Tag Archives: #Kindle

https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/2018-so-whats-the-plan/

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Tagged #Amazon, #amblogging, #amwriting, #bookmarketing, #bookpromoishardwork, #bookpromotion, #bookstore, #challenges, #ebook, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #paperbackbook, #seekingshelfspace, #softbackbook

2019 ….and the goal is…..

Posted on January 7, 2019 | 2 comments

untitled

And in the blink of an eye 2018 has been and gone. Can’t say I’m sorry to see it go.

At the start of last year, I set myself three goals. Here’s a reminder of what they were

Did I meet them all?

Yes I did 😊

OK, Book Baby 4 was launched a little later than planned. Ellen was finally launched on 1st September and quickly found her feet, earning herself five-star reviews on Amazon and Good Reads…whew!

imgid170658697

I brought Jake and Lori back to out to play as promised. On 8^th May 2018, exactly five years after I sat down to write the story that became Book Baby 1, I sat down once more on my front doorstep and began to write Book Baby 5. Writing about all things Silver Lake has been like being reunited with old friends.

My third goal from last year was to blog once a week. Guess what…. I’ve met that goal too.

49089571_1736603126445273_4514292665713426432_n

Go me!! LOL

So, what creative goals will I set for 2019?

Well, I feel it’s time to cut myself a little creative slack so I’m going to keep it really simple.

My 2019 goal is simply to finish and publish Book Baby 5 in 2019. The first draft is about 40% of the way there but it’s a VERY rough first draft in places!

What’s that saying? …. your first draft is like shovelling sand into the sandbox. You can build sandcastles later ….. or something like that. I’m still shovelling like crazy!

It goes without saying that I’ll continue with my weekly blog posts and who knows, everyone’s favourite dark angel may make an occasional appearance. (I have a longer term plan for those stories but I don’t want to say too much just yet.)

If you read my Christmas Eve short story then you will already have met two new rock star characters. I have the beginning of an idea for them too. (That may need to be in the five year plan!)

I’d like to thank each and every one of YOU for your ongoing love and support. It makes the creative journey so much easier knowing that you guys are there.

What are your goals for 2019? Feel free to share the details in the comments box below.

If your own goals include “read more books” I can think of four to get you started…. Hint hint…

Regardless of what your personal goals are for the coming year, I’d like to wish you health wealth and happiness to pursue them. Remember “Dreams get you started. Discipline keeps you going.”

Love n hugs

Coral xx

And if you want to catch up on your reading….

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Ellen – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYHKR44

Amazon.co.uk links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Ellen – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYHKR44

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Tagged #2019goals, #amblgging, #amwriting, #blogging, #BondedSouls, #ebook, #Ellen, #ImpossibleDepths, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #newyearresolutions, #SilentlyWatching, #SilverLakeseries, #StrongerWithin

Define Success……. Go On I Dare You To…

Posted on November 26, 2018 | Leave a comment

success collage

Like many indie authors and bloggers I have “liked” and “joined” numerous….ok countless….author and book promotion Facebook groups and pages. I use these as a means to promote my author page, this blog and my book babies and very rarely comment on any discussion style posts.

Recently one caught my attention… “Do we have anyone in here with a lot of success?”

Initially I read it and scrolled on…. but it was bugging me….so I scrolled backup and replied.

“Define success? It means something different to each of us. If you mean “Do I feel I have succeeded with my writing?” then the answer is “yes” as I have told folk a story that entertained them and caused an emotional response. If you quantify success as hard cash then you’re in the wrong game. There’s more to life than money when there’s a story to be told.”

My response was well received by other members of the group.

And I stand by what I said.

It took me a long time to think of my writing as being successful in any shape or form. Self-publishing my first novel in 2015 was a surreal experience. It took me so far out of my comfort zone! Even having published three more novels, it still feels surreal. Seeing my name on the cover of those books feels like a dream I am about to be rudely awakened from. However, as time has passed, I’ve come to realise that I’ve achieved something pretty special. Well, it’s pretty special to me.

How many people can say they’ve seen one of their lifelong dreams come true?

I can and that genuinely makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Makes me feel successful in my own quiet way.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate that no one yet has said my book babies are ugly. Seeing them sitting on Amazon.co.uk with lots of twinkling stars and multiple reviews makes me feel proud of what I’ve achieved (with the love and support of my Infamous Five and my cavalry) Seeing them with stars and reviews on Amazon.com, which is such a huge arena, blows my mind. It makes me feel successful in my own quiet way.

You can’t put a price on the emotions you experience when someone tells you they’ve loved your book and that it’s evoked an emotional response whether it be laughter or tears. Feedback like that is truly priceless.

If indie authors and bloggers were in it purely for the money, there wouldn’t be many of us left. FACT!

Let’s be honest, unless you strike it really lucky and your work lands before the right person at the right time and catches their eye then, chances are you’re not making a huge income, if any. I half-joked when I published my first novel that I hoped to earn enough to cover my concert ticket budget. My royalties come nowhere near to covering it! Most months they would barely cover the cost of a couple of coffees.

Authors are storytellers. We write to tell the story that’s grown inside us. At the risk of sounding cheesy for a minute, writing is a passion and I’ve always maintained that as soon as I stop feeling the love for it, I’ll stop.

But, do people realise the length of time it takes to pull an article/blog together or the number of hours of work a short story requires? Or the hundreds of hours a novel requires?

I’ll use this blog as an example and it’s not a long piece. It has taken me roughly an hour to write and re-draft and it’s taken another hour or so to type and re-draft again then say it will take ten minutes to publish it. That’s about 2-3 hours work. And guess what – it doesn’t earn me any royalties?

Last week, I published a short story on this blog page. The word count was roughly 4000 words. It took me about four hours to write it. It took another couple to re-draft it, another couple to type it then fifteen minutes to post it. Let’s call it eight hours of work. And guess what – that didn’t earn me any royalties either.

Novels take months of effort. I really should take note of the time spent writing, typing, editing etc one of these days. All in all, it’s probably about four hours of work in total per thousand words ( rough guesstimate). My novels so far have ranged from 107000 words to 186 000 words. Let’s do the maths – that gives us about 428 -744 hours of work and that’s before you factor in the time to design the cover, the time my alpha readers (my Infamous Five) and my beta readers (the cavalry) donate and the time to upload the file to Amazon for publication…… and then there’s marketing and promotion to be done…..

The current National Minimum Wage in the UK is £7.93 per hour.

If I had been paid that for writing Ellen, my latest and shortest novel, that would have earned me £3400 approximately. To date, Ellen has generated around £100 in royalties.

I personally don’t define success in respect of my writing in terms of hard cash. If it was about the money, I’d have closed over my notebook and put the lid back on my pen a long time ago.

Success for me is about seeing people enjoying what I write. It’s about folk saying I’ve made them laugh or cry. It’s about entertaining readers. It’s about telling the story and setting my characters free from my imagination.
So, next time you read over a short story in your lunchbreak or a blog post, pause to think of the time and effort that went into making it a success.

success-motivational-quote[6]

(images sourced via Google – credits to the owners)

Amazon.com : https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Day-P-F-GREGORY-ebook/dp/B07FS6X68G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1541967746&sr=1-1&keywords=pf+gregory

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Tagged #Amazon, #amblogging, #amwriting, #blogging, #determination, #discipline, #dreamscometrue, #Ellen, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #MondayBlogs, #proud, #selfpublished, #SilverLakeseries, #success, inspiration, KDP, motivation

Dead In A Day….. introducing a new “whodunnit”

Posted on November 12, 2018 | Leave a comment

dead in a day

To those of you who follow this blog regularly, you may recall I introduced you to a fellow indie author at the start of this year – PF Gregory.

To those of you who missed the introductions, here’s the link to that post https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/introducing-pf-gregory/

Well, Paul has been busy this year and has recently published his third crime novel, Dead In A Day. I finished reading it at the weekend and loved it!

As a fellow author, I take my hat off to crime writers who can weave such an intricate plot and keep their readers guessing. I took the opportunity to ask Paul for a little insight into the book that I could share here along with my review of the book.

“I guess the spark of inspiration came from the ‘WHAT’ would kill a person? Readers of this book – and of a certain age, will likely know a high profile murder was committed with the same WHAT in London, decades ago. I then needed an ingenious and original way for the HOW? Having devised this, I next needed to build a plot and storyline around these points.”

So, having decided the WHAT, how do you decide on the WHERE?

“In terms of setting, then – and sticking to my ‘Ten Commandments of Davieson’ I wanted another rural village setting and a handful of quintessentially English elements. We start, then, with a village Open Gardens and a good excuse to have all my list of characters in the same place together.

As a lover of real ale, I also included a real ale/homebrew and Microbrewery element – and the traditional village pub with its weekly quiz night.

Another influence was witnessing an English Civil War re-enactment at an Open Farms event with the family in 2017. I now had a nice backdrop in which to set sinister events.”

There’s a colourful cast of characters in Dead In A Day and a couple of familiar faces.

“Davieson and Kent are the key protagonists again but (with almost equal billing) so is a village gossip and stereotype nosey busybody. In some respects, this character is a little like one of my literary heroines ‘Miss Marple’ but hopefully my character comes across as a lot more annoying and somewhere between the well-intentioned Marple and the annoying deaf old lady in Fawlty Towers!

As in my previous novel there are links, over-and-above Davieson/Kent, to my other novels so we share a character and building with ‘The Evil From Among You’ as I continue to build and develop my fictional world.”

And that leaves us with the HOW and the WHO………

If you want to discover more about that then you’ll have to read Dead In A Day for yourself as you’re not getting any spoilers here.

You can pick up a copy via Amazon. I’ll even make it easy for you. Here’s the links:

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Day-P-F-GREGORY-ebook/dp/B07FS6X68G/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541967814&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=dead+in+a+day+pf+gregory

Oh and as for my review of Dead In A Day….well, here it is.

Dead In A Day is PF Gregory’s third crime novel and, in my humble opinion, his best work to date.

Set in the quaint English village of Folestree Parva, PF Gregory introduces us to a colourful cast of characters. Due to the creative twists and turns of the storyline any one of them could easily have been the murderer. I particularly liked Mrs Richards, Folestree Parva’s answer to Dot Cotton.

Once again, this novel features veteran crime reporter Merv Davieson and Chief Inspector Kent. An unlikely pairing on the face of it but, in fact, a very likeable pairing. Think Watson to Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Great characters who grow stronger and more believable with every outing.

On a personal note, I do hope Phillipa Shales was not based on any romantic novelists that the author knows!

PF Gregory captures all the key elements of a great murder mystery in Dead In A Day. Like his previous two novels, Kindly Invited To Murder and The Evil From Among You, this book will keep you guessing right to the bitter end.

Already looking forward to the next one!

I’d like to thank Paul for the insights into Dead In A Day. If you want to keep up to date with Paul and his work you can find him here:

https://www.facebook.com/Kindly-Invited-To-Murder-a-novel-by-PF-Gregory-1837097583236305/

paul gregory Pauls books

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Tagged #Amazon, #blogging, #bookpromo, #bookreview, #crimenovel, #DeadInADay, #ebook, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #MondayBlogs, #murdernovel, #PFGregory, #whodunnit

Once Upon A Time……

Posted on September 17, 2018 | Leave a comment

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time……
We’ve all heard it.
Having just read it, probably out loud in your head in a voice from your childhood, you now expect a story.
The art of storytelling predates written books and was a crucial element of society in days long since gone by. Storytelling was a means of passing on history, knowledge, beliefs, myths and legends, and, of course, entertainment. These tales were brought to life by the narrative of the storyteller and occasionally supported by dance and music.
As a little girl, I loved being read to. Bedtime story time was a time to delve into the adventures of various characters as read to me by my mum. She read me stories from some very old children’s story collections, books that already been old when she was a girl; she read me Disney stories from a big blue book I was given one Christmas; she read me library book after library book (I loved Mr Grimpwinkle!); she read me books we chose and bought together. Even when I was old enough to read for myself, we kept one “special” book aside for bedtime story time.
The bedtime stories ended when I was about nine years old…. I never did finish Anne Of Green Gables. We moved house part way through reading the book and, for a myriad of reasons, never got back to it and I could never bring myself to finish it alone….. the magic spell had been broken.
When my own children were little, I read to them, trying to instil a love of books in them. I read some from my childhood (yes, I read them the big blue Disney book); I read library books; I read tales of Katie Morag and of Hairy McLary from Donaldson’s Dairy and tied my tongue in knots reading Dr Seuss. What even is a seven hump wump????
The last book I remember reading to both of them was The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe. The three of us would sit in my bed and read a chapter a night. Precious memories……
Confession – now-a-days, I hate being read to. I really struggle to maintain concentration in lecture/presentation situations and I absolutely loathe radio programmes where they just drone on and on and on……. Give me music any day!
As an indie author, this has presented me with a dilemma. An audio book dilemma.
There’s a whole market out there that I’ve yet to fully explore but I suspect that I’d hate even my own book babies in audio format. That’s not to say that others would….. I just can’t bear to listen to audio books. I appreciate that they are a Godsend to those who love a story but for whatever reason are unable to read it for themselves. Audio books are great for people who drive long distances or folk who travel a lot in general; Audio books are great for book lovers who love to multi-task and don’t have time to sit down and read a book. They are readily available in CD, mp3 and other digital formats. But, as an author, where to begin?
A couple of years ago, I did a trailer video clip for Book Baby 1 aka Stronger Within and, if that short clip taught me nothing else, it taught me that I am NOT a narrator! (Here- listen for yourself –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VObOV6c0FXs )

If my Book Babies are going to find their niche in the audio book world, I’m going to have to find a narrator (or two).
I suspect this is not going to be easy……
I’m not sure if all authors feel the same about their work but I can “hear” it in my head as I read it. That’s the voice I’m searching for!
All four books have been added to ACX.com accompanied by a short audition script. The opportunity to narrate them is being offered on a “royalty share” basis so I suspect my target narrator is someone fairly new to the craft who is looking to build up their portfolio. Is that you? Is it someone you know? Does the person with “the voice” even exist?
Time will tell…….

If you wish to submit an audition please check out the link below:
https://www.acx.com

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Tagged #ACX, #Amazon, #audiobooks, #audition, #bookworms, #e-book, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #MondayBlogs, #narrator, #storyteller

Who Says Book Promo Has To Be Serious?….

Posted on September 10, 2018 | Leave a comment

The days in the run up to, and the first few days after, the “birth” of a Book Baby are intense and stressful.

There’s the panic around… “What if no one buys it?” “What if no one turns up to the book launch?” “What if no one likes it?”

There’s the anxiety around receiving feedback…. “What of someone tells me its ugly?” “What if no one rates it?” “What if book reviewers slate it?”

I don’t have nerves of steel, as anyone who knows me will testify to. I fret and worry over every tiny thing in life. My Princess Paranoia head is never far away.

Over the past few years, I have learned that when it comes to receiving feedback on your creative exploits, you need to develop a thick hide and the mindset to not take it personally. Easier said than done…. Book Baby mamas are fiercely protective of their Book Baby young.

At the end of the day, this is YOUR Book Baby that is taking its first tentative steps in the world. Hundreds of hours of your time have been invested in it. In my case, my alpha and beta reads have also invested countless hours proofreading and feeding back to me (something I am eternally grateful to these wonderful people for.)

However, things can’t be taken too seriously. After all, writing should be enjoyable and there’s no harm in having a bit of fun with it all too

a bit of fun collage

If you’ve not been introduced to Book Baby 4 aka Ellen yet, you can find her here:

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

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Tagged #Amazon, #amwriting, #book, #bookcover, #bookpromo, #ebook, #Ellen, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #MondayBlogs, humour

And relax…… after a whirlwind few days

Posted on September 5, 2018 | Leave a comment

I swithered about posting a “blog” this week as, technically, I’ve posted twice already.

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind few days after the release of Book Baby 4 aka Ellen. I have been totally overwhelmed with the love and support that people have shown me. Sales have been ok. Already, Ellen has earned seven 5* reviews on Amazon.co.uk and two 5* reviews on GoodReads. There has been a great write up in the local newspaper. ( http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/16684385.gourock-mum-swaps-life-in-bank-for-rock-band-fantasy/?ref=fbshr ) I’ve almost stopped blushing about that…almost! There have been numerous lovely congratulatory messages, one of them very special indeed. Thank you.

So, the ideal way to take stock and relax after all this? ….. well, it had to be a beach walk, didn’t it?

Normal blog service will resume next week….well, whatever passes for normal!

Huge thanks again to everyone who has bought a copy of Ellen. If haven’t and feel the urge, the Amazon links are below:

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

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Tagged #Amazon, #beachwalk, #blogging, #ebook, #Ellen, #Kindle, #reflectons, emotions, relaxtion

Ellen – the launch party replay (in case you missed it)

Posted on September 2, 2018 | Leave a comment

Did you miss the online launch party yesterday to celebrate the release of Ellen? You did! OH!!! Not to worry – here’s what you missed. 🙂

15:30 Hi, I’m Rocky, After Life’s manager. Glad you could join us. Go and grab a drink from the bar then pull up a chair. The band are nearly all here. I’ll let them introduce themselves in a minute.

bar

15:32 Hi folks, I’m Taylor. Nice to see so many familiar faces here to help launch Coral’s book, Ellen. Have you bought your copy yet? No? Oh, you’re missing out on a great read! Ok, so maybe I’m biased as it’s the band’s story but you can use the links below to grab a copy today

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13GD78Bmo8s

15:35 Hi. I’m Ellen. Glad you made it along today. If time allows, we’ll play a few songs later on tonight. We’ll see how the day goes. True to form, Luke’s running late. While we’re waiting, here’s a little extract from the book about when Taylor and I first bumped into each other.

Three hours later, as Ellen was trying to pull her large suitcase through a crowded station, her mother’s words echoed in her head. Trying to thread her way through the throngs of commuters was a nightmare. Silently, she cursed her own limitations. For the first time she regretted being so stubborn about being able to cope with travelling into the city by rail on her own.

“Get a grip, Ellen,” she muttered to herself.

She paused to check the signage to determine where she was to exit the unfamiliar station. The next moment, she was knocked off balance by a tall, dark haired guy carrying two guitars and a huge backpack. With a squeal, she felt herself start to fall then felt an arm grab her to stop her. She could feel his strong hand on her upper arm, feel the pressure of his fingers burn into her tender skin.

“Sorry,” he apologized hurriedly. “I was too busy looking for the exit. I never saw you stop.”

“No harm done,” replied Ellen shyly.

His hand was still on her arm and part of her was desperate for him to remove it.

“You sure you’re ok?” he checked.

Adjusting her tinted glasses, Ellen forced a smile. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Well, sorry again,” he mumbled. “My mum always did say I should watch where I was going. Guess that’s another thing she was right about.”

“Mums are like that,” she agreed.

“Sorry again,” he apologised. “See you around.”

Without a backwards glance, he disappeared into the crowd. Spotting the sign, she had been searching for, Ellen set off again, heading for the exit.

15:40 Hi. I’m Luke, Luke Court. Apologies for being late. Ellen’s asked me to share my guilty pleasure song with you. Think she’s punishing me for being late. Ok, so my secret guilty pleasure song is Your Song by Elton John.

For a chance to win an e-book copy of Ellen, tell me yours. The winner will be picked at the end of the event.

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

15:45 Hi. I’m Cal, guitarist and sometime Cookie Monster with After Life. Ellen is the fourth book Coral has written. Have you checked out her other books? The Silver Lake series? No? You should take a look. They’re FREE to download for today only. We put in an appearance in book two and again in book three. Oh, and there’s some guy called Jake Power in them that Ellen finds hot!

Ellen: “CAL!” (blushes scarlet)

Amazon.com link

https://www.amazon.com/Coral-McCallum/e/B00VYU1SZ6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Amazon.co.uk link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coral-McCallum/e/B00VYU1SZ6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Book Promo shot

15:50 Hi. Coral here. Thanks for coming along today to help launch my new book baby, Ellen. Does anyone have any questions for me about the book, the Silver Lake books or anything in general? #AskMeAnything

15:55 Ellen: Choosing a song to sing for my first After Life rehearsal was a challenge. You only get one chance to make a first impression and I wanted to get off on the right foot with these guys. I chose this one.

For another chance to win an e-book copy of Ellen, what would you have chosen? The winner will be picked at the end of the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD-MdiUm1_Y

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

16:00 Rocky: I’ve been working hard to get these kids on a stage near you. All publicity is good publicity. Did you know that a few months back Taylor and Luke were interviewed for Coral’s blog? No? Check out what they had to say.

https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/a-little-sneaky-peek-into-the-after-life/

16:05 Coral: As you’ve just read, sometimes as a writer you struggle to connect with your characters or to control them. They have a tendency to misbehave.

Luke: “Do not!”

Coral: Oh, you do! On occasion, the story can go off at a tangent. This happened with Taylor…

Luke: “Told you I behaved!”

Coral: Luke, stop interrupting! LOL. And we both know you have your moments in this book! Anyway, here’s a little excerpt of where Taylor wandered off on me.

Voices from further up the beach disturbed their peace and quiet and Taylor turned to see where they were coming from. It was two young teenage boys and they were dragging the surfboard out from the cave.

“Wait here,” instructed Taylor bluntly. “I don’t like the look of this.”

Barefoot, he sprinted up the beach towards the two boys, noting with concern how ineptly they were handling the board.

“Hey, guys, where you going with that?” he asked, his tone firm but non-threatening.

“Taking it out to catch a few waves,” replied one, his tone a bit too cocky for Taylor’s liking.

Glancing back at the calm water, Taylor took a deep breath then said, “Put it back. There’s no waves out there.”

“Told you,” muttered the other boy sourly.

“But there’s breakers further out!”

“Put it back,” repeated Taylor. “You’re not strong enough to handle that board so far out. Fact!”

“I suppose you’re an expert,” spat the boy bitterly.

“Not an expert but I’ve surfed these waters for a long time. Today’s not a good day to head out from here. Wind’s all wrong. Tide’s wrong. Now, put that board back!”

The boy dropped it in the sand at his feet, “How are we ever meant to learn?”

“Pardon?”

“If you are stopping us going out when its calm, how are we meant to learn to surf?”

The hint of exasperation in his voice tugged at Taylor’s conscience.

“How much time have you spent trying?”

“Weeks!”

“Can you stand up on the board?”

“No,” muttered the boy, staring down at his suntanned bare feet.

“What about you?” quizzed Taylor, turning his attention to the other boy.

“A bit. My brother showed me some stuff but he’s gone back to the army. Won’t be back for six months.”

“Tell you what. I’ll teach you both how to balance on the board. How to stand up. That’s a lesson best learned on a calm day,” offered Taylor generously.

“You will?”

Taylor nodded, “Now, bring the board down to the water’s edge.”

He ran back down the beach to where he’d left Ellen waiting. Hurriedly, he explained what was going on and admitted that “surf school” was in session for the next couple of hours.

mawgan-porth-beach

16:10 Jack: (pulling up a chair at the table) Sorry, was just sorting out my drum kit. Split a drum head while I was warming up earlier.

Rocky: Another one!

Jack: Sorry, boss. What have I missed?

Cal: Buying your round!

Jack: In a minute. Did I miss the big book reveal? I did! Damn. Let’s take another look at the cover anyway. Love that cover shot!

16:15 Jen: Hi. I’m Taylor’s sister. Isn’t this amazing? Much as I love to see After Life on stage, I have to confess that my favourite musical moments are when Tailz plays at home for us. I love it too when the band are all here and we have a late-night beach barbeque……. Oh, happy memories.

beach bonfire

16:20 Nana: At my age I can’t be doing with these Kindle things. Give me a real book. I like pages to turn. These kids laugh at me. They roll their eyes when I’m offering up my words of wisdom. Well, we’ll see who’s right in the end….

For a chance to win a paperback version of Ellen, tell me, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve had from your elders? I’ll pick a winner at the end of the event.

20180825_192150

16:25 Taylor: Love that old girl. Don’t know where I would be without her. She plays a mean honky tonk piano. Loves her Scott Joplin. You should hear her play this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc

(credits to the owner via You Tube)

16:30 Ellen: Before I slip off to warm up, I want to introduce you to someone. Meet my dad, Tim Lloyd. He’s the one who encouraged me to keep going after what happened. He’s the one that brought me my lyrics journal and has bought me several since. I couldn’t have made it this far without him.

red leather journal

16:35 Tim Lloyd (blushing): I am so proud of her. So proud that Coral chose to feature Ellen and the boys in her new book. Have you bought your copy yet? Here’s the links in case you missed them earlier.

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus

16:40 Rocky: I’ll let you in on a little history lesson before we hear the band play. When I was looking for inspiration for Ellen’s stage costume, I dropped into the British Museum to see if I could get any ideas. Well, I was wandering through the Ancient Egyptian section when I spotted exactly what I was looking for. The Eye of Horus. I’ll let you read up about it yourself (see the link) but the Eye of Horus represents sacrifice, healing, restoration and protection. Seemed like a good omen for our little songbird.

Coral liked the idea too and used the symbol as her chapter headings.

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16:45 Taylor: Hope you’ve enjoyed our chat. Before we go, I’ve one last little extract to share from the book. This was the first time Ellen heard me sing.

As Jen and Nana sat down at the table, Jen passed them both a drink.

“You need to earn those,” she teased.

“Just a few songs, Jen,” stated Taylor firmly. “We’re both off duty.”

“You’re never off duty,” retorted his twin. “You have music in your veins instead of blood!”

“Son,” interrupted Nana calmly. “Play me that song your mother loved so much.”

With a nod, Taylor turned to Ellen, “Do you know Everybody’s Talkin’?”

“Sorry. I don’t believe I do,” she confessed, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“No worries. It’s an old song.”

Smiling over at his grandmother, Taylor began to play the classic song from Midnight Cowboy, a film that had been one of his mother’s favourites.

“Everybody’s talking at me. I don’t hear a word they’re saying.”

It was the first time that Ellen had heard her band mate sing. The warmth and emotion in his voice tore at her heart as she saw how hard it was for him to sing his mum’s favourite song. One half of her wished she knew the song so she could help him out; the other half of her was captivated by his raw heartfelt performance.

As the song ended, Ellen saw that his eyes were filled with unshed tears.

“Beautiful, son,” complimented Nana proudly. “Now, missy, what are you going to sing for this old woman?”

acoustic-guitar-against-green-wooden-chair-j045kh

16:50 Coral: Thanks for helping to launch book baby 4 and welcome it into the world. Really appreciate all the love and support. If you want to keep up to date with what is happening in my creative world, the progress on Book Baby 5 (Yes, Jake and Lori will be back late next year – I hope!) or my weekly musings then please check out my blog. Here’s the link

https://coralmccallum.wordpress.com/

16:55 Luke: One last reminder of the links you need to buy your copy of Ellen

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

16:58 Rocky: Thank you to all of you for coming along. Time’s caught up with us. The band need to go and get ready to play. Feel free to stay and have another drink or even better, hop onto Amazon and download Coral’s book. Till next time.

thank you collage

(credits to the owners of the images used – sourced from Google)

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Tagged #Amazon, #booklaunch, #booklins, #bookpromo, #bookpromoishardwork, #books, #CoralMcCallum, #ebooks, #Ellen, #Kindle, #launchparty, #SilverLakeseries, rockmusic

Book Baby 4- waiting for the stork to arrive

Posted on August 21, 2018 | Leave a comment

Stork 3

I’m fidgety. I’m growing impatient. I’m clock watching. I’m restless. I’m not sleeping well (ok, I seldom sleep well). I can’t concentrate on my writing.

It can only mean one thing….. I’m on the final count down to the arrival of Book Baby 4 aka Ellen.

Ellen final version front cover

Ellen is all set to be released on 1 September and this period feels a bit like the calm before the storm. In reality, there is very little calm about me (“No change there,” I hear my friends cry!)

The hard work is complete. The story has been told. Finally, the spellchecking and editing are done. Several ARC copies have been circulated for review. UPS are due to deliver the final paperback proof copy tomorrow (Please don’t let it get lost!) I’ve sense checked the Kindle edition. Pre-order for the e-book has been set up worldwide on Amazon. I’ve drafted the “script” for the online launch party. I’ve even ordered some promo guitar picks to use as a giveaway item.

What have I forgotten? What have I missed?

While I was stressing about things to a friend earlier, they described me as a “pro”. I fell about laughing.

This may be Book Baby 4 but I don’t feel like a “pro” at anything! A pro at stressing and worrying maybe!

When I’d stopped giggling, I did reflect on the comment. I know I am my own worst critic, not just of my creative efforts but in most aspects of life. One thing I appreciate hough is how incredibly fortunate I have been on this creative journey over the past few years. I may not have sold thousands of books but no one has said that my book babies are “ugly”. All three to date have earned heart-warming reviews and are enjoying 4.5/5 star status on Amazon.co.uk. It’s taken a while, a long while, but I am proud of what I have achieved so far. It totally blows my mind to think that people from all around the globe have downloaded and hopefully read the stories that I have created in the comfort of my kitchen (and the front doorstep).

I may be an “indie author” but I couldn’t have made it so far along this creative journey without the love and support and tolerance of some very special people (You know who you are)

So, all that’s left for me to do is to try to be patient and wait for 1^st September to arrive so that I can introduce you to my new book baby, Ellen.

In the meantime, if you want to show your love and support for this wee anxious indie author, you could perhaps be so kind as to pre-order the Kindle edition of Ellen here:

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

https://www.facebook.com/events/1634651586662114/

Or you can accept the open invite to the online launch party

And me?

Well, while I’m waiting I might as well continue work on Book Baby 5, the next instalment in the Silver Lake series,

An indie author’s work is never done!

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Tagged #Amazon, #amblogging, #amwriting, #booklaunch, #bookpromo, #bookreview, #books, #ebook, #ebooks, #Ellen, #IndieAuthor, #Kindle, #preorder

Ellen – now available to pre-order for Kindle ….. just saying …..

Posted on July 28, 2018 | Leave a comment

Ellen final version front cover

**** Ellen – now available to pre-order for Kindle ****

Ellen “I vowed to prove them wrong.”

Tailz “I believe this is about where we got to before.”

Luke “You mess this up and you’re history! Hear me?”

Nana “You should be soulmates not lovers.”

Emotions run high when Ellen Lloyd steps up to the mic as the new vocalist for rock band After Life. Will she prove to be heaven sent or will her arrival see the band descend into the depths of hell?

Available to pre-order via Amazon

Amazon.com link

Amazon.co.uk link

Ellen will be published 1^st Sept 2018

#Ellen #indieauthor #rockromance #kindle #ebook #preorder #Amazon #newfiction #bookpromo #bookworms #SilverLakeseries #rockstar #music #love #friendship #rockband #contemporaryromance #newbook #book