Read and Cook – Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle, and my new cake art and baking books series #ReadandCook #bookreview #cakeart

Posted: October 8, 2025 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Adventure, Book Review, Books, cooking, Creativity, Fiction, Nonfiction, Read and Cook, Recipes, Review, romance, Suspense | Tags: Baking, Cake Art, Fondant Art, Hotel Pastis, Peter Mayle, Read and Cook, Robbie Cheadle, Something Fancy, Writing to be Read | 34 Comments

Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle

What Amazon says

A beguiling novel of romance, adventure, and tongue-in-cheek suspense set in the South of France, from the beloved, best-selling author of A Year in Provence.

Simon Shaw, a rumpled, fortyish English advertising executive, has decided to leave it all behind, and heads of to France to transform an abandoned police station in the Lubéron into a small but world-class hotel. On his side, Simon has a loyal majordomo and a French business partner who is as practical as she is ravishing. But he hasn’t counted on the malignant local journalist—or on the mauvaise types who have chosen the neighboring village as the site of their latest bank robbery. Slyly funny and overflowing with sensuous descriptions of the good life, Hotel Pastis is the literacy equivalent of a four-star restaurant.

My review

I read a few of Peter Mayle’s autobiographical books about life in Provence when I was in my twenties. I came across this novel a short while ago and was eager to revisit Provence, this time through Peter Mayle’s fiction. I was not disappointed. After a bit of a slow start, Peter Mayle’s typically humorous style of writing and his deep dive into the food and culture of Provence were very evident in this entertaining novel. What was new was his descriptions of life in the advertising industry in London.

I’m making an educated guess that this novel is set in the 70s in London as that is when the author worked in London as an advertising executive. The characters all smoke heavily which was quite interesting for me given that I’ve always worked in a no smoking inside buildings culture. I found the author’s descriptions of his work colleagues, spoiled wife and her equally over privileged friends, and super wealthy clients very entertaining. Of course, these scenes are depicted through a humorous lens, so the negative attributes of these people are all exaggerated but as someone who has always worked in corporate, it had the ring of truth. I could also relate to Simon’s exhaustion with this fast and fake lifestyle. It can be hard to feel sympathy for people caught up in this sort of all work with short intermissions of excessive play lifestyles because of all the money they have, but it is not a nice way to live your life. Having to work all the time and appease others and wine and dine them isn’t as glamorous as it appears on the outside. This is evident from the general wreckage you see in such people’s personal lives including broken marriages, alcoholism, and drug addiction. I really hoped that Simon would find a better way of living that brought him more personal happiness.

There is a romance between Simon and a fascinating woman from Provence, a butler who is very competent and savvy and equally weary of Simon’s (and thus his own) life in the London fast lane, as well as a ring of local petty criminals who are planning the heist of their lives.

This book is not a classic and does not contain intense and serious messages about life, relationships, and saving the world. This is a slice of escapism and is light and enjoyable like pavlova. If this is the sort of book you are looking for, then you will enjoy Hotel Pastis.

Purchase Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679751114

Cake art and other confectionary related delights

I have wanted to publish a book containing my favourite baking recipes and cake and other confectionary art for some years. I have finally gotten around to it and the first book in my new series, Something Fancy: A Winter Wonderland Celebration book 1 is now available for pre-order on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Wonderland-Celebration-Celebrating-Confectionary-ebook/dp/B0FTX21BXL

This book isn’t just about cake art and baking, it also includes some history about the origin of Christmas cakes in a number of different countries and the origin of gingerbread and gingerbread houses in Europe and other places. It also includes several of my baking related poems and poets written specifically for various cake creations.

Picture caption: Cover of Something Fancy: A Winter Wonderland Celebration book 1

Blurb

Robbie’s cake and fondant creations are full of imagination and enchantment as demonstrated by her gingerbread bakery, populated by three mince pie figurines, and her Ice cream Rainbow Fairies Christmas Cake, decorated with seven fondant fairy figurines for each colour of the rainbow.

This book is intended as a celebration of Christmas in poetry, cake art, and gingerbread constructions and includes several of Robbie’s delicious Christmas recipes as well as design ideas for Christmas themed confectionaries. Bite sized smatterings of historical information relating to various culinary delights are also included.

Robbie Cheadle is a poet, writer, and artist. Over the past twenty years, she has created art cakes, gingerbread constructions, and fondant figurines for a variety of purposes including as illustrations for the Sir Chocolate children’s book series she wrote with her son, Michael Cheadle.

These are examples of the type of cake art featured in this book:

The gallery sets out my Ice cream rainbow fairy tiered Christmas cake with two close up pictures of the details on this cake.

Picture caption: This is a violets wedding cake I recently made for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.

Gingerbread houses, from small and easy …

to large and complex …

Advice and assembly instructions are included in the book.

About Robbie Cheadle

Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle author photograph 2025

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Find Robbie Cheadle

Blog https://wordpress.com/home/robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

___________________________________________

Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

__________________________________________

This segment of “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Discover more from Writing to be Read

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Lindsey’s WRITING PRACTICE- Review: “Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence” by Denise Low

Posted: October 1, 2025 | Author: Lindsey Martin-Bowen | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Lindsey's Writing Practice, Nonfiction, Review | Tags: Book Reveiw, Denise Low, Jigsaw Puzzling, Lindsey Martin-Bowen, Lindsey's Writing Practice, Nonfiction, Problem Solving, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

Woman with giant pencil standing next to stack of giant papers. Bookshelves in the background. Text: Lindsey's Writing Practice with Lindsey Martin-Bowen

By Lindsey Martin-Bowen

“I never underestimate the power of a single puzzle piece. It fits within a whole, like each moment of my unfolding life story.”

—Denise Low

Hey, Dear Readers, this month you’ve earned a break: No writing exercise. Instead, I’m posting an engaging book review by a well-known poet, professor, fiction and prose writer, and former Kansas Poet Laureate, Denise Low. Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence amazed me—and I had to share the experience with others. Please enjoy it!

Who’da thunk it? Such an accomplished, widely-published poet, fiction and scholarly writer, and esteemed university professor she is—yet she’s writing about and documenting info about jigsaw puzzles?

Yes!

This brilliant scholar, Denise Low, penned an insightful, in-depth, engaging and well-researched book that could suffice as a manual or textbook for the jig-sawing craft. Trapped indoors—sans travel and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband, visual artist, Thomas Pecore Weso, found fulfillment and experienced marvelous teamwork in assembling jigsaw puzzles, including those that emulate high art. (In fact, Chapter 4 , “The Great Masters in (Jigsaw) Pieces,” Lowe lists some of the painting reproductions transformed into jig-saw puzzles, among them, Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Claude Monet’s Waterlilies, and Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy.)

Like me, Low views paintings as “more intimate than photographs.” She continues to explore this viewpoint by adding, “If [Van Gogh’s] Arles bedroom scene had been a photograph, historical documentation would give the image an aura of authenticity. The painted representation of the bedroom also has some value as documentation— what was a nineteenth century peasant room like, anyway?—and it also records his mode of painterly creation. The artist’s vivid palette and energetic, rough brushstrokes are unique to him. The puzzling apotheosis of Van Gogh, a person transformed into an artist god, overrode my experience of the original painting. (30)

Low also intertwines words from Margaret Drabble, who pointed out the integration of high art into jigsaw puzzles to Springbok Editions’ 1964 publication of Jackson Pollack’s Convergence, renowned as “the most difficult jigsaw puzzle in the world,” by a British Broadcasting Company radio show, hosted by Alan Dein. Drabble is also a jigsaw and Van Gogh admirer, Low points out, and quotes Drabble’s words about the two topics: From jigsaws, you learn about the brushstrokes of Van Gogh, the clouds of Constable, the reflections and shadows of Manet, the stripes of Tissot and Rousseau, the brickwork and tiles of the Dutch masters, the flesh tones of Titian, the undulating fabrics and limbs of Botticelli, the business of Botsch and Breughel. (31) (From Drabble’s The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws. Boston:Houghton Mifflin, p. 250, (2009 ).

Nevertheless, Low does not limit her analysis (and resolutions) of jigsaws to historical (primarily European) paintings. She also analyzes a work by a master Indigenous artist, whose works (in jigsaw puzzles) she admits were “not as easy” to find. Fortunately, her husband, (a member of the Menominee Nation family) found (on the internet) the Lakota leader Red Cloud, (his family’s distant relative), in a jigsaw of the original painting of Red Cloud standing with a calvary officer in front of four teepees, for a reconciliation—rather than for a war.

Both Low and her husband relate strongly to Native American art. In fact, she equates the process of piecing together a “large, table-size picture piece-by-piece “as tantamount to “creating a sand painting” (33), a process wherein Native American tribes and Tibetan Monks create art by mixing various hues with the sand.

Further, Low doesn’t focus solely on painted artwork. She also analyzes engravings and illustrations, such as one of a cabinet of curiosities from Ferrante Imperato’s Deli’Historia Naturale (Naples 1599), poetry shards, mosaics, and various other topics for jigsaw puzzles—and offers histories for these varieties of subjects in jigsaws.

In the final chapters, she wraps up how the jigsawing during that frightening pandemic affected her priorities, psyche, and health. An unexpected result of immersion into Jigsaw Landria has been how colors burn into my retinas and become part of my inner life. In waking dreams, sections from Water Lilies would dance before my eyes, colors of blue-topaz, cotton-candy pink, and fern green. Other puzzles have had the had the same effect, with after images of colors entering inner sight, dreams, and early morning awakening. These colors interacted with what, a spirit body? An etheric double? An aura?

From those questions, Low analyzes the various theories on color and concludes that Color is one of our first considerations when we select a puzzle. . . we want something bright or soothing or compelling. A puzzle made of too many colors is chaotic and upsetting . . . . As COVID-19 lasts far beyond the year 2020, we look for more from Monet’s palette, the muted tones of a seascape as sunlight filters through mist, we are grateful for this respite from the grim chaos beyond our control. (93)

Indeed, Low’s brilliant insight applies to our current Zeitgeist in the U.S., too.

After teaching many years as a tenured writing and literature Professor at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, Low now teaches at Baker University. With more than 30 poetry books published, she continues to work in her free-lance writing career.

About Lindsey Martin-Bowen

On Halloween 2023, redbat books released Lindsey Martin-Bowen’s 7th poetry collection, CASHING CHECKS with Jim Morrison. Her 4 th collection, Where Water Meets the Rock, was nominated for a Pulitzer; her 3rd, CROSSING KANSAS with Jim Morrison was a finalist in the QuillsEdge Press 2015-2016 Contest. In 2017, it won the Kansas Writers Assn award, “Looks Like a Million.” Writer’s Digest gave her “Vegetable Linguistics” an Honorable Mention in its 85th Annual (2017) Contest. Her Inside Virgil’s Garage (Chatter House Press 2013) was a runner-up in the 2015 Nelson Poetry Book Award. McClatchy Newspapers named her Standing on the Edge of the World (Woodley Press/Washburn University) was one of the Ten Top Poetry Books of 2008. It was nominated for a Pen Award.

_____________________________________

Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

________________________________

This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/

Review in Practice: That Th!nk That You Do, volume 2

Posted: September 8, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Relationships, Review in Practice, romance, The Human Condition | Tags: Joseph Carrabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Nonfiction, Relationships, Review in Practice, Romanace, That Th!nk You Do vol. 2, The Human Condition, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

I volunteered to be a first reader for author Joseph Carrabis for his upcoming nonfiction book on romance and relationships, That Th!nk That You Do, vol. 2. I reviewed the first book of this title and you can read that here: https://writingtoberead.com/2023/05/15/review-in-practice-that-thnk-you-do/. While that first book deals with human thought processes and behaviors in general, volume 2 deals with romance and relationships, and the differences between the sexes. His premises are based on solid research and contemporary studies, and may be pretty accurate, unless you are weird, like me.

How age affects perspective, and my reviews.

In the section titled “Romancing Real Women”, Carrabis offers us two different versions of a passage from a hypothetical romance story. The first is what I would call romance adventure, where the dashing hero saves the damsel in distress, with a big, muscular male playing the part of hero. The second offers up a loving, playful, sensitive male character, who puts his heroine up on a pedestal. Then he asks which you think will catch a woman’s attention, and goes on to explain why they are both very age demographic:

“the former is designed to attract younger women more so than older women. Mature women will appreciate the former but the latter fantasy will stay with them.”

This is not surprising, as I would have guessed that the first would appeal to the younger, more hormonal group of females. And of course, as an older woman, I can see why the second version would stay with more mature women, who value stability in their lives.

I’ve never been one to go in for sappy, feel-good writing, which many romances are, and why I read so few of them and why I don’t write them. I can’t make myself do it, although I know I could if I wanted to. I even have outlines and beginnings for a few stored away with my trunk novels.

But I’m not heartless and I am female, so I do read romance occasionally. But, I don’t think I’m looking for a hero. In fact, I don’t think I ever was. I’m not a fan of Scarlet O’hara being swept off her feet by Rhett Butler, but if an author can keep it realistic, I can make it through the story and often, enjoy it.

But here’s the thing. After reading this, I had to wonder if the same factors Carrabis shows us might not also affect the way that I review a romance, especially since neither of the examples used appealed to me in a big way. Upon first thought, I would have said that it’s always been that way for me, but I had to wonder if my romance reviews have changed over the years without my noticing. And I don’t think it has.

When I was a judge for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Awards, back in 2018, they gave me the western romance category. Although I cringed when they gave me my category, I found that for me, as long as a tale carries a good, strong, storyline to hold my interest, I can tolerate the romance, even if it is a little sappy. And to be honest, I was mostly through that hormonal stage before I started doing my blog and/or book reviews, so perhaps this line of thinking doesn’t prove or disprove anything, but it is an interesting premise to explore.

If you’re interested, you can catch my western romance reviews of Spur contenders here: https://writingtoberead.com/2020/03/30/judging-for-the-2020-w-w-a-spur-awards/

Meeting His/Her Family

Carrabis emphasizes how much you can learn about your partner from meeting his/her family. Interactions within the family can be indications of how your partner may prefer to communicate their needs and desires, as well as their attitudes toward others, giving you an idea of what type of life-partner they might be. And it does make sense.

Thinking back to when I met my second husband’s family, I think I should have run like hell. If I had, it would have saved a lot of greed later, because the dysfunctional traits and behavior never went away and came back repeatedly to bite me in the butt. But if I had, I also wouldn’t have spent most of my adult life with a man that I truly love, and frankly, I can’t imagine what life without him would have been like, so I’m glad that I didn’t.

Other Interesting Points Made

Another interesting claim Carrabis makes, is the importance of voice in relationships, from harmonic voices tending to form a closer bond, to holding on to the partner whose voice you enjoy hearing, and the benefits of a partner who sings. Also, I loved the chapter titled, “Men Get Stupid Over Sex”, which talks about the different types of risk which sex poses for men vs. women, and men’s willingness to risk more. I would guess that the risks may seem greater for men in recent times because, as Carrabis points out, only in recent times, have men been forced to take responsibility for their actions and their offspring

Summary

A life-long student of the human condition, Carrabis shares some astute insights into the human condition and differences between the sexes based on solid research and personal observations. He offers these up with a pinch of humor, making reading this book feel like chatting with an old friend. I was able to relate his premises to relationships in my own life, and in many cases, they were spot on, with interesting ideas on some different ways to approach the search for a soulmate.

Buy direct from the author: https://josephcarrabis.com/books/#TTYDv2

Book Review: Shocking Celebrity Murders

Posted: August 22, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Nonfiction, Review | Tags: Book Reveiw, Jack Smith, Nonfiction, Shocking Celebrity Murders, True Crime, Writing to be Read | 2 Comments

About Shocking Celebrity Murders

Hollywood has long fascinated the masses. Not just with blockbuster films, but also by way of the Hollywood lifestyle. The lives of the rich and famous stars who strut down Sunset Boulevard hold us mesmerized. One can’t help but wonder about what being a celebrity must really be like. And the same goes for Hollywood tragedy. When tragedy occurs, people can’t help but find themselves drawn to the spectacle. Cases of celebrities being murdered in particular are bound to get attention.

Some of the cases mentioned in this book are rather clear-cut instances of murder, while others still remain a complete mystery to this very day. It was quite obvious for example, who the culprits were in the deaths of aspiring actresses Rebecca Schaeffer and Dominque Dunne, since the killers of these two aspiring actresses, readily admitted to doing the killing. These tragic instances have shown that even the rich and famous are just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Then again, for Hollywood screenwriter Gary Devore, there was no such luck. In fact, when the celebrated writer was found with his hands cut off, no one seemed to have a clue as to what had happened to him.

Here in this book, we will highlight some of the most infamous Hollywood murders, along with a few that you might not have heard much about, including:

George Reeves
Bruce Lee
Desmond Taylor
Selena
Lana Clarkson
Kristi Johnson
Bob Crane
And many more!

Read on your favorite devices such as Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Android cellular phone, tablet, laptop, or computer with Amazon’s free reading Kindle App.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shocking-Celebrity-Murders-Brutally-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B09L58HY76/

My Review of Shocking Celebrity Murders

I purchased a digital copy of Shocking Celebrity Murders, by Jack Smith via a KindofBook Deal. All opinions stated here are my own.

Shocking Celebrity Murders, by Jack Smith gives us the bare bones facts about the deaths of some of Hollywood’s most famous. Even the most gruesome of murders are reported with known facts and no added supposition or gory details.

Included are the deaths of Hogan’s Heros’ star Bob Crane; Saturday Night Live’s Phil Hartman; the original Superman, George Reeves; Martial artist and rising star, Bruce Lee; actress Natalie Woods; Musician Marvin Gaye; con-artist and with of Robert Blake, Bonnie Lee Blakely; and even the gruesome murder of Sharon Tate by members of the Mason ‘family’, along with several others whom I’d not heard of.

Smith covers the spectrum well, but I was surprised that certain deaths were not included, such as Marilyn Monroe, Janice Joplin, John Belushi, or even Elvis. They certainly qualify, since he includes unsolved cases, suspected suicides, and disappearances where the fate of the victim was never resolved. Because of this, I don’t believe the subtitle of the book- “True Crime Cases of Famous People Who Were Brutally Killed”- is misleading. While the author has done an excellent job of presenting the known facts, those facts often only lead to questions and speculation. While all the deaths included were tragic, I don’t consider all of them to be brutal, and not all were murders.

An interesting read. I give Shocking Celebrity Murders four quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

____________________________________

Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Review in Practice: “$10k Secrets”

Posted: July 14, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Advertising, Anthology, Book Review, Book Sales, Books, marketing, Nonfiction, Review in Practice | Tags: $10K Secrets, Adriana Tica, Alex Mathers, Ana Calin, Book Review, Claudia Faith, David McIlroy, Derek Hughs, Jari Romer, Karen Cherry, Landon Poburan, Nick Wolney, Philip Hofmacher, Review in Practice, Russell Nohelty, Sinem Gunel, Substack, Veronica Llorca-Smith, Writing to be Read, Yana G.Y. | 14 Comments

Most authors would love to make $10k a month from their writing business. I know I would. I’m always looking for ways to increase my writing income. So when I was offered a free copy of a book titled $10k Secrets, I snatched it up without a second thought.

This free book is not a How To, but rather a collection of essays by different creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs who share their methods of generating $10k a month from their work. Many can be applied to a writing business, even if the author of the piece references coaching or teaching, etc…

Many give testimony to the value of an email list, (an area in which I’m lacking), or Social Media Following, which we all know is important. Most of them involve use of the Substack platform, which I am not familiar with, but the principles can be applied on other platforms which I do use, or plan to use in the future. I’ve been toying with the idea of using a subscription platform for some time now and I’ve been looking at the Ream platform to publish my Playground for the Gods science fantasy series. Since Ream is geared more toward fiction writer’s, and my understanding of Substack is more of a newsletter platform, the two are quite different, but I see possibilities for adapting some of the Substack concepts suggested.

I realize that all my past attempts at doing a consistent newsletter have been dismal failures, and my email list is non-existent. The essay by Claudia Faith which shares how to grow your newsletter through story telling sparked some ideas for me on this subject, too. I know this is a weak area for me, so perhaps a new newsletter platform is the solution.So, I’ll be checking out the Substack platform in the near future.

However, I have to wonder if my audience would be receptive to the idea of either a subscription newsletter or a subscription for a story in serial form. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments, especially if you have used either of the two platforms.

But, growing a substantial email list is not the only way to build your income, and among the fifteen featured essays author Phillip Hofmacher shares how he does it by marketing online courses and digital merchandise, Ana Calin shares how to do it with brand deals, Landon Poburan shares how to do it with free content, high- ticket offers and diversified income streams, Karen Cherry shares her method using niche B2B content, Jari Roomer shares how to build and launch a $10k mini-course, Nick Wolny shares how to write big ticket service proposals, and Sinem Gunel shares how to use a webinar to generate $10k in sales each month.

Many of these methods are still out of my grasp, but I picked up tidbits from each essay which could be useful and tucked away those that might be useful down the road. The essay by Russell Nohelty shares how to take content from blog to book to create monetized content was of particular interest. I’ve taken blog content and transformed it into a book with the Ask the Authors series, which began as a two month long, weekly blog series interviewing different authors. It’s a lot of work- first to create the blog content, and then compiling it all into book format, but this essay made me consider giving it another try.

What I didn’t like about this strategy was the fact that in order to publish on Amazon, the content could not be available for free online, so before publishing each book, all that blog content had to be pulled down. I don’t like having to disassemble my blog to publish a book. The last Ask the Authors book I published was in 2022, so I’m wondering if this is still the case. Definitely something to look into.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

_______________

________________________

This segment of “Review in Practice” is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.

The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.

Get Your Copy Now.

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee

________’______

Review in Practice: “Get Your Book Selling Wide”

Posted: May 19, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: book marketing, Book Review, Books, Indie Publishing, marketing, Nonfiction, Publishing, Review in Practice, Writing Resource | Tags: book marketing, Book Reveiw, Get Your Book Selling Wide, Monica Leonelle, Review in Practice, Writing to be Read | 3 Comments

About Get Your Book Selling Wide

In this book, you’ll find:

The five main strategies for going wide in ebook and how authors decide
All the places you can go wide across multiple formats—print, ebook, audiobook, and more—and the benefits and downsides of each
The general strategies authors use to make money while having their books wide (and why they work or don’t work on various platforms)

This book also covers the book industry as a whole from the perspective of an independent author. It answers questions like:

What are the market factors that matter amongst some of the biggest players in the industry?
What devices are important to pay attention to and how do those affect the ebook, print, and audiobook markets?
How does global ecommerce play a role in shaping the future of the book industry?

This book is meant to be a detailed overview of what going wide really means as an independent career author.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Book-Selling-Wide-ebook/dp/B0917BYZPV/

I received a copy of Get Your Book Selling Wide through an offer in author Monica Leonelle’s Newsletter. All opinions stated here are my own. One of the best things about this book though, is the fact that it is always permafree, which means you too can get a free copy at the purchase link above.

You can read my review of

I’ve often mentioned that I am a wide author, which means I publish WordCrafter Press books on as many platforms as possible, and in as many formats as I can. I’m not a fan of exclusivity. It doesn’t make much sense to me to put all my eggs in one basket. So, it will come as no surprise to most of you that this book would be of interest to me.

Monica Leonelle has put together a comprehensive volume that explains what it means to be a wide author, and goes over several of the marketing platforms, and the different formats in which your books can be offered, as well as different types of marketing strategies for the different formats.

I be looking particularly at the pricing and marketing strategies for my print books, which are areas where I feel I have been lacking. The book industry is changing quickly and for an author to survive and be noticed above the competition, the author mindset must adjust to those changes. Digital and print books are two different beasts when it comes to marketing, with different target audiences. It only makes sense that you must reach out to those audiences in different ways.

I was also interested to learn that the pricing strategy for traditionally published books does not work so well for independent authors. Leonelle claims that independently published print books need to be priced slightly higher than traditionally published books in order for authors to make a decent profit.

I found the information on pre-orders and the discussion about their durations to be useful. I’ll be taking Leonelle’s advice under consideration in the future. The timing of pre-orders is an area I have struggled with in the past. My release of Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures missed the pre-order altogether and was released early. Obviously, an area where I can hone my skills as I continue to try and get it right.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

___________________

This segment of “Review in Practice” is sponsored by the Time Travel Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.

When a Girl with a Guitar Meets a Man with a Gun, It’s Time to Travel

The Rock Star & The Outlaw: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Star-Outlaw-Time-Travel-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CJBRRCN1/

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles: Coming in June, 2025

Review in Practice: “Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood & Atmosphere”

Posted: March 24, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, Writing, Writing Resource | Tags: Essoe's Writing Guides: Mood & Atmosphere, Joshua Essoe, Kaye Lynne Booth, Review in Practice, Writing Reference, Writing to be Read | 3 Comments

I was received a digital copy of this writing reference as a part of the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle currated by Kevin J. Anderson, which also featured my writing reference, The D.I.Y. Author.

I recently started writing one of three stories that have been bouncing around in my head for the Curses themed anthology, which WordCrafter Press will put out in September of 2025, and I feel mood and atmosphere will be extremely important in telling the stories for this collection that I want to tell. The one I just started has a working title of “The Curse of the Death Clock” begins in France during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte and the right atmosphere for the setting is going to be a challenge.

I read Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood & Atmosphere with the writing of the Curses stories in mind and I’ll be keeping them in the forefront of my mind as I write this first story. To try and set the right mood and atmosphere for these Curses stories, I’ve implemented the exercise in Chapter 3 and started a word list which aligns with the mood I’m going for, which is slight unease and a feeling of doom. As with all the tools in my writing tool box, I’ll keep all my new tools on hand as I write the other two stories.

However, as I read, I found suggestions that can be use to improve mood and atmosphere in by taking another look at my sentence structure and word choices, as well as my pacing, in my latest WIP, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, which I just got back from my beta reader and I’m preparing to do a final edit. I’m using another exercise from Chapter 3 to help nail the pacing for this story, which is very fast, with lots of action, making a list of keywords from a story which evoked a strong emotional reaction, which I’m aiming for in my own tale. The book I’ve chosen is Velocity, by Dean Koontz. The man is a master of suspense and knows how to keep the pages turning. I’ll also be taking another look at the conflicts in this story for parallels and counterpoints to the main conflict. Essoe includes many useful writing exercises to illustrate his points and can be used with WIPs, to improve on current projects.

I found useful exercises in chapter four on setting and atmosphere which I plan to utilize with yet another story, an out and out horror for Midnight Oil. Robbie is helping me with the research on this one, since it involves zombie elephants. Because of the subject area, the setting will be one that I am unable to visit and experience for myself. Robbie’s expertise will be a great help in this area, but I’m going to have to work to achieve the right atmosphere, and “The Shorthand” exercise will be useful. I’ll be taking note of possible points of interest and the emotional impact it has on my characters when describing the South African savannah setting. Most of my characters move my stories forward through action and dialog, but I think in this story, their internal reactions will be particularly important.

I’m picking and choosing the pieces that I feel I need to work on in the stories I’m working on for 2025, but Essoe gives us a list of eight tools which make up mood and atmosphere, and suggests that we should use at least five of them in every story we write to develop a strong, purposeful mood. In The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, I think I have a few already in place, so I’ll be working on those I may be missing. With the Curses and Midnight Oil stories, I’ll be implementing these tools from the start. The other story I have planned for 2025 is the third book in my Women in the West adventure series, Marta, and while I’ve begun an outline for that novel, it requires such a completely different mood that I think I’ll hone my skills with the other stories first, but I know I’ll be referring back to Essoe’s Writing Guides: Mood & Atmosphere when the time comes to get that one on the page.

About Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood & Atmosphere

Mood and Atmosphere defines and delves into the 8 primary tools used to create the emotional framework of your story–its emotionality–by breaking them down into easy-access chapters on:

Plot and structure blueprinting your intended emotionality
Pacing that steers your story line-by-line and chapter-by-chapter
Language and word choice guiding your story in the most direct relationship with readers
Setting developing an atmosphere that will make readers experience your world
Character expression creating powerful moods that will make readers feel their traumas and triumphs
Conflict controlling the ebb and flow of your emotionality throughout your story
Theme acting as the conductor, setting your emotionality to a purpose
Reader expectation and what promises you must keep or can use to throw in twists

Purchase Link: https://www.joshuaessoe.com/product-page/mood-and-atmosphere-e-book-1

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, her the first three books in her kid’s book series, My Backyard Friends, her poetry collection, Small Wonders, and her writer’s resource, The D.I.Y. Author. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

____________________________________

This segment of “Review in Practice” is sponsored by the Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.

Historical Women’s Fiction

Get Your Copy Today!

Delilah: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1

Sarah: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West

Marta: Coming in 2025

Review in Practice: “Falling to Fly”

Posted: January 13, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Books, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, Writing, Writing Business, Writing Reference | Tags: Falling to Fly, Kaye Lynne Booth, Review in Practice, Todd Fahnestock, Writing Resource, Writing to be Read | 5 Comments

I received a copy of Falling to Fly, by Todd Fahnestock in the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, and it was so fortunate that I did. This book is a must read for all struggling authors who have fallen more than once, and brushed themselves off to continue forward in pursuit of their writing dream.

This book is essentially the story of the author’s writing journeyThere were so many things that Fahnestock talks about that I could relate to. He talks about the failure of academia to validate genre fiction as legitimate literature. I was fortunate enough to stumble onto Western State Colorado University, where there M.F.A. program deals directly with genre fiction, but it is a rare program. Fahnestock did not let educators rigid viewpoints deter him, but instead rejected the idea of letting educators shape his writing career.

I also related to his “Say Yes to Everything” policy of not letting any writing opportunity which presents itself pass you by. That is what led him to in-person selling at Cons, and sent him on the path to success in his writing journey. Although I have been fortunate to attend a few writing conferences, the only time I had a booth was at the beginning of my own writing journey, before I had any books to sell. If you follow me, you may know that I sold poems on pretty backgrounds at that conference, and was surprised to earn $100 doing it. While that first conference experience didn’t send me soaring up the ladder of success, it did prove that the possiblilities are there when it comes to direct selling. Fahnestock’s experiences just reinforced this for me, reminding me that I’m not going find my success from behind my laptop.

There are two parts to writing as a business, and in order to be successful as an author, you must school yourself in both craft, and in publishing and marketing, which make up the business part. When I graduated with my M.F.A., I was ready to write and create story, and they primed me to enter the world of traditional publishing, which at that point in time, 2016, was the way it was done. But, I was in my forties, and I didn’t feel like I had time to wait years for someone in the traditional publishing to notice how awesome my stories were. They hadn’t prepared me to delve into the world of independent publishing, which at that time, still left a bad taste in most author’s mouths and held stigma in reader’s minds, well. Like Fahnestock, I stumbled through the plethora of information, and misinformation that flooded the Internet, and muddled my way through the independent publishing arena. Unlike, Fahnestock, I didn’t find the answers I was looking for, and I turned back to academia to learn the necessary skills to navigate the independent publishing community.

The author talks about his attempt at the rapid release marketing strategy, and why it didn’t work for him. He surmised that he was only able to keep the hype going for a short period of four months, and that if he could find a way to keep it going year round, he would have seen better success from his efforts. Then, he went out and found a way to do just that, by collaborating on an epic fantasy series with other fantasy authors. I employ a similar strategy by publishing in volume, releasing 5 – 8 books per year, but they aren’t in a series.

I found this book at a serendiptous time in my life, when I’m trying to pull myself up from a period of failures and obstacles over the past two years, and Fahnestock reminds me that I must keep working to achieve my Dream. He reminds me that sometimes it’s necessary to fall in order to fly.

About Falling to Fly

Dreamer. Wannabe. Overnight success. Catastrophic failure. Writer.

Glimpse the gritty, behind-the-scenes struggles of author Todd Fahnestock as he reveals his dreams, trials, and adventures through the creative swamps of writing and the hard-edged world of publishing.

Fahnestock dodges junior high bullies armed with needles taped to Bic pens, cracks into traditional publishing by hitchhiking to the middle of nowhere to meet writing legend Gary Paulsen, and nearly falls to his death hanging cables inside an oil tanker. All to follow the author’s dream.

Submerged in the treacherous, ever-changing ocean of art and business, Fahnestock paints an unforgettable portrait with honesty and touching vulnerability.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Fly-Before-Writing-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0D3KP376H

_____________________________

About Kaye Lynne Booth

__________________________________

___________________________________

This segment of “Review in Practice” with Kaye Lynne Booth is sponsored by The Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.

Historical Women’s Fiction

Get Your Copy Today!

Delilah: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1

Sarah: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West

Marta: Coming in 2025

WordCrafter News: NaNoWriMo Update, the 2024 Novel Writing Bundle & Planning for the Coming Year

Posted: November 25, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Blog Sponsors, Book Promotion, Book Release, Book Sales, Fiction, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo, Nonfiction, Publishing, Robbie Reads and Cooks, Story Bundle, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing, Writing Challenge, writing craft, Writing to be Read | Tags: 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, Midnight Oil, NaNoWriMo, Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures, Read and Cook, Robbie Cheadle, Story Bundle, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

2024 NaNoWriMo

I crossed the 10,000 word mark on November 5, well ahead of schedule. What a great feeling. And I only missed making the daily word count goal once. Unfortunately, life got in my way, as it usually does. This time, it was a huge snowstorm that dumped about 42″ of snow on my front steps. The snow made even the daily chores more difficult, and then there was all that snow to shovel! But even with moving all that snow I managed to make the word count on most days. That is until it all caught up with me and at the end of the day, I was so tired I couldn’t think straight, and then, my word count started to fall.

I have managed to at least write something to log into the updates daily, and I’m sitting at around 34,500 words to date. That means I just have a little over 15,000 words to reach my goal and six days to do it in. I think I can do it. What do you think? Wish me luck. 😉

2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle

There’s still time to get in on the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, but grab it while you can. It only runs through the end of November. After December 1st, it will no longer be available.

This year’s Writing Tools StoryBundle, curated by bestselling author and publisher Kevin J. Anderson, is another treasure chest of vital handbooks covering aspects of the writer’s craft, business, and way of life. We have thirteen titles on a range of subjects, plus a 12-month subscription to Indie Author Magazine, your best source to stay up-to-date on the industry.

On writing craft, there’s The Illustrated Super Secrets of Writing, Vol. 1—Wulf Moon’s award-winning system on how to write stories and does so with creativity, fun, and humor. Tara Grace Ericson presents Romance Character Tropes—far more than your average trope list; this is an encyclopedia packed with info to help you use and leverage each trope successfully.

Freelance editor Joshua Essoe teaches about Mood and Atmosphere in his series of special-edition writing guides, each examining the most-common issues he encounters from writers he works with. Word by Word by award-winning author Kerrie Flanagan, shows you how to unlock your creativity and transform your writing. This is an essential guide for writers that offers inspiration, genre-specific strategies, and practical tips.

Jana S. Brown gives you Steps to Self-Editing. You’ve finished your novel! Now learn the self-editing steps to smooth off the rough edges and really make it shine!

And in the new revised edition of On Being a Dictator: Revised Edition, by Kevin J. Anderson, Martin Shoemaker, and Greg Vose—available exclusively in this StoryBundle,—you’ll learn how to use dictation to increase your productivity. One of the foundational books on a popular writing method, On Being a Dictator will help you think outside the box and up your game in the fast-paced ever-changing world of publishing.

Now, on to the writing business. Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan is a comprehensive guide packed with proven strategies to help writers boost book sales, increase income from writing, and succeed in both traditional and self-publishing. Mark Leslie’s Author’s Guide to Branding for Success shows you how to make your Author Brand into one of your best long-term Intellectual Property assets!

Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn provide guidance and inspiration to share your message with the world from the stage in Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker.

And Booking the Libraries by Jessica Brawner is tailored for authors, speakers, storytellers, musicians, puppeteers, and all living-wage entertainers. This guide is your key to unlocking fresh markets, cultivating a dedicated fanbase, and revolutionizing your livelihood.

And finally, on the writing life, these titles will help you stay inspired and remain strong as a creative.

The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth shows you the ropes in the business of being an author.

Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle—exclusive first release in this StoryBundle—is chock full of quips and snippets to help authors stay focused on the right things to accelerate their business.

And Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock is a deeply personal exploration into the creative process and the publishing industry. This is truly the book to read before you give up on your writing dreams.

In addition in this StoryBundle, you will receive full year’s subscription to Indie Author Magazine, your go-to resource for news, tips, and advice on self-publishing. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the industry.

A note on the designated charity for this StoryBundle, the Neil Peart Brain Cancer Research Fund from Cedars Sinai. In 2020 we lost Neil Peart, legendary drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, to glioblastoma. He was my mentor, friend, and collaborator on numerous books, and his loss affected me deeply. Neil’s friends and colleagues and fans worldwide have contributed to this glioblastoma research fund in Neil’s name, and we are proud to add our efforts on this Writing Tools StoryBundle as well. – Kevin J. Anderson

* * *

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.

Romance Character Tropes by Tara Grace Ericson and Jessica Barber
Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan
Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood and Atmosphere by Joshua Essoe
Booking the Library by Jessica Brawner

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus 9 more books, for a total of 13 (with 5 StoryBundle Exclusives), plus a year’s subscription to Indie Author Magazine!

Super Secrets: Illustrated by Wulf Moon
Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn
A Writer’s Guide to Branding for Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre (StoryBundle Exclusive)
On Being a Dictator by Kevin J. Anderson (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Word by Word by Kerrie Flanagan
The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth
Steps to Self-Editing by Jana S. Brown
Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Indie Author Magazine: One Year Subscription by Indie Author Magazine

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Find out how you can get your book into a Story Bundle of even how you can curate your own on “Writer’s Corner” in my interview with Story Bundle founder, Jason Chen.

Planning for 2025

Story Bundles: Let’s Sell Some Books

I’m planning to currate a few Story Bundles of my own next year. I’m looking for authors with books in the women’s fiction, dark fiction, science fiction/fantasy, or paranormal genres. I already have a few authors interested from the paranormal genre. So, if you have a book in the above mentioned genres, I want to hear from you.Mention it in the comments or drop me a line at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and let’s see if your book would be a good fit.

**2025 WordCrafter Press Releases**

With NaNoWriMo, I’ve got a good start on the second book in my Time-Travel Adventure Series, and I’ll be working hard to complete it throughout the months of December and January, with a hopeful March release. Of course, Book 3 in the Women in the West Adventure Series, Marta is also planned for release in 2025, and a short fiction collection of my own, titled “Little Ditties” to be released in time for Christmas.

With the creation of the Midnight Anthology Series, next year’s anthology is set to be dark fiction again, for volume 3, Midnight Oil. (I recently had a great story idea for this anthology. It’s very dark and scary, and I’m excited to see if I can meet the challenge of writing in a speculative fiction genre I’ve never attempted to write in before.) Submissions will be open in January and the call will post at the beginning of the year.

2025 Writing to be Read

Also, I believe Robbie may already be working on the next volume of Poetry Treasures, with a theme of Simple Pleasures. Guests on this past year’s “Treasuring Poetry” series should be getting their invites soon, if they haven’t already. I look forward to bringing forth another volume of this wonderful series of poetry books.

On Writing to be Read, plan to see more of Robbie’s new blog series, “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle”, which received a good reception so far this year. Catch “Read and Cook” on the second Wednesday of every month. I plan to continue my “Chatting with the Pros” and “Chatting with New Blood” series on the second and forth Saturdays, as well, and of course first or second Monday will see a “Writer’s Corner” post. Monday’s will also see segments of “Review in Practice” and my latest movie review series, “Everyone is a Critic”. And you can catch Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry on the third Wednesday, and “In Touch with Nature” on the fourth Wednesday, as always. Art Rosch’s monthly “Mind Fields will also appear wherever I can fit them in, as he doesn’t have a set day right now.

I’m also hoping to get some new sponsors in the coming year. Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press. Please consider sponsoring a blog series, or even a single post and help me to keep Writing to be Read up and running.

_____________________________________

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

___________________________________

This post is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.

Digital and Print Copies of The Rock Star & The Outlaw Book Cover: Sundial and planet in the background. Black leather clad woman and Man dressed in western garbstand beind giant electric guitar in foreground. Text: The Rock Star & The Outlaw, When a women with a guitar meets a cowboy with a gun, it's time to travel, Kaye Lynne Booth

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw

Time is Running Out to Get the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle

Posted: November 24, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Promotion, Books, Nonfiction, Story Bundle, Writing, Writing Resource | Tags: 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, Author, Book Review, Books, Story Bundle, The D.I. Y. Author, WordCrafter Press, Writing, Writing Resorce | Leave a comment

If you’re an author who wants to improve your craft, publishing expertise and marketing know how, (and who doesn’t?), this Story Bundle is a must have for you. IT’s only available through the end of November, so don’t wait! Get your 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle today.

You can get your 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle here: https://storybundle.com/writing

Why Buy the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle?

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.

Romance Character Tropes by Tara Grace Ericson and Jessica Barber
Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan (Story Bundle Exclusive)
Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood and Atmosphere by Joshua Essoe
Booking the Library by Jessica Brawner

Super Secrets: Illustrated by Wulf Moon
Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock
From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn
A Writer’s Guide to Branding for Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre (StoryBundle Exclusive)
On Being a Dictator by Kevin J. Anderson (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Word by Word by Kerrie Flanagan (Story Bundle Exclusive)
The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth
Steps to Self-Editing by Jana S. Brown
Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Indie Author Magazine: One Year Subscription by Indie Author Magazine

More About this great Story Bundle

You can find out more about the books in this Story Bundle at the links below.

Writer’s Corner: Using Story Bundle to Sell Books: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/10/21/writers-corner-using-story-bundle-to-sell-books/

Review in Practice: Dollar by Dollar & Word by Word: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/11/06/review-in-practice-word-by-word-and-dollar-by-dollar/

Review in Practice: Wit & Wisdom, Romance Character Tropes, & Steps to Self-Editing: https://writingtoberead.com/2024/11/18/review-in-practice-wit-wisdom-romance-character-tropes-steps-to-self-editing/

_______________________________________

This post is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.

Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.

In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.

Topics Include:

Becoming Prolific

Writing Tools

Outlining

Making Quality a Priority

Publishing Models & Trends

Marketing Your Book

Book Covers & Blurbs

Book Events—In Person & Virtual

And more…