Goals for 2012 UPDATE

I just read my first post of 2012, the one where I outlined the writing goals I'd set for myself. Well, here are the results. 

There's bad news. I only accomplished three of my eleven writing goals. Three is so much better than none, or one, or two, though, so I'll take it! 

Heartless was on the agenda for 2012. I managed to get that done, even though it wasn't until November that I finally got it submitted. It's now [again] my bestseller. 

My Lady Coward got her HEA and the compiled short stories were submitted and published by TreasureLine Publishing. It's now my second bestseller, even though all the shorts are still free for online reading (with a little site-hopping). 

The biggest [and hardest for me] goal that I accomplished was SELL MORE BOOKS. This goal was achieved beyond my wildest dreams. The only reason it happened was due to all the lovely book lovers out there who decided to take a chance on one or more of my books.

Just to give you an idea of the upsurge, in October 2012, my Kindle sales totaled 23 books. That's for six (6) titles, worldwide. The combined sales of my titles from all the other eBook retailers was even less. Sad, right? 

Then Heartless came out in early November and I enrolled it in KDP Select. I sold a few dozen copies of Heartless and a handful of my other titles before making Heartless free for two days near the end of the month. After that, sales spiked. Over 14,000 copies of Heartless were downloaded worldwide during the two free days and my November sales totaled 191 books (7 titles) worldwide. Quite a difference. 

My December sales have been through the roof and I couldn't be more pleased. I had another free day mid-month where 1825 copies were downloaded. Sales didn't really spike after that but remained between 25 and 50 books sold per day.

As I watch these numbers I experience a certain amount of shock and awe. There was a time when I considered 50 sales in ONE MONTH as a good month. This month I've sold over 1300 books worldwide, just in the Kindle Store; over 650 of those were Heartless. It may be possible to make a living at this writing thing after all. ☺

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken a chance on one [or more] of my books, written a review, told their friends and family about it, or even just enjoyed the story. Thank you! ♥

In other writing accomplishments of 2012, I scored a fab job with InD'Tale Magazine as a regular columnist. I write serial romances—currently Regency-era—for this rising star in romance magazines. And I LOVE it!! ♥

Stay tuned for my first post of 2013 where I'll reveal my NEW goals—OK, I admit, some won't be new at all.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Linkin Park ~ MY◄DSMBR

~Regency Wednesday~ Stubble It

As I flip contentedly through my Vulgar Dictionary, I see a term that I've seen in more than one Regency, one that I've used myself. Lord Greville from Deception used this term. 

STUBBLE IT.

Hold your tongue. CANT. 

And just because I can, here's an additional definition. ☺

STRUMPET. 

A harlot. 

Taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, which is free all the time in Amazon's Kindle Store. Guess what else is free today and ONLY TODAY? ♥

♥Click the ad to go right to Amazon's Heartless page!♥

Thank you for joining me for another random bit of buckish slang. OK, so it wasn't all that random since I did choose a word this time that appears in one of my own Regencies. Still. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Clint Black ~ Burn One Down

Another Heartless Promotion

That's right, my lovelies, Heartless will be FREE again. But this time it's free for ONE DAY ONLY, Wednesday, December 19, 2012.

You can download this free from all the Amazon sites. The image above will take you to the US site. It's not free until Wednesday, though, so if you click over there now, you'll see the $2.99 price tag (free for prime members). 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Counting Crows ~ Rain King

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#23) REVEALED

Did you guess the answer to last week's mystery photo? Here's the correct one: 

If you guessed EGG or SHELL, fabulous! And while I'm at it, that middle one is the first blue egg I got from my own chickens. The almost white one on the end also came from my chickens. 

Thanx for playing this edition of "What is it"! I'm taking a break from Photo Friday this week so watch for a new mystery photo on December 21. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Pearl Jam ~ Jeremy

~Regency Wednesday~ Facer

Another simple slang definition is on the agenda for this edition of Regency Wednesday. 

FACER. 

A bumper, a glass filled so full as to leave no room for the lip. Also a violent blow on the face.* 

*Taken verbatim from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, which can be downloaded free from Amazon's Kindle Store. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Dido ~ Thank You

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#23)

I almost missed it but here is the next Photo Friday mystery pic: 

Do you know what this is? 

Comment with your best guess. The answer will be revealed next Friday (12/14). This is all in fun so don't expect a prize. You can guess as many times as you want. Happy guessing!! ♥

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing 
♫♪ Breaking Benjamin ~ Without You

~Photo Friday~ What is it? (#22) REVEALED

Ready to find out the answer to last week's mystery pic? Here it is: 

Did you suspect it was skin, flesh, or a person's hand? Then you are CORRECT! In fact, it's my hand! lol 

Stay tuned for a new mystery photo later today! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Audioslave ~ I Am the Highway

~Regency Wednesday~ Clutch Fisted

The subject of today's Regency Wednesday post is another term from the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. 

TO CLUTCH THE FIST. To clench or shut the hand. Clutch fisted; covetous, stingy. See CLOSE-FISTED. 

And since they told us to.... 

CLOSE-FISTED. Covetous or stingy. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Staind ~ It's Been Awhile

~Sweet Saturday Sample~ Deception

Saturday is here again and it brings another Sweet Sample with it. I've selected a bit from Deception, my Regency novel published in 2010. This one is closely connected to Heartless, my most recent release. The heroes of these two novels are friends and have been for years.

This scene is where the heroine, Aurora, first meets the Duke of Derringer (the hero from Heartless). Aurora is having a Season for the express purpose of securing a husband. Her parents are dead and she is an heiress—though her monetary value is a close-guarded secret. Her companion, Ellie, is charged with finding out what she can about the Season's eligible gentlemen.

Enjoy! ♥

---

“The one on his left,” Ellie continued quietly, “with the unfashionably long black hair is the Duke of Derringer. Beware of him, my dear. It is said he is a rake of the first order. There are, in fact, so very many unsavory rumors about him that I would hope you would avoid him altogether.”

“What rumors?” Aurora asked in spite of her dislike for harmful gossip.

Ellie pursed her lips for so long a moment, Aurora didn’t think she would tell her. “It is believed that he has killed two men in duels, ruined more than one innocent, drinks heavily, gambles only in the most disreputable of gaming dens, and keeps several mistresses. His grandfather, the first duke, made his fortune in piracy. It is said that he amassed so much wealth, the King, for fear of the man, granted him the dukedom in a bid to keep the man loyal to the crown. Lady Watson said that the present duke is involved in some illegal activities just like his grandfather. No one dares to ask him outright, or accuse him of anything, but the rumors abound anyway.”

To Aurora, none of it mattered. The man was a handsome gentleman, to be sure, and appeared every bit as dangerous as rumor claimed. Why, he wore nothing but black. Even his linen was black. To match his soul?

Perhaps that would be to her advantage. Many a man would think twice before tangling with a peer of such appearance and reputation.

She had to wonder, however, if such a man could be made to fall in love.

“Why is he accepted here?” Aurora asked curiously.

“Oh, his mother was bosom bows with Lady Sefton and he is very powerful for all he is only seven and twenty, nearly as powerful as his grandfather was. Lady Watson said none of it matters since the duke will die soon,” Miss Ellison told her young friend sotto voce. She was rewarded with a gasp at this little tidbit. “Apparently, his grandfather was killed by highwaymen when he was five and thirty. The second duke was four when he ascended to the title. He died in a boating accident when he was two and thirty, a year after his wife was found dead in their home near Folkestone. The present duke has held the title since he was seven.”

“But his father and grandfather died in accidents. Why would that suggest he will die young, as well?” Aurora asked, frowning.

Miss Ellison shrugged. “It is the way of gossip, I suppose. One will find intrigues where none exist.”

“Oh,” was Aurora’s enlightened reply.

---

Deception is available on Amazon and all other eBook retailers. The cover above is linked to the Amazon Kindle listing. ♥

Thank you for taking the time to read my excerpt. 

Please take a few moments to read some

Sweet Saturday Samples 

from other authors. Thank you! ☺

http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Within Temptation ~ The Howling