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

Kindle For Kids' Giveaway!

Win a Children's Kindle Fire HD 6 just in time for Christmas! Plus 1 digital copy of The Dirty Word, a children's book written by Glynnis Campbell and illustrated by Brynna Campbell, plus 1 audio copy of The Great Awakening, written by Chaise Allen Crosby & illustrated by Tanya Anne Crosby -- 3 great prizes!

You don't have to have a FB page or a Twitter account in order to play. Those are OPTIONAL things you can do. Truly, the only requirement is entering your email and clicking the button that says "I commented" (and technically, you don't even have to leave a comment, lol). Just click on the rafflecopter doodad to the right. You can enter with your FB account OR your email address.

Merry Christmas! 

Suzan

My Two Cents on Scotland's No Vote

As an American, I can never fully understand why someone wouldn't choose freedom. But when freedom is all you've ever known, it is difficult to wrap your head around another way of life.

Fear triumphed over hope yesterday.

Fear can be a great motivator. It can motivate us to do good things, to change our circumstances, to make a difference. It can also be a paralyzing thing that holds us back, keeps us from doing what we know in our hearts is the right thing to do, and it can keep us frozen in place.

I'm an American, not a Scot. I don't have the same life experience as the Scots do. My opinions are all from what I see, hear, or read about Scotland. I don't know how I would have voted had I been born there, so my perspective is somewhat skewed.

Before we shake our heads in disbelief, I think its important to remember where our perspective or our point of view is coming from.

My heart is with all of Scotland today. Looking at it from a fiercely independent mindset (I have NO political party as I don't trust political parties), I had hoped and prayed that the people would have voted for independence for a number of reasons.

I can only imagine how difficult the choice was for some. Think about it. On one hand, you have an excited, motivated, hopeful group of people saying "Now is the time for our independence, to be free, to be the masters of our own destinies. We don't want food banks, we want jobs. We don't want government handouts, we want opportunities." On the other hand, you have a group of people saying, "If you vote yes, you're going to lose your homes, your food, your healthcare, your whole way of life. The government can keep you from going hungry and without healthcare."

You see, we have the same problem here in the US as they have in the UK. The government has convinced the people that they can't survive, can't make it, can't do anything without the government's help. Politicians rarely, if ever, have our best interests at heart. That is true around the world. I think many go into politics with a sincere belief they can make a difference. But something happens along the way. Its like some big, dark, vortex exists in the state and federal capital that once a good hearted person steps foot inside the walls of the capitals, their soul is sucked right out of their bodies. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but there is a truth of hint to it. Something does happen to change these well-intentioned individuals.

Perhaps they get a taste of power. Power can be as addicting as crack or heroine. Once you get a taste of it, you can only focus on getting more.

But I digress, as I'm oft want to do, and I apologize.

I stand with Scotland today and hope that someday they do realize the freedom their forefathers fought so hard for hundreds of years ago. Many Americans don't realize it, but many of our founding fathers were from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. They could not find freedom in their beloved homeland, but were able to come to this country and help us find ours. For that, I am forever grateful.

May God bless Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. May they someday find freedom.

Found!

Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support you've shown the past 24 hours. I'm happy to announce that the individual who tried to abduct our nephew was found and arrested. They found him in Lincoln, Illinois this afternoon. He was at a Walmart there trying to take another child. He is now in police custody.

I try to remain neutral in certain things. But I can't remain that way when children are involved.

The only thing that is helping me get through this is knowing that there is a special place in hell for people who hurt children.

You can see the full news report here.

I am glad that this person is behind bars and I hope he stays there and never gets another chance to hurt another child.

Suzan

Your Help is Needed

I try to keep my personal life and my public life separate. Unfortunately, an event happened today that changed that.

Read full story here

The little boy that this sick person tried to abduct today, is my nephew. I am so thankful for the men who intervened on his behalf.

But we need to find this man and bring him to justice.

Please, if you see this truck or this man, call your local police. We have no idea if he is still in the area or not. He needs to be caught before he can try to hurt another child. My gut tells me this isn't this man's first attempt. I pray for all those children he probably has hurt in the past. I pray for my niece and her children, for strength and courage to get through this.

My niece is a good mom. This news article does not tell the whole story. He was not left all alone.

Please share this photo of the man and his pick up truck. Again, if you see him or the vehicle, call the police immediately. I thank you in advance for your help.

With faith,
Suzan

We Won!

I am back from Las Vegas and the RONE awards and in case you missed the news....

Can you believe it?? I couldn't! Rowan's Lady won the RONE for the Best Historical Medieval Novel of 2013. I'm still stunned and yes I cried! Truth be told, I'm still crying happy tears when I think about it.

I want to extend a special thank you to the InD'Tale Magazine and the staff of beautiful women who run it. Gracious, kind, funny, generous beyond words, these are the nicest women anyone could ever hope to meet.

The InD'Tale Girls

I hit the publish button too soon! I want to also thank you, my readers. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible. So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. If I could, I would hug each and every one of you!!

For the Costume Party, I went as a Menopausal Romance Author
Pajamas, a feather boa, a fan and drink completed the outfit. That
beautiful girl next to me is the divine Ms. H.P. Mallory

Me at the Book Signing on Saturday. Sold almost all of my books
and met some great people!!

My new sistahs, Ceci Giltenan and Kathryn LeVeque.
The pretty blonde with the glasses is one of our lovely
readers, Daryn C., who came to see us Saturday! 

Kathryn LeVeque, Amy Jarecki and me

The beautiful H.P. Mallory and me

Kathryn LeVeque, Amy Jarecki and SE Saxon and me

The Lovely and Charming Ceci Giltenan...my partner in crime

Author Paula Knight! A charming and
sweet lady!

Me with Author Lynn Peters - one of the most
giving and sweet women you'll ever meet. 

Author and new friend, HD Smith!

Reader Jerri T. and her husband and me
Jerry brought me homemade fudgy peanutbuttery
rice crispy treats! They were very good!!

Me, accepting my award and getting a big hug from
TJ MacKay - owner, CEO, Editor of InD'Tale Magazine

Hatchette v. Amazon

This is my two cents on this touchy subject.



There is a lot of talk going around about the “Evil Empire that is Amazon”. It’s the same talk as a year or two ago, about how evil Amazon is, how its forcing brick and mortar stores to close, and how its hurting the traditional publishers and now, the traditionally published authors.

Let me tell you about my experience with Amazon.

Were it not for Amazon and the KDP program, I would not be where I am today. I would still be stuck in a dead end job that I did not like.

Were it not for Amazon, I wouldn’t have been given the chance to publish my books. Ever. Because, according to New York/Traditional publishing houses, the romance genre is dead, series books don’t sell, and no one reads historical fiction/historical romance anymore. And ‘clean’ romance novels don’t sell at all. (I write Scottish Historical Fiction/Romance, now have two series, and all my books are ‘clean’ compared to many in this genre.)

In 2011 I published my first book. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Not. One. Clue. But, because Amazon made it so easy, I was able to get this little book, that in truth was only meant as a gift to my mom, published. That was December of 2011. In the book world, I was an unknown. Just a woman with a story to tell. My goal at that time was to sell ten copies in my entire lifetime. I would have been over-the-moon happy with selling just ten copies.

By February of 2012 — just two months after hitting that lovely ‘publish’ button — my book was #2 on Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers List in Scottish Historical Romance. I kept thinking that Amazon would call and say it was a mistake. That I wasn’t really selling 250+ copies of that book a day, and don’t give up your day job.

Amazon did call me in March or April of 2012, but it wasn’t to tell me it was a mistake. They called to congratulate me and give me my own KDP representative. Yes, it blew my mind too!

By October of 2012, I was able to give up my day job. I was earning so much more at writing than at my day job. In fact, one month my royalty check was the equivalent of 10 month’s salary at day job. That’s right. It would have taken me ten months of working 8 to 5, five days a week, to earn what I made in one month as a writer. The decision to give up the day job was settled.

Were it not for the KDP program and Amazon, I would not have thousands of devoted readers. I wouldn’t be adding on a 24 x 30 room addition to our home (paying cash for it, no loans). I wouldn’t be able to pay for all my mom’s medicine that medicare doesn’t pay for— and trust me that gets very expensive! I wouldn’t be able to help my kids through college, and pay down our debt. I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things that I’ve been able to do in the past two and a half years. I’d still be stuck in my dead end job. And writing full time would still only be a dream. A wish I’d make when blowing out birthday candles or on a falling star.

Were it not for Amazon, I wouldn’t have made all the wonderful friendships with so many of my readers. I wouldn’t have forged friendships with fellow authors. I wouldn’t know who Hugh Howey is, or Liliana Hart, or Tanya Anne Crosby or Kathryn LeVeque or the countless other awe inspiring people I’ve met along the way.

In my humble opinion, the big, traditional publishing houses are worried that they’re losing their stronghold on publishing. The Kindle has opened up new territories for readers. And were it not for readers, none of us, not the traditionally published authors or the indie authors, would be here. It is the reader who makes us all successful. And that is who I think is getting lost in this argument.

Readers are not as stupid as New York likes to think they are. They’re intelligent people who love a great story. And many readers are probably like I was three years ago: limited funds to spend on books. Before becoming a writer, I had a monthly book budget. I could read three to six books a week depending on the length of the book and free time. For me, I would rather read ten good books in a month than just one. So if I could get ten books for ten bucks, that made more sense than spending ten bucks on one book. I love James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Lisa Gardner, and John Grisham. They’re wonderful story tellers. But honestly, I couldn’t afford $10 to $20 for an ebook. I just couldn’t. So I would get their books from the library and spend my book money on less expensive — but equally beautiful and wonderfully written — ebooks. I think many of my readers are in the same boat that I was. We want to read. We want to read a lot. We read many different genres and many different authors.

The traditional publishers just don’t get that. And the traditionally published authors don’t get it either, at least not the big named authors. What they’re forgetting is the reader.

I can’t tell you the number of times a reader has contacted me via Facebook or email or blog and when I respond to them, they are stunned. “I can’t believe you answered my email!” or “I can’t believe you’re talking to me on Facebook!” Indie authors understand that the relationship between us and the reader is important. Our readers are important. We do our best to give them good stories and we love hearing from them and talking to them. The indie author isn’t afraid to form a friendship with their readers, to ask questions about what they like or didn’t like about our books, or what they’d like to see next.

I often get asked “Why are your books so inexpensive?”

I keep my prices low for a couple of reasons. One and foremost is for my readers. If they’re on book budgets like I was a couple of years ago, I want them to be able to afford my books. The second reason is this: I’d rather sell 10,000 copies of a $2.99 cent book each month, than 10 copies of a book priced at $12.99. It just makes good economic sense for me.

I owe Amazon a great deal. Because of them, I have so many opportunities to write, to publish, to reach my readers. Amazon has literally changed my life. I would not have the income that I have with a traditional publisher. Authors with traditional publishing houses make between 2% to 12% of sales. Indie authors get 35% or 70% (depending on what we price our books at.) So which would I rather have? 2% of an ebook priced at $8, or 70% of an ebook priced at $3.99? And when Amazon discounts a paperback, I still get the same royalty as if they hadn’t. Trad houses don’t do that. They don’t treat their authors with the respect they deserve, they don’t pay them enough to give up their day jobs, and they certainly do not treat them as well as Amazon treats the indie author.

I have a few questions: Why must Amazon be the one to give in? Why not Hatchette? Why does Hatchette insist that Amazon raise its prices? Why shouldn't Hatchette lower thiers?

I'd also like to know -- and I received this question/though from another author on a different forum -- should I boycott Barnes & Noble because they won't put my indie books in their stores?

You can read the letter from the Hatchette Authors here.

You can read our response to it here. 

Thanks for letting me have my two cents. :D

Suzan

Announcing Winners of the MidSummer's Dream Giveaway!!!

Pop over to the MidSummer's Dream Giveaway for our list of winners!!

This is so exciting!!

Our new logo...

I just love this!

Midsummer's Dream Giveaway

Hello! Yes, its been a little while since I've posted...but I've been very busy finishing up Frederick's Queen. As well as participating in this awesome event! 

Visit us on Facebook for more information!

That Writing Thing You Do...

There’s a blog tour going around that’s helping spread the word about all of the great authors out there. Author Kathryn Le Veque asked me to participate with her and I was happy to say yes! You can visit Kathryn at her website here.  Kathryn Le Veque is one of the sweetest and funniest women that I know and I'm sure you will love her medieval romance novels. She's one heck of an author!


Everyone on the blog tour gets the same questions, so here are my answers to the burning questions that inquiring minds want to know:


1. What am I working on: I'm currently working on my sixth book, Frederick's Queen. This will be the second book in my Clan Graham Series. We first met Frederick in Rowan's Lady and this is his story. Frederick Mackintosh is turning out to be one of my most favorite heroes. While he tends to be a bit impatient and at points is a bit of an ass, he quickly redeems himself. This story has a bit of a darker story line, darker than what I'm used to writing. But I promise it will have an Happily Ever After. My heroine, Aggie McLaren, has had a rough life. Her father is beyond harsh, he's down right brutal. Aggie is as far from perfect as a body can get. Scarred, afraid, mute, and holding on to deep, dark secrets, she is as terrified as she is astonished that Frederick Mackintosh offers for her hand in marriage. This is a love story that starts out a bit rocky but blossoms over time. It shows us that love can conquer many things. Love is the light that shows us the way. We might not always get what we pray for, but we do get what we need.


2. How does my work differ from others of its genre: Yes, I write Scottish Historical Fiction/Romance. Yes, I have big, brawny men who often go around all sexy and sweaty ...sorry, my mind wandered for a moment. Yes, I have big, braw, sexy heroes. I think where my stories differ is that the men aren't broody and you don't start out hating them only to end up loving them. I like to think we fall in love with them immediately. Though its easy to fall in love with my heroes, they are far from perfect. They are perfectly imperfect. My heroines usually need rescuing or help of some sort. But as my stories evolve, we find they rescue our heroes. Either from dark forces, or themselves. :D


I also create bad guys you love to hate. Bad guys my readers tell me they want to reach into the book and kill with their bare hands. Bad guys are fun to write. I tend to take a no-holds-barred approach to writing these despicable characters. I mean, its fiction, right?


My books also tend to have secrets, backdoor deals, missions to accomplish, and all sorts of adventure. They're more about the romance that develops between my hero and heroine. I don't write descriptive sex scenes. I tend to take a more humorous approach to that part of life. I mean, we all know it is insert tab A into slot B, right? And there are only so many ways you can describe what happens between two consenting adults. Yes, there is lots of passion in my books, but you won't find any velvet shafts or quivering sheaths in my stories. I mean you will, but I don't use those kinds of terms. ;o)


3. Why do I write what I do? I absolutely love this genre. I love anything medieval, but prefer medieval Highlanders. Its not just the sexy men with naked knees. Its the fact that Scots love freedom. Most of our founding father's came from Scotland after all. They want freedom to choose their own destinies, to live freely, to not be governed by power hungry men. Its more than the brogue, the scenery, the time. Its all of those things and so much more.


4. How does your writing process work? I write the entire book first. I do very few edits as I write, unless some idea comes barreling in out of nowhere, demanding to be heard and put into the story. Once I've written the entire story, then I go back and do my own personal edits. I try to have it as edited as I can get it before sending it to my editor and beta readers. I ask my beta readers to look for flow of story, any gaping holes, any questions that I might have let linger, excitement level, etc. Once I hear back from all of them, I do final edits. With Frederick's Queen, I'm going to do something new and send the fully edited book to a 'final look editor'. Sometimes, you just need another set of fresh eyes.


Now that I’ve answered your burning questions, join my fellow authors Anabelle Bryant and April Holthaus to find out how they do what they do! Click on these links to be taken to their websites.


Anabelle Bryant began reading at age three and never stopped. Her passion for reading soon turned into a passion for writing and an author was born. Happy to grab her suitcase if it ensures a new adventure, Anabelle finds endless inspiration in travel; especially imaginary jaunts into romantic Regency England, a far cry from her home in New Jersey. Instead, her clever characters live out her daydreams because really, who wouldn't want to dance with a handsome duke or kiss a wicked earl?


Though teaching keeps her grounded, photography, running, and writing counterbalance her wanderlust. Often found with her nose in a book, Anabelle has earned her Master's Degree and is pursuing her Doctorate Degree in education. She proudly owns her addiction to French fries and stationery supplies, as well as her frightening ineptitude with technology. A firm believer in romance, Anabelle knows sometimes life doesn't provide a happily ever after, but her novels always do. She enjoys talking with her fans. Visit her website at AnabelleBryant.com.


April Holthaus lives in central Minnesota with her husband and they are expecting their first child, a boy in March 2014. April developed her passion of historical romances through her love of history and genealogy. Over the last several years she has compiled her family tree finding over 350 bloodline grandparents dating back to the 1100s.


She is currently working on the last book Highland Daydreams of her series, The MacKinnon Clan.
When not working or writing, April enjoys spending time with her family, reading and being outdoors. You can follow April here.


Kathryn Le Veque....Welcome to Medieval England - hard-core, battle-scarred, power-driven knights of the highest Norman order and the women that love them. Like High Middle Ages action and romance? Welcome to the Le Veque Medieval Machine - Medieval just got real!

Kathryn Le Veque is one of Amazon's top selling Historical Romance authors, consistently ranked in the top 100 authors of the genre. Kathryn is a dominant presence in the Medieval Romance category with several novels always in Amazon's Top 100 rankings. If there's a Medieval Romance list, chances are that Kathryn is on it!

Kathryn has been featured regularly on Kindle Nation, Coastal Conversations, Confessions of Romaholics, Goodreads, and a host of other blogs and websites highlighting her novels. Kathryn is an award-winning author and has legions of dedicated fans all over the world.

Kathryn's Medieval Historicals have been called 'detailed', 'highly romantic', and 'character-rich'. She believes that total immersion in a time period is essential to creating the perfect story. More than that, she writes for both women AND men - an unusual crossover for a romance author - and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.

Although Kathryn's passion is her Medievals, she is very proficient at writing Contemporary Adventure Romances and one of her novels. "Fires of Autumn", received over 50,000 downloads on Bookbub in a two day period. Additionally, one of her novels, "Lady of Heaven", is currently being adapted into a screenplay.

Kathryn is the author of 45 novels and counting.

See Kathryn's fanpage on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlevequenovels?ref=hl

Join her on Twitter @kathrynleveque

Visit her website at www.kathrynleveque.com

Special Announcement!

I've been holding on to a secret for a few days...that is not an easy thing for me to do! :D

Tonight of Facebook we made the official announcement and I am very happy to share the news with you now.

I am working with Ceci Giltenan, Tarah Scott, Lily Baldwin, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Kate Robbins and Kathryn Lynn Davis and come November, 2014, we will be release a very special book bundle. These will be novellas, all new books/stories! Squeeeee!!!! All set in medieval Scotland. I'll be introducing some new characters to all of you.

I am so excited to be working with this beautiful group of women, phenomenal authors all! We will have more details to give you as the weeks go on. I'm sure you're going to love what we've come up with!

You can stay up to date on my Facebook Author Page. :D


Love and Blessings,
Suzan

Don't Call Them "Pirates"...

NOTE: When I speak of ‘sharing’ I am referring only to pirate sites, peer-to-peer sharing sites. I am not referring to readers who share books with friends and family. I’m speaking about pirating sites that strip all the digital rights management from ebooks and then upload them to a website or multiple sites.

Gird your loins folks, this is going to be a long post on an ugly topic. And I'm going to be brutally honest and very blunt.

Until I became an author, I had absolutely no clue that 'book pirates' existed. Whenever I wanted to read something, I either purchased a book, borrowed something from my mom or a friend, or went to the library. Needless to say, it was a rude awakening.

I really wish they would quit calling these people Pirates. The term pirate oft evokes an image of a misunderstood and handsome swashbuckler. (Think Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.) I'm here to tell you that these people are not Johnny Depp-like characters. They're dishonest, disingenuous thieving bastards. There. I said it and I'm not ashamed.

Several times a week I either see a post on someone's blog or on Facebook on this very topic. I even receive private messages or emails with the same vein running through them: OMG! I just found out my books are being pirated and your's are too! Yeah, I know.

I know my books are being stolen. Countless numbers every day across the world. I know I'm not alone. I know it happens.

In the beginning, I used to spend hours contacting these pirating sites, demanding they remove my books, informing them they don't have permission to 'share' my books, and warning them to immediately halt what they're doing.

I'm here to tell you that this does absolutely no good. Its as smart as trying to scoop water out of a leaky boat with a teaspoon. A sane person would try to plug the hole.

As soon as you get one site to remove your books, another one pops up to take its place. No amount of haranguing, screaming, or 'sign the petition to stop book pirates' is going to get these people to stop. It doesn't matter how many times  you talk about it on your blogs or how diligently you work to warn people not to buy your books from anyone other than Amazon, B&N, Kobo, or other reputable book sellers. You can scream the message from the top of your lungs day after day after day until the end of time. These thieves breed like cockroaches and are just as disgusting.

By now, I'm sure many of you are floored by my apparent pessimistic attitude on this subject. A few of you might even believe I have a fatalist attitude and believe there is nothing we can do to stop them. Not true. There is a solution. Is it an easy one? No, but it is the only answer to stopping these people.

Does anyone remember Napster? Napster was a 'peer-to-peer' file sharing internet service. The operated under the guise of 'freedom of speech' or 'I should be able to share my music with my friends.' Hundreds of thousands of music files were downloaded for free. This went on for years. Artists and musicians lost lots of money. Napster swore they were simply sharing. I argue they were stealing.

Don't get me wrong, if my readers want to buy a paperback and hand it out to all their friends, I'm good with that. I'm even okay with them sharing the digital versions. I’m not talking about honest readers who get their books from bookstores, Amazon, Kobo, or other legitimate businesses.

I love readers, you all know that. But what makes the 'sharing a paperback' different than a peer-to-peer file sharing service is this: Someone originally bought the book. (Or I personally gave them a copy.) The original reader bought the book for his own personal enjoyment and if he or she likes the book, they’ll want to spread the word or even share their copy with friends and family. I do this all the time. The book might make its way to a dozen or so people. Again, I'm fine with that. But with peer-to-peer sharing, thousands upon thousands of people are getting to either listen to the music or read the books because someone (the thieving pirate) stripped the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from the original copy and made it available ‘to the world’. The thief didn’t purchase the book or piece of music with having it for his own personal use in mind. He took it with the intent of sharing it with thousands of people.

"But Suzan, what about the library? Libraries all over the country have thousands of copies of all sorts of books. People go in and borrow them for free all the time. Isn't that the same thing?" No, it isn't. Because the library bought the original copy or copies of the books or the audio books or the albums. While some pirates might buy one copy, many are able to steal them. But buying it with the intent to distribute it widely at no cost is still different than sharing with your immediate circle of friends and family

"But Suzan, musicians like the Beatles or Aerosmith or Toby Keith are all rich gazillionaires. Certainly they don't miss a few songs here and there." That's like your boss telling you "Listen, you worked 60 hours this week, but I need to buy my kid a new car, so I'm taking $15.00 out of everyone's paychecks for the next four years to pay for it. You won't miss it, its just a few bucks here and there." You'd be mad as hell.

Stealing is stealing, plain and simple. People can try to justify it all they want to.

Napster tried to justify what they were doing by saying this: A recent study of more than 2,200 online music fans by Jupiter Communications suggests that users of Napster and other music-sharing programs are 45 percent more likely to increase their music purchasing than fans who aren’t trading digital bootlegs online. (from ABC News.)

Excuse me? Your argument is that if I let people steal my music or my books, then they're more apt to actually by my music or my books in the future? That is BS and I'm calling BS. Why on earth would you purchase music or books if you know you can get them for free?

These sites act as both thief and fence. They steal the work -- be it from musicians or authors -- and give it away to potentially hundreds of thousands of people. All under the guise of 'sharing'. I don't know why they do it and frankly, I don't care. I simply want it to stop.

Yes, I make a very good living as a full time author. Yes, I give away lots of paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks every year. It is my work. My blood, sweat and tears that went into creating the book. It is my right to give it away to whomever I please whenever I please because it is mine. And again, let me reiterate that I am fine with people who have purchased my books or people who were given my books as gifts, to share them with their friends and family. I'm not talking about my devoted readers sharing books. I'm talking about the pirating sites.

It doesn't matter who they're stealing from. Whether its the famous Hugh Howey's of the writing industry or the new guy just starting out, it is still stealing. This isn't about the haves and the have nots. This is about a group of people who steal from one group of people to give it to another group of people.

If someone wants to read my books buy them or go to your local library and borrow a copy. If your library doesn't have a copy, ask and they'll get a copy for you. I have lots of contests throughout the year so a person could even win a free copy. Just don’t steal it.

Just because I gave away copies to people doesn't mean someone has the right to come in and steal copies from me and then give them away. And that is what these sites do - they steal.

So what is the solution? Three words:

Class Action Lawsuit.

We need every author -- traditional or indie -- to come together and file a class action lawsuit against these thieves. Yes, it might take years of court battles and buckets of frustrating tears before we see a final conclusion. But I say it would be worth it in the end. It isn't about suing them to win a ton of money, its about getting these people to stop. What we want is to get these websites to quit stealing our work and giving it away. Personally, I’d rather see the bastards do hard jail time than for me to win a dime. Either way, I’d be happy with seeing these people punished.

We can't get these thieves to stop by sending emails saying "Take my book off your site." I would wager they get dozens of such emails every day. I imagine some idiot in a grease-stained muscle shirt, oily skin, and long dirty hair, sitting behind a desk littered with empty Doritos bags, a family sized box of Twinkies on his lap, and diet soda cans spilling out of the trash can, smirking every time he opens one of those cease and desist emails. I can hear him say, "Yeah, right. We'll take it down for now, baby cakes, but come next week? Your little book will be on fifty other sites! Take that honey pie!" After he promptly moves my cease and desist email into his trash folder, he switches over to the 24-hour porn sites. I wonder if he pays for the porn or steals that too?

And the DMCA? The DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) is supposed to protect authors, artists and musicians against these thieves. Ha! Its as effective as trying to use a peacock feather against a horde of pissed off Alaskan Brown Bears. What are you going to do, tickle the bears to death? All it does is give us a fancy schmancy letter to send to these sites. I bet greasy twinkie guy has wallpapered is third-floor walk up studio apartment in copies of the DMCA. He might even use them as toilet paper. Yeah, that’s how I picture these slimeballs.

Until we band together against these thieving idiots, we'll never stop them. I say we unite ourselves against these fools. Instead of waving our feather made out of DMCA notices, I say we become the horde of pissed off authors who stand united and letting them know we're not going to allow this any more. Who is with me?

The Countdown Begins...

Did you receive your copy of this month's newsletter? What did you think? Do you like the new format? I'd love to hear from you!

Hugs,
Suzan

Reader Voting Schedule for RONE's

Hello everyone! I'm so excited! The last week has been amazing. A whirlwind of activity here. But we'll keep this post focused on the RONE's.

Because of the number of books nominated and the various categories, InD'Tale had to break the voting down by genre and sub genre. Each week you'll have the opportunity to vote on specific categories. Voting has already started and you can find the schedule here.

As you know, Wee William's Woman, McKenna's Honor and Rowan's Lady have all been nominated.  Reader voting is extremely important. I can't move on to the next round without readers voting.

Wee William's Woman and Rowan's Lady are in the Historical Medieval category. Voting for them begins March 24 at InDTale Magazine. McKenna's Honor is in the Historical Novella category and that voting begins April 7. It is one vote per person.

It is an honor to be nominated! To see my books listed among the likes of Courtney Milan, Kathryn Loch, Willa Blair, Hildie McQueen, and Kate Robbins (just to name a few) is mind-boggling! I'm just so tickled about this!

As always, you can find updates on books, contests, etc. at my Facebook Page or my new website.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart! I would not be where I am if it weren't for all of you!

Hugs,
Suzan

2014 RONE Awards

I am so very excited and honored! Last night I learned that three of my novels, Wee William's Woman, McKenna's Honor, and Rowan's Lady are all up for the distinguished RONE awards from InD'Tale Magazine!

The RONE is one of the most prestigious honors that an indie author can achieve. I rank it as being right up there with the RITA's. Win, lose or draw, it is an honor just to be nominated.

What is a RONE you ask? RONE: Reward of Novel Excellence, is given to those novels that have earned a high review by InD'Tale's professional reviewers, voted on by readers, then judged by publishing industry professionals. Winning this award is not easy. You can't 'buy' one, they aren't given based on 'who you know' and no nepotism is involved. This is something that must be earned. That is why I'm so very excited about the prospect of getting my books in the final round.

Click here to learn how the judging and voting works and to find out when reader voting begins.

I know that I'm up against some great competition. I personally know several of the other authors who will also be nominated, and many of those I happen to love dearly! To even be considered for such an honor, to be included amongst these wonderful authors makes my heart flutter and brings tears to my eyes. (Okay, I almost peed my pants when I heard that my books were in the running!)

Voting is only open to subscribers of InD'Tale Magazine. Now, before you panic, subscribing is fast, easy and FREE! It really is a great magazine filled with interesting articles, interviews with some of your favorite authors, and good, honest reviews. Voting will start soon, so if you haven't already signed up for InD'Tale, I'd recommend doing that before voting begins.

I can't express to you how much your love and support means to me. I believe I have the best readers!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

I'll continue to keep you all posted on how we're doing and when you can (if you want to) vote for my books. :D

xoxoxo
Suzan

Author Spotlight

I love to put fellow authors who I either love as an individual or their work or both in a special spotlight. I do this in my monthly newsletter.

Today, however, I'm giving a special shout out and shining my spotlight on author Krystal Shannan.

She is one of the sweetest people that I know and has been so very helpful to me on my writing journey. I consider her a friend and ally. :o)

About Krystal Shannan:

Krystal Shannan goes to sleep every night dreaming of mythical realms with werewolves, vampires, fae, and dragons. Occasional a fabulous, completely human story slips into the mix, but powers and abilities usually crop up without fail, twisting reality into whatever her mind can conceive.

As a child, her parents encouraged her interests in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology and all things historical and magickal. As an adult, the interests only grew. She is a child of Neverland and refuses to ever stop believing in fairies. She is guilty of indulging in and being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer groupie as well as an Angel fan. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of Joss Whedon, you are missing out!

She also makes sure to watch as many action and adventure movies as possible. The more exciting the better. Yippee-Ki-Yay... If you don't know the end of that phrase, then you probably don't like the same movies.

She enjoys reading romance in all genres, but especially paranormal. Her favorite book is ACHERON by Sherrilyn Kenyon. But really, if it has a 'Happily Ever After', she's on board!

Krystal writes stories full of action, snark, magick, and heart-felt emotion. If you are looking for leisurely-paced sweet romance, her books are probably not for you. However, for those looking for a magickal ride, filled with adventure, passion, and just a hint of humor. Welcome home.

Her next book is set for release on March 13, 2014. 

TAKING NICOLE

Vegas Mates, Book 4

By

Krystal Shannan

 

The last thing Nicole Demakis remembers was getting in the car with Sarah’s kidnapper and driving away. Now she faces the cold hard truth. The kidnapper, an agent of the Council, is her mate. But he refuses to claim her, and the Council may take everything away before she even has a chance to convince him to trust her.

Aaron Katsaros was ordered to deliver Nicole to her grandparents, the Antipas royal wolves. It should’ve been an easy task. Clean. No hiccups. But this infuriating woman, this wolf, his mate…is one hiccup after another and she’s arousing him to the point of pain. With his sister’s life hanging in the balance, he refuses to allow his passion to cost him the only family he has left.

Can he find a way to save his mate, or will he be forced to watch another claim the woman he loves?

Krystal Shannan

Putting Magick in Romance one Soul Mate at a Time.

___________________________________

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www.krystalshannan.com

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