Saturday, April 6, 2019

Book Cover Reveal! The Duchess and the Cowboy

Coming May 1st, The Duchess and the Cowboy will finally become a reality. I'm so excited for the first book in a new romance series: A Denim and Lace Victorian Western Romance. I love this series! Here's a little bit about it:


Set (first) in 1888 England and then in Nevada in the Great Wild West of America. 

Pride and Prejudice meets Bonanza


A young British duchess fleeing from her husband’s murderer. A widowed American cowboy with a small daughter. Their second chance at love.

At twenty-one, Jane Langley, Duchess of Chatham, is too young to be a widow. Her husband’s misguided duel with his ruthless younger brother leaves him dead. The new duke’s menacing threat to Jane—marry him or else—has her fleeing her home to America for safety and where she can buy her own property. Although Jane worries about her new role as a landowner in the Wild West, she wonders if a proper British duchess will be accepted in a land that lacks propriety? Does Carson City have a high society? Or does she become a pioneer woman? Her concerns change the morning she meets the ruggedly handsome cowboy Mr. Bellamy.

Heath Bellamy is no stranger to misery. He lost his wife shortly after their daughter was born, and for the past two winters the cruel Nevada blizzards killed too many of his ranch’s cattle. They need grass to survive. When a new owner takes over the neighboring big spread, he sees the possibility of the herd grazing on her land. 

When their relationship turns from friendship to deep affection, they must decide if love is worth risking getting their hearts broken all over again. 
***

I'll keep you updated! Like my Facebook page HERE, or sign up for my newsletter HERE and get my updates and special sales and offers! 



Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Romance! It's what makes life sweeter!

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ~ Opening line of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 1813. 



To me, Pride and Prejudice is one of the most romantic novels ever written. That one book made me want to write romance, even though my stories have more suspense in them than having a sister run off with a rouge. 

I believe it's important to continually build skills, no matter what business you're working in. Teachers take classes to stay current. Firefighters are constantly training, honing their life-saving skills. Police go through training scenarios that can save their own lives. Writing isn't any different, (although it's much less stressful) when we take workshops or attending conferences meant to strengthen our story-telling skills. It's important to learn from the best whether you're a newbie writer or a seasoned author with may published books under your belt. I've gone to a big writer's conference every year, sometimes two, plus workshops, either online or on site. I have many friends and acquaintances who also attend. I also constantly read books in the genres I write, plus many in genres I don't. Reading puts joy in my heart. 

This is what I'm doing! I'm working hard, and it makes me happy. I'm building a career one story at a time. Every time I have another book published, I feel excitement bubbling inside me, pushing, encouraging me to meet my next goal. 

Happy reading!


Monday, June 12, 2017

SNOWDRIFT a romance novel


I have a new novel on pre-order. Snowdrift is my first romance, and I love the characters so much! 

Here is what the story is about. 

Artist Abigail Carson crashes off the deserted highway during a Wyoming blizzard while driving to reach her dying mother. Carbon County Sheriff Jackson Reynolds rescues her, leaving her Jeep in the snowdrift as the storm becomes a whiteout. They’re trapped at his ranch for the week leading up to Christmas, along with his two young daughters, a protective mother-in-law, and a bitter memory of his dead wife.  
 
Tensions rise as Abby’s attraction grows for the tough sheriff. She must crack through his emotional wall before the storm breaks or lose her only chance for real love. But if the storm doesn't stop soon enough, Abby may lose her opportunity to ask her mother's forgiveness for running away almost ten years before.
 
Snowdrift is a story about love, faith, and forgiveness.

You can get your copy HERE


Saturday, February 18, 2017

I WON!! KINDLE SCOUT campaign A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE Part 3



I got an email from the Kindle Scout program! I made it! After 30 days of a campaign where A Strange Twist of Fate continuously stayed on the "Hot and Trending" list, and after 6 more days of consideration, I received notice that Kindle Press. 

It read: 

Dear Debra Erfert,
Congratulations! Our readers have spoken, and your book A Strange Twist of Fate has been selected for publication by the Kindle Press Team. We're excited to be working with you and eager to get started on your upcoming book launch.

I was never so excited about seeing an email in my life. I won something that I'd wanted for such a long time. It was three years ago when a friend first had her campaign. Sariah Wilson wrote a royal princess romance book. I loved it--and nominated it. I watched her journey with Kindle Press. Now she has three more books published through Montlake Romance, an Amazon romance imprint all because of Kindle Scout. 

There are steps I still need to cover, like writing an acknowledgment page to thank all of my beta readers and editor, and a dedication page, and a page listing my other available books, and then a final edit by their people, but these are truly labors of love. 

Saturday, February 4, 2017

KINDLE SCOUT -- A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE -- PART TWO


A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE has 6 days left in the campaign, and so far it's been on the "Hot and Trending" list for the past 3 weeks. This hasn't come easy. I've had to do a lot of marketing to stay up there with the other 19 books. From what I've seen, there are 20 books on the "Hot" list at any one time. That list shuffles around depending on how many "page views" they receive each day. The more page views, the closer your book is to the front of the list. This keeps you visible and more likely to get those all important nominations. While I have your attention, I'd appreciate it if you would go HERE and nominate A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE. 😏 

If you want to submit your own book to Kindle Scout, here is the link to their submission page. You need to read the guidelines very carefully and follow each one to the letter.
There are many ways to ask for nominations. This blog is one way. If you don't write one yet, now would be a good time to start! 

Another way is to ask your Facebook friends using an ad like the one you see above. I made this one up myself using an inexpensive program called Swift Publisher 4. The program cost little to download from iTunes and works remarkably well. I was able to learn how to use it with very little effort. Basically, if I can do it so can everyone else! lol. 

Bribery is a wonderful tool to use for getting nominations. I bought a KINDLE PAPERWHITE (an e-reader) for a drawing. I also have a couple of VISA gift cards to make things even sweeter. At the end of my campaign, I'll draw 3 winners, the first being the Kindle winner. This drawing is a great way to lure readers and friends to click on your campaign link. 

Do you Tweet? I make sure at least twice a day I post this to Twitter. This is the example:
Grab your chance to win! tell me at debraerfert@yahoo.com
Make sure you include the link to your campaing and the ad picture. This will draw attention to your post. 

I also took out a paid Facebook advertisement, setting the budget at $15.00 a day (it's driven my clicks). Go HERE and learn how to advertise with Facebook. This is a little more tricky. You can't use the same ad you used for Twitter and your personal Facebook page. The picture/text ratio is different. You have to have more picture and much less text on the picture. 












For $10.00 (for the whole month of the campaign) I'm using a website called Author Shout. They use some information from your  Kindle Scout campaing to make a few Twitter ads that are posted several times a day. They have a far wider reach (12K followers) than just those who are my followers (650).

Over the past few months, I've actively worked on growing a "subscriber emailing list." I use MailChimp as a host. Its free until you get over a certain limit of subscribers or set up the automated emails. From this site I send automated emails offering a free novella as an incentive to join. There are several awesome websites that offer ways to grow your emailing list. 

My Book Cave is a great site. Go HERE and read what they can do for you as a reader and as an author! 

Another one is InstaFreebie HERE

I also have an account with BookFunnel, HERE, a site where readers find your FREE book (I use a novella) and download it when they agree to be added to your newsletter emailing list. I have MailChimp incorporated with InstaFreebie and BookFunnel, which means when they sign up, that email address goes directly to my MailChimp site.

Another interesting way of finding nominations is on Instagram. I linked my Facebook ad to it. I might've done this by accident, but that's okay. I've received several clicks from it. 😆 How about Pinterest? Yep, I have this campaign up there too! 

I hope this helps. I'll write a followup after I find out if my book gets picked up by Kindle Press or if it gets rejected and I indie-publish it! 

Debra

Monday, January 16, 2017

KINDLE SCOUT campaign A STRANGE TWIST of FATE 2017


A couple of years ago a talented author friend, Sariah Wilson, sent out a call for any writer willing to produce a cross-over novella of at least 17,000 words using a character/s or setting from her KINDLE PRESS published THE ROYALS OF MONTERRA. I'd read her book and loved the characters and the story. It's a princess book! I knew I wanted to write a story in her "world" so I  jumped at the chance. Six weeks later, my romantic mystery novella ROYALS OF MONTERRA: IT TAKES A SLEUTH was born. A few months after it was finished, it was published by Kindle Worlds. I had such a great experience I knew I wanted to write my own novel and submit it to KINDLE SCOUT. 
Writing a full-length novel takes longer than a short story, but I was willing to put in the time. Every book starts out with just an idea. A year later, I wrote a romantic mystery novel A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE, and after it went through beta reading, two editors, three proofreaders, and hiring an awesome cover artist, I finally thought it was ready to submit to KINDLE SCOUT and start my own campaign. You can see it HERE 

It's been a week since the campaign went live, (January 12th through February 10th) and I wanted to share my experiences. 

First off, I want to tell you what you'll be getting into with Kindle Scout. If you haven't heard of it, you need to know that it is "reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published." 

What does this mean? Once accepted and your campaign is launched, you'll need to get "nominations." Enough nominations will get your book read by the folks at Kindle Press. You'll need to give them 45 days of exclusivity (not submitting to any other publishers), 30 days of that time is for the campaign and the other 15 days are for them to read part or all of your book.


If your book is selected, "it will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing." It's that "featured Amazon marketing" I'm excited about.

In PART TWO I'll discuss what I'm doing to get those all important nominations while the campaign is live. 

Thursday, March 31, 2016

WINDOW OF DEATH, Book Two in the Window of Time Trilogy


Ever since I wrote the first draft of Window of Time in 2003, I dreamed of seeing this story in print--not only printed, because I did that many years ago at Kinkos. It didn't have a proper cover, nor had it seen a single beta reader. Now this project is two-thirds of the way through, and I'm excited about the way the last book is shaping up. 


I'm not the marketing guru that some of my friends are, but then I'm not at that point in my writing career to worry about that yet. Right now, I'm enjoying myself with writing. And I hope you'll enjoy what I'm writing, as well. 

In celebration of the release of WINDOW OF DEATH, I'm offering the e-book of Window of Time for the temporary price of .99 cents. If you buy the paperback of either book, you can download their E-book for FREE

Saturday, March 26, 2016

WINDOW OF DEATH launch April 1st, 2016

 Coming April 1st, Window of Death, Book Two in the Window of Time Trilogy. 



CIA Agent Lucy James’s undercover reentry into the US doesn’t go as planned. The human coyote smuggling her and more than a dozen illegal aliens across the southern border into Arizona abandons them. Their group scatters. But Lucy is soon rescued by two US Border Patrol agents. After they hear shots fired in the distance, the hope of finding the others alive plummet. Ruthless border bandits methodically track and kill the illegals for the contraband-filled backpacks each man carries.

When Lucy has a premonition—a window into the future—she sees one of the agents killed by the same bandits. She must gain their trust in time to stop the bandits from continuing their murder spree, and find the missing backpacks containing the deadly packages before the US has its first mass terrorist attack since 9-11.

 

Friday, December 18, 2015

WINDOW OF TIME cover release

It's been a long time in the works, but it's finally happening. A book that I started writing nearly thirteen years ago is finally ready to be published, and I'm thrilled to show you the beautiful cover to this Romantic Suspense, WINDOW OF TIME.


CIA courier Lucy James never gets used to seeing innocent people killed, but she copes with it—every day. Cursed with the ability to glimpse into the future when a death is about to happen, she has a short window of time to interfere—risking her life in order to change it. No one knows about her curse, until she saves a handsome Los Angeles firefighter trapped between her and foreign operatives hell-bent on intercepting her current assignment.

LA firefighter Johnny Cartwright’s life changes the moment he meets Lucy. His uncomplicated days flip to dangerously unpredictable after he’s drawn deeper into her secretive world of premonitions. His attraction to Lucy grows as he helps her stop a terroristic plot against the U.S., putting his life between her and certain death.  
  


Friday, November 20, 2015

Is First Person POV a bad thing?


I first published this post a couple of years ago on another blog, but it's as relevant now as it was then. 

I don’t know about you, but I find writing in the first person narrative much easier than any other point of view. It could be that it’s a matter of placing me into the story—that I am the main character, therefore, writing down my thoughts onto paper is as simple as taking a breath.

Although I have to admit that I have read some very poorly written first person POVs, where everything was “I did this” or “I turned left”, or “I sat”, which made for an extremely irritating and boring first few pages. And I mean first few pages because that was as far as I could get into the story. “I,” at the beginning of every sentence is a death toll for any book. Keeping the sentences varied in length, changing each sentence’s rhythm, and not starting each out with a pronoun, is the key to any great paragraph, and that, in turn, successfully lures your reader further into the story.


Of course, you need to have enough of a story if you are only going to “see” the view of just one person. On the occasions when I know I want to tell the story from, not only the hero’s POV, but also the heroines, writing in third-person proved to be the most expedient method. I even have a trilogy where there are three POVs going. That’s great fun! 

This subject was brought up in a recent Nathan Bransford blog. He said, “Apparently there are literary agents and professors and all kinds of ostensibly rational people out there who think first person narratives are somehow unserious.”

What I found most encouraging was some of the comments his readers left. Here are three:  

Lane Diamond: I started out my first book as a third-person tight POV (protagonist), because so many literary agents indicated they profoundly disliked first-person narratives (no doubt because they tend to devolved into a narcissistic string of I, I, I, I, I, I, I). 


Shawn: My first agent told me that First Person was the mark of an immature writer. She said that in this era, it has no place outside MG and some YA. She said it was solipsistic, in only the way a kid could be solipsistic.  

cinthiaritchie.com: Oh, man, in graduate school they pounded it into our heads that third person was "the" way to go, that first-person was a weaker perspective, that it wasn't respected--that no one would take a first-person narrator seriously. Well! Excuse me, stuffy professors, but I feel that you were quite wrong. 


Some of the best novels I’ve read were written in first person perspective. Have you ever read any of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories or poems? Or have you read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak? Or Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Let’s go back farther in time, and we can read that F. Scott Fitzgerald used first person perspective in The Great Gatsby, and so did Merman Melvin in Moby Dick. These books did quite well using a perspective that big publishers seem to discourage.
Just remember, in a wonderfully written story, you shouldn’t really notice the POV. Everything should be seamless, and flow well.

Now go out there and write!

Book Cover Reveal! The Duchess and the Cowboy

Coming May 1st, The Duchess and the Cowboy will finally become a reality. I'm so excited for the first book in a new romance series: A...