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Monday, November 28, 2011

The Phoenix & The Darkness

This week, the fabulous Lizzy Ford is featured for the Indie Chicks' Anthology post. Her story is so moving and powerful, I would rather just post it rather than trying to come up with something witty beforehand. I am sure you all agree it speaks for itself. Without further ado, the beautiful and brave Lizzy Ford!


She's even beautiful while freezing her ass off!

The Phoenix and the Darkness

I've been running from The Darkness since I left home at the age of 17. I escaped a broken family to the military, found it unwelcoming to creative non-conformists but fulfilled my commitment. The first man I dated was a drunkard who suffered from post traumatic stress disorder; the second raped me. The rest of my time in the military was a blur of men, the different places I lived and The Darkness stalking me. At the end of my tour, I set my world on fire to keep the Darkness away, abandoned everything and everyone, and emerged from the flames like the mythical Phoenix. I ran home to Ohio. I didn’t stay long and continued onward to New York, where I reinvented myself for a very brief period of contentedness.
It didn’t last. Darkness, fire, rebirth, and a few years, men and states later, I ended up in the arms of yet another unworthy man. I followed him to DC, bore the mental abuse, and tried to tell myself this was the best life would ever get.
I took a job in a field I didn't care for and ended up running from job-to-job-to-job, unable to find a place where I was happy. I was hit by a drunk driver at 26, leaving me with a long lifetime of constant pain. I had a miscarriage, gave all my money to the unworthy man and couldn't pay my bills despite the good job. I moved from Virginia to Maryland and back to Virginia, unable to shake the pursuing Darkness. Finally, I put all my belongings in storage, ready to set my word afire and flee once again.
I worked up the nerve to ditch the dysfunctional man, but before I could run far, I met the man who would become my first husband. He wanted normal things: stability, house, family. I convinced myself if I had these things, the Darkness would be gone. He needed a mother, not a wife, but I married him anyway and prayed it was enough.
It wasn't. I set my world afire once more, and I fled him, too. I put everything I valued in my truck, grabbed the dog, and left. Away from DC, the east coast, everything I owned, my first husband. I ran to Texas to a new job and divorced the first husband. Yet again, I was reborn. Soon after, I met my soul mate. Some part of me knew I couldn’t keep running if I wanted to keep him. I turned around to see if The Darkness still chased me. After fifteen years of running, The Darkness was closer than ever.
I told the man who would become my second husband to stay away from me – I was dangerous. He saw The Darkness, and he saw me.
You’re brilliant and beautiful. I love you, Darkness and all, he said. But if you don’t deal with it and accept the fate for which you were put on this earth, you’ll be consumed by it.
I couldn’t yet face the Darkness even with his support, but I could see how wrong my path was. My path wasn't a career I loathed, and it wasn't ignoring my true gift: writing. So I worked full time and wrote full time. I found true joy for the first time in my life, but The Darkness got too close. I ran away from that job - the only job I'd ever remotely enjoyed. This time, I kept my only ally in life - my guardian angel and partner.
I took a new job in a new state. With my husband and my writing, I saw The Darkness recede, and I grew happy. Instead of looking over my shoulder, I started looking into the future. I vowed to run towards something instead of away from something. I wasn’t just reborn – I was alive for the first time in my life.
And then, this past summer, I tripped. The Darkness swallowed me. As in one of my upcoming novels, The Darkness turned me inside out. I couldn't go to work and could barely leave the house. It pinned me beneath it, and the more I tried to run, the heavier it got. Everything I'd run from in life was there: my near-poverty upbringing; the breaking apart of my family when I was a kid; my struggle with my weight and social anxiety issues; with finding acceptance at any job; with men and dysfunctional relationships; the pending financial disaster I'd been building; fear of failure and ending up as miserable as my parents. I thought I'd suffocate, until the Darkness spoke to me.
You can run again and risk losing the man you love, or you can face me and be happy, it said.
I want to be happy, I replied.
Then do what you must.
It's not that easy. I'm scared.
Sometimes life only gives us difficult choices, but you still must choose. I am a part of you. You must accept me and deal with me before you can move on, it said.
I thought hard as I looked at all the things I'd accumulated that were bankrupting me financially and emotionally. I looked at what made me happy in life: my husband and my writing. I saw how I'd hurt my most precious treasures - and myself - by setting my world on fire whenever The Darkness got too close.
This is gonna hurt, I told The Darkness.
Not for long, it said. You only have to do this once.
In that moment, I made my choice. I would face The Darkness within me, no matter how hard it was. I loved my husband too much to hurt him more, and I was sick of being a coward. I took a leave of absence in early September to deal with my past as well as the depression and anxiety that have haunted me my whole life. Writing has always been my solace and my passion. Through it, I'll heal the world I broke and my own soul, and become the partner my husband deserves.
The Phoenix will be reborn once more, not of fire, but of Darkness, and will emerge stronger than ever.


Description of the "War of Gods" series
The "War of Gods" series by Lizzy Ford is a paranormal romance series depicting the ongoing struggle between good and evil - and the immortals and their human mates who are caught in the middle.  The first book, "Damian's Oracle" (released October 2011) is the story of the White God and his Oracle, the cool beauty, Sofia.  The second book, "Damian's Assassin," (released November 2011) is about the White God's assassin and the woman who heals his heart and body.  The third book will be released 02 Dec and tells the tale of the White God's chief immortal and the mysterious, beautiful Magician he risks his life to protect.
Lizzy's info:


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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Guest Post by Christine DeMaio-Rice

For all those authors and would-be authors, we all know how important it is to advertise. If people don't know about your book then how are they supposed to buy it? Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily are two of the most popular ways independent authors advertise. Below is the story from one of my Indie Chicks, Christine DeMaio-Rice and her journey with her new book, Dead is the New Black. 



My Pixel of Ink (POI) Story



On November 21st I got my first ever Pixels of Ink ad.

12pm
Ok so, I've been up for half an hour and haven't gotten a sale. And I'm wondering, am I going to be the only person in the history of POI ads that won't make a sale? Will I be the freak that no one wants to emulate? Will people throw eggs and if they do, can I catch 179 dollars worth of them before they break?

I am going to lunch now. When I come back I am going to check. I fully expect not one sale, because it's just the way things go. If everyone else has a fun, easy way to do something, I will try it and fail.


1:09pm
Back from lunch.

I have sold 5 copies after an hour and a half. So I guess I can count on another five or six hours of fun? No one was ever very clear about how many hours this whole bonanza lasts. But let's say six hours. So, at this rate I'll have sold 20 copies. That's not disgusting. It's not a complete waste of time. It's something else entirely that I can't put a name on right now. 

This "I know the word but can't put my finger on it" thing happens a lot. I blame a massive vocabulary, but the confusion is probably attributed to age and honestly, the inability to use the right word in the right place is probably why I only sold 5 books in 90 minutes. I'll make a note to work on that.

In the time it took me to write this email I haven't sold any books.

Let me check again.

Nope. Nada.

2 pm
I've been up for 2 1/2 hours and I've sold 18 books.
The odd thing is my ranking was about 48,000 at 11am, and it's 54,000 now. Does that mean that everyone above me is selling more? How can my ranking go DOWN.

2:45pm
Dead Is the New Black is still the top post on page one of POI. That's three hours and change. 

Things are happening. Now, I do my job for a little -- measure an armhole or complain about a seam or whatever -- then check KDP. The number of sales has been rising each time I check. I've sold 32 copies today. Not bad. Just the pleasure of seeing the sales happen is enough for me right now, after the disappointment of hours one and two. Ranking hasn't changed, but I hear that takes a few hours.

I'm wondering if the number of reviews has anything to do with the success of the ad. I only have 7, most of which are quite detailed. I will do this again, someday, and I'm wondering if I'll do better with more reviews. (my status as a “Red Adept Select” means I don’t need to meet the 10 review requirement).

I'm chalking that up and in the meantime, I've come up with a motto to remember -- "It ain't over until you're off page 1"

I made another sale in the time it took to write this email. Things are looking up.

5:30pm
Ad still on top of first page. SIX HOURS! What wonderful thing did I do in a past life to deserve such a showing?
And I've sold 68 books today. My ranking changed at about 3:30 to 6,010, which is like wow. Four digits. Not shabby. We'll see how that progresses over the next few hours, but I'm pretty sure people aren't going to throw eggs at me.

9pm
So, I've put the children to bed and I am now sitting down to write my NaNoWriMo word balance. And I am almost passing out, one from exhaustion and second, from my POI results.

I've sold 95 copies so far. I only needed 90 to make my money back from the ad. And here's my ranking....


I think the one I'm most excited about is "Woman Sleuths". Competition is fierce in that genre, and I hope I can stick some of the ranking there. Because that's what it was about for me. Just getting that little bump to increase visibility, and hanging on to some of the ranking so I search better. 

This was an incredibly exciting day. Beats looking at my sales and seeing the same sad number day after day. 

Was it worth it? Well, it paid for itself, so there's certainly no downside for me. Right now I'd do it again. We'll see if my KND ad on the 26th of December pans out.

10:30pm

I think there comes a point where the progress on rankings becomes exponentially slower. Like I'm going to have to sell twice as many to break the top 500. It's like how rich you have to get to be in the top 30% richest people as opposed to how rich you have to get to break into the top 10%.

Conclusion:

By the time the ad went down the next morning, I’d sold 120 copies or so. At $2.99 each, that put me at paying for the ad, plus another sixty bucks for my trouble.

A week later, my ranking is down in the 7000’s. We’ll see if it dips much more, but this is so much better than the 60K I started with. I’m selling a couple a day. This is superfantastic, and give me a good starting point for not only Christmas, but any other promotion I try.


Post Script by yours truly: If you would like to read this riveting story about the fashion industry and a murder, look to your right! Click on the photo and buy it!

It's support Small Business Owners' Saturday and you can't get much smaller than us independent authors!




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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Gobble, gobble! Black Friday sale

So, if you are one of those procrastinators (or know one who is) and you have been surreptitiously eyeing my latest novel, just know that it is on sale for $1.99 this weekend only (until Sunday) at all the major retailers (Amazon, B&N and Smashwords). On Monday, the 28th, it goes back up to $4.79 where it will stay unless I feel like having an after-Christmas sale and that's highly doubtful. So spread the word as this is the last bit of self-promotion I am going to do about this e-book! Go get it!

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Death-Wish-Book-Vamp-ebook/dp/B00631HMHY
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-wish-danielle-blanchard-benson/1107067214
Smashwords (Non U.S./outside Amazon Kindle zone): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101440
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Monday, November 21, 2011

The Holidays are approaching... ;-)

Okay, so you know me. I am not one to gloat on myself for very long before moving on so I wanted to let all my wonderful blog followers know I am participating in The Holiday Blog Hop which will take place from December 15th through December 25th. I am excited to announce that during this time, I will be hosting a contest and two lucky winners will receive an extra special holiday treat... a Paranormal e-Book Gift Basket with three yummy novels.
You know this one is included, right?
Who are the authors involved as I wouldn't do this by myself? Shea MacLeod and Norah Wilson! That's right, the two winners will not only get my latest novel, Death Wish, but they will also receive Nightfall by the talented Norah Wilson and Kissed By Darkness, Shea MacLeod's treat about a bad ass vampire hunter and the two men in her life. Yeah, I know, y'all wanna see thew covers, here goes!

I've been drooling for this one myself...
Yeah, this one is in the basket, too!
Can I just say the two novels above look like some great reading? Along with Death Wish, you're set. So, remember to start commenting, definitely during the blog hop as that is how the winners will be decided or I just might throw all your shiny, happy faces  (the 60+ who follow this blog) into a hat and choose two winners (that'll be fun)!!!

That's it for now, folks. Until next time, happy reading and don't forget to check out the two authors above as they have other titles out as well which are just dying to be bought... ;-)
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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Write or Die

Oh wow, so now it is my week and it is always a bit nerve wracking to have yourself on your own blog. I am so not good with self-promo so please forgive me everyone. As part of the Indie Chick Anthology, it is now my turn to showcase my own story and although it isn't anything like Shea or Heather's, it is quite satisfying to share in its own way.

When I first started on this journey and Cheryl Shireman told us we would have to share personal stories, I was absolutely frightened to the core. Share a personal story? With strangers? About my life where it will always exist in cyberspace? And then I truly thought about it and realized why not? When you decide to become an author, your life, as you know it is no longer your own. Better to "pull an Oprah" and put everything out there than to try to hide so here is my story in my own words. Enjoy! ;-)

Isn't that the face of an angel? Not!

“Write or Die”
2010 was the worst year of my life.
After a very successful career in the banking industry, I suddenly found myself unemployed, my marriage falling apart and to add insult to injury my father dying. I had a 10 month old daughter and suddenly, I was back living with my unmarried, child-free sister with two children. Life was bleak and the most terrifying part about the whole situation was I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do.
I was attending university for a degree in International Business but who was I kidding? I’d always hated business; I was good at banking but should I base my career on something I was simply good at or should I be doing something I love? This was my dilemma and I had no one to blame for my predicament but myself.
Plenty of women had overcome more tremendous obstacles so why was I feeling sorry for myself? I steeled my spine and decided to make some real decisions. In the middle of the detritus which was now my life, I found a wonderful and caring man I fell hopelessly in love with but the problem was he didn’t live in this country and he was a successful and driven attorney. What would he want with someone like me? Unemployed, two children, divorced and somewhat shaky ambitions at an age where most women had it made, were married and excelling towards middle age. My life was a mess and I needed a man like a fish needs a bicycle (thanks, U2!).
I took a long hard look at my life and realized I had failed to plan and therefore I had planned to fail.
When I stood at that podium and looked at the few family and friends who had bothered to show up at my dad’s funeral, my life became so clear. My father had had so many chances; so much lost opportunities and had blew all of them due to fear and inertia. I was my father’s daughter; I was falling into that same black hole of despondency with no way out.
It took another fourteen months before I had the actual courage to see out my dream and make it a reality. Isabelle Solal had written a book, In The Past Imperfect, and her good friend, Sion Dayson, had promoted it on her blog. She was tired of waiting for the agent who would never accept the publisher who could never take a chance and had decided to self-publish her fictional book on Amazon. Was this possible? Could I self-publish? Could I take my book which I had tried to find an agent for the past eight years or so and do it myself? Say it isn’t so!
I was so excited about the possibility of publishing, I dug it out of the place it’d warmed my different hard drives and laptops over the years, decided at over one thousand hard back pages, it was much too long to publish as a full length novel, chopped it up into eight parts and hit publish on the first part.
I was ecstatic as I had done my own cover (a beautiful statue which captivated me while I was on my European vacation) and it was just so perfect. Unfortunately, no one else knew I existed and that is when I realized publishing was more than just about hitting a button. I had to make sure my novel was edited, the right cover was used to attract attention and there was a whole list of indie writers I didn’t know about but they were there and ready to be at my service.
In the beginning, I only used Kindle’s Direct Publishing board because that was the only one I knew about. Another writer, Athanasios, who wrote a thrilling book titled Mad Gods, told everyone on the KDP boards about a new Facebook board group called Indie Writers’ Unite. I joined, Cheryl Bradshaw, the creator of IWU accepted me, and the rest is history.
I wish I could say I am selling thousands of copies and I got the guy but that isn’t life and nothing happens without time. I am selling and many people have discovered my work; I have met some of the bravest men and women on the planet at IWU and I feel like a million bucks even if my life still isn’t a bed of roses. The guy, like everything good in life, will take some time and I am willing to put it in and make the effort; nothing worth anything is easy to accomplish for the matter.
I love to write so that is what I’m doing. I enjoy writing whatever moves me, thus I have work in several different genres including Women’s Literature, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Science Fiction and Fantasy. I also plan to do a novel I have had in the works for a while that is firmly Mystery with a Thriller twist.
For the first time, I stayed true to myself, my ambitions and what I want my life to be and represent. I know it will get better and all my dreams will come true—many of them already have. My life is still changing, still revolving but I have come out ahead, stronger and more positive than I ever thought possible. I learned the hard way either I write or I can simply subsist and die.
Life is like writing; it isn’t about perfection but it is about the possibilities we are given every day, the decisions we make and what we want to do with them. It is about forks in the road and deciding which direction to take and making the best with whatever is thrown at us once we make our decisions. It is the way it should be and that is simply imperfect.

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Death-Wish-Book-Vamp-ebook/dp/B00631HMHY
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-wish-danielle-blanchard-benson/1107067214
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101440
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3719572
Smashwords (Available FREE): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88853
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Forever-27-Novelette-Club-ebook/dp/B005N04MFQ
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-27-danielle-blanchard/1105648222


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