November 5, 2025
In my last blog I warned readers not to be scammed. Over the last two months I’ve received emails from “publishers” and marketing specialist offering to help me sell more books. To be honest, I love reading their emails. They love my books. For example, this is the opening paragraph from the As the […]
October 15, 2025
Several blogs have been written and warnings sent out regarding scams. I’ve received one. Here’s the opening paragraph: Congratulations on publishing As the Crow Flies! P.J. Benson’s adventures, from unexpected dangers to the humor of her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, make for a captivating and entertaining read. I love how you balance suspense, mystery, and character-driven […]
June 25, 2025
Years ago I started publishing my eBooks on Smashwords and Draft2Digital. D2D distributes to dozens of on-line sites and libraries. I don’t make a lot of money from these books, but every so often I have a nice surprise when royalty payments appear in my bank account. As of now I have ten (10) of […]
June 30, 2021
Thank you everyone who entered THE CROW AND ME contest on my Facebook Author’s Page. Each person who posted an image or wrote something about crows was entered in https://www.random.org/ which then randomly selected the winner. And, the winner is: Pamela Thibodeaux Congratulations, Pamela. You will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card. I hope everyone enjoyed […]
June 2, 2021
It’s here, the month of June, and I’m celebrating my birthday and my “Crow” books. From today until June 30th, the ebook version of THE CROWS will be available for 99c. (Don’t forget, even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can put the Kindle app on your iPhone, iPad, or computer.) Later in the […]
May 26, 2021
It’s the end of May, the town where I live is gearing up for a summer of boating, swimming, and (hopefully) festivals. (However, there will be no Forth of July Fireworks again this year.) I’m seeing more faces (without masks) and once again getting into restaurants involves a wait of a half hour or more. […]
February 17, 2021
There are aspects I really like about self-publishing a book: control over content, cover, and blurb. I also like receiving a higher royalty and the ability to tract sales, or at least receive more up-to-date accounting of sales. There are also aspects of being my own publisher that I don’t like or find extremely difficult. […]
October 21, 2020
Tomorrow, October 22nd, A KILLER PAST will be available as an e-book. No, this isn’t a new book, but for over two years Mary Harrington’s story in e-book fashion has been missing, and its disappearance is a good example of how little control most authors have over their books. Originally, A KILLER PASTwas published in […]
June 3, 2020
The coronavirus has made many changes in our lives. Writers are facing new challenges in ways to promote their books. Bookstores have been closed (some are reopening, but author talks and signings have been cancelled); physical author tours have been cancelled; conferences have been cancelled; libraries are still closed, which means talks at libraries have […]
September 24, 2019
With so many books being published nowadays, how do you promote your books (or yourself)? That is the question Hometown Authors asked me. For my answer, check out today’s blog on their site: https://hometownauthors.com/book-marketing-tips/get-noticed/ No laughing at what my husband did, OK?
October 17, 2018
I think most writers would love it if signing a publishing contract meant the publisher’s marketing department would get the reviews, promote the book through advertising, set up interviews (TV, radio, and print), and arrange a book tour (at least a blog tour). And some writers do get all or some of that, especially those […]
May 9, 2018
While at Sleuthfest last February, I sat in on a session given by Joanna Sinchuk, manager of the Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore in Pineapple Grove Delray Beach, Florida. I thought about her talk recently when CBS ran a feature on April 23rd about Independent Bookstores. When the big box book stores came on […]
May 2, 2018
Are blogs passé? I’ve heard blogging is no longer considered an effective use of social media. I don’t know what has replaced blogging, but I have noticed a drop in hits on my blogs. But maybe that’s because I’m running out of new things to say. I’ve focused on writing topics, but I’ve been doing […]
November 1, 2017
Recently a writer friend said her website was blah and asked if my daughter could help her, so this coming Saturday my daughter and I will make a “house” call to see what exactly is needed to give the writer’s website some sparkle. Meanwhile, I thought I’d check what others say a website needs in […]
October 4, 2017
Recently I attended an “Authors’ Day” event that was held on a Saturday at the Tamarack District Library, 105 miles from my home. I left my house at 7:00 a.m. and returned home around 4:00 p.m. There were 19 authors spread throughout the library. My table was located in an ideal spot, almost directly in […]
September 6, 2017
I’m always trying something different, sometimes because of outside changes (lose a publisher or hear about a new publishing opportunity), and sometimes for variety (write sexy romances, sweet romances, romantic suspense, straight suspense and thriller). Back in the mid ‘90s, my Silhouette editor told me about a new line that was being created. The idea […]
March 22, 2017
MARCH 22, 2017 Today is a special day for me. It’s release day for ECHOES OF TERROR my thriller set in Skagway, Alaska. I’m sure Sergeant Kenneth Cox (who spent over an hour with me in 2007 explaining what the Skagway police department would do if a teenage girl was reported missing) long ago gave […]
October 12, 2016
Back in 1997 Silhouette published Heiress Seeking Perfect Husband under their Yours Truly line. I loved the story. It’s a “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming” type of story and is probably the most humorous one I’ve ever written. When the publisher dropped that line, my agent was […]
January 6, 2016
When I hear someone talking about giving a pitch, I think they mean they’re going to pitch a story to an agent or editor. However, last Saturday I attended a meeting for a start-up Sisters-in-Crime chapter where the program was to be “Pitches,” and discovered what we’d be doing is “Pitching” our books to the […]
December 16, 2015
Last week I received my Authors Guild Fall 2015 Bulletin. In it one article echoed the feelings I’ve had this year. Roxana Robinson, AG President, wrote “Should Writers Be Performers?” Her point, which I feel is true, is that over the years publishing houses, large and small, in order to help their bottom line, have […]