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.