A Lot Accomplished

After taking Tuesday off from my desk to go into Port Orange to get an MRI done on my back and to take care of some other business, yesterday was another busy day for me, but I got a lot accomplished.

I started out by correcting two typos in my new book Pucker Factor that sharp-eyed readers found that somehow managed to slip past all of the proofreaders. It can be frustrating, given all the time we spent reviewing the manuscript repeatedly, but I know it happens. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to make those corrections and then upload the revised manuscript to Amazon.

My next step was finishing up my free author’s newsletter announcing the release of the new book and sending it out to my subscribers. The subscription list has grown to over 2,000 now, and if you would like to be added to it send me an e-mail at editor@gypsyjournal.net with your e-mail address. I never share subscriber information with anybody else, so you don’t have to worry about getting spammed.

With all of that done, I did an online interview with a mystery book blogger who had contacted me about a month ago asking if she could interview me. This happens every so often, and I’ve done many interviews with different bloggers and book review sites, but something didn’t feel right from the start. She had told me it was a new blog, and she was excited to have a New York Times bestselling author to interview for it. But judging by the questions she was asking, it was obvious she had no idea who I was or what books I had written in the past. Most people who interview you do some homework ahead of time so they have an idea of the kind of questions they want to ask.

We got through the interview, and to be honest with you, I felt like it was a waste of time. That was confirmed when 20 minutes later, she sent me an invoice for $75, which she expected me to pay for her to publish the interview in her blog. Sorry lady, that’s not going to happen. I have plenty of publicity already, and I’m not going to pay you for any of it. There are so many scammers out there looking for a way to stick it to new authors that it’s almost like a jungle. My good friend, author TW Robinson, wrote an excellent guide to help authors self-publish their books and avoid these kinds of scams. If you have any interest in writing and self-publishing, check out How To Self-Publish Your Book For Free And Not Get Conned.

Speaking of Pucker Factor, last night, it was #65 on Amazon’s Hot New Release list for mysteries, #24 on their Hot New Release list for Police Procedurals, and #1,731 in the Kindle Store out of all the millions of e-books on Amazon. Thank you all for your support.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Watching Over Me: A Psychological Thriller, the first book in the heart-racing Crime After Crime series by M K Farrar and M.A. Comley. Trust me, this British crime writing duo know how to keep readers on the edge of their seats from the first page to the last!

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Drunk is when you feel sophisticated but can’t pronounce it.