My Bewitching Kindlegraph

What words came to my mind when I wrote this? Exciting, mind-blowing, crazy, over-the-top and can’t-get-enough.

Slow down. What am I yapping about? All the pure FUN I’ve been having lately!

I meant to have this post up sooner but with the start of the school year, I’ve had my hands full. So here goes…

First thing. Did you know I can sign your digital book now? Woot! Cool, eh? If you’d like my personal John Hancock (and brief message) lovingly signed on one of your favorite Sky Purington titles simply click the big white box below, choose a title and request an autograph. Altogether, you're looking at three simple clicks. Easy as pie!

Demographics. Where are Authors? Where are Readers?

Authors and readers should connect. A wise writer knows where his/her fans are in the world. I'll bet this hasn't been talked about much but here goes!

This post isn’t about favoritism, it’s about facts. Nowadays, an author can easily track the origin of their fan base. No worries fans (we’re not stalkers *winks*), it’s not a specific thing but more of a worldwide Google Stats thing.

Let me say up front (as my readers know) I’m a New Englander, born and bred. I adore and strongly support all New England states which include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I consider New York, New Jersey and Delaware my own too. How could I not?

As aforementioned, over the past few years I’ve had the freedom of tracking my fan base. Interestingly enough, considering I write about time-travel from non-US countries to New England, the bulk of my fans are out of California and Washington State. My local North-Easterners, Heart-of-America's and International fan base is strong (love you all!) but not nearly as out-loud as my readers from the West Coast.

Super Steamy Sci-Fi! Hot Summer Nights. P.L. Parker's, The Chalice.

Welcome! A Writer’s Mind’s, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS BLOG EVENT continues today with incredibly talented author, P.L. Parker. Today she’ll be be chatting about her latest title, The Chalice. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a free Ecopy!

Let’s hear from P.L. Parker…

When I was young, I dreamed of being the first woman astronaut. I would fly to the moon and beyond, finding my destiny in the vastness of the universe. My childish imagination was fueled by Flash Gordon and then later, the original Star Trek series.

From time immemorial, I like other humans have studied the skies. Interest in space soars as tales are woven from the fabric of those distant twinkles of light. Who and what is out there? Are the aliens the fantastic creatures encountered by Jim Kirk and his crew in Star Trek, or those encountered by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the Star Wars episodes?

Could they be the vicious creatures Ripley battled in the Alien series? Or perhaps the cruel hunter aliens encountered by Earthlings in the Predator series? And what about the gentle creature ET or the hilarious grey Paul and his two cohorts, or my favorite, the crew of the Firefly, or the latest and greatest, Avatar? Unless and until we have that first true encounter, we must rely on fantasy to create the realms we dream exist in those limitless galaxies millions of light years beyond our world. Eventually, we will seek the stars, perhaps sending out survivor ships as depicted in Pandorum, or seeker ships geared to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

What would a story be without romance? In Starman, the heroine found love with an alien who took human form. A human in alien form (Avatar) found love with a blue native on the planet Pandora. We romance writers connect those unlikely characters, blending humanoids with aliens in all shapes and sizes, but how possible could that truly be?

Otter Creations. One-of-a-kind Book Trailers!

Welcome to A Writer’s Mind’s, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS BLOG EVENT! Today's guest is Masha Holl, owner of Otter Creations. I’m going to hand the blog over to Masha so she can tell you more about her company. Be sure to enter to win your own 2-minute video story. Keep reading for details.

Let’s hear from Masha…

There's summer... and then there's summer. Once upon a time, summer was the magical time of freedom and warmth we still imagine, regardless of where we end up living.

But then, there's real summer, and real summer in South Texas is the Hotter time of the year (as opposed the Regular Hot time of the year that may by interrupted by a few Not So Hot days).

Summer is a time of no-classes, that's for sure, especially if you have kids, and more so if the parents are teachers or academics. But then, if the parents are teachers or academics, you know that summer is not a time of do-nothing, but instead a few stolen months of research, writing, preparation, and all the other projects and tasks that never get done during the work months.

And if you're a writer with a twisted imagination and you start thinking beach... sand... sea... and you keep going with bodies washing up on the shore, murder, mayhep, pirates -- vintage or modern, spy games... And maybe eventually a story like the one that got me going on a little video project over on my site.

Hot Summer Nights. Caroline Clemmons', Brazos Bride.

Welcome! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. A Writer’s Mind’s, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS BLOG EVENT continues today with talented author, Caroline Clemmons. She'll be talking about her latest release, Brazos Brides.

Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win an ecopy of Brazos Brides!

Let’s hear from Caroline…

Thanks to Sky for inviting me to join her today. Hope you’re surviving these hot summer nights by reading a hot book in cool air-conditioned comfort. Yesterday afternoon was 113 degrees F when I drove through downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Hero and I were wondering why we live here in summer. Whew! It’s air-conditioning for me!

Why would a writer focus on poison? No, I don’t plan to murder anyone in real life. I do love killing people in my books, though. Great way to relax. Joking, joking. Maybe.

I first became interested in poisons years ago from reading Agatha Christie’s mysteries. I still love her books and am fascinated with poison. Many plants have medicinal qualities and other seemingly innocent lovelies can be deadly. For instance, in Alexander Dumas’ THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, oleander leaves are ground and incorporated into food to murder. Foxglove can heal or kill, depending on how it is administered and to whom. While researching, I pour through books like DEADLY DOSES from Writers Digest Books and old herbals. My eldest daughter fed my fascination with HERBS AND THINGS by Jeanne Rose, a book on remedies that gives both friendly and unfriendly plants and their uses. Beth Trissel’s online course in herbs and flowers intrigued me. I believe there are still many so-called natural or accidental deaths that are engineered via poison.

Don’t get ideas, please. ☺This is not meant as a tutorial in ridding yourself of unwanted family members. Not even the ones who play mean practical jokes. Although, it doesn’t hurt to make a list. No, no, I’m only joking.

Time To Turn Up The Heat! Hot Summer Nights. Jennifer Jakes', Twice In A Lifetime

Welcome! A Writer’s Mind’s, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS BLOG EVENT continues. For those popping in for the first time, this event includes authors with stories that take place during those hot and steamy months of the year!

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome over talented author, Jennifer Jakes. She’ll be chatting about her latest title, Twice In A Lifetime and dishing out a fabulous prize. One lucky commenter wins not only an e-copy of Twice In A Lifetime but a $5 Amazon gift card. Thanks, Jennifer!

Let’s hear from Jennifer about why she wrote this book…

The dog days of summer are enough to make anyone wish for relief. The endless days of heat make me wish for refreshing tropical breezes, while the sultry, sweaty nights make me wish for...........well, more sexy, sweaty nights! *grin* I don't mind being kept awake for various reasons -plotting a new story being one reason - but one story in particular set in the Caribbean kept me awake for several nights until I finally relented and wrote it!! Why was I fighting the muse, you ask ? Well, the story, TWICE IN A LIFETIME, is outside my normal Western genre. There are no horses, no log cabins, not a tumbling-tumble weed in sight! There is, however, a pirate captain sexy enough to melt your panties! Throw in a sassy heroine and a high-seas adventure and I was happy with the outcome -- even minus my usual hot cowboy ;) The premise started with the heroine, Izzy, a stubborn stuntwoman who ended up on a 1768 pirate ship. After this idea took hold, the questions started: How did she get there? Why? What was she after...or running from? All these questions kept spiraling through my mind until I had the story............and a yummy hero named Ian.

I hope you'll like reading Ian and Izzy's story as much as I liked writing it!

TWICE IN A LIFETIME is a .99 cent novella. It finalled in the International Digital Books Awards!