HBS Author’s Spotlight – Class of January 2014

This month we have a group of interesting writers with worlds of knowledge and expertise. The author interviews are a MUST read.

Be sure to check out what they have coming next for their readers. I try to pick authors who are interesting studies and ask them unique questions for our Q/A section.

Check out the Showcase feature of the HBS Author's Spotlight. I have included those authors in this class. Thanks to the following outstanding authors for a great month. Also, we are including authors that are a part of our new feature: Boxed Sets.

Here is a summary of our January 2014 crew.


Diana Anderson

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Humor And Comedy, Romance

Author's Blog: Entering Southern Country
Website: Diana Anderson
Twitter: @DianaJAnderson1
E-Mail: DianaAndersonAuthor@aol.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: I’m hoping it [Remember When] will be released sometime this spring (2014).

Social media: It’s very important. I can’t allow myself to think that it’s all about selling my novels. Establishing a friendship is my priority. If they want my novel, they’ll buy it, but they don’t want it shoved down their throats.

Book Covers: It’s always nice to get a compliment on my book covers. As a professional photographer and artist, I use my photos and Photoshop to create the covers.

Support groups: I have joined several writers’ groups on Facebook. Writers Helping Writers is one group. You post a question and someone will offer help or their opinion from experience.

Free books: I’ve had a lot of exposure from offering Happy Valley, the first in the series of A Southern Country Novel, eBook for free. Readers who liked it have spread the word and have bought the second in the series, Mississippi Gambler.

Book launch: I try to time my book launch with another of my eBooks that I’m offering for free. I contact several websites that will promote for free my free eBook. I have to do this a few weeks in advance to get on their list.

I change my background image on my Facebook author page to the image of my next book cover. I do the same with Twitter and Google+. I update my website by adding my new book. I post the book image and blurb on Facebook and ask friends and readers who have liked my novels to help spread the word by sharing with their friends about the upcoming freebie and my new book. Most are very helpful. I also use my blog, Google+, Pinterest, and if I have a book trailer ready, I upload it to YouTube. The day my book goes live, I do a shout out on Facebook and Twitter.

I would say that Facebook has helped most with my new book releases.

Reviews: I’ve made requests for reviews on Facebook to those who have read my novels, and if anyone approaches me and tells me that they liked my novel, I ask them if they would mind leaving an honest review on Amazon.

Author's Book List
A Vanilla Christmas
Mississippi Gambler
Famous in a Small Town
Faded Rose
Happy Valley


For the rest of the story...View Diana Anderson - HBS Author's Spotlight

Colin F. Barnes

Author Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller,Cyberpunk

Author's Blog: Colin F. Barnes
Website: Colin F. Barnes
Twitter: @ColinFBarnes
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Well, I’m currently finishing up a prequel novella in the same world as Annihilation Point (The Techxorcist). That’s due out in late January in print and ebook, and also a full production audio version, which I’m really excited about.

Social media: I think social media serves a good purpose in connecting with readers. As long as you’re willing to engage and share good content and not just ‘Buy My Book’ links it can be a rewarding platform. In terms of how I built my following, I did it organically, following people who I thought I would enjoy talking to, and tweeting them.

Covers: I do my own covers as I have a graphic design background, and over the years I paid a lot of attention at how publishers positioned their authors. They always carried a brand across titles, and especially so with series. I always like to have a unifying theme…

Short stories: I definitely like short stories for their own right, and so far I’ve not written any to funnel readers into my novels… for now my focus with short stories is to try and sell them to pro markets to help raise my profile and introduce readers to my work that way.

Free books: I made my first book in the Techxorcist series ‘permafree’ on the various retailers (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple). This has been really good. It’s like free advertising for the rest of the series… It’s been very positive. Unless you’re a well-known author or you have already gained a large readership, it can be really difficult to get readers to try you out. By reducing the financial risk to zero, it encourages new readers to try you out.

Book launch: This is an area I’m still working on. I tried doing a blog tour for Assembly Code and given the amount of work involved for the return, I don’t think it’s effective. It can be good for certain genres where you have blogs with huge amounts of readers (romance particularly), but for me it was a bust.

Reviews: I’ve built up relationships with a number of kind reviewers who are willing to read my new stuff as it comes out so I can rely on a number of those.

Author's Book List
Annihilation Point
Assembly Code
The Daedalus Code
Heart for the Ravens
Artificial Evil


For the rest of the story...View Colin F. Barnes - HBS Author's Spotlight

M.A. Comley

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Website: M.A. Comley
Twitter: @Melcom1
E-Mail: melanie.comley@wanadoo.fr
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Currently I'm writing the 8th book in the Justice series, Hostile Justice. In this novel I asked my fans if they wanted to see Lorne remain as a PI or to return to the police force, I was very surprised that the majority said they would like her to return to the force.

Social media: I'm lucky to have a very loyal following on twitter and facebook. I regard the people I have met as my extended family. I never ignore an email or private message I receive on either FB or twitter. After all these people are the people reading and enjoying my books, why would I want to ignore them?

Short stories: I started to release the short stories as a means to support a charity close to my heart. All the proceeds of Merry Widow and It's A Dog's Life (both connected to the Justice series) go to P.U.P.S. the charity I got my rescue dog, Henry, from, he's 13 now.

Author bundles - Working Girls … Do It For Thrills Bundle: The main objective behind releasing the author bundle books was really making readers aware of the other stunning mystery/thriller authors out there. My fans have discovered authors they might never have noticed amongst the millions now available on Amazon and the other sites.

Indie Chicks: It was a privilege to be asked to be involved in the Indie Chicks project, I made some very dear friends and we raised a lot of money for charity, which was the main objective.

Free books: I used to give away a lot of books but now I tend to offer my books at a bargain price of $0.99/49p. The upside of this is that the reviews tend to be far better when readers have invested their hard-earned money in your work.

Book launch: I generally make an announcement on FB, although this is proving to be more difficult as FB keep hiding the posts, not helpful. I also send out a newsletter to my subscribers, the number of which is growing with the more books I release. I feel blessed and excited when another reader chooses to sign up to my newsletter, it's very rewarding.

Reviews: I really should be more proactive in seeking out reviews but it's hard juggling everything. I tend to let my readers make the call on that, if they like the book, they'll let me know.

Author's Book List
Justice Series Boxed Set
Virtual Justice
Torn Apart
Ultimate Justice
Sole Intention
Guaranteed Justice
Foul Justice
Final Justice
Impeding Justice
Cruel Justice
Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories


For the rest of the story...View M.A. Comley - HBS Author's Spotlight

Paul Draker

Author Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Website: Paul Draker - Author of Gritty Modern Mystery Thrillers
Twitter: @pauldraker
E-Mail: pauldraker [at] gmail [dot] com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Mount Terror comes out in summer 2014. It’s the sequel to Pyramid Lake.

Social media: Every writer’s journey is different. For me, social media only became important after enough readers discovered me through my books and connected with me on Facebook. Now, I love being able to interact with readers and fans there every day. I am probably underusing Twitter.

Book signings: There’s a Paul Draker book-signing event coming up at Barnes & Noble in San Mateo, California, on February 15th

Covers: I do my own covers. I’m handy with PhotoShop and I license the necessary stock art, which costs me $15 - $125 per cover. The ruined mansion draped with wildlife on the cover of New Year Island, for instance, is a photo of the novel’s real-world setting—California’s Año Nuevo Island—taken by a National Geographic photographer.

Support groups: I run a twenty-person online critique group focused on the craft of writing, rather than the business side of publishing our books. We trade chapter critiques.

Book launch: Starting from final edited manuscript and cover image, I convert to e-book using The Ebook Design and Development Guide, a step-by-step “e-book cook-book.” The entire process takes me less than two hours to go from Word manuscript to reader-ready mobi and epub e-book files, which I test on a Kindle, Nook, iPhone, and iPad, to make sure they are pristine…

After the e-books go live, I publish the print editions next—in trade paperback and hardcover. I print the interior pages and front-spine-back cover into PDF files, using Word and PhotoShop, and I upload those files to CreateSpace and LightningSource. I decide my paperback and hardcover prices and then hit the “publish” buttons. I also select LightningSource’s Ingram-distribution option, which lets every brick-and-mortar bookstore in the country and many international ones order my books through their order-entry systems, the same way they order books from any huge publisher…

Reviews: Launching the first book is always the hardest, James. I think many writers who publish a debut novel do know there’s a group of readers out there somewhere who will absolutely love the book. But it just sits there without reviews or sales, and the author doesn't quite know what to do next. It’s a chicken-and-the-egg problem…

For the second and subsequent books, getting those key initial reviews becomes much easier. You already have an eager audience waiting to read and review your next book.

Author's Book List
Pyramid Lake
New Year Island


For the rest of the story...View Paul Draker - HBS Author's Spotlight

Amanda Flower

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Children's

Author's Blog: Amanda Flower
Website: Amanda Flower, witty suspense with hope
Twitter: @aflowerwriter
E-Mail: authoramandaflower@gmail.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: My next release is Murder, Simply Stitched, which I write as Isabella Alan. It comes out in June 2014.

Social media is very important to my platform. It’s the easiest way for me to communicate with my readers. I am on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, (see links in contact information) and I also have a biannual email newsletter.

Support groups: I’m very involved in my local Sisters in Crime chapter, Northeast Ohio Sisters in Crime. We support each other and have workshops, panels, signings, and meetings. We have members who have over twenty books published and others who are just starting to write their first novel. It’s a great group, and in general, Sisters in Crime is a great organization. I highly recommend any aspiring mystery author to join.

Book launch: I’m still a relatively new author, so I have treated each launch a little bit differently. I would say right now I’m experimenting. However, I have seen the books that do the best have had the publisher’s backing and support at least in a small degree when it come to the marketing.

Reviews: I have several bloggers who are always eager to review my novels, but most of the reviews I gather are from advance reader copies that my publishers distribute.

I write for both adults and children. My middle grade books sell better in print format. The mysteries for adults are selling better in the ebook format.

Author's Book List
A Plain Disappearance
Andi Unexpected
A Plain Death
Murder in a Basket
Maid of Murder


For the rest of the story...View Amanda Flower - HBS Author's Spotlight

Tallulah Grace


Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers,Serial Killers,Suspense, Psychological

Author's Blog: Tallulah Speaks
Website: Tallulah Grace - Psychological Thrillers
Twitter: @TallulahSpeaks
E-Mail: grace.tallulah at gmail dot com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Casanova Killer is the first in a series of crime thrillers revolving around FBI agent, Jeri Forbes, and her team. I’m currently writing the sixth book in the series, as yet untitled.

Newsletter: My twitter following has evolved with very little effort on my part, but I make a point to tweet something several times each day. Social media relationships can be vital for an indie author, but I’ve found that my newsletter seems to have more impact than Twitter or Facebook. I include a subscribe link in the front and back matter of my books, as well as on my website.

Covers: I work hard on my covers. The image and the title typically come only after I’ve completed the manuscript. The search for images is a time-consuming process, but it’s much easier after the book is written.

Book trailers: I’d love to have more trailers, but their impact on sales is negligible, as compared to the giant time-suck they can be to create, at least for me. Don’t misunderstand, I loved making them, but my time is better spent writing, at the moment.

Audio books: The audiobook process was a major eye-opener for me. I don’t regret doing it, but I’m not jumping in to do more, anytime soon. From a sales standpoint, the audiobooks are negligible.

Short stories: My first short-story, Trapped in Spaulding Manor, was simply a story that was rattling around in my head which needed to get out. My latest shorty, An Extraordinary Christmas, was in response to readers wanting to know more about two of my characters. I’ve also placed a few shorts on my website, so that readers can experience my writing style. As for the impact on sales, I think that the shorts are more of an extension to my existing sales, rather than an avenue to find new readers.

Free books: Far and away the best marketing strategy I have ever employed has been to give away the first book in a series. The first book in my Timeless Trilogy, Fate, went free in January, 2012. After that, sales of the other two books in the Trilogy exploded, allowing me to create fiction, full-time.

Blog subscription on Amazon: My primary focus is the writing, but marketing has to play a role, even though it’s not something I’m comfortable with, or good at. My blog gets the least amount of my attention, though I always have great intentions to communicate, but something always seems to take precedence.

Author's Book List
The Collector
Cliffs of Starsdale
Anson
Casanova Killer
Bayou Butcher
The Littles
Precipice
Cascade
Destiny
Spellbound
Fate


For the rest of the story...View Tallulah Grace - HBS Author's Spotlight

Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Author Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor And Comedy, Non-fiction

Author's Blog: Pamela Fagan Hutchins
Website: Pamela Fagan Hutchins - Holding Nothing Back
Twitter: @PamelotH
E-Mail: pamela@pamelahutchins.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Finding Harmony comes out February 1st. Here’s your tease: Katie’s already on edge when a dead guy shows up at Annalise and shady locals claim there are slave remains in the foundation, but when Nick doesn’t come home to her and the kids, she’s ready to lose it.

My social media relationships are incredibly important, especially Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. I built my following very slowly by blogging and connecting with other writers and readers. Once my books started coming out, the process sped up quite a bit.

Book signings: Last year I did over 150 events and interviews. Of the events, 80% were big city chain store signings. I’m focusing on libraries, small towns, and multi-author events in 2014

Covers: I work with a fantastic artist, Heidi Dorey. She’s also a writer and a librarian, so she’s very in tune with what makes books move off shelves.

Audiobooks: I love the audiobooks! Yes, they reach a new audience, and the sales from ebooks and audiobooks really seem to help each other. Not only do I have audiobooks, but Saving Grace was read aloud in its entirety on NPR in Arizona.

Besides the Sisters in Crime… I am the President of the Houston Writers Guild, and in that role I am very involved with critiquing the work of other writers and assisting them in the marketing and publishing process, and vice versa. I also belong to Mystery Writers of America. Really, it’s unbelievable how much support I’ve gotten from all three groups…

Free books: I give away a ton of books, thanks to the influence of my husband. His mantra is that we’re looking for readers for the long haul. So we do giveaways on Goodreads, we have done them through KDP Select, we put them in lobbies (pet groomers, doctors, etc.), leave them in seat backs on airplanes, and do Rafflecopter giveaways on my blog.

Book launch: I look at a book launch as a three month process, with a three month window after it for heaviest promotion. I send books out to reviewers three months in advance. I order bookmarks and other promotional items two months out. I start working with book bloggers, promoters, and event coordinators about six weeks out. One month before launch I start booking online promos and run a Goodreads giveaway. Two weeks out we send out press releases to media. Hopefully all of these wonderful things bear fruit on launch day or within the first month. Meanwhile, I’m letting my social media contacts know about the launch, new reviews, giveaways, media, and events. We continue these efforts forever or until we drop from exhaustion. Seriously, we do taper off over time, but we never stop completely.

Author blog: It’s so time consuming!! I’m having a lot of trouble getting the fourth novel ready because the demands the promotional and marketing demands seem to be exponential. I’ve cut blogging down to once or twice a week, and it’s generally newsy rather than creative

Author's Book List
Finding Harmony
What Kind of Loser Indie Publishes, and How Can I Be One, Too?
Leaving Annalise
Saving Grace
The Clark Kent Chronicles
How To Screw Up Your Kids
Hot Flashes And Half Ironmans


For the rest of the story...View Pamela Fagan Hutchins - HBS Author's Spotlight

Jamie Lee Scott

Author Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Author's Blog: Strange musing from Jamie Lee Scott
Website: Jamie Lee Scott
Twitter: @authorJamie
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: The next book coming out is the 5th book in the Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries, Electile Dysfunction. It will be available at the end of February.

Social media: My following on Twitter mostly comes from screenwriting. I’m the co-founder of a weekly chat on screenwriting, Scriptchat. We started the chat back in 2009, and it has steadily grown in following and reputation as the go-to place for correct screenwriting information.

Book signings: I have done a couple of book signings, and had a great time doing them. I love to meet readers, since I’m a reader myself. I’ve done several interviews over the last few years, for both screenwriting and novels.

Covers: I design and make my own covers. I do get a lot of input from my editors and critique partners. I rarely show the cover before it’s finished. I get an idea in my head, and I want to “brand” the look of my books…

Short story, Tagged, You're It: The short story was written for fun. I wanted to put something out for the holidays, and give readers a chance to see something different while waiting for the next novel. Tagged was a lot of fun to write, but I can’t say it increased sales of my other books

Author bundles: MMM [Mirth, Murder & Mystery], as it is lovingly called by the seven authors involved, was the brainstorm of Lucie Charles. She wanted to get a group of like-minded authors together. We could split the advertising costs and split the profits if there were any. The main reason for doing the bundle was to get our names out there. MMM put me on the USA Today Bestseller list, so I’d say it was a success.

Beside Sisters In Crime, what other writer support groups… I’ve been a member of Romance Writers of America (they have a great online chapter called Kiss of Death, for mystery writers), and I’ve also regularly attended Midwest Fiction Writers in Minneapolis (must be RWA member to attend).

Giveaways: The first time I did the free book, it was dismal. No one knew who I was, and I had no idea what I was doing. Then an incredibly generous writer, Martin Crosbie, responded to an email I sent him, and he helped me learn what I was doing wrong. The next time my book was free for a limited time, I advertised, got the word out, and in three days I had 24,000 downloads of my first novel.

Friday Favorites blog feature: I created the Friday Favorites to give other authors a chance to get some exposure. I admit, I have a tendency to let my blog slide for months at a time. Also, I’m very surprised at the low number of authors who have taken me up of the FF blog posts.

Author's Book List
What A Meth
Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries Boxed Set
Tagged, You're It (a novelette)
Death of a Sales Rep
Textual Relations
Let Us Prey


For the rest of the story...View Jamie Lee Scott - HBS Author's Spotlight

Maggie Toussaint

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance,Suspense

Author's Blog: Mudpies and Magnolias
Website: Maggie Toussaint - Romance Danger Mystery
Twitter: @MaggieToussaint
E-Mail: maggie@maggietoussaint.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: Gone and Done It will release in hardcover in May and digital format a few months later. This paranormal mystery is about a sleuth who talks to dead people.

Social media is key in today’s online universe. I’ve made a conscious effort to collect twitter followers who enjoy reading, and I’m also fairly consistent at following back. It’s hard to find time to visit all the social media platforms, but Facebook and Twitter are the ones I frequent the most. I put out a quarterly newsletter.

Book signings: I do signings when a new book releases, and my May signings aren’t confirmed yet, although I will be signing at Sleuthfest in Orlando at the end of February.

RWA [Romance Writers of America]was the first writers’ organization I joined. From RWA, I learned most of my basic writer craft and began establishing a professional network. MWA[Mystery Writers of America] and SINC[Sisters in Crime] helped me with more specific genre-information as well as craft. Along the way, I’ve made some very good writer friends in those group meetings and online.

Free books: The biggest obstacle to giving books away for free is the natural instinct for self-preservation. It takes me nearly nine months to write a book from start to finish. That’s a lot of hours of my life, and it seems counterintuitive to give books away. And yet, it works. The book giveaways aid in discoverability.

Book launch: I offer review copies ahead of the book’s release to create a buzz. I look for opportunities at high traffic blogs that correspond to my book’s release month. I develop a database of tweets for the book. I talk the release up on all my social media. I offer Goodreads giveaways. I send mailings to fans, libraries, and more. I buy ads at online sites. I attend conferences and give away promo items. I send bookmarks and postcards to anyone who asks. It all works to some extent or I wouldn’t continue doing it.

Author blog: The secret seems to be to market yourself in ways that you find rewarding or enjoy. My primary goal is to build a fan base so that I’m not reinventing the wheel with each release.

Author's Book List
On the Nickel
Dime If I Know
Hot Water
In For A Penny
Death, Island Style
Murder in the Buff
Seeing Red
Muddy Waters


For the rest of the story...View Maggie Toussaint - HBS Author's Spotlight

Ian Walkley

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Ian Walkley - Writer, Author of No Remorse
Twitter: @ianjwalkley
E-Mail: ian@ianwalkley.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook


Next: While NO REMORSE is an exotic, James Bond type thriller, Bait is a local crime thriller set in Australia. I wanted to write something that had both a complex mystery but was also high action, with more character interaction and a female protagonist.

Social media: I believe social media is very important for a writer but it is like anything else - it is about creating awareness first, then a connection second. If you manage to achieve a connection, then you may have a good chance of selling your book.

Book signings: I love doing book signings in and around Brisbane where I live, even though it is hard work for a new author. It's selling one book at a time. Most people are really polite and some will stop and chat.

Book trailer: I think a trailer is really important these days and the link can be tweeted or used in campaigns. I purchased some photos and some music online and I had some video taken from a helicopter in Hawaii. I used iMovie to put it all together and it came out okay I think.

Short stories: Several established authors and writing teachers suggested that I should try writing short stories as a way of practising creative techniques. I tried it but I'm not a huge fan of short stories, so I don't think I've really had the motivation. There is an increasing trend for writers to pen short stories as a way to keep a series protagonist in front of their fans.

Start book launch: After the book has been edited and is ready to go, the first step for self-publishing is to format the ebook. I use software called Jutoh which is very good, but there are others, including websites you can upload to for a fee. Once the book is formatted and the cover is designed (use a professional!), I would upload to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) which is Amazon's ebook distributor.

Author blog: I operate two websites - my author site and my publisher site (Marq Books), plus Facebook and Twitter pages. I also have a Paper.Li daily newspaper called The Thriller Reader, which takes content from across the internet on thriller writing. I think the key here is focusing on your area of interest, and your followers.

Marketing: … all marketing is trial and error, hit and miss. So if you don't achieve success in one method, try another. Perhaps one thing I did learn was that it is good to plan a marketing campaign ahead of time, so that you can coordinate your promotions and advertising over a time period. This amplifies the awareness which means much greater potential for sales growth.

Author's Book List
No Remorse


For the rest of the story...View Ian Walkley - HBS Author's Spotlight

HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase


Tiffany Allee
Featured Book: Temptation by Fire

Author Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Author's Blog: Tiffany Allee
Website: Tiffany Allee
Twitter: @TiffanyAllee
E-Mail: tiffany(@)tiffanyallee.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Next book in my Sons of Kane series is the sequel to Don’t Bite the Bridesmaid, and it will be out in April.

Social media: It’s difficult to say how they work to build a following for my books, but I enjoy social media for the interaction. I’ve found it best to join the things I’m interested in, and then to simply to be genuine.

Support groups: I don’t have as much time to participate as I would like… I also participate on the writer’s forum, Absolute Write, and I highly recommend it to all writers.

Free books: My books have never been offered free, but I find it an intriguing idea. I could see the benefit, particularly with the first title in a series.

Book tours: Getting your name out in front of readers. Building an audience that might start small, but who will buy your other books, too. And it is helpful to get your cover in front of readers as much as possible… best benefits of tours is book reviews.

Author's Book List
Temptation by Fire
Vampire Games
Don't Bite the Bridesmaid
Lycan Unleashed
Heels and Heroes
Succubus Lost
Banshee Charmer


For the rest of the story...View Tiffany Allee - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

James Moushon
Featured Book: Game of Fire

Author Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Author's Blog: eBook Author’s Corner
Website: James Moushon - Mystery Writer
Twitter: @jimhbs
E-Mail: jim@jamesmoushon.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author's Book List
Game of Fire
Black Mountain Secrets
Call Off The Dogs


For the rest of the story...View James Moushon - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Jake Needham
Featured Book: THE KING OF MACAU

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers Author

Author's Blog: Jake Needham blog
Website: Jake Needham
Twitter: @jakeneedham
E-Mail: JakeNeedham@jakeneedham.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author's Book List
THE KING OF MACAU
THE UMBRELLA MAN
A WORLD OF TROUBLE
KILLING PLATO
LAUNDRY MAN
THE BIG MANGO
The Ambassadors Wife


For the rest of the story...View Jake Needham - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Larissa Reinhart
Featured Book: Hijack in Abstract

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Humor

Author's Blog:
Website: Larissa Reinhart
Twitter: @RisWrites
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Next: The next Cherry Tucker mystery, Death in Perspective, comes out June 24th, 2014.

Social media: I actually like social media and have made a lot of friends online, so those relationships are important to me. I began using Twitter and Facebook when living in Japan as a way to keep in touch with family and friends in America, and my following/follows began building slowly there.

Book signings: Typically I do about one event a month. I have young children, and feel it’s not fair to them or my husband to be away more than that. But I’ve been lucky to have a lot of local support, so I don’t have to travel much.

Covers: My editor is very talented, although an artist does them now. Because my first cover had such a successful, strong theme, we’ve had the other covers remain consistent. Hijack in Abstract’s painting has the Dixie Cake truck, but I like how the artist made it looked a bit like abstract art. This is all done in-house. I give some suggestions, but the artist and my editor do all the work. I particularly love my title and author font.

Audio books: Henery Press set up the audio book deal and the audio books are new enough that I’m not sure how they impact my regular sales or if they have a new audience.

Author bundles: Terri, LynDee, and I all write mystery series for Henery Press. Writing Heartache Motel rose from the three of us joking around, trying to figure out how our characters would get together and what would happen if they did. When we were ready to write and had chosen our setting and theme, we brainstormed together by email and then wrote our stories separately.

Reviews: Henery Press puts our ARCs on NetGalley for a month or so, so reviewers can easily get them. I encourage my readers to leave reviews, but mainly I do blog tours for reviews.

Blog: Mystery Minions (Your street team with LynDee Walker): Mystery Minions is a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysteryminions/ anyone can join who wants to be a part of our street team. We send the Minions bookmarks and swag and they pass them out to libraries, bookstores, and book clubs in their area. They also spread news about our new releases on social media. LynDee and I have special contests for them, give them sneak peeks and excerpts from manuscripts or books before anyone else sees them…

Author's Book List
Hijack in Abstract
Heartache Motel
Still Life in Brunswick Stew
Portrait of a Dead Guy


For the rest of the story...View Larissa Reinhart - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

HBS Bundle Showcase


Featured Set: 9 Killer Thrillers

Available at Amazon: 9 Killer Thrillers

Title: The Halo Effect

Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: M.J. Rose
Author's Blog: M.J. Rose
Twitter: @MJRose
E-Mail: mjroseauthor@gmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:
M.J. Rose (www.mjrose.com) is the international best selling author of thirteen novels and three non-fiction books on marketing. Her most recent novel SEDUCTION (Atria/S&S May 7 2013) is an May Indie Next Pick and had gotten a Library Journal starred review and an RT Top Pick.

THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES (Atria/S&S March 2012) was chosen as one the ten best in several categories including mystery and fantasy by PW and Amazon and was chosen to be on the March Indie Next List as well as a summer main selection by the Pulpwood Queens Book club.

Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio.

Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com

The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype.

She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.

Title: The Devil's Deep

Author Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Michael Wallace - author of the bestselling Righteous series
E-Mail: m.wallace23(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads

Author Description:
Sign up to Michael's New Release Mailing List here: bit.ly/10ZDLZ2 (Simply cut-and-paste that address into your browser) and receive a free copy of the Righteous novella "Trial by Fury." Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.

I've trekked across the Sahara on a camel, ridden an elephant through a tiger preserve in Southeast Asia, eaten fried guinea pig, and been licked on the head by a skunk. In a previous stage of life I programmed nuclear war simulations, smuggled refugees out of a war zone, and milked cobras for their venom. I speak Spanish and French and grew up in a religious community in the desert.

Title: King of Swords

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Russell Blake Suspense Writer
Author's Blog: Russell Blake - Author Spotlight
Twitter: @blakebooks
E-Mail: books@russellblake.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author Description:
Russell Blake is the bestselling author of twenty-two novels, including the thrillers Fatal Exchange, The Geronimo Breach, Zero Sum, King of Swords, Night of the Assassin, Revenge of the Assassin, Return of the Assassin, Blood of the Assassin, The Delphi Chronicle trilogy, The Voynich Cypher, Silver Justice, JET, JET II - Betrayal, JET III - Vengeance, JET IV - Reckoning, JET V - Legacy, Upon A Pale Horse, and BLACK.

Non-fiction includes the international bestseller An Angel With Fur (animal biography) and How To Sell A Gazillion eBooks In No Time (even if drunk, high or incarcerated), a parody of all things writing-related.

Blake lives in Mexico and enjoys his dogs, fishing, boating, tequila and writing, while battling world domination by clowns.

His blog can be found at RussellBlake.com where he publishes his periodic thoughts, such as they are.

Title: Snakeskin

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Medical Suspense

Website: CJ Lyons Thrillers with Heart
Author's Blog: Thrillers with Heart
Twitter: @cjlyonswriter
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Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.

CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).

Title: Traces of Kara

Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Melissa Foster
Author's Blog: Melissa Foster Blog
Twitter: @Melissa_Foster
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:
Award-winning, bestselling author Melissa Foster is a touchstone for the indie publishing community and a tireless advocate for women. She is the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success, and The Women’s Nest , as well as a Community Builder for the Alliance of Independent Authors . Melissa writes emotionally-driven contemporary fiction and suspense with passionate characters that remain with the reader long after they’ve read the last words. Melissa is a friend, mentor, brownie connoisseur, and book fiend.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she's written for Calgary's Child Magazine and Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping women see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Title: The 19th Element

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Religion & Spirituality, Fiction

Website: Meet Author, John L. Betcher
Author's Blog: Self-Publishing Central
Twitter: @JohnBetcher
E-Mail: betcherjl@q.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author Description:
Amazon TOP 100 Bestselling Author, John L. Betcher, holds a Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, in English from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. Mr. Betcher has published an award-winning series of "Becker" suspense/thriller novels. The first five are THE 19TH ELEMENT, THE MISSING ELEMENT, THE COVERT ELEMENT, THE EXILED ELEMENT and THE CRITICAL ELEMENT. He has also authored the award-winning spiritual phenomenon, A HIGHER COURT.

Title: Vigilante

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Claude Bouchard Books - Crime Thrillers and other Stuff...
Twitter: @ceebee308
E-Mail: claude@claudebouchardbooks.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:

I was born in Montreal, Canada, where I still reside with my spouse, Joanne. I completed my studies in human resources, accounting and management at McGill University and worked in various management capacities in the fields of HR and finance for a handful of firms for what seemed like decades, because it was. I should also mention I love pizza, but who doesn't and, in my opinion, nothing rocks more than cooking on the grill.

My first stab at writing was in 1995, the result being my first novel, Vigilante. This was subsequently followed by The Consultant (1996) and Mind Games (1997), all of the same series. Professional obligations and other creative interests led me away from writing for a number of years but I found myself busy at the keyboard in 2009 with The Homeless Killer after having finally published my first three novels. I then followed up with 6 Hours 42 Minutes in 2011, also part of the Vigilante series born from Vigilante. In July 2011, I released ASYLUM, my first stand-alone novel and Discreet Activities, my sixth Vigilante crime thriller was published in January 2012. In October 2012, I penned and released Something’s Cooking, a faux-erotica parody and cookbook under the pseudonyms Réal E. Hotte and Dasha Sugah. My eighth novel and seventh installment of the Vigilante series, Femme Fatale, has just been released. I think I'm really starting to like this writing thing.

Besides writing, editing and promoting my work, I also spend some artistic energy with my five guitars, oil paints and watercolours. Other passions include cooking (big time with fine wine to go with it, of course), reading, traveling and working out just enough to stay fit. It should also be noted that following several years of practice, I now excel at being cat furniture for Krystalle and Midnight, or so they tell me.

Title: Corpus Christi

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Website: Author Luke Romyn
Author's Blog: Luke's Blog
Twitter: @LukeRomyn
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Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
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Author Description:
Luke Romyn spent many years, over nineteen in fact, working in the security industry. From doorwork in some of Australia's roughest pubs and clubs to protecting Mickey Mouse and the Disney crew from the overzealous jaws of tenacious toddlers, Luke has worked throughout Australia and internationally in a vast array of roles. He's done close protection for UK celebrities in Fiji and chased feral pigs and snakes out of the jungle film sets on Steven Spielberg's and Tom Hank's epic: The Pacific. There are few things Luke hasn't seen. With all this experience behind him, it would have been tempting to write a set of memoirs. Instead, Luke utilized it to fuel his own expansive imagination and began writing fiction. Initially starting with short stories, Luke rapidly progressed onto novels. All three of Luke's books have been category best sellers on Amazon, with over a quarter of a million copies being distributed to date.

Title: Big Lake

Author Genre: Murder, Mystery and Suspense

Website: Gypsy Journal
Author's Blog: Just a Gypsy
Twitter: @GypsyJournal
E-Mail: nick@gypsyjournalrv.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Author Description:
Before becoming a fulltime RVer, New York Times Kindle bestselling author Nick Russell published daily and weekly newspapers in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona.

He and his wife Terry, are the publishers of the popular Gypsy Journal RV travel newspaper, and Russell presents travel seminars at RV rallies across the country.

Nick Russell is the author of Highway History and Back Road Mystery, Meandering Down The Highway - A Year On The Road With Fulltime RVers, Work Your Way Across The USA - You Can Earn A Living And Travel Too!, The Frugal RVer, Overlooked Florida, Overlooked Arizona, and the bestselling Big Lake mystery series.

Featured Set: Heartache Motel

Available at Amazon: Heartache Motel

Title: QUICK SKETCH

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Humor

Website: Larissa Reinhart
Author's Blog:
Twitter: @RisWrites
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:
Growing up in a small town, Larissa Reinhart couldn't wait to move to an exotic city far from corn fields. After moving around the US and Japan, now she loves to write about rough hewn characters who live near corn fields, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble.

HIJACK IN ABSTRACT is the third in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series from Henery Press, following STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (May 2013) and PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist. QUICK SKETCH, a Cherry Tucker prequel to PORTRAIT, is in the mystery anthology THE HEARTACHE MOTEL (December 2013).

Larissa lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website or find her chatting with the Little Read Hens on Facebook.

Title: DATELINE MEMPHIS

Author Genre: Mystery, Humor And Comedy

Website: LynDee Walker
Twitter: @LynDeeWalker
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
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Author Description:
LynDee Walker grew up in the land of stifling heat and amazing food most people call Texas, and wanted to be Lois Lane from the time she could say the words "press conference." An award-winning journalist, LynDee traded cops and deadlines for burp cloths and onesies when her oldest child was born. Writing the Headlines in High Heels mysteries gives her the best of both worlds. LynDee is a member of Sisters in Crime and James River Writers. BURIED LEADS is her second Headlines in High Heels mystery. Her debut, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an amazon multi-chart #1 bestseller. A Headlines in High Heels novella appears in the anthology HEARTACHE MOTEL. The third novel in the series, SMALL TOWN SPIN, is coming in April 2014.

LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel.

Title: DINERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS

Author Genre: Mystery

Website: Terri L. Austin
Author's Blog: Terri L. Austin
Twitter: @TerriLAustin
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest

Author Description:
As a girl, Terri L. Austin thought she'd outgrow dreaming up stories and creating imaginary friends. Instead, she's made a career of it. She met her own Prince Charming and together they live in Missouri. She loves to hear from readers



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