FREE READ: The Language of Flowers by Christy Carlyle

TULIPS

NOTE from the Blog Queens:
Multi-published Victorian Romance Author Christy Carlyle  is a Genre-ista Alumnus. For a year, we published a sister blog called "Free Reads from the Genre-istas and Friends" where we published original flash fiction stories. Christy's story, "The Language of Flowers", was our most popular Free Read. She generously agreed to post her story for free for our Eighth Blog-o-versary.

AUTHOR CHRISTY CARLYLE

NOTE from USA Today Bestselling Author Christy Carlyle:
I love the past and earned my bachelor’s degree in history. I remember being told there was nothing I could do with a history degree, but now I get to use what I learned when writing stories. I’m happiest when I’m writing, fleshing out the stories in my head.

I wrote "The Language of Flowers" back in 2012, two years before I self-published my first story and three years before I received my first contract from Avon. I’ve always been fascinated by the language of flowers, a means of communication particularly popular in the Victorian-era, by which individuals sent coded messages to share secret feelings or express what could not be spoken aloud. Now that I am published, I’ve thought of writing more stories based on the language of flowers, but so far I’ve only produced this one. I hope you enjoy it.

VIOLETS

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS
For the third time in as many minutes Violet Taylor reminded herself that she had not accepted the invitation to Milly Wilcox’s garden party in the hope of seeing him. She didn’t even know for certain he would attend. It was true that he was nearly a member of the Wilcox family due to his longtime friendship with Milly’s brother. But that made no odds. He was a taciturn man whose behavior was unpredictable on the best of days.

With no thought to his attendance, she had come because Milly invited her, and it was the perfect opportunity to renew their friendship. Though, as she thought on it more, they had never truly developed a deep and meaningful friendship. Their families moved in different circles. Indeed, the Wilcoxes were the kind of family her mother called “the right sort.” The Taylors, on the other hand, were a few crucial steps behind. But that had never bothered Violet. It kept the penurious men away and allowed her a modicum of freedom to do as she pleased. Unfortunately, it also kept the quite well to do men away, and even one who was simply the best friend of a wealthy Wilcox.

He would certainly not attend a garden party. They were too spritely and colorful for such a dour, mirthless man. Of course, he would not have to spend time admiring the Wilcox’s flowers on this afternoon as the April weather had turned rainy and cool. The drawing room curtains were open so that the handful of guests could admire the gardens, but the glass obscured their colors, running them together like watercolor paints under a too damp brush.

He liked the rain, but disliked gardens. He adored the Wilcoxes, but loathed social gatherings that involved more than a couple guests. No, he would most definitely not attend. Indeed, if he did plan to attend, he was now unfashionably late. But it would be just like him to behave abominably.

“He’s here!” A chill trickled down Violet’s back as if she’d been stripped bare in a cool breeze.

Caught on Camera - Free Summer Read on Wattpad

by Madelle Morgan

Caught on Camera, my 55,000 word New Adult romantic comedy, was discovered by thousands of readers worldwide pre-publication. 

Wattpad.com, the social media site for aspiring and published writers, is the reason.

An unknown indie romance author has a very difficult time getting her books noticed in this new age of self-publishing. 

Building an e-mail list and followers can be a difficult, time-consuming and often expensive process. 

In this post, I'll describe how I went from four followers to over a hundred thousand followers on Wattpad, and why my awesome free read experience is one I will repeat with the second book in the Hollywood in Muskoka series.

I signed up on Wattpad.com in August, 2015 and started posting pre-copyedited scenes of Caught on Camera. Five months later, I had a grand total of four Wattpad followers. My book was ranked so low among thousands of stories it didn't even merit a number. No one could find it. 

Sound familiar?

Wattpad has three curated lists under each Discover/category tab: Hot, Featured, and Undiscovered. In January I submitted an on-line application to have Caught on Camera featured in the Discover/Romance category. It was featured starting mid-February, after I had posted approximately half the book.

As a condition of having my book featured, I agreed to leave the complete novel on the site for six months. "What do I have to lose?" I thought. My debut romantic suspense, Diamond Hunter, was never discovered despite good reviews, promo via KDP Select, deal sites, and Facebook ads, and eventually a permanent price of $0.99 USD. I crossed my fingers that I might gain a few readers via the Wattpad feature. Maybe a hundred followers. Optimistically two hundred.

Well, to my amazement, as of July I have more than 112,000 Wattpad followers from around the world! 

Granted, most followers wait until a story is complete to start reading. Over two thousand did read my chapters as they were posted weekly this spring, briefly pushing the book to #19 in Romance. Many readers commented with much appreciated feedback that made Caught on Camera a better story. I even added a sex scene due to popular demand!

Will many of those 112,000 followers buy the book when it's published, given that they had the opportunity to read it for free? That remains to be seen. I will advertise a special feature that is not in the final draft posted on Wattpad. However, having thousands of readers who can't wait to read Sex and the Screenwriter, Book 2 in the series, is a long way from four followers status!

I'll begin posting Book 2 scenes on Wattpad in the fall.


Caught on Camera Back Cover Copy

To achieve her dream of working on Hollywood film sets, star struck chambermaid Rachel Lehmann needs $35,000 for film school tuition by the end of the summer. When she's asked to fill in for a missing bridesmaid at a movie star's wedding, it's her big chance to secretly take candid photos of celebrities and sell them to the entertainment media. Then groomsman Mickey McNichol, agent to the stars, sweeps her off her feet.

Mickey cynically believes everyone in show business is out for what they can get. When he falls hard for the stand-in bridesmaid, he thinks he's finally met a beautiful woman he can trust. But if Rachel betrays the wedding party's privacy, Mickey will ensure she never works in Hollywood.

Caught on Camera is complete on Wattpad.com. I sent it to a copy editor last week, and it will be available on Amazon, Kobo, and iBooks in September. Meanwhile, treat yourself to a fun, sexy summer read. Sign up on Wattpad.com, follow Madelle Morgan, and read Caught on Camera for free.

Have a wonderful summer!

Madelle

Subscribe to MadelleMorgan.com and receive a free copy of her sexy short story, The Next Big Thing.

Madelle tweets and posts about Hollywood, filmmaking, the settings for her stories, and of course, writing. 

Follow Madelle on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Wattpad. 

The Crystal Witch--Enjoy!!

              I was fortunate this year to have two short stories published in the anthology "Love & Magick", along with Sarah Raplee(McDermed) and Judith Ashley, my co-authors.            

             "Love & Magick" is a smorgasbord of stories and a good variety of genres. Today I'd like to share the beginning of "The Crystal Witch", my first story in the anthology.

The Crystal Witch 

                                  By Diana McCollum 

                                  Copyright February 2014

October 15, 2012

                The right mixture of violet and blue evening sky laced with bolts of scarlet bouncing off the clouds always brought to mind the evening of her death, or what would have been Hettie’s death had she not escaped.

                Even after ten years living in the small coastal town of Waxing, Massachusetts, a death-sky inspired panic deep in her chest. She took several deep breaths repeating her timeworn mantra.

                “’Tis a frivolous fear, 

                   for naught dangerous be near,

                   Bless this house, bless this store,

                   and bless me ever more.”

Hettie intoned the mantra three times.

She put a match to bundled sage twigs and walked the boundary of her small gift shop, The Crystal Witch. Climbing the stairs to her apartment, at the door she murmured an opening charm and crossed the threshold then proceeded to walk the length of every wall in every room. The blessed smoke from the stems both cleansed and protected the space. She stopped by the front window. Pulling the lace curtain aside, she looked out at the sky, almost dark now. The shadow of a figure merged with the dark of the woods across the street. Did she see a lonely soul out for an evening walk, or something more sinister? Her stomach clinched; it could be time to pay her debt.

Samhain was fast approaching. The time of year when the veil between worlds was easily accessible, when good or evil could pass through with barely a ripple in the curtain. Hettie was uneasy this time of year, and with good reason; if Declan came for her, it would be during this preternatural time.

________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed this except from the Anthology 'Love & Magick" available through Windtree Press.

My novella will be available in October 2014.  I tell Ella's story, a witch who is introduced in "The Crystal Witch."

Do you like paranormal books?  If yes, any specific type: Vampire, witches, shape shifters etc?

Cowboys and aliens

Brilliant movie, right? Spaceships, cattle, dirty saloons and stolen gold. Daniel Craig looking ultra-cool and sexy. Harrison Ford is a crusty cowboy. What more could you want?

Cowboys and aliens are also the subject of one of my short stories, a sci-fi romance called Whiskey and Starshine.

Which happens to be going for free, right now. In this anthology. Nice cover art, eh?

Whiskey and Starshine is the story of a mind-wiped saloon girl (well, it's on a space station, but it's still a saloon, y'all!) who enlists the help of a dangerous stranger to help her escape the evil clutches of her overlord. But is this guy really a stranger? Or has she just forgotten?

Well, I'm not telling :) But my hero, Raine Jericho, is certainly ultra-cool, in a rough, unshaven, hat-wearing, whiskey-swilling, space-cowboy kind of way. If I may say so myself.

Did I mention the antho is free? And features a bunch of brilliant sci-fi romance authors? Here's the deal:

Experience love and adventure among the stars in TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE, a free digital anthology of eight Science Fiction Romance stories. 

From Earth to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, explore the worlds of Science Fiction Romance with stories from Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, Amy Laurens, and Kyndra Hatch. 

Awesome, eh? You can download it for free from Smashwords. Or check out the anthology web page.

I hope you enjoy it! There will be cowboys, at least in my story. And there'll definitely be aliens. Who knows what else you'll find?

Free Reads - Short Stories

From an author’s perspective a Free Read is a promotional item. Like the free food samples at grocery stores, given a taste readers will (the author hopes) like the product and want more!

For readers, a Free Read provides the opportunity to discover a new author, sample the writing style prior to a buying decision, or spend more time with favorite characters.

Excerpts are one type of Free Read. As well, there are several free short story approaches to entice readers to put an author’s books on their “to read” lists, including but not limited to the following:

1.    Promote Author’s Voice and Brand

The way authors tell stories is as individual as their personalities. Are the stories light and humorous or gritty and dark? Fast-moving or descriptive? Whether authors write hot, kinky romance or high tension romantic suspense, their free short reads “brand” them as writers in a particular genre. When readers search review sites, the bookshelves at a book store or online book sellers such as Amazon, they’ll expect to find books in the same “voice” and genre that authors promote in the free short stories.

2.    Frame a Series

My free short story The Next Big Thing describes how Angela meets her match but also introduces the heroines of my next two novels: sister Sophie (For Love and Money - romantic suspense) and cousin Lucy (The Lust Factor - romantic comedy). The short story is a frame linking very different tales of three beautiful women who happen to be related.

I wish from the bottom of my heart that those two books were already written and published because it is asking a lot of a reader to wait that long. Lesson learned. When planning a series, authors may consider writing a short story that introduces linked characters. So as not to frustrate readers, they should publish the Free Read only when the first book in the series is available!

3.    Hook with a Prequel

Genre fiction does not allow for detailed backstory. However, many readers are keen to know more about the hero or heroine’s journey to that point.

Consider this example. An author would love to describe the incident years ago when the hero saved his sister from a murderous demon but was left emotionally and physically scarred, knowing the next encounter with the demon would kill him. However, the editor nixes the flashback, and the book opens when the same demon targets the heroine. A Free Read ‘extra’ can provide details of characters' pasts that the author had to cut; i.e., a deleted prologue or flashback scene is converted into a short free read.

4.    Satisfy With a Sequel

Romance readers follow the characters’ trials and tribulations for hours, only to be left at the altar, so to speak. In a short story an author can give readers proof there really is a happily ever after. At the wedding of the hero and heroine does the best man get together with the caterer? Does the bride’s sister fall for the groom’s out-of town college roommate? There may not be enough spin-off story for a full-length novel, but a short sequel gives readers a few more minutes with favorite characters while providing a satisfying story complete in itself.

What type of Free Read do you enjoy most?

Madelle’s Free Read, The Next Big Thing, was downloaded over 100,000 times and won a 'Superstar' award at Ellora’s Cave RomantiCon 2010.

Charity Begins At Home

Hi everyone.
B. A. Binns here, hoping you will join me in a discussion of charity may begin at home, but it spreads out from there.


For me, charity begins at home, or at least with something that matters to me. Since I am an author of Young Adult fiction, I can tell you that teen literacy is high on the list of things that matter. My books have received several awards and honors. The proudest one was having my debut novel, PULL, named to the 2012 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list.

In the past two years I have become an advocate for Reluctant Readers, kids who claim they don't read, have lost interest, or been lost by the system that was supposed to educate them. I speak at schools, libraries and conferences about ways to reach these kids and turn on their innate desire to read. Someone told me once my books are in competition with TV, movies, and video games. I disagree. Fiction competes with these media the way boots compete with flip-flops. Both spend time on your feet, but each has a specific time, place and function. They do not do the same job.

Books are the media where we can see ourselves. With other media, we passively watch the talent perform on a screen. With books, the talent is US, performing inside out own heads. The right book in the right readers hands literally speaks to them. As one reader told me, "that's my life in your book."

Books present readers with ethical dilemmas that can be solved in the safety of their own minds, and leave lasting knowledge that can be used in the rest of their lives. And never forget the development of empathy and understanding that books do so much better than any sitcom or drama interspersed with the required number of commercials ever could.

On June 29, I will address a session of the 2013 Annual Conference of the American Library Association talking about ways to reach teen reluctant readers. I have given this talk to educators in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. I also talk directly to reluctant readers. I have spoken at the Camelot Therapeutic School, and the Joliet Juvenile Detention Center (which closed in Jan 2013), both in Illinois. I found young people in both groups who turned from uncaring to "I want to read that book" as they listened to excerpts, learned about the writing process, and,in some cases, read some of their own works to the group. The key was getting them involved and matching the right kid with the right book. Reluctant readers need stories that speak to THEM.

Since 2011 I have donated copies of both Pull, Being God, and Die Trying and other stories to numerous schools and libraries across the US, including:

• Alameda County Juvenile Hall, San Leandro, California
• Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Denney Juvenile Justice Center School, Everett, Washington
• Merrillville High School, Merrillville, Indiana
• Shreve Memorial Library, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Vantage Career Center, Van Wert, Ohio

 If you would know of a facility that would like to be considered for a donation of books, leave me a comment on Facebook.com/allthecolorsoflove and tell me why the kids there deserve copies to be eligible for free books and a possible free author Skype visit. 

My definition of charity may begin at home, but it spreads out from there.

Let's all just get along... and a free read!

Everyone has their own thoughts on self-publishing -- I choose not to call it 'indie publishing', because that term includes things other than self-publishing, and if we're so proud of it, let's call it what it is -- and I don't intend to argue with anyone.

It's all about what's good for you.

Not for your friends, or that author you just met on the internet, or that best-seller you keep hearing so much about.

It's about you. What's good for your book, at that particular time.

Some books do well in print, others are better in e-book. Some books do well at a higher price point, others suffer unless they're cheaper. Some books you want to make money from, others you're just after publicity, branding and copies sold or downloaded.

None of these things are better (or worse!) than the others. None of them are shameful, despite what some people say.

And you certainly don't have to choose just one.

I've been in traditional publishing for long enough to understand that some of my books will be attractive prospects for trad pubs, while others won't. That doesn't mean they can't all sell copies. It's just the nature of the publishers' business that some genres, or styles of book and concept, work well for them, while others can't and won't. And it's nice to have the option of getting those stories out there in other ways.

But the bottom line is: we're all writing books. Whatever choices we make, we can all play in the same pond, can't we? There's no need to exclude anyone, or rate anyone as lower than anyone else, just because they made a different choice to us.

In the end, for me, it's the books that matter.

Okay, rant over :) if you're into sexy paranormals, I've got a little free read for you!

Hellcursed is a prequel short story to my Shadowfae Chronicles series. It's about Jade, a headstrong girl who's just been tricked into a thousand years of demon servitude. Of course, she's not having any of it. As far as she's concerned, her demon lord can go straight back to hell... but she's yet to discover the true meaning of demon thrall.

You can download it free from Smashwords. It's an erotic story, so over-18s only please.

Happy holidays!

Don't Forget the Mistletoe - a little Christmas romance

by Christy Carlyle

The Westerley’s annual Christmas gathering

London, 1887

     “You’re not going to marry Eliza Hobbs, are you?”
     The question took Benedict Poole utterly by surprise, so much so that he nearly tripped over his own feet. One moment he had been indulging in the pleasure of playful banter with the prettiest girl in the room, and in the next she had shocked him to his boots. He regained his balance quickly but couldn’t keep the irritation from his voice when he responded to the young woman at his elbow. “What makes you say such a thing?”
     “You spent a good deal of time with her at the Newland’s dinner party, and I heard that you accompanied her to mama's gathering tonight.” Was that a flush of pink he saw on Amy’s cheek? He noted that she was suddenly very interested in studying the cut of the crystal glass in her hand.
     “I offered her the use of my carriage. I delivered her to your house. Not the same thing at all.” It was the truth. He had as much interest in Eliza Hobbs as he did in any of the other eligible young ladies in his circle. He did his duty, danced when necessary, offered the use of his carriage when needed, but none of them endangered his heart. His heart was secure. Uselessly, pointlessly devoted to the one woman who had no interest in it at all.
     “You aren’t going to marry her then?”
     Amelia Westerley was nothing if not tenacious. It was one of her qualities that he most admired. But her newfound interest in his marital status was a shock. More than a shock, it was an irony. He had only ever asked for one woman’s hand in marriage, and Amy had refused him.
     “Are you so eager to marry me off?” He wondered, for the first time, if their continuing friendship was difficult for her too. For very different reasons, of course. She would want him married off to be secure from any more unwanted declarations of love.
     The Westerley’s home suddenly seemed too crowded and the fire in the drawing room grate blazed too high for comfort. Benedict began devising an excuse so that he could make an early departure without causing too much offense.
     “No!” Amy must have felt the heat too, as her cheeks were clearly flushed with color. He felt the light pressure of her hand on his upper arm. She was warm. He savored the heat of her fingertips as they grasped him.
     “Don’t marry her, Ben.”
     He looked into the mirror over the mantle and studied her as she turned to him, practically pleading with him. She looked strikingly beautiful, with that pink flush in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. His hopeful heart thought, for just a moment, that it read a glint of desire in those glistening eyes. No, she did not desire him in that way. They had crossed that ground already. That was the way of pain. Those notions were the road to folly.
     When he didn’t speak, she continued. “I have heard things about her.”
     “Amy, you know how I detest gossip. Spare me a recitation of the latest girlish tittle tattle.” He lifted his cup and drank down the final swig of Mrs. Westerley’s warm Christmas punch, determined to put an end to this evening. He had looked forward to it for weeks, mostly for the opportunity to see Amy, but no amount of overly spiced punch could blunt the pain of discussing matrimony with the one woman who would not consider it with him.
     “I am not a girl anymore. What you call gossip may simply be facts shared among friends. Facts that one should know before yoking yourself to a woman for life. I know you are eager to marry, but—”
     “Who says I am eager to marry?” Amy didn’t answer. She opened her mouth as if to speak and he could see that she was nearly bursting with some emotion. But still she said nothing. He wanted to help her, to draw from her all of the emotion that he could read in her lovely face, whatever it might be.
     He wanted to recapture the ease they had shared in each other’s company earlier in evening. Conversations that ambled from topic to unrelated topic and good-natured mutual teasing had been the hallmarks of their interaction almost from the moment they had met.
     Before he could speak and say something benign to cut through the growing tension between them, she struck him speechless by reaching out to take his hands. As she was at home, she had not worn gloves and he had shed his own with his coat and hat.

     It had been so long since he had touched her bare flesh. He recalled the moment the previous September when he’d held her hands, caressed her face. He had been the one pleading then. A surge of pain came with the memory, fresh and sharp, as if her rejection had been just yesterday.
     “Amy, I must go—”
     She cut him off. “You can’t go.” Nothing she could say could persuade him, not even her supple hands still holding his tightly. “Have you forgotten about the mistletoe?”
     “Mistletoe?” His lips formed the word, but his thoughts scattered as if a stiff wind had just blown through the Westerley’s stuffy drawing room.
     Amy tugged at his hands, pulling him a few steps into a corner of the room, not far from the glow of the fragrant, candlelit Christmas tree. A sprig of mistletoe hung from a red satin ribbon above their heads.
     “You do know what you must do under the mistletoe, don’t you?” Benedict sensed no tension in Amy’s expression now. Indeed, a smile a curved her lips and she stood close, achingly close to him.
     He slid his hand along the sleeve of her dress, grasped her arm, and pulled her closer. “Has something changed, Amy?” Hope flared in his chest like an ember.
     “Yes.” Her voice was quiet, nearly a whisper. Benedict leaned closer, relishing her familiar rosewater scent.
     His voice grew husky, the words thick in his mouth. “Shall I kiss you, Amy?”
     She didn’t answer, not with words, but she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his. Benedict slid his arms around her waist and held her as tightly as he dared, gently, fearful of breaking the spell that had placed his heart’s desire back in his arms.
     All too soon, she pulled away from the kiss, but she did not move out of his embrace. Another question filled his mind. A question he had asked once before and vowed never to ask anyone again. He could not fathom a change of heart or surviving the pain of another rejection. Now, with Amy in his arms and a love that mirrored his own shining in her eyes, he thought Christmas might just be the right time to risk his heart again.