March 17th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Top o’ the morning to ya! Doubt you’d find any self-respecting  Irishman worth his salt who would ever say such a thing, but it’s St. Patty’s Day, so…

I want to start this blog off by wishing my wonderful Mother-In-Law a very happy 29th (hee hee) Birthday! Unlike your stereotypical mothers-in-law, I happen to have a wonderful one, and I wish her much joy and good health on this very special day.

After multiple uploading attempts, much grumbling, and a few choice words not fit for delicate ears, I was able to finalize the hard copy of Corporate Blues. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I will receive the email saying everything has been loaded into the print system and I am able to get my sample copy. If, when the copy arrives, there are no updates that need to be done, I can place my final order for a case of paperbacks, and they should arrive in plenty of time for PPL Author’s Day. If changes need to be made, then I’ll be sweating it again, because I am quickly running out of time.

Today is going to be spent on initial marketing for Corporate Blues; linking the book on Amazon to my author’s page, setting up a promo through KDP, etc. I was quite surprised, when I logged on to my Amazon account yesterday, to find one copy of Corporate Blues had already been sold. It had only been live for a few hours! So, whoever you were, thank you, and know you have received the very first copy of this new book.

Speaking of marketing, I thought the new give-away raffle I’m running would have caused some buzz, but so far, there haven’t been any entries. Am I doing something wrong? I have never offered one of these before, so I really don’t know. There are a bunch of prizes, and all folks have to do to enter is like my Facebook page, and make a comment on my blog. They don’t even have to take up a challenge, just leave a quick comment. There are a few other things they can do to earn entries, but they are not required.

I don’t get it. I thought I made it easy enough for everyone to enter. Who knows, maybe the only folks who want to read my books already have their copies, so they don’t need to enter a raffle.

If any of you out there have done one of these raffles and can give me a little insight as to what I should expect, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, feel free to tell your friends about the raffle. I’d love to be able to get my books into the hands of folks who have never heard of me.

So, I’m off to do one of my least favorite aspects of being an author. However, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I would like to leave you with an Irish blessing.

May there always be work for your hands to do
May your purse always hold a coin or two; 
May the sun always shine on your windowpane; 
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; 
May the hand of a friend always be near you; 
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

I hope y’all have a magical day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

Write a story containing the following: A House Plant, A Rug, Glass

Cameron tossed his keys on the table, shrugged out of his overcoat, and hung it on the rack by the front door. He had not bothered with the light. He didn’t need it. He knew where he was headed, straight to bed with no detours. He had been up for nearly forty hours straight, and he was bone tired.

He was making his way to the back of the apartment when unmistakable sound of broken glass beneath his boot made him stop abruptly. He lived alone, he had no pets, so it could only mean one thing. Someone had broken into his apartment. Questions were, when, and are they still here?

He drew his sidearm, and pressed his back against the wall. Slowly he crept along the perimeter of the room, cautiously making his way to the bedroom. As he inched his way, he kicked something with his toe. His eyes, now adjusted to the dimly moonlit room, were able to discern the outline of his one and only sad little house plant lying broken and abused on the rug. He rolled his eyes, anticipating his mother’s ire at him killing another plant.

Your Next Challenge is:

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.