Kindle Vella and Me - A New Affair

I can't say if it will be a love affair, but so far I've enjoyed writing these serialized stories. I never thought I'd be interested in Amazon's new venture, but an author friend who'd been writing Vella stories hand walked me through the process, and lo and below, I suddenly had a venue for a collection of short stories I'd been unable to place.  I published each of the stories on Vella..

On Vella, the reader can access and read the first three episodes of a story free. If they want to continue reading from Episode 4 forward, they must pay in tokens. Amazon gave me 500 tokens that I'm using to read friends' and other group members' work.

My first story is Gypsy Ribbons.  This one is complete. I tried to upload the book video I created for Gypsy Ribbons, but Blogger hates me and said the minute video exceeded the limits. I've created book videos for the other stories, but alas can only show the one I've uploaded to YouTube. It isn't a Vella story but a novel from The Wild Rose Press, Life for Sale.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-0_M7Zlaok

I'd intended to share the videos, so this will be a short post.

My other stories are Haunted Summer (witch), Angels Unaware (angels), and Denouement (angel/Armageddon)., Here are the links for the stories on Vella.

Gypsy Ribbons -  https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Ribbons/dp/B09YQPSPDQ/  - paranormal romance, ghosts

 

Angels Unawares -  https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Unawares/dp/B0B2KTHQ17/ - fantasy/urban fantasy romance, angels

 

Haunted Summer -   https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Summer/dp/B09YVKPKQ7/ - paranormal romance, witches

 

Denouement -  https://www.amazon.com/Denouement/dp/B09YVHRNSD/ - fantasy/urban fantasy romance, angels)

 Happy Tuesday the 14th!

Linda 

A First! My First! Self-Published Novel - The Summoning

At the end of September, I navigated the Amazon process for indie-publishing.  I didn't encounter any troubles at all, thank goodness, in publishing The Summoning in Kindle format.  Soon, I plan to publish it in paperback. Here's the blurb and the dynamic cover created by the talented Debbie Taylor:

Heather Morique is a witch. The problem is she doesn’t know it. One month after losing her infant son, her husband Jahill and his mistress perish in an accident. He was a refugee from an obscure branch of the Arawak Indians, and soon after his death, mysterious whispers lure her to his homeland. She soon finds herself in a web of secrets, lies and illusions. Jahill’s obscure branch of the Arawaks worship two gods: Eyrael, a spirit from another dimension, is their God of Wind and Sea. His brother Sofiel is the God of Fire and Earth. The powerful new Shaman has pitted brother against brother, and these two powerful spirits—one light, one dark—battle to remain the tribe’s ruling deity. When Heather unwittingly summons Eyrael, these two unlikely soul mates face a dangerous fate.  More frightening than the buried secrets, Heather and Eyrael discover the chemistry between them almost irresistible.

For those in line to purchase (LOL), here's the Amazon  link.  http://a.co/e3qDRLq

  The book is only $2.99 but Prime members can read for free!

Researching Ghosts by Diane Burton

Have you ever started researching a topic only to discover you’ve spent the better part of an hour going from one site to another to another? Those pesky side links. If I'd been at the library, my table would've been covered with books.

In a HubSpot (marketing site) article about bad habits, the author wrote about Black Hole Browsing. Although I’d never heard of that term, I knew exactly what it meant. I’ve fallen victim to that bad habit more than once. In fact, while researching the topic of ghosts for this post, I visited way too many sites.

Casper is my idea of a ghost. Although I’ve never seen a ghost, I believe others have because they believe they did. What how could I possibly write about ghosts when I write science fiction? That took some researching and before I knew it—Wham!—I’d fallen into that Black Hole.

Back on topic. I do believe the spirits of our deceased loved ones still care about us and watch over us. My main character in Mission to New Earth does, too. (Funny how that works.) An only child, Sara was suddenly orphaned at 26. We don’t think of adults as orphans, do we? After author Pauline Baird Jones wrote about losing her parents and thereby making her an orphan, I thought about myself. I guess you could say I’m an orphan, too, since both my parents are gone, though not as traumatically as Pauline’s or my character, Sara. My parents died of old age and complications of COPD and Alzheimer’s. My sibs and I had plenty of time to prepare.

Losing her parents made Sara’s decision to sign up for a one-way trip to a new planet a lot easier. Then I started to wonder. What would Sara’s folks think about her leaving the teaching world and going into training to be an astronaut? Would they approve, be fearful for her, or caution her to be safe and stay home? Would they like her choice of mate, Marsh Rayburn, former SEAL and her second in command on the mission? I never go into that in the story, but I like to think they would watch over Sara, keeping her safe. More like guardian angels than ghosts.

Mission to New Earth

Blurb:

Would you go on a one-way trip to explore a new planet? Would you do it to save humankind?

Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling resources force the United Earth Space Agency to expedite exploration of new planets for a possible new home. When new crises ensue—a giant tsunami and the threat of nuclear winter—the timeline changes. Eight years of training crammed into four. Sara Grenard and her team prepare for launch, but are they ready for the one-way trip? Will the Goldilocks planet prove just right for Earth’s inhabitants? Before time runs out.

Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ ARe ~ Smashwords ~ Barnes & Noble

Throughout the month of September, I’m running a Giveaway for a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Pop over to my blog to enter. 

Diane Burton writes science fiction romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. She blogs here on the 13^th of each month. She is also a contributor to The Roses of Prose blog, posting there on the 30^th. On Mondays, she muses about various topics on her own blog.

Ghosts, Poltergeists, and Spirits Oh My!

Good day! I’ll be starting your week so pull up a chair, the cyber coffee is fresh and strong. Do a stretch and pop those joints, time to get the weekend out of your system and get your spirit in gear.

Do you believe in ghosts? I do and I’m not alone. There are books and television shows dedicated to this subject. Many theorists debate the different phenomenon but I don’t care too much about the proof. It’s the stories that draw my attention. I love hearing about people’s experiences with the supernatural, a small taste of the true paranormal in our lives.

The movie ‘Ghost’ comes to mind when I think of the romantic aspect. I cried when Patrick Swayze’s character said good bye to Demi Moore before stepping into the light. They were lucky to have the chance to say their farewells but things like this only happen in movies. Or do they?

I collect ghost stories from people I’ve met. It’s an odd hobby. My mother dreamed she took my grandmother to the ocean and stood on the shore with her. In the morning she received a phone call, her mother passed away during the night. A seventy year old soldier returned to Europe to visit his fallen comrades’ graves. He passed away that night at the hotel in his sleep. Coincidences? Maybe.

Ever have a spooky moment? An unexplained apparition or experience? Share it with us over our cyber coffee. Cream? Sugar?