At Last!

I’ve been more MIA than I intended to be in the past month. Why? Well, it was all to bring us to the announcement I have to make today. Whoever said writing a book wasn’t a hard job was lying. When you are an independent author, you wear too many hats to count. But now all the formatting, editing, and scrutinizing is done, and we can move on to the next fun part of the process; letting all of you read it!

That’s right!

Beyond The Storm is ready and available for purchase on Amazon.com!

Readers of The Secret of the Storm are all saying, “It’s about time!!”

Elora Castain is back, and her life is more complicated than when she first came to Slauson Cove.

From the back of the book: Returning to Slauson Cove changed Elora Castain’s life in more ways than she could have imagined. Just when she thought things were settling into something reasonable, her life was turned upside down a second time. Walsingham Manor was built for families even if the locals thought it to be the source of trouble in town. Now, on the cusp of settling into motherhood and bringing her own family to continue the legacy, a new and powerful storm is brewing. Elora, once again, finds herself in the middle of an investigation into the murders that are piling up on Detective John Erickson. What begins as a consultation turns into an interrogation as strange symbols and her name come up on the victim’s bodies. Can she stop another killer? Did Eric Aldred inflict an unbreakable curse on her before she was even born? Can she, or what family remains, survive what is brewing in Slauson Cove? Find out in Beyond the Storm; new fiction from Anne Belle. Don’t miss this long-anticipated sequel to her debut novel; The Secret of the Storm.

 

Now, I could say happy reading and leave you to it. However, I could use a little help in getting the word out there. So there are three things I would like to ask of all of you:

1. Tell me about your favorite avenue for finding new books. Do you follow a book review blog? Is it through friends-only recommendations? Or do you find them on social media? I would love to get in touch with some blogs and other internet avenues to guest post or otherwise solicit reviews.
2. Once you purchase and read it, leave an honest review on Amazon. Those reviews, searching for our books, sharing the links… these are simple things that can help indie authors like myself reach more readers who would enjoy our book babies. If you haven’t followed me on other social media like Facebook or Twitter, please do and help me out by sharing the good news.
3. If you are part of a book club or associated with a library, feel free to get in touch with me by email. I’m happy to offer and/or coordinate group sales of all my books. Also, I’m keen to get involved in Q & A about them if your group would like. This can be accomplished with video chat or conference calling that I can arrange easily from my studio here in Texas.

All that being said, I am going to be posting a bit more about this but, I’m also gearing up for other projects as well. The next book is being researched, and I’m planning to relaunch Ether Realms Media in mid-November. So be looking for news about that soon!

We’re also closing in fast on the East Texas Booktacular event in Henderson, TX. Tickets are free but limited. You can find all the information here: Booktacular Event.

I hope to see you there! Stop by my table near the entrance and say hello. I am waiting anxiously for the arrival of paperback copies at this point, but I plan to have limited quantities available for purchase there.  Just in time for a good Halloween read! Who doesn’t love a good ghost story this time of year?

New Fiction

It seems like it has been ages since I’ve published anything new. In fact, I doubt it even just seems that way and actually has been ages. Now, I know that whether I publish or not doesn’t define my status as a writer. I write, thus I am a writer by definition. However, my stories going out to the masses is a part of the process that is long overdue. And without further ado, let me just introduce my latest crazy contribution to the world of horror and supernatural fiction.

Cover Design by Anne Belle

 

 

COMING MARCH 22, 2018

Exorcising The Past

A Novella by Anne Belle

Genre : Horror/ Supernatural Suspense

Kindle e-book exclusive with limited author only available print editions for promotion purposes.

From the back cover:

Life was finally coming together for Anna. When Scott asked her to help him with a case involving a four year old child being attacked by unseen forces, she didn’t hesitate. What she didn’t expect was to come face to face with demons direct from her own past. Anna must make the decision to face the past and close doors she didn’t open before she can move on with her life. Will she find a way to be rid of him at last? Find out in the exclusive Kindle e-book release Exorcising The Past by Anne Belle

 

 

Exciting stuff right?! I’m really excited about this one. It will be a quick read for those who enjoy the genre. But, I’m happy to say that this could be the start of a series of short works that could be compiled into a collection later on. I am certainly open to the idea of the continuing characters and theme of the paranormal investigation cases if you, my dear readers, want more of Scott and Anna.

Just a quick preview this time. More details coming later in the week!

State of the Fluff….

First off, apologies to all of you dear followers and readers. If you’ve been following for the last couple weeks, you’ll know that I’ve been trying to keep something of a schedule here on The Writer’s Studio while finishing continuity edits and trying to juggle everything else going on. I have been slacking a bit the last few days though. For that, I do apologize.

You see, I am incredibly blessed. I have an amazing family that includes my fiance and our six year old. A whole group of extended family and well, because I enjoy it, I spend a good amount of time over there with them. The weekends are the typical time for me to spend all day but, Charles has had a few days off from his job and it is our little girl’s last week of Kindergarten.

We are all excited to be attending her graduation tomorrow morning. So, why am I sitting here at nearly midnight, when I have to get up at six in the A.M.? It would be an excellent question to ask.

The answer is really quite simple though. There was more big news for me today. After more than two and a half weeks of waiting Amazon finally sent me the news that the technical glitch was fixed. That means, The Secret of the Storm is now available for purchase as a paperback edition as well as in ebook for the Kindle. It also means that I can finally start planning a book-launch event and booking signing events here in East Texas.

It is all very exciting for me. I’m sure that it will be something that I talk about often in the weeks ahead. Not to worry though, the blog isn’t going to become one big promotion for the book. There are plenty of other things I have to talk about and give my two bits on.

That being said, the state of the fluff lately is up in the air. I’ve been on the go, lost my voice intermittently thanks to some sort of allergy attack or cold, and haven’t been paying much attention to what I’m eating. So, we’re going to have to jump back on the band wagon at some point. I think I’m going go back to doing my “health sheets” to track and maybe that will give me some motivation. You’d think that a pending wedding would be enough, right?

Keeping it simple so that I can still get some rest. If you have ideas for book-launch events, how to get the word out about the book, or just words of encouragement (this is my first “major event” with our daughter as someone she calls Mom) I will gladly take them in comments or by email. If you haven’t liked my facebook page, feel free to. There is a box on the right for easy access. I look forward to meeting all the readers as time goes on. And yes, I do try to answer all my messages.

Wish me luck! And thanks for sticking with me. Share a link. My philosophy around here is; the more the merrier.

Of Series & Sequels

The official release of The Secret of the Storm is quickly approaching. You can already purchase the Kindle ebook through Amazon.com and you can purchase the print version in pre-release through the Createspace store here. I’m excited about the release, of course. I am even more psyched that the early reviews have been so positive and encouraging. It certainly makes all the work that went into producing it worth the effort and makes me want to keep going with the next book I am working on.

I keep getting the same question from early readers though.

Will there be a sequel to The Secret of the Storm?

In answering that, I can’t really give a definitive yes or no. I haven’t ruled out another trip to Slauson Cove and another chapter to the Walsingham legacy. In fact, I’ve toyed with ideas on how to continue that story. New characters would be introduced if I did go ahead with it. But, I’m not going to lie. It hasn’t been a high point on my priority list.

Even before the work on The Secret of the Storm was complete another story grabbed my attention and simply wouldn’t let go of me. So, I put my focus into that instead of a sequel. That story went from one book to a series of at least five.

Armageddon Rising is a series that will be full of danger, intrigue, and even biblical prophecy. I don’t know why it was stuck in my head to tackle such heavy concepts. I suppose it is a calling of sorts because the story, research, and character development consistently cost me hours of sleep. And now that I’m in the middle of the editing phase of the project, it is costing me even more.

As with all my work, this is fiction. I don’t claim to be a biblical scholar or an expert on end times prophecy. My purpose in writing this is to tell a story that people will make people think and that they can enjoy. I’m not even going to claim that this is Christian fiction. I don’t feel that it meets the criteria to fit into that genre. But I can tell you that it is a page-turner.

I am notorious for working on multiple projects simultaneously. So, I wouldn’t quite rule out another Slauson Cove book if I continue to be asked about it by readers. There are things that I would like to explore with Elora that were, for me, unfinished in the first one. Don’t ask me when it will be out. The ideas are still merely a stack of notes in a folder with my character sketches.

If you haven’t gotten your ebook of The Secret of the Storm yes, it is available for the Kindle. The print release has been delayed but, I will keep all of you informed as to when the print version is available and events that will be coming up. I am planning to do a good number of book signings, readings, and even virtual touring with the help of Google+ and YouTube. So, if you want a chance to meet the woman behind the blog and the books, you’ll certainly get your chance.

If you have questions for me, I’d love to answer them here on the blog or in videos. (Yes, I’m thinking of branching out a bit.) So you can comment on any post or you can always email me your questions to annebellewrites@gmail.com. I always look forward to hearing from readers and other authors. I do try to respond to all my correspondence. Just have patience. Sometimes it takes a while for me to get through it all.

Happy Friday everyone. I hope that you enjoy your weekend.

Life Events & The Writer…

It’s no secret that writers keep journals. We have them everywhere; online, in our purse, in our car, in our backpacks, our desk drawers, and you can even bet that there is likely one hiding in the bathroom. Yes, we’re odd like that, keeping pen and paper within arms reach at all times. But, this little habit serves us well. It allows us to capture our thoughts, put down ideas for characters or plots, and it even allows us to record life events that we don’t want to forget. I had such an event happen to me this past weekend and I was so excited that I had my handy-dandy planner with me so that I could write the details down while it was fresh in my mind.

The month of May is turning out to be pretty eventful for me. Not only will I be releasing my first novel under my pen name (Anne Belle) but I also got engaged this past weekend on Mother’s Day. All these changes in my life are one of the main reasons that I decided to write under a pen name to begin with. I think that readers need consistency so, a fictional name is ideal given the fact that I don’t want to put my career on hold. In fact, I am very motivated to forge ahead with my plans to build up a readership and get this show on the proverbial road.

I took the time to write down my account of the proposal. It really was memorable and the roses that my ring was tied around are still beautiful in a vase where I can see them. And while I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, I still wanted it on paper so I could read it all over again and smile. And now, I’m signed up on http://www.theknot.com and thinking about planning a wedding and getting things organized while trying to start promoting the new book being released this weekend.

The truth is, I don’t know where to start. I’ve set up all these accounts and am feeling overwhelmed that there are so many things for me to update. I came upon Hootsuite once and then I promptly forgot about it during all the craziness that was the end of last year for me. Now that I’m back to trying to build my writing career and organize my life in general, I find that Hootsuite might just be the marketer’s best friend. I certainly intend to make good use of it. I am starting to live by my planner again. That’s very likely a habit I should have never gotten out of in the first place.

So, in other news, the book is about to release in print and ebook format. So I am rushing about to finalize all the little details and create some sort of plan to market it. I’ll be doing a major post on the book in the next few days just to commemorate the release. But, I’m sort of just jumping in feet first to figure out the best way to reach potential readers.  I have read all sorts of things on platforms and marketing but the fact is that most of what is out there is information geared for non-fiction work.

It is easy to build a platform when you have a set subject. To write a book on a particular topic you have to be something of an expert in your field or have some unique perspective on it. I don’t claim to be an expert in anything. I have too many interests to really be an expert in any one thing. If I am well-versed in any one topic it would be the paranormal. That topic shows up quite often in my work but, every piece is different.  For example, this book is about a woman with a supernatural power and a mystery to uncover with a bit of romance thrown in. My next book/series deals with apocalyptic scenarios and angels. While another project is more steampunk. I’m sort of all over the map and I don’t want to hinder my creativity for the sake of putting myself in a marketing bubble. So, I’m going to have to start somewhere and just build on it and see where I end up.

I am excited though. There is so much happening all at once for me. There is a wedding to plan and an amazing man by my side to share the journey with me in all of this.  It seems like things are really taking off and I find myself wondering if I dare try to get back into singing on top of it. I think that might be a bit much on my time though except for the occasional karaoke night or singing at church. But, you never know with me. We’ll just see.

At any rate things are going super in my neck of the piney woods of East Texas. We’ll see what else comes my way in the weeks to come. So, stay tuned!