Ring in the New Year with a good book

This is an open promotional opportunity for all authors who are looking to promote their books, regardless of genre. Here's how it works. In the comments, leave a blurb/details for your book and a purchase link. It'd be great if you could return the favor by having a similar post on your blog. If you do, please leave us the link for that as well. This will be open from now through New Years day, all day.

All I ask is that the blurb be PG-13 as this is not an adult rated blog. Even though I write erotic romance, I'd like for most anyone to be able to read my blog.

Okay, I'll go first. My latest book is called Frank and The Werewolf Tamer. It's about a vampire who gets involved with a modern (and sexy) version of Frankenstein.

Here are the details:

Katherine has had a hard time finding work, mostly because she’s a vampire. Turns out, people aren’t clamoring to work with the undead. She goes to the massive theme park, Notte Oscura, as a last resort. However, she soon finds there is more waiting for her than just a job.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Werewolf-Tamer-ebook/dp/B006PU2JBW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325201201&sr=8-1

My Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Tracey-H.-Kitts/e/B006H4U0LW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Looking to review any paranormal romance?

I'm giving away a limited number of pdf copies of Frank and The Werewolf Tamer to people (professional reviewers and readers) who are willing to post an honest review of the book on Amazon.

If you don't like romance, erotica, or the paranormal, please, skip this book.

It is my sincere hope that everyone will LOVE the book, but I realize this may not happen. When I say "honest" here's what I mean. If you absolutely hate the book, please don't trash it publicly. It's okay to not like something, this is a free country. Just don't call the book names, call me names, or give away details of the plot. Basically, be nice about it is what I'm saying.

However, it is still my hope that you will all LOVE the book. Ha. Ha. Ha. So, those interested in reviewing Frank and The Werewolf Tamer, please send me an email traceyhkitts@yahoo.com

In the subject line have something like Frank and The Werewolf Tamer/Review.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I really appreciate it!

Frank and The Werewolf Tamer is out!

This is my very first self-published book as well as my first experience with Amazon's Kindle exclusive lending library. (Kindle Prime members can read the book for free.) It'll probably be some time yet before I know how this venture will work out. But, I must say once I got the formatting thing down, it wasn't that difficult. With a bit of practice ( like doing this 2 or 3 times) that should be easy.


Designing the cover art was also not a big deal. Actually, I loved it. For the first time I had complete control over what was on the cover of my book. I only hope that my tastes as an artist and a writer are as pleasing to readers as they were to me.


Before my actions can be misunderstood, I have no intentions of leaving the world of traditional publishing. This is an experiment, one that I hope goes very well. I want to be able to offer readers better prices and also be able to pay my bills. It's a simple as that.


Without further rambling (because I'm writing this at 4:30 a.m.) here are the details on my latest book. (Drum roll please)




Katherine has had a hard time finding work, mostly because she’s a vampire. Turns out, people aren’t clamoring to work with the undead. She goes to the massive theme park, Notte Oscura, as a last resort. After she watches his sexy “Frankenstein” act, Frank Eastwick hires her on the spot. They are in need of a new werewolf tamer and he has no doubt that she can do the job. Katherine soon learns that there’s more to this hunk than his gorgeous body and numerous scars. Things are working out for Katherine for the first time in years. That is until the vampire who bit her decides to pay them a visit.



Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Werewolf-Tamer-ebook/dp/B006PU2JBW/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1324895015&sr=1-3

Happy Holidays

And to all my fellow work-a-holics, I understand. I never thought I'd be one of those people who worked all the time. Then one day (I always knew I wanted to write) I decided it was time I started writing. I began to follow through with my dream. Next thing you know I work all the time.

Honestly "work" is a dirty word to me. I use it because that's the word I have to use to let people know I'm trying to get something done. Ha. Ha. If I say I'm writing, that doesn't seem to convey the same respect or need for privacy.

The moment I finally gave in to what I always knew would be my career, everything changed. Here it is 2 days till Christmas and I'm still writing. I don't have an "off" switch. I've tried to explain to people that it's like I'm always on call for my muse. As bad as that might sound to some, I love it. I never leave work. Which would be a nightmare if I was still in any of the jobs I've had in the past. But not this. I love writing. I love telling stories and creating new worlds and characters.

I am what I do, so I can't stop being me. With that in mind, as I sit here "working," I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Winter Solstice, any other holiday, I wish you happiness.

May you be able to avoid the relatives you don't like and spend some time with the ones you do.

Happy Holidays, from me to you.

Who is Solomon Grundy?

Seriously, does anyone know? Yes, this is off topic from my usual blog subjects. I love comics. Get over it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Batman is my favorite. Yesterday while playing the new Arkham City (which rocks by the way), I encountered Solomon Grundy.

I immediately recognized him from the comics (and a brief appearance on some cartoons), but I still have no idea who he actually is. All he tells you himself is he was "Born on a Monday, christened on a Tuesday, married on Wednesday."

Um...okaaaaay. I found the rest of that bizarre nursery rhyme and it told me nothing, but here it is. There's even a company in the UK named after this nursery rhyme. That's pretty freakin' macabre, even to me.

By James Orchard Halliwell published in 1842 with the lyrics:

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy.

Well, that's pretty disturbing. My first impression when looking at Grundy is he looks like a zombie version of Frankenstein's monster. (He's got stitches along his biceps as if they are holding his arms together.) I did find a few references online that say he is in fact a "zombie supervillain." That's nice, but who the crap is he?

According to Penguin (Arkham City) he's immortal. Truthfully, I couldn't kill him. We just got to a point where he was subdued. Zombies, in any other work of fiction, can be killed. So, what the crap is he? Who made him? If you know, tell me. Please. It bugs me.

I also already know he was supposedly murdered in Slaughter Swamp (where ever the hell that is). I couldn't find if that meant something or not. The same article where I found this said that every time he is "killed" in his zombie form he is resurrected with different powers. That's cool and all, BUT WHY? You get what I'm saying?

Oh, and I also found out that Solomon Grundy is the name of a pickled fish dish served on Jamaican Cruises. Bleh! I've been to Jamaica before and nobody ever offered me Solomon Grundy on a cracker. Nasty!

Every site I went to says the same thing. (Not about the pickled fish thing.) He's a zombie supervillain who also fought the Green Lantern and some other people. Not to sound like an ass, but I don't care about that other stuff. I just want to know where he came from/who made him the way he is.

How can you have a badass zombie supervillain and not give him a decent backstory?

Okay, as I was about to hit "send" I decided to look into the Slaughter Swamp thing. Yay! I found some more information. It'd probably be easier to just post a link.

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Slaughter_Swamp

This is more like it. However, it still doesn't explain how he is at least 20 feet tall. That's my best guess in comparison to Batman who I estimate is about 6' 2".

Grundy was also a sideshow freak over the years. But, I've heard that he has more than one origin story. Anyone else know the rest?

My first cover art design and why I'm doing this

Before I share the next step of my project, I'd like to clear something up. I am not self-publishing this book because I have no other option. Some people seem to have gotten the impression that no one wants my story and that's why it's being self-published.

That's not true at all. I've had 15 novels, 3 novellas, and 1 short story, all traditionally published. You know, by a publisher. I submitted my work, they offered me a contract, etc. Everything I've ever finished has been published.

Frank and The Werewolf Tamer has never been submitted to a publisher, anywhere at any time. This story was written specifically for this business venture. Make no mistake, that's exactly what this is.

In the on-going attempt to survive and pay my bills, I've decided to self-publish some of my work. I love what I do and I sincerely enjoy providing entertainment for readers. However, I also want to make more money and be able to offer readers a cheaper price at the same time. People deserve a bargain and I deserve to keep a roof over my head.

These reasons are what led me down this road, not rejection.

Now that that's cleared up, I'd like to share with everyone my very first cover art design. I used a combination of Photoshop, Paint, and Microsoft Picture Manager to create the desired effects. By the way, that's the edge of my back yard in the background.

For those interested in learning how to make their own cover art, there are dozens of "how to" videos on youtube. That's where I've picked up a lot. Until a few weeks ago, I'd never used Photoshop in my life.

My self-publishing adventure is nearing completion

Well, this part of it anyway. I've been doing tons of reasearch. My book Frank and The Werewolf Tamer is almost complete. I've decided on the perfect images for the cover art (which I'll be making myself). Actually, I seem to have a knack for it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't perect, but with some effort, I think I could be really good at this.

As it stands now, I'm about 15-20 thousand words away from the end of the book. I wrote 5,ooo just this morning. My fingers are tired, but my brain won't stop. Once I finish the book, I'll need to edit it once more (because I've already edited it up to this point 3 times). Then, my writing partner will go over it again for me. Next, I'll work on that smoking hot cover art. And last but not least, I'll learn how to format and upload my book to Amazon Kindle.

I am so excited! At first, when I read that they have a 35% royalty option or a 70% option, I thought it was a no brainer. Then, I looked into the matter further. In case anyone else is wondering, here's what I've learned about Amazon's Kindle program.

- You can only earn 70% royalties on titles priced $2.99 - $9.99
- Anything $2.98 and under automatically earns 35% royalties

That means that for a .99 cent book (which is what I was originally going to offer), I would only earn .35 cents a copy. As much as I want readers to have a bargain, I can't live on that. And I do this for a living.

- 70% royalty books are also charged a small download fee. (0.15 per KB) This mostly hurts those with lots of graphics. The fee is deducted from your royalties and not charged to the author seperately. Honestly, I haven't heard anyone complaining about this. From what I understand, the average fee is only 3-6 cents per book.

After much debate, I've decided that Frank and The Werewolf Tamer will be priced at $2.99. This will still offer readers a good price and allow me to pay my bills. I consider that win/win.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works out and thought I'd share my experiences/research thus far.