All Blog Posts Tagged 'action' (235)

There’s an old saying that more than anything the image of the author helps greatly to sell a book. And although I hate to admit it, I wholly believe that is true. For example, if you had two romance authors sitting side by side at a book signing; one is a beautiful woman with slender legs, an hourglass figure, and a face like Aphrodite, and the other looks like a frumpy housewife… which author’s book would you be more interested in reading? Let’s be honest. That’s why…

Please check out my latest powerhouse novel, DROP OUT. It’s Kindle Fire Department’s Book of the Day! Thanks.…

Fantastic mixture of action and politics.

As a daughter, when your father allows you a glimpse into his past, telling stories which help you understand the man he has become it’s an honour. So, when Bobby Valentine visits his daughter Lynn she cannot resist asking…

I recently received my ninth unsolicited review for DROP OUT ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U ) on Amazon and I am quite pleased with the five star rating and comment. It seems the book is really having an impact on people. I’ve been getting fan email (for the first time) and reading a lot of discussions on social media…

Attention writers looking to book promotions for their novels or are considering paying for one or more of the thousands of marketing opportunities out there, watch out for booksandauthors.com. They solicited me without my having any previous knowledge of them and I decided to try it. I know, I know, at this point I should have been smart enough to know better.

Having had a particularly bad sales day, their gmail ad caught me at the worst time,…

Exciting, multifaceted sci-fi thriller.

When I started reading this book, I was fascinated into how it would develop, it didn’t take me long to discover the answer – very quickly!

When Jane and her team of graduate students work with their professor on a box, which can transport people into different dimensions someone has to try it. Jane decides to and makes a terrible discovery; very…

I was asked the other day if I thought I was a successful author. Instead of a simple yes or no answer, I found myself rather perplexed by the question. If by definition a successful author supports themselves wholly by their craft, then the answer is no. If by definition a successful author is one who has legions of fans and gets world-wide recognition, then the answer is no. If by definition a successful author is one who enjoys the writing process, the editing process,…

I’m back from vacation and for the first time that I can remember I got absolutely no writing done. I always vacation in the Florida Keys and I always spend many hours sitting by the water creating, but this time I didn’t. Why?

I used to be obsessed with hitting the big-time with my books. I dreamed that I’d be that one percent of one percent of writers who actually earn a living from their craft. I spent years sitting inside writing when the…

Two years ago, after amicably parting ways with my literary agent of four years, I decide to take destiny into my own hands and publish my books in eformat. I had a huge collection of completed and professionally edited novels and decided that publishing one every three months seemed feasible. So, that’s what I did.

Little did I know I was on the cusp of an indie publishing revolution. My books were available at the right time, for the right audience, and at the right price.…

This is the book trailer for the recently released Christian thriller entitled Heart of Terror.  The Midwest Book Review said of the novel: "Heart of Terror is an exciting twist of thriller and faith, very much recommended reading."  The novel is available as an ebook as well as in hard copy from amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble…

Been working hard on my latest manuscript (still untitled) though the Easter weekend did muff up my writing schedule a bit. I also have a big promotion coming up for DROP OUT on April 4^th with KND’s new Book Gorilla newsletter. I paid extra to be on the premier front page and be exposed to @ 20,000 opt-in readers. Will it be profitable? I guess we’ll see. I need to sell 150 books to recoup the cost.

I’m also trying a new promotion with a site called…

It finally happened. I reached the end of my creative juices on my latest novel. At 25,000 words in, I’ve had enough. The book started well enough. I had a great idea and I feverishly wrote the first draft in under three weeks. I let it sit for a few days while I visited the Jersey Shore and then pulled it back onto the screen anxious and excited to begin the revision process. And then thunk!

Plagued by writer’s block for the last two weeks, I’ve been spending my morning…

Spring is here and once again the oncoming nice weather will test my resolve to finish my latest novel. I find it especially difficult to keep focus when it’s a beautiful, sunny seventy-degree day outside. But as an artist I must ignore the temptation to enjoy the outside. When I am working on a first draft (as I’m doing now) I find that I can only concentrate on creating original material when I’m sitting at my desk. Something about that particular space and mindset unlocks my…

As a prolific writer, I find it hard to take even one day off of working on my craft. In my mind, a day spent not writing is an unfinished day, as if I’d skipped exercising or went to bed without having dinner. But every now and then the unpredictability of life pops in and you have to take time to pause.

This happened to me recently as a family member was suddenly admitted to the hospital. After a long, unproductive week of experiencing torturous writer’s block, I had…

There is a riding wave of enthusiasm and excitement among indie authors that finally, after centuries of struggle, we can now put our books out there on the virtual bookshelf for the world to see and for all eternity. What an incredible concept that a hundred years from now someone might happen upon one of my books and my characters would rise from the ashes of time and thrill a new reader. Or is it?

What is the likelihood that a future individual will happen upon one of my…

I woke up this morning momentarily gripped by a fear and uncertainty that has plagued me as of recent. Would today be like yesterday and the day before and the day before? Would I spend the next fifteen hours walking around my office in a daze trying to rip free of this chain of boredom? Would today be the day I finally break this horrible bout of writer’s block?

For twenty-five plus years, I’ve woken each morning with my head crammed full of ideas. Imaginary characters start…

It’s the end of the month, which means my book sales stats will again be reset to zero. As I’ve mentioned many times before, it’s a little depressing to start each new month from scratch. Sometimes I think it would be nicer if they just kept the numbers going.

That said, I sold a pretty fair number of books this month. It helped that I ran two promotions and that Kindle Nation Daily gave me extra free publicity by presenting me with an interview by a fifth grader and then…

Haha! Here is my first ever interview with a fifth grader. Please check it out!

http://kids.kindlenationdaily.com/2013/02/fifth-grader-interviews-kindle-author-neil-ostroff-looks-at-the-kids-book-of-the-week-silent-invasion/

I read a funny disclaimer on a website the other day. It was a site dedicated to posting samples of author’s writing. The disclaimer warned that any material posted may be seen by millions of people. I nearly burst out loud laughing.

If only that were true? Can you imagine if each one of my book samples got read by millions of people? If only a very small percentage of those readers purchased the book I’d be rich. The reality is the internet allows you the opportunity…

A native of Chicago, former police detective Chris Karslen grew up with a love of history and books. An only child, she spent a lot of time reading, developing ‘fictional friends’, and getting lost in the world of stories.

Naturally, her love of reading and books led to writing of her own, and when she retired from her police work she finally decided to fulfil her lifelong secret desire. In 2003, she sat down and wrote her first line—and she hasn’t looked back since.…