Blog Tour: This Much Is True by Katherine Owen *Review*.
A heartfelt review of This Much Is True. #loveit!
There’s a giveaway. Be sure to enter at the link provided at the end of the blog post linked to this entry.
18 Tuesday Feb 2014
Posted Amazon, Best sellers, books, e-books, Giveaway, women's fiction
inBlog Tour: This Much Is True by Katherine Owen *Review*.
A heartfelt review of This Much Is True. #loveit!
There’s a giveaway. Be sure to enter at the link provided at the end of the blog post linked to this entry.
17 Sunday Nov 2013
Tags
Amazon, author, books, Bourone, D.C. Bourone, e-book evolution, fiction, novel, readers
Wet or Dry, Chapter 1: The Listening Room by D.C. Bourone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
D.C. Bourone’s incredible writing continues to dominate my mind long after I’ve finished this unfinished novel. Please take note that Bourone warns readers that this novel will probably never be finished so at the very beginning the writer asks you to take a chance and invest your time. It is well worth the dive into the deep recesses of your mind if only to experience Bourone’s literary style. I haven’t come across a writer like this in a long time. D.C. Bourone’s writing reads poetic, essentially lyrical.
Here’s one of my favorite passages from the novel:
“Men are a fire that burns even in the absence of fuel,” the Life Coach had intoned. “And boys? Boys are men, unhampered by conscience, fevered by optimism, enchanted with risk, insensible to any pain as long as it is yours. They will demolish you, consume you, step across the smoldering corpse of your dreams without tear or apology. Men. Boys. Make no distinction. You are warned.”
And this one…
“Evolution cares nothing for your happiness,” the Coach continued. “Evolution designed you to bond with the male in a way he will never bond with you, to weld your heart to his in dreams if not reality, because without him you would starve, freeze, be devoured. Because without him your line would be extinguished. Forever. Evolution made you a slave, a slave to love, a slave whose only refuge was the fantasy of love and love returned. Today evolution as a force of nature is dead. If someday you choose to procreate, there are ways far more graceful than those requiring a man. If someday you find the need for a man, a particular man, has clouded your mind, interfered with your happiness, corrupted that which you have chosen for yourself, you will…?
“Remember Simone,” the girls replied.
This story is chilling and mind-blowing on so many levels and Bourone’s delivery is pitch perfect. A reader may not want to see this future and most likely fail to understand it, but Bourone lays it out there with such fascinating detail it feels like truth and appears to be real. Wet or Dry. I’ll read it again and again and wistfully hope for more from this talented writer, D.C. Bourone.
A must read, just for the amazing writing alone. D.C. Bourone has a story to tell and we should all listen.
15 Thursday Aug 2013
Tags
Amazon, author, bestseller, books, e-book evolution, fiction, journey, new book, Nook, women writers
New Adult | Adult Fiction Novel | Owen’s latest release – This Much Is True
Overview:
Fate brings them together
Fame & Lies keep them apart
One truth remainsโฆ
Sheโs become the Paly High girl with the most tragic storyโฆ At 17, Tally Landon just wants to graduate and leave for New York to pursue ballet. Her best friend Marla convinces her to attend one last partyโa college partyโwhere she can be among strangers and escape the whisperings about her tragic loss that follows her everywhere she goes. She meets Lincoln Presley, Stanfordโs famous baseball wonder and has a little fun at his expense when she lies about her age and who she really is intent on being someone else for the night and escaping her tragic story.
His only focus is baseball, but he canโt forget the girl he saved on Valentineโs Dayโฆ At 22, Lincoln Presleyโs star is on the riseโabout to finish at Stanford and expected to be taken early in Major League Baseballโs upcoming draftโhis cousinโs party serves as a welcome distraction. But then, he sees the girl from Valentineโs Day that he saved from that horrific car accident and canโt quite hide his disappointment when she appears to look right through him and not remember him at all. He vows to learn her name at least before he leaves. Whatโs the harm in getting to know this girl? Whatโs the worst that can happen? ย
They share this incredible connection, but fate soon tests these star-crossed lovers in all kinds of ways… And yet, despite the lies being told to protect the other, and the trappings of fame that continually separate them, and in lieu of the deception by those theyโve come to trust the most; one truth remains.
This much is true. ย ย
NOW AVAILABLE as an eBook for Kindle and eBook readers at the following retailers: Amazon,Amazon UK,ย Apple iBookstore,ย Barnes & Noble,Kobo.
In Print ~ TRADE PAPERBACK 6″ X 9″ coming soon…
22 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted Amazon, books, contemporary fiction, Inspiration, print versions, readers, women's fiction
inTags
Amazon, bestseller, books, e-book evolution, fiction, novel, women's fiction
I’ve had this incredible week–the unplanned kind that you start and you’re too far in to turn back? Yes, that kind of week. I can’t even begin to tell you how arduous it was, but the results are this much improved, edited version of Not To Us for both avid eBook readers and print-only ones as well (as soon as next week with the updated trade paperback version). Today, Not To Us will be featured on BookBub, an advertising site that features a finite amount of eBooks and easily catapults novels to the top of bestseller lists for days at a time. People love a good read and a bargain (value; right?) rolled into one. So, Today, June 22nd, Not To Us (the eBook version) will be on sale for the awesome price of $0.99 cents at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo (hello, Canada!).
I don’t put her on sale very much because this particular novel is often misunderstood. Don’t read it, if you have a problem with infidelity and love triangles or books that will make you cry. Do read it, if you like roller coaster stories where it’s hard to guess what happens next. That is this novel.
After reading through the story multiple times for the edited updates, (because; yes, I’m a comma queen) I have to say I LOVE the story of Ellie and Michael. Don’t judge. I think this story is powerful and true and moving. Yes, there’s tragedy, but out of the ashes of these broken people is immense strength and love. So, if you haven’t read Not To Us, you should. It’s fiction for adults. There’s bad language and shocking story lines, but it will carry you away for an afternoon. Enjoy!
Here’s the premise:
There are all kinds of ways for a relationship to be tested, even broken, some, irrevocably; it’s the endings we’re unprepared for. Ellie
Ellie’s perfect world unravels.
A best friend’s betrayal ends her marriage.
An alarming diagnosis threatens her life.
Yet.
It all leads to Michael…
But, fate soon tests their perfect union.
And, begs the question: if you get a second chance, do you take a different path?
What “they” say… Praise for Not To Us
“Strong characterizations and intriguing plot lines kept me riveted to this novel. The storyline of couples facing midlife crisis that tears them apart and still brings them together is very moving…” Marta Hartman BookRooster
“This book was the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster, and I say that with a smile on my face…I read through this book rather quickly, because it captivated me so much…” Stephanie Goodreads
ย “… I have to say I loved it. It is the story of how a woman’s life falls apart from one day to the next and how she keeps it together. Or not…” pj “pj” Bookrooster
My answer when asked…
What was the basis for Not To Us?
I wanted to explore a few heavy themes and started with these types of questions: What happens in a relationship that seems to have everything? What happens when one is betrayed? By a husband? By a best friend? What happens to a person when they’re confronted with a life-threatening illness? Does he or she strive to change their course? Choose a different path? These story lines intrigued me and became the basis for Not To Us. In this novel, both Michael and Ellie strive to do the right thing, most of the time, but they both respond to grief in the same kind of way, seeking consolation from others, not trusting each other, or themselves. I wanted to write about how tragedy can change or alter a person’s life, and even, perhaps, change their behavior and choices.
Here’s the cover update coming for the print edition of Not To Us. I went back to an earlier photograph for the back cover. Note the darkened sky and the whited-out couple holding hands as if they’re not really there. This captures the epitome of Michael and Ellie, I think. Also, see the shadowed hands below? I love that. Their shadow exists even when the rest of them doesn’t. It captures the essence of their love story quite well. Love the front cover because the guy looking at the blond is truly a reflection of Michael and Ellie. And, you say you haven’t read it yet? You should. Oh, I said that already; didn’t I?
11 Tuesday Jun 2013
Posted Amazon, awesome moment, books, e-books, writing
inTags
Amazon, bestseller, books, e-book evolution, fiction, pay-off, perseverance, success
I’m mentioned in a post about a long-time discussion on the topic of “free”. In this case…eBooks. The post is here. I am about 3/4 of the way down in the post with my thoughts on free.
I participated in KDP Select for all of 2012 but gave up that tactic at the beginning of the year. It’s not a strategy (free books); it’s a tactic. There’s a difference.ย My long-term strategy is to reach a lot of readers with my work and there was a time when giving away free eBooks was tactical part of that strategy. However, I did not garner 80,000 new readers. Some people read the book (Seeing Julia) after they discover it on their Kindle a year later. What?
As part of my controlling nature, I watch the sales numbers of my books on a daily basis, so I am able to discern trends (for the most part). For me, KDP Select (the offering of free books for 5 days during a 90 day period of exclusivity) stopped being effective late last year.
How do I know? Well, in March of 2012, I gave away 80,000+ copies of Seeing Julia; yet, in doing a free promotion at the end of the summer that same type of campaign shrunk to less than five percent in downloads (Kindle). I have over 100+ reviews on Seeing Julia but nowhere near the number of downloads for the book. Huge swing. Same marketing strategy. Others will go into the reasons why, but from my little novelist perch, I can tell you that Amazon, too, is de-emphasizing free books. They want book sales just as much as an author does.
The exclusivity thing was a bit of a problem for me because I wanted to reach readers beyond Kindle/Amazon. I decided to take my books out of the Amazon KDP Select program at the end of the year and I started listing them with Apple and Barnes & Noble, and Kobo (Yay! Canada). The sales have been good and advertising campaigns with BookBub and Ereader News Today always provides a lift when I need it; because the most important thing is to reach readers.
A picture of Pacific City, OR for your viewing pleasure. Tranquility.
Conclusion? It IS a constant…this marketing.Your mileage may vary. If you love KDP Select. Great. I want to reach readers everywhere. And…tablet sales are exploding. PC Sales are down. Kindle sales are flat. Do the math. People are moving toward tablets and phones. Focus on all of that and you can answer your own question ~ what should I be doing/focusing upon?
In light of all of this, I constantly remind myself that I’m in it for the long haul. It just takes one reader. Just one reader, who reads your book and tells a friend; and then they tell someone. Word-of-mouth is grand. That’s how it works. How do I know? I got this nice little note just yesterday:
Any new books in the works from you? I love your writing so much and hope you have something new for me (and your other fans) to look forward to! I’ve recommended your books to many of my girlfriends who are all in agreement with me. Your writing is something special and captures the heart of a woman.
Please keep writing!
What’s not to love about that?
So, thank you to my readers!!!
And, xoxo to my writerly friends…