Hi there,

How was your month of June? Did you realise that, as of last Thursday, there were exactly six months to go to Christmas?

Is that as scary to you as it is to me? Where's the year gone? Swallowed up by COVID-19; can you even remember a time before lockdown?

Seriously, I don't know about you, but this month has just flown by for me. It seems like only yesterday I was rushing to get my May newsletter out. In fact, the month went so fast that I only managed two books. And one of them was a short story.

I heard last week that there was a heatwave in the UK. Something like 32 degrees at 17:00 on Thursday afternoon. That's cute, but here in South Africa, it's been cold. So cold that my wife and I did the unthinkable: we bought an electric blanket.

I haven't used an electric blanket in about 20 years. My wife never has, so she was particularly apprehensive about getting one and trying it out, but this winter's been so cold in Johannesburg that she acquiesced and let us buy one.

All I can say is it's a-maze-ing. I honestly don't know how I lived so long without one. 

If you're in South Africa and you're interested, here's the one we bought, from Loot.

Wow, that was a bit all over the place, wasn't it? OK, enough of my ramblings. Let's get on with the news....

A crime so heinous it defies belief. A cover-up involving the police to protect the guilty. A victim who will stop at nothing to get revenge.

Dr Abigail Munro returns to investigate murders committed by a ruthless serial killer that seems to vex even the best of detectives. The victims have nothing in common. And yet this looks like the work of a sexual sadist determined to deliver a message in blood.

Detective Ray Spitz and his partner Alex Jankowski find themselves on the frontlines of another serial killer, unlike anything they have seen before. It will test their abilities as investigators and test their resolve as humans. The question is, will this be enough.

Massive Ebook Sale on the Way!

Each year in July, ebook retailer Smashwords holds their biggest sale of the the year: the annual July Summer/Winter Sale.

The event celebrates the fact that it's the middle of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the middle of winter (and bitterly cold) here in the Southern.

People go absolutely crazy for the sale each year, with thousands of participating books ranging from 25% to 100% off.

This year, the sale starts tomorrow (1 July). So keep this email in your Inbox, come back to it tomorrow, then click the button below to see all the deals. 

If you're lucky, you might even spot Memoirs of a Guardian Angel, Stingers, or A Petition to Magic on sale! ;-)

Finances: May 2020

Another loss in May. A bit bigger than the loss in April, but it still wasn't too bad. I sold a copy of Stingers on Google Play Books, and earned a bit of affiliate income from both MailerLite, and people clicking on ads on my website. 

Here are the final figures, converted to South African Rands at the time of this writing:

• Income:  R  62.19
• Expense: R 114.88
• Loss:    R  52.69

Want to Help?

If you'd like to help support me and my business, there are plenty of ways.

First, buy and read my books. It sounds obvious, but so many people open this email religiously every month, click on my links, even reply to tell me how happy or proud they are of me... and haven't read any of my books.

Second, if you've read one of my books and enjoyed it, tell a friend. Although authors like me put a lot of effort, and spend a lot of money, on marketing, the very best marketing remains word of mouth. Nobody's going to know about us unless people tell them.

And if you're really passionate about the book, don't stop at just telling your friend about it. Why not buy it for them as a gift? Plenty of ebook stores allow gifting, and if they don't, you'll surely be able to buy them a voucher or gift card, and gently suggest that they use it to buy my book.

Third, write a review. Reviews are word-of-mouth marketing meant to reach people you've never met. It takes very little time to pop onto Goodreads and rate and review one of my books. In fact, my personal philosophy is, "If there's no review, it never happened!"

Finally, if you're really dedicated and want to make a living out of it, have you considered becoming an affiliate marketer? Most stores have this option: sign up for their affiliate programs, then advertise their products (which hopefully includes my books), and earn commission when people buy them. It's a lot of fun, and many people make respectable livings on affiliate marketing alone.

Month in Books

Another two books down this month. 

Have you read either of these, and if so, do you agree with my reviews?

As always, you can click on one of those covers to read my full review and find out where you can get yourself a copy of the book.

That's it for me, everyone. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay sane. And remember....

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Affiliate Marketing Notice

Many of the links shared in this newsletter are affiliate links. If you click on any of those links, and make a purchase from the site in question, I stand to earn a small commission from them.