Month: November 2022

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Reviews are GOLD

Today is the third and final day to pick up your copy of my new children’s ebook, Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake. This is the third book in the series, Riley’s Adventures with Granny in the Mountains.

In this edition Riley visits Granny through his dreams as he naps in the car on the way to visit his “PapaBanana” and play with their sweet fur baby, Mia. Granny, of course, spoils him with one of her favourites, roasted marshmallows, and when they go to wash the sticky evidence from his face, Riley is startled by the reflection of another canine friend.

Granny teaches him about the coyotes and wolves that live in Jasper National Park then sends him home along a rainbow slide to PapaBanana’s house to play with Mia.

Christmas is coming

As I type that, I hear in my head “winter is coming” LOL – those of you who are Game of Thrones fans will get a chuckle. Well, winter is already here in Jasper, though I know that my Ontario friends are still enjoying some sunshine and warmth. As of today, there are 40 days until Christmas. Perhaps someone on your list will enjoy Riley’s Adventures! Why not pick up up all 3 paperback copies for someone on your shopping list? This is a great gift for under $40 and helps to support your local entrepreneur!

Here is a fun little Christmas Countdown that you may enjoy. You can even write letters to Santa or figure out your elf name – https://yourchristmascountdown.com/

Apparently my elf name is CandyCane Dustytoes!

Tips for Writing a Helpful Review

Reviews are so important to me as an author! I personally don’t buy anything online unless it has a good number of reviews and those reviews are 4 or better. When you can’t physically hold something to make a buying decision – reviews are your BEST friend. Both as a purchaser and as a seller.

Here are some tips that you may want to consider when writing a review:

  • State the name of the book in your write-up – keywords are important for rankings
  • Tell a bit about the book – a one line synopsis of what it was about
  • What did you particularly like about it
  • Was there something you hoped you would see or questions for the author
  • If you feel the product is sub-par – contact the seller/author directly to give them a chance to make it right before publishing a poor review.
  • Who would enjoy the book?
  • Would you purchase it again?

What are YOUR top tips for writing a review?

Do you write reviews? How do you write them? Do you only write one if you’ve had a terrible experience and you are mad as hornets? or Do you take the time to write only about a particularly great experience?

I would love to hear from you

When you are blogging/posting, it can sometimes feel that you are writing to the great abyss. Perhaps I am only amusing myself with my witty comments and observations. Please feel free to like, share, post comments and feedback, email me or message me with any constructive advice. I am constantly learning and evolving as a writer and your feedback is invaluable to me.

Thank you – thank you – thank you!

I can’t say it enough – thank you to everyone who has downloaded the free ebook, purchased the paperback copies, liked, commented or shared my posts, or even just sent me some positive vibes for success. I’m truly grateful and love you all.

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Free eBook Nov 12, 13, 14

FREE FOR 3 DAYS ONLY – Nov 12, 13, 14, 2022

This is just a quick reminder to all my wonderful supporters that my new children’s ebook, Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake is available for free on Amazon. I have also made book 2, Old Fort Point and Big Horn Sheep available for free.

Please forgive my newbie-ness!

I’m an independent publisher so I’ve been taking courses, reading everything I can get my eyes on to learn about how to format, publish and promote my books as I don’t have a professional team of designers, editors, publishers and marketers behind me. Please bear with me as I tiptoe through the process.

Book 1 – Pyramid Mountain and Mule Deer – Free Nov. 14

As it happens, my renewal date for the KDP Select enrolment landed smack in the middle of my 3-day free ebook launch. (insert facepalm here) Soooo… I am able to offer it at this time for one day only – FREE on November 14th.

No Strings Attached

Oftentimes when items are offered for free, people are looking for the catch. There is no catch. I want as many people as possible to have a free copy of all 3 books. I really do!

My hope is that you will enjoy them so much that you will tell your friends, and they’ll tell their friends and so on.

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Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake

Where does inspiration come from?

To Andrew.
He takes me on the best adventures and thinks everything I do is amazing.

The dedications at the front of a book are often skimmed over and I’ve done so myself many times. But when you publish a book, this entry is one of the most important pages.

There are many people involved in the process, even when you are self-publishing.

Who do you choose to recognize? Who had a potentially profound impact on the book actually coming into existence? Who has put up with your zoned-outness as you agonize about the wording, placing, spacing or font? Who has patted you on the back countless times when your file was rejected again and again for the tiniest alignment error? Who has cheered you on and put your project at the top of their list whenever you needed help? Who takes you on the best adventures?

Thank you, Andrew

I couldn’t wait to sign the dedication for Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake because of the many adventures that Andrew and I have enjoyed there. It’s our favourite birthday, holiday or any day spot to have a bonfire and some camp food while we take photos and time lapse sunrise/sunset shots. He is even included in Jennifer’s paintings to pay homage to his never-ending love and support for all my creative projects.

We’ve actually seen wolves at the location depicted in the book and recorded them howling at night. What an exhilarating experience that was! I don’t yet have any great shots of wolves of my own, so Andrew was kind enough to allow me to use one of his. (Shown at the back of the book)

Coyotes are abundant and we often see them trotting along the roadsides or in the field outside our back window. On one occasion we watched one attempt to sneak up on a few elk grazing in the field. Being a smart creature, it scampered off when the elk took a couple steps and gave a stomp.

Thank you – again!

Thank you for going on this adventure with me. I’m thrilled to have released the third book in Riley’s Adventures with Granny in the Mountains – Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake.

Don’t forget to pick up your FREE copy starting today

FREE FOR 3 DAYS ONLY – Nov 12, 13, 14, 2022

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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Now Live on Amazon! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Book 3 – Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake

Coyote at the edge of the forest looking back

Join Riley and Granny at Pyramid Lake where they have a sticky fireside treat and catch glimpses of some furry forest friends that remind him of his friend, Mia.

I am tickled to share that my new children’s book is now live on Amazon! It seems such a simple task when following the courses and tutorials…but as you may recall from my musings about Book 2, it is far from simple!

Keywords, Categories and Phrases, oh my!

It often feels like the enchanted forest with a thick, intricate web of roots and branches and the occasional apple knocking me on the noggin, but alas! The KDP wizards have given me my wish and my beautiful book is out there for all the world to enjoy. *A curious question – What words did or would you search when looking for this book?

Your feedback on this is more helpful than you can imagine because I want to make sure that my book gets in front of the right people. The kids, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. who will appreciate the beautiful images that Jennifer created and the story that incorporates a little bit of learning about Jasper National Park and a LOT of love.

Before I attempt any marketing, I am keeping it low key for THREE DAYS ONLY and offering the ebook for FREE. Who doesn’t love free stuff, right?

FREE FOR 3 DAYS ONLY – Nov 12, 13, 14, 2022

No, I’m not soft in the brain and yes, I do want to actually sell my books to generate income. To boil down everything that I’ve learned through courses, research and trial and error – in order to become noticed, it is important to build a repertoire of reviews. I don’t buy anything without checking independent reviews.

The more reviews, the better AND a “verified review” makes the Amazon algorithms notice me more, which in turn, puts my books in front of more potential buyers.

When you purchase it, even for zero dollars and post a review, you are now a verified reviewer. It doesn’t provide as much leverage as a regular sale, but it’s an excellent start for ‘lil ole me as an independent publisher.

Do you know that you have a Super Power?

You do. Your opinion matters. Your honest review of my book, which I’m offering for free, is invaluable. Just find my book here on Amazon, purchase the ebook for FREE. Of course, I am hoping that you will love it so much that you want to share it with everyone that you think would also love it. And before you ask, YES you can even share it while it is free for purchase! Please share it with anyone that you think may enjoy it and ask them to write a review.

My books are available on Amazon in several countries. If you have friends anywhere in the world, be sure to share with them, too!

Riley’s Adventures with Granny in the Mountains – Coyotes and Wolves at Pyramid Lake is the third book in my series. Available in ebook format for FREE on November 12, 13 and 14.

What about the paperback?

Of course the paperback version is available for purchase. My hope is that you will love the ebook so much that you will want to purchase it for your own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews etc.

UK Storyteller Contest – fun fact!

KDP has this amazing opportunity for authors to enter the UK Storyteller contest simply by including them in my keywords. The Kindle Storyteller Award is a £20,000 literary prize recognizing outstanding writing. It is open to writers publishing in English in any genre, who publish their work through Kindle Direct Publishing. Readers play a significant role in selecting the winner, helped by a panel of judges including various book industry experts. Thus your Super Powers could really make a difference here.

Thank You

From the bottom of my heart – if you’ve made it this far – thank you. In a world of 1 minute videos, thank you for taking the time to get to know me and have a look at my books.