Closer to Publication

Three weeks from tomorrow, on Feb. 1, the next novel in my John Ross Boomer Lit series, Make Room for Family, will be published.

In the meantime, the e-book format can be pre-ordered on Amazon. The book will be available in print and e-book versions on Feb. 1 from Wings ePress.

Some readers are curious as to the boomer lit genre. It can refer to books that appeal to baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, with the storylines in that timeline. Or, in the case of my novels, the protagonist is a baby boomer and the timeline is contemporary. I often refer to my novels, which take place in 2017-18. as coming-of-old-age stories.

Boomer lit novels have been around for a while, but really garnered attention about 15 years ago when the first boomers turned 50. Check out this Wikipedia entry. My guess is that boomer lit will be around as long as there are boomers and followed by books aimed at Generation Xers. 

My series began in 2015 with Old Ways and New Days, which set the stage with the retirement of John Ross from a long career in the news media. He was thinking it might be a life of leisure, but he thought wrong. 

 It was followed with Darkness Beyond the Light, in 2017, as he and his wife, Sally, deal with family problems involving their son and her mother during the holiday season that is far from joyous.

The third novel, New Horizons, released in 2019, took the Kentucky couple on an unforgettable trip to Budapest with some interesting travel companions. 

Without giving too much away, the new release brings them back home, where they are confronted by unexpected family members and new neighbors.

By the way, I'm currently working on the fifth novel in the series. If everything goes to schedule, it should be ready for release late this year.

Until the next time . . . 

Amazon Giveaway for "New Horizons"

Here's an opportunity to win an ebook of my latest novel, "New Horizons," the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series.

Unfortunately, the contest is open only to those who live in the United States. That is Amazon's contest rules, not mine. I'd prefer for it to be available to anyone, anywhere.

Click here to enter. There are no strings attached. Easy as pie.

The novel follows the trails of baby boomers John Ross and his wife, Sally,  as they journey to Budapest on a guided tour. It turns into a memorable trip in many ways. They also must contend with what is happening back home.

I do hope you'll let others know about the giveaway, so please share with other readers.

Good luck!

Until the next time . . .

Book Promotion for Darkness Beyond the Light

The second book in my John Ross Boomer Lit series, Darkness Beyond the Light, will be on sale for 99 cents for one week beginning April 21. 

This past week, Old Ways and New Days, the first book in the series geared toward baby boomers, was offered at that price. And if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read them for free. 



The books are on sale as part of a promotion from Wings ePress before the publication of New Horizons on May 1. 

New Horizons, the third book, can be downloaded on preorder before the release date. It will be available in print on May 1 as well.

Darkness Beyond the Light deals with John and Sally Ross confronting their son's drug problem. They also have Sally's opinionated octogenarian mother to contend with on the homefront during the usually joyous Christmas holiday season.

In New Horizons, John and Sally attempt to get away from all the chaos at home by taking a long overdue vacation to historic Budapest. But they encounter other issues along the way that make it a memorable trip they'd almost soon forget.




I hope that if you chose to read the books that you find them unforgettable—in a good way. And don't forget to leave a review and/or rating (for me and other authors after you finish reading books).

Until the next time . . . 

A Thank You to Reviewers

While having coffee with a fellow author today, our wide-ranging conversation touched on  books, authors, writers group, travel, politics —and book reviews.

Authors, especially those outside the realm of King, Grisham, Roberts, Patterson and a few other literary luminaries, depend on readers to leave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and similar book websites. 

More reviews means more exposure to potential readers. 

That being said, we both agreed that asking someone to read a book and then write a review is asking quite a lot. Why? Because the reader has to invest several hours in simply reading, depending on the length of the book. And then, taking the time to write something about the book on a website, whether it's a few sentences or several paragraphs.

Sometimes we authors get a bit antsy about it, and that's simply from our selfish perspective. As mentioned above, a book receives more attention with the number of reviews. At Amazon, for instance, the first magic number is 20. Reaching that level, the book is recommended to other readers who purchase similar books. It's all part of the algorithms used in the Amazon shopping experience.

Now back to the reviewer. I believe it's important that the author requesting a review realizes that it takes time to read a book, in addition to everything else swirling in a person's daily life. I know I don't have time to read a book in a day or two because of other things going on.

While I have reviewed books at the request of friends and authors, one thing I always do is leave reviews and rankings in all the books I read. If you own a Kindle, that's the first thing you see when you finish a book. But I do it when I turn the final page on a print book as well.

And while readers are giving a boost to authors with their reviews, they're also letting other readers know about the books they recommend, or perhaps those didn't especially enjoy. I always check out reviews before deciding on a book. 

So I want to thank  those who have reviewed by novels. And for those who haven't, I do hope you will take the time to leave a few words and a rating at an appropriate website. And please do it for other authors and readers as well. We truly appreciate it.

Here are a few good blog posts to get you started:

How to Write a Book Review on Amazon

How to Write a Good Book Review

How to Write a Book Review on Amazon

Until the next time . . . 

Back to Work on No. 3

I took a two-week break from my work in progress, and now I'm back at the keyboard, churning out words and not missing a beat.

I spent a week in Ireland, and after returning home, took another week to get my bearings straight (jet lag, home chores, and the like) before delving back into the sequel to "Darkness Beyond the Light."

I had the best intentions to continue writing while in Ireland, even taking two notebooks with me. But looking back, it was delusional of me to believe that I could actually find the time to focus on the manuscript.

But I did read during that time, taking along my Kindle Fire to peruse books I downloaded,  during the flights to and from and before going to sleep each night. One of my few good habits is to read each night before turning out the lights. 

So I'm back at the manuscript, topping 66k words this morning. The WIP is actually two parts. I'll be returning to the first part, which takes place in Europe, in a few weeks. The second part is about what happens when John and Sally Ross  return home to Kentucky. And I already know what I'm going to write about in the fifth book.

While I don't generally recommend taking a break from a WIP, sometimes you can't avoid it. Besides reading, I did jot down a few notes to consider in the story, such as character development. I've also spent time researching a few topics the past week. 

I hope things are going well with your WIPs.

Until the next time . . .  

First Promotion

The first promotion for my latest novel, "Darkness Beyond the Light," is on Amazon through Nov. 23.

It's a giveaway of five e-books. You need to click here and tweet that you entered. It's that simple. Also, you don't have to own a Kindle to read the book. Amazon offers an app for Apple, Android, and Windows devices.

I know some folks don't have Twitter accounts so don't despair. I plan to have several other contests in the coming weeks to promote the John  Ross Boomer Lit novel. Stay tuned!

Until the next time. . . .

Published!

My latest novel, "Darkness Beyond the Light," is now out there for the world to see -- and to read -- from Wings ePress.

Here are the links for the e-book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

And for the print edition:

Amazon
It also will be available at Barnes & Noble. You can also order the novel through your local independent bookstore through CreateSpace.

Check back for updates and giveaways.

If you do purchase the novel, please leave a review and/or rating at the website. And that goes for all books because authors appreciate feedback.

Until the next time. . . . 

Personal E-Book Promotion

I'm always looking for new ways to promote my novels.

I've used websites for promotions, reviews, and giveaways; traditional (and perhaps old-fashioned) approaches such as postcards and bookmarks; and other ways such as posting links and images to emails and other correspondence. (By the way, I still believe word of mouth is the best way to promote).

I'm going to try something new, at least for me. Through this post I will offer seven digital copies of my novels, since that's how many I've written since 1999.  I've already done a print giveaway on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. 

If you're interested in reading one of my novels, all you have to do is reply to my email at michael.embry@gmail.com with "Contest" in the subject line and the following information the body:

1. I need your email so I can send the novel to you through Amazon.com as a gift. 
2. I will let you pick the novel of your choice -- The Touch, A Long Highway, Foolish Is The Heart, A Confidential Man, Shooting Star, The Bully List, or Old Ways and New Days. You can go to my website or visit Amazon to read a synopsis of the novels. I would recommend going to my author page since all the books are listed there.
3.  Your name, location and selection. When the contest is finished, I will update this post with the winners, e.g., John D., Yakima, Wash., Old Ways and New Days.  I won't use your last name or your email. Promise!
4. So how will I decide the seven winners? That's easy. The first seven who respond will receive a novel of their choice.
5. There are no catches or surprises to this contest. I would appreciate a rating and/or review, but it's not necessary. I know some folks don't like to write reviews. Maybe word of mouth?

I look forward to hearing from you. Good luck!

Until the next time....

It's a Book!

My short-story collection is now a real book. Really! It’s called “Laments.”

For those who have been following my blog for the past few months, you know I was a bit apprehensive to self-publish. After  corresponding with successful Kentucky authors Kallypso Masters, Teresa Reasor and Devon Matthews and a few friends, I decided to take that big step, at least for me.

After six rewrites, I turned to an editor, Joan McKinney, to read and make necessary corrections and suggestions to the manuscript.

With everything in order, I hired Tugboat Designs for cover art. After that task was accomplished, I contracted with them to format the manuscript for publication at primary sites that transformed it to an ebook and print edition -- Amazon Kindle, B&N's Pubit, Smashwords, and Amazon's CreateSpace.

I read several books about self-publishing including Mark Coker’s "Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success,"  Jim Kukral's "The Ultimate Digital Promotion Handbook," and Kristen James's "How to Sell More Kindle eBooks." I also perused many blogs and articles about the digital media.

I especially enjoyed Coker's book. The founder of Smashwords, he presented a well-balanced and insightful view of e-publishing.

For those interested, “Laments” can be found at:
Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Amazon.com (ebook)

CreateSpace (paperback)
Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about epublishing. And if you decide to read the book, please leave a comment/review at the site (and do that for other authors as well after you finish their books).

Until the next time…