FREE EBOOK "BROKEN BUTTERFLY"

It's been almost a year since I published Broken Butterfly and a lot has happened since then.

My publishing company closed, leaving Broken Butterfly homeless. Don't be sad.

A sister company was willing to take on all Crossbooks clients. Westbow Press. Through the next few months, I went through the stages of having them take on my book, they read it, made sure it met their standards, and it was finally in the last stages after taking four months.

Because I was a finalist in a contest with Crossbooks, I had a really nice package. Now, I was told in the beginning of this entire process, that everything would be similar in my package. But, I found out days before my book was going to go live

these were the only things I would receive ...

·         They would publish Broken Butterfly on the Westbow Press website.

·         10 ebook tabs (free ebooks I could give away to whoever I wanted to)

·         Their branding. I guess that was a big deal. It just wasn't that important to me.

That was it.

Not the book sellers return program (and I was so close to getting my book into the Lifeway store) And my number one question to them was this.

Would I keep the book sellers return program?

The reply I received ...

Yes, you will receive a similar package to the one you had with Crossbooks.

They weren't even going to list my book on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. And it's only by chance I found this out. I had asked an Amazon marketing question. I'm so glad I asked that question.  And you can just imagine my shock when she said, "Why are you surprised?"

I wouldn't consider myself a rude person, like ever. But this was one of those moments, I really wanted to be rude. I laughed-out-loud and said, "Thank you." And hung up.

My daughter looked at me and laughed. I guess I wasn't mean enough. Her attitude is a little worse than mine. Where did she get that from? We really need to work on that!

Now I'm not faulting them in any way other than they should've been straightforward with me in the beginning. I wouldn't have wasted four months of my time or theirs.

So, I decided to publish it myself. It was ready. It had already been published. I sold over 200 personal copies already. Not including my previous online sales. I just needed to get it back up on Amazon.

So I did.

Ya'll. I received my first check from Amazon.

I was shocked!!!

The check was for only 16 days and included ebook sales only. My check from Amazon was 27% more than my only check I received with Crossbooks that included ebook, paperback, and hardcopy sales for 4 months combined. This is because they received most of the profit. The checks were from online sales only. This does not include my personal paperback sales!!

I wonder, did I make the right decision?

I think so.

When I published on Amazon, I chose the KDP select program. I wanted to run a promotion to give my ebook away for free for a certain amount of time.

IN celebration of my one year anniversary ... I'm running a promotion the next 2 weekends. It starts today, Thursday, December 4th and will run through Sunday, December 6th. And then another one will run, Friday, December 11th-12th. You can download the kindle version for FREE on any of these days.

I also chose to allow those who purchase a copy of Broken Butterfly to loan it out. Why would I do that? I want people to read my book. I hope they will love it and want to read more of my books when I get them published.

I didn't know it at the time, but I get paid when people read my books. I found this out when I received my check. So, I am giving a blessing, and receiving one in return. :)

If you enjoyed Broken Butterfly you can really help me by doing a few very simple things.

a)   Download a free copy of Broken Butterfly on any of the free promotion days. This will push it closer to the free bestseller list where it will get more views.

b)   Tell ALL of your reader friends about this promotion, so they can download a copy too. :)

c)   Read the pages of the free copy.

d)   Leave a review for me on Amazon!! EVERY SINGLE REVIEW IS IMPORTANT!!! THANK YOU SOOOO VERY MUCH IF YOU ALREADY HAVE!!!!!

You may think your review isn't important ... but it is. It's so very important. Every review bumps me closer to the bestseller list. ... Plus, the more good reviews a book has, the more likely a new reader is to give it a chance. It is always a factor for me when I choose a book.

It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It doesn't have to be long. Short and sweet is fine with me. Just please, if you've read Broken Butterfly and you loved it, do this to help me get more copies into the hands of new readers. And thank you so much in advance. And let me know if you leave one, so I can thank you personally!!

I'm so blessed to have thirty-two 5 star***** reviews today and one 4 star**** review. That is a huge blessing.

You can find me on Goodreads and Barnes & Nobles too!

I'm working hard with my editor on Chasing Paradise. I will be looking for reviews ahead of time before this one is published!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cindy

INTERVIEW & BOOK GIVE-AWAY

I'm so excited to be a guest on Vonda Skelton's blog today. Please join me there ... Here's the link ...

http://www.vondaskelton.com/2015/10/27/interview-book-give-away-with-cindy-patterson/

and be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win a free paperback copy of Broken Butterfly.

I look forward to seeing you there.


Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day,

Cindy

A MISSED FLIGHT ... PART 2

I'm so glad y'all came back to hear some more of my story.

When I reached the airport, I didn't know where to park, so I had to stop and ask someone and then start all over on my journey around the airport.

When we were finally inside the parking garage, it took at least ten minutes to find a parking spot and maybe five more to get into the spot.

After the long walk to the terminal, I reached the desk and looked around like a lost puppy dog. But thank goodness, there was no line at our flight counter.

Did that matter?

No.

The lady asked me where we were headed.

I told her.

"You're too late to make that flight." She said in that short sort of way that cut off all small talk.

I started trembling immediately. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're eight minutes late."

"Eight minutes?"

"Have you got your bags checked in?" Her voice sounded fine, there was no sliver of condensation, but her eyes flicking from me to Zach were knowing.

"No, that's why I'm here?" I keep that I'm-too-dignified-to-beg tone out of my voice. But only barely.

She didn't hesitate. She didn't smile. "You'll have to rebook."

"No. I can make it. I can." The begging mode slowly creeps through.

"Do you have your boarding passes?"

"No. Please. I can make it."

"Let me get my supervisor."

She walks away and all I can do is retrace my steps over and over. Why did I stop? Why didn't I come straight here? What have I done? I felt like I had stepped up to the start of a race, and the outcome was already set in stone. I was going to lose. 

And ya'll, I'm shaking so hard, I can't see straight.

Zach grabs my arm. "Mama, stop it. You can't do anything about it."

"I have to."

I hear the ladies talking and I the supervisor says, 'You have to be here thirty minutes ahead of time'.

My clerk comes back. There's nothing more I can do. I feel like I'm going to throw up. I need to quit pushing myself to the limit. It's not worth it.

"You have to rebook."
I have to try one more time. "Please. I can make it." I point toward the area I think I have to go. "I know I can make it."

"No. Now, it's been ten minutes." She checks something on her computer. "They've already dropped your seats."

Deep down, I don't believe her. Why is this happening? I am not in control of anything. And I have destroyed everything over one bad decision.

"I can get you seats on a 6:30 flight and you'll arrive in Tampa at 10:45. Or I can get you a flight tomorrow." The frustration had drained out of her voice, and she just sounds very, very tired.

Zach finally speaks up. "No, I have to be there tomorrow."

My chest is pounding. I'm supposed to be at my friend's house at 3:00. How can I show up at her house at midnight? What kind of friend am I? What kind of mother am I? My husband is going to kill me. What kind of wife am I? I'm about to have a break down.

"Wait. I found something earlier." She's still typing on her keyboard. "I can get you on a flight at 3:45."

That's better. And I take a deep breath.

"It'll be $58 more per person?"

"Only $58 per person? That's it? That's all I have to pay?"

"Yes. That includes all the fees."

I exhale. "Okay." It's like hundreds of pounds are lifted from my shoulders. Not that I'm happy about paying $116 more, but I'm happy that's all I have to pay. Especially when I hear the people next to me will have to pay over a thousand. We would've turned around and drove home. Very disappointed. And I probably would've had to drag Zach. Is that even possible?

"So we need to be back here at ... Or should I go ahead and check in?"

The clerk didn't crack a smile. "I'm checking you in right now."

And even in this mess, with my stomach tangled in knots, I'm able to laugh.

Then, God blesses me in this moment even more than that.

"Wait. I found something sooner. I can get you two on a flight leaving at 12:20."

It's 11:45 now.

"You'll be in Tampa by 3:30."

God is so good.

To be continued...

There's so much more I want to share with you about our trip. I hope you'll come back week after next to hear more. :)

Next week, I'm doing an author interview with Vonda Skelton and I'm so excited. I'll have the link here next week so you'll be able to join me there. And I'll be giving away a signed paperback copy of Broken Butterfly, so be sure to stop by and visit us there next Tuesday!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

A MISSED FLIGHT

I seriously have issues with pushing things to the limit.

I mean, why did I think I'd have extra time?

It's been a few years since I've flown, but only a few weeks since I've driven by the airport. How could I forget how many exits were between the one I decided I had to get off for a snack and the airport?

It was the longest stretch of drive I've ever driven, and the clock seemed to move faster than it ever has before. Did they add extra exits since the last time I came through here?

Why couldn't I have just waited until I arrived?

Because I HAD to use the bathroom, and I skipped breakfast and I had a  headache coming on and  needed a drink to take something NOW!! I couldn't wait twenty more minutes until I got inside the airport. It made perfect sense as I told myself veering my car off the interstate behind a slow driving eighteen wheeler.

Of course, there was no store in sight. I had no idea which way to go. So I followed the truck.

Still moving slow.

Still no store.

I had made a mistake.

Then I saw a store.

But it was a Members Only store. WHAT????

Then I spotted a Big Lots.

There was a lady in the parking lot. She was walking across the lot with her cart.

I waited.

With patience.

She was attempting to put her cart back, but in the direction she headed, there was only another lone cart standing in the space. She looked around unable to find the cart return.

The park I intended to take in the beginning was to my right where she stood originally, then I changed my mind and decided on the left park where she had walked and now stood. Has this ever happened to you? When you were in a hurry? Of course it has.

She looked at me, with apologetic eyes. Walking back and forth in the very spot I wanted to get. It was almost comical. It was like I was supposed to be there in that very second, unable to get to a parking space quickly because I was in a hurry. I was not upset. Really. I wasn't.  I felt for her. I knew she was having a hard time. I just sat there waiting, instead of speeding away with an attitude and finding another park.

But this of course was taking more time, and I knew the mistake I had made was huge.

I just didn't know that this was only the beginning.

To be continued  ...

Cindy

FEAR FACTOR & WINNER ANNOUNCED

Don't Worry????

Worrying will not make you live longer, and will rob your joy.

Here are some interesting quotes I wanted to share ...

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.  ~Mark Twain

If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.  ~Calvin Coolidge

How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened.  ~Thomas Jefferson

If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.  ~Don Herold

Not everyone wants to stop worrying. Well, I'm not one of those people. But it isn't easy to stop worrying.

I was just in that situation last night. Picture this.

It's raining. I'm sitting in the back seat of a truck. I'm texting frantically, trying to make the time pass, trying to think of something else, anything else. My husband sits in the passenger seat answering an email on his phone. He isn't supposed to be doing that! He's supposed to be watching the road. Constantly. My son is driving. My heart is racing. I'm holding on to the door till my knuckles whiten. My muscles tense and my breathing deepens. It'll take twenty minutes to get there. On the highway, he switches back and forth between lanes to allow merging oncoming traffic. My chest is tightening now remembering. 

Why does he have to learn to drive anyway? I don't mind driving him where he needs to go?

No matter how much I worry, it changes nothing. No one can take my life, or my sons, my daughters, my husbands, unless God allows it.

Job 14:5 A person’s days are determined;
    you have decreed the number of his months
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.

Most things we worry about will never happen.  Don't let worry destroy your youthfulness. Instead, let's focus on Him and not be consumed with the things of this world. :)

Lamentations 3: 22-23

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

I have been told multiple times, that you have had trouble leaving comments on my blog posts. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to fix that problem! So, if you leave a comment on Facebook you are always eligible for my drawings as well. And this week the winner of Katelin Maloney's Book, Drowning, is ...

Julia Whitley!

Congratulations, Julia!! Send me a private message with your address and I will forward it to Katelin so she can send you a copy of her book. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Cindy

Interview & Book Giveaway with Katelin Maloney

I'm so excited to have Katelin Maloney, Domestic Violence Advocate, and Author of Drowning here with me this morning.

 

 Welcome Katelin! Let's start by letting you tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hello Cindy. Thank you for the opportunity to share my novel, Drowning. I really appreciate it!

I am a domestic violence advocate and volunteer at the local domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organization, Betty Griffin House, located in St. Augustine, Florida.

I am happily married to a wonderful and supportive husband and I have two great sons. I am proud to say that my older son is also a volunteer at Betty Griffin House.

Besides spending time with loved ones and writing, I enjoy crafting with friends, touring St. Augustine, and exercising, especially walks on the beach. I have written many scenes in my head while enjoying the calmness the ocean brings. I am very blessed.

Having read your book, I have to know how you came up with the idea for Drowning.

Actually, I dreamed the story one night. The next day I was playing basketball in my driveway with my son and the idea of my character, Anna, came to me.  She is an integral character in the novel. After that day, the story played like a movie in my mind. When I wrote the first draft, I felt like I was just writing down the movie.

I’m currently writing a second book called Deception and unfortunately that has not happened! I have to make it up as I go along. 

If you don't mind me asking, what led you to write a story about domestic violence?

I am a domestic abuse survivor and wanted to give abused women a voice.

  

Throughout the years I’ve known other women who have been in abusive relationships and some people in their surrounding network didn’t understand the dynamics of the relationship. Drowning shows what the victim is living through. Women in abusive relationships will be able to see that the abuse is not their fault and that the abuser is not going to change his behavior.

I have had several women thank me for writing Drowning because of their previous abusive relationships. This feedback has been very rewarding.

I want to include the back cover blurb for Drowning so readers can get insight into the overall story. I hope that's okay.

Drowning, Katelin Maloney

Rebecca has simple dreams. A promotion. Children. A happy marriage. But can she have it with Mitch?

Though she carefully keeps secrets to guard her safety, her marriage to Mitch, a successful doctor, is brutal, and his abuse is escalating. A promotion at the bank could be the answer to her prayers, but Mitch has different plans for her life.

Ultimately, Rebecca must face her own inner demons before she can act. Will she be able to find her former, stronger self before Mitch destroys her completely?

What is the biggest challenge you've faced as a writer?

Learning the craft of creative writing! My background is in Finance and Economics and I have written only non-fiction for the last twenty years. I had no experience in writing fiction before taking on Drowning.

I started going to writer workshops, took classes, and read books on the craft of writing. I joined an online critique group which was very helpful to me. Basically I had to educate myself in a whole new field which didn’t include numbers! J

How do you stay motivated?

A couple of ways. Writing has been a wonderful outlet for my creativity. I’m excited to get up in the morning to start to write.

Even more motivating is the topic that I write about. When I would put Drowning aside for a month or two, I felt the pull to go back and write it because I knew the story would make a difference in people’s lives. I knew in my heart that the story needed to be told and I was the one to tell it.

What do you want your readers to gain from the book?

I’ve been told that Drowning is a ‘page-turner’ by several people, so I hope the reader enjoys the fast pace.

After reading Drowning, people will have a better understanding of abusive relationships and why women stay as long as they do. The reader will ‘walk on eggshells’ and feel that they are in the middle of the storm that the main character, Rebecca, feels she is in.

 Do you have any words of wisdom you'd like to share?

Yes. Has anyone ever noticed a friend or loved one pulling back from your relationship? Saying ‘I’m sorry’ often? Being distant or stopping contact with you? Have you noticed bruises? Does she miss a lot of work? These are all examples of someone who could be in an abusive relationship.

You can reach out to her and just let her know you are there if she needs you. Give her the number to the local domestic violence organization.

Remember, if we can help just one woman, we’ve done our job.

Katelin, thank you for being with us today and giving us a peek into your own personal experience. And readers, be sure to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing and then return next week to see if you're the winner of Katelin's book.

 

You can find Katelin's book ... and follow her here.

Katelinmaloney@yahoo.com

www.katelinmaloney.com

www.facebook.com/katelinmaloneywriter

@KatelinMaloney

Thanks for stopping by. See you next week!

Cindy