Catching UP!

   Payroll Data Entry is complete. Paypal payments have been made and checks are being written to be mailed. Unfortunately, sales are at their lowest point in 10 years. The spring quarter is always low, but for an author to sell more than 1 book this quarter was rare.

NO Books Went to Press this week:

***************************

 Please note that the Files Anywhere web site has been down for repairs, and although some galleys are ready to send out, I have been unable to transfer then. Authors below will be hearing from me soon.

***************************

Galleys that went out, or went out again,  this week

HAIL MARY by C.M. Albrecht.

    When retired cop Harry "Bulldog" Drummond dies, his free-spirited widow Mary, suddenly freed from the Bulldog's strait-laced ideas, recruits a couple of gals from her colorful past and the girls go on a tear. Meaning they create mayhem wherever they show up, much to the consternation of Mary's son, Creighton. Poor Cray just lost his job, he has a wife, two kids, two mortgages, a lazy dog and an old Chevy he was planning to replace with a new Jaguar. But the big raise he expected has vanished and so has his mother…along with his aging Chevy. To make matters worse, she doesn't even have a driver's license!

SECOND GROWTH, by Joan L. Cannon

   Second Growth is about overcoming the past, about learning how to accept as well as how to offer help. A brilliant physician must find a way to heal himself — in spite of himself.

Work began or continued on the following:

MINISTER'S CORPORATE ESCAPADES:The Rev. Castle series, Vol. 2, by Celine Rose Mariotti.

   Rev. Castle is back, with another mysterious adventure.

A HEART DIVIDED, I Live in Two Worlds Series, Vol. 2. by D J Swykert

    Maggie is torn between her powerful love for Tommie Stetter, and her deep and affectionate love for the abiding Jeremy Paull. Maggie is faced with a difficult decision, and against her own ideals, the teachings of the church and community, makes an unusual choice.

NOODLES by Elanvita Mufti

   A story of high school students facing a complicated future.

WANTED: ROYAL PRINCESS SHOCK AND AWE, Royal Hearts of Mondoverde Series, Vol. 4., by Anna Dynowski

   Prince Maximillian, the playboy prince, is having way too much fun with the ladies, young and old and everything in between, to keep his name clean. Incorrigible, he’s been synonymous with scandalous headlines since he turned sixteen. While his laughing eyes, smooth talk, and charming manner make him the darling of Mondoverde, or at least, with the female population, the Graziano royal family despairs of him ever settling down. But can he find a woman who will rein in his wild streak and fix his princely image?

GAIA'S DREAM, A Collection of Poetry by Terry L. White

   Poetry that embraces the heart and the soul.  

LOVE BITES: A poetry Collection by Barbara Garro

  A Collection of poetry about all aspects of Love.

Cover Not Set

THE LIMITEDS, A Geocaching Mystery, Vol. 2. by Jennifer Kirsch

   Fourteen-year-old, Luke, dreams of spending July at Camp Unlimited, where campers explore cave networks, set off fireworks in pyrotech workshops, and sleep in tree house hammocks. But to get into the camp, Luke needs to demonstrate excellence in a sport, the arts, or school. More likely, he’ll end up at SURF, his town’s rec camp, where athlete’s foot, mildew, and warts plague the gym, bedbugs and lice infest the couches, and clumps of hair make frequent appearances in the burgers. When weird blobs start popping up on Luke’s computer, he’s too busy trying to complete his Unlimited application to notice. But when the blobs start looking like a secret, uncharted geocache, he and his friend Gabe follow their trail, only to find themselves battling superbug viruses and navigating labyrinths while on a quest to save lives.

 

 Cover Subject to Change 

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

 Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category! 

 REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis. 

    Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, by Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat, 

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a wonderful HOLIDAY. 

It was fairly quiet around here all week with Arline's head stuck in the computer and only the grinding of teeth for sound effects. 

We had a nice Sunday visit with Sid and his lady. It rained, so they couldn't cut wheat.  They were still cutting wheat yesterday and Kathy reports they had ripe tomatoes in the garden. Pop Pop always said ripe tomatoes by July 4th meant it was a good year. 

Sure hope they get all the wheat cut soon, so they can get on  with planting late beans.

Shelley is selling  her house at auction so she can go back to her family in Canada. She has liberally mentioned it on Facebook and there's a picture and details on her page there.

We'll miss her a lot, but know she will be happier  with her family around. 

Don't forget to let me know what's going on with all of you.

Just send an e-mail to arline@mail.com with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here for all the world to see!

Tricks of the Trade

Windsong Lake Series, Vol. 1

by Kathryn Flatt

   Artist Stefanie Durant never expected trouble on her return to Windsong Lake after her Uncle Hank was killed by lightning, making his house in the small town hers. As soon as she arrives, clues indicate that Hank had feared for his life and he had developed an interest in weather and mysticism. She also learns two of her old friends have adopted a pagan religion and dabble in magic. The connection is impossible to ignore, especially in light of the "Ken," the psychic ability Stefanie had suppressed for more than twenty years and kept secret from everyone. 

Bad Tip on how to Get a Better Sales Ranking

The scheme May Work,
but is NOT Recommended!

Many authors' groups and newsletter sites are currently recommending that authors who want to upgrade their sales standing on Amazon.com, or other book sales sites, should get their friends to all buy a copy of their book on a certain date. On that special day, their sales ranking will then go WAY  UP. That is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!

The friends may then return the copies for a full refund the next day. (ALSO TRUE!) I can see this is sometimes happening, because of the high number of sales of one copy at amazon.com, with the books returned the next day, producing income sales data on day 1 and a deduction for a negative sale on the following day.

The author's book rises in the sales standings (a little or a lot, depending on how many friends follow the procedure on the given day).

After spending several days entering sales data for sales that eventually produced no income, I can tell you that it's happening, and fairly often, to books published on our site.

We're not saying that our authors are following this scheme. Their friends and relations may have heard about it and decided to do it for them. I'm only saying that above being a great waste of my time, when a title is returned in large numbers for no particular reason, Amazon.com's computers may tag it as a "problem title."

Such books get no free auto-generated e-mail promotion. For instance I once wrote a book on Harriet Tubman. When her photo was chosen for the $20 bill several of my friends forwarded e-mail they got from amazon.com promoting my title. I'm not sure if it generated any sales, but if my title had been tagged as a problem, it would NOT have happened.

Last quarter, one hapless author did contact me and ask about sales on her birthday, mentioning that some of her friends had decided to buy the book that day as a "birthday present" for her. She wanted to know why there were no royalties for sales on that day. I tried to explain that "returned" books generate no real income, but I don't think she believed me.

Yes, going down the data records of sales I had recorded the sales and the income -- then a little further down the list I also recorded the returns and the negative income, leaving us with a big fat $0.00.

An author never gets royalties 

on copies that have been returned!

Yet, like my author and her "birthday presents" an author may get e-mail from friends, saying, "I bought your book on Aug. 7," or whatever date the Sales Ploy was scheduled for and, being quite unaware of the "sales game" and not realizing the books had been returned -- They naturally Believe there were Actual Sales that day.

Certainly none of this is the Author's Fault!

Advice to do this has been all over Facebook, Good Reads, 

and has been passed around a number 

of other authors' groups and sites. 

Several of you contacted me last quarter, wondering why the sales figures were so low, when they knew from friends that their books had been purchased on such and such a date. Having just completed data entry for this quarter and then removing from the spreadsheet all the data for negative gains, I surely have a feeling this question might come up again.

Otherwise I'd never bother to explain all this.

Meanwhile, 

Things are Progressing!

A Little Bit Country

By Terry L. White

Some people march to a different drummer and Paul Bowen heard his calling from an early age. The world just wanted him to do the right thing, but Paul had to follow his country music rainbow. It wasn't about being a star, really .... just ask any picker.

Country Sausage and Gravy

Ingredient

35 m4 servings700 cals

• Giant Food
• 11740 Rousby Hall Rd
• LUSBY, MD 20657

• 1 pound pork sausage
  
  
  
  
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 2 cups milk, divided
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Print 

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  20 m
• Ready In
  35 m

1. In a skillet on medium heat cook pork, onion, green pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic until pork is crumbly. Drain off excess fat, but leave a small amount.
2. Combine butter, salt, and pepper with the meat mixture and stir until butter melts. Slowly sift flour over the top. Mix gently and allow mixture to cook for 5 minutes. It will burn, so do not let it sit unguarded. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the sage and thyme.
3. Slowly stir in milk, about a half a cup at a time, and incorporate it well. When the mixture thickens, add more milk. Do not let it boil vigorously, or it will burn. Add chicken bullion and let cook for five minutes. Again, if it thickens too much, add more milk. Adjust taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Just before serving, add the parsley, and about a 1/4 cup more milk; the gravy will thicken quickly as it cools.

Happy July 4th!

By Donald R. "Doc" McWilliams

Young Jonathan Sullivane (the fictional son of the patriot James Sullivane) and Billy “Cacao” Logan are sent with urgency on a seemingly short trip. But the two friends soon find themselves enlisting as “Secret Agents” for General George Washingon. As the Revolutionary War progresses, they mature into dedicated young men, who find danger, horror, laughter and love.

Catching UP!

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

NO Books Went to Press this week:

Galleys that went out, or went  out again, this week:

   My mom, had this idea that I should launch a “voyage of discovery (my cool way of putting it)” and spend the entire summer exploring the world outside me and the world within (whatever that means) by driving a luxury camper from Los Angeles to my Uncle Marshall’s in Atlanta.

   So far, the most uncharted, mysterious, and frightening has been my traveling companion, Tyler, (a black girl) who is beautiful, smart, and (I sometimes think) homicidal.

Work began or Continued on the Following:

HAIL MARY by C.M. Albrecht.

    When retired cop Harry "Bulldog" Drummond dies, his free-spirited widow Mary, suddenly freed from the Bulldog's strait-laced ideas, recruits a couple of gals from her colorful past and the girls go on a tear. Meaning they create mayhem wherever they show up, much to the consternation of Mary's son, Creighton. Poor Cray just lost his job, he has a wife, two kids, two mortgages, a lazy dog and an old Chevy he was planning to replace with a new Jaguar. But the big raise he expected has vanished and so has his mother…along with his aging Chevy. To make matters worse, she doesn't even have a driver's license!

MINISTER'S CORPORATE ESCAPADES:The Rev. Castle series, Vol. 2, by Celine Rose Mariotti.

   Rev. Castle is back, with another mysterious adventure.

A HEART DIVIDED, I Live in Two Worlds Series, Vol. 2. by D J Swykert

    Maggie is torn between her powerful love for Tommie Stetter, and her deep and affectionate love for the abiding Jeremy Paull. Maggie is faced with a difficult decision, and against her own ideals, the teachings of the church and community, makes an unusual choice.

NOODLES by Elanvita Mufti

   A story of high school students facing a complicated future.

WANTED: ROYAL PRINCESS SHOCK AND AWE, Royal Hearts of Mondoverde Series, Vol. 4., by Anna Dynowski

   Prince Maximillian, the playboy prince, is having way too much fun with the ladies, young and old and everything in between, to keep his name clean. Incorrigible, he’s been synonymous with scandalous headlines since he turned sixteen. While his laughing eyes, smooth talk, and charming manner make him the darling of Mondoverde, or at least, with the female population, the Graziano royal family despairs of him ever settling down. But can he find a woman who will rein in his wild streak and fix his princely image?

GAIA'S DREAM, A Collection of Poetry by Terry L. White

   Poetry that embraces the heart and the soul.  

LOVE BITES: A poetry Collection by Barbara Garro

  A Collection of poetry about all aspects of Love.

SECOND GROWTH, by Joan L. Cannon

   Second Growth is about overcoming the past, about learning how to accept as well as how to offer help. A brilliant physician must find a way to heal himself — in spite of himself.

Cover Not Set

THE LIMITEDS, A Geocaching Mystery, Vol. 2. by Jennifer Kirsch

   Fourteen-year-old, Luke, dreams of spending July at Camp Unlimited, where campers explore cave networks, set off fireworks in pyrotech workshops, and sleep in tree house hammocks. But to get into the camp, Luke needs to demonstrate excellence in a sport, the arts, or school. More likely, he’ll end up at SURF, his town’s rec camp, where athlete’s foot, mildew, and warts plague the gym, bedbugs and lice infest the couches, and clumps of hair make frequent appearances in the burgers. When weird blobs start popping up on Luke’s computer, he’s too busy trying to complete his Unlimited application to notice. But when the blobs start looking like a secret, uncharted geocache, he and his friend Gabe follow their trail, only to find themselves battling superbug viruses and navigating labyrinths while on a quest to save lives.

 

 Cover Subject to Change 

BLEEDING HEARTS: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 1

 Winner of the Stonewall Society's 2002 Pride in the Arts Literary Award in the Whodunit Category! 

 REAP THE WHIRLWIND: Killian Kendall Mystery Series, Vol. 2,  by Josh Aterovis. 

    Suicide, or murder? That's the question in the second Killian Kendall mystery. Will Smith suspects murder when an old childhood pal drowns, and asks his friend Killian for help in solving the mystery.

TRUTH OF YESTERDAY,  by Josh Aterovis

ALL LOST THINGS, by Josh Aterovis

CHANGE  OF WORLDS, by Josh Aterovis

Jack's News!

  by your Official Bookstore Cat, 

and Gossip Columnist.

Hi Everyone,
   First let me say how proud I am to be an American Tom Cat. We are fortunate to live in a country that guarantees we have the right to pursue happiness (Treats!) and to live and work in the land of freedom. Thanks again, to all who serve our country in the Armed Forces and blessings on you All, Enjoy the Holiday Weekend.

   Had a note from author Celine Mariotti this week:

    Some good news to report.  Several weeks ago we had gone to see Kinky Boots at the Schubert Theater in New Haven, CT.  While we were at the show, the lady sitting on the other side of me got talking with me.  At the end of the show I gave her my order form for Minister’s Shoes.   A couple of days later, she sent the check and I mailed her the book.  She wrote me today and told me she read the book twice!!!!  She loved it.  She loved the Lord being with people on Earth and helping Rev. Castle solve the mystery.  She also loved Sada Sampson giving the Reverend a pair of shoes.  She said for me to let her know when Minister’s Corporate Escapades comes out as she will buy it.  I sold a book and I made a friend!!!!


I happen to know that is very close to next on Arline's List (It comes right after Payroll!) Uh, Oh! Payroll! She'll be doing data entry and trying to type numbers always drives her crazy. Reckon me and the baby sister will be hiding behind the couch again.






Along with the ms. for her new Poetry book, LOVE BITES, Barbara Garro sent along the following information about cats for me:

1. Every year, nearly 4,000,000 cats are eaten in Asia.

2. On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old cat has been awake for only three years of its life. 

3. Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.

4.When a cat chases its prey, it keeps its head level. Dogs and humans bob their heads up and down.

5. The technical term for a cat’s hairball is a “bezoar.”

6. A group of cats is called a “clowder.”  Curious! A Clowder of cats?

7. Female cats tend to be right-pawed, while male cats are more often left-pawed. Interestingly, while 90% of humans are right-handed, the remaining 10% of lefties also tend to be male.

8. A cat cannot climb head first down a tree because its claws are curved the wrong way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.

9. A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than itis to a dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions. 

10. Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.




And speaking of making sounds, Roger is getting out the Guitar again, so I can go help him SING! This IS going to be a Fun Fourth!

Don't forget to let me know what's going on with all of you.

Just send an e-mail to arline@mail.com with 

 "News for Jack" 

in the subject line, and

I'll make sure it shows up here for all the world to see!