Writer by Night; Knitter by Day

Finally took up knitting again after a few decades a couple of years. The fun has been exciting to re-visit this old friend. My encouragement came after meeting Christine Rogers, who happens to own THE SOCIAL KNITWORK right here in my own neck of the woods. How cool is that? 

Anyways, I'm going to share a few photos of her shop and hope anyone who lives in the area of Spring, Texas will stop in and say hello, look around, and sit a spell. It's called THE SOCIAL KNITWORK for a reason. :>) 

Hope you enjoy the photos and for anyone who is a yarn enthusiast, this is the place to come; learn tons of tips and tricks and maybe pick up a new hobby. If you're into "Spinning," look no further--Christine does that too. 

There are tons of neat stuff inside this cozy wonderful shop. Just wanted to share it with the world! 


Now it's time for me to put down the needles and go put someone through the ashes of hell...on page, of course. *grinin'*


Happy Trails,
Cherri

Shades: Eight Tales of Terror

D. Nathan Hilliard and his "Shades: Eight Tales of Terror" is one of those books that will keep you looking over your shoulder. It gives new meaning for *things that go bump in the night*. You can find it on Kindle or if you prefer print, it's a available as well. 

 Within these pages lurks a cast of phantoms who have returned from the grave with a vengeance. You will find no friendly ghosts here, just eight deathly horrors with their own personal bones to pick with the living. These are the ghosts of our nightmares. Whether driven by madness, vengeance, pain, bloody evil, or primordial rage...they are all specters that are as dangerous as they are frightening. So get comfortable, get that night light ready, and find out who survives and who doesn't in this anthology of the baleful dead. Stories within include...

Death and White Satin - A young bride-to-be unearths the wrong wedding dress and discovers that horror and madness can echo down through the decades.

An Echo of Blood and Mirrors - A young man is surprised in the boy's bathroom by the head cheerleader. But things quickly take a turn for the worse as he discovers she's on the run from a triple murderer who has been dead for over a century.

Dance of the Ancients - Three lawmen search for a missing state trooper on a hill doomed to disappear under the rising waters of a new lake. Fearing the worst, they find something even worse than they feared.

A Memory of Me - A night spent in a forgotten graveyard lands three college boys in a situation that none of their classes have prepared them for.

Legacy of Flies - A young woman discovers she is the heir of a vast family fortune. But she also finds her inheritance comes with a ghoulish legacy that may very well be the death of her.

Storm Chase - A hurricane approaches and Bernie March's wife is standing down the hill beside the tractor he needs to bring in ahead of the storm...exactly where he buried her three years earlier.

A Singularity of Purpose - A callous young punk discovers that returning from the dead isn't just the prerogative of humans when he finds himself in one last desperate race with the dog he tormented in life.

A Long, Cold Forever of a Night - On a humid July night, a middle-aged couple find themselves alone in a deserted rural intersection...with the deadly phantom of a high school classmate who died in an ice storm decades earlier.

My very favorite story of all was created for his cover; "A Long, Cold Forever of a Night". This one will get you for sure! 

Happy Trails, happy reading--
Cherri

From Santa With Love--Ninth Lord of the Night << FREE >>

Old St. Nick is arriving early! NINTH LORD OF THE NIGHT, by Diana L. Driver is FREE for today, tomorrow and Tuesday. Don't let this one get away! 



One of the most intense reads, I've ever read. Follow Zack through the jungles of Guatemala as he is forced to face phenomenal decisions that will forever change and direct his life. 
 
NINTH LORD OF THE NIGHT by Diana L. Driver is offering her novel for FREE for three days only on Kindle. Remember, if you don't have a Kindle, you can download Kindle for PC for free and start reading all the books available on Amazon!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas,

Cherri

Tracking Perception is now <<< FREE >>> on Kindle

A wish on a wing, and a prayer. For today and for only a few days more, Tracking Perception is available to all Kindle owners for {{{ FREE }}} . 

For those who enjoy murder mysteries--let me introduce you to Becky McAllen. She's feisty, clever, and holds a heart of gold. She doesn't take much from anyone and freely speaks her mind. Becky loves four things most in life: coffee, her husband, gossip, and dogs (not necessarily in that order). Oh, and murder...especially when she can step right into the middle of it.  Tracking Perception

If you're looking for some reads to pre-load onto that special Kindle for Christmas morning, grab my novel while the gettin's hot! 


This is just the beginning for kicking off a great Christmas Season!


Happy Holidays,
Cherri

 

Summer has arrived

The May totals came in from Amazon. Wow! I doubled my totals. (happy, happy, happy!) 

Summer is in full swing here in Houston and I can't begin to tell everyone how much I hate hot weather. :(  But, June is here and it's time to Heartguard our dog-babies, and make an extra pitcher of iced tea. 

I'm on a quest to read 100 books this summer and actually started on May 1st. Hopefully, this feat will be accomplished. No doubts, cause I love to read. 

If anyone is interested in an cute little cozy mystery...my TRACKING PERCEPTION is available on Kindle for .99cents. You can just click the pic below and it'll take you to my Amazon buy page. 
As always, I wish all my best. Keep smiling and writing, and especially reading.


Happy Trails,
Cherri

KDP Heads

Tracking Perception
All Indie authors know what KDP is, if they're pub'd on Kindle. I've turned into a KDP Head. It stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. 

I check my numbers five minutes after the hour and the half-hour constantly. Then I run check my ranking numbers. And then I run over to the categories I'm in to see where I'm placed. (yep, I've turned into a KDP Head :-) It's basically "writer's crack." LOL!

I can now say I've joined the 100 club! Boy, what a feeling! 

On the flip side to my discombobulated life--my husband and I set up a hummingbird feeder, 2 regular bird feeders and a squirrel feeder in our backyard. Wouldn't you know it the squirrels like the bird food better! And the birds, especially the Bluejays, like the squirrel food! Soooo, everyone seems pretty happy eating till their little bellies are full. That makes me happy.

I love nature and I love the critters running around. Here's a snapshot of one of the squirrels stretched out hanging upside down...laying claim to his own feeder. ha! 

Life surrounds us all so many good things.









Embrace it with open arms...
Cherri

Announcing Vicki Tyley's "BRITTLE SHADOWS"

It gives me great pleasure to announce Vicki Tyley's BRITTLE SHADOWS. 

With much anticipation, Vicki Tyley's novel, Brittle Shadows is now available on Kindle, and Barnes and Noble Nook. 


Brittle Shadows left me in awe at the depth of good writing and a mystery so tight, it caught me off-guard! As I was one of the few fortunate asked to read the pre-release copy, I can't tell you, as a writer, how Ms. Tyley brought out more twists to the plot that leaves you thinking about the novel long after you've finished the final page. Highly recommended, definitely 5 stars!


Vicki has two other novels out, THIN BLOOD, which was chosen as Amazon's "Best of 2010," and SLEIGHT MALICE.

Ms. Tyley lives in Australia in one of the most beautiful areas on earth, surrounded by some of nature's most fascinating creatures. You can find her website: HERE 

And be sure to check out her web blog: HERE. For a peek into her surroundings in Australia, you can see her photo blog: HERE. 


Note: As I am a writer, I'm also an avid reader--thank you, Vicki, for entertaining me till the wee hours of the morning, because I couldn't put your book down!


Congratulations on Vicki Tyley's release of BRITTLE SHADOWS!!

Also, Vicki is going to do "FREE GIFTING" to THREE lucky commenters on this blog through Kindle! So commence to comment away!


Good reading, and good writing to all--
Cherri
xxxx

Amazon Studios is open

Yesterday's news broke wide open about Amazon Studios! They're in partnership with Warner Brothers! So for all you screen writers out there--go check them out. 

Health issues in week 3 of NaNoWriMo caused me to drop out, for good reason, but I did manage to end the month with 32,300 words. I think at this point in my life, I'm going to pass the torch on to the younger, less encumbered. 

Christmas is around the corner and I hope all who wished for a Kindle, gets one! I know Steve and I enjoy ours immensely. I've had mine for almost a year and can't believe how steady my TBR (to be read) stack has grown. And believe me, I read constantly. It's also been through the Kindle that I've come across some really wonderful authors that wouldn't have gotten the exposure they so richly deserve otherwise. 

The weather is finally cooling for Winter, here in the Houston area. Of course, nothing like up North, but for me, I love cold weather so our bundle-up 35 degree nights and 50 degrees days are what I've anxiously waited for and now I'M TICKLED PINK!  What do I want for Christmas? A warm flannel nightgown!!! 

Our little pecan tree dropped its leaves, and the pecans...and what didn't drop, the squirrels devoured. The wee orange tree is bursting with fruit this year. They should be ready for picking sometime in January. They are the sweetest oranges we've ever eaten! 

Hope your weekend is filled with pleasant surprises and enticing treats--

Happy Trails,
Cherri

New horizons

It looks like IMPACT FOR MURDER is now available also in print on Amazon! I'm really excited about this. Having the book in both epub and printpub is a good thing! (although the cover image isn't available just yet in print, but will be soon, and if you want to see what it looks like, look at under Kindle Books!!) That handsome doggie on the front is my own Yadar!!!! He's so handsome, I want to kiss his fuzzy lips :)

For anyone who is itching to read something "Christmas," may I suggest the sweetest story I've ever written, HALO AND HOLLY. It's a sweet canine (Great Pyrenees) Christmas short story and sells for only .99 on Kindle. 

With my priorities straightened out, my writing is flowing much smoother. And yes, it has been a long time since THE SCENT OF MONEY was released--and that's what I'm working on right now...the next installment into the American Searcher Service series. (nameless title, but won't be for long) 

It feels good to be back in the saddle, on top of the hill, light switch turned on, and all those other goofy cliches--I'm just tickled to be back in full writing mode again! 

Embrace your ereader, buy my books, and curl up for a dang good read! 

Go green,
Cherri

My Take on Publishing

From this writer's viewpoint, I'm watching an enormous treasure chest flung wide open. Gold, silver, and precious gems spilling out all across the oceans for readers. 

To me, this is like offering children free reign to the world's largest candy jar filled with every sweet imaginable. And I'm one of those kids. 

I have more books on my Kindle and Sony ereaders filled with independent writers than I do with traditionally published authors. Why? I've discovered those fine jewels and are gobbling them up. 

I've become a follower of writers like D. Nathan Hilliard, Joe Konrath, Zoe Winters, R.J. Keller, Christy Pinheiro, Amanda Hocking, April L. Hamilton, Rex Kusler, and Moses Siregar III...just to name a few. My taste for books cross almost every genre. I enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing. 

Know how I found these tasty morsels? Two ways--one, by word of mouth; and the other (which is my favorite), was perusing Amazon Kindle Books...for hours. I go to a genre, and when I see a title I like, I look closer at the cover. Then I read the synopsis. If I like the synopsis, then I buy it (if the price is right). 

If you look at the box about mid-way down on the page, there's an area marked "customers who bought this book, also bought..."  Now, that's word of mouth! And the suggestions genre-hops. I like Amazon's idea of openness. Yeah, I like Amazon, too. 

Reviews mean nothing to me. You see, I'm quite capable of forming my own opinions. And NO, I will not ever write a bad review. No matter what. If I truly didn't enjoy the book, I move on. Why waste time voicing my opinion on something I didn't particularly care for? Besides, one wo/man's trash is another wo/man's treasure. 

If you made it this far through my happy diatribe--good. I strive for compromise and harmony whenever I can. Can't help it, it's in my nature. 

What I don't tolerate is the constant disgruntle-ness, disrespect, disturbing and other dis's out there--slamming the choice a writer chooses to publish. 

A couple years ago, publishing choices were limited because of stigma placed on self-published or Indie Writers. Now, this stigma is quickly fading. It's nothing for an author to have multiple publishers. Quite a few writers have been doing just that for ages. Some use pseudonyms to keep their publishers straight, and some use pseudonyms to write in different genres. Most publishing houses want their writers to be loyal only to them as exclusives. Sheesh, who really thinks they can "own" a writer? 

Thank goodness publishing today offers a much wider spectrum for authors. Indie writers today have become more savvy than ever before and are taking full advantage of their options. 

So what brought me to write this novel of a blog? The stigma I keep hearing towards Indie Writers. I have noticed in the past month more and more traditionally published writers popping up, talking about going to Kindle boards and forums, picking up on what the Indies are doing to market and promote their work! What??? Yeah, it seems the trends have certainly changed? So why are the traditionally published backstabbing the Indie Writer? Because they are floundering. 

Publishers should be worried. The Indie writers' works are turning out to be the cream...rising to the top. They are no longer the exception, but are turning into the norm. 

Yes, I am published by a small press and I'm an Indie Writer! My whole goal as a writer is to be read.

It's a brave new world out there folks!

Cherri

Sunday night Writers' Night Roar

More fun than a barrel of monkeys! That's what it's like when Nate (D. Nathan Hilliard) and I set up at Denny's with our laptops showing each other websites, interesting blogs, comments, and pics we've discovered during the week. Honestly, when we get together, we're like two kids let loose on the premesis! 

It felt really, really good to laugh from the depths of my gut. Personally, I've had a start to a rough week last week, but it certainly ended well, and am looking forward to next. (that is, other than the stupid facebook hacking job bestowed on me, it ended on a good note :) ) 

Tomorrow is "buckle down" time and get back to a novel I've been working on with protagonist, Becky McAllen...she's going to come up against a teen-ager, and doesn't quite know what to do with the over-sized brat! 

Lots of homework still looms for me on my personal Life's Learning Curves -- this time to challenge my patience at html for the upload to Kindle, which will be happening at the end of this week. 

Still smilin', keeping my head up, and hoping all aspiring writers to complete what they've begun. Because that's the best place to start!

Happy Trails,
Cherri