A Meager Beginning, but Working on North Country Quest

Somehow, I have to work on both North Country Quest and Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp at the same time. I honestly don't know how possible that is going to be because I usually get my head so deeply inside one idea at a time that there isn't room for much else.

Nevertheless, I found the tape covering the hike that will be the first chapter of NCQ today, and began to listen to it. I already know what the theme of the chapter will be. Each chapter in North Country Quest and North Country Cache is an essay that can pretty much stand on its own, so as soon as I know the thematic idea the essay is usually fairly easy to write. However, the fact that this will be the first chapter of the second book means that it needs a lot more filling out.

The book is following the format of the first book, a continuation and completion of the hike along the North Country Trail. In some ways, finishing the story excites me, and in some ways it seems boring. I think I can't really tell until I get into it. But, in either case, I've made a commitment to write the second book.

They say the most difficult part of any journey is the first step... so I've made a first step.

First Review of News from Dead Mule Swamp is Positive

Jennifer Malone-Wright, author of several vampire novels, graciously agreed to review News from Dead Mule Swamp, and I sure like what she says!

Although I did provide her with a free copy, Jenn says "I cannot guarantee a positive review... I simply write what I think about a book and that's it."

Basically, she feels that I've captured the small-town feeling well, and recommends the book. Please visit her blog and read her review of News from Dead Mule Swamp.

You can order this cozy mystery at Smashwords or Amazon.

If vampires are your thing, be sure to check out Jennifer's books, too

Beginning Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp

Is it possible that spending some time each day writing is becoming a habit? I have so few good habits that would be delightful!

At any rate, I had made notes to outline the general plot for the next Anastasia Raven mystery, and now I have a chapter and a half done.

Paddy is an Irish Setter puppy that belongs to Ana's cousin. She has agreed to keep Paddy for a few weeks of the summer. What kind of mischief can Paddy get into?

If you want to get acquainted with Ana, be sure to buy News from Dead Mule Swamp. It's only 99¢!

What is an LCCN and Why Get One?

LCCN stands for Library of Congress Catalog (control) Number. It is a unique identifier assigned to any book which has applied and is accepted into the Library of Congress. Libraries use this number to find information to catalog a book which they have acquired. Some libraries will not accept books that do not have an LCCN.

If you want your printed book to look professional and be readily accepted by stores and libraries, you should apply for this number.

It's easy to do, you just need to do it well in advance of printing.

Go to pcn.loc.gov and create an ID. Then apply for the number. You'll need to know the title, author(s), approximate number of pages, ISBN, and approximate printing date.

Click submit, and wait to hear back!

Winner of a Free Copy of News from Dead Mule Swamp

Winner of a free copy of News from Dead Mule Swamp is Ivy of Spinning Lovely Days. She found all 15 names and thus earned two entries, one of which won.

The rest of you will have to fork out 99¢- sorry about that. But I'm not too sorry, it's really a great deal.
You can order at Smashwords or Amazon.

Star City Short Story Contest Results

The Star City Blog sent me a message. "We regret to inform you that due to insignificant participation, Star City Blog was forced to cancel the contest."

I'm a bit bummed out that they couldn't have figured that out right after the deadline instead of six weeks later. But, o well.

I wonder what they considered insignificant? I wonder why they couldn't have said in the rules that awarding of the prizes was contingent on having X number of entries?

But, I do have another story that I can do something with on my own.

News from Dead Mule Swamp - Ready for Orders

You can now order News from Dead Mule Swamp at either Smashwords or Amazon.

The author gets higher royalties if you order from Smashwords, and they offer many formats, including HMTL (to read in a browser), text and DDF for those without readers of any kind. They also offer ePUB which works in many readers, mobi for Kindle, and LRF and PDB for Sony and Palm.

Amazon offers one format, mobi, for their Kindle Reader, and the author only gets 35¢. So, if it makes no difference to you, it would be much nicer for me (any author) to order through Smashwords.

Here's the best news. News from Dead Mule Swamp is only 99¢! I want you to meet Anastasia Raven, and the book is rather short. So, have a bit of fun without spending a fortune!

Go buy it!