Why? Bee-cause nothing stirs up interest in a new book better than a good buzz. (Yes, I know it's a bad pun, but cut me some slack. Life has been hectic lately. I usually have this newsletter in the outbox by the 10th of the month, and it's already 6 pm of the 14th. That leaves me 13 hours to get it finished.)

But I digress. 

I shall be plugging The Bridge of Whispers every chance I get (people have already started crossing the street when they see me coming), but there is much you can do to help get the word out too.

1. Networking: we used to call it gossiping. You tell someone and they tell someone and so on and so on. But now gossiping is more "out there" and more techy. Now it's called social media and it includes all kinds of images and videos and fancy fonts. So if you aren't already doing so, please follow me on Facebook and Instagram and chime in on my posts. It's also helpful is you share my posts with your network. If people who see your share also share it, the network grows exponentially. That's a lot of buzzing.

2. Sign Up for the Newsletter: Obviously I'm preaching to the choir here, but sharing the newsletter with family and friends, your child's teacher, the local librarian, and your network on social media can have great results. Anyone can subscribe. And unsubscribe (though I can't think why you would want to.) Tell folks they need only contact me with their email address.

3. Visit My Website: I update my site on a regular basis and there are two full pages devoted to The Seer Trilogy. You can also find out about events, news, my art, and you can read my blog. I'm always looking for feedback, so please feel free to contact me with suggestions, questions, and comments.

4. Goodreads: If you add my book to your TBR list on Goodreads, that too creates a buzz. If people see that a book is garnering a lot of interest, they're going to be interested too.

5. Preorder the Book: Even if you know your bookstore will be getting an ample supply, reserve your copy early. Reserve several copies. Books make great gifts for birthdays, Christmas, and as thank yous to teachers.

6. Tell the Librarians: Whether it's your public library or your child's school library, let the librarians know about the book and ask them to get it in. (Don't forget to mention The Druid and the Dragon too, since it is the first book of the trilogy. 

7. Pushy Promotion: As friends and family of an author, it is your honour-bound duty to turn the book faceout on bookstore and library shelves. (Imagine the Mission Impossible music while you're doing it and try not to get caught.)

8. Reviews and Ratings: If you've read and enjoyed the book, please say so. Tell me, mention it on social media, write a review on Goodreads, Amazon, your library website, etc. Every little bit helps.

Thank you all for the support you have shown me so far on this journey.  I am very grateful.

• Computer algorithms have determined that successful novels contain lots of conjunctions (ands/buts, etc.), have a noticeably higher number of nouns and adjectives, and when describing a character's thoughts, they use advanced verbs such as 'recognized' instead of simpler verbs like 'took'. (Now you tell me!)

• Children's books regularly account for over 30% of annual book sales in the U.K. (We're talking 1/3 of nearly $1 Billion for 2020!)

• Books written by celebrities and published by well-respected publishing houses are likely to have great sales. (Who knew?)

• The Twilight Saga and the 50 Shades of Gray series are thought by many to be literary abominations, but their sales are through the roof, proving it's not about quality but marketing. (Why don't I have that gene?)

• Genre has a lot to do with a book's popularity. Murder/crime thrillers are regularly on the best-selling lists.

The Bridge of Whispers -- 

(a wee nibble from Chapter 1 to whet your appetite)

      Everyone in the Ruin was sleeping—everyone but Maeve. She lay still and listened to Enda’s even breathing beside her and the fitful snores of Nora across the room. A hint of daylight pushed through the gaps of the shutters. It was time.

      Maeve slid out from under the coverlet. Her toes curled away from the cold stone floor, and she had to will herself to place her foot down. For a moment she considered diving back into her warm bed. She reached for her mantle and wrapped it around herself. Then she tiptoed to the door, tugged on her boots and dragged the door open enough to slip through.

      She felt like a thief. But she was only stealing a few moments alone with the morning. Nothing more.

      Outside she lifted her face to the sky and inhaled. Brisk winter air filled her lungs, and her body tingled with the freshness of it. Maeve watched each expelled breath billow forth in a small cloud, as if she were a dragon blowing smoke. She hugged her mantle tighter and started across the lea. The grass was brittle with frost and crunched beneath her boots.

      Glancing behind her, she saw the stone walls of the Ruin in silhouette against the awakening sky—tall and angular here, rounded there, ragged and crumbling everywhere. No one knew who had built it. It had been abandoned long ago and reclaimed by nature. It was a maze of grassy trenches and stacked stones—all covered with ivy. Its pathways criss-crossed to create numerous small enclosed spaces. The Druids had adopted it as their own, adding doors and shutters and roofing the sleeping quarters. The result was exactly right.

      Maeve still couldn’t believe her good fortune. Mere months ago she’d been a blacksmith’s daughter. Her parents and sister had thought her strange and useless. The village folk said she was simple. And then last summer a wise old Druid had told her she possessed the gift of sight and offered to take her on as his apprentice.

      That had changed everything. She was still a blacksmith’s daughter, but now she lived among the Druids and her life was as different as it could be. She’d been called upon to interpret the dreams of the Great King, and she had exposed a plot to take control of the kingdom. She was no longer the useless simple girl she’d once been.

• Two chapters -- three tops -- left to write in The Sorcerer's Revenge and they're the exciting ones, so the fun begins. Truthfully, I wasn't sure I was ever going to get here. Though I knew how I wanted things to end, there were gaps I couldn't figure out. Not even showering until the water ran cold was giving me the answers. But the clock was ticking and I could no longer wait for inspiration to strike. So I began writing again, hoping things would miraculously fall into place. And they have. I don't know if it's thanks to the Writing Gods, to my characters, or to just having solid bones to build on. 

• I'm about to start drawing the 15-minute sketches of the characters introduced in The Bridge of Whispers. I'll start posting them on Facebook and Instagram about a week before the book's release.

• I haven't figured out a book launch yet, but I shall get to it soon.