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  • One Mental Trick That Will Help You Sell More Books by Tim Vandehey and Naren Aryal

    One Mental Trick That Will Help You Sell More Books by Tim Vandehey and Naren Aryal

    Did you know that the average self-published book sells about 200 copies?

    You’re an author and dialed into the world of books, so you probably did know that. But you didn’t know that most of those authors sabotage their own sales, did you? The thing is, that sabotage has nothing to do with the quality of the final product. It’s all about the attitude they adopt once that Kindle hits the Amazon digital shelves, or that box of freshly printed paperbacks arrives at their door still smelling of toner. With the best of intentions and hope in their hearts, they set out to find readers for their work, but they cut their own throats with some variation on this simple nine-word phrase:

    “People are going to be excited about my book.”

    We hate to break it to you, but no, they’re not.

    Sure, your friends, family members and the folks in your writer’s group will be all up in your business to get a copy and post enthusiastic reviews on Amazon. But unless you’ve built up a loyal readership from a previous book, nobody else is likely to care. That’s not your fault. There are a LOT of books competing for eyeballs. Being an author is a thousand times more competitive than most writers realize. Many don’t even think of themselves as being in a competitive field in the first place! But the harsh truth is, if you can’t compete for readers’ interest and attention, you won’t sell books. 

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    How to Increase Book Sales in Book Stores
    The average book store has 7,000 titles

    We’ve seen it hundreds of times: new authors so certain that their books are going to set the world on fire that they don’t even do basic marketing or branding, like launching a nice looking website. Armed with that misplaced optimism, they set their books free on Amazon like baby birds leaving the nest…and the books fall to the ground and die in the hot sun. Sales Rank: 2,000,000. Oops.

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    Amazon Book Warehouse

    Don’t be that author. If you want to give yourself a better chance of selling more books, change how you think about the task of selling books and reaching readers.

    Ditch that blind optimism and gird yourself for battle.

    Be proud of your work, but don’t delude yourself into believing that anyone outside your current circle (including your Facebook friends) cares about buying it. Instead, remember this phrase: 

    “No one cares about my book, but I’m going to make them care.” 

    Book-selling is the art and science of figuring out who your ideal readers are, learning what they care about, and then reaching out to them again and again in ways that pique their interest about you and your work. That takes time and persistence, but most of all, it takes understanding that you don’t have a right to readers.

    You have to earn readers. You need a platform, a great brand, an execution plan, a lot of patience, and doggedness. If you have those qualities and really connect with your readers to earn their loyalty, you’ll build an audience for your work for the next 20 years. 

    Note from Kiffer Brown
    How-to-Sell-CraploadTim Vandehey and Naren Aryal are the co-authors of How to Sell a Crapload of Books: 10 Secrets of Building a Killer Author Platform, and the founders of BeastSellers.com, which helps authors build powerful marketing platforms and winning brands.

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    Naren Aryal

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    Tim Vandehey

     

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  • How to Become a Jedi Knight at Book Marketing by Susan Colleen Browne

    How to Become a Jedi Knight at Book Marketing by Susan Colleen Browne

    jedi“You can’t become a Jedi at whatever it is you’re doing unless you know it.” Jeni Britton Bauer.

    Take book marketing. A lot of students in the writing classes that I teach are really intimidated at the thought of marketing and promoting their book. But it’s not rocket science.

    To get started, you can go to writers’ networking meetings, see what other authors are doing—maybe launch a blog or update your existing one, or join Goodreads and run a contest. You can attend events like the Chanticleer conference, and learn more about social media or refresh your marketing skill set—perhaps get up to speed with book clubs or the latest in online retailers’ promotions, or meet experts in book marketing you may want to collaborate with.

    Once you’ve assessed your options, you can focus on the strategies that especially resonate with you. If you’re the adventuresome type, you can also try the proverbial “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks” approach. Whatever you choose, you can make the most of your marketing funds if those tools not only fit your budget and available time, but are those you’re most likely to follow up on.

    Whether you’ve published your book or you’re an aspiring author, keep your eyes open for inspiration in unexpected places. I recently came across a piece in More magazine about updating your elevator pitch. To take your pitch or tagline from generic to sparkling, don’t begin with your name. Instead, tell a personal mini-story, then use vivid language to briefly describe what sets you apart. (From Robin Hatcher of SpeakEtc., a company that focuses on communication and presentation skills.)

    NEWSPAPER SUSAN (1)

    Ms. Bauer (see the Jedi quote, above) is an ice cream impresario, who not only makes ice cream but lives it. She isn’t talking about executing something perfectly, but mastering a skill until it comes organically to you. And having a great time doing it! Which brings us back to writing…

    Many authors say the best marketing you can do is to write your next book. So…above all, reserve the mental bandwidth you need for storytelling, keep refining your editing talents, nurture your creativity and have fun! Hopefully, you’ll find a balance between writing, promotion, and cultivating an interesting and creative life.

    May the Force be with you!

    A note from Kiffer Brown:

    SusanBrownephotoJune 2013I would like to thank Susan Colleen Browne for her guest blog-post. Susan will present several sessions at the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held on April 29, 30, & May 1, 2016 in Bellingham, Wash. She writes Irish stories about love, friendship, and family. You can find her books available for purchase at the Books By the Bay Fair that will be held in conjunction with the conference. 

    We invite you to visit Susan’s delightful website for more information and for links on how to order her books.

     

     

     

  • LEARNING TO WALTZ by Kerryn Reid, a stunning and refreshing novel in the Regency genre

    LEARNING TO WALTZ by Kerryn Reid, a stunning and refreshing novel in the Regency genre

    When aristocrat Evan Haverfield meets uncommon commoner Deborah Moore, she is in a panicked rush to find her missing son Julian. Evan finds the little boy just in time, near death from exposure, and takes an active, concerned role in his recovery. His escalating involvement with Julian parallels his fascination, perhaps obsession, with Julian’s mother, a reserved, intelligent woman who reads books and speaks with clarity and decorum despite her lowly station in life.

    Widow of a cold, fumbling small-town vicar, daughter of a brutal, profligate father, Deborah wants only Julian’s well-being. She is content to live alone, expecting only rejection and cruelty from men. She finds it difficult to smile for anyone except her son, yet Evan’s apparent interest in visiting, chatting, and offering small gifts is undeniably exciting.

    Evan insists on paying for the child’s schooling so his obvious mental gifts won’t go to waste; but his fixation remains on the dark-haired Deborah, so different from the wild-eyed, loose-mouthed flirts in his social circle. After she yields, once, to his charms, he impulsively asks her to marry him.  Their relationship changes, but not, as he’d hoped, for the better. Deborah is convinced she is no wife for quality. Evan, in a stew of anger, self-pity, and melancholy, hits the road.

    Kerryn Reid has set her engaging story in a place and time when the rich are often excessive in their habits, with prolonged house-parties often leading to debauchery, while the poor struggle for survival and find solace in alehouses and alleyways. Everyone tries to keep their place, as Deborah and Evan strive to do, against the yearnings of the heart.  It is this social tension that stokes Deborah’s refusal to become Evan’s wife—and in turn, provides the undercurrent that provokes in Evan a fear of how his parents will react to his alliance with a commoner.

    Reid’s focus is on her richly developed characters, not just costumes and carriages, though those are not lacking. She has filled her well-conceived saga with a complex and compelling cast: the arrogant well-born beauty who tries in vain to win Evan’s attention, Evan’s grizzled, philosophical “Man Friday” and his goodhearted sisters, Deborah’s earnest, if bumbling, house-helper, and little Julian, the brainy boy who loves books and horses in equal measure.

    Learning to Waltz reminds us that our forebearers also grappled with “modern” issues of abuse, angst, and aching hearts. This well-researched and beautiful Regency romance will appeal to anyone who has ever loved and (almost) lost. A stunning and refreshing novel in the Regency genre.

  • HOME ON THE WAVES: A Pacific Sailing Adventure by Patrick Hill

    HOME ON THE WAVES: A Pacific Sailing Adventure by Patrick Hill

    Family, love, and adventure are all tied together in Patrick Hill’s alluring travel memoir Home on the Waves. It’s a story set in the 1970’s that provides remarkable insight into the lives of a family exploring the open ocean and discovering new cultures and people.

    Hill’s memoir is an excellent read for everyone interested in reading about out-of-the-ordinary lifestyles and family adventures, even if they have never set foot on a boat.

    As a previous liveaboard and fellow sailor, I enjoyed reading a story that showed the family’s journey in becoming familiar with the sea. Their adventure starts with Patrick, a civil engineer, sitting in his office reliving fond memories of his days on the water.

    He decides to take action and create more treasured memories and to share his love of sailing with his wife and children. That momentous decision will disrupt his normal life with its mortgage almost paid off and a boss not expecting him to ask for an extended leave of absence just so he could go sailing.

    From start to finish, we see every step of Patrick and his family’s adventures in building the boat and getting it into the water. I particularly liked watching them build the boat in the backyard, and reading about all the BBQs they had and the friends they made (and neighbors they probably annoyed).

    A novel and compelling addition to this engaging memoir is his incorporation of his family’s perspectives. His wife, Heather, and his children Jeremy and Erica, voice their experiences, including both the happy memories and the frustrations of living together on a 42-foot sailboat with one head (toilet) over fourteen months and across 15,000 miles at sea while moving at an average speed of five miles per hour.

    This family travel memoir uses some technical terms of boating and lingo of sailors, adding to the genuine nautical ambiance of the story. I found it fascinating to read about sailing during the 70’s before computer technology was available to individuals. Cell phones, personal computers, chart-plotters, “epirbs” for satellite location, and other gadgetry didn’t exist. Noon sights had to be taken from hand-held sexton for navigation, printed charts were a must, and de-salinator water makers were not readily available, so gathering rain water using tried and true methods was essential.

    What really makes this memoir a special gem are all the nuances incorporated into the chapters. I learned about pleasingly random things such as how to make limes last longer and on which side to wear a flower in your hair when attending local festivities. As well, Hill is unflinchingly honest about the less glamorous aspects of sailing: trash on the shores, paying people off to get gas, and long johns. Are you wondering what they are (and they are not what you thinking)? Join Hill and his family to find out.

    The Hill family definitely was at home on the waves as they sailed down the coast from Vancouver, British Columbia to Mexico, over to the Marquesas, on to Bora Bora, and finally, back north to Alaska. As I sailed with them, I kept an atlas nearby to orient myself to major points. This gave me a deeper “armchair adventure” to the South Pacific and to Alaska. I was engaged quickly and then transported because there was never a dull moment in this Pacific sailing adventure and Hill graciously supplied photographs of the family’s journey.

    Home on the Waves brings life to exotic cultures, sailing, and family life in 1970’s America. It’s a true story that will inspire readers to seek their own adventures and find ways of making dreams come true. Here’s to the Hill family and their adventures, their boat, Sky One Hundred, and to all those who follow their dreams.

  • HOT WORK in FRY PAN GULCH (Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter) Book One by Jacquie Rogers – Take a ride to the Old West

    HOT WORK in FRY PAN GULCH (Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter) Book One by Jacquie Rogers – Take a ride to the Old West

    Feisty, independent Honey Beaulieu is nobody’s fool, and she darned sure isn’t any man’s plaything. So earning a living on her back at her mama’s Tasty Chicken Emporium is not part of her life plan. Problem is, she doesn’t know exactly what her plan should be.

    Fortunately for Honey, her no-nonsense mama sees the proverbial writing on the bordello wall and does her own brand of arm-twisting to get Honey a job at the town marshal’s office.

    Lazy Marshal Fripp is none too thrilled to have a woman invading his domain and if it weren’t for his day-long excursions to the Tasty Chicken he and Honey would be banging heads constantly. With Fripp out of the office, Honey straps on her “Peacemakers” and gets a leg up on the career ladder, climbing from clerk-and-cleaner to Deputy Marshal. But Honey learns the hard way that Fripp is not about to stand on the sidelines while she hops on the fast-track to success.

    Plus, “lawdoggin’” doesn’t come close to paying the bills, let alone paying for all of the stray livestock that comes her way. So when a wanted man rides out of town on the back of Marshal Fripp’s horse, Honey is faced with the most important career decision of her life.

    Should she stick it out as the deputy marshal of Fry Pan Gulch or should she trade in her badge and a steady paycheck for a chance to leave the marshal in the dust and make some real money bounty hunting?

    In this hilarious first installment of the Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter series author Jacquie Rogers introduces a lively and engaging main character whose heart of gold shines brightly through her tough-as-nails façade. Saddled with a strong conscience and her own set of rules, Honey sets the good old boy franchise on its ear, proving that they’re no match for a resourceful and enterprising, sharp-shooting woman.

    In addition to her fresh, new Honey Beaulieu – Man Hunter series, award-winning author Jacquie Rogers is well known for her popular Hearts of Owyhee western historical romance series and for her highly entertaining story-telling.

    Set in the Old West’s rough-and-tumble Wyoming Territory, Hot Work in Fry Pan Gulch is a tightly-written, action-packed romp that delivers page after page of laugh-out-loud fun—and maybe even a bit of romance along the way.

  • Three Questions with the Founder of the World’s Largest Book Club – Kathy Murphy

    Three Questions with the Founder of the World’s Largest Book Club – Kathy Murphy

    Pulpwood Queens Book Club’s Founder, Kathy Murphy, tells all! 

    Pulpwood QueensMeet Kathy Murphy, the “Pulpwood Queen” who opened the only Hair Salon/Bookstore, Beauty and the Book in the country in Jefferson, Texas and in 2000, founded and now operates the 600+ chapter book club, The Pulpwood Queens, nationally and in 15 foreign countries. Have a question for the Queen? Bring it to the Chanticleer conference session!

     

    1. What was your motivation to launch the Pulpwood Queens?

    Shortly after opening my Hair Salon/Book Store, (Beauty and the Book), the local book club invited me to join them for a meeting. I thought they invited me to join and be a MEMBER, not!

    Evidently, only eight members were allowed to join and as the hostess told me, “Unless someone dies or moves away, that is all that will fit around our table.”

    I was secretly thinking, Who made up that RULE?! Anyway, I went home, sat down, and made a list on what I would do if I started my own book club.  This book club would be inclusive, not exclusive.  We would call ourselves The Pulpwood Queens, “where TIARAS are mandatory and reading OUR good books was the only Rule!”

    By wearing the crown, we would tell the world that we were “beauty within” queens as we were real readers.  So for nearly 16 years we have been meeting monthly, first with my charter chapter, The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas.

    Since then we have made the news with appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, we kicked off their “READ THIS” Book Club and other radio and print media with now over 600 chapters nationwide and in 15 foreign countries.

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    Timber Guy sexy reading contest
    Timber Guy Sexy Reading Contest at the Pulpwood Queens’ Girlfriend weekend!

    1. What will readers get out of being a member of a chapter and where/how can they hook up with an existing Pulpwood Queens or Timber Guys chapter?

    Everything pertaining to membership is on our website, www.beautyandthebook.com but the difference our book club has over others is we bring the authors into the picture.  Most of our authors will teleconference, SKYPE or even visit chapters and for sure be featured at our annual Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend Weekend. I know of no other book club where you have this kind of access to the authors.

    I also make all the authors participate in ALL EVENTS at our Girlfriend Weekend.  So it’s no secret that Pat Conroy has served Sweet Tea at our Author Dinner, where I make all the authors wait the tables in crazy costumes.  You eat, drink, and the authors even stay in the same hotels and bed and breakfasts.

    It’s full immersion into the Wonderful World of the Pulpwood Queens with the Grand Finale being our Great Big Ball of Hair Ball. The theme this year is ONCE UPON A TIME.  All the authors dress up, too, and it’s the ultimate Kodak moment, so bring your cameras BIG TIME!

    pulpwood queen & family photo

     

    Ed. Note: To become a member, visit: www.beautyandthebook.com/membership

    1. What is Kathy Murphy looking for in a good book? What speaks to you as a reader?

    Since my book club is now international, here is what I am looking for:

    1. An unknown author, one that is perhaps a first time/first book or one that hasn’t been discovered in a really big way. Yes, I want to pick a big name once in while but only if they can come and be a Keynote at my annual convention which we call Girlfriend Weekend. Example, Pat Conroy, Fannie Flagg, John Berendt, Jamie Ford, etc.
    2. This is a given but it must be well written, free of flaws and my book club members do not like to read books with gratuitous violence or language, but I do make exceptions. I selected Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because it was just such a great, well written story.
    3. Most important of all, the book must tell a story that has NOT been heard before or from a perspective that gives the reader a different view of a subject. Examples: The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King, The Dive From Claussen’s Pier by Ann Packer, Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman. Do not send me another queen book set in the south, particularly one that is also a hairdresser. I hold that card, DONE.
    4. I want a book that changes people’s lives for the better. Examples: My Orange Duffel Bag, Same Kind of Different As Me, a book that is discuss-able and that includes book club discussion questions written by the author. My book club hates generated book discussion questions, too literary and not very personal. Authors tend to write questions that they answered.
    5. I really don’t care who publishes a book, a good book is a good read no matter who publishes it.
    6. Last, I want a real book to read, I’m on the computer so much, I want to cuddle with a book in bed!

    Book-Clubs-in-Where-Writers-Win-Winner-Circle

    Thank you Shari Stauch, CEO of Where Writers Win, for this informative interview with Kathy L. Murphy, the Pulpwood Queen!

    Shari will present several sessions sharing her book marketing expertise at CAC16 along with Friday evening’s keynote presentation.

    Tell Us About the Live Book Clubs YOU Know!

    The WWW team and the Chanticleer Reviews team are reaching out regularly to bloggers, Twitter-ers, indie bookstores, readers at book festivals and more, once every few months we circle back to the coolest source –YOU– to ferret out the latest book clubs in cities around the world. Because, the club you know about might also be of value to one of our other emerging authors – and their club may be of value to you!

    Contact:  BookClubs@ChantiReviews.com and/or contact Where Writers Win.

    Editor's Note about Kathy L. Murphy:

    DreamWorks signed on to produce a movie about Kathy, though as she says, ”I did not do this alone and am not an overnight sensation,” Murphy said. “This came about through years of struggle and hard work and the incredible friendship and help of my Pulpwood Queens Book Club members and our authors and the love of my daughters, my sister and family. We — note that I say WE — have struck a film deal.”

    The latest update regarding the film as of April 2016 is that the screenplay has been written and approved. Dreamworks has sent the script “out to talent,” so stay tuned to see who will play Kathy L. Murphy.  

    We can hardly wait to see it! 

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  • Why Book Clubs Matter by Shari Stauch, CEO of Where Writers Win

    Why Book Clubs Matter by Shari Stauch, CEO of Where Writers Win

    Shari_Stauch-171x3001.jpgCEO of Where Writers Win, Shari Stauch, and Pulpwood Queens Book Club founder Kathy Murphy, will conduct a special session at the Chanticleer Conference, “Why Book Clubs Matter” – Here’s some great info to get you ready!

     

    LIVE Book Clubs: Are You Reaching These Critical Influencers?

    IBook clubs can be a defining moment in any author’s career. Fact is, the success of any book is accelerated if book clubs get hold of it and begin spreading the news. That’s why we call them “influencers” and that’s why book club listings are a key component of WWW’s Winner Circle.

    We encourage every author to develop a list of at least 10-12 thoughtful questions that relate to their book(s). Here’s how to get going with your own set of book club questions, what to do with them once you have them, and how you can share book clubs you know about, too! My next article will share some special insights from Pulpwood Queen Kathy Murphy,

    book-club-questions

    1. How to Write Your Book Club Questions

    If you’re unsure where to begin, here are a couple sites to get you started. PLEASE note, these are generic questions and we strongly suggest you use these as your “starter dough” to establish thoughtful reader discussion questions that pertain directly to your own work:

    1. From LitLovers.com – Questions for Fiction: http://www.litlovers.com/run-a-book-club/questions-for-fiction
    2. From LitLovers.com – Questions for Non-Fiction: http://www.litlovers.com/run-a-book-club/questions-for-nonfiction
    3. From AboutEducation.com – A list of general book club questions for discussion: http://classiclit.about.com/od/bookclubs/a/aa_bcquestions.htm
    4. From Book-Club-Queen.com – More general discussion questions for fiction at: http://www.book-club-queen.com/book-club-questions.html
    5. From Book-Club-Queen.com – General non-fiction discussion questions: http://www.book-club-queen.com/book-club-discussion-questions.html
    6. For reading guides/book club questions from hundreds of other books, visit: http://www.booklistreader.com/2008/05/07/book-groups/stalking-the-online-reading-guide/

    Here are a few of our authors with some fun book club questions that began with the starter dough above. Use them to inspire you:

    2. Where to Post Your Book Club Questions

    Your book club questions, book discussion guide, or whatever else you want to call it, should be listed in the back of your book. Whether or not that’s possible, there are other places to share as well:

    On your author website. Have a separate page/tab for your book club questions. We typically suggest that you paste them into the site, but also have a pdf of the questions, (perhaps nicely laid out with a graphic of your book’s cover), that readers can easily download and print for their next meeting.

    Share this page widely on your social media outlets. You might also put up a question a day or one a week over the course of time to create more following and even encourage online discussion of your book.

    book-club-survey

    Include your questions when pitching reviewers or book clubs. Make sure you let reviewers, clubs and conferences you may be pitching know that you have discussion questions. You needn’t list them out in each pitch, but do provide a link to where they can view and/or download your guide. One paid option we’ve seen ($200 and we don’t have feedback yet as to its worth to authors) is ReadingGroupGuides.com – you can visit this link for more info: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/how-to-add-a-guide.

    With your help, our vetted list of LIVE book clubs in the Winner Circle, now already over 300 live clubs and thousands of readers strong, will offer emerging authors the best chance to expose your work to thousands of new readers. And book clubs will have the opportunity to read new work in the genres of their choice, and maybe even influence who the next best-seller will be… That may be you!

    A note from the Chanticleer Reviews Team:

    Thank you, Shari Stauch, CEO of Where Writers Win, for sharing this useful information with the Chanticleer Community. We are looking forward to hearing more from you about reaching out to book clubs at CAC16! 

    We would also like to mention that we have a special blog post just for connecting authors and readers on the homepage of the Chanticleer Reviews website. Be sure to check it out for the latest in specials and offerings just for readers!

    Book Clubs and Readers Community News from Chanticleer

  • CO-OP Publishing: An Indie Option by Sara Stamey

    CO-OP Publishing: An Indie Option by Sara Stamey

    SaraLargerHawaiiPhotoJoin award-winning novelist and editor Sara Stamey to explore one of the newest alternatives to traditional publishing at #CAC16.

    Sara Stamey Unlocks Her Secrets to Successful Publishing 

    After being published by a traditional “Big 5” house and then starting her own “micro-press,” Sara has now joined Book View Café, one of the leading co-op publishers. With over 50 professional novelist members, the co-op takes control of how its authors’ writing is published, bypassing restrictions and delays of mainstream publishers, and distributing straight to their readers.

    “I was frustrated with my treatment by my traditional publisher and the endless delays, as well as mismanagement. But going it alone as an indie author was exhausting. Working together with a supportive group of fellow authors has made all the difference.”

    Join Sara for an introduction to the cooperative publishing model and ideas for joining or creating your own author coop at the Chanticleer Authors Conference 2016. Sara will be sharing her knowledge of this economical and highly vetted publishing avenue that is available to qualified Indie authors.

    “Our members donate the skills they have in return for the skills they need to publish books. So each of our members is both an author and an important cog in a publisher. We emulate everything a major publisher does.

    We have editors, ebook formatters, print typesetters, cover designers, accountants, web designers, IT and legal professionals, PR people, administrators and managers.  We even sell sub-rights – we’ve sold the audio rights to a couple of hundred of our books for a very good six figure sum to Audible.

    We also make our ebooks available in libraries – selling to them direct and via all the major library distributors like Overdrive, 3M, and Gardners.” -Book View Café member Chris Dolley

    http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/

    “I love the freedom, the fact that we can mix genres, that our books won’t be slashed to fit marketing’s mandated word count, that we get vigorous editorial feedback and it doesn’t take years, that people will do my formatting and covers for me. The team effort, I feel, makes us much greater than the sum of our parts.” -BVC member Sherwood Smith

    Sara’s newest novels from Book View Café, both Chanticleer Award-winners:

    • The Ariadne Connection – CYGNUS 2014
    • Islands – Paranormal Awards 2014.

    ariadneconnection

    Stamey-Islands_600x9001-200x300

    www.sarastamey.com

    Listen to Sara Stamey talk about indie publishing on Episode 05 of “The Whatcom Wordsmith” podcast with Jennifer Karchmer. 

  • GHOSTS OF MATEGUAS by Linda Watkins, haunting American Gothic

    GHOSTS OF MATEGUAS by Linda Watkins, haunting American Gothic

    Spellbindingly dark and suspenseful, Ghosts of Mateguas will captivate gothic fans and keep thriller addicts on the edge of their seats.

    An old and wizened Native American shaman reveals what the ancient ones knew: Mateguas Island is steeped in spiritual power. He speaks of the positive effects of the swirling vortexes that lie on and around the island, but also warns that “The same healing energy, when disturbed by outside influences, can create vortexes that have the opposite effect.” He continues to explain that there’s a terrible evil on Mateguas, and it has manifested itself in a toad-like creature known as the Aglebemu – an entity that is an omen of tragedy to come.

    The story has characters compelled to return to mysterious Mateguas by their previous forays on the island. Watkins pulls readers into the story to question and investigate secrets of the island: What is this island hiding? Why do people seem to be drawn back to it despite problems that have occurred there for each of them? Many questions are answered as Watkins deftly weaves them together in this eerie saga.

    When the protagonist’s son begins displaying odd behaviors, she begins to wonder if he could be the legendary Blessed Boy. Could this boy, who began displaying unbelievable powers upon coming to Mateguas, be a legend come alive? What does the Blessed Boy have in store for the islanders?

    This suspense-thriller is a follow-up to the previous two titles: Mateguas Island and Return to Mateguas Island. Linda Watkins continues to engross readers in her compelling world of supernatural intrigue with this third thriller novel, Ghosts of Mateguas.

    Although it’s not required to enjoy the storyline, I recommend reading the first two books in the series first to become well-acquainted with the intriguing characters. Even though I read the third book out of sequence, I had an entertaining and scary time exploring its contemporary American gothic world. I am looking forward now to reading the prequels for the series’ full impact. This romantic thriller novel contains some sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under the age of 18.  

    Ghosts of Mateguas Island is a haunting novel packed with realistic characters and unpredictable twists placed on the backdrop of a spooky, magical island. As one of the main characters states in the book: “Welcome to my world…Strange paths no one else can find, evil spirits…it’s a wonder we’re not all in the loony bin.” This gripping saga is highly recommended for horror and Gothic fiction enthusiasts and those who enjoy romantic thrillers.

  • WAIT FOR ME by Janet K. Shawgo – WWII Historical Romance

    WAIT FOR ME by Janet K. Shawgo – WWII Historical Romance

    Second in the three-book Look for Me series, Wait for Me has the strength to capture readers as a stand-alone story with its new characters and historical setting. References to characters in Look for Me, the first book set during the Civil War, give sufficient back-story for the generational story of the White, Bowen, and Keens families.

    After the prologue shows Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, establishing the World War II setting, the story begins on September 23, 1940 in New York.

    “Jean Anne White-Shaw was reading the newspaper, listening to Glenn Miller on the radio and waiting for her son to come downstairs.” Songs from the Glenn Miller era become a powerful sensory cue for many scenes, some may say too many, while others may enjoy the trip down memory lane.

    However, the author excellently executes with the dialogue, bringing readers into the events and the characters’ emotions. The dialogue, coupled with excellent characterization, carries the story. It is strong, realistic, and shares considerable insight into the families. Readers connect to the people, and quickly find themselves engulfed in their story.

    Larry White is a reporter, a great nephew of Samuel White, a reporter during the Civil War; Susan Bowen is a nurse, a great niece of Sarah Bowen, a nurse during the Civil War; and Dealer Johns connects to the Keens family, going back to Mack, Sarah’s friend in the Civil War.

    “These were Samuel’s last handwritten notes from Gettysburg. Phillip…carefully removed his mother’s Bible and placed it in front of him. In the Bible was an envelope that contained two items he needed to give to Lawrence. … the necklace and note that were in Samuel’s possession when his body was brought back from Gettysburg.”

    Readers, watching the characters’ paths intersect, will eventually learn the connections to the characters in the first book whose similar paths these characters now follow. The plots and sub plots at times get a bit confusing, but as readers continue, they will make the connections, finding a finished story that is both cohesive and very good.

    The often-unknown role of women in wartime as travel nurses and pilots, as well as the use of herbs for natural healing, adds interesting and relative historical content to the story. The WASP pilots and their active role in the war effort was particularly fascinating reflecting Shawgo’s vigilance with her medical and military history research. Readers may find it interesting that Shawgo, along with being an award winning novelist, is also a travel nurse who goes where and when she is needed for national disasters.

    The satisfying ending holds just enough mystique to give a taste of what will come in the concluding book of the series, Find me Again, as well as stirring curiosity to go back to the first book, Look For Me, for the complete story in this engaging historical romance American saga that spans generations.

Chanticleer Book Reviews