Such a Deal: 99 Cents for a Really Good Book

Who loves a bargain? I sure as heck do, especially when it comes to books. Readers who use Kindle have three days — July 24-26 — to buy themselves some great books from Crooked Cat Books’ authors for 99 cents. What could you buy these days for that amount of money?

Crooked Cat Books is my publisher. So, yes, you can buy my first mystery, Chasing the Case for 99 cents. And just in time because the second in the Isabel Long Mystery Series, Redneck’s Revenge, will be out very soon. Here’s the link: http://mybook.to/chasingthecase

But I’m not going to be selfish about this promotion because Crooked Cat has gathered together a pride of great authors writing in several genres: mystery in all of its ramifications; romance; historical; fantasy; and non-fiction.

It’s an easy way to load up your Kindle without breaking the bank and to try out new authors.

When I first signed on with Crooked Cat Books in November, I used its winter sale to stock up on books and to get a feel for what my fellow authors write. By the way, they are an international group, including the UK, other parts of Europe, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

That’s how I got to know: Katharine Johnson, the author of three books including her latest The Secret; Lorcan Kavanagh, who wrote the dark thriller, Texas Dakota; and Nancy Jardine’s mystery Topaz Eyes. Then there was Olga Swan’s memoir Pensioners in Paradis, and Sue Barnard’s intriguing Never on Saturday. Others include Alice Castle’s London Murder Mysteries, Anne-Marie Ormsby’s dark fantasy Purgatory Hotel and Isabella May’s Oh! What a Pavlova and The Cocktail Bar.

I found I was in very good company.

Let me make some other recommendations.

History buff? Try John Jackson’s Heart of Stoneand with a ghostly twist, Jennifer C. Wilson’s Kindred Spirits Series, and Kate Braitwaite’s The Road to Newgate. Romance your thing? Lizzie Chantree, Sue Roebuck, Carre-Anne Schless, Jess B. Moore, Miriam Drori, Awen Thornber, and Kate Armitage have books for you.

For fantasy, check out Heidi Catherine’s Soulweaver Series. An Australian author, she explores the concept that we fall in love with the same people life after life. Yup, she makes me believe in love everlasting.

Crooked Cat has a strong collection of thriller fiction including those written by J.V. Baptie, Maisie Porter, Alex Macbeth, Daralyse Lyons, Seamus Heffernan, Columbkill Noonan, and C.J. Sutton. Also look for Val Penny’s Hunter’s Chase, the first in the Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. Then there are Angela Wren’s books set in France.

I could go on and on, but this gives you an idea of the variety available.

So this is how you do it. Starting Tuesday, June 24, go to Amazon’s book session and plug in Crooked Cat Books to search. You might get a few books that have cat in the title but don’t be fooled. The right books will cost 99 cents in the U.S. or 99 p if you are in the UK.

Chasing the Case, Readers

Viewed and Reviewed: Thank You Very Much

My parents taught me good manners. Say please when you want something and thank you when you get it. It’s pretty simple, really.

I’ve been saying please read my new book, Chasing the Case. Now I say thank you for those who have, and especially those who took the time to leave a review on Amazon.

Why are reviews important? As I’ve said many times, there is writing and then there is the business of writing. Books that get a certain amount of reviews get love from Amazon. From what I’ve been told by fellow authors, 30 is an important number.

Chasing the Case doesn’t have 30 reviews. It has 14, and for those I am grateful. A couple are hefty. Most are short. The majority gave the mystery five stars. I am thankful for each one.

Here’s a sampling. (I will omit the names. You can find them on Amazon.)

“Love it.”

“Just finished Chasing the Case by Joan Livingston. This talented storyteller has woven an intricate tale of love, betrayal, and family loyalty. The perfect read to begin the summer!”

“This book is an auspicious start to a promised series all featuring the same detective. The book is set in Western Massachusetts and, after reading it, it seems that I lived there for a chunk of my life. The characters are nicely drawn and developed and the plot is suitably complicated. All in all, this was a fun read! Indeed, Ms. Livingston has create a cadre of fascinating characters and has set herself up nicely for the future books that I am now eagerly anticipating.”

There are the international reviews, thanks to my connection with my publisher Crooked Cat Books. Amazon has UK and AU branches, where people from the United Kingdom and Australia buy anything — and can leave reviews.

I’m chuffed, as my friends in the UK would say, that my mystery set in the rural U.S. resonates with people in other parts of the world.

Here are fans from the UK site.

“I heard great things about the first title in Joan Livingston’s Mystery series… and book 1 has certainly lived up to the hype, and some. Sassy female characters who break every stereotype, a rugged array of male suspects, and a fabulously quirky style of writing, kept me up late 2 nights in a row and turning the pages. I can’t wait for the next installment!”

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn and very engaging, the murder mystery well plotted. I loved the setting too — a small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business. I particularly enjoyed the way Isobel, the main character, develops as the story unfolds. I love coming across a new-to-me author and discovering that the book I’m reading is the first in a series. (In this case, The Isobel Long Myseries) I can’t wait for the second in the series, Redneck’s Revenge, which I have already pre-ordered.”

Here is one from Australia:

“It’s always a good sign when I finish a book less than 24 hours after starting it! I literally couldn’t put this book down (apologies to my family). Everything about this story was unique and refreshing – the writing style, the setting, the storyline and my favourite part … the characters. I was in awe of the stereotype-busting silver-haired widow and her 92 year old mother, who were the lead sleuths solving this case. We need more books like this! Which is lucky for me (and you!) because I believe there is a second book coming out soon.”

And not to seem ungrateful, I do get a kick out of meeting people who tell me in person they read and enjoyed Chasing the Case. How much fun is that?

So here is my pitch. If you read Chasing the Case, again thank you very much. If you are so inspired, please leave a review on Amazon. I’d like to hit that number 30. You didn’t have to buy the book on Amazon, and yes, it can be very short and done with a pseudonym.

UPDATE: So what am I working on now? I am heavy into the final edits of my novel, Redneck’s Revenge, which is the next in the Isabel Long mystery series. The book will officially launch Sept. 26. The Kindle version is available to pre-order now: http://mybook.to/rednecksrevenge. Paperbacks will be out in August.

Of course, Chasing the Case is available in both forms now: http://mybook.to/chasingthecase

And in the midst of all this and moving into the home we renovated, I’ve been writing the third book in the series: Checking the Traps. To use baseball terminology, I am rounding third on that one.

ABOUT THE PHOTO ABOVE: That’s part of my office in the home we renovated. Yeah, I will be getting a more comfy chair sometime in the future.

Chasing the Case, Isabel Long Series

My Low-Pressure Sales Pitch

I’ve been thinking of ways to tell readers nicely how happy it would make me if they pre-ordered my brand new mystery, Chasing the Case. So, here goes.

Pre-order, you say? This is how it works: you tell Amazon ahead of time you want to buy the Kindle version of the book, and on May 18 it will pop into your computer, tablet, or device like a pleasant surprise.

I am grateful for those who have already made a purchase. As for others, I can imagine what you’re saying: May 18 is a long ways off. Why can’t I wait?

Here are ten reasons.

ONE: Chasing the Case is a really good mystery, if I say so myself. Yesterday somebody sent me a challenge on Twitter about what three things I need to write. My top answer was: A story I can’t let go. That’s the scenario for this one. It was my first attempt at this genre and I found I loved writing mysteries.

Here’s a short summary. Isabel Long, a long-time journalist, becomes an amateur P.I. after she gets canned from her newspaper job. She’s got time on her hands, so she decides to solve a mystery of a woman who went missing 28 years earlier. It was her first big story as a rookie reporter. And it happened in her town of a thousand people.

Isabel is smart, sassy and doesn’t take crap from anybody. She’s got a Watson, her 92-year-old mother who lives with her. And she takes a job tending bar at a local watering hole so she can get up close and personal with those close to this case.

The story is set in an imagined hilltown in Western Massachusetts.

As a journalist, Isabel never lost a story she chased. Now, as an amateur P.I., she’s not about to lose this case either.

TWO: It’s damn cheap at $2.99 (US), £1.99 (UK) and $3.99 (AU) and CDN $2.99 (CA).

What could you possibly buy at that price that would bring you lasting pleasure? Not much these days. I’ve had coffee that cost more than that.

By the way it’s free, if you have Kindle Unlimited.

THREE: It’s damn easy to buy. Just go to these links. On a box, you will see a place that says “Pre-order with 1-Click.” Just click it.

You go to: Amazon US or Amazon UK or Amazon Canada or Amazon Australia.

FOUR: It’s good for the novel’s ranking on Amazon. Yup, the book industry is a numbers game.

FIVE: Uh, I don’t own a Kindle. You can download a free Kindle app for your computer, tablet, even your phone.

SIX: Hold on. I prefer a book in hand. Yes, I understand. I have a library of books I’ve collected.

My friend, Amy, sent me this humorous message on Facebook: “Troglodyte Murphy awaits the hard copy… Ring me on my 2006 Tracfone when it’s ready.”

Paperbacks will be available soon and I will let you know when.

SEVEN: On launch day, I will be hosting an online party on Facebook. It will last a few hours. There will be opportunities for fun discussions and contests with prizes. Would you like your pet’s name to be used in the second sequel I’m working on? Perhaps you would like one of the characters to have your name. That’s a start. It’s open to anyone on Facebook.

EIGHT: I promise not to be a pest about this. My publisher, Crooked Cat Books, recommends our presence on social media should be 80 percent us and 20 percent our books. I am going to have to post a whole lot more to make up for this pitch.

NINE: Let me repeat: you will make me happy. Very happy. And grateful. Writing brings me immense pleasure, but it takes a lot to put together say a 75,000-word novel. I want people to read it. Luckily, I have the support of Crooked Cat Books and I hope you.

TEN: Thank you for sticking with me if you’ve read this far.

Joan Livingston

Author and editor

Tag Archives: Amazon

Such a Deal: 99 Cents for a Really Good Book

Viewed and Reviewed: Thank You Very Much

My Low-Pressure Sales Pitch