Winner of the Kids Kindle ...Drum Roll Please....

Congratulations Summer O.!!

Summer is the winner of our Kids' Kindle Giveaway!

Wishing you all the best this Christmas!

Congratulations to Summer O. from all of us! 

Merry Christmas from:

Tanya Anne Crosby

Pamela Morsi

Kathryn Le Veque

Suzan Tisdale

Willa Blair

Glynnis Campbell

Lauren Royal

and 

Laurin Wittig

Let the Countdown Begin!

11 Days until McKenna's Honor is released! Things are getting pretty busy and exciting around here. You can almost feel it in the air.

In case you missed it, McKenna's Honor is available for pre-order in both ebook and paperback formats at Amazon.  How cool is that? (Trust me. Those pre-order links are coveted by us indie authors!)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DIC1VV4/

McKenna's Honor is a novella, approximately 130 pages (yes, I'm still editing!). It is not a typical romance but it does have romantic elements. McKenna's Honor is more a bridge that helps to launch my new series, Clan Graham. Don't panic! We'll still see some of our favorite MacDougall men and women in future books. 

In honor of releasing my fourth book I'm going to be doing some fun give aways. I'll post the rules tomorrow (July 16, 2013). 

I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support, kind words, and encouragement. I truly believe that I have the best readers in the universe. :o)

Hugs,

Suzan

McKenna's Honor, in Paperback...special announcement!

I am very tickled to tell you, my lovely readers, that you can now pre-order a paperback copy of McKenna's Honor!

McKenna's Honor is a novella, approximately 125 to 130 pages long (we're still in editing stages!) and about 24 chapters long. :D

Amazon contacted me a few days ago, to get permission to have their Create Space team contact me. Create Space is owned by Amazon and it is the company I use to print my paperbacks. This is a big deal because this isn't something that indie authors typically get.

So you can pre-order the ebook or the paperback! Yes, I did a happy dance of joy!

Love you all! Thank you so much for helping make my dreams come true. It is because of your continued support that I am able to live this life. Each of you is a blessing and I thank God for you every day! :D

Hugs,
Suzan

Did You Know This?

Prefacing the following with this: "I'm a challenged individual and blonde."

Did you know about 'highlights' for books at Amazon? Apparently, you can highlight any sentence or section of a book. I knew I could do that, but didn't know why you'd need to unless it was for a text book for school.

I just discovered that people actually highlighted several different parts of each of my books! That is sooooo cool! Many of those highlighted were some of my favorite parts too.

I also just discovered that if you click on 'view more highlights' you can see what people are saying that might not be in the review section. WOW!

Not sure if I should hang my head in shame for not knowing or just be glad that I discovered it! ;o)

Now, if my daughter Debbi reads this, she is going to knock her head on the table. She knows me, lol. She constantly tells me I'm too old for my smart phone. Ha! I am not! This just goes to show you that I am learning! ;o)

I'm also quite certain that my friend, Laura Howard, will do the same head banging as my daughter. ;o)

You are never too old to learn something new!

Have a great day everyone!

Hugs,

Suzan

This Week's Poll Question

Hello beautiful readers!

I am taking a poll this week regarding audio books. Voting options are to the right at the top of the blog page.

If you do listen to audio books, I'd like to know where you prefer purchase them. Do you borrow them from your library or do you purchase them from somewhere. Do you belong to Audible? Do you prefer to download an audio book and listen to it via your Kindle or Smart Phone? Or do you prefer to purchase the actual CD?

Thanks everyone! I appreciate your help!

Hugs,
Suzan

It's HERE!

Hello! It has been a very fun and exciting night!

You may click here to pre-order your copy of Wee William's Woman ;o) Purchase now and when you wake up on the 8th, your copy of Wee William's Woman will be waiting for you on your kindle! ;o)

Have fun!

Wee William's Woman

Pre-Order Your Copy of Wee William's Woman

Good morning everyone!

I had the nicest email waiting for me this morning. It was from my KDP guy offering to set up Wee William's Woman for pre-ordering! Typically, this is reserved for those authors with big publishing houses behind them, or so I was told. God Bless you Chris! ;o)

So at some point in the next 24 hours, you should be able to pre-order your copy of Wee William's Woman. How cool is that?

Thank you all! Sending lots of hugs your way!

Suzan

Official Release Date Set

Wee William's Woman will be released on March 8, 2013!!!

Let the countdown begin!

The Much Anticipated Release of Wee William's Woman

Hello everyone!!!

I am so happy to announce today that we do have an official release date for Wee William's Woman,
Book Three of the Clan MacDougall Series. This novel will be released on March 8, 2013!! It will be available in both electronic and paperback formats. I will post the cover very soon! ;o)

Scotland, 1345

They call him Wee William. Though he stands nearly seven feet tall, with arms and legs the size of tree trunks and hands as big as buckets, there is nothing wee about him. His scowl alone is enough to make most men's bones rattle with fear. And women, rather than swooning, tend to run in the opposite direction.

The giant Highlander is a self-proclaimed bachelor who has sworn for years that there isn't a woman in all of Scotland worth shaving his beard for, and for good reason. Years ago, after a bonny young lass broke his heart and left his dignity in shreds, he swore never again to put it in such peril. As a testament to his sincerity, he vowed never again to shave his beard.

Then he met her.  In a single heartbeat, Wee William was lost. Forever lost to a brown-haired beauty with gray-blue eyes brimming with tears -- a woman in need.

On her wedding night, Nora realized she made a terrible mistake. She had agreed to wed Horace Crawford when he promised her younger siblings would live with them. He soon broke his word and sent them away. Horace soon proved a harsh, cruel husband who owned no heart, nor a shred of decency.

On a dark, cold winter’s night, when Nora had almost given up hope of ever saving her siblings and herself, God answered her prayers in a most peculiar way. Through a band of fierce Highlanders on a mission to retrieve small but priceless treasures. Treasures she had unwittingly harbored.

Little did the Highlanders know they would return with more than those treasures… They would return with Wee William’s Woman. 

And the winner is...

R De Arman! ;o)

R De Arman is the winner of a free copy of Laiden's Daughter!

If you would please send me your contact information to:

author.romance@yahoo.com I'll get your signed copy to you as soon as possible. ;o)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hugs,
Suzan

Happy Anniversary to Laiden's Daughter!

One year ago today, I published my first novel, Laiden's Daughter.  So much has happened, so many changes have taken place in my life, since that day. Wonderful, amazing, fantastic things and I owe it all to my beautiful readers!

Because of you, my wonderful readers, Laiden's Daughter, has been on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list since February, 2012.

Because of you, when I released the second book in my Clan MacDougall series on September 2, 2012, it made the same top 100 list in less than a week. ;o)

Because of you, I'm also listed as one of Amazon's top 100 authors in my genres.

In the past year, Laiden's Daughter has sold more than 37,000 copies (Kindle versions) around the world. All because of you.

Findley's Lass has sold more than 6,000 copies since September. ;o) (Kindle versions) around the world. All because of you.

Because of you, I was able to give up my day job. For that, I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you!

In honor of Laiden's release/publication date, I'm giving away two signed paperback copies of Laiden's Daughter!! ;o) Rules are simple: just leave me a note  here at my blog and you're automatically entered to win! I'm going to keep this contest going for the next 7 days. Share with your friends and they will be entered too!

Words cannot express how thankful I am to all of you. Please know that I am grateful for everything you've all done to help make my dreams come true. ;o) I have the most amazing, wonderful, thoughtful readers.

Eternally grateful,

Suzan

First Saturday as Self-Employed Individual

My husband and I had a wonderful time last night in Springfield. My husband is an instructor at the local apprenticeship school. He teaches young men how to be excellent carpenters. Last night was their graduation dinner. The food was amazing, they had Jack Daniels available  and sinful chocolate cake!

I met more of his friends and 'brothers'. I also met one of the graduating apprentices and his wife. They were the most delightful young couple! It turns out he is quite Scottish! He plays the drums in a pipe and drum band and they attend local highland games and events. They actually bought the copy of Findley's Lass that I had with me!

So it was a beautiful evening filled with great food, really nice and funny people, and making new friends. Yesterday was one of those hectic days that started at 5:00 a.m. and didn't end until 1:00 a.m! So much happened yesterday! At 12:01 p.m. I walked out of the little insurance office as an author.

I realized this morning when the sun broke through the window of our hotel room, that this was my first Saturday morning as a self-employed individual. I've been unemployed before and that always left me feeling desperate; when one in unemployed, one needs to find a means to make a living and do it quickly! Its a very scary feeling being unemployed, not knowing where your next job or paycheck is going to come from or how your going to pay the bills and feed the kids.  I never enjoyed being unemployed.

But being completely, 100%, happily self-employed is an all together different feeling. I don't feel desperate, I feel at peace. Happy. Content. In charge. In control. I know that win, lose, or draw, it is all up to me. I feel like I've taken control of my own destiny.

The speaker at the graduation ceremony last night didn't give a typical speech filled with, "You're going to go out into the real world and conquer it and be amazing and perfect." You know what I mean, the typical graduation speech.  This guy was different. He basically told the graduates that they'd been given a gift and it was up to each of them to decide what they wanted to do with it. They were in charge of how far they could go and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. I was very impressed with him.

I am in control of my future. I won't let anyone tell me that I can't do something. I spent way too many years listening to those voices in my head that said I couldn't. I'd fail. No one is interested in what you have to say.

Age, knowledge, wisdom and an amazing husband has changed all that! I no longer doubt myself or my capabilities. I know that I can pretty much do anything if I just put my mind to it. And the only way that I'll ever fail at anything is if I don't try.

So that is how I spent the first few minutes of my first Saturday morning as a self-employed author: contemplating the gifts I've been given and my future.

I am blessed. Blessed beyond anything that makes sense to me. I have the best readers in the world too! You are all just the best and I know that a tremendous amount of my success is owed to each of you. Thank you all!

So my advice to anyone contemplating a big change in their life is this: just do it. Don't let the negative voices in your head hold you back any longer. Go for it. If you're surrounded by negative people, get rid of them. And by that I mean, surround yourself with positive people! You only get one life people. Make the most of it. Seek happiness and joy where you can find it and embrace those good, kind, wonderful people in your life. Pay it forward, be kind to others. I find that if you help others fulfill their dreams you'll find yourself fulfilling some of your own!

Have a beautiful rest of your weekend!

Hugs,
Suzan

T Minus Four Hours....

Today is my last day at my 'day job'! I cannot express enough "Thank You's" to my readers!!! None of this would be possible without you.

It also would not be possible were it not for Amazon and it's KDP program. Because of all of you, my dreams of becoming a full time author are now coming to fruition.

Starting at 12:01 p.m. today, when asked what I do for a living, I will be able to say (with a big SMILE!!) that I am an author. You have no idea just how awesome this moment in my life is. Its right up there with giving birth to my children and marrying the love of my life, Kevin.

So thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe each of you an eternal debt of gratitude and thanks.

With love and thanks,

Suzan

Reviews...

We all get the occasional 'bad review' on our writing. I LOVE honest, thoughtful comments on my books. I'm smart enough to know that the only person who thinks I'm perfect is my mother, so I know not everyone is going to love everything that I write. ;o) I love honest critiques, honest insights and opinions. Even if you didn't like a particular character, or the flow, or whatever, I love to hear w

hy a reader didn't care for something. I've actually learned quite a bit from those types of reviews/insights/opinions and I do appreciate them.

However, the same cannot be said for 'troll's. You know who I'm talking about...people who troll the internet and write REALLY awful stuff, untruthful stuff, and you can tell from what they've written about your work that they haven't even read it. There are just some people who aren't happy unless they're making someone else miserable.

Now, with that said, you'll see a brand new 1 star review on Findley's Lass today. I am just curious...if you don't like a book, do you really read it all the way through? Don't you usually know by the first few pages, or at least the end of the first chapter or two if you'll be able to continue on with it? I just find it odd that if you find a book that bad, why would you continue to read it? Just curious! ;o) I can usually tell by end of first few pages. And yes, I have returned books that were bad before. No, I'm not upset about the review, I just found it quite odd.

I'd love to know what you think. ;o)

Hugs,

Suzan

Something new at Amazon

So yesterday morning I received a tweet regarding "Author Ranking"...had no idea what they were talking about. So I hopped over to Amazon to take a look and WOW! It was such a surprise and I felt so very honored and yes, I cried! ;o) Happy tears of course!

Not only does Amazon rank our books according to sales, popularity, and reviews, they now rank the authors themselves. Please don't ask me the logarithms on this because honestly, I don't know. I believe the biggest factor is sales, but other than that, no clue how they figure it out. I think that if I tried my head would implode! lol

So they rank the top 100 authors based on sales and other unknown factors. It was such a sweet and happy surprise to see that I was ranked #19 in Historical Fiction! Out of all the authors I was #19.  WOW!

I am also ranked #37 for Historical Romance authors.

Me.

I'm up there with Diana Gabaldon, Julie Garwood, Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, and many others.

Me.

I look back at these past ten months and I am still amazed at how well received my stories are. I can't find the words to express my gratitude and humble thanks to each of you. I would not be here if it weren't for you! Thank you all so very, very much! You're all a very important part of this dream of mine that is quickly being fulfilled! I'm sending you all great big hugs and virtual chocolates! You're all wonderful and I just love you all to pieces!

Thank you!! Have a beautiful day!

xoxoxoxo
Suzan

It Looks Like Christmas Came a Little Early...

Merry Christmas...;o)
I figured that since it was ready to go, I might as well let it go now instead of hanging on longer! It still won't be ready for paperback until November 1. And its not ready yet for Smashwords...give me a few days. Just click on the picture and you can go to Amazon and buy it now if you'd like.

The Unveiling....

Hello....I'd like to introduce you to the cover of Findley's Lass....

A very special thank you to my cover artist, Carrie, at Seductive Musings! 

Book Launching Party!

Hello everyone! Let me start by saying I have the world’s best husband! ;o) Of course, you all knew that because I brag about him all the time….anyway…to the announcement.

On Friday, October 12, 2012, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. we are having a Book Launching Party for Findley’s Lass, Book Two of The Clan MacDougall Series! (Thank you Kevin!!)  It will be held at the private dinning room at the Bass Pro Shop in East Peoria, IL. The room is so amazing! I reminds me of a judge’s chambers, from the 30′s, with all it’s rich, dark, wood walls, beautiful lighting…just very, very nice!

There will be free hors devours and drinks too! ;o) It is open to the public and I will have copies of Findley’s Lass available for purchase…that means you’ll be able to get a copy before its in the book stores! ;o) And yes, I’ll be available to sign them if you so desire. ;o)

If you are able to make it, please leave a message here, or at Facebook.  I’ll post that event link at Facebook shortly. ;o)

If you can’t make it…here’s the fun part: I’m going to Skype LIVE that night for my fans who can’t make it! You can tweet or send a message and I’ll answer it as soon as I can. ;o)

So even if you can’t be there in person, you can peek in and say hi! ;o)

Thank you all so very, very much for your support and kind words! You all mean the world to me and I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for you!

Hugs,

Suzan