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But first - I do hope your Christmas was fun for all of you! Here's to having an equally fun and delightful New Year as well!
And finally, I do hope you liked the sneak peeks I've included in my first newsletter. So...did you? Do let me know! Eager to hear from you!
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So...
I have Sneak Peek #1 approved by my publisher. I've long completed Sneak Peek #2 but I'm giving it one final polish before resubmitting it to my publisher for approval. Aaaaaand...I'm going to burn some midnight oil tonight (although at the time I'm writing this it may be still morning in your part of the world) perfecting Sneak Peek #3, which - I have to admit - I am super EXCITED about. If you haven't subscribed yet, you still have time to do so! I'm not sure if you'll still be able to receive my first newsletter if it's already been sent out by the time you've subscribed. As it should be apparent by now, I'm very much a newsletter newbie. =D Sorry! Anyway, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe - that way I can hear back from you guys. I'm dyiiiiing to know what you guys think once you've read all the sneak peeks! P.S. Freebie promotion for Drawn and Death Loves Me Not has officially ended. I hope lots of you got to check it out! So...one of the greatest things I love about Kindle - and which has been making me think really hard about buying an actual Kindle (I'm just using the app for now) even though I already have an iPad (and still in love with it, Gen 1 it may be) is its SHARED NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS feature. I have to admit - it's cool when you see even just a few readers highlighting passages. Thought I'd share some of them in this post. Evren: Enter the Dragonette I have to admit - this one is my favorite as well. “Why does it have to be protein anyway?” Drawn: His Secret Toy This one is also my favorite. I'm glad others think so as well. You know how sometimes couples say cheesy stuff like you’re my Romeo to my Juliet, you’re my Rob to my Kristen – well, before they broke up anyway. Well, for Yuki and me, he’s Ursula to my Ariel. He totally takes my voice away. The Werewolf Prince and I This one admittedly surprised me. I'm guessing - a lot of you are fans of Jayme? “I can prove I’m attracted to you if you want,” Jayme offered wickedly when he saw the wariness in her eyes. How about you guys? Anything I missed that you want included here? :) Sometime next week, I'll post more quotes - from my other favorite books.
No more bad news, I promise. It's all good from hereon.
Check out the My Books page.
The Werewolf Prince and I made it to the Top 20 last weekend! The highest spot it took was #17. Now it's back to #22 but maybe we'll do better next weekend! Edited version will be submitted to the publisher anytime this week but I'm not sure if she can also have it out this week or next. But at least you know it's really SOON. =D I've mentioned this in my homepage already, but do expect my first newsletter to be out on Christmas Day! Oh and speaking of my homepage, I've also edited that to include some of the books I have on my iPad. Looking forward to reading them! That's it for now. I'm actually down with a really n I've been getting bad reviews lately.
I don't mind when they come from readers - like I promised before, the edited version of The Werewolf Prince and I will come out soon so I can only hope they download it again and have a better reading experience the second time around. I am, however, extremely shocked and dismayed at how nasty the competition can get. It's been my absolute honor to have The Werewolf Prince and I reach the Top 25 of Erotica and rank #308 (so far) overall. Thank you so much for that! As for those having second thoughts about the book, I just want to remind you to please evaluate the reviews / comments made about the book carefully. Is it from someone who made a verified purchase of the book? Since all my books are only available in Amazon and I and my publisher only give out unpaid copies to established book bloggers, I can't see how any person is able to get a hold of my book without a verified purchase (even free downloads come with this tag). Maybe they borrowed it? Yes, so why is it that this reviewer who made me feel really down says it's a good thing she didn't spend MUCH on my book. That implies she paid for it, right? Check the reviewer's other reviews. So this person says in the review she reads 200 books a year and TWPaI is by far the worst she's read this year. This makes me check her profile and - oh. I'm her only review. I guess the book's that bad - in comparison with the other books out this year. But what about the other books she read in the previous years? How is it my book is the only one she reviewed in all the years she's been devouring 200 books a year? I guess that makes my book THE WORST BOOK EVER IN HER ENTIRE 200-BOOKS-A-YEAR HISTORY? Possible. I'm just not buying it. Anyone who says differently, you're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to mine as well. Check the reviewer's background. I'm not saying all reviews with unverified purchases are bad. Not at all! Some of them are likely because they were from book bloggers who received free copies for reviewing. Case in point: a review made for Drawn. It's a three-star rating. Nothing mind-blowing about that rating. It's even the lowest rating I got for Drawn BUT I LOVED IT. That review was from a book blogger who had a free copy of my book for review. She was honest about what she thought of my book and I'm all for that. I don't care that the review dragged down the overall rating of my book. I loved how honest it was, is all. So readers, just beware of those unwarranted reviews. I'm just still getting the hang of this publishing war in Amazon so forgive me if I rant now and then. I'm just sad that some would go to this extent. I mean, why? At the end of the day, we are all book lovers essentially. I LOVE BOOKS BY EL JAMES, SYLVIA DAY, RK LILLEY, SARA FAWKES, KATE DAWES, AND I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO READ THE BOOKS BY OLIVIA C.! I want to read so many more books of other authors and really - my bibliophile's heart can only get bigger and bigger as I discover more and more authors to love. I just wish others would feel the same, too. If you did - and wondering why I'm taking so long to reply, it's because my email inbox somehow tagged Weebly comment notifications as spam!
GRRR. If I hadn't checked my spam folder today, I wouldn't ever have known! But - it's all fixed now. I've changed comment settings so that you can see your comments posted without requiring my approval. I just hope this won't get abused. =/ Bashers should just, umm, bash elsewhere. So that's it for now - back to work and will check everything out on Monday again! I'm going to be honest.
When I first created the newsletter thingy you see in my homepage, I totally did not expect anyone to sign up for it. I only created one since I saw other authors had one as well and I might as well do so before my publisher tells me, hey, how come you haven't thought of sending out newsletters to reach out more to your readers? Bad writer! The thing is, I didn't expect people to sign up for it. But what do you know - there are actually people who did sign up for it - and I didn't even have to twist their arm or threaten their lives to do so! However, this leaves me in a bit of a muddle. I mean, what do I talk about? And how do I thank you guys for subscribing? Recently, I dropped by the Facebook page of author Shannon Mayer - and was shocked that she was giving away a Kindle Fire for one lucky fan. I immediately thought, I'm a fan! Can I join? And yeah, I know. Bad writer. Very bad. That contest is for readers only! Anyway, I wish I've reached the point where I can raffle out something that awesome as well but not just yet. Maybe in the near future. Who knows, right? Let's keep our fingers crossed for that one. But back to my newsletter... With Christmas approaching, I keep thinking - what can I give out to you guys and what I can feature for my very first newsletter? Then I had that light-bulb moment. Eureka! How about... A sneak peek of the prologue to Evren? As well as... The first chapter of the spin-off novel from the Moretti Series (and no, don't worry, this won't interrupt with the time frame for the release of Book 2 of Misty and Domenico's rollercoaster romance). So what do you guys think? As an indie author - even one supported by an actual publisher - you really still have to learn how to crank up marketing. One of the best ways to do so - IMHO - is through reviews from book bloggers. Even though there's always a risk that they won't like your book, the rewards are greater when they do end up liking your book.
Take I Heart Books for instance. Their wonderful founder Jeanette got in touch with me through a social networking site. Long story short, imagine my surprise when this exchange eventually led to The Werewolf and I being reviewed by none other than Amanda Heath herself - THE author of This Beautiful Thing, which is one of my fave sexy reads. Oh, and even more unbelievably - she loved my book enough to give it a 5-star rating! Color me starstruck and awestruck. Now, Jeanette also had another of her co-reviewers check out my other book - Drawn. This time, I got a three-star rating (like I said, it won't always be a bed of roses with book bloggers). Normally, three-star reviews make me wince and question my right to existence (anything lower makes me want to hide in shame) but you know what - it's THE best three-star review I've ever gotten. It's also, I feel, the best example of why I love having my books reviewed by book bloggers. 1) They know what they're talking about. 2) They review books because they genuinely love reading 3) They can be honest without bashing your book outright Here is a link to that review of Drawn. I think it sums up the book even better than I can ever do so. :) Again, thank you to I Heart Books and all the other book bloggers who have covered my books! In another post, I promise to name each and every one of you. :)  Okay, it's not really Yuki Himura but this is how I picture him, hehe.
He's super hot, and hey, isn't that KC being teased again? =D For those who are curious, this guy is Saizo. He's from Shall We Date: Ninja Love, a dating sim game with a fantastic storyline! And really difficult HEA endings to achieve! If you give the game a try, the link of this image will take you to a walkthrough for Saizo's storyline. =D Just in case you need a lifeline or something. But for now... Lemme feast my eyes on this deliciously bishounen-like character. He really does look like Yuki IMHO. The BAD / SAD news first so that we end on a good note.
A while ago, I took to Twitter and talked about something that really pained me. You see, like ALL writers are - I started out as a reader and still am. I am just as much a fan as the next reader is when it comes to superstar authors like Stephen King, JK Rowling and my personal favorites like Preston and Child, Mary Janice Davidson, Nalini Singh, EL James, RK Lilley...so you know I DO NOT HATE ON AUTHORS. Which is why I was completely shocked and disappointed when I found out that at least 1 person who had not-so-nice stuff to say was a WRITER as well. I mean, really? You know how hard it is to write a book! Granted, my books aren't always perfect but you know how hard it is to write one! How each book is like your baby and anyone who says a bad word about it is like a knife to your chest. I don't mind readers saying stuff about my books especially since they paid for it, but as a writer -really? And really -I know it's nice to be witty and all, but I say leave that to the professional critics. As a writer, it would be more than enough that you say the plot isn't to my liking. I mean why be soooo --- ugh. You see, I was taught by my parents to just shut up if I don't have nothing nice to say. So I find it totally sad that another writer would be so negative about someone else's book. Live and let live, you know? BUT HEY ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. WE STILL HAVE HAPPY NEWS TO CELEBRATE LIIIIIIIKE The Werewolf Prince and I is.... (as of this time) #569 overall in Amazon's paid market #22 in Romance>Fantasy #30 in Erotica. Top 100 in Erotica and Romance>Fantasy in Amazon UK #665 overall and Top 50 in Erotica and Romance>Fantasy in Amazon CA There's another #10 ranking but basically it's just another version of Romance>Fantasy. Evren is... #44 in Romance>Fantasy #64 in Teens>Romance Soooo thank you for this! I cannot thank you enough! And while you're waiting for these two's sequels / companion books, how about giving my other books a try? Drawn - I keep saying, I know, but only because this book is special to me so I really hope you guys give it a try - is just like TWPaI in high school! But this time with a Russian-Japanese hottie. Who is so sexy even I can't stop reading this book over and over. *lol* Death Loves Me Not - Again, I keep promoting this but only because I like the ghosts I've "created" here. If you love Asian horror flicks like I do, then YOU. SHOULD. READ. THIS! I kid you not! |
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