A Word Please

Are you tired of the cold, dreary weather? Ready to go outside and play on a swing set? I know I am! I can’t speed up the onset of spring but I can make the day a little brighter. I’ve decided to make February Giveaway Month! To launch us off, CSN Stores has offered a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner! CSN Stores has over 200 stores, where you’ll find just about anything you could want. You’ll find that swing set I mentioned. You might also consider looking for a new bookshelf, which could come in handy if you win a book later in the month!

For your chance to win the $25 CSN Stores gift certificate, all you need to do is leave a comment here with your name and a valid email address. You need to live within the U.S. or Canada and be 16 or older to enter. The deadline for entry is Saturday, Februrary 5, at 9 AM EST. I’ll announce the winner that day.

Keep an eye out for more giveaways this month!

Good luck!

According to F.B.I. crime statistics, an estimated 1,382,012 violent crimes were reported in the U.S. in 2008. What if one of those victims was someone you loved?

My novel No Justice began with just that premise during a conversation with my husband. I wanted to know the breaking point, that moment in time when the average nonviolent person crosses the line to seek his or her own form of justice. Most people leave it all in the hands of the police, trusting the system and often waiting years for closure. Or perhaps never finding answers at all. A handful of others seek professional hit men that settle the score. Then there are the occasional few like my character Michael Sykora. Tragedy pushes them past the breaking point. They don’t believe the justice system can help them. The best they hope for is that their actions will tip the scale in favor of the innocent.

In 2008, there were 89,000 reported rapes in the U.S. Bear in mind that these are only the reported rapes. According to RAIIN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), 60% of rapes go unreported. With reported cases, there is only a 50.8% chance that the police will make an arrest. Once arrested, 80% will face prosecution. Those prosecuted have a 58% chance of being convicted. Even with a felony conviction, the rapist stands only a 69% chance of doing jail time. What these statistics amount to is that, with all reported rapes, there is only a 16.3% chance the rapist will end up in prison.

When we factor in the unreported rapes, we find that 15 of every 16 rapists walk free.

Years ago, I served time on a jury during a murder trial. Everyone should have that experience, preferably early in their life. I don’t say that because I think it’s our civic duty. I say that because it shines a spotlight on how our system works for the average person. Not the O.J. Simpsons in the word, with powerful lawyers, but the average people who murder other average people.

The man on trial had raped, then strangled his girlfriend. He’d left her dead in his bed while he went out to a party. His defense was a jumble of nonsense, from a cocaine high many hours earlier in the day, to a jealous rage, to complete innocence. He even went as far as pointing the finger of blame at his brother, who shared the apartment he lived in. The most horrifying part of the trial for me, as a woman, was the way the victim was portrayed. Her soiled panties were held up as evidence of an earlier sexual encounter, while her parents cringed in the front row. The defense attorney all but called her a whore. The worst of her past was dragged out and displayed for all to see. We learned what she did five years earlier and with whom. None of that mattered. Whether or not she was sexually active in her past or cheated on her boyfriend bore no relation to the fact that she’d been brutally raped and murdered.

While we sat silent witnesses to all of this digging into the victim’s past, the man accused sat protected. His past was not allowed into evidence because it might “prejudice” the jury. We were allowed, even encouraged, to feel prejudice toward the woman. The victim. But we were not allowed to hear anything about the man accused of killing her.

Do we need wonder why so many rapes go unreported?

What surprises me is that more people don’t seek their own form of justice.

Of my fellow jurors, only one other initially voted for murder one. No one believed he was innocent. However, the other 10 thought manslaughter was more appropriate. He’d been high. He’d been jealous. Her behavior had pushed him over the edge. She’d asked for it. He hadn’t meant to do it.

He strangled her with his hands. Doing so takes up to 3 minutes of continuous pressure. How could that possibly be an accident?

The other juror and I fought for murder one. We eventually won that argument. After the verdict was read, the judge visited us in the juror’s chambers. She wanted to congratulate and thank us for coming to what she felt was the correct decision. At that point, she was finally able to share what had been kept from us. This man, who had sat quiet and solemn while his lawyer called his dead girlfriend a whore, had multiple charges of assault and rape in his past.

At one time or another, don’t we all wish we could do the things our justice system cannot or will not? What would it take to push you over the edge?

If you hang out on Twitter, you probably know that Sundays are now known for #SampleSunday. This is when authors toss out links with samples to their writing. I thought I’d do the same on my blog. Sundays are now Sample Sunday here on A Word Please! I’ll post excerpts from my various books and occasional samples from the books written by my fellow author-friends from BestsellerBound

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from my novel Hit List. This scene is from Corinne’s point of view. She’s a little crazy, you see. The truth is locked somewhere in her mind but she refuses to set it free. This story is about many things, including betrayal, resilience and hope. At the heart of it all, is a son’s unwillingness to give up.

Corinne’s eyes snapped open. Vague remnants of the dream challenged her to remember. Pictures, all out of order, as if a photo album had been dropped and its contents scattered throughout her mind. She shuddered, blinked. Finally the black curtain descended and the pictures faded into the nonexistent.

Sunlight poured in through the bedroom windows. Had she forgotten to draw the blinds last night? She glanced at the bedside clock. Three o’clock. In the afternoon? Yes, it had to be afternoon. The sun was shining. Had she slept all day?

Corinne shoved the covers off and climbed out of bed. She reached for her tattered robe, slipping it on as she walked toward the kitchen. Ian was always after her to buy a new robe. But she liked this one. The fact that it was well worn only made it that much more comfortable. Or comforting. Maybe both.

In the kitchen, she filled her teakettle with water and placed it on the burner. She turned the knob to high, then set about getting her mug and a tea bag from the cabinet.

This was Corinne’s favorite room. Large windows formed a half-moon around the breakfast nook. French doors opened onto a mahogany deck that Ian had built himself. The back property was lined by woods that led out to a peaceful brook few people knew about. Back here she felt as if the world belonged to her alone.

As the kettle began to whistle, Corinne switched off the burner and poured the water into her mug. She considered eating something. When was the last time she had done that? Ian kept telling her that she needed to eat more. She should probably try, since it would make him happy. And he deserved that much.

She placed her mug on the table and slid onto the chair. Birds sang outside the window. She watched them flutter about.

A flicker of movement in the distance caught her eye. Out by the trees. Her breath caught in her chest. She stared into the woods but saw nothing. Just her imagination.

She was lifting the mug to her lips when she spotted more movement. This time her eyes found the source. A man. He was standing in the shadows of the trees. Just standing there, staring back at her.

Corinne’s heart thudded wildly against her chest. The mug slipped from her fingers, smashing against the tile floor. The scream burned in her throat but never found release. She crawled beneath the table. Gathering her knees to her chest, she rocked slowly.

You can find Hit List on Amazon in both print and Kindle format:

You can also find it in various other online stores, including all ebook formats on Smashwords.

Thanks for reading!

The first issue of BestsellerBound News is out an about, waiting for you! I’m a bit late announcing it here. So much to say, so little time.

What is BestsellerBound News, you might be asking? BestsellerBound News is a free ezine connecting readers with indie authors and the books they write. I put the ezine together, with contributions from a few of my fellow BestsellerBound indie authors. You’ll find special features, interviews, reading suggestions and more!

Have I mentioned it’s free?

You can download the PDF or Word file directly from my site:
www.QuietFuryBooks.com/bsbnews.html

You can also find the ezine on Smashwords, in all formats, for any eReader or computer!
www.smashwords.com/books/view/36627

I hope you’ll take the time to download BestsellerBound News. We’ve got some brilliant authors and fun information in this issue!

Thanks for reading.

Most of the best books I read in 2010 were written by indie authors. But these books are difficult to find. Readers don’t typically stumble upon them while browsing. Physical bookstores won’t carry them, major mainstream publications will not review them. Indie authors don’t have the benefit of large advertising boosts or PR agents to help them get their books noticed. Many, if not most, languish in obscurity.

That’s why I created www.BestsellerBound.com late last summer. I wanted a friendly, relaxed place where indie authors and readers could connect. Thanks to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, BestsellerBound has become just that!

One of our most active members – and a brilliant author – Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick, decided to take this one step further. He has put together the First Annual BestsellerBound.com Sample Anthologies! This consists of three separate volumes of sample chapters from books written by various author-members of BestsellerBound. You’ll find a wide variety of writing styles and genres to sample. You can download all three volumes and hopefully find a few new authors whose work you just have to read. And did I mention that the downloads are completely free? No catch. No spamming you with unwanted emails. Just download and enjoy!

Joel designed awesome covers for these anthologies! Take a look:

You can download the PDF files directly from my site:

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/bsbanthologies.html

You will also find information there on where to download reader-specific formats!

To top things off, another of our brilliant author-members – Magnolia Belle – has created a cool trailer to promote these anthologies.

You can also find it on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQkSD4W_k9M

I hope you’ll take the time to download the First Annual BestsellerBound.com Sample Anthologies. I’ve read many of the books included and you won’t want to miss them!

Books, books, and more books!

We had an amazing group of authors participating in the first of what I hope will be an annual event. Hundreds of print and ebooks were offered and nearly 1,000 people entered! The event is over and the winners have been picked. Are you one of them?

If you haven’t been contacted, don’t despair. I have not finished notifying all the winners and authors. It’s a daunting process but it’s also been fun! I hope to have everyone notified by mid day tomorrow.

The winners’ list-in-progress can be found on the page where the entry form used to be: www.QuietFuryBooks.com/evententryform.html

The event pages listed all the books will also remain for a couple of weeks. You can do a little browsing and perhaps some book shopping, if the mood strikes!

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/holidayevent.html

Thank you to all the indie authors for participating and making this event such a huge success! And thank you to all who took an interest in our books and entered our contest!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Happy New Year!

A couple of months ago, my good friend and fellow author Maria Savva conceived of an idea to propel indie authors up in the Amazon rankings. You see, being indie (self-published or small press) means that we have little to no promotional and marketing help. Major publications refuse to review indie books. Brick and mortar stores, for the most part, will not carry our books. We don’t get our books listed in Amazon’s newsletters. The mainstream world tries hard to crush us beneath their weight. But we’re fighters and I am part of a brilliant network of indie authors who prove this each and every day.

Maria’s idea stemmed from an indie rock campaign that took place in the U.K. last year. We chose one day in which we will ask everyone to download a specific indie book on Amazon’s Kindle. Providing we get enough participation, having everyone download that one book on that one day will propel that title up to the top of the charts. Our goal is to show that indie authors and the books they write are just as good, often better, than the mainstream books endlessly promoted by major publishing companies.

I am honored and humbled that Maria chose my book The Cutting Edge for this indie campaign. Since the nature of this campaign requires that I ask you to purchase my book in Kindle format, I have reduced the price to 99 cents for this event. Also, all proceeds will go to Metropolitan Ministries, a nondenominational church in Tampa Bay, Florida, that works tirelessly all year long to feed and care for those in need.

So there you have it. I’m asking you to spend 99 cents to download my novel The Cutting Edge for Kindle. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the ebook and read it on your computer. Also, Amazon now allows you to give Kindle books as gifts. Do you know someone with a Kindle? Surprise him/her/them with a copy. You’ll be helping bring recognition to indie authors – and you’ll also be helping to feed some of the countless hungry people in my community.

Here is my book for Kindle:

One more thing. If you haven’t yet read anything by Maria Savva, you should! She’s truly a gifted writer, as well as one of the most thoughtful and giving people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. She has reduced her two ebooks to 99 cents, as well. Why not show her some love and get a great read in return:

Thank you!

Happy holidays.

Today is the launch of the Indie Books Holiday Giveaway Event! A couple of months ago, this idea drifted through my mind. I wanted to showcase indie authors, thank our readers for hanging out with us, and introduce new readers to indie books. I sent my idea out to my networking world and received an incredible response. That passing thought quickly spiraled into a pretty huge event. Here’s what we have:

Hundreds of print and e-books, written by 47 indie authors, offering 76 unique titles! This is an international event. Regardless of where you live, you have a chance to win one of the prizes. All you need to do is fill out the entry form. But first, let’s take a look at the authors who are participating:

1. Darcia Helle
2. Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
3. Stacy Juba
4. Sylvia Massara
5. Jason McIntyre
6. Susan Helene Gottfried
7. Pendred Noyce
8. Judith Marshall
9. Cheryl Anne Gardner
10. Jenny Hilborne
11. Philip Nork
12. Roseanne Dingli
13. Sydney Tyler Thomas
14. Charlie Courtland
15. Ottilie Weber
16. Marty Beudet
17. Magdalena Ball
18. Carolyn Howard-Johnson
19. Jennifer Lane
20. Jaleta Cregg
21. Jane Kennedy Sutton
22. Adelle Laudan
23. Tonya Plank
24. Magnolia Belle
25. Patricia Rockwell
26. Diane Morlan
27. Christopher Dunbar & Heather Poinsett Dunbar
28. Maria Savva
29. Roy McConnell
30. Linda Gould
31. Theodore Odrach with translation by Erma Odrach
32. Ann Mauren
33. Sherrida Woodley
34. Jennifer DeLucy
35. Tricia L. McDonald
36. K. Michael Crawford
37. Apryl Skies
38. Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid
39. J.R. Lindermuth
40. Debra Purdy Kong
41. Scott L. Collins
42. Karen Vaughan
43. Doug Hiser
44. Karen Boutilier Kendall
45. Michael Dyet
46. Donna McDine
47. Gregg Seeley

This event runs throughout the month of December. Winners will be picked at random on January 1. I will announce the winners here on my blog, as well as on the entry form page for the event. There will be one winner for each prize, so you’ve got great odds of winning something!

Ready to see the books? You can browse through all the titles by visiting the holiday event page on my website. Each title is linked to Amazon, so that you can click for further details. Also, you’ll find each author’s website listed beside his/her name. After you’ve checked out the selection, click on the entry form link and fill out the form. That’s all you need to do! Oh, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

Happy holidays, everyone! And good luck!

www.QuietFuryBooks.com/holidayevent.html

My good friend and fellow author Maria Savva has come up with a brilliant plan to boost indie books up to bestseller status on Amazon. I am both honored and humbled that she chose my book The Cutting Edge as our test subject! The campaign works like this: Indie authors are not given mainstream promotion. Most professional reviewers will not review an indie book. Most stores, particularly the large chains, will not carry them on their shelves. Even finding an indie book with an Amazon search is difficult. The mainstream publishing world has the financial backing to keep their books at the top of the search engines and at the top of the charts.

Maria’s plan could change all that – at least for a day! And one day could be enough to make a whole lot of indie noise, bringing attention to the multitude of undiscovered writing talent. First, we ask that you ‘like’ our Facebook campaign page. However, this is not necessary. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can still support the campaign! On December 20, I will lower the price of The Cutting Edge for Kindle to 99 cents. You don’t need a Kindle to read the book. You can do that on your computer. If you’ve already purchased the book (thank you!), it would still help us tremendously if you spent the 99 cents. If enough people purchase The Cutting Edge on the same day, that will raise it to bestseller status on Amazon!

Honestly, I feel a bit awkward promoting my own book this way. Self-promotion is not one of my strong points! But I believe in the indie book world. I’ve met some of the most incredibly talented indie authors who struggle each day to get noticed. We aren’t looking for fortune or fame. (Well, most of us aren’t! ). What we want is recognition. And this campaign could be the start of that for us.

So please like our fan page! Tell your friends, tweet this post, and, most of all, pick up an indie book and enjoy.

Thank you!

BestsellerBound: 'The Cutting Edge' Campaign

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The first kill was the hardest. His father staring with those dark narrow eyes that had incited fear for so many years. Even as the life seeped out of him, those eyes were full of scorn.

That’s the first paragraph from a short story I recently wrote called The First Kill. I don’t normally write short stories. My characters have way too much to say. However, recently my so-called minor characters have been demanding more attention. Many of them want to step up into the spotlight, twirl around, show off, then take a bow at the end that is all their own. Shushing them was no longer working. I gave in and followed along as the first of many background characters jumped to the forefront.

The First Kill is Sean Riley’s story. Sean is a minor character, a hit man, in my Michael Sykora series. The first book in that series is No Justice, the second Beyond Salvation. I’m currently at work on number three.

The First Kill is a free download on Smashwords! You can download the PDF to read on your computer or any format that works for your eReader. I hope to soon have it available on Amazon, as well.

I hope you’ll take the time to read the story. You’ll make Sean quite happy.