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From Smashwords:
Read an eBook Week, the world's largest global celebration of ebooks, kicks off this Sunday at Smashwords. The celebration runs March 3-9.

My mystery novel, KILLING SUMMER, is free of charge during this event. Click here to get the coupon code.

This offer is only available through Smashwords.

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KILLING SUMMER

Synopsis:
On a hot night in July a teenaged girl named Summer is murdered. She'll be found one month later by two roofers, her lifeless eyes staring at the moldy interior of a rundown tool shed. The men responsible for her being there are two unlikely partners in crime, each with something to prove. One is the cowardly son of a decorated police officer. The other is a bully with a violent history. High on drugs and alcohol, neither knows who dealt the deathblow. Fearing a confrontation, one of them agrees to pay the other for his vow of silence. But as time goes by, a hard life takes its toll on him. In order to put an end to the blackmail he'd have to take a risk. A risk that could easily backfire. Driven by hate and anger, he writes an anonymous letter to the sheriff recounting that killing summer. Ten years, two trials and numerous secrets ensue after both men are arrested and charged with murder.

Excerpt from Chapter 1:
Stripped down to their underwear and socks, the two men walked into the chilly, snake infested waters of White River swatting mosquitoes every step of the way. Moving slowly through a shallow, rocky area with only their head and shoulders above the surface, they stayed close to the bank using their hands to feel around under submerged boulders. A half a mile or so upstream from where they had slung the rest of their clothing over a tree branch, the man in the lead, twenty-seven-year-old Kevin Rayland, took a deep breath, and dove under the water.

More than happy to play the role of spotter, Jasper Monroe kept a watchful eye out for game wardens who don’t care the practice of noodling has been legal in Missouri for quite a while. Since most flathead catfish are on the nest when they’re noodled, wildlife fanatics continue to argue that too many eggs are being destroyed, and this ridiculous and dangerous style of fishing must end.

They weren’t there to hand-fish. Not today. If they get caught, not tomorrow, either.

Kevin shot up out of the water, gasping for air. Swiped a hand down his face. “Found one.”

Jasper got behind him, and tucked his hands under Kevin’s arms to help him keep his balance while he twisted sideways to put his leg in the catfish hole. “Yep, it’s empty.” Jasper let go. Kevin fell backward, scraping his knee. Went under again trying to gain his footing. Angrily smacked the water with the side of his hand.

“Take it easy. Don’t be stirring up any damn leeches.” Jasper broke off a sturdy twig full of stiff brown leaves, stabbed the end in the ground above the hole to mark the spot. Piled rocks around the base for added support. “Let’s get this over with.”

Best Writing Advice Ever

I'm interrupting my work-in-progress to post a great motivator for other writers.

From Joe Konrath's Blog: 2013 Resolutions For Writers

Special Announcement

I'm writing again.

To anyone who doesn't know, the Bad Mojo Series will have 13 stories. One novel, eleven shorts (episodes), and one novella. I'll make another announcement after I complete SERIAL QUILLER 6, 7, 8, and 9.

See you then.

In The Year 2013

I have a proper Table of Contents on my books, new covers for Bad Mojo and Hellfire, and a review request at the end of every story. I spent the past two days re-uploading all 15 titles to Smashwords, Pubit!, and Amazon.

I really love the new cover art. The only other cover I'd consider changing is for NIGHT OF THE DARK. I noticed it's too much like the Quiller covers.

While this is all good, I'm further behind in finishing my thriller series.

So. In the year 2013, I will...

...stop making changes to my books after I release them.
...complete the Bad Mojo Series before spring.
...complete the children's short story collection by June.
...blog about something other than my books.
...give up the notion of panning for gold in California.
...devote the first half of the second half of the year to promoting my books.
...send a free copy of SERIAL QUILLER 1 and SMOKE ON THE WATER to multiple reviewers.
...consider enrolling one novel in Amazon's Select Program. [Probably KILLING SUMMER]
...consider using Amazon's CreateSpace.
...make certain everything is in place before the holiday shopping season ramps up.
...improve what I can, let go of what I can't.
...keep my political views private.
...try a new brand of coffee.
...bait my own hook. [Hmm.]
...lose five more pounds.
...plan to write lighter stories in the future.
...devote the other half of the second half of the year to having fun.

Cheers

What's Happening

Not only has this been a very strange year it's also been a very stressful one. I completed several stories. Made new covers for some books. Changed the content on others.

On the 12th of this month, I made new covers for the Bad Mojo Series [book one shown below]. I was pleased with them. For a little while. Um, that's a picture of a Voodoo Lily, folks. Sheesh. :)

I've known from the beginning how this series is going to go. But I've really struggled with the covers. So. Today, I made these covers: Bad Mojo. I love them. And they are here to stay.

The other thing I've had to deal with this month is learning how to make a Table of Contents for my books. None of my books had one. I found out this is why Apple has been slow about uploading my stuff. The ToC is a requirement of theirs. I couldn't figure out how to do it, though. Following the step-by-step directions on the Style Guide from Smashwords I made them in just a few minutes. It was so easy to make the ToC's I couldn't believe I was reluctant to do them sooner.

Another thing I did was to add a Review Request at the end of all of my stories.

I'll put everything [new covers/text/ToC's] on Apple, Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, and Smashwords later this week. I'm waiting for the holidays to be over and done with.

By the way, my books are available on Kobo and Diesel, again. I'll put the links on this blog as soon as everything has been uploaded.

It's a shame I didn't have everything in place before the Christmas-shopping season began.

Merry Christmas


New Look For Serial Quiller

This is cover image number five for book one in the Bad Mojo Series. I think. It might be number ten. Or forty. Seriously. I've lost track of how many times I've changed the covers for this series.

After I went with the critter pictures (shown below) I noticed I'd lost the subliminal theme of this ongoing story: sex and voodoo.

So. What do you think? Are the new covers here to stay? Or do I need to go back to the drawing board?

sharon [dot] austin43 [at] gmail [dot] com


SERIAL QUILLER 5 is available on Amazon.

I don't know why, but Sony hasn't uploaded SQ 5, yet. And for some odd reason, Apple only put SQ 1, 2, 4, and 5 on their site. I contacted Smashwords. Hopefully, book three will soon be available.