Mark Your Calendars March 23, 2019

Lexington Legendary Book Bash is coming to Kentucky and I will be there selling all four of my books. I am so excited, I have been picking up swag,  cards, and plenty of books for the event.

Come meet Dolcey the fairy that is the alleviator to boys and girls all over the world. She and her mother Quince help children find the answer to their problems one child at a time.

Meet Michael from When a Pachyderm Comes to Visit. This little boy had a dream. His dream was ridiculed at school and Dolcey helped him find out you can be what you want and be successful at it.

Find out about Tela, the girl with a really bad attitude in Pup in Training.  Dolcey and her mom lead to discovering that life is not what you have and don’t care about, it’s the small important things in life that give it meaning.

Get to know Emily, the little girl that faced a life-changing problem in Who’s That in the Cat Pajamas?. Dolcey helped her see that life is full of unexpected adventures in this award-winning story.

I’ll have copies of The Path of the Child for sale, which tells of Melanie’s search for answers as to how her life has been so unfortunate and alone. Meet all the strangers that begin to fill the void in her life as soon as they enter it.

Pro tip: The Path of the Child is available on Kindle Unlimited for a limited time.

I’ll also have a few copies of the anthology from 2017.

Make plans to join us we expect a nice turnout and while you are in Lexington for the Comicon, drop over to 245 Lexington Green Circle Lexington Ky. 10: 00 AM to 4:00 PM.

A Request to Rate the Books You Read

I am borrowing this from author Paul Russell Parker as he said it so much better than I!

Hello, readers and fans! Remember, you don’t have to purchase my books from Amazon to leave a rating or review. If you were gifted any one of my books, downloaded them for free, bought them, found them in a Little Library, found them at a rest area, at a mall, some other random place, etc… You can still leave a rating. I encourage and ask that you do so, regardless of how you received any copies. If you really enjoyed my books, let me know. My main concern is how well you liked my stories, not how much I can make.

Ratings and reviews really help. It helps other readers know that they are getting a good read, and it also helps me, the Author. When I see how much someone enjoyed one of my books, it reminds me why I’m doing this in the first place. I want you to have a new literary universe that you can lose yourself in after you had a long, frustrating, or busy day.

So, go ahead and leave a rating or review at Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, etc. You don’t have to post much more than two or three words if you don’t want to. Even just a star rating will do. After that, you can follow me on my many social media platforms.  Thanks, and I appreciate the time you spent reading my books and reading this post.

 

Camp NanoWriMo Winner!

July I began in earnest working on When a Pachyderm Comes to Visit.  I worked on three short stories as well.  I was able to complete all three short stories which gave me a word count of almost seven thousand words. I have the second book almost completed in first draft form at almost eight thousand words. The other fifteen thousand words were on a Christmas story that has not got a confirmed name as well as rewriting on Blip.

With these thirty thousand words came the banner and a certificate as well as a few special offers from sponsors. With it came a great deal of satisfaction that I had stayed on course even with the other tasks at hand.  I am excited to be once again finishing a month of on task writing and to say another Camp Nano is in the books.

If you have never tried NanoWriMo or Camp Nanowrimo, I invite you to set out a little of each day in November to try your hand. It is a fun opportunity to flex your staying power muscles and show your writer’s block and insecurity a thing or two.  November will have a fifty thousand goal and will be a little tougher to achieve, but it is ever so worth the effort.  Write a novel in thirty days! You can do it!

How do I know that?

Because I did!

If I can pen The Path of the Child and Who’s That in the Cat Pajamas? in thirty days, you can write one too.

 

Nervous Author Wants to Sign Book and needs Advice

 

Has anyone set up their own book signing, let’s say at a coffee house, a library, or another place that doesn’t immediately come to my mind? I would love as an indie author to promote my book in person at least once to see if I can get over my timidness.

I talked tonight with another indie author and he suggested that I set up a book signing complete with 4 or 5 author friends. I just happen to have 3 other local writers that I might coax into joining me.

Are you able to help me come up with more ideas for such an event? Any ideas would be so appreciated. Believe me, I have already been to Pinterest and my mind is buzzing with ideas, but share your own with me!

In fact, if you are local to the Lexington Kentucky area, there would be a spot for you to join us.

Please let me know. I look forward to meeting more indie authors and learning how you promote in person and off of the Internet.

For a nice change of pace let’s log out of Facebook and Twitter and hit the streets of Lexington Kentucky.

I have a set of questions that perhaps someone could assist me with:

1. How many books should you bring with you?
2. Should you also bring bookmarks, business cards, pens, and other swag?
3. Does swag help in brand retention?
4. How far ahead should you plan an event?
5. If you have a book almost ready to publish should you promote it while selling your last book?
6. Would you suggest a mailing list sign up sheet?

Thank you in advance, don’t be shy. This is what leads me to this blog post. I want to be able to face new readers with confidence. Won’t you help me figure this out, or even better join me?

Making Goodreads a Partner in your Success Story

Goodreads is a site I go to on a regular basis. Both as an author with books listed and as a reader with reviews showing. I created my account before I became an author and I write under a pseudonym so I didn’t think to check and see if my book was up there. Then one day I checked.  It was there!  I had to make a new account to attach it to the author page. From there, it was a  race to learn as fast as possible how to make Goodreads a good fit for me. Me the author, not me the reviewer.

Smashwords is having a catalog sale, The Path of the Child is on sale

I am not sure if you are familiar with Smashwords, but there are so many books there in ebook format.  Tomorrow, March 5. 2017, begins a week of discounted books in all genres. A sales catalog will be made available at midnight pacific time and for a solid week, books will be discounted 25%, 50% and 75% off original price.  Many will be free for this week.

My own book, The Path of the Child, is located on page 70 of the group titled over 50,000 words and about half way down. You can click the link and find it. There is a discount code provided as it is discounted by 50% to the price of $ .99.

The Path of the Child is the story of one lonely girls’ transition as she sets out to find her own backstory. A story that has been hidden away from her by her neglectful mother. Melanie is a strong young woman that will have to make many hard decisions but always with the hope of having a life complete with happiness and joy.  The path she travels is uplifting and trying and may be more than one person can handle.  Meet Melanie and share her journey today. I write under the pseudonym of Sojourner McConnell.

 

Discounted to .99 March 5-11, 2017

 

This is a great opportunity to pick up books and find new authors.  Many authors have several books available all at these deep discounts. This event only runs until the 11th of March, then the prices revert back.  The above links will not show the participating books until midnight PST, that is 3 am Est and 8 am GMT.

Take your nest egg and pick up a few new deep discounted book and have a nice read along. With the prices as they are, it is the perfect opportunity to bulk up that “to be read pile”.

Remember that the best gift you can give an author is an honest review.  It doesn’t take a wordy post, just a few words sharing your opinion of the book.  Authors love it and it helps a new book get a second glance.

I can’t wait to go shopping. See you at Smashwords.

An Hour with Vicki and Sojourner McConnell. Fun with Yvonne Mason

I was so honored to be asked by Yvonne Mason to be on her online radio program. She is a mystery/thriller writer in her own right, and I was excited to say yes.  I am starting her book The Mad Hatter this evening and I can’t wait.

The hour-long event was so fun. Once I put my nerves aside. I am not the most outgoing person, but I am in line for the most talkative award.  The interview was about my writing as Sojourner McConnell and I was able to share the story behind The Path of the Child. I was also able to discuss Mystery Thriller Week and my WIPs .

Two Lovely New Amazon Reviews for The Path of the Child

Today a new review was submitted to Amazon and Goodreads for The Path of the Child, and it meant so much for me to read it.  Thank you for the wonderful uplifting review. It touches my heart to hear that Melanie’s  life and actions were recognized in the spirit in which they were meant.

What a nice surprise!, October 26, 2016

By

Danny Mc

Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: The Path of the Child (Kindle Edition)

I am so glad a friend encouraged me to read this. It’s not my normal genre, but this book appealed to me from the moment I was introduced to Melanie. The author does a great job in generating genuine compassion for her main character, something that is easier said than done.

Throughout the book, we see the things that make Melanie who she is, but more importantly – what she does about them. No spoilers here, but I hope others will enjoy this story of friendship, hope, and the power of the human spirit.

I am boistered by people that say kind and rewarding things about the words I use and the people I create.  That makes the journey worthwhile.  I can truly say I have learned something about myself with each review, and I appreciate every one of them.

September 10th another review was posted. I missed sharing this review.  What a rewarding review this was.  Thank you both for your reviews, you have my gratitude.

Sweet uplifting story, September 10, 2016

By

Amazon Customer.

This review is from: The Path of the Child (Paperback)

The path of a child was the first book I’ve read by Sojourner McConnel and I enjoyed this sweet story.

We read about the life of seventeen year old melanie and are pulled into her life and the struggles and fears of a hard childhood from a troubled home.

Not only do we see this story through Melanie’s eyes but we also get a look at all the people on her life. The unique writing brings a story from all perspectives giving us an emotional tale with a hopeful ending.

This is a wonderful uplifting YA story but certainly an adult read as well. Melanie and rob were sweet and adorable. A good friendship developing Into more.

Great read.

Four Reviews for The Path of the Child!

Checking on my book tonight I found there were four reviews that I had not mentioned before.  I appreciate these reviews so much. I get discouraged like everyone else, then I see a review on a book that was written with so much love and it lifts me through the ceiling. While I am floating I decided to thank them in public through the blog post.  Thank you all for reading and reviewing The Path of the Child.

Indie Author Day is October 8, 2016

I am slow on the uptake and just found out about Indie Author day. Today I spoke to one of the librarians at my local library and they did not know about the special day either. John at the  Clark County Library said he would look into it. I hope they are able to find a way to celebrate it with the people in the county. For a state by state and county by county listing of participating libraries, you can click here.

Speaking of Libraries, this week I will be attending my very first writer’s group this Friday at 10:00. If you know me by now, you will know that I am a bit timid,and I do not leave my house much.  I fly solo like most writers and enjoy my alone time with the computer, my books, and my notepads. So attending this is my big step out into this wide world of other writers. I was asked to bring five pages of written material with me from a current work in progress or something else I was writing. I was also asked to bring 2 copies of my book for the library to have in their local author’s area. How exciting is that?

But, I digress, back to the topic at hand.  Indie Author Day. I am so excited that there is a day celebrating all the indie authors. Some of the indie authors are becoming quite well known. Authors like,  Ana Spoke, have sold thousands of copies of  Shizzle, Inc. and continues to create even more books, like Indiot,  in her Isa Maxwell series. Colleen Hoover has also made quite a name for herself in the Indie market with her books,  Finding Cinderella and Maybe Not. There is a real market for Indie books and it is a wonderful thing that Indie Author Day exists.

So check with your own local library and see if they have anything special planned for October 8, 2016. Libraries are for so much more than just borrowing a book. There are adult reading groups, adult writing groups and at our local library, there is a local  history group. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet people that love books, history, and reading as much as you do.