Reblog

Bookbird: an Amazing Resource for Writers

~ beetleypete ~ 14 Comments

Great tips and links from Nicholas for authors and writers. .

Nicholas C. Rossis

Bookbird Amazon KDP guides | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

I came across Bookbird when I was hired by Yves Lummer to work on the website’s content. Bookbird is rapidly becoming a top resource for authors looking for help with writing and self-publishing, with tons of excellent advice covering everything from name generators to calculating your KDP royalty.

So far, I have written 4 guides for him, with at least as many scheduled for December.

Bookbird | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Yves has also published a large number of amazing guides that all Indies should check out, such as Amazon KDP: The Definitive Beginner Guide For Authors (2022), How to Price Your Book, and Amazon Book Categories: The Secret Visibility Booster.

Its main offering, though, is its Amazon KDP Book Interior Templates. Perfect for low-content books such as activity, coloring, and even no-content books (think journals, notebooks…

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Day Brightener – “Who Is Shaking The Jar”

~ beetleypete ~ 34 Comments

This tends to sum up the ‘human situation’. Thanks, Loren.

Loren Berg's Blog

I first recieved the following quote as a video featuring Mark Twain, while Twain may have penned this comment, it appears that it is more likely from Shera Starr. It also appeared in something from Sir David Attenborough. Regardless of the origin and regardless of your political leanings, this should resonate.

“If you catch 100 red fire ants as well as 100 large black ants, and put them in a jar, at first, nothing will happen. However, if you violently shake the jar and dump them back on the ground the ants will fight until they eventually kill each other. The thing is, the red ants think the black ants are the enemy and vice versa, when in reality, the real enemy is the person who shook the jar. This is exactly what’s happening in society today. Liberal vs. Conservative. Black vs. White. Pro Mask vs. Anti-Mask. Vax vs. Anti-vax…

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Significant Songs (120)

~ beetleypete ~ 6 Comments

This lovely song needs a reblog. Only 8 comments in 2016!

beetleypete

Dear Love

As well as qualifying as one of my significant songs, this post is also something of a film review in miniature too. As well as the music, I can recommend the film ‘Big Driver’ that includes this song on the soundtrack.

Earlier this year, I watched this film on TV, knowing little or nothing about it. I was attracted by the cast, which includes Maria Bello, Joan Jett (of rock and roll fame) and the menacing Will Harris. It is a tough film to watch, involving sexual abuse, and a woman’s revenge. The story is about how a female novelist tracks down the man responsible for the attack on her. In doing so, she uses as her inspiration the heroine of her mystery stories, an elderly female detective played by Olympia Dukakis. Of course this is a fictional character, so only visible to our heroine. I later discovered…

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Upcoming Anthology Publication: Oct. 1, 2022

~ beetleypete ~ 28 Comments

A new anthology containing two stories from the talented writer and blogger, Liz Guffreau. It is available on the first of October. Please read the original post for more details and buying links.

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Click on the above image to preorder the ebook from Amazon.

I am very excited to share that two of my short stories will be included in an upcoming short story anthology, Distant Flickers: Stories of Identity & Loss: 

  • “Norfolk, Virginia, 1975: East Ocean View”
  • “Diary Omissions: The House on Edgewood Road.” 

To get a feel for the anthology as a whole, check out the video. I’m in very good company!

Would You Like to Help Spread the Word about the Anthology?

The Distant Flickers contributors are looking for a few blog “spotlights” to help launch the book during the months of October and November. To make it easy on anyone interested in doing a spotlight, we will provide the following:

  • Blog Header Graphic
  • Smaller Graphic
  • Book Cover
  • Book Blurb
  • Book Trailer
  • Short Excerpt (A different one for each spotlight post)
  • Universal buy link for the anthology
  • Meet the Contributors’…

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New Release – ‘Falling’.

~ beetleypete ~ 11 Comments

A new book from the talented writer and blogger, Stevie Turner. If you pre-order before the release date in October, it is great value too!

Stevie Turner

My new novel ‘Falling‘, a women’s fiction romance (contemporary/enemies-to-lovers), made the finals of the 2022 Page Turner Writing Award, and is now available for pre-order at the special price of just $0.99/£0.99. On October 7th it will be published and the price will increase to $2.99/£1.99. You can find ‘Falling‘ here.

Thanks to Teagan Geneviene for the cover and for the promotional banner.

Death seems preferable to wasting what remains of his youth in prison.

James Hynde, fortified by several tots of whiskey, climbs up onto the roof of Parker Mews’ multi-storey car park and peers over the parapet. The game is up. The police will soon seize his millions, the Maserati, the London townhouse, and the Caribbean mansion on Windjammer Island.

Should he jump feet first or hold out his arms and topple over and over like a somersaulting gymnast? He closes his eyes…

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How many solar panels can you eat?

~ beetleypete ~ 19 Comments

Another great post from Jim. Whatever your views on environmental issues, remember that we cannot eat trees or solar panels. There has to be more balance.

Jim Webster

It’s interesting that both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have spoken out against covering farmland with solar panels. You do wonder if finally, people are beginning to wake up a little.

Personally I think that, whether he intended to or not, Putin has created a watershed in history, but not perhaps in the way he intended.

If we go back to the start of the century, Ed Miliband put the green levies on energy. But at the same time a lot of other things were put in place, all nicely set ten, twenty or even thirty years ahead. Politicians were kicking unexploded bombs into the long grass secure in the knowledge that by the time these things happened and the public started feeling the pain, they’d be long retired on a good pension and their successors could take the flak.

When they were announced, the ban on the installation of…

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Regency Lady Detective

~ beetleypete ~ 14 Comments

Do you like audiobooks? This new one is narrated by the excellent Pippa Rathborne. Full details on her blog post.

Pippa Rathborne

“This is my investigation”

A Seacoast Promenade Fashion for October 1809. Fashion plate engraving from La Belle Assemblée.

“Maylene says it’s all a matter of logic and reasoning,
but I always believe there’s another force guiding her, a talent.”

Miss Treadwell’s Talent by Barbara Metzger,
narrated by Pippa Rathborne,
is now available as an audiobook
on AUDIBLE US, UK, GERMANY & FRANCE,
AMAZON & iTUNES

Lady Caroline Lamb in page’s costume, painted by Thomas Phillips, 1813

Dash it, would this dinner never end?…
There was not even going to be one of the baroness’s bogus journeys beyond for entertainment.

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60 Feet Under

~ beetleypete ~ 31 Comments

Some time ago, I sent Shaily a first line suggestion for a fictional short story. She had a great idea for using it, and produced an outstanding story.

Short Stories | Fish-eye Perspective

Author’s note: This is short story based on the first line suggested by Beetleypete.

It was so hot there, much hotter than I could ever have imagined it would be. I had always expected it to be cool below the surface since the desert sun couldn’t get to you. But apparently, I was wrong.

It was stifling hot and suffocating, even though, I didn’t need to breath anymore. The casket I was lying in was rather stuffy. May be a walk in the tomb would help.

It was just as dark outside. There was no way of knowing whether it was day or night. Who would want to live for eternity stuck in a hole where you could see neither the sun, nor the moon and stars. Not that I needed light to see. My eyes adjusted to the dark just fine but it didn’t take away the…

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