My newest book, Christmas at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, is live on Amazon!
Book four in the Happy Valley series finds Paula Arnett feeling a little humbug-ish as the Yuletide holiday rolls around. Her heart is in for a few surprises as the season unfolds. And not all of them come tied up in red ribbons and bows.
The books are best read in order, with Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort the first offering in the series. I hope you’ll consider joining the Happy Valley family. We’re a fun bunch.
Every Wednesday a group of about six male coffee drinkers meets at a table outside the coffee shop I frequent for my writing. I’ve exchanged pleasantries with the men on occasion, but never stopped to talk.
This morning as I was leaving, having reached my daily writing goal, one of the men said, “Leaving early today?”
“Yessir. I reached my word count so now I can go spend my husband’s money on frivolous stuff like food and gasoline.”
They all laughed, so I figured my work on earth was done.
“You’re a writer then?” Another man asked.
Now, the smart a** side of me wanted to say something witty, but the regular side of me couldn’t come up with anything, so I just admitted to being a writer.
And then I went into marketing mode. Sold six books. Yay me.
I placed signed copies of Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort in a couple of Little Free Library installations in the Tallahassee area today.
Take a copy; share a copy…I hope my baby enjoys her outing!I wonder if my neighborhood would be interested in joining the Little Free Library ranks? Such a great idea, especially for those of us who live in rural housing developments.
In a very few days, my newest novel, Reunion at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, will be available on Amazon in both paperback and in kindle and kindle unlimited formats. We’re hoping the book will go live on Monday, but the long weekend might slow things down. I’ll keep you posted. I’ll squeal first, then I’ll write about it.
Reunion is the third book in the Happy Valley series. It’s set fifteen months after the first book, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, and the main character, Paula Arnett, is ready to make some big changes in her life, but she’ll need to survive her high school reunion in order to move forward.
GUESS WHAT?! The sequel to Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort should be out on Amazon one day this coming week. Yay!
I apologize for being so vague, but once the book is uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing it might not go live for a few days. My editor, Rachel Carrera, and I plan to upload the book, Wedding at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, sometime tomorrow (11/22/21) if we can get our schedules synced.
How am I feeling, you might ask? Excited and anxious. The first novel has done so well, and so many readers have asked about a sequel, that I feel the pressure. It’s a great feeling. I just hope readers will enjoy Wedding as much as they did Mayhem. I know I had a blast writing it.
I’m excited to announce that my first novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, has officially garnered over one hundred reviews on Amazon. The number of reviews teetered at ninety-nine for several days, and impatient person that I am, I thought they might never cross into triple digits. Yet here we are!
Thanks to everyone who’s read and reviewed my book. I appreciate your support so much. And if you have yet to read it, I hope you’ll take a chance and add a little mayhem to your life.
My first novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, is doing well right now. It’s received 96 ratings and/or reviews on Amazon, and all but four of those are of the four and five star variety. The one star rating threatened to undo me, and the two star didn’t exactly cause me to jump up and down in celebration, but when I put them in perspective they didn’t bother me quite as much.
I love reading the reviews. When I’m feeling low I read through them and bask in the really good ones and when I’m feeling terrific I read through the less positive ones to see what I can learn. It’s my weak attempt at balance.
I love the juxtaposition between these reviews:
Proof that beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder.
The funniest review I received wasn’t on Amazon, though. I discovered it on my Facebook author’s page and it’s made me giggle more than once. I hope this reader will hold on for the sequel.
I’ve experienced the exact same feeling, and I get it. The heart wants what the heart wants. All I can say is, Dear Reader Whose Name I’ve Scribbled Through, Wedding at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort is being edited and revised right now, so don’t despair. And please don’t throw tomatoes my way.
Okay, so “We’re Number One“ is a lot cooler and easier to chant, but for one brief shining moment on Sunday morning my first novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, came in at number 384 on Amazon in the Women’s Action and Adventure Fiction category.
And I know what you’re probably thinking—“Leslie, dear, there are likely only 384 entries in that very narrow category…”
However, having tracked my book since it was first published I can assure you that’s not the case. I broke into the top 500 about a month ago after being well above 1,000 for the longest time. And even as I write this I’m back to #505, so it’s always changing. I can’t get too cocky.
I’m wondering if there’s a category in which Mayhem might be number one? How about Women’s Action and Adventure Fiction Featuring Quirky Jugglers? I’d almost bet I’d be in at least the top five.
There’s an ad for my first novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort, now running on Facebook. My Facebook friend and author, Lori Roberts Herbst, helped me set the ad up at extreme peril to her own sanity. Now that’s what I call a good friend.
So far the ad, in conjunction with my book now being listed on Kindle Unlimited, has increased my book’s visibility and its sales in a positive manner. I’ve been a bit obsessive in measuring the difference between ad costs and the number of pages read. According to my calculations I’ve either made a profit of around one million dollars or $15.65. Really, it’s too close to call.
Studly Doright, of course reminds me that there’s no profit until I’ve recouped the costs of editing, cover design, and the other bits that went into self-publishing a novel. Sure hoping that million dollars is closer to the right estimate.
Praying for Eyebrowz 