Please Vote for Me, But Hurry!

I was just notified that my book POSSESSION is up for Book of the Month over at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews.  I am asking for your vote, but please hurry!  Poll closes Friday evening, April 1st!

http://www.sizzlinghotbooks.net/?zx=2824dbf92e1b4779

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter."

I'm such a sucker for these kinds of stories.  I don't care if they're true or not.  To me, they're parables, and if they bring a tear to my eye, I want to share.  Enjoy!

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'

'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'

'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'

'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'

'Would you like to take some home?' Asked Mr. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'

'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'

'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.

'Not zackley but almost.'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.

With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts... All very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about.

They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size... They came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral:
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles. A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself. An unexpected phone call from an old friend. Green stoplights on your way to work. The fastest line at the grocery store. A good sing-along song on the radio. And your keys found right where you left them.

(Thanks, Therese!)

POSSESSION Gets 4.5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Erotic Reviews!

Possession by Linda Mooney
Publishing: Whiskey Creek Press 
Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (205 Pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 4.5 Cherries
Reviewed by Canterbury Bell

J was born blind, but she could "see" things. Her gift has always helped the police find such things as missing persons, serial killers... a ghost or two.

Detective Kiel Stark has worked homicide for eight years, but he has never met this mysterious Seer his fellow officers claim could almost perform miracles. Not until a gruesome triple homicide has his superiors calling in the reserved woman to help with the case.

Now Stark is faced with a double threat. Not only is he finding himself dangerously attracted to the mysterious beauty, but she could very well discover his own carefully guarded secret—a secret that could bring an end to his career, his way of life, and any future he hoped to have.

Have you ever met someone that wasn’t quite who or what you thought they were? Are you really willing to find out?

J Laurent is having that very issue. A sheltered psychic and gifted seer, she is called in to help the police solve their very difficult cases. Meeting step brother cops Sam and Kiel is going to change her life completely. J sees things in auras and what she sees in Kiel is not what she expected, but she is here only to do a job. A serial killer is loose and J is the only one that can find what the police need. What she didn’t expect was the mutual deep connection and attraction with Detective Kiel Stark. Kiel has his own secrets and connection to the killer but it is one that no one would ever believe.

Author Linda Mooney has written a new and interesting book. Possession is definitely not the same old thing. This is such a unique storyline with so many unexpected twists and turns, that I recommend once you begin you plan to read it right through to the end. The momentum is consistent and builds throughout until the inventive and surprising conclusion. The characters are real, very real. Sam and Kiel are not only brothers but they are each other’s best friend, confidants and biggest supporters even through these very interesting circumstances. J is the source of strength that neither knew they needed. It is the best of all worlds for the three of them but it is the love between Kiel and J that makes this story hum.

What an incredible imagination this author is gifted with and how lucky are we that she is willing to share it with us. I loved everything about it!!!

5 Reasons NOT to Buy "Possession" - Now at Fictionwise!

5 Reasons NOT to Buy “Possession”

1. revenge gone wrong

2. gruesome murders

3. living auras of light

4. drug deals gone bad

5. and two people facing an impossible love without any hope for a future



Now Available on Fictionwise, and 15% off for a short time!
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b121914/Possession/Linda-Mooney/?si=0 

Alayna Williams is My Guest Author Tonight on Blog Talk Radio!

Join us tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio when Alayna Williams reads from her newest release ROGUE ORACLE.

Show time is 11 pm et/10 pm ct/8 pm pt.
Don't miss it!

***
The more you know about the future, the more there may be to fear.

Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way. 

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen…

Rant - It's All About to Come to a Screeching Halt

As if it's not enough that our gasoline bill has tripled in just this past month, I recently got a letter from my cable company.  If you're like me, you get your internet connection along with your cable because "bundling" is cheaper (we no longer have a land-line phone.  The only people who called us on it were survey takers and people wanting to sell us something, anyway.  Even after we put the number on every Do Not Call list we could find, companies still found a way to get around it.)

In short, the letter said that they noticed we used a lot more bandwidth than the "average" household.  Well, that's true.  My husband works at home for a company that writes and installs (and supports via internet) software for hospitals.  Which means he's on the computer all day with his company, with hospitals needing help, or via video conference calls.  Then when I get home, I get online to check my email, be available via Yahoo IMs to my editors, cover artists, and publishers (and friends!), work on my website, read my favorite blogs, etc., AND I REMAIN LOGGED ON.

I'll bet that a lot of authors who have the luxury of being able to write full time do the same thing.  They log onto the 'net and pretty much stay on it as they pull up their latest WIP and write.

That may all come to a screeching halt, and soon.

Apparently the cable companies (and I'm going to assume the internet companies who also provide) are going to start charging Per Bandwidth.  It isn't enough now that we have to pay to be able to log on to the internet in the first place, but we will soon begin to pay for how long we're on, and how much we use it.

If they do, then those of us who log on and remain online will no longer have that luxury.  We'll have to log on, retrieve our emails, then log off and remain off-line while we work.  Of course, the plus side is we'll probably be able to get a lot more writing done.  But to me, this is just another way for a company to find a way to gouge us twice for receiving the same service.

End Rant.

Jill James' Free Read is Featured Today on Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors!

Check out this week's free read over at Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors blog!

Weekend in New England
by Jill James

Can Britt and Bethany find true love in a year of weekends in New England? When put between a rock and a hard place, will Britt follow his ambition or his heart?



Rated - Adult - for 18 years and older only.
Genre - Contemporary
Heat Level - Sensual

Neither Blonde, Nor Female

This one's for the girls!

These contractors are installing steel pillars in concrete to stop vehicles from parking on the pavement outside a Sports Bar downtown. They are now in the process of cleaning up at the end of the day and probably anxious to go home.

How long do you think it'll be before they realize where they parked their truck?

(Thanks, Fiona!)

My Eppie

Feel free to click for a larger picture.

"How to Impress a Woman"

"How to Impress a Woman"

Wine her,
Dine her,
Call her,
Hug her,
Support her,
Hold her,
Surprise her,
Compliment her,
Smile at her,
Listen to her,
Laugh with her,
Cry with her,
Romance her,
Believe in her,
Cuddle her,
Shop with her,
Give her jewelry,
Buy her flowers,
Hold her hand,
Write love letters to her,
Go to the ends of the earth and back again for her.

"How to Impress a Man"

Show up naked,
Bring beer.

(Thanks, Anna!)

Please "Like" My Author Page on Facebook!

If you have a moment, and you're over on Facebook, please go "Like" my new author page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Mooney/140502296015513

Thank you so much!

Cindy Spencer Pape is My Guest Author Tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance"!

Cindy Spencer Pape is my guest author tonight on "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio.  She'll be reading an excerpt from her new steampunk romance STEAM AND SORCERY.

Show time is 11 pm et/10 pm et/8 pm pt.  Don't miss it!
****
Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.

When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...

An Interesting Fact About...Manure

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before the invention of commercial fertilizers, so large shipments of manure were quite common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, not only did it become heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas, of course. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen.

Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM! Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.

After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the instruction ' Stow high in transit ' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term ' S.H.I.T ', (Stow High In Transit) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

And now you know "the rest of the story."

(Thanks, Jo!)

Check Out Missy Jane's Free Read Over at the Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors Blog!

This weeks' free read over at the Truly Madly Deep Romance Authors blog is Missy Jane's "Into the Ocean".  Check it out!
***
Is it truly better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Nerina has loved Kegan from afar for years, waiting patiently as he mourns a lost love. The time has come for her to decide of he is worth the wait or if his heart was lost at sea.

Dumb Question Time!

Let's say I'm checking my email on my iPhone, and one of the emails has an attachment which carries a virus.  If I download and open it on my computer, my computer will be infected.  But does an iPhone get infected?

I'm over at The Romance Studio Today! Come By!

It's New Release Party Day!  Come by The Romance Studio and join me and 20 other authors as we blog about our newest releases, and share other good news!

My March Foodzie Box is Here!

My March Foodzie Tasting Box arrived!  This is what I have to look forward to:

* Aleppo chile pepper and Sumac pepper salts

* Gogi berry and Himalayan sea salt dark chocolate bar

* Regular and dark chocolate cocomels

* Blue cheese fig savory shortbreads

* Kale chips

* Hot chocolate on a stick

I'm heading for the kale chips, but those cocomels will not survive the night.

It's 5 Roses from Sizzling Hot Book Reviews for POSSESSION!

They say they when you loose one of you senses (like sight or hearing), the other’s sharpen to make up for the loss. J was born blind. But not only are her other senses sharper, she also has a psychic ‘seeing’ ability. She has learned how to use it to help the police in special cases, the latest one involving the maker of the street drug called Possession.

J was born blind, but she could "see" things. Her gift has always helped the police find such things as missing persons, serial killers... a ghost or two.

Detective Kiel Stark has worked homicide for eight years, but he has never met this mysterious Seer his fellow officers claim could almost perform miracles. Not until a gruesome triple homicide has his superiors calling in the reserved woman to help with the case.

Now Stark is faced with a double threat. Not only is he finding himself dangerously attracted to the mysterious beauty, but she could very well discover his own carefully guarded secret—a secret that could bring an end to his career, his way of life, and any future he hoped to have.

Detective Kiel Stark is working undercover on loan to the DEA when his cover is busted and he is attacked. He looses conscious and wakes up a week later in the park. When he goes to Sam Reese’s, his partner and half-brother, place he quickly learns things are much worse than he first thought. He wasn’t just attacked that night, but actually died. With Sam’s help, he figures out he now seems to be some kind of ghost or wrath… When he concentrates he can have a (his old) physical form, or at least seem to. But he no longer sleeps or eats. And he is learning he does have other ‘ghost like’ abilities, like being able to pass through walls or “teleport” to other locations. Kiel doesn’t know why he is still around, so he goes about his old life of being a cop as it is what he knows and loves. But he does have a ‘need’ to find his missing body and whoever killed him. Not that he and Sam make any headway on that front.

But being a ghost just might help them solve their latest case: there seems to be a new serial killer around. This one is sever but maybe smart. The bodies are beaten beyond recognition or even identification, but there are clues left at the scenes of the crimes. When they don’t get anywhere with the case, their captain sends them to a psychic the city police force has discretely used before, J Laurent.

J (Je t’aime) Laurent was a surprise baby. Her parents had tried but finally given up on having children and adopted her brother. Then she came along. They were older, but handled her blindness well. They did the best they could with her ‘gift’ but didn’t listen as they should have. Thus they and her brother were killed in an auto accident when she was six. She was raised by her grandmother, but even she died a few years ago. Between the money left from her father’s investments and the old Victorian house her grandmother left her, J doesn’t have to work or worry about money. But she still can’t ignore her psychic warning and flashes. Especially when bad things happen. So she helps the police with special cases. Now she is getting hints on the latest killings and meets the detectives working the case, Kiel and Sam.

J knows from the first meeting that Kiel is something different. He is also the first ‘person’ to call out to her, to her soul. And Kiel feels a unique pull to her as well. They both want to be together, but know Kiel doesn’t have much time left.

J is able to help with the case. But should they involve a blind lady on such a dangerous case? Kiel feels like he is taking from her when he knows he won’t be around long, that he is on borrowed time as it is. And J wants to get as many memories of Kiel to keep for after he is gone. Then J gets an impression that the killer is like Kiel, dead but still here/living… Now there is another link to both Kiel and J with the killer. Will Kiel be able to keep her safe?

Ohhh, Possession grabbed my right from the start! Some fast action gets us on the edge of our seats and Kiel’s confusion as well as the police mystery keeps us going. Then we have to try to figure out just what happened to Kiel, and what he is now (even he isn’t sure). This was very well done and kept us guessing without being too confusing or slow in the explanation as we go along. Possession ends up being a real page turner that I stayed up late to finish just to find out how everything worked out!

Possession has some unusual characters. The villain/killer is not what one sees often (in more ways than one.) Kiel is a good cop turned super cop, not because of becoming a ghost but because of trying to spare those around him as much pain and lose as possible. He wants to be with J but worries about hurting her, what his leaving will do to her in the long run. He even asks his brother to look out for her when this happens. And he knows that “his brother hasn’t mourned his death yet,” and worries about what his ‘final’ passing will do to him as well. He is a good representation of a normal person in an extraordinary situation. Of course, J is great. She may be a little cut off from the outside world most times, but she has learned to cope with her blindness, within her limits. She has some outside help, checks up that she isn’t being taken advantage of, and even has lots of Braille books for entertainment. So she does manage well enough even though she is on her own now.

As you can guess, I loved Possession. This is not your standard ghost or cop story. And I have to warn you girls, you will need tissues around the end, but there is a HEA ending (I really worried as I got to the end, hope this doesn’t spoil anything for you, but we do expect the hea when reading romances). Possession is a great paranormal, and anyone tired of the standard romance will enjoy this unusual twist on a good ‘who-done-it’ idea.

New! POSSESSION, An Erotic Paranormal Romance Novel

POSSESSION
Erotic Paranormal Romance Novel
Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
(ebook) ISBN# 978-1-60313-954-0
Word Count: 61.5K
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/torrid/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=571

If you were murdered by a stranger, wouldn’t you want the chance to be able to come back and find out who killed you? And why?

J was born blind, but she could "see" things. Her gift has always helped the police find such things as missing persons, serial killers... a ghost or two.

Detective Kiel Stark has worked homicide for eight years, but he has never met this mysterious Seer his fellow officers claim could almost perform miracles. Not until a gruesome triple homicide has his superiors calling in the reserved woman to help with the case.

Now Stark is faced with a double threat. Not only is he finding himself dangerously attracted to the mysterious beauty, but she could very well discover his own carefully guarded secret—a secret that could bring an end to his career, his way of life, and any future he had hoped to have.

Warning! Contains disturbing images, the living dead, revenge gone wrong, drug deals gone bad, and two people facing an impossible love without any chance for a future.

New Release and Giveaway Tonight on Blog Talk Radio!

Don't miss tonight's "Other Worlds of Romance" on Blog Talk Radio!  I will be reading from my newest release, POSSESSION, and giving away a copy to one lucky listener!

Show time is 11 pm et/10 pm ct.

Don't miss it!
*****
POSSESSION
An erotic paranormal romance
Coming March 15
From Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

If you were murdered by a stranger, wouldn’t you want the chance to be able to come back and find out who killed you? And why?

J was born blind, but she could "see" things. Her gift has always helped the police find such things as missing persons, serial killers... a ghost or two.

Detective Kiel Stark has worked homicide for eight years, but he has never met this mysterious Seer his fellow officers claim could almost perform miracles. Not until a gruesome triple homicide has his superiors calling in the reserved woman to help with the case.

Now Stark is faced with a double threat. Not only is he finding himself dangerously attracted to the mysterious beauty, but she could very well discover his own carefully guarded secret—a secret that could bring an end to his career, his way of life, and any future he had hoped to have.

Warning! Contains disturbing images, the living dead, revenge gone wrong, drug deals gone bad, and two people facing an impossible love without any chance for a future.

LORD OF THUNDER is an Epic Ebook Award WINNER!

The 11th Annual EPIC Awards, presented by the Electronically Published Internet Connection, were distributed on March 12 at the annual EPICon conference which was held this year in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Science Fiction Erotic Romance: Lord Of Thunder Thunder Series Book 1 by Linda Mooney—Whiskey Creek Press

(From All Romance eBooks)

Check Out the New Free Read Over at Truly Madly Deeply!

Check out this week's free read over at Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors blog!  It's Suzanne Rock's paranormal story "In Your Eyes", based on the song by Peter Gabriel.

Are Kill Fees Necessary?

I've read several blogs that warn authors that if a publisher's contract mentions kill fees, to walk away from the contract.

My publishers have kill fees, but I didn't walk away.  I might get reamed out for this comment, but I believe they're necessary.

Let's say a publisher has a book edited and a cover designed.  Then at the last second, the author pulls out and no longer wants their book published (for whatever reason.)  That publisher is out edits and a cover they still have to pay for.  And let's say the author takes their freshly edited book and self-pubs it.  Of course, they can't use the pretty cover already made for them, but what's to stop them from using the edits?

I have no problems with a publisher establishing kill fees to protect them against authors who do this.  But what bothers me is when I hear about unrealistic and sky-high charges being billed to them by the publisher. 

To me, if an author is going to be charged a kill fee, then it needs to be equal to what the publisher is out.  That way the author still has to pay to get out of his/her contract, but the editor is paid, the cover artist is paid, and the publisher is not out any expenses.

Another Contract Question - 45 Days?

Here's another question brought up by my writing group.  The majority of contracts state an author will get paid 45 days after the end of each quarter.  However, we've discovered that publishers have different ideas as to what constitutes 45 days.  Some will pay within (or at least have the statements delivered and/or the check in the mail) within 45 straight calendar days (which, for fourth quarter statements, is around Feb. 15th.)  However, there are other pubs who pay within 45 business days (deleting Saturdays and Sundays), which makes checks due around March 3rd.

If the contract does not state specifically "business" days, is the author to assume payment will arrive around Valentine's Day?  Or is this something that needs to be addressed?

Is Your Contract Valid?

Several authors on a loop I'm on have been discussing this issue, and frankly I'm just as confused.

Because of an electronics act by Congress, typing in your "signature" on an emailed contract is considered valid.

But if your publisher does not sign it, and does not snail mail you back a signed paper copy, is the contract valid?

New Cover!

An erotic horror story

Coming May 15th from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid!

"Local inventors create way to autograph eBooks "

ST. PETERSBURG --

A local company is changing the way readers get their coveted signatures on eBooks.

Local author and inventor T.J. Waters and his friend developed Autography, a place for the author's signature.

"Basically, what you do is pull up a copy of your book as the author, and it inserts a blank page behind the cover and you sign whatever you're going to personalize for somebody," Waters said.

Waters can sign from his iPad, and that message will show up on the eReader within a couple of minutes on a newly created page.

"What we've also been able to figure out is how to do this remotely," Waters said. "So an author could be sitting in his home or a facility like this and doing a book signing in Cleveland."

Pictures and even digital baseball cards can be personalized using Autography.

Some booklovers worry software like Autography could mean the end of bound books.

Experts in the publishing industry predict half of all books will be eBooks in just a couple of years.

"That's an incredible shift in the entire industry that everybody is still trying to get their arms around," Waters said. "How's that going to change bookstores, libraries? How's it going to change author tours, and how is that going to change how the consumers and the authors interact?"

The company is also expanding the technology to other digital mediums like comic books.

(To see the original article and the video, click here.)

(Thanks, Carol!)

Authors, Here's Your Chance!

Dear Copyright Advocates:

*U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE WILL HIRE NEW REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS*


You may have heard that the U.S. Copyright Office is in the process of hiring a new Register of Copyrights. The former Register of Copyrights, Marybeth Peters, retired in December, and Maria Pallante has been appointed to be the Acting Register of Copyrights during the search process. For more information about the Register of Copyrights and Maria Pallante, click here.

The Copyright Alliance has been engaging in many discussions with Maria about the important role that the Copyright Office plays in our society, and how all creators rely on the Copyright Office to be a strong advocate for artists' rights. We have also encouraged the Office to select a candidate that has an appreciation of the history of copyright, a deep understanding of copyright law and strong commitment to the principles of copyright enacted by Congress and interpreted by Courts. *SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS*

Maria Pallante is giving us a unique opportunity to provide the Copyright Office with thoughts from artists about the important role of copyright and the Copyright Office in our society.

*I will be compiling all of your thoughts and input into one document and passing it on to Maria. So, please send me (ldugger@copyrightalliance.org) your thoughts by Monday, March 14, 2011.*

I know you all are so busy, but a sentence or two (or more) from you would be most helpful. So, if you feel so inclined, please follow these simple steps:

- *Jot down your ideas.* You may want to comment on:

- The importance of copyright in your life;

- That it is important for the Copyright Office to hire someone who is willing to understand and advocate for the creative community.

- *Remind the Copyright Office* that the viewpoints and actions of pro-piracy groups affect creation, innovation, and the economy. Tell the Office that you disagree with these groups who:

- Seem to represent illegal downloaders;

- Advocate that all artists should give their works away for free (and find another way to make money);

- Oppose practical piracy solutions from the creative community;

- Insist that consumers' opinions on artists' rights are more important than creators' perspectives on artists' rights.

- *Also include* your name, type of artist/creator, city, state, and your email address or other contact information -- if it's okay for the Copyright Office to contact you directly should it so desire.

- *Email your thoughts* to me, Lucinda, at ldugger@copyrightalliance.org

- *Meet the deadline* of Monday, March 14, 2011.

Thanks for taking a moment to weigh in on this important issue. You all are so helpful in advancing the voice of the entire creative community. Please feel free to spread the word of this request.

Best,

Lucinda Dugger
*Director of Outreach*

ONE VOI©E: SPEAK UP FOR CREATORS' RIGHTS

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(Thanks, Rie!)

Check out "Two Doors Down!"

Today's free read over at the Truly Madly Deeply Blogspot is Liddy Midnight's sweet fantasy entitled "Two Doors Down". 

Don't forget to leave a comment so you can be in the running for some super cool prizes!

Win 8 For 8, and Get FREE Ebooks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WHISKEY CREEK PRESS!

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS is EIGHT years old March 1, 2011!

Eight years of bringing great books by award-winning authors to their readers! 

To celebrate, two March customers will win EIGHT WCP ebooks of their choice FREE! Winners will be chosen randomly from all customers who purchase at least one book in March, 2011, at either great WCP website.

Thanks for shopping with Whiskey Creek Press, and supporting their authors, and keep checking back every month for new great books!

P.S. - My next book, Possession, an erotic paranormal romance novel, will be released on the 15th!

More Questions From My Writers Group

I love my writers group.  We get to trade anecdotes and ask questions, as well as offer support.

More questions have popped up recently.  What's funny is we'll go for weeks without anything occurring, and then we'll be inundated with problems.  In short, it's either feast or famine.

This time around we were discussing publishers, so here's three more interesting questions that beg an opinion:

* How can you be sure your publisher is giving you an honest count of your sales?

* Some publishers release ebooks in one or two formats, and others in three, four, or more.  Does the lack of additional formats of your book equal considerable lost sales?

* Would you as a writer accept a considerably lower royalty rate with a more "prestigious" publisher, or go with a smaller e-pub but with a much higher royalty percentage?

Good Question: How Will Book Signings Fare?

I don’t see brighter days ahead for dead tree publishing at the moment.


I heart Teddy Pig.

Traditional publishing is changing, even though New York is fighting tooth and nail.  We saw this same battle occur when LPs, cassettes, and CDs had to make way for individual song purchases off iTunes.  Remember the olden days when you were forced to buy an LP for one song, only to discover the rest of the album was garbage?  Which meant you essentially paid all that $$ for one song.

But if print books are slowly fading in the west (I honestly don't think they'll fully disappear.), and brick and mortar bookstores are having difficulty remaining solvent, what will happen to book signings?

Since you can't sign an ebook, would people be happy with a signed postcard or bookmark? Doesn't seem the same, IMO.

Coming So Far in 2011

So far here's my release calendar for 2011:

March 15 - POSSESSION, an erotic paranormal romance novel from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

April 2 - HER BATTLE LORD'S DESIRE, book 2 of the Battle Lord Saga

May 1 - Lord of Thunder Trilogy 3-in-1 Megabook from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

May 15 - THE TUB, a graphic erotic horror story from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid (under my pseudonym Gail Smith)

June 15 - CUT GLASS: JEWELS, Book 1 - Diamond, a dark erotic urban fantasy from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Sept. 15 - DEEP, an erotic sci-fi novella from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Date TBA - BEQUEATHED, an erotic fantasy romance from Red Rose Publishing

Date TBA - HEALER OF THE HEART, an erotic fantasy romance novel from Red Rose Publishing