Free Book Friday March 17: No Conversation but a free short story!


April is going to be a busy month. Not only is it National Poetry Month, but the last books of my science fiction trilogy, The Final View, is coming out on April 17. In hindsight, I should have released it later, but there is a reason for the date I chose.

On the Prime Reading front, if you are in the US, you can now read, The View from Here, for free with your Prime membership.

And finally, I came across this half-completed short story while I was deleting some unused folders on my hard drive. A 1/2 hour later it was ready to be shared. Enjoy!

New Short Story: The Grim Reaper

What happens to a writer when his characters become bored? 

I woke up with the feeling I was being watched. I was. And I knew them all. Brenda, the maid who committed the murder; Joe, the unlikely superhero; Nathan, super-spy; the two astronauts I left stranded on Talax-B; and every incidental character I had ever created.

They looked mad.

I rubbed my eyes. “Umm… morning?”

Brenda had her arms crossed and was shaking her head. “We’re bored.”

“Bored?”

“Bored. You left us all out there with nothing to do.”

“Can’t you just go do stuff on your own?” I asked as I pushed myself upright.

They all began to laugh.

“You’re an idiot,” Nathan said as he pointed with his mangled hand.

“You’re selfish,” said the man in the paisley cape.

A helmeted figure loomed over me and said in a muffled voice, “You were just in it to sell books. You didn’t care about us at all.”

“That’s not true. I created you because I—”

I heard an angry voice from the back. “How much have you made on us?”

I thought about it. “About sixty bucks, I guess.”

A murmur floated up from the crowd.

“We are in limbo for sixty bucks?”

Another voice piped in, “You need to end us.”

I tucked a pillow behind my back. My grogginess was fading, and I realized that this wasn’t a dream. I addressed the madding crowd, “What? Kill you off?”

“Don’t be a barbarian,” Brenda scoffed. “Old age is fine for me.”

I looked over at the crowd. “You all want to end?”

I heard a chorus of agreement.

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the laptop. I opened it, and once it had booted up, I found each of the manuscripts and began to write.

Brenda, who had skillfully covered her tracks after she murdered her boss, aged gracefully and passed away in her sleep at the Willow Wisps Retirement Village. She spent her last days watching her stories on the telly, finally winning a game of eucher against that bitch, Francine, who always cheated until I wrote her not to. She died during a scrabble game with a pocket full of vowels.

Joe wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, so he saved the world by carrying an asteroid into the sun. “Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?” were his final words.

Nathan, who I never liked, died when his nemesis, Professor Falcon, poisoned his drink. Realizing I couldn’t leave the Professor in limbo either, he absentmindedly licked his fingers—his own, not Nathan’s.

The astronauts were getting impatient and kept pestering me, so their shoddily improvised biosphere mysteriously developed a slow leak.

I spent the rest of the day writing off all the other characters to their wishes. When I was done, I lit a cigarette and sat back, gazing around the now empty room.

There was a knock at my door. I went over and opened it to a sea of peop—no, characters—lined up at the steps and milling around on my manicured lawn.

A pirate with a parrot on his shoulder spoke first. “We heard that you can get us out of limbo.”

“Who told you that?” I asked.

“Nathan.”

That asshole.


The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

Here are this week’s promos to check out:

Featured Authors

Kristen Illarmo is a young adult, science fiction author driven to write stories with strong female characters in the backdrop of crumbling societies.

She proudly calls New Orleans home, a fact that may only change if the perfect beach town reveals itself. When she’s not toiling to improve efficiency in local government in her day job, she’s writing about dark possible futures and thinking about the importance of the choices we make.

Get Behind the Red Door for free:

E.O. Connors

I’m a writer and travel photographer living in Connecticut. I have roamed five continents, circled the globe twice, raised a family, and burned more dinners than I can count.

My non-fiction writing addresses the absurd and profound in travel and daily life. Essays have appeared in Lowestoft Chronicle and The Furious Gazelle. I have bachelors degrees in English Literature and Art History from Rutgers University (B.A.) and a masters degree in Creative Writing and English Literature from Harvard University (ALM)

Get How to Ruin Your Day for free:

Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnel

StoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!

Free Books

March 15 BookFunnel
March 15 StoryOrigin

Tired of finding sub-par books? Theses titles are all rated 4 and 5 stars!

Starts March 1

Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

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Weird Wednesday March 15: Cartoon


Canada is watching what the US does in regards to Daylight Savings Time because if they scrap it, we pretty much have no choice. Can you imagine losing an hour by driving north over a border? The trucking industry would have none of that, along with the business community.

I wouldn’t be sad either.

-Leon

Just another reminder:

1681743600

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

The Final View Release

-Leon


Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Tuesday Tirade: In Praise of Amazon. Wait, What?! (Made you look. Now how about a cartoon a day early?)

No, I’m not going to go that far, but the Prime Reading situation has been rectified and The View from Here is now included in the amazon.com Prime Reading catalogue.

Sure, it’s on the last page, but you have to start somewhere.

What caused the issue? No explanation was given.

Pi goes on forever, which is hard to grasp. It also has no repetition in it’s digits. I also not for certain that I know two formulas that use Pi:

Pi x r2 = A

Pi x d = C

Have I ever used them? I think I have, but I don’t remember when, so probably a while ago.

-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Music Monday: Distant Cousins


There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.

CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music

Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it. Maybe you will find a new favorite.

They also do a feature in the afternoon called, Distant Cousins, where they compare two songs by two bands that have a striking resemblance. Usually it is coincidence, but it could also be an homage to the older song.

I heard this song on Saturday Night Live:

Now depending on your date of birth, you might have thought it sounded like

For the record, I think Lionel Ritchie has a wonderful voice.

-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Sunday School


Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Weekend Wrap-up March 11: It started with a … another Amazon fiasco.

“We are excited to inform you the following title(s) is included in the Prime Reading program on Amazon.com from 1-Mar-2023 to 31-May-2023. No action is required on your part. Title: The View from Here: A Science Fiction Novella(ASIN: B09PC3N678)”

Great. So, on March 1st, I searched my book, but there was no indication that my book was enrolled in Prime Reading, so I emailed KDP customer service. Here is the conversation that has followed:

I’m [CSR #1] Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We need a little time to look into the problem with your book. We’ll reply and send you more information within 2 business days. Thanks for your patience.

(Oh, I’ve learned patience from KDP)

March 4th: “Just checked the listings and the book is still not there.”

I’m [CSR #2] from KDP. I hope you are doing well. Your book ”The View from Here” is now available in Prime Reading in the US marketplace. Please use the screenshot to confirm: https://bit.ly/blah,blah,blah.
Have a great day!

(I plan to have a great day)

March 5th: “Thank you for your assistance. I looked at the screenshot but when I searched the Prime Reading catalogue, There were seven pages of book and I still could not locate it anywhere, so I still can’t confirm.”

This is [CSR #3] from KDP support. We need a little time to look into the problem. We’ll reply and send you more information within 2-3 business days. Thanks for your patience.

(Patience? Hah!)

March 8th: “I am following up on this issue. It has been over a week since I was told my book was to be included in the catalogue. I’m hoping for a quick resolution.”

Welcome to KDP support, this is [CSR#3] . I can confirm your title is successfully enrolled in Prime Reading. However, inclusion in Prime Reading does not guarantee placement on the Prime Reading storefront. We consider a number of factors when determining which books to display on the main storefront page.

(Time to get my hopes up? Oh, way to soon for that.)

March 10th: “Thank you for getting back to me. But I still cannot confirm. I did a search and nothing came up.”

image.png

Then I looked through the entire Prime Reading science fiction catalogue and picked a random book near the end. You can see that under the yellow button it does say “prime”. So I am still unsure what the issue is. If a reader searches for my book, it doesn’t say it is in Prime Reading.”

This is [CSR #3] from KDP support. Please see below link to see your book under Prime Reading. I hope this helps!

(It does not because the link takes me here)

March 11th: “Unfortunately, it does not. I’m not sure what you are seeing, but here is the screenshot I see.”

Send

Oh, Amazon. Why do you despise me so?

If you would like to check what you see: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PC3N678

-Leon

This week on my blog:

Free Book Friday March 10: Freeders vs. Readers
Thursday Thoughts: The Cost of Profit (Book ads)
Weird Wednesday March 8: Cartoons and Coincidences
Tuesday Tirade: Amazon Prime Reading – Still not resolved. Surprised?
Music Monday March 6: Dizzy – The coolest band you’ve never heard of?


1681743600

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

The Final View Release

Start at the beginning: The View from Here

-Leon


Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Free Book Friday March 10: Freeders vs. Readers


A few months ago, I wrote about the marketing approach that many authors use to get readers to give their book(s) a chance:

Free books, as opposed to discounted books, always get more downloads, although I have heard that many of those free books go unread or are forgotten.

An indie author’s mailing list is usually generated by readers signing up to get a free offering, either a short excerpt or a first in series from that author. Because there are many indie authors doing this, there is no shortage of free books out there.

Many readers will sign up to the mailing list, get the freebie, then unsubscribewhich is their right, while others remain, waiting for the next free offering. On average, 50% of newsletters are opened, and 10-20% of those readers interact by clicking on links, participating in surveys, or expressing interest in the authors new projects.

I enjoy getting emails and feedback from my subscribers because I know that I am continuing to provide entertainment on a weekly basis.

I recently changed my free book offering from a five story sample to the full collection, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, to give readers more value and hopefully, more incentive to purchase one of my other books at full price.

Obviously, if a reader doesn’t like my stories or writing, they won’t, and that’s OK, I don’t expect them to. So, here is a sample of my writing style, the story that inspired the title of the collection and provided countless hours of trying to find the perfect cover graphic:

The Knot at the End of the Rope

I had a dog once. His favorite toy was a rope. He would bring it to me, but he didn’t want me to throw it. Just try to take it from me, he seemed to taunt. I tried but never could get it away from him. His jaws would clamp down onto the knot at the end of the rope, not relinquishing their grip, so that I ended up spinning him around by the rope until his feet left the ground. I feel like that dog right now.

   My instinct, when the hatch blew, was to grab the first thing I could. Unfortunately, the tether I am currently hanging on to was attached to said hatch. I’m accelerating toward the planet’s surface, and I can’t let go. Well, it’s more that my brain won’t let me. If I let go, I have zero chance of survival, but if I hang on, I’ll have less than that. I wonder if that’s how my dog felt. I bet he didn’t feel himself getting warmer.

   I miss him.

Oh, that’s it, incase you are wondering. It’s my shortest short story at a whopping 175 words. Now if that was my free offering, you’d probably be disappointed.

Here are my enticements for you. Are you a reader or a freeder?

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.

Here are this week’s promos to check out:

Featured Authors

JF Garrard is an award winning speculative fiction writer, editor and publisher. She is the President of Dark Helix Press, serves as the Co-President for the Canadian Authors Association’s Toronto Branch, Festival Coordinator for LiterASIAN Toronto, Deputy Editor for Ricepaper Magazine, and Assistant Editor for Amazing Stories. Her portfolio of books and short fiction is listed on jfgarrard.com and you can find her on Twitter @jfgarrard.

Get Designing Fate for free:

Check out Out of Time on Amazon:

I am a technologist and a science fiction author.

My professional career provides me with a unique perspective on the technologies of the future. I am working at the forefront of the 4th Industrial Revolution, advancing 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Supply Chain, and Energy Transition. You can read my fiction and connect with me at my website mikhailgladkikh.com.

Join me in my quest to imagine the future world!

Tired of finding sub-par books? Theses titles are all rated 4 and 5 stars!

Starts March 1

Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Thursday Thoughts: The Cost of Profit (Book ads)

The last time I put my book on sale (99 cents), I paid various companies (Reign of Reads, AuthorsXP, Book Barbarian, Crave Books, DigitalBookSpot) for inclusion in their emails. The result? I paid $130 and made $30 on 35 sales, so it cost me $100. I have had a couple of book 2 purchases in the last 2 months ($8), which brings my loss to $92.

This time I decided not to spend any money on advertising. The result? I sold 7 books and two book 2s (at full price) for a total of $9.37 profit.

I did crack the Top 100 Science Fiction, currently holding down the #95 spot.

My takeaway? Well, duh. $9.37. But seriously, Those previous 35 sales may result in more book two and three sales in the future and if all readers finish the trilogy, I will make $192.50, minus my previous loss of $92, for a grand total of $109.37.

Not bad for an indie author swimming in an ocean of indie authors, I guess.

So, if I get the read throughs, you can say it is worth it. It is hard to always have to discount a book to get readers, and I feel that putting a book to $0.99 cheapens the work I put into it. But, would I sell more at 99 cents than at the current $2.99? Maybe. Is my book worth more to me than $0.34 profit?

Yes.

-Leon


Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Contact me!

Weird Wednesday March 8: Cartoons and Coincidences

Ends 8 PST/ 11 EST


Monday was weird. First, as soon I posted my Music Monday feature on the Canadian band Dizzy, their song, Birthmark came on the radio.

Second, I was thinking about an idea for my Miniscules cartoon and I came up with this:

I posted it on Instagram and the post below was this:

Then, I had a dream about being on the shores of Lake Titicaca* (I’ll pause for anyone under the age of 14 to giggle)…

So, I am wandering along the shore of Lake Titicaca in Peru and I meet a lovely old Peruvian lady who gives me some cookies. Anyway, the next morning I see this post:

*There is also a Lake Poopo in Bolivia, which gave hours of immature fun as a child.

Coincidence? Well, according to the dictionary:

co·in·ci·dence /kōˈinsədns/ noun

  1. a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.”they met by coincidence

So … yeah.

Author’s Addition: I was thinking that I haven’t heard from an author who I had sent some interview questions to last month, so I though I should send a follow-up email. Guess what happened when I opened up my Gmail? She had just sent them back.

I’m going to buy some lottery tickets today.

Just a reminder:

Start at the beginning: The View from Here

Just another reminder:

1681743600

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

The Final View Release

-Leon


Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!

Tuesday Tirade: Amazon Prime Reading

Amazon Prime Reading. As I understand it, it’s the kinda the same as Kindle Unlimited but different. Kindle Unlimited is a paid monthly subscription where you can read as many (hence the ‘unlimited’ moniker) books as you want, the catch being that the books need to be enrolled in the KU program, which is dominated primarily by indie authors looking for ways to make their books affordable and easy to access.

Enter Prime Reading. If you are am Amazon Prime member, you have access to the Prime Reading catalogue to read any of those books for free. Not really free, though, right? You have paid something. So you read for cheaper. The difference between the two programs is that Prime Reading books are a mix of traditionally published books and indie authors.

So a better selection, then?
Not necessarily. There are many stinkers in the main stream, too.

Anyway, I had nominated my book, The View from Here, for the last two years and it finally got accepted. Yay?

There are pros and cons. The con is that you do not get paid for any of the reads by Prime members. The pros are that you book is in an “exclusive” catalogue with bigger names, so the chance of it being read is better. If your book is a first in series, it’s like giving your book away and hoping that the reader buys the other ones. Reads also affect the rank which gives visibility to the book.

So, yay! Right? Sigh … this is Amazon, remember?

I accept. I am informed it will be included in the March – May offerings. Great. March 1st rolls around and I look up my—

Let me guess. It’s not there.
It’s not there.
And you email them.
I email them.
They say they have to look into it, then say they fixed it but when you look, it’s still not there, so they send you a screenshot but you can’t find it in the catalogue and you ask someone on a forum you are following to look it up and they confirm that it isn’t listed when they look, so you email the Amazon CSR again and they say they:

“… need a little time to look into the problem.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

-Leon

Last day!

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!

Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!