Reflections on 2017
What did
I accomplish as an author in 2017? My activities are divided into Writing Progress and Book Marketing.
Writing Progress:
I began
the year by updating my series, Grand Masters’ Galaxy and Secret Supers with
new covers. Also, I published two box sets:
Grand Master’s Trilogy includes the first
three books in the series, Grand Master’s Pawn, Grand Master’s Game and Grand
Master’s Mate.
Secret Supers box set includes: Super Starrella,
Starrella Falls, and Gargoyle Hunt.
This
year, I published three new works: Comet
Tales, Cosmic Rift, fourth book
in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy, and Europa,
the first book in a new series, Taxyon Space.
Comet Tales
I
published an anthology of four short stories and a novella, with the theme of
science fiction romance. Two of the short stories had never been published
before.
Trudge
over the rocks of Mars, trek through a hazardous alien jungle, or pop across
the galaxy in a pirate ship in five fun tales of adventure and romance.
Gifts of Jangalore - Short story set in the
Grand Masters’ Universe.
Empath Rosa Spruce and Psi Master Varan seek an ancient
site within an alien jungle.
Stranded on Illumina - Jacie’s plan to meet
her boyfriend on the resort Planet Illumina is scuttled when he skips their
date.
Lonely Hearts on Mars - Love blossoms from
disaster in this short story set in the near future.
Super Christmas - A short story about the
Secret Supers.
Estelle
invites Toby to her family’s Christmas dinner.
Captured by the Hawk - A Space Opera Novella.
Spaceships crash across the galaxy in the comic misadventures of spy Grey Kat
and pirate Black Hawk.
Cosmic Rift, Grand Masters’ Galaxy Book 4
Empath
Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover.
Violet’s happy family
is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might
have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic
partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council.
Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with
resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to
her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead.
She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate
in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.
Europa, Taxyon Space Book 1
Dr. Nikki
Bell’s plan to discover intelligent life in the oceans of Europa hits a rocky
start when her spaceship crashes on the icy surface. Seconds before she blacks
out, she spies a man’s face in the water beneath the ice. When she wakes on the
submarine Station, nobody believes her story. Convinced the mysterious stranger
saved her life, Nikki searches for him while she explores the ocean and its
alien inhabitants.
Kiron
Arqin Ramis chose exile as a Watcher on a remote outpost to redeem his family’s
honor. He never expected to find an attractive Earther woman close to death. He
violates the prime policy by rescuing her. Despite suffering the penalty, he
strives to warn her about his hostile leaders.
Nikki’s
unexpected meeting with Kiron triggers a chain of disasters in Europa’s
perilous oceans. Can the daredevil scientist and scarred Watcher forge a new
alliance despite their people’s antagonism?
Marketing my Books
Newsletter: I put a major effort
into expanding my newsletter subscribers. My book magnets range from previews
and short stories to novellas and the first novel in Grand Masters’ Galaxy. My
newsletters include tidbits about my new stories, my free and discounted books,
new releases, special deals and giveaways by other authors. Generally, I send
two newsletters a month and have a corresponding boost in sales of my new
releases or discounted books.
Paid
and free promotions:
Selling books is an uphill battle. I participate in newsletter swaps for my
books, and cross-promotions with other authors, especially in science fiction,
fantasy and romance.
My sales
have seen an uptick from promotions with Book Barbarian, Bookdoggy, Reading
Deals, People Reads, AuthorsXP, and Free Kindle Books & Tips. Unfortunately,
however, none of my paid promotions has given a positive return on investment.
Recently,
my box set, Grand Master’s Trilogy, was accepted for an international BookBub
on Dec 27th. I’m hoping this will generate enough sales to cover my
costs and increase international interest in my stories.
Social Connections:
Find
a catalog of my published stories HERE.
Sign up
for my Newsletter for a FREE eBook and
advance notice of my new releases, sneak peeks at my stories, giveaways and discounted
books by multiple authors.
