A peek into the writing world of author Kay Glass, a busy housewife and mother who still finds time to pen novels. Does she bite? Check it out this upcoming indie author who's made headway with her 'Just one bite' Vampire series and see for yourself.

Introducing Kay Glass...a force to be reckoned with.

When I started writing, it wasn’t anything fancy by any means. I love to read- I always have. I have a friend who loves to read almost as much as I do, and we spend a great deal of time talking about books we’ve read, what we liked about them, what we didn’t, and what we’d like to see happen in a series. The conversation started, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…?” And from that conversation, Love Bite was born.

Love Bite was supposed to be one book, and it was going to be called Just One Bite. But the more I wrote, the more attached I became to my characters, and then they were too precious to me to end with just one novel. Instead, it became Love Bite, the first novella in the Just One Bite series.

I didn’t have a computer then. In fact, the first half was written long-hand on plain paper I kept in a binder. I have carpal tunnel, and I often worked myself until I could barely move my hands and wrists without crying. I purchased more and more packs of paper, and thicker pens, trying to compensate for the pain by using the bigger pens to take some of the burden of clutching one for hours away. And finally, tax time rolled around and I bought myself a laptop. I spent weeks typing and converting what was on paper into text on Microsoft Word. Then I went back and changed words around, gave more background to my characters, took what was there and made it longer. I worked myself like a dog, and only 2 people knew- my friend who I had the conversation with that started it all, and my husband. I was embarrassed. I loved writing, and always had, but I thought people would mock me, make fun of my ambitions. I was terrified of criticism, because one wrong, hurtful word would bring it all crumbling around my ears, and I’d quit.

It took about 9 months, all told, for Love Bite to be finished. I published it and held my breath. A copy sold, and I cried. Then three copies, then five…. The more sales I racked up, the more inspired I became to tell more of the story. And other stories! I wrote a short story, Table of Blood, and it was well received. And then I published the second in the series, and it sold just as well as the first. And people were interested.

I’m no one fancy, mind you. I’m a housewife. I was a stay-at-home mom until my youngest started school this past September. Now I work from home, and I proudly tell people, “I’m an author.” I still type on my laptop in the living room, but now I have a desk. I’m still a housewife and mother. I still stop whatever I’m doing to tend the needs of my family- and I spend way too much time doing laundry. But when the house is quiet, and everyone sleeps around me, I sit at my little desk and I type new worlds, new words. I create the stories that I see in my head, I get too little sleep, and I’ve never been happier.

Don’t say you can’t write because there’s no time. If you want to, you’ll find the time, even if it’s only an hour throughout the week. Don’t say no one will care about your story- write what you love, and others will love it as well. Don’t say, “I’m just a housewife.” You can be more, if it’s what you really want. And someday you may tell people, “I started it all with a simple phone conversation and a ream of paper.”

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Bite-Just-One-ebook/dp/B007FL4WOM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330799109&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Bitten-Regret-Just-Bite-ebook/dp/B007TEXFYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334234068&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Grief-Just-Bite-ebook/dp/B008LBL6M6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_4

http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Envy-Just-One-ebook/dp/B009Z5J0LQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351686250&sr=8-1&keywords=bite+of+envy

The Vampire Queen of prose. Meet author Carole Gill.

Does she bite? Yes, her ability to spin a vampire tale is proved in her novels. Carole Gill is not new to the publishing industry and is skilled in her genre of dark horror and vampires. The reader is taken into the world of historical and gothic horror told in an elegant but scary prose. What more can I say except welcome into the vampiric world of  talented author Carole Gill.

I write dark horror, but vampires are my specialty. I have no idea why that is, I just love writing about them. But I do it my way. I focus on what I consider to be crucial to their existence: their feelings.
Yes, they have them. Even my favorite villain, hate-filled, maniacal Eco who appears in all three of my novels (but stars in the last two) has feelings. In his case he is the way he is precisely because he has feelings. He was damned for something his father did.
His father was a fallen angel and Eco is vampiric. Such beings are creatures of the blood in my fiction.
Eco’s nemesis shares the same heritage but whereas Eco is bad, Louis tries (as he says) ‘to do less evil than himself.’
As he says: he has no code to guide him, no promise of heaven awaits, he has too much freedom and no restraint.
Louis is a true immortal as Eco is, for these sons of fallen angels cannot be destroyed. If Van Helsing popped up one dark night, they’d just shrug and say;
“Sorry, you’re wasting your time.”
Of course Eco would say a lot more than that. He’d laugh at Van Helsing; he’d skip around cackling and taunting him.
He’s mad by the way, in case you haven’t guessed. He’s completely deranged.
What drove him mad was his innate intelligence; the power of his reasoning for instance. When he came face to face with Jesus and felt every inch the demon he was he knew which side had the power.
Eco: “Yes, we would terrorize and torture, we would spread evil through willing vessels but in the end we were little more than insects, little more than flies in Heaven’s ointment.”
~ from “The Ointment.”

http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/friday-flash-fiction-ointment.html
All vampires are damned, they have no souls. Those I write about fill that void with memories of love as they recall their living lives.
I also make a point of having them mourn for those living lives. They recall their deaths too, of being raised up or created. Those that were raised up passed through hell and how quickly they did affects them either with hell’s taint or not.
Created or turned vampires are brought into the ‘hood. The sister or brother- hood, whatever you wish to call it. It is better for them since they haven’t passed through hell, as they didn’t witness the horror of having demons reaching for them.
Most vampires, those created or raised from the dead, can be destroyed. Let Van Helsing enter the equation and they are gone.
It might be a relief for them. I have vampires who choose to destroy themselves. Yet those descended from fallen angels have no choice; for they endure.
Michelle asked me if I would write about my gothic vampires. I hope I have. I happen to love history and so I set my fiction in the past. In biblical times, during the crusades and so on.
I even have the French Revolutionists using the guillotine to make damn well certain they get any vampiric nobles. (There weren’t many and King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette certainly weren’t. My goodness, they suffered enough I am not going to have them blood suckers.
So that’s it really. I think any undead, whether they are ghosts or vampires or zombies, give us comfort. We enjoy reading (and writing) about them because they give Death a good kick up the backside and what’s wrong with that?
The House on Blackstone Moor is the first in:
The Blackstone Vampires Series

Unholy Testament-The Beginnings
Unholy Testament –Full Circle
will be released shortly.

The House on Blackstone Moor at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00804XJBA/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=shu-kbb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00804XJBA

My blog:
http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.co.uk/

Be friend me at:
https://www.facebook.com/carole.gill.94
The Blackstone Vampires Series Page at Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blackstone-Vampires-Series/302971749728381

Carole Gill Author Page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Gill-Author/120405794703293

Let's meet Best Selling Author Aiden James.

Established author Aiden James give us an in depth look into his writing world and success. His unique style has earned him the title of 'Best Seller' and he continues to climb up the ladder as an Indie Author. 

I am honored to be here, and I thank you all for allowing me to share my story as an author.

I began writing stories roughly sixteen years ago, after pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter in Nashville. My writing career could've been a brief one, as it started one night when it was my turn to read a bedtime story to my two young sons. Rather than read the 'Mouse birthday book' for the umpteenth time, I began a ramble about a mystical world parallel to our own, a world where sinister creatures sought to take a little boy into their hidden lair…forever.

My first critical reviews from my young audience were mixed. My youngest child, Tyler, was enthralled about the magical place I created, and eagerly awaited more. However, my oldest, Christopher, thought it was the dumbest tale he had ever heard! Luckily, my wife, Fiona, listened nearby. She thought the idea had potential, although she kept that fact a secret until the following spring, 1997. When she suggested I create a fuller blown version of this story, it marked the beginning of my love affair with writing stories.

I wish I could say that the experience has always been a glorious progression, where crafting characters, incredible landscapes with captivating plots, and surprising twists was easy. Far from it. It took nearly three years for me to complete my first novel--based on the bedtime story to my boys who by then were young teenagers—and another two years to decide if I liked it enough to show it to anyone else. Signed to a small independent publisher in 2004, "The Forgotten Eden" in a previous version was released to small critical acclaim in 2006. But the book found only a very limited audience, so the search for that elusive 'bigger' audience continued.

While pursuing a bigger book deal for my paranormal adventure series, The Talisman Chronicles, of which "The Forgotten Eden" and "The Devil's Paradise" are the first two of five installments, an itch to dabble in something a little different hit me. A ghost story, and one dealing with a murdered teenage girl who waited nearly a century to enact her revenge became my next creation. Completed in 2007, "Cades Cove" was my second release on Kindle, in August, 2010. The sequel to this ghost story soon followed in September, entitled "The Raven Mocker". But, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, so allow me to fast-forward to July 2010, when my good friend J.R. Rain talked me into leaving the elusive NY book deal treadmill, and try something new: ebooks. Specifically, ebooks on Kindle, Nook, and eventually other outlets such as Kobo and Apple.

I mentioned the releases for both "Cades Cove" and "The Raven Mocker". But before those books were released on Kindle, there was another—my very first ebook: "Deadly Night". Released in July 2010, it is the first installment of what promises to be a unique and exciting ghost hunting series. Based on a fictional exaggeration of Fiona, and me "Deadly Night" is a mixture of 'now' and where we were 20 years ago as ghost hunters (and in my hard-hitting' days as a Nashville rock n' roller). It’s sequel, “The Ungrateful Dead” was just released at the beginning of September 2012, and could well be my most entertaining venture to date.

"The Vampires' Last Lover" was my first release specifically written for the Kindle and Nook audience. One that pushed the personal envelope for me, the story was written from a female perspective. Like Stephen King, when he wrote "Carrie" so many years ago, my wife provided precious insights into how women view the world around them, and in particular, their true perspectives on males—something I'm sure would surprise most of us guys. Anyway, as the first installment for my "The Dying of the Dark" series, the story brings a fresh perspective to the vampire genre, focused on what it means to be unique and alone, both for the living and the undead, and how self sacrifice for the good of others remains the most noble aspiration for all creatures—above and below our beloved earth.  And this vampire saga has become as much of an action adventure/thriller as any other of my creations, with the arrival of the next two installments (“The Vampires’ Birthright” in August 2011 and “Blood Princesses of the Vampires” in December last year).

Perhaps the most unique story and series I have ever had the pleasure to work on, and has become by far my most popular, is "Plague of Coins". Based on the incredible story-idea of J.R. Rain, this first installment of “The Judas Chronicles” is the story of Judas Iscariot and his quest for forgiveness. Only in this story, Judas is over 2000 years old and lives in modern-day society as William Barrow. Since its release in May, 2011, this has become my series of greatest focus. “Reign of Coins” followed this past May—almost a year to the day of the release of “Plague of Coins”—and the third installment, “Destiny of Coins”, will be released in time for Christmas this year.

So what's next?

In addition to "The Judas Chronicles", all of the other series I have mentioned will have new books by summer of 2014, with five books planned for next year. In the meantime, J.R. Rain and I have a novella action adventure tale that will debut in October, entitled “Temple of the Jaguar”. Along with this release, a brand new series that deals with the true nature of good and evil will start as a serialized project with Curiosity Quills Press. I’m truly excited about this new series, which will be an ongoing saga about an evil plantation owner from the 1860s who suddenly finds himself reborn as an innocent ‘new’ man in 2012. The story is called “The Serendipitous Curse of Solomon Brandt”.

After that, who knows? Perhaps it will be time for something dark and creepy… Or, perhaps something light and fun?

The only thing I’m sure of is that I will pour my heart and soul into whatever it is, so that it will be well worth your time to check it out. 

Peace to you all,

Aiden

Here are the links to Aiden books and sites- check them out!

http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Coins-Judas-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004Z2JI6Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347871589&sr=1-1&k

http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Night-Murder-Ghosthunters-ebook/dp/B003UNKZ2M/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347871658&sr=1-2

http://www.aidenjamesfiction.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aiden-James-Paranormal-Author/186876114703747

Domestic Violence: A Personal Story

Domestic Violence: A Personal Story

Where do your loved ones go in the afterlife.

When someone we love passes away we are left wondering if they are safe and happy, it is a normal reaction in all of us. Questions rage on, are they in a safe place, do they have the company of others who will take care of them, can they still see us and will they remember us? The answer is yes to all. They are more alive than ever, restored to full health and are able to pursue any hobbies or passions that they desire. Of course they come back, usually more frequently at first to try to reassure us they are not lost, then less as our time goes by and our grief lessens. So where do they go exactly?
That all depends on their progression in this life. For someone who lead a simple life and didn't care much about the bigger picture their place in the afterlife will be pretty much the same as here, similar surroundings, familiar feelings, until they are ready to progress this is where they will stay, seemingly content in their creation of a spiritual existence. Others who worked on their development when alive will progress higher and will be, just as the simple spirit, amongst like-minded spirits. We all graduate to where we belong so all is in balance and harmony, unlike here where we are all mixed up together. Children always go to a higher level as they are devoid of life's ravages that plague and hold us back.
The spirit world is not so different to here, there are houses and cities and mountains and rivers and millions of inhabitants, but there are some things that are not the same. We are lighter and free to travel anywhere we please, telepathy is used more than speaking as we get used to our new surroundings. We connect to people we love, but if there is someone who we don't wish to see then we don't. We pass into the light very quickly, but our adjustment can take longer depending on our acceptance of our being there. All material desires are gone, no need for work or money and we can pursue any hobbies or passions we desire, sometimes being able to do things we couldn't do in life. In all rest assured your loved ones are happy.

JR Rain and Scott Nicholson's Ghost File series

Do I like things that go bump in the night? Well, like is the wrong word. As a psychic medium I've become accustomed to the other side making an appearance on a regular basis-ghostly doesn't scare me.
As an author I have loved writing about the afterlife in fiction and when author JR Rain asked me to put a story together for his Ghost File series I jumped at the chance. Who wouldn't?
Not only is he a Best Selling Author he also happens to be a super nice guy and my abilities as a psychic seemed to be a plus point in his view.
So I sat down and created Ghost Hall, the next novella to enter into the world of Monty and Ellen Drew who are fictional paranormal investigators. He's the sceptic who's always trying to come around and she's the psychic-together they work on guiding wandering ghosts into the light. It's a unique series that's become a real succes and is set to continue. JR and Scott penned the first novella Ghost College then gave the reigns over to Evelyn Klebert for Ghost Solider and Eve Paludan for Ghost Fire. Now it was my turn to take the reigns and bring forward my take on the adventures of  paranormal investigators/husband and wife team Monty and Ellen.
I pondered long and hard for the story-line and figured that being British and living in Belgium gave me an edge. I could set the story in either countries promoting Monty and Ellen to  to the status of international paranormal investigators. I went with Belgium seeing as the country is littered with haunted hot spots-literally.
It didn't take long to find my abandoned city hall standing tall and neglected and dating back to the 15th century. It had unceremoniously burned down twice and been rebuilt. The last time was in the 17th century and it's still standing- as of now. I was fortunate to be able to get a peek inside and it was everything a writer could have dreamed of for a paranormal adventure. It was then that Ghost Hall was born. 
I don't want to give away too much but needless to say I didn't have much trouble blending modern day investigations with historical facts concerning World War 2. It was a unique experience to be able to write a book using the inspiring time I had spent in the actual location. Friends asked me if I felt it was haunted when I was there. I have to confess there was a strange energy in certain places and a few cold spots. But there were no spirit manifestation to be seen. Maybe they were in hiding and- just may be responsible for every new restoration project falling through for decades. Ummm, spooky!

                                      Recent photographs taken inside the abandoned city hall.

                                                  Series 4 in the Ghost file series. Ghost Hall.

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hall-The-Files-ebook/dp/B0090Q0O5Q/ref=zg_bs_157064011_73

KDP Select worked for me.

My books sales were going okay that's just it, they were okay not dead in the water but they were not moving too far forward either. I had tried KDP for 3 days in early April for my debut novel Cappuccino Heaven and I got quite a few downloads which helped my ranking and generated more sales afterwards.

This time I decided to use up my last 2 days and also put my second novel Lost on for 2 days as well.

Well, in spite of all the negative press recently that KDP was on it's last legs and the most you could hope for was a few hundred downloads I risked a couple of days thinking I had nothing to lose. The moment it went on free status the downloads started to come in at alarming speed and continued that way throughout the 2 days as the figure climbed into the thousands.

Cappuccino Heaven hit the Kindle best seller free list at the end of day 1. By day 2 it had climbed from #100 to #33 and stayed there dropping only to #53 when the promo ended. It reached #7 at one point in Romance which suprised me as it's not exactly a love story so I don't know why it landed in there!
Lost did well too, less downloads but did make #9 in Ghost horror where it stayed for 2 days. For a new release I was suprised it got so far.
Now I will wait to see what happens to my sales as the ranking levels out after it goes from free to paid. All in all it was worth it. Thousands more people know who I am and it's great book exposure.

If you're unsure whether to use KDP select maybe you should try a promotion and not be put off by negative information I accept that the 30,000 downloads or more are hard to come by now and there are more free books than ever so you have much more competition but there's nothing to loose and everything to gain for trying.
Of course for me now to see just how sucessful it's been sales wise I will have to wait because I won't know  for a couple of days or weeks how it pans out but I'm optimistic.

Why I wrote Cappuccino Heaven and why it's making waves.

'Sit down with a coffee or cappuccino and open your mind.'

That's what one reviewer said on Amazon after reading my latest novel Cappuccino Heaven. This book has been making waves ever since it was published in March of this year and it was meant to. Being a psychic medium I could have penned a book about my life and journey into the psychic world but I decided to create a work of fiction instead.

Elizabeth Walker is my character she is the 38 year old newly arrived spirit in the afterlife and she is the voice of my beliefs and those of millions of others.

She tackles the difficult issues of what happens to us when we die and where we go and she tries to find understanding as to why mankind continues to inflict pain and suffering as does the living.

When she's taken by her Mother in spirit to the special nursery where small children are being healed from their untimely deaths at the hands of parents or strangers she wants to fall on her knees and cry, but she can't as she doesn't want to upset the children who all seem so happy.

Meeting woman and children who reside in a man less village she discovers that they were all victims of domestic violence which resulted in their deaths, still afraid of men they are slowly healing but can only do so in a 'women only' environment. Having never experienced violence Elizabeth finds it hard to come to terms with what she must face that not all is rosy in Heaven.

Her limited beliefs convince her that she's content with her afterlife until she discovers specially trained groups dedicating themselves to rescuing lost and trapped souls in the lower levels. She joins one in the hope of becoming stronger in spirit and helping others unaware of how much it would test her limits and impact her whole way of thinking and believing.

Why do you arrive in the lower levels? Committing heinous crimes, using and abusing others and walking on the dark side of life until the moment of death arriving amongst like-minded spirits, in Elizabeth's words, ''There is no light there only candles and they all seem to be the same.'' The pen ultimate example of like attracting like.

She isn't sure if there is a God, her beliefs in life were never that strong so she doesn't bother to look or question until she begins to progress. Re-incarnation is a subject she avoids at all costs without knowing why and grateful to be in the light she drinks endless cappuccino's remaining in her confines until she discovers there is much more to her afterlife than she could have imagined. 
Slowly she learns to stand on her spiritual feet and let go of things she cannot change.

Was her small world created by her limited beliefs? Yes. Does she have the ability to change and create a more meaningful afterlife? Yes. We will all have that opportunity when we pass over but we will progress much further if we allow our spirit to grow while we are still living.

I have had many heart-warming messages from readers telling me how much comfort they gained from the book and some have had to take a step back and look at their belief systems.

Whatever your beliefs I hope that Cappuccino is food for thought and...... should you think twice of the consequences of harming another? Yes unless you are 100% sure that in your afterlife all will be forgiven.

Cappuccino Heaven is available in Kindle format on Amazon. The sequel Lost is out soon.
http://www.amazon.com/Cappuccino-Heaven-after-death-ebook/dp/B007IGMZRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335690932&sr=1-1

All that is loved is never lost.

Have you lost someone? Please take comfort in these images, your loved ones walk beside you every day, watching over you, guiding you, loving you and helping you overcome your grief.
                               ''All that is loved is never lost, what remains unseen can still be felt.''

What if you don't go into the light?

                                                                 LOST
                                                      Cappuccino Heaven II the sequel

                                             What if you don't go into the light?

Elizabeth Walker waits patiently in the afterlife for a much awaited reunion with her husband Mike. But the dream becomes a nightmare when he dies of old age and goes straight into the dark lower levels manipulated by evil entities who revel in taking him further away from the light at every turn.
Endless missions with trusted friends to rescue him fail, each time discovering that he’s taken further and lower into the bowels of hell, unaware of her presence and stuck in an abyss of his own creation it appears all is lost. If only Elizabeth can find someone powerful enough to challenge the manipulative game-playing spirit jailers and release her beloved Mike then the nightmare will be over.

Out of the light and into the dark

                      Cappucino Heaven Book I is available on Amazon Kindle edition

                           http://www.amazon.com/Cappuccino-Heaven-after-death-ebook/dp/B007IGMZRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334406857&sr=1-1

Clinging to any shred of hope she refuses to give up, believing as her own strength grows stronger and stronger that the love she has in her heart will be the shining light in what becomes a never ending battle between good and evil.

KDP Select does it help?

Having just had my novel Cappuccino Heaven free for 3 days on KDP select I am willing to share the experience with you in the hope that the more we know about this new marketing tool from Amazon the better.

I was not interested at all when I first uploaded my book last month, thinking why should I give my book away for free?

I had invested money in a professional cover and paid someone to format the book properly so readers would not be frustrated with blank pages, I had written 88,000 words, a full novel and felt that all that all my hard work deserved some kind of payment no matter how small. Here is the link to my book so you can see I really do have a well-made cover!

http://www.amazon.com/Cappuccino-Heaven-after-death-ebook/dp/B007IGMZRA/ref=sr_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1334055613&sr=8-28

Then a month later I changed my mind and decided to give it a try, anything that helps promotion is a good thing and sometimes you have to give something to gain more back, that's business.

Deciding to do the promotion over the Easter vacation was a risk, many people are away and that would mean fewer downloads, but I went ahead with it anyway. The result was that I had just under a 1000 downloads, Easter Monday being the lowest and my book ranked at 1 in the afterlife fiction section for a while then going down to 2. It was pleasant to see that even knowing it wasn't through sales.

I am not going to bore you with Rank figures, I'm sure you can gleam enough of those from other bloggers.

My point is this, with the massive amount of Authors, me included, going for the new KDP select programme could this mean fewer downloads as the programme continues Having conversed with other Authors some of them well-known on Amazon the consensus of opinion is that they are also getting fewer free downloads on their promotion days as well.

KDP select has only been going a few months so it's new but will Amazon offer something else when they see the programme becoming saturated, for example free promotions targeting Genres rather than everything, just an idea...

As of this moment two days after my promotion ended I've had less sales than I had before! I don't see this as a major catastrophe, more people know me now, those who will actually read the book remains to be seen as does the hoped for reviews, but out of a 1000 readers if a quarter of them like the book and tell others then it has been a success.

Will I do it again? Probably, I have a sequel to the first book coming out soon and may just promo the first one again with my last two days.

Will I re-enrol for KDP select again. Probably, whatever the divided opnions it's a marketing tool that can be very powerful in getting your name and work out there.

Why I choose E.Publishing.

Many writers have faced the same dilemma as me, having written the book or having a great book idea in the making the next thought is how do I get it out there and which avenue should I choose? Before the magic world of on-line publishing choice was much more limited, it was down to two avenues. Traditional Publishers or Self-Publishers, then along came number three E.publishing.

This avenue has allowed writers to upload their books to numerous sites, the only costs incurred, the writers time and maybe costs for a book cover and formatting, even that will be a lot less than some Self-Publishing packages that can run into thousands and are only for writers who have the cash to spare. The pro and cons to e.book publishing are easy to access from thousands of web and blog posts all offering advice and personal experiences, so no-one need ever be in the dark, although you have to be wary of some opinions.

So, why did i chose e.publishing?

Because I wanted the freedom to choose how to publish and set my own rules, just as many entertainment artists are posting their videos on you.tube and doing their own thing without record company involvement. I can fix the price of my book and set it up and down or offer it for free, i can upload short stories, novella's and novels as many as I please 24/7. No-one is telling me what to do!

 I think the issue for me goes back to when I worked as a columnist/journalist for a major newspaper. For 5 years I was on deadlines and direction, luckily most of my work was accepted but every now and again I hit the Editor brick wall, resulting in my story/article being chopped and changed, or worse still shortened at the last minute to make space for the latest blurb, leaving me frazzled as the essence of my work was lost in the editing.

There is a downside to going it alone and here are mine, shared honestly with all new aspiring authors:

A hard slog sometimes no team of publishers behind me pointing me in the right direction for book cover design and marketing.

I am the lone wolf in the department of putting the package all together so it really is 'self' publishing.

Finding someone to design my cover was not too much of a slog, I got lucky with the first person I found on-line and she did a wonderful cover that suited my story perfectly. Formatting, again easy to find as I was not prepared to take the risk to do it myself.

The easy part now over, the biggest hurdle was yet to come. Getting my name and my book out there in cyber space.

Living on Facebook, my blog, twitter, Book Bloggers, Shelfari, and any other form of promotion I could think of while self-editing my second novel taking twice as long as I attended to the net-working.

Watching Amazon's rankings to see my book going up and down like a yo yo, I am not so self-obsessed with rankings anymore, preferring to write more books instead.

Not being nervous about reviews, this can take you down to a whole new stress level, I decided against the stress and so far have 2 great 5 star reviews in less than a month. Even if I had a 1 star review no sleep would be lost over it.

A word of advice.....

Don't pay too much attention to bloggers who all have a handle on how to sell a million e.books in 5 days, or why you should not go with Amazon's KDP select program, or why you should and why you should/should not promote your book for free days, and so on and so on, if you're not careful it will drive you crazy and increase any uncertainty you may have regarding promotion. I prefer to go on what feels right for me and although it's good to get advice from more experienced Authors who have good e.publishing sales it's sometimes best to go with your own instincts and don't take on board everything you read as gospel. We are still in uncharted territory as far as E.publishing is concerned, it's relatively new and like anything new we have to learn along the way, making mistakes as we go along and hopefully learning from them. The greatest thing that has come out of our freedom to publish is that we can experiment which ever way we choose to, including uploading the book we always dreamed of seeing in print. Priceless!

Will you see people you don't like in the afterlife?

When we pass over do we see people who we didn't like and couldn't stand to be around? If it's someone who hurt you and you have disconnected with them in life then you won't. So many people I've met have expressed fears they will bump into the grouchy Uncle who never had a kind word to say, or the much distanced ex that they would dread facing again, in this life or the next. The way it works is that when we pass over we graduate to other like-minded souls and re-connect to loved ones and good friends who we have shared a connection with. It's likely also you'll meet up with relatives and friends that you didn't share a deep connection with so the chances are you won't be spending a lot of time with them, unlike in life where you may feel an obligation, in the afterlife there are no obligations to anyone.

Psychic Readings

PSYCHIC READINGS WITH MICHELLE WRIGHT

Would you like to have a psychic reading by email? Confidential and affordable and no tarot cards used. I am a Psychic Medium who specialises in contacting the other side bringing loved one's forward with their messages.

The reason i am offering email readings is although i do a lot of readings face to face the location is not always practical for people living in another parts of the globe, the Spirit world wants to reach out to everyone and sometimes it's just not practical to visit a Medium.

Loss of a loved one.

Career Love and money matters.

Concern for the future.

Spiritual guidance.

The above list is just some of the reasons to consult me for a reading.

View more details on my psychic reading blog
http://psychicreadingswithmichelle.blogspot.com/

You are welcome to read the latest review of my new novel Cappuccino Heaven.
                                      'A life after death.'
Heartwarming, sensitive and inspiring it will take you on a fictional journey from this world to the next...... well worth a read for everyone!
Catch the review on:

http://beautybrite.com/2012/03/cappuccino-heaven-review.html

When a loved one dies.

Your loved ones are not gone they walk with you every step of the way..... If you have lost someone close to you then its important that you share your grief, your loved one would not want you to suffer alone so seek company and talk through your feelings with a friend, family member or seek proffesional help. There are certain stages of grief that you must go through in your own time, no-one can pressure you to move further than you are capable of at your given time as each person's journey through loss is different from another and a lot depends on how your loved one passed over. So take your time to heal and remember that even though you may not be able to sense your loved one around you they are there, watching over you and loving you just as much as they always did.

Will you be famous in Heaven?

Do people stay famous in Heaven? The truth is no they do not, we are all born equal and when we pass over into spirit we are one with eachother, what ever fame someone had in life is lost, although their skills are not. So a well know entertainer will still entertain on the other side but they won't be any screaming fans. Spirits don't go seeking out their favourite stars either, the need for meeting the person they may have idolised is gone.
However many famous people do contribute widely to the spirit world whether it be in the scientific or medical field, or psychological field as do musicians, painters, actors and the like. Impressing their thoughts and ideas on people still living who are open to the chanelling and helping many spirits on the other side also.
So if you think you can hunt out Elvis Presley for his autograph on the other side then think again, you won't be interested and niether will he!

Becoming a Medium

                People often ask me what does it take to become a psychic medium.

Yes, we are all psychic it's just that some people have any easier time tapping in and more confidence in trusting what they recieve without question. For example, how many times in your life have you had a hunch or a feeling? Did you accept or act upon it or dismiss it and then later on thinking, 'I wish I had done that.'

When i was growing up my psychic medium Mother who had apparently inherited her gift from her Mother would always tell me that one day I would pratice as a Medium, I laughed and carried on with my childhood ignoring the neighbours who would drop by for a chat and a quick 'reading' that I thought happened in all my friends homes, of course I did eventually discover that was not the case and my Mother was the only one giving what she called 'Messages from the beyond.'

I learned to live with it and accepted it as 'normal' after much soul searching. If, you think you may have the abilities here are some questions to help you, if you can answer them honestly that you have the ability to become a Medium. I will try to keep it simple:


1. Have you always had a feeling that you were not alone, from childhood onwards.
2. Have you often forseen something then found out later it had happened.
3. Do you hear, feel or see spirits around you.
4.Have you often given friends advice, well meaning for their future and then what you said came about.
5.Do you feel a pressure when you are with someone who is very sick.
6.Have you forseen the death of a loved one, friend, or even someone remotely connected to you.
7. Have you often called a friend because you have felt uneasy only to find out that there is a problem.
8.Are you drawn to tarot cards, crystals and have a passion for candles.
9.Do you have a need to read books written by Mediums and have done so frequently or thought about it.
10.Are your dreams sometimes very real where you connect with lost loves ones and recall the dream the next day.
11.Have you often thought that you could sit down with someone and give them messages without worrying about where it's coming from.
12.Are you seriously interested in your spiritual development.


This is no a quiz it's just a collection of questions to help you to see if you have psychic abilities. If there is anything you would like to ask then feel free to contact me.

Psychic Development Workshop UK

Do you think you have psychic skills?
Do you want to know more about the afterlife?
Do you want to learn how to put those psychic skills into pratice in your daily life and help others?

THEN THIS 2 DAY BERKSHIRE BASED WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU!

Our exceptional guest trainer Author Michelle Wright is a third generation psychic who has been using her gift for many years. She is also a qualified counsellor who has helped many people with her skills and also ran training courses for over seven years whilst living in Spain. In addition she wrote a weekly self-help for the Euro Weekly News. She has recently penned a new novel Cappuccino Heaven, a fictional account of the afterlife.
Other training courses she runs are:

Emotional Intelligence.
Working through grief.
How to understand depression.
Improving your communication and listening skills.

For maximum results places are very limited so hurry!
NEXT WORKSHOP.
Date 19/22 May.
10am-4pm
Location. Maidenhead. Berkshire.
Cost. 120 pounds. Special introductory price.

For more information contact Erica Scott.
01628 20727. 0781 886 8865
escott3636@aol.com
Website:  directeffect.co.uk

Cappuccino Heaven

ALL THE LOVE YOU HAVE INSIDE YOU TAKE IT WITH YOU

Out now on Amazon Kindle. My latest novel Cappuccino Heaven will take you on a journey into the afterlife with Elizabeth Walker. Leaving her 38 years of life behind she enters her wider world full of expectations, meeting friends and family long gone she marvels at the fact she can still get her favourite cappuccino's.
Slowly she begins to realize that her visions of the afterlife are not what they seem, the dark lower levels becoming a source of attraction that draws her to the idea of rescuing lost tormented souls exposing her own human weakneses. A sensitive and challenging story that will leave you wondering, maybe what we do in life does affect where we go in death. A must read for everyone.

afterlife: Share your afterlife experiences

afterlife: Share your afterlife experiences: People have often asked me why i have such a solid belief in the afterlife. The truth is that since i was a child i seemed to have a sense t...

afterlife: Cappuccino Heaven. Author. Michelle Wright. Out no...

afterlife: Cappuccino Heaven. Author. Michelle Wright. Out no...: Cappuccino Heaven. Author. Michelle Wright. Out now on amazon.com. Kindle A fictional afterlife adventure What happens after we die? What ...

Do you believe our beloved pets survive death? Have any experiences of your pet making an appearance after passing. Let's hear your heartwarming stories, sometimes they can be a great support to people who have recently lost a pet.

Share your afterlife experiences

People have often asked me why i have such a solid belief in the afterlife. The truth is that since i was a child i seemed to have a sense that i wasn't alone and for some reason unexplained i had no fear of dying. From an early age when my writing career begun i would pen dozens of short stories all relating to the paranormal.
This never left me, my dream to eventually become a full-time writer creating books from my numerous afterlife stories, notes and scribbles and a million thoughts. What i would really love is to hear your stories, do you believe there is life after death? Have you ever had the feeling that someone close to you that has passed over is with you, especially if you are having a rought time? Share your encounters here as it's possible i can include them in my next novel.