Hi there,

What a hectic month, am I right? I've been running around so much I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I guess the heat isn't helping, either. My wife and I have been in the pool pretty much every single day of October.

We had a staff meeting at my day job earlier this month, and one of the things that was discussed was how the Christmas party would work this year, in light of the pandemic and lockdowns intensifying around the world (I work for an international company, so each country's staff are under different rules right now). 

That was quite scary; I can't believe we're talking about Christmas already. Have you made plans yet?

It's also the time of year when lots of people are talking about Halloween. Growing up in South Africa in the 80s and 90s, it wasn't really a thing. We barely even knew it existed, and I certainly never dressed up, carved a pumpkin, or went trick-or-treating.

Over the past decade or so, it's become more popular here, but still, I've never felt the urge. I read up on the history and spiritual/religious significance of it, and it doesn't really appeal. I wouldn't actively eschew it, but many of my Christian friends have written essays about why it's not a good idea for us to celebrate Halloween, and when you think about it, they're probably right. Spiritual things are not to be trifled with....

Having said that, I will be running our monthly Dungeons and Dragons session on Saturday and (don't tell any of my players), I have a bit of a "Halloween Special" planned for them, featuring zombies raised with the Animate Dead spell and used to take revenge on a particularly nasty bully.

If you've read my short children's horror story, Billy's Zombie, that might sound familiar. 🙂

Don't Forget: Enter to Win $5!

My monthly competition to win a $5 ebook voucher is still running, and for the second month in a row, we've had no entries. That makes your chances really good!

To enter, join our Facebook group if you haven't already, then post a review for any of my books on Goodreads, and post a link to your review in the group.

For more info about how that works, click the button to visit the group. If you're not a member yet, you'll need to wait for me to approve you, and then you can read the Announcement at the top for all the Ts and Cs.

Click the buttons below to connect with Raashida online

His is a life of duty and tradition, hers is the pursuit of pleasure...

When wild child and dedicated Flapper Gabrielle discovers the adventurous spirit within staid aristocrat Sebastian, she seduces him into a last fling before he settles for a loveless marriage.

But as the Twenties roar to their conclusion, is their brief affair doomed before it even begins?

Finances: September 2020

Another small loss in September. I just can't seem to hit that elusive month of profit this year. Maybe lockdowns have something to do with it.

I sold another eight (eight!) paperback copies of A Petition to Magic last month. So my paperbacks are still gaining in popularity, even though I actually put very little effort into marketing them.

Unfortunately, because of the overheads involved in printing them, they net me far less in royalties than my ebooks do. Still, I continue to be amazed and grateful, so if you bought one, thank you!

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

• Income:  R  71.82
• Expense: R 103.59
• Loss:    R  31.27

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

I've gotten through three books so far this month. But there's still a week to go, so I feel like I might finish finish a fourth by the end of Saturday.

Whether I finish it before the end of October, or only in November, it'll have to wait for next month's newsletter to be featured. 😉

Click a cover to read my review, and find out where you can buy each book.

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