Writer’s Corner: Why Put All Your Eggs on One Basket?

Posted: May 4, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: book marketing, Book Review, Books, Drat2Digital, Indie Publishing, Publishing, Review, Writing | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Publishing Wide, Reviews, Writer's Corner, Writing to be Read | 4 Comments

Recently, I’ve been hearing complaints about Amazon pulling down revues when they suspect the reviewer and author know one another, by checking if they are on each other’s friends lists on social media. While it’s true that this is not a fair practice. I’ve been known to purchase the book of someone who happens to be on my friends list, because the name is familiar. I’ve also been known to request a review copy if I see a promo post on social media for a book that catches my interest. Neither of those scenarios means that I actually know the author personally, although I may know of them on social media.

Anyone that has followed me for very long knows I’m not a big fan of the business practices of Amazon. And this is just one of the reasons why. In Amazon land, Amazon makes all the rules. For authors, they encourage exclusivity and then they monitor your activity and they determine what is acceptable and what is not. Their rules don’t always make sense, and they often are unfair, but what is an author to do? Amazon is the number one book distributor, to be sure, and they bring in the most sales.

I’ll tell you what I do. I rebel. Amazon can urge you to go exclusive and put your books in Kindle Unlimited, but they cannot force you to do so. I publish wide, through an aggregator, Draft2Digital, and through them, my books are distributed to not only Amazon, but also Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Rakuten Kobo, and Smashwords, and they are available in libraries and brick and mortar bookstores, which doesn’t mean they will be there automatically, but it gives me a foot in the door. (For more on why I publish wide, see my post “5 Reasons Why I Chose to go Wide With my Books”.)

Still, Amazon slaps my hands for not publishing direct through them by making my books wait until the day of release to accept them for publication, so they aren’t available on Amazon for preorder as advertised. But they are still available for preorder on other distribution platforms, so I’m not sure who they are hurting with that one.

The reason I publish this way? I just don’t like putting all my eggs in one basket. Think about it. If you enroll your books in Kindle Unlimited, and agree to keep them exclusively on Amazon, you are limiting the readers who can find your books to only those enrolled in KU, whereas my readers might be found on any of the above-mentioned platforms, as well as being listed in library catalogs. Not only that, but when Amazon decides you’ve violated one of their all-cherished rules and freeze your account, and it happens. If they are your only distribution platform, your income just came to a screeching halt. It doesn’t matter whether the violation is real or imagined on Amazon’s part, your income will remain on hold until you can prove they are in error, which is not an easy feat, or until you’ve done your penance in Amazon’s mind. I don’t know about you, but I know I don’t want to give anyone that much control over my publishing business.

I know for many exclusive authors, KU is a big part of their incomes. But there are other subscription services, like Kobo Plus, which don’t require exclusivity. I don’t know how they compare because I’ve never had my books in KU. Kobo Plus likely does not have as big a reach as Amazon KU, but of course it also serves a different part of the globe. So, by publishing wide and enrolling in Kobo Plus instead of KU, you can extend your global reach, increasing the number of potential readers who see your book, all over the world.

No matter which platforms you chose to publish on, you must be prepared to promote like crazy. There is no difference in the platforms in that regard. By publishing wide you also increase the areas your promotions need to reach, but thanks to social media, authors can now do that fairly easily. When I was interviewed on the Stark Reflections podcast, Mark Leslie Lefebvre asked me what my best marketing tool was. I replied, hands down, this blog, Writing to be Read. He seemed surprised by my response. But, I post here, then use social media channels to promote the post. I promote on X, Pintrest, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Occasionally, I share a promotion on Instagram, but I don’t generally use that platform. It’s a soft sell, promoting the blog, rather than the product. Once I get them to the blog, the post promotes the product.

Every book I release gets a blog tour with WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, and I use this blog to promote those posts and spread the word with social media, as well. My own books also get a Kickstarter campaign, which I promote mostly through social media. Kickstarter has their own platform for updates for folks who are already following the campaign, so I just need to spread the word on social to draw in new backers.

So, what do we do to solve the problem of our perfectly legitimate reviews being taken down? Well, you can go wide with those, too. If you send out review requests, ask reviewers to post their reviews on other platforms, in addition to Amazon. You might also consider purchasing paid reviews, like Kirkus Reviews, which can be placed in the area for Editorial Reviews on your Amazon page, but I’m not a big fan of these either. On the one hand, you are guaranteed a good review. Even if they claim they are honest reviews, you must wonder, because no one wants to pay for a bad review.

And when posting your own reviews, don’t limit yourself only to the distribution platforms. When I post my reviews, I post them first on my blog, where no one can pull them down. Then, on Goodreads and BookBub, in addition to Amazon. If I have the time, I may also post on the Barnes & Noble site. Those aren’t the only ones out there. These are just the ones which I know and use.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Amazon dilemma. Where do you post your reviews? How do you handle Amazons reviewing requirements? And while we’re at it, what is your best marketing tool? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

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 Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.

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, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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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.

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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The Ones Who Stayed With Me, by Nurse Sammy, and WordCrafter Press.

Digital and Print copies of The Ones Who Stayed With Me, by Nurse Sammy

Chronicles of the journey into the medical field as a young nurse and beyond, told with raw sensitivity and compassion. The Ones Who Stayed with Me offers small glimpses into the world of an L.P.N. put in difficult, often touching or humorous, situations—and Nurse Sammy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all. In these pages, Nurse Sammy tells her story and that of those she met along the way.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/OnesWhoStayed

Book Review: “Wicked Tides”

Posted: April 29, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Review | Tags: Book Review, Courtney Leigh, Dark Fantasy, Kaye Lynne Booth, Wicked Tides, Writing to be Read | 2 Comments

About Wicked Tides

Love was never meant to bloom in blood-soaked waters.

Treson Harbor is a place plagued by terrifyingly beautiful monsters from the deep and they’re hungry.

When no man is safe on the water, pirates and fishermen alike, people look to hunters.

Vidar “Bone Heart” Woelfson is the Captain of the Burning Rose, a ship known for its blood red sails and the ruthless nature of its crew. He has hunted more sirens than any other ship on the sea and unlike most, Vidar hardly does it for the money. He is haunted by events from his childhood and lives to see every daughter of the sea slaughtered.

Dahlia knows the ship with red sails well, but she knows its captain even better. The man who took everything from her as a child still hunts her waters and she will end him if it’s the last thing she does.

Scarred and vengeful, Vidar and Dahlia will soon cross paths again after eighteen years and things certainly will not be peaceful. But even greater horrors might force the two together in an unwilling partnership.

Their rivalry runs deep… their love will run deeper… but not without bloodshed.

***This book contains violence, graphic sex, and language. Please see inside or on my website for a more detailed list of triggers***

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Tides-Enemies-Lovers-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B0DDN19X28

My Review of Wicked Tides

I purchased a digital copy of Wicked Tides, by Courtney Leigh in a KindofBook deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

Wicked Tides is described as a dark fantasy romance, which intrigued me. Following the enemies/lovers romance trope, which I’ve found difficult to buy into in the past. But Miss Leigh does a nice job of making me believe that a Siren and a man who lives to hunt her kind could develop an affection for one another through their hate. Nicely done.

The secret is to not let the hero or the heroine realize themselves their changing feelings, and make them deny them once they do. By giving them a common cause, they find the opportunity to learn their previous assumptions about one another may not be completely true.

Captain Vido Weolfson, known also as Bone Heart, due to his hard-hearted cruelty, makes his living hunting Sirens – vile and evil creatures who lure men to their deaths and eat their flesh, often while they still live. But, hunting is more than just a job to Vido. It was a quest for revenge on the creatures who captured and murdered his father and his crew when he was just a boy. Only Vido and an old hunter named Gus came away alive, but not before he had made the sirens pay for what they’d done.

Dahlia is the lone survivor of that massacre, and the young siren who took pity on the young Vido and helped him to escape, thinking he would flee. Instead, she was left alone, cast out by her kind as being responsible for the death of her clan. She’s always known she’d see the boy who destroyed her life, but when their paths cross once more, they make a temporary alliance for a common cause. Although neither will admit it, they each discover that their enemy is more than just a cold-blooded killer

Finding romance amidst danger and suspense. I give Wicked Tides five quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Everyone is a Critic: My All-Time Favorites – Humor

Posted: April 13, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Everyone is a Critic, Humor, Movies, Review | Tags: Dumb and Dumber, Everyone is a Critic, Idle Hands, Kaye Lynne Booth, Movie Review, Talladega Nights, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Great Outdoors, The Jerk, The Three Amigos, Writing to be Read | 9 Comments

There are some movies that I can watch over and over and never get tired of them because they are so fun to watch. I’m sure certain movies are the same for everyone, in this respect. For “Everyone is a Critic” in 2026, I’d like to talk about my all-time favorites, because if you haven’t seen them, they are worth watching, and if you have, maybe this will remind you how fun they are, and you’ll give one or two another go. I’ve categorized them by the values I find in them, or the reason that I watch them. Many of them, I have watched so many times, I can quote them word for word through many parts. (And, yes, I am old, but they really don’t make them like they used to.)

Now, here, I will share them with you in the hopes that you will get the same enjoyment I have from watching them. For those who have seen the movie, the quotes will bring certain scenes alive in their minds. And if you haven’t seen the movie and you watch it, when you see the scene, you’ll understand why I chose the quotes that I did.

Humor – Make me laugh and just be silly

The Great Outdoors (1988) with John Candy and Dan Aykroyd

Roman (Dan Aykroyd) is the uninvited guest on Chet’s (John Candy’s) family vacation. When you put these two guys together, there’s never a dull moment and the laughs never stop. This movie makes me laugh every time I watch it.

I have this one in my personal movie collection.

Favorite Quotes: “B… b…big…, big bear!” – Chet Ripley (Candy)

“S…Six…Six…Six…Sixty-s…six times!” – Reg (Britt Leach)

“Lips and ass holes.” – Roman Craig (Aykroyd)

“Let go of the rope, Dad!” – Ben Ripley (Ian Michael Giatti)

Favorite Scenes: Bat in the Cabin & Water Skiing

The Jerk (1979), with Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters

Born into a poor black family, Navin never quite fits in. So, he sets off on his own to see the world and find his special purpose.

Only Steve Martin could pull off this role, in this rags to riches comedy.

Favorite Quotes: Opening -“Huh? I am *not* a bum. I’m a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and… uh… my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin’ on the porch with my family, singin’ and dancin’ down in Mississippi…” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

“Sir! You are talking to a nigger!” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

“You mean I’m going to stay this color!” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

“The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here! I’m somebody now!” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

“He hates these cans. Stay away from the cans!” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

“First I get my name in the phone book and now I’m on your ass. You know, I’ll bet more people see that than the phone book.” – Navin R. Johnson (Martin)

Favorite Scenes: Leaky Oil Cans & Cat Juggling & Broke and Hitting the road – “All I need is this ashtray. And that’s it.” – Navin Johnson (Martin)

The Three Amigos (1986), with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short

Three out of work silent screen stars are invited to come to Santa Pocho, a small village in Mexico, to save the people from a terrible bandit. The three amigos, Lucky Day (Steve Martin), Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short), mistakenly believe they’re being invited to do a performance there and gladly answer the call, resulting in some hilarious situations when they come up against the real band of outlaws.

These three guys are true entertainers, all. Never get tired of this movie.

I have this one in my personal movie collection.

Favorite Quotes: “You sons of a motherless goat.” – Dusty Bottoms (Chase)

“Excuse me. We’re not Mexican.” – Lucky Day (Martin)

“It wasn’t me. It was my stuntman. But I think I remember how.” Ned Nederlander (Short)

Favorite Scenes: My Little Buttercup, & Good Night Ned, & The Singing Bush and The Invisible Horseman

Dumb And Dumber (1994), with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels

Two buddies set off a road trip to Colorado, when the woman of Lloyd’s (Carey) dreams leaves her brief case at the airport and he is determined to return it to her. Unbeknownst to him, the briefcase contains ransom money and was left on purpose.

This movie is so dumb you can’t help but laugh. I mean, how dumb can it get?

I watch this one on Pluto T.V. for free.

Favorite Quotes: “Are those your skis? …. Both of them?” – Harry Dunne (Daniels)

“Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!” – Harry Dunne (Daniels)

“Nice set of hooters you got there.” – Harry Dunne (Daniels)

“She gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her or something. I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention.” – Harry Dunne (Daniels)

“So, you’re telling me there’s a chance. Yah!” – Lloyd Christmas (Carey)

“What was all that one in a million stuff?” – Lloyd Christmas (Carey)

“That’s as good as money, sir. Those are I.O.U.s.” – Lloyd Christmas (Carey)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), with Will Ferrell

Ricky Bobby loves to go fast, making him the ideal race car driver, but his philosophies on life are a little messed up, and all he really wants is to impress his long-lost daddy.

Another one that is so stupid, you just gotta laugh.

I watch this one on Pluto T.V for free.

Favorite Quotes: “If you’re not first, you’re last.” – Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) – (“Or…, you’re on fire?” – Me. Lol)

“I’m all jacked up on Mountain Dew!” – Texas Ranger Bobby (Greyson Russell)

“Shake and Bake.” – Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Riley)

“I was only gone three hours!” – Ricky Bobby (Ferrell)

Idle Hands (1999), with Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Hensen, and Jessica Alba

This one has an original story line that naturally leads to humor. What do you do when your hand is possessed, turning you into a serial killer?

I watch this one on Pluto T.V. for free.

Favorite Quotes:

“We’re gathered here today… um… because you’re all dead.” – Anton (Sawa)

“Anton, it’s killing me to see me to see you this stressed-out man. You cut off your hand in the interest of who knows how many others.” – Mick (Green)

“Why would we go to hell? We’re not bad, we’re not exactly good or anything, but at least we don’t go around killing people!” – Pnub (Hensen)

“We need a place to kick it. Don’t be selfish, Anton! No one else’s parents are dead!” – Pnub (Hensen)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), with Don Knotts

Don Knotts plays a bungling newspaper typesetter with aspirations to be a reporter, challenged to spend the night in the local haunted house, called ‘the murder house’, to get a story and prove himself to the whole town.

This movie may be old, but that doesn’t make it any less funny. Who can watch Don Knotts and not laugh. Not me. This is just a fun movie to watch, plain and simple.

Favorite Scenes: Finding the secret passage, and organ playing by itself

Favorite Quotes: “Atta boy, Luther!” – man in the crowd

“My whole body is a weapon” – Luther Heggs (Knotts)

“And they used Bon-Ami!” – Mrs. Cobb (Nydia Westman)

“Now you’re apt to see some pretty frightening things, but don’t panic, you’re in no real personal danger. Now you ladies of the jury, stay close together. Hold hands if you wish.” – Luther Heggs (Knotts)

About Author 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 book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

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This segment of “Everyone is a Critic” is sponsored by the Small Wonders and WordCrafter Press.

https://books2read.com/SmallWonders

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 May, 2025

Book Review: ” Saddled Hearts”

Posted: April 10, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Mystery, Review, romance, Western, western romance | Tags: Book Reveiw, Jan Sikes, Kaye Lynne Booth, mystery, Saddled Hearts, western romance, Writing to be Read | 14 Comments

About Saddled Hearts

Colt Layne lives an idyllic life between caring for the animals on his ranch and playing music with his band. That is, until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. Now the man is dead, and Colt is facing a murder charge. He’s being framed, but by whom and why?

His only hope lies in a conversation with his deceased grandfather—an impossible task. Or is it?
His answer arrives in Sage Coventry, a psychic who can speak to the dead. Though skeptical, Colt needs her help. But he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips.

As the clock runs out to clear his name and save his beloved ranch, Colt and Sage unearth shocking revelations about the past, their love, and the future.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Saddled-Hearts-White-Rune-Book-ebook/dp/B0G3XV9C4T

My Review of Saddled Hearts

I purchased a digital copy of Saddled Hearts, by Jan Sikes through a countdown deal promoting through Author Sikes’ Newsletter. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

One might think Saddled Hearts is a western romance, but it is really a western mystery. Strange things are happening at the Double L Ranch and it seems someone is trying to take the ranch from Colt Layne. A mysterious stranger shows up, claiming to be the lawful owner of the ranch, a horse is mysteriously poisoned and fences are cut. Of course, the romance is there, too. Thinking his deceased grandfather might have answers, he seeks a reading from a medium, Sage Coventry, and falls for her before he realizes what is happening. When Colt goes to talk to the stranger and finds him dead with evidence pointing to Colt as the killer, the stakes of the game are suddenly higher, and Colt worries about bringing his beautiful new love into his life, but it takes a lot more than a little danger to discourage Sage from the man she is quickly falling in love with.

The romance seems too easy, but the mystery is quite the puzzle. The two seek answers, Colt from his grandfather’s papers and Sage from beyond the veil. Together, they piece together the puzzle and uncover the secrets which have lain hidden for three generations.

Skillfully crafted, author Jan Sikes brings her characters to life in living color and keeps readers guessing to the very end. Saddled Hearts is book 3 in Sike’s White Ruin Series, but it holds up just fine as a stand-alone. In fact, I didn’t realize it was a mid-series book until I began to do this review.

Romance and mystery, all with a distinctive western flavor, Saddled Hearts is a delightful love story with a twist. I give it five quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

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Celebrating National Poetry Month with Poetry Sales

Posted: April 7, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Book Sales, Collection, Poetry, WordCrafter Press | Tags: #Poetrycommunity, Arthur Rosch, Behind Closed Doors, Book Sale, Feral Tenderness, Kaye Lynne Booth, Poetry Sale, Poetry Treasures Series, PoetryCollections, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Press | 6 Comments

Exclusive on WordCrafter Press during the month of April.

Purchase the 5 for $5 bundle on the Poetry Treasures Series page.

In celebration of National Poetry Month, WordCrafter Press is offering the first five Poetry Treasures volumes for $5 only at the link above. And I’ve dropped the price on all individual WordCrafter poetry collections all month, as well.

All WordCrafter Poetry Collections – $1 off

Small Wonders: Reflective Poems, by Kaye Lynne Booth – $2.99

Behind Closed Doors: A Collection of Unusual Poems, by Robbie Cheadle – $2.99

Feral Tenderness: Poetry and Photography, by Arthur Rosch – $2.99

Grab your copies while you can!

Writer’s Corner: Person & Tense

Posted: April 6, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Fiction, Point of View, Tense, Writer's Corner, Writing | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Point of View, Tense, Writer's Corner, Writing, Writing to be Read | 14 Comments

I recently wrote a short story for the upcoming Legends anthology. I wrote it in third person, present tense to give the tale a sense of immediacy. My beta reader sent back comments, saying that, while the story was a good one, the present tense put her off, as she does not care for stories in present tense. Who would have known?

I had a similar reaction when I first read The Hunger Games, which was written in first person, present tense. It really was a bit off-putting, particularly in the dialog tags when reading aloud. But as I got into the story, I became more accustomed to the style and by the end of the book, I hardly noticed it anymore. First person, present tense is difficult to write, because it must be done well, or it doesn’t work. I’m not that brave.

But, I have been playing around with third person, present tense, which I find a little easier to pull off. I like using present tense because it makes the story feel more immediate, pulling the reader into the story and helping to build suspense. I’ve been using third person, present tense in writing Marta, the third book in my Women in the West Adventure Series, although the first two books were written in third person, past tense. I felt using the present tense in Marta helped to build tension and move the story along.

After the comments from my beta reader, I am wondering if I should rethink that. Readers are put off by different things, and I realize I can’t please all of the people all of the time. But, if this is off-putting to one reader, how many others may feel similarly? If I do change it, that means going back and rewriting the three quarters of the story that is already written, roughly 55,500 words, but if it will turn away readers, perhaps it is worth the effort to go the other way.

So, I’m asking you. Please tell me how you feel about the passage below. Is first person, past tense off-putting to you? Would it be better in third person, past tense?

It’s a passage from chapter one of Marta, just a few paragraphs:

“Excuse me. Is this seat taken?” a man’s voice draws her attention away once more. She turns to see a man, fancily dressed, standing in the aisle and addressing her, indicating the seat next to hers. She had met the infamous Doc Holliday once during his stay in Leadville. This man is like him. She’d seen plenty of his type in Leadville. They dress like a dandy, and come to gamble, but they aren’t particular about how they come by their money and aren’t above working on the other side of the law, and they all carry guns on their hips.

The man is staring at her, expectantly, waiting for a response to his question. He had been polite enough to ask, and the seat wasn’t taken. How could she say no? “No sir, it is not,” she admits. She doesn’t own the train seat and can’t stop him from sitting there, but she doesn’t have to trust him. A woman traveling alone can’t be too careful.

She reaches down by her feet to be sure her carpet bag is still there. Not only does it contain all her money, but also the thirty-two caliber pistol which she purchased in Leadville. Before sitting up straight in her seat once more, she brushes her fingers over the top of her boot to check that her knife is still there, as well. That knife had saved her life with Franz, the dirty traitor, and it gives her comfort to know it was within reach.

He gives her a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he slides into the seat. “Why, thank you, Ma’am,” he says. “William Barnesby is the name, but my friends call me Bill.”

She plasters her best smile across her face and says, “I’m Marta Olmstead, and this young woman is Rose… uh… Dunbar, is it?” she says, looking toward the young woman.

“Yes, Ma’am,” she says, nodding her head and quickly averting her eyes from the gentleman, toward the window. Obviously, the man’s presence made Mrs. Dunbar uncomfortable, as well. But what could she do? The seat didn’t belong to her, and Mr. Barnesby had purchased a ticket just like everyone else on the train.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” with Kaye Lynne Booth 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/

Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “Double Visions” Book Blog Tour

Posted: March 27, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Kaye Lynne Booth, Science Fiction, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, Time Travel Adventure Series, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | 2 Comments

We’ve come to the final stop on the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour, where we’re sending off Book 2 in the Time Travel Adventure Series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions. Today, we will be looking at the character of Catalina, a Time Travel Regulator Agent from the year 2030 with a guest post and a reading from me, author Kaye Lynne Booth. Be sure to leave a comment to enter for a chance at a free digital copy or a signed print copy of the book.

I’ve included the Universal Book Link which leads to retail sites for purchase, but there’s still time to visit the Kickstarter campaign at the link below to get discounted digital copies and signed print copies and merchandise only available there. I’m happy to say we are fully funded! But there’s still time to get your discounted digital copies, signed print copies and exclusive merchandise before it ends. It will run through the 29th, so get your orders in now.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/the-rock-star-and-the-outlaw-2-double-visions

The Giveaway

Follow the tour and leave a comment to let me know you were here and be entered

for a chance at one of three free digital copies or one signed print copy of

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions.

Winners are chosen in a random drawing from my hat. You can visit any stops you missed through the links in the tour schedule at the end of this post. So, get your comments in now.

Series Short Trailer

https://youtube.com/shorts/phL3vtcOQOo?feature=share

The Character of Catalina and Writing with Multiple P.O.V.s

Time travel is thought provoking. One of my favorite time travel movies is Time Cop, starring Jean Claude Van Dam, where Van Dam plays an agent for a group of time regulators who are threatened by a villainous politician with the ability to go back and change things so that the agency will never exist and Van Dam has to stop him before he erases him from existence.

In book 1, we had Nick Umbridge, who worked for an agency, something like Van Dams, but his job was to test a prototype, not regulate time to prevent time loops, or ripples, or paradoxes. But even as I wrote that story, I felt there had to be a time cop somewhere, leaving the implication that Umbridge was going to be in big trouble when he returned to his own time. And then he didn’t, setting everything else in that story into play.

In that first book, Nick set a time loop into motion, so we see him again, but he turns out to be a villain of sorts, or at least a mild annoyance to our hero and heroine, as he is determined to fix what he messed up by taking Rock Star back to her own time, and it seems he is destined to die in 1887.

In Double Visions, Amaryllis makes some loops of her own, and so is Nick, but I felt we needed a time cop to add to the fray, chasing Nick down, because they know in the future what Nick did in the past. Hence, Catalina Duncan was created along with her partner agent, Reginald Thompson. These two were created to complement one another. Where Reginald is by the book, riding on formality, and is stiff and stand-offish, Catalina is more of a free spirit, who only believes in following the rules when the rules make sense, allowing for some clever banter between them as they disagree on almost everything. It also makes her an equal adversary for Amaryllis, who now has the time module prototype, but like almost everything else in this story, it has multiplied and she has two of them.

Because of the additional characters, and additional timelines that loop through one another, there was so much going on simultaneously in different whens, this story required there to be more than just the two perspectives from the first story. For one thing, there are two, (or more), of both Amaryllis and LeRoy, making it necessary to have the POVs of each; the characters they are now, and who they were in the first story, designated as Rock Star and Cowboy. Amaryllis’ bff, Monique goes along for the ride this time around, but she is a different version from her original Shaman Woman self, and the time cops are on their own trajectory through time, requiring Catalina’s POV, and of course, there’s Nick, still trying to make it back to the future.

With a total of eight different POVs, running over three different timelines, things got a little crazy at times. It was interesting trying to make sure each character only knew things that they were supposed to know at that particular moment in time, especially when time ripples keep changing what they remembered as the past and affecting the future. At times, it was quite the juggling act keeping them all straight.

The question posed for Catalina’s character: Will she be able to break through her partners straightlaced demeanor to find the human being inside?

About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions

Book Cover: The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, by Kaye Lynne Booth

In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.

She wakes up in 2030, in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not have been born. Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past.

She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.

Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things begin to get wild.

When the time loops are crossed, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended and pretty soon, everybody is seeing doubles.

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/DoubleVisions

Reading from The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions – Meet Catalina

This reading is the introductory chapter for the character of Catalina, in the year 2030.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

That wraps up today’s tour stop and the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour. If you missed a stop, you can go back through the links in the schedule below to leave a comment and get an entry in the giveaway for a chance at a free digital copy or a signed print copy of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions. Thank you for joining us.

Tour Schedule

March 23-27 – The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, by Kaye Lynne Booth

Mon. – “Amaryllis, Rock Star & The Pretty Reckless” –Writing to be Read

– Interview with the author – Undawnted

Tues. – “LeRoy, Cowboy & Writing with Music” & Review– Poetry by Mich

Hotel by Masticadores

Masticadores Phillipines

Wed. – “Monique, Shaman Woman, & Werner’s Syndrome” & Review – Book Places

Thurs. – “Nick, the Time Device & Writing in Multiple Timelines” & Review – Carla Loves to Read

Fri. – “Catalina and Writing with Multiple P.O.V.s” – Writing to be Read

The Kickstarter campaign runs through tomorrow, so don’t forget to pop in with the link below to get your copy of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions and support the author (me 🙂 ).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/the-rock-star-and-the-outlaw-2-double-visions

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Double Visions” Book Blog Tour

Posted: March 26, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Audio Reading, Book Review, Kaye Lynne Booth, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, Time Travel Adventure Series, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Leave a comment

Today is Day 4 of the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour and we’re over at Carla Loves to Read, where I’m introducing the character of Nick Umbridge, the time travel tester who started this whole adventure by traveling back to 1887 and dying there. But he lives again in each time loop created, so he’s back again. Join us in sending off The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions and learn more about this amazing Time Travel Adventure. Today’s stop also includes a review from our host, Carla Johnson-Hicks.

Note: The Kickstarter campaign has funded, but there is still time to get discounted digital copies, signed print copies, posters and goodie bags. Thanks goes out to all those who backed this project.

The Rock Star & Outlaw 2: Double Visions by Kaye Lynne Booth #BookReview #BlogTour

Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Double Visions” Book Blog Tour

Posted: March 25, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Audio Reading, Giveaway, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kickstarter, Science Fiction, Sunweilder: An Epic Time Travel Adventure, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, Time Travel Adventure Series, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Leave a comment

For Day 3 of the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Bookplaces with host, Kay Castenada. You’ve met Amaryllis (Rock Star) and Leroy (Cowboy), and today I will reintroduce you to Monique, or Shaman Woman, a supporting character who was surprisingly popular in the first book. We have a great giveaway and we’re in the final stretch of the Kickstarter campaign and still need additional support. Join us now in sending off The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions and get your copy today!

The Rock Star and the Outlaw 2: Double Visions– Day 3 Word Crafter Book Blog Tours

Welcome to the WordCrafter “Double Visions” Book Blog Tour

Posted: March 23, 2026 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Science Fiction, Time travel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Giveaway, Kaye Lynne Booth, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2 Double Visions, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | 11 Comments

Welcome to the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour, where we’re sending off Book 2 of the Time Travel Adventure Series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions. Today is a double tour stop, and in addition to this post, I will be doing an interview with DL Mullan over at Undawnted, so be sure and pop over there when you’ve finished here.

Tour Schedule

March 23-27 – The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions, by Kaye Lynne Booth

Mon. – “Amaryllis, Rock Star & The Pretty Reckless” –Writing to be Read

– Interview with the author – Undawnted

Tues. – “LeRoy, Cowboy & Writing with Music” & Review– Poetry by Mich

Hotel by Masticadores

Masticadores Phillipines

Wed. – “Monique, Shaman Woman, & Werner’s Syndrome” & Review – Book Places

Thurs. – “Nick, the Time Device & Writing in Multiple Timelines” & Review – Carla Loves to Read

Fri. – “Catalina and Writing with Multiple P.O.V.s” – Writing to be Read

We have a great tour planned with guest posts and readings by the author, Kaye Lynne Booth, (that’s me 🙂 ), and a great giveaway of three digital copies and one signed print copy, (U.S. residents only), of Double Visions.

The Giveaway

Follow the tour and leave a comment to let me know you were here and be entered

for a chance at three free digital copies or one signed print copy of

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions.

About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions

In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.

She wakes up in 2030, in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not have been born. Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past.

She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.

Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things begin to get wild.

When the time loops are crossed, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended and pretty soon, everybody is seeing doubles.

Book Trailer

This tour will be a little different, because I’m running a Kickstarter campaign for this launch which is in effect now and will be going on throughout the tour, since it doesn’t end until the 28th. So, instead of giving you a purchase link for retailers, we’ll be using the Kickstarter URL, so you can get digital copies at a discount from the retail price, or signed print copies and merchandise that is not available anywhere else. You can support the Kickstarter campaign and receive a digital copy for as little as $5, so I hope you’ll join in on sending Double Visions off right. Remember after the 28th, you’ll have to pay full price at retailers, so get your copies now.

Support the Kickstarter and get your books at the link below.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kayelynnebooth-wcp/the-rock-star-and-the-outlaw-2-double-visions

Amaryllis, Rock Star & The Pretty Reckless

(Author note: I started this post for the tour for book 1, so some of it may be familiar if you’re a fan of the series. I added to it for the second book, so bear with me for new information. Same character stars in both books, you see?)

Amaryllis Maria Sanchez is a composite character. She’s a cross between Sharon Stone’s character in Basic Instinct and Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. She’s an adrenaline junkie, who likes to tempt death and lives life to the extremes. She’s a rock star who is at the top of her game when she’s on stage. After she kills her drug dealing, domineering boyfriend to save herself from his wrath, she figures she’s already damned herself, she figures she might as well ride out the storm that’s headed her way. But, when she crosses paths with a time-traveling cowboy, LeRoy Mc Allister, who offers a way to stay ahead of the game and a place to run to where she won’t ever be found, she sees the potential for a whole new life of adventures.

Amaryllis began as a character like Sharon Stones character in Basic Instincts – a daring woman who plays a deadly game. I like Sharon Stone in just about anything, but I admired the way she played this character in particular. I challenged myself to create a character with that same adventuresome nature, and that self-confident, ‘on top of the world’ attitude.

The idea for her method for killing Claude came from an actual murder case I heard about on the news. I thought it was unique, and I knew I wanted to use it in a story. Murder by high heel. It just happened to be a perfect method for Amaryllis to defend herself.

My son introduced me to the music of The Pretty Reckless, and I fell in love with the voice of Taylor Momsen. I bought their CDs and played them on my commute to work, and a story about a female rock singer began to form in my head, and the Sharon Stone-like character somehow merged with the woman who emerged in my mind from their music. That woman was a lot like my image of Taylor Momsen. And so, Amaryllis Maria Sanchez emerged on the page.

In the first book, she and LeRoy travel back to 1887 for a wild ride in the old west. But, when they try to go back to the future, something goes terribly wrong and only Amaryllis arrives in 2030, and things are very different from how Amaryllis remembers them. In the second book, Double Visions, Amaryllis and her friend Monique go back in time to try and put things back the way they were and restore time as Amaryllis remembers it. That means finding and reuniting with LeRoy, and making sure her grandparents meet and marry, so she will be born in 1999.

In book 2, Amaryllis changed things in the past that weren’t intended, and as time loops cross and ripples occur, our characters are all seeing double, or in one case, triple, as all hell breaks loose. Of course, Amaryllis is also ‘Rock Star’ in the earlier time loop from the first book. They are the same woman, Rock Star is the younger version, if only by about six months, but Amaryllis, her older self tries to fix the future in the past, but in doing so, changes things which happened the first time around.

It’s a ride even wilder than the first time around, with multiple character POVs, which add to the playlist for this one, including a couple of new characters, Time Regulator Agent Catalina Duncan and her partner Agent Reginald Thompson to stir things up and keep it interesting.

The question posed for Amaryllis’ character: Will Amaryllis be able to change the right thing in the past to correct the future?

Reading from The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions

About Kaye Lynne Booth

That wraps up this stop on the opening day of the WordCrafter Double Visions Book Blog Tour. Thank you for joining us. Don’t forget to pop onto Undawnted for my interview with DL Mullan.

Tomorrow’s stop will find us over at Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Mastcadores, and Masticadores Phillipines with Michelle Ayon Navajas, where we’ll explore the character of LeRoy and Cowboy, and writing with music in a guest post and reading from me and a review. I hope to see you there, but until then, don’t forget to pop into the Kickstarter campaign to get your copy of The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions.

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!