This is the Kindle eBook Publishing part of Amazon where you can self-publish your books for the sale in the Kindle Store. Royalties are 70% of the list price. Your readers can purchase your book for reading on Kindle devices and use the Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, and Android-based devices. More at: https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin

Author Central

Author Central is an author information site where if you have a book listed on Amazon in print or eBook, you can set up an Author Central account. With this program you can promote yourself, track your sales and ranking, connect with other authors and readers, feed your blog, list your website and generate sales. Many of the top authors on Amazon use Author Central to increase their exposure and therefore sell books and eBooks. Kind of like a social media hub for authors and readers. We highly recommend you set up an Author Central account if you have not done so already. More at: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/landing

Note: Use your existing Amazon account as your login to keep them connected.