January Update

Hello everyone!

As the first tumultuous month of the new year draws to a close, it is time to update you once again on what’s been happening in the den.

Mainly I’m doing lots of reading. I signed up to be a judge for a book competition, so I’m more or less glued to dead trees right now. It’s been far too long since I’ve power-read my way through a mountain of books, and I’m enjoying the process immensely.

On the flipside, more reading time equals less writing time, even though my tight schedule can’t readily absorb delays at the moment. After all, you’ve been waiting patiently for book 3 of The Silverton Chronicles, but no reason to panic just yet, because it is chugging along toward the finish line.

In my spare time, between watching TV and reading, I also made up a new bunch of puzzles for the kids’ version of A Knight’s Quest. Kids are going to love it (I hope). They’ll get brand-new mazes, logic puzzles, math and word games, brain teasers, and even a code-breaker marathon. Not sure about the publication date yet. First we need to ‘hire’ young volunteers who won’t sugarcoat their opinions.

Concept cover; not the final product.

That leaves Moon Promise (working title). It’s missing about three scenes at this stage, but this novella is definitely novel-length now. After editing, it will be around 60,000 words, or about 6 hours’ reading time. Oh my, I’m so pumped about this. It’s a paranormal romance, not an urban fantasy, but it’s still stuffed to the rim with plenty of plot. Unfortunately we are missing a good title for the series–but trust me, this shifter world has huge potential for more crimes and frolicking.

But Moon Promise won’t be released until the end of 2017. Come what may, Book 3 of The Silverton Chronicles will get prime billing this year.

I don’t often give specifics about my projects, and I understand it’s sometimes tough for you to share in my excitement. I’m sorry about this. But my secrecy is for your benefit. The greatest value of a book lies in its discovery. Newsletter subscribers get the scoop first, but not even they know the title of the next book or its plot yet. All I want to say is that readers who will join the Silverton crowd in book 3 will have an entirely different experience from readers who have been with us from day one.

As for Moon Promise, I don’t have a blurb or a tag line yet, but a provisional description might read something like this:

Kensi is not a sassy, kick-ass chick. She’s an alpha.

Until next time.

CLAIM YOUR FREE SIGNED BOOKPLATE

I don’t often autograph copies of my books, which is odd in as far as I’m also a collector of modern signed first editions. I’m the proud owner of signed copies of The Graveyard Book, Name of the Wind, Painted Man/Warded Man, Eragon, Skulduggery Pleasant, Underground Railroad, The Bone Season, Kim Harrison, Child 44, a number of signed anthologies, and many, many more.

As for my own books, only two signed copies of Bound exist, two of Divide and Conquer, and around ten autographed copies of Guarded.

Now a shipment of bookplates has arrived, and I’m sending some out to the first ten readers who will send proof of purchase (invoice or picture) of any paperback or hardback you own.

In case you didn’t know, Guarded and Bound also contain a handful of drawings, which are not available in the ebooks.

So send in your proof of purchase plus your address to authorcarmenfox at gmail dot com, but do so soon. This offer expires January 31.

Huge Sale – Stuff Your Ebook Readers

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On the download page, please visit our author sponsors:
Allyson Lindt, Angela Kay Austin, Anita Philmar, Ashe Barker, C.P. Mandara, Caitlyn Lynch, Candace Laville, Carmen Fox, Catherine Taylor, Cherie Claire, Cherime MacFarlane, Dariel Raye, Demelza Carlton, Diane Rinella, Eden Summers, Elianne Adams, Elli Everson, Eva Lefoy, Giselle Renarde, Heather Anastasiu, Ines Johnson, Iona Findley, Jacintha Topaz, Jade Onyx, J.F. Holland, Josie Jax, Kathryn R. Blake, LaVerne Thompson, Lilah E. Noir, Lily Harlem, Lucian Carter, Lucy Felthouse, Maggie Carpenter, Marie Tuhart, Melissa Stevens, Mira Stanley, Miranda Lynn, Moctezuma Johnson, Monica Corwin, Muffy Wilson, Natalie Rios, Nia Farrell, Nikky Kaye, Normandie Alleman, Paloma Beck, Pandora Spocks, Raven Anxo, Robin Stone, Rosalie Redd, Sara Daniel, Sotia Lazu, Teresa Noelle Roberts, Tori Dean, Wendy Lynn Clark, Wren St Claire

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BOUND Audiobook Out Now

Yay! It’s here. The Bound audiobook is out now, and it’s a great way to immerse yourself in Florian’s story.

Bound audiobook

The promo for it will start later, with giveaways and information on the narrator, but you early birds can get the audiobook right now, on iBooks or Audible or Amazon. It’s so worth it! The narrator did an outstanding job from the first line to the last.

Go straight to Audible to be among the first to get it.

If you’re new to Audible.com, you can get the audiobook FREE right here.

Enjoy and let me know how you liked it. 🙂

AWARD NEWS – Silver Medal for Guarded

Hi guys,

Silver medal

Just a note to tell you that two months after reaching the semi-finalist stage of the Kindle Book Awards (finalists announced later in the year), Guarded has been awarded the silver medal in the Readers’ Favorite book awards 2016. Woot!

Certificate

It’s wonderful to receive recognition, and the occasion is worthy of celebration. Who’s up for some champagne then? Who knows, maybe on-the-fence readers might give the book a go when they wouldn’t before?

But as grateful as I am for this honor, no award comes close to a reader’s praise, a good review, or even that ‘click’ when someone buys the sequel.

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BOOK SALE ON NOW

Sale

We’re having a sale until August 25. Did I say sale? The prices are so low, it’s almost a giveaway. Guarded has never been available at $0.99 (previously $4.99, then $2.99), and Bound is down from $4.99 to $2.99. How crazy is that?

Here’s the whole list. Just click the links to find out more.

 
Guarded (The Silverton Chronicles #1) – Torn between three men, Ivy must tread carefully, because one wants her body, one wants her heart, and one wants her dead. Sexy urban fantasy mystery with romance.

Bound (The Silverton Chronicles #2) – For Keely, Florian wants to be the perfect werewolf. Trouble is, he’s a vampire. Urban fantasy romance.

Divide and Conquer (Champions of Elonia #1) – A geek and her mentor show the men how to kick ass and save the world. Action-packed urban fantasy with a touch of romance.

Conversations with the Dead – Three ghostly short stories.

Show Don’t Tell (Immersive Writing from the Roots Up) – A practical writers’ guide for learning when to show and when to tell.

My new novella Trapped is still free to my newsletter subscribers.

A quick shoutout also to Candace Laville, whose sexy paranormal novella The Mediator (Ménage 1) is only $0.99.

Sale Mediator

AUDIOBOOK OUT SOON – Conversations with the Dead

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Great news! I just approved the audio for Conversations With The Dead, a collection of three ghostly short stories. SHORT short stories, about 16-18 minutes each.I likened them to anecdotes told around the campfire, but it wasn’t untill I listened to Lauren Ezzo’s stunning narration that I realized how much these stories are meant to be heard, not read. Seriously, that woman is awesome.

All three stories were written with older children in mind–well, with my friend’s son in mind–and he is okay with their content. But grown-ups may find them enjoyable too, I hope.

I figure it will take about a week until the audiobook is approved. I should be getting codes for free copies, some of which I’ll give out to my newsletter subscribers in September. Should you know of someone who deserves a free copy once it’s out (maybe your grandmother or a nephew or your daughter…), let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

Click here to find out more about this collection.

Alpha Males and Feisty Females – What Readers Want

“What readers want” — this is the holy grail of authors in every genre. We try to write for ourselves, but how rewarding would it be if we could also please our readers?

The trouble is, I cannot get your feedback halfway through. Books aren’t interactive. Once they reach the readers, they have already been written.

Let me show you what I’m talking about.

I hate the idea of a “feisty” woman. Is there a more condescending word? It’s a word spoken by a man who looks proudly on “his” woman, chest swelling because he has “tamed” her.

Nuh-uh! That’s how you talk about dogs or ferrets. NOT to human beings.

I’ve always written about strong women that do not need men to save them. I’m not the only writer to care about this issue. And above everything, isn’t fiction supposed to be aspirational? But I have noticed that promoting stronger heroines has resulted in even stronger men.

Maybe there is something about the female psyche that craves a firm hand. And time after time, our stone-age, basic need for protection overrules our rational thoughts.

No surprise, then, that my greatest worry before releasing BOUND was that Florian, its hero, is not your typical alpha-type personality, while the focus of his crush is. Flo has his moments, sure, but he’s also very, very sweet.

Heroes like that don’t seem to find much acceptance. Or do they?

I’m glad to say, reviews both public and private prove that making Flo the star of the book worked. But my decision has also become the subject of some discussion. Of course I welcome any such debate, because all opinions on this matter are valuable.

What this doesn’t tell me is which of the two my readers prefer. Does it depend on the plot? Well, as I mentioned, that particular answer would require a story that is already written.

What would be great would be knowing what readers are looking for before I commit to a story.

Until then, I will continue casting all types in my books. Heroes that are strong and selfish, heroes that are kind yet possess a ruthless intelligence, heroes that plan daring rescues and heroes that execute those plans.

Because without a crystal ball, I can only hope that what tickles me will hold my readers’ interest as well.

This is exactly the angle I’ll be pursuing in my upcoming novelette, free and exclusive to my newsletter subscribers (sign up on this page, top right).

Tricked by Carmen Fox

As a reminder, TRICKED should be ready in July/August. If you’ve wondered how Jocinda and Graeme got started, this story is for you.

What do you think? Are alpha males a must?

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE BUYING MY BOOK(S)

With Ivy

You love reading, but books are expensive. And each time you spend hard cash on a book, you risk a DNF—a “did not finish.” Even if you make it through, you could end up hating it. And even if you love it, it ends on a cliffhanger, and you’re just about ready to murder someone. Usually the author.

So I thought I’d give you a rundown of what to expect from my books. The things Amazon doesn’t tell you.

  1. I don’t do cliffhangers. All my stories have a proper, satisfactory ending.
  2. My writing style, or my voice, may not always make for an easy read. That’s because the vocabulary of a Brit is different from/than that of the average American. I’m working with an editor who tries hard to make my work more accessible to all readers, as evidenced by my new book Bound.
  3. I am not funny by nature, but for some reason, my characters are. If you expect high drama without comic relief, you won’t find it in my books. That’s not to say they’re not serious books, but I aim to inject a smidgen of sass, a dollop of sarcasm, and a handful of witty one-liners.
  4. All my books are heavy on plot. Plot brings out character traits. Simple as that.
  5. Do my books contain swear words? Hell yeah. Expect plenty of s***s and f***s, although the true extent of linguistic depravity depends on the characters. Waylon in Guarded? He’s the worst. Nieve in Divide and Conquer, by comparison, is a pale shade of vanilla.
  6. Sex? Yes, please. Lots of it. Intimacy brings out conflict and character, so my books do contain uncurtained sex scenes. While I don’t go full erotica on you, expect graphic descriptions.
  7. I love writing, and even more so if I can experiment. Let me put it this way. One of my books sees the death of a major character. Oh yes, I actually went there. For The Silverton Chronicles, I switched genre; i.e. while Guarded is an urban fantasy mystery, Bound, the sequel, is an urban fantasy romance. Divide and Conquer of the Champions of Elonia series, by the way, is an urban fantasy thriller.
  8. My women are strong. They accept help, but do not need it.
  9. Even though I write in series format with a common arch, my books are stand-alones. That means you can jump in any time you want. If there’s something you need to know from a previous book, it will be provided.
  10. All my books have undergone editing and proofreading. In books of between 90k and 100k words, I cannot rule out typos, and you and I might have different opinions regarding matters of grammar (my two copy editors certainly did), but I take pride in what I do and wouldn’t allow subpar work to be put out.

There you have it. If you prefer straight-forward, light-on-plot romances, don’t buy my books. Otherwise, why not give them a go? I often run promotions, so be on the lookout for those.

(My writing guide and my collection of short stories are suitable for a younger audience.)

READ GREAT BOOKS AND SAVE MONEY

I want to talk about book prices. If you’re a reader, please bear with me. This article is about you.

You’ve heard it before. Authors spend months, often years, on a book, so why should they give it away free? And yet some do, because they feel it’s the only way to sell and get reviews. The market is now saturated with free reads or reads at rock-bottom prices, and the competitive advantage has disappeared. Many new authors now have to give away their books just to keep up.

That’s not right. My book prices are between $4.99 and $5.49 for full-length novels, and $2.99 for novellas and shorter works. Selling for less than $2.99 is not an option, because the royalties would be so low, I might as well make it a freebie. Only my collection of short stories is $0.99. It should be free, because it’s so short, but Amazon doesn’t do free anymore, unless you sell exclusively via Amazon.

Do you give away your time for free? You might, for family, a good cause or for friends, but for strangers? Not only have I spent all of my free time on this book, the cover and editing and formatting and promotion involved in releasing a book add up really quickly. We’re talking thousands of dollars. So if you want to read my books, you need to pay full price.

Or do you?

Actually, you don’t. I take part in many Facebook events where I play little games and give books away to participants. I randomly offer giveaways on Twitter and on my website. I often join forces with other author to lay on a fantastic spread of books at great prices, where I discount to $0.99 for my short work and $2.99 for my novels.

And if you approach me and show me that you regularly leave book reviews, I might even send you a review copy (although I’ve been burned doing this in the past). Some reviewers also receive swag bags and free books by other authors from me, and often they get to name characters. Furthermore, my e-books are offered to libraries for a great price, and if you’re really strapped for cash, send me the details of your local library and I’ll make sure to donate a print copy of my book.

Not all authors do this, of course, but many are really very accommodating. That’s because writers are, first and foremost, fellow readers. We understand that reading three to ten books a month is expensive. All we ask for in return is a little respect.