Women’s fiction

Print Advertising – Yes or No?

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Moose Tracks SUM.16 Third Vertical V05I suppose that’s not really a fair question in that I’m committed to this first stab at print advertising…I’ve already paid the fee to have a print ad produced and for it to appear in in the Summer and Autumn quarterly issues of Foreword Reviews, in an effort to maximize on the news that Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven (which is on sale now!) has been named a finalist in their prestigious Book of the Year Awards.

As I’m sure you’ve already deduced, this is the ad. What do you think? It was created (with some back and forth input from me) by talented graphic designer Barbara Hodge, who works freelance but also works in a design capacity for Foreword Reviews as well. It will be 1/3 of a page in the glossy print magazine (which is also available to subscribers in a digital reader online).

I guess I’m tossing the question from the post’s title out there to see what any of your thoughts on the matter are. I don’t have a background in marketing, nor am I a large-scale book-buyer (though I do buy a LOT of books! 🙂 ).

Basically, I’m wondering whether or not you as a consumer believe that print ads have any effect on your purchasing choices…or if you are an author, if print ads have been successful or not for you or other authors you know? I’m trying a few different things, and though I realize there are many “free” ways to market (like a web presence etc), my efforts at that are often sporadic, as many of you who follow me here know, due to life/day job circumstances outside my control; that’s why I’m looking to widen the process where I can.

So…please chime in! Do print ads work for you as a reader, buyer, or author? What makes you “notice” and try the work of a new author? I’m open to any and all suggestions (though depending on the cost of them in time or money, I may not be able to actually put them into practice, LOL) 🙂

Fire away with your thoughts (and/or feedback on this particular ad…I’m all ears!)!

 

Award-Winning Novel SALE!

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MooseTracks_CoverFor a limited time…my award-winning, full-length general fiction/women’s fiction novel Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven is available in e-book from Amazon for just $3.99! That’s $10 off the print price!

Described as “Fried Green Tomatoes meets Prairie Home Companion”, this novel is set in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and is over 100,000 words/300+ trade size print pages. If you’ve been waiting to give something new a try, now is your chance.

For those who are new to this site, you can click on the title to be taken to the book page, where you can read an excerpt and learn more about the book. Click on the word “Amazon” above to be taken to the sale page for your e-book copy. In the meantime, from the back cover blurb:

“…Humorous, poignant, and endearing (Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven)…is a tender foray into the emotional landscape of family, friendship, and the kind of love that transcends boundaries, weaving an inspiring tale about what it means to hang on before learning to let go . . . and remembering how to keep living when you lose someone you love.”

I hope you’ll give it a try, and enjoy a new read at a bargain!

 

Foreword Reviews “Reviewer’s Choice” Award!

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FINAL COVER MOOSE TRACKSJust in time for Christmas…

I’m delighted to share that Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven has received a “Reviewer’s Choice” Award from Foreword Reviews, the preeminent Indie Book Review Quarterly.

Considering that the quarterly publishes more than 600 book reviews annually, this nod for Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven – one of only 15 chosen for the year – is a real honor, and I am thrilled.

Just click on FOREWORD REVIEWS right here and it will take you to the blog posting and the list of books named. Mine is the sixth one down, with the original review by Maya Fleischmann, along with some lovely commentary just before it, explaining why she chose my book as her favorite of 2015. 🙂

 

 

Author Talk FREE Event!

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For those of you who might be near Central Upstate New York this weekend, November 28th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving…

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My talk and signing will be at Jervis Public Library (613 N Washington St, Rome, NY 13440 Call: (315) 336-4570 for more information) in my old hometown – which was the inspiration for the fictional setting of Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven. I’ll be talking about converting real life into fiction, publishing, writing in general…and pretty much anything else anyone wants to know or have a conversation about.

I’d love to meet you there and chat! 🙂

Cozy Imaginings

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I suppose the fact that I have a vivid and active imagination isn’t a big surprise. Most fictions writers do.

One of the ways my imagination works often results in a kind of fun game. It’s something I’ve done since I was a little kid, and I’d have to amuse myself as we drove back and forth from shopping or one of the many activities I or my six sisters participated in.

0_6730f_ddb9f7d9_origIt can be triggered by something as simple as seeing a charming house like this one on the left, with its windows lit warmly from within…

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Or driving by an historic and lovely library…

pg304-6543Hill-304Or spotting a cozy home when I’m driving in the around town or in the country…

Without much effort, I can create an entire story in my mind about the people who live or work there.

Sometimes even a bend in the road makes a scene blossom, shifting my thoughts to a more personal connection. At those times, I often feel a sense of longing or nostalgia and a vision of what my own life might be like in the imagined setting.

Almost like an alternative reality daydream.

This happened to me a couple weeks ago, on my drive to work. I saw a road curving off to the left , the leaves of the trees on either side brilliant and lit with the morning sun, and the farmer’s fields all around warm in the glow.

It’s a road I’ve seen many times before, but the angle when I looked at it, or perhaps the way the sun dappled the leaves, set off the imaginative machine inside me.  I didn’t stop to snap a photo that day, because (as is usual) I had no extra time to spare in getting to work.

imageBut I stopped to take this picture on the left a day later.

The atmosphere had changed…it was misty that morning, and far less golden as the sun slowly rose, but it inspired me nonetheless.

I could suddenly picture a cozy home499b724fb9ca8231ab5f5765ef4366e1 (like this one on the right, perhaps)  just out of sight down the road and imagine living in it – only not the real me, but a fictional me, from the alternate reality, where I live out in the country, like when I was young. In this world, I am a homebody, gardening, baking, and wandering around outdoors, rather than going to work every day and busy with a multitude of tasks, chores, and responsibilities I have to accomplish.

It’s a pleasant fiction, and it makes my heart pang for a second.

Okay…so I’m ready to hear from you – am I odd to have imaginings like this, or can any of you relate (whether or not you’re a writer)? Please let me know in the comments. I promise I can handle it if you think I’m just odd, LOL. 🙂

Happy Friday – and Happy Night Before Halloween!

Goodreads Profiles

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goodreads-logoSo, I just posted a BLOG on my original “Historical Author” profile page on Goodreads, telling everyone about my new “Contemporary Author” profile page. I had to create it because Goodreads doesn’t allow authors to link different pen names under one profile at this point – and my contemporary name is different enough, even though it uses the same basics as my historical name.

So, if you’re interested in or part of Goodreads, please check it out through the link on the word BLOG above…and make sure you connect with me on BOTH profiles! 🙂

An Unexpected Sale

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PSA:

So, the e-book versions of Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven was set at a special sale price of $2.99 for the last three weeks of May, in honor of its appearance at Book Expo America 2015 in NYC.

It’s back up to its usual $4.49 price now – BUT, for reasons unknown, amazon is once again listing it for $2.99 for kindle (and showing that it’s a sale from its usual “Digital List Price” of $4.49)!

So if you want to catch the deal for kindle (whether you have a kindle itself, an app on your phone, or on your desktop), go now. I have no idea how long it will last. 🙂 Click on the cover to be taken to the amazon page and its sale price.

MooseTracks_Cover

A Few New Posters – Please Vote!

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So – here are a few posters that have been made for Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven. I’m asking that you vote in the comments for which you like best; please explain why. I’ll be having more posters done, and I want to incorporate your suggestions and ideas!

That said, if you’ve read Moose Tracks and want to suggest a quote to be made into a poster, please do so as well in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts. The quote chosen has to be fairly short, obviously, but it can be several sentences long. 🙂

Okay, here are the latest three posters:

CFoHWhKUgAE-G8b    1.

Forest poster 1    2.

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 That’s it for now – tell me what you think, please! 🙂

Foreword Review!

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Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven

Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann
April 29, 2015

A woman discovers her rich relationships in this exquisite exploration into themes of time and connections, love and loss.

Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven tells the story of protagonist Elena Elizabeth Wright Maguire, who reexamines her life and relationships after she is involved in a minor car accident.

M. Reed McCall skillfully transitions between different periods with segues that invite further exploration into memories triggered by a comment made in the present. For example, when Pa says he can hardly wait to put Christmas decorations around the house, the narrative flashes back thirty-two years to the Christmas Eve when Elena was almost seven years old. This movement in the narrative not only serves to keep the story flowing but also creates an intriguing and natural flow in the stream of connections that Elena makes as she unravels the journey she has made in her life.

McCall captures the unique voices of different personalities and their relationships with one another with evocative and heartfelt precision. This creates a vivid image, not only about Elena, but also about the people around her and the place she lives. This is clear in Pa’s letters to Elena, which offer wisdom, and in radio disc jockey Willard T. Bogg’s announcements on WGRR FM 103.9 about the events in Moose Junction. Elena’s transformation to a mature woman is contrasted with her past idealistic and youthful eighteen-year-old voice in a diary entry about her love, Jesse: “I can’t wait to give Jesse the card and giant Hershey’s chocolate bar I bought for him. I’m SO in love!!!”

While the narrative itself is deeply moving, the black-and-white photographs scattered throughout further contribute to the story’s heartrending quality by lending a unique sense of reality to the story and giving it the feel of a personal history unfolding, adding to the book’s allure and effectiveness.

Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven forges a path straight to the heart.

**For a limited time, Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven is still on sale for $2.99 for Kindle and Nook!