Release Day and Special Bundle Pack

It's release day! You can now purchase The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three at Amazon!

But WAIT! I have a super special for all you folks with kids who love Abigale! You can get ALL THREE books for half the price! How? I've released a special bundle edition in celebration! Keep reading...

I decided that I wanted to do something special for all of Abigale's fans. So, for half the price of buying each book individually, you can own all three! This three book collection will be pulled from the shelves in February 2013 so you want to jump in and grab it now. Here's the deal:

At just $2.99, you're saving almost three dollars by buying the complete collection as one.

It will NOT be available in print. This is a Kindle ONLY limited edition.

Available on Amazon.










The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three - Young Readers (Series)

If you already have the first two, you can pick up The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three for just $1.99 on Amazon. If you prefer print books, feel free to hop over to CreateSpace and grab a paperback copy for just $5.99.

Synopsis:
Abigale Fontenot is turning thirteen. Just when she thinks her birthday couldn't possibly get any worse, a new adventure takes hold. Abigale and Emmett are whisked away to a world of fantasy where knights, dragons, and princesses are the order of the day. Abigale is kidnapped by an evil prince in a nearby kingdom, and it's up to Emmett to rescue her. But Abigale finds that escape is not the most important thing; restoring the evil prince's kindness that has been locked away in a magical book by a wicked sorceress must come first. While Emmett is trying to rescue Abigale, she is trying to free the prince from his curse. Will she succeed in her quest before the evil prince kills Emmett, or will she fail and lose her new best friend? Will death matter if the whole thing is a dream, or are the adventures real and truly dangerous?

While you're here, don't forget to go enter the rafflecopter drawing for your chance at Bronya and Lily; book one and two of the Mystic series.

Click me to get to the widget!

I'd like to say thank you again to the 100 great fans of my FaceBook page for making it happen!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Dialogue Tags vs. Action Tags

I read an interesting blog post lately about dialogue tags and action tags. What is the difference? If you don't already know this, dialogue tags are the ones that require commas and action tags are the ones that don't.

According to the blog, a dialogue tag is telling that a person said, whispered, screamed, asked, or responded.

Action tags are things the person does. Words like flirted, smiled, teased, growled, etc...

You can read the article here. She gives some great examples, too!!

I think there is an exception to this rule when working with animals that speak. Hear me out before you go all argumentative on me, okay?

In The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three, I have a dragon named Glinx that talks (he also burps fire but that's another story). I believe that he could growl a statement as only a dragon could do.

If I had a horse that talked, could he not whinny or neigh a response? A fairy could tinkle or trill a response, right?

Dialogue tags have their place. PLEASE don't ever stop using them!! I'm one of those people that gets lost four lines into a good chunk of dialogue if they aren't tagged with the speaker now and then. Children's books should have more tags than adult novels because kids get lost more easily than adults. Where an adult novel needs one only every four or five lines, a children's book needs a dialogue or action tag every couple of lines.

As a reader, I'll tell you, I do not mind a he said, she said, or an Abigale said, Glinx roared every couple of lines. I like to know who is doing what. Tell me!

Tomorrow, I'm gonna talk about pronouns - those pesky little words like he, she, they, them, it, hers, and his. I find misuse of them everywhere. Sure, we all have a tendency to stick an erroneous one in there now and then, but that's what proofreaders and editors are for, right? Even then, some get missed, I admit. But perhaps raising awareness will help someone, somewhere, construct better prose.

Is there a topic you find you have trouble with that you'd like clarification on? If yes, leave me a comment and let me know!!

Keep an eye out for The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three on September 25, 2012!! Cover reveal and synopsis reveal this week! If you don't have Book One or Book Two yet, what are you waiting for? Click the titles to pick them up! Just $1.99 each on Kindle!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Interview with Abigale Fontenot

Happy Thursday, people in the blogosphere!! Today, I bring you twelve-year-old Abigale Fontenot from The Abigale Chronicles! Along with Abigale's visit, I'm please to announce her books are available FREE until midnight tonight, the 30th of August, 2012. Only on Amazon.

Jo: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Thursday interview! Today, I have a wonderful surprise for you: Abigale Fontenot from the children’s chapter book series The Abigale Chronicles is here to answer some questions for us. Hello, Abigale. How are you today?

Abigale: I’m great, thanks. Hi, everyone! (waves enthusiastically)

Jo: That’s a very pretty dress you have on. Where’d you get it?

Abigale: Oh! Thanks! I got it at the mall in the city. I love dresses.Jo: (smiles) Tell us a little bit about your friends, Kristy and Emmett.Abigale: Kristy and me grew up together and she was my BFF before all the trouble started. ‘Till last year, I thought Emmett hated me. Come to find out, that boy likes me a lot and just didn’t know how to say it. Kristy won’t talk to me now but me and Emmett have been goin’ on adventures of some kind. I still ain’t figured it out though. What’s happening, I mean.

Jo: What do you mean by what’s happening? Are you talking about if your adventures are real and what’s causing them?

Abigale: Yeah. We don’t know why we go the places we do. That last time really freaked me out. Those cats were super weird and, when we got back, Emmett was half a mile away. I don’t know if that had to do with the amount of time we were gone or what because we weren’t together when the first one started.

Jo: What does it feel like when you have an adventure?

Abigale: It feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I just black out and wake up somewhere else. This last time, Emmett was right there with me when we arrived. I was thankful for that.

Jo: Tell me about the first adventure.

Abigale: Well, I woke up in a weird place. Come to find out, there were all these Amazon women everywhere. They don’t like boys. My looks had changed and that silly queen thought I was her daughter! She tried to get me to kill Emmett. Even though I didn’t like him, I couldn’t kill him! I don’t even like squishing bugs. So I saved him and we ran away.

Jo: Wow! You were very brave! What happened the second time?

Abigale: We ended up in this weird world full of talking cats. There was one by the name of Theodore who used us to help him get back his noble rights and then, the little booger tried to cook us up for dinner! We came home just in time. It was scary!

Jo: It sounds scary. Now, I hear you like to write poetry. Can you tell us what started that?

Abigale: My love of reading started it but my teachers encouraged me to continue. I have a nifty little notebook I write them all down in. I deal with stress that way and keep up with my memories from life as well. It’s like a little chronicle of my life. But, my notebook is full. I sure hope I get another one for my birthday.

Jo: When is your birthday?

Abigale: October twenty-third.

Jo: That’s really soon!

Abigale: Yup! I can’t wait! I’m gonna be thirteen!

Jo: (smiles) I remember turning thirteen. I hope it’s all you dream it will be. I have one more question before you go, Abigale. What is a traiteur?

Abigale: You mean like Ms. Ada?

Jo: Yes.

Abigale: They’re faith healers based in the Catholic religion. They can fix just about anything with their hands. I’ve seen it, it really works! Ms. Ada is one of the oldest around. Rumor has it, the gift has to be passed from a female to a male to a female and they have to be related. None of her family wants it so I guess the gift is gonna die with her. That’s a sad thing because it’s part of who we are as Cajuns. Part of our legacy, you know?

Jo: Yes. I see. That is a sad state of affairs. I hope she can convince one of them to take it someday. Thank you, Abigale, for giving us some of your time today and good luck with your birthday!

Abigale: Thanks! Bye everyone! (waves again)

Well, that's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow to read my interview with Ms. Bronya Thibodeaux from the first book in the Mystic series! If you wanna ask a question, now's the time to do it. If you wanna go grab the book, it's available here. If you missed the interview with Genghis Khan, check it out here.

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Meeting the Characters

This week I'm planning to take a page from other blogs I've seen and do open interviews with the main characters in my books.

Better yet, I'm going to allow my readers to participate in said interviews! How am I going to do that, you ask? Great question! It's easy. I'll give you a list of characters here with their scheduled day to appear. You ask questions and give me your links either on today's post or the post on the day of the interview. I will answer them during the interview and give you a mention and shout out for asking (with links to your stuff).

How frikkin' cool is that?

So, without further ado, here are the characters you will see appearing on my blog this week:

Tuesday: Genghis Khan from Yassa (grown up)
Wednesday: Kutula from Yassa
Thursday: Abigale from The Abigale Chronicles
Friday: Bronya from Mystic ~ Bronya

If there is anyone else you would like to see interviewed, leave me a message. I have enough characters to fill at least nine posts. Here is a list of other people in my books:

Yassa: Borte, Jelme, Bo'orchu, Jamuka
The Abigale Chronicles: Emmett, Kristy, Ada
Mystic series: Markaza, Lily, Shelia

If you want to hear from any of these characters, feel free to ask! I'm hoping we can have some fun with this!

Don't forget, Mystic ~ Bronya is available now at Amazon for just $3.99 (and there's a preview of Lily in the back).

Enter the contest on Goodreads to win a free copy of Mystic ~ Bronya!! The link is right up there on the sidebar.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Published and an Award!

As you all are aware, The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two published today. WOOHOO!

I will give you all a synopsis meow :)

Twelve-year-old Abigale Fontenot is struggling to figure out whether her adventures are real or imagined. After an adventure with Amazonion women in book one, Abigale and Emmett have formed a bond through mutual trust and secrets, but Kristy has turned against Abigale because of it. Now, Abigale again finds herself in a precarious situation with a city full of talking cats. Emmett is once more by her side as she faces down a vicious cat queen in an attempt to avoid certain death and restore the leadership of the city to its rightful owner. Will they succeed, or will they be roasted alive? What will happen when Kristy overhears the discussions about the adventures with Ada?

You can purchase the digital copy here:

Amazon.com

Exciting news: My book will be available for free on select days. You must visit my blog daily to find out when the free promotion begins and ends. It won't be posted anywhere else.

Yes, that's an evil laugh you hear.

Don't forget to watch my blog for the Goodreads giveaway badge you all know is coming. I may do three signed copies this time. You gotta enter to win!

I have had a lengthy discussion with my daughter about book three. I have written this synopsis based on the idea. I hope you enjoy it.

The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three

Abigale Fontenot is turning thirteen. Just when she thinks her birthday couldn't possibly get any worse, a new adventure takes hold. Abigale and Emmett are whisked away to a world of fantasy where knights, dragons, and princesses are the order of the day. Abigale is kidnapped by an evil prince in a nearby kingdom, and it's up to Emmett to rescue her. But Abigale finds that escape is not the most important thing; restoring the evil prince's kindness that has been locked away in a magical book by a wicked sorceress must come first. While Emmett is trying to rescue Abigale, she is trying to free the prince from his curse. Will she succeed in her quest before the evil prince kills Emmett, or will she fail and lose her new best friend? Will death matter if the whole thing is a dream, or are the adventures real and truly dangerous?

Now for the award!

Ms. Moonduster over at Imagine! Create! Write! gave me the one lovely blog award.

So, a huge shout out of THANKS to her! The rules of the nomination are thus:
I have to tell you seven things about myself and I have to nominate six to ten other bloggers to receive the award and then let them know they got it.

Here goes:

1. I have five children.
2. I read 300+ books in my third grade year alone.
3. I know fairy tales that no one has ever heard of.
4. I'm 5'7" tall.
5. I took 5 years to get a 2 year degree because I wanted to study everything.
6. I have a nearly photographic memory.
7. I have strict philosophies on life and living that I plan to introduce to my blog at some point.

Now you know: I'm a serious book nerd who remembers everything she has ever read.

And the award is passed on to:

Judith Cassis

Laura Orsini (a.k.a. Marcie Brock)

Lisa Cherry

Liberty Montano

Tia Bach

Merlene Fawdry

Rachel Thomas

And that's all of em!! Ladies, feel free to use that beautiful badge up top and do eet!!

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Sales

Today's prompt from the Author Blog Challenge:

If your goal is to sell books, you must view your book as a business. In what ways do you treat your book as a business? Where could you improve? What resources could you leverage to improve your book business?

Actually, my take on this is a bit different. I am the business and the books are my product. Treating my books as product makes me want to deliver the best product possible to my consumers. When I go into a store and buy something, nothing makes me angrier than getting it home and having it not meet my expectations.

My books are priced accordingly. Yassa is 90k words, I priced it at $9.99. The Abigale Chronicles - Book One is 11k words, I priced it at $1.99. My goal is to keep my novels between seventy and one hundred thousand words and hang them on that price point of $9.99. Along with keeping customers familiar with my books, it will let them know what to expect to pay for one. Every Abigale book will cost just $1.99. Mystic's small books (between twenty and forty thousand words) will likely be at the $4.99 price point with the end novel being set at $9.99.

It all falls along the same lines as branding. Consistency and recognition are key while meeting expectations of consumers. I'm building my brand for my business model with my prices.

I could improve by designating a logo for my brand and naming a publishing company. Both are things I'll be doing in the near future.

Resources is a tough cookie. I had a FaceBook account with over 400 friends (and yes, I knew them all) but I recently deleted all said friends and deactivated the account because it was riddled with junk. I couldn't keep up with my family through all the crap that was posted everywhere. I lament the loss only because it would have been a great venue for advertisement. I am working on building my FaceBook back up under my pen name but I know it'll take a LONG time. I shot myself in the foot on that one...

I am also going to try to sell my wares locally which means rubbing elbows with some of my town's booksellers. From what I understand, they are allowed to take small risks on new/local talent. I have to be like Nike and just do it. The worst they can tell me is NO, right? No is not such a dirty word.

So, while we're on the topic, The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two releases July 3rd. Go discover the mystery behind Abigale and Emmett's weird adventures. When you're done, come back here and tell me if YOU think it's real or if you think she's dreaming. :)

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo