June 26, 2014

Celebrating 5 Years of Indie Publishing

Happy Anniversary to Me! (No, not that anniversary...I was one of the crazy people who got married in December (although at least it was in Florida). 

On June 26, 2009, amid all the media coverage about the sudden death of Michael Jackson the day before, I published my first indie book, Save The Best For Last. I was taking a giant leap of faith and didn't half know what I was doing, but I did know that I had written a good story that deserved to be read (despite my hero having no money and the sex coming relatively late in the story), and that was good enough for me. Fortunately, most readers agreed, and the book was a success (it is now permafree on Amazon and Nook, at the latter under its original cover because Barnes & Noble has been very difficult to work with), and it's been followed by 7 more original titles and 4 backlist titles, with more to come! 



To celebrate this milestone, 1 of those original titles and 3 of the backlist are on sale for the next few days...(with a special deal on another book available only to my newsletter subscribers)...The eBooks pictured below are all just 99 cents as of right now on Amazon

 
 

I certainly don't want to leave out readers who have eReaders other than Kindles, and since as I mentioned, Barnes & Noble has been giving me grief all year, I've made most of these titles available for the 99-cent price at my eStore. This does not include Isn't She Lovely?, which is on a Kindle Countdown Deal and per the terms of that agreement cannot be sold anywhere else (the 99-cent price on this book is only effective through Friday, June 27th, after which the price will be increased in increments until it returns to its full price by July 1st).

The sale price for these three backlist titles will run only through Sunday, June 28th, so get yours today! 

Please feel free to share this announcement with your reading friends, and as always, I wish you good reading!
June 19, 2014

Thrifty Thursday Tip

That heading is actually deceptive, for there is no tip today.  I just wanted to let followers of this know that I'm assembling my best thrifty tips, plus new ones, for publication as an eBook.  

I've put a few other things ahead of my writing the first five months of this year, but I'm back at it with a vengeance.  I can't give a specific date or even a title, although I'm leaning toward It's What You Keep:  Money-Saving Tips From a (Not Quite) Starving Artist.  I hope to publish this sometime this fall.  It'll be my first nonfiction project. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about my plan and/or my proposed title!    
June 18, 2014

Presenting Chicki Brown's latest,
Till You Come Back To Me
(Book #2 of the Stafford Brothers Series)




Chicki Brown has released the second book in her Stafford Brothers series (if you haven't read the first book, A Woman's Worth, by all means do so; it was a fabulous read!).  Here's the 411 on the latest from this gifted writer:

Where to get it:
http://amzn.to/Snj9wb (Kindle only for the first 90 days)

How to contact Chicki:
Amazon Central Author Page: http://amzn.to/l2kjXQ

About the book:
Atlanta plastic surgeon Charles Stafford is giving up his successful practice to volunteer his services in Nigeria with a medical organization. Even though he’s excited about this major career move, he has no idea how much his life is about to change.

Nurse Adanna Okoro is one of the six medical professionals working at a small village hospital thirty minutes outside of Lagos, Nigeria. She loves her job and is devoted to the people she serves. When the hospital is notified that it has been chosen to host a team of foreign doctors, Adanna meets the man she has always dreamed of.   

Excerpt:

Manny returned from the dance floor and eased into the empty seat beside her. “Can I get you another beer?” he asked, nonchalantly sliding his arm across the back of her chair.
“Yes, please. Thanks,” she said, hoping her acceptance wouldn’t encourage his interest in her. Femi swore Manny had a secret crush on her, but Adanna didn’t put too much stock in her claim. He always told her she needed to be married and start a family rather than working long hours, but he had never asked her out. She assumed he had come to the realization that he just wasn’t her type. Manny worked in a bank in Lagos, which was a decent job, but he never talked about what he wanted in the future. He seemed quite content with his current position, and that was fine for him but not for her. And he knew it.
He signaled the bartender and pointed to the empty beer bottles on their table. “Femi told me things are getting ready to step up at your hospital. What does that mean for you?” Manny took the cold beers from the bartender when he approached and slipped a bill into his hand.
“It means a lot more work, but it also means I will get to observe some amazing surgeries. There is a plastic surgeon on the team who will be doing reconstructive surgery on the children and perhaps a few adults, depending on the severity of their conditions.”
 “You’re very impressed with doctors, aren’t you?”
Adanna didn’t appreciate the resentful edge in his voice. “I’m impressed by what they can do with the knowledge they have, Manny. Being a doctor means nothing if you aren’t using your skills and training to alleviate suffering. These men and women have given their time and regular incomes to come here and do this work at no charge. I’d say that’s worthy of a little admiration.”
“I suppose,” he said with a dismissive wave. “You’ll be working even longer hours once they arrive, won’t you?”
“Most likely, but I don’t mind. I want to be there to help them handle as many patients as possible during their stay, but until they get here, I just want to relax and enjoy myself.” She grabbed him by both hands and pulled him up. “Come on, dance with me.”
They wriggled in among the moving bodies in the center of the room and stayed on the floor for the next three songs. Winded and thirsty, when Adanna stepped off of the shiny wooden dance floor and headed for the bar, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of her brother staring right at her.
She strode up to him with her arms folded and asked, “What are you doing here, Emeka? Are you spying on me?”
He squinted and mimicked her stance. “No, my dear sister. I am not spying on you. I just happened to stop in for a drink. It is a public place.”
Already hot and sweaty, Adanna’s temperature rose as if she were walking over hot coals. “Don’t tell me any bloody lies, Emeka! You don’t even like nightclubs. I’m sick of you skulking around to find out what I’m doing.” She shoved her hands onto her hips and jutted her chin toward him. “Your time would be better spent trying to find a wife instead of playing guardian to a grown woman.”
“I promised Dad I would watch over you, and I will keep that promise until you have a husband to look after you.” His patronizing smile only made her angrier.
“Don’t you understand that I can look after myself? I’m not helpless. I’m not stupid, and this is not 1950, Emeka.”
He took her hand. “I know you’re not stupid. I love you, and I’m going to protect you until you find a man who will.”
“Please go away.” Determined to put a stop to his interference for good, she pulled from his grasp. Adanna stormed across the room in search of Femi as if her hair was on fire. She found her friend standing at the bar talking to one of the men with whom she’d been dancing earlier.
“Excuse me,” Adanna interrupted. “May I speak to you for a minute, please?”
“What’s wrong?” She must have read her furious expression. “Pardon me,” Femi said to the man as she hooked her arm through Adanna’s. “I’ll be right back.”
Both women moved to an unoccupied table nearby. “You’ll never believe this! My brother is here spying on me.”
“Why do you think that? Maybe he just happened to drop by for a drink.”
“First of all, Emeka doesn’t do nightclubs, Femi. And when I asked him what he was doing here, he all but admitted it.” Adanna waved her arms in the air like a demented symphony conductor. “He must’ve found out from Manny or Agu that we planned to come here tonight. The nerve of him! This is crossing the line. I’m going home.”
“Breathe, girl.” Femi grabbed her by the shoulders. “You can’t leave now. It’s late, and it’s not safe to be out there alone. Why don’t you order yourself another beer and just ignore him? If it were me, I’d show him I didn’t care whether he was here watching me or not. I’d go on dancing and having a good time.”
After a few seconds, Adanna dragged in a long breath to calm herself. “You’re right. He just gets me so upset.” She took a napkin from the table and patted her brow. “I’m going to get another drink. Sorry, I disturbed your conversation.”
“No big deal. He was boring as hell.” Femi laughed. “I think I’ll look around for someone a little more interesting.” She walked away, swishing her ample hips to the beat of the music.
Adanna took Femi’s advice and stayed on the dance floor for the next hour. Even though she’d kept one eye on the crowd the entire time, she hadn’t seen Emeka again. Either he had relocated to a less conspicuous spot or he’d given up and gone home.
Actually, she had a good time once she’d decided to stay with her friends and pushed Emeka’s interference to the back of her mind. Regardless, something needed to be done about her brother.
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Till You Come Back to Me, available now! Show Chicki some love by leaving a comment below for a chance to win a complimentary copy!