tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50193405521313252592024-03-06T00:36:21.126-05:00My Dog Ate My Manuscript... and other excuses that keep me from writing.N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-45139647440978430882017-03-13T15:36:00.003-04:002017-03-13T15:36:57.576-04:00I've moved!If you stumbled on this blog, it's an old one. Please visit my new and improved web site (complete with blog posts) at <a href="http://www.ngeminisasson.com/">www.ngeminisasson.com</a> !<br />
<br />
Thanks. See you around.<br />
<br />
All my best,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-84362189843635701002016-01-16T14:18:00.000-05:002016-01-16T14:18:24.990-05:00Goodreads Giveaway: Lies and Letters<div id="goodreadsGiveawayWidget169688">
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
</h2>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28487619"><img alt="Lies and Letters by N. Gemini Sasson" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1452688846l/28487619.jpg" title="Lies and Letters by N. Gemini Sasson" width="100" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28487619">Lies and Letters</a>
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<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4079332.N_Gemini_Sasson" style="text-decoration: none;">N. Gemini Sasson</a>
</h4>
<div class="giveaway_details">
Giveaway ends February 01, 2016.
<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/169688" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
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<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/169688">Enter Giveaway</a>
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Want to win an autographed paperback of <em>Lies and Letters, A Sam McNamee Mystery</em>? Just click above to enter!<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-18080065006202000832016-01-05T22:17:00.004-05:002016-01-05T22:21:52.629-05:00Lies and Letters in paperback and Uneasy Lies the Crown on sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hi All,</div>
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Quick news before I rush off to tackle my never-ending to-do list. (A word of advice: Never remodel a kitchen and try to train for a marathon while writing a novel. The number of hours in a day are finite.) </div>
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<em>Lies and Letters</em> is out now. I LOVE doing this series because it allows me to create some really fun characters in a humorous way. More Sam and Bump adventures are planned for the future. </div>
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Meanwhile, I've begun the next Faderville Novel, <em>Say Something</em>. I'm not entirely sure how it's going to unfold yet, but there's a runaway teenager named Beam, an older guy making a trek across America named Buzz, and of course his Australian Shepherd, Hush, who happens to be a seizure alert dog.</div>
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Lastly, if you're a fan of my historical fiction, my story about the 15th century Welsh prince, Owain Glyndwr, is on sale on Kindle for a limited time. Info. about <em>Lies and Letters</em> and <em>Uneasy Lies the Crown</em> is below.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6psuWuDL8cC7F1AnTd9JklPFsJY1fuMrGv4QQfsXlf9FroSy5MAicnomA4AG4HzJ7Y9lVVpNMT6v0xqK7pzMStsmP7UtXXEhVGgDKOktpk13mrvxw6-HuErZtu3_A4YF3ya3BLT5pR9L/s320/Lies%2526Letters_Ebook.jpg" width="212" /><span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
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<strong><em>Lies and Letters (A Sam McNamee Mystery)</em></strong> is now available on Amazon for <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019GLJC7A" target="_blank">Kindle</a></strong> and in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Letters-Sam-McNamee-Mystery/dp/1939344115/" target="_blank"><strong>paperback</strong></a>.</div>
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There’s a drug lord corrupting the youth of sleepy Wilton, Indiana — and he’ll get rid of anyone who stands in his way, including an innocent witness. Even a drug-sniffing dog. </div>
<br />
When Sam McNamee decided to chuck her dreams of living in the Florida Keys and instead settled in rural Indiana to raise her daughter and look after her aging father, she didn’t expect to be caught up in the middle of a drug ring investigation. But someone has it out for her. Or to be more precise, her dog, Bump. And they’ll stop at nothing to run her out of town — including framing her daughter. <br />
<br />
All Sam wants is to give her relationship with veterinarian Clint Chastain a chance. But matters get complicated when Clint’s ex — sexy humanitarian Dr. Danielle Townsley — invades Sam’s territory. Clint keeps reassuring Sam that she’s the one he wants, but his actions leave room for doubt. Meanwhile, firefighter Archer Malone is the one constant in Sam’s roller coaster life. And he’s looking better all the time. <br />
<br />
Then, Bump disappears — and the one person who could help her find him is the same one she’s trying to avoid. <br />
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From now until January 8th, you can get <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Uneasy-Crown-Novel-Glyndwr-ebook/dp/B00A27A1UA" target="_blank"><strong><em>Uneasy Lies the Crown, A Novel of Owain Glyndwr</em></strong></a>, for just 99 cents on Kindle. It also comes as an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Uneasy-Lies-Crown-Novel-Glyndwr/dp/B00EOYI4HE/" target="_blank"><strong>audiobook</strong></a>!</div>
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N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-61756174074708820372015-12-19T07:30:00.000-05:002015-12-19T07:30:09.659-05:00Lies and Letters available for pre-order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8NOlm1-DXxtn72iGyJgNzst8Vn8BVv-vVmfhGstH-EGMx_XegaqL_N-cYW_2rQmoUgwCbWpVmyQwVeN3Mu_oQmrdlX5_XUqAzSNLgotca_dzEr-3qL2HUiSSR0f1lBaIdPXZSwR9VIrO/s1600/Lies%2526Letters_Ebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8NOlm1-DXxtn72iGyJgNzst8Vn8BVv-vVmfhGstH-EGMx_XegaqL_N-cYW_2rQmoUgwCbWpVmyQwVeN3Mu_oQmrdlX5_XUqAzSNLgotca_dzEr-3qL2HUiSSR0f1lBaIdPXZSwR9VIrO/s320/Lies%2526Letters_Ebook.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
The wait is over! <strong><em>Lies and Letters, A Sam McNamee Mystery (Book #2),</em></strong> is now available for pre-order on Kindle. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019GLJC7A" target="_blank">Click here to have to arrive on your Kindle on Dec. 26th</a>, just in time to decompress from the holiday rush.<br />
<br />
And here's the best part -- it's half off until Jan. 1st! Yep, that's right, only $1.99.<br />
<br />
If you missed the first book, Sam's adventures begin with <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Memories and Matchsticks</span></strong></a></em>. These books are a little bit dog story, a good dose of humor, some romance, and mystery all rolled up in one.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019GLJC7A" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><em>Lies and Letters</em></strong> on Amazon.com</span></a>:<br />
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<div class="WordSection1">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>There’s
a drug lord corrupting the youth of sleepy Wilton, Indiana — and he’ll get rid
of anyone who stands in his way, including an innocent witness. Even a
drug-sniffing dog.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><em> </em></o:p></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>When
Sam McNamee decided to chuck her dreams of living in the Florida Keys and instead
settled in rural Indiana to raise her daughter and look after her aging father,
she didn’t expect to be caught up in the middle of a drug ring investigation. But
someone has it out for her. Or to be more precise, her dog, Bump. And they’ll
stop at nothing to run her out of town — including framing her daughter.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><em> </em></o:p></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>All
Sam wants is to give her relationship with veterinarian Clint Chastain a
chance. But matters get complicated when Clint’s ex — sexy humanitarian Dr.
Danielle Townsley — invades Sam’s territory. Clint keeps reassuring Sam that
she’s the one he wants, but his actions leave room for doubt. Meanwhile,
firefighter Archer Malone is the one constant in Sam’s roller coaster life. And
he’s looking better all the time.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><em> </em></o:p></span></div>
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</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><em>Then,
Bump disappears — and the one person who could help her find him is the same
one she’s trying to avoid.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>Happy reading!<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
Gemi<br />
<br />N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-56293527031132064812015-12-17T08:30:00.000-05:002015-12-17T08:30:17.126-05:00Holiday Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7x2-NfGgptsOoFF34bDm5aBUogzK-UFGc7Pxg1SX3mqePV2z5ijhTkwfpCNHIKGyEW6Sz5auf4kMNRf1sR2i8Yitw4CM5CNLNjFGeYZhSK0r3ERvHikWWc2Y3Ek-fuhcyn0vrPyYRx8i/s1600/SayNoMore_cover_nov27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7x2-NfGgptsOoFF34bDm5aBUogzK-UFGc7Pxg1SX3mqePV2z5ijhTkwfpCNHIKGyEW6Sz5auf4kMNRf1sR2i8Yitw4CM5CNLNjFGeYZhSK0r3ERvHikWWc2Y3Ek-fuhcyn0vrPyYRx8i/s320/SayNoMore_cover_nov27.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh2RZR1M1kLmHM-YBRF5f9xf5yNjI6NyKkHprAdTsJ8ovrbP__aL1EEbPFx0_luyMoMIZghSrmC5hK4Jrw86sU_WrA7Mbo5tdNtDMkwUAMfLs0RuaY85AyWCK0iWCK5AGF89SSSeH_LIA/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUh2RZR1M1kLmHM-YBRF5f9xf5yNjI6NyKkHprAdTsJ8ovrbP__aL1EEbPFx0_luyMoMIZghSrmC5hK4Jrw86sU_WrA7Mbo5tdNtDMkwUAMfLs0RuaY85AyWCK0iWCK5AGF89SSSeH_LIA/s320/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Hey folks! Would you like copies of Say No More and Say That Again or other goodies for Christmas? Enter to win from today, Dec. 17th, through 11:59 p.m. on the 18th. Read on for more information:</div>
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Kathleen
Shoop is giving away Holiday Prize Pack #6! <o:p></o:p></div>
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A
Fabulous prize pack is coming your way! Not one novel, but TWO books from N.
Gemini Sasson’s FADERVILLE SERIES will be gifted this holiday season! The
winner will also receive $40 in STARBUCKS giftcards, HAPPY PLUGS headphones, a
sweet, but sturdy CELTIC charm by GUARDIAN BELL, and MORE!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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SAY
NO MORE and SAY THAT AGAIN by award-winning author, N. Gemini Sasson, are
simply wonderful stories. Every single character—from the big-hearted dogs, to
endearing children, to the leap-off-the-page adults—is memorable and lovable.
These are the novels that warm your heart and stick with you long after you
finish them. Enjoy STARBUCKS tea, coffee or a treat while you sink into these
compelling books. Plug in your bright, HAPPY PLUGS for a walk with your
favorite hound, and attach the good luck/protective bell to your dog’s collar
or your keychain to keep good energy circulating around you. And there’s MORE…
But that’s a surprise—you’ll have to wait to see!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://woobox.com/t29dvq"><span style="color: blue;">http://woobox.com/t29dvq</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Enter
the sweepstakes now to win for yourself or gift your prize pack to your dearest
friend! Share the contest to earn extra entries and you can enter once a day! <o:p></o:p></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-15180950979547047542015-05-30T07:58:00.000-04:002015-05-30T07:58:00.425-04:00Goodreads Giveaway - Win a Signed Copy of Say That AgainHere's another chance to win a signed copy of Say That Again on Goodreads!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
</h2>
<div style="float: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25223870"><img alt="Say That Again by N. Gemini Sasson" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427389066l/25223870.jpg" title="Say That Again by N. Gemini Sasson" width="100" /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25223870">Say That Again</a>
</h3>
<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0 0 10px; padding: 0;">
by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4079332.N_Gemini_Sasson" style="text-decoration: none;">N. Gemini Sasson</a>
</h4>
<div class="giveaway_details">
Giveaway ends June 08, 2015.
<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/139572" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
</div>
</div>
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/139572">Enter to Win</a>
</div>
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<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/139572" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
Happy reading,<br />
Gemi<br />
<br />N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-54983252537771544092015-05-26T14:00:00.000-04:002015-05-26T14:00:00.714-04:00What to Read Next - Romance - May, 2015As promised, more books for your To Be Read pile! This is a selection of Romance titles.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwrqPQ4Wad-WhTLksH-_zTosZ4YArr-Gv3Tu6Y5qDEAcOdz9yqSnPZb3s6N0mcNhqrwtSKMJyigF12cx0wniXbl67has0GjzvfrF6ZqBHviJ-Stsag1ok1sexsUyusKcN-PD28pEWQwdl/s1600/Wife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwrqPQ4Wad-WhTLksH-_zTosZ4YArr-Gv3Tu6Y5qDEAcOdz9yqSnPZb3s6N0mcNhqrwtSKMJyigF12cx0wniXbl67has0GjzvfrF6ZqBHviJ-Stsag1ok1sexsUyusKcN-PD28pEWQwdl/s320/Wife.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LYLHUNE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LYLHUNE&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=FPAEJGMVD66ZNYPU">Wife Number Seven (The Compound Series Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LYLHUNE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Melissa Brown</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Contemporary / New Adult Romance</b><br />
<br />
I know! A New Adult Romance set in a polygamist society? Yes, indeed. That's a new twist, huh? But I totally bought into it.<br />
<br />
Brinley is wed to a much older man, for whom she feels no love. Unexpectedly, she develops a connection to an outcast named Porter. Her journey is believable and it's easy to feel sympathy for the situation Brinley is stuck in and to understand her need to break free.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fGzFJ2KHaQJ2UQqPgd52VYI3S4mLkgcUEkWk00xx21Z2iPkA3mBjtjeD-4WvpE2BDJN1_lbV446ND_B5v25B4MmfSXe9ztLxVQ9t2KKYahxbB8SOTvz9-ziyDx312-pKPmA0pYpFN3BU/s1600/Sweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fGzFJ2KHaQJ2UQqPgd52VYI3S4mLkgcUEkWk00xx21Z2iPkA3mBjtjeD-4WvpE2BDJN1_lbV446ND_B5v25B4MmfSXe9ztLxVQ9t2KKYahxbB8SOTvz9-ziyDx312-pKPmA0pYpFN3BU/s320/Sweet.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LU2XVYY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LU2XVYY&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=HF5EPZLV4E3QAM2P">Love Me Sweet (A Bell Harbor Novel)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LU2XVYY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Tracy Brogan</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Contemporary Romance</b><br />
<br />
If you like Romance that's more of the sweet variety and involves women who are long part college-age, Brogan's Bell Harbor series is great. I thought Love Me Sweet was the best installment of the series so far. It's a smidge steamier than the first two, but not so much you'll be blushing if you're reading it in public. It'll also make you laugh at times.<br />
<br />
<i>"When bad weather, missing money, honky-tonk musicians, and Elvis
impersonators throw Grant and Delaney together on an unexpected road
trip, emotions get all shook up. They know only fools fall in love, but
they can’t help falling. Still, Delaney has a secret that could tear
them apart forever."</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F2tF0n5nWiSqv1F-3aKxOO3VW-0zcGRhja77jqbxHiLh20rmi1LQ-0KL12n2hJxkVqfmnATvUvzNOfTRXMIS8040jSz8s9bFzHCY8-N72Bl-lo0_OC3K9jGwmNuGScKz7eGvyvkWhcRW/s1600/Friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F2tF0n5nWiSqv1F-3aKxOO3VW-0zcGRhja77jqbxHiLh20rmi1LQ-0KL12n2hJxkVqfmnATvUvzNOfTRXMIS8040jSz8s9bFzHCY8-N72Bl-lo0_OC3K9jGwmNuGScKz7eGvyvkWhcRW/s320/Friday.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKKPACE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00JKKPACE&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=FSGAA6UQISAI7JZB">Seven Days of Friday (Women of Greece Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00JKKPACE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Alex King</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Contemporary Romance / Greece</b><br />
<br />
Looking for a sweet contemporary that will take you to new places? Here it is. King writes about Greece with powerful descriptions that will make you feel like you are there. Best part -- it's FREE!<br />
<br />
<i>"Thirty-four-year-old Vivi Tyler is living her nightmare: gay husband,
self-harming teenager, melodramatic mother. They’re picking apart her
sanity, one stitch at a time. She’s crawling along rock bottom when the
arrival of a mysterious package opens a new door to a new country. A
desperate Vivi dives headfirst into the quicksand that is Greece—her
parents’ birthplace." </i><br />
<br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xbx92AQHYmb-zXhJfusjfoubleQGh6XojLQVUHzIQOmv6wWSYmXi4wAFZCDe57vWT7DDys7nW-HkCxSHJSYZTLejwgWf-093gJEQytwfwmP_u-yXx21wzNd0OWpl0czJgriPNj-NZEGq/s1600/Price.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Xbx92AQHYmb-zXhJfusjfoubleQGh6XojLQVUHzIQOmv6wWSYmXi4wAFZCDe57vWT7DDys7nW-HkCxSHJSYZTLejwgWf-093gJEQytwfwmP_u-yXx21wzNd0OWpl0czJgriPNj-NZEGq/s320/Price.jpg" width="211" /></a></i></div>
<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H3I2OQU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00H3I2OQU&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=WMDTGMAKIBMT3ALF">At Any Price (Gaming The System Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00H3I2OQU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Brenna Aubrey</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Contemporary / New Adult Romance</b><br />
<br />
This may be my most favorite New Adult yet. As New Adult usually is, it's a steamy read, but what I really liked about this is the intelligence of the writing. This is another FREEBY, so give it a try.<br />
<br />
<i>"When Mia Strong, popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity
online, she knows she'll make waves. But what she will not be making is a
love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further
contact.<br /><br />It's a desperate step, but it's the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother's mounting hospital bills."</i><br />
<br />
Entrepreneur Adam Drake, the auction winner, has found the loopholes in the rules of the auction... <br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-75862646071778314372015-05-21T09:02:00.000-04:002015-05-21T09:02:03.199-04:00What to Read Next - May, 2015I know! It's been way too long since I've done one of these posts. Since I've stepped up my writing output, though, I've been blogging less. In an attempt to make up for being a slacker, here are some fantastic books I've discovered this year. As always, a variety of genres, to please any literary palette.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3jxYFzXJ3QDfqVxO6F55i_Xwls_VzQs46ZKgPykH7o4jBIOzt303QtjwKwbPEW96_FjWgRSu5WgT934nRfnOpC1VGhyphenhyphenmyXCoDlrZ_wxp0vi1YWj04dwQmHXoLJdo7-K7c0x2S04uvGLJ/s1600/Hello+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3jxYFzXJ3QDfqVxO6F55i_Xwls_VzQs46ZKgPykH7o4jBIOzt303QtjwKwbPEW96_FjWgRSu5WgT934nRfnOpC1VGhyphenhyphenmyXCoDlrZ_wxp0vi1YWj04dwQmHXoLJdo7-K7c0x2S04uvGLJ/s320/Hello+Love.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J8U1H3M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00J8U1H3M&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=SOPEP5I47PD6G5DN">Hello Love</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00J8U1H3M" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Karen McQuestion</b><br />
<br />
<b>General/Women's Fiction </b><br />
<br />
Looking for a heartwarming feel-good love story with a dog in it? This is it! McQuestion always delivers a story that anchors itself deep in your heart, touching upon topics that everyone can relate to. This one is about love lost and love found and how, when we open our hearts, anything is possible.<br />
<br />
Andrea becomes an accidental first-time dog owner. Dan, recently widowed, has just lost his dog. What they don't know when they first cross paths is that it is the same dog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbGSERE3UTDIZm9pP6hnNiDzcbNqX9v5y-1O8agKQym409fK3Unhr0bYLOrI0LWCc7qmCm_cKHS4yij8fqxCcTSfcxigczMiZBS7SdkCk7jMgDVrNERx7dXRWgMJNAw31SCoMwYCYNiV7/s1600/Departure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbGSERE3UTDIZm9pP6hnNiDzcbNqX9v5y-1O8agKQym409fK3Unhr0bYLOrI0LWCc7qmCm_cKHS4yij8fqxCcTSfcxigczMiZBS7SdkCk7jMgDVrNERx7dXRWgMJNAw31SCoMwYCYNiV7/s320/Departure.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QEC0LRU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00QEC0LRU&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=2V4P53VJBNJK3XCO">Departure</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00QEC0LRU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by A.G. Riddle</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>SciFi / Time Travel / Technothrillers</b><br />
<br />
If you like fast-paced SciFi, grab this one fast! It's recently been picked up by Harper Collins and the price will increase soon. AND the movie rights have been bought by 20th Century Fox.<br />
<br />
If that's not enough of a selling point, here are a few lines from the blurb:<br />
<br />
<i>"<b>Flight 305 took off in 2014...</b><br /><b>But it crashed in a world very different from our own...</b><br /><br />With time running out, five strangers must unravel why they were taken...<br />And how to get home.</i>"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXnSbYC6UCoPaz2SDY3CZdxzIydcmhpydmG0rZ5b58u5VA7TgO0DuyexZ4IQqZxl2nQ2IAvKnT_zhhf3_qwp95gvqEgL36FMwMBtX9JgQC37TKzDG60iV09AkKMehICLT_KwsXBHzrmuc/s1600/Hoofbeats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXnSbYC6UCoPaz2SDY3CZdxzIydcmhpydmG0rZ5b58u5VA7TgO0DuyexZ4IQqZxl2nQ2IAvKnT_zhhf3_qwp95gvqEgL36FMwMBtX9JgQC37TKzDG60iV09AkKMehICLT_KwsXBHzrmuc/s320/Hoofbeats.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IUA8IP6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IUA8IP6&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=SXOZOFY7HVDTML6R">The Language of Hoofbeats</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00IUA8IP6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Catherine Ryan Hyde</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Literary / Contemporary Fiction</b><br />
<br />
If you read my <i>What to Read Next</i> posts at all, you'll know I'm a Hyde fan. This is her best book yet. Alternating view points between the curmudgeonly Clementine and her new neighbor Jackie, it centers around the fallout that occurs when Star steals Clementine's horse. As always, Hyde delivers complex characters in an easy-to-read manner and brings them full circle.<br />
<br />
<i>"New to a small town, Jackie and Paula envision a quiet life for their
kids: a young adopted son and two teenage foster children, including the
troubled Star. However, they quickly butt heads with their neighbor,
Clementine, who disapproves of their lifestyle and is incensed when Star
befriends her spirited horse, Comet... When Star disappears with Comet, the
neighbors are thrown together—far too close together."</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVp3IWTdD4qZlVPqFGhidUlMWp5zKreN4-zA3gNG8dxSLJVQ_d-h49z3Rc99HjUgqZx__zdNFHZFtsUvpZHgAXRvtXLEA_R3lETuujyAL1Om1BsN0QOWpX-mE4vO9ZTCfk0u3pQSuIGT9/s1600/Rivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVp3IWTdD4qZlVPqFGhidUlMWp5zKreN4-zA3gNG8dxSLJVQ_d-h49z3Rc99HjUgqZx__zdNFHZFtsUvpZHgAXRvtXLEA_R3lETuujyAL1Om1BsN0QOWpX-mE4vO9ZTCfk0u3pQSuIGT9/s320/Rivers.jpg" width="212" /></a> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJZ3QUS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00JJZ3QUS&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=MXQ5JJL7PFBAPMTM">The Banks of Certain Rivers</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00JJZ3QUS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Jon Harrison</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Contemporary / Family Life Fiction</b><br />
<br />
As a runner and frequent visitor to Michigan, I found this book very enjoyable -- rich in description and sometimes heartrending.<br />
<br />
Neil is a teacher and cross country coach raising his teenage son alone. Years prior, his wife suffered a debilitating brain injury that now requires full-time care in a nursing facility. Neil ends up falling in love with his mother-in-law's caregiver, but struggles with letting his son know about it. Meanwhile, he breaks up a fight on school grounds, but video surfaces that makes it look like he physically assaulted one of the students.<br />
<br />
Just when you think Neil is going to survive the circumstances, something else happens to worsen his ordeal. Hang in there, though. This is definitely worth reading to its conclusion.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr7Tz8FmyRMpFaCUl0F2HJ6-ie-R_kNZr6fmJy0zv-NsewOcRFpkwPbZEgiWoh3fHOCgTy47I5wffs8rF2WdKvGYDjmn6GD4RTSnaMsChDWlbGj6dAwqJwtKhrdvhPNAB_QhUdJ0SBKCJ/s1600/Sensitive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr7Tz8FmyRMpFaCUl0F2HJ6-ie-R_kNZr6fmJy0zv-NsewOcRFpkwPbZEgiWoh3fHOCgTy47I5wffs8rF2WdKvGYDjmn6GD4RTSnaMsChDWlbGj6dAwqJwtKhrdvhPNAB_QhUdJ0SBKCJ/s320/Sensitive.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GT1YES8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GT1YES8&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=VQVQ5WZFSDLUW6ZR">The Highly Sensitive Person (Urban Books)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00GT1YES8" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Elaine Aron</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Non-Fiction / Self-Help</b><br />
<br />
This is one I'll be recommending for years. If you've ever had someone tell you you're being 'too sensitive' or know someone who is deeply emotional or creative, this self-help book will put it all in perspective. Aron explains that Highly Sensitive People aren't riddled with a fault, but actually possess a desirable trait which contributes to the empathy and ingenuity of society.<br />
<br />
<i>"Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day
as essential to you as food and water? Are you "too shy" or "too
sensitive" according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm
you? If your answers are yes, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person
(HSP)." </i><br />
<br />
Next installment -- Romance!<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
Gemi <br />
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N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-18770762144307251012015-04-08T12:11:00.000-04:002015-04-08T12:12:31.326-04:00It's Release Day for Say That Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK29mQjs9GJ7EfjPIN0F2jmfpC-tM_jeg9wIVbL1lMfhSPESRKekyOrrT0ADw2b8r02-9rMCYlvSdXFcEYTZf-TCCbO9MScY9cEp_ckJmyrFo1vuC4d809hP1tJoYVO8fTWhFYm0Aaf2y/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK29mQjs9GJ7EfjPIN0F2jmfpC-tM_jeg9wIVbL1lMfhSPESRKekyOrrT0ADw2b8r02-9rMCYlvSdXFcEYTZf-TCCbO9MScY9cEp_ckJmyrFo1vuC4d809hP1tJoYVO8fTWhFYm0Aaf2y/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><b><i>Say That Again</i></b></a>, the follow-up to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><i><b>Say No More</b></i></a>, is now available as an e-book everywhere and as a paperback on Amazon.<br />
<br />
This story is for those who want to believe we get to meet our heart-dogs more than once in a lifetime.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<i>"Echo's
life hasn't been easy so far. Mistreated by one owner after another,
he'd rather just get by on his own. Still, he longs for his forever
home. Not until he meets young Hannah McHugh does he learn to trust
again. Hannah not only understands him -- she hears him.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Before
the accident, Hannah already knew she was different from other kids.
Now, animals are speaking to her -- and no one believes her. Even her
own father, Hunter, tells her to keep it to herself.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When
Hannah and Echo disappear, rumors run wild about her new neighbor Heck.
Hunter wants to trust his gut, but time is ticking away..."</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
Here's where to find it:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>E-book:</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><b>Amazon.com (US) </b></u></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><b>Amazon.uk (UK)</b></u></span></a>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.ca (Canada)</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.com.au (Australia)</b></span></a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id979408432" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Apple</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/say-that-again-n-gemini-sasson/1121517921" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_Gemini_Sasson_Say_That_Again?id=5jOIBwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GooglePlay</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/say-that-again" target="_blank">Kobo</a> </b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Paperback:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Say-That-Again-Faderville-Novels/dp/1939344093" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.com</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-That-Again-Faderville-Novels/dp/1939344093" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.co.uk</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Happy reading,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Gemi</b></span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-32085228694481637192015-04-07T08:13:00.000-04:002015-04-07T08:15:09.478-04:00Discount for Say No More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ylt0OCfUkAq1G9-flly7hQFA-lby4g07fn658c4iHqoPOyMGpecm3BCcnpOS-eTge_lcrsBqvVfss7xK-o4elUbBjJtqlSJvZSYrp2uZIFKcwVLrdgYbu0LLtS4mLIawNUJCl56MizQZ/s1600/SayNoMore_cover_nov27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ylt0OCfUkAq1G9-flly7hQFA-lby4g07fn658c4iHqoPOyMGpecm3BCcnpOS-eTge_lcrsBqvVfss7xK-o4elUbBjJtqlSJvZSYrp2uZIFKcwVLrdgYbu0LLtS4mLIawNUJCl56MizQZ/s1600/SayNoMore_cover_nov27.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
In celebration of the release of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><i><b>Say That Again (The Faderville Novels: Book #2)</b></i></a>, its prequel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><i><b>Say No More</b></i></a>, has been discounted to 99 cents as an e-book everywhere for a limited time.<br />
<br />
<i>Say No More</i> is a story about how far a dog will go to show her loyalty and how long a dog's love will last. It has a 4.9 star rating on Amazon.com. Here's what some readers had to say about it: <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="advice-quote-left">
<ul>
<li><i>“A very good story about love and commitment all through life and beyond whether you are a dog or
<span class="advice-lastword">
people. </span></i></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="advice-quote-left">
<i><span class="advice-lastword"></span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><i><span class="advice-lastword">"</span>Everyone should read it just for the good feeling you have when you finish
<span class="advice-lastword">
it."</span></i></li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div class="advice-quote-left">
<span class="advice-lastword"> </span>"<i>A dog's love is forever.
</i></div>
<br />
When five-year old Hunter McHugh witnesses the farming accident that
takes the life of his father, Cam, he stops talking -- to everyone
except his Australian Shepherd, Halo. Unable to cope, Hunter runs away
and gets lost in the Kentucky wilderness. It's up to Halo to find him.
Just as she's about to give up, Halo gets help from an unlikely source
-- Cam's ghost.
<br />
<br />
Halo is no ordinary dog. Not only can she see ghosts, she can talk
to them, too. If only she could tell Hunter that death doesn't mean an
end to being around the ones we love, maybe she could help him find his
voice again. Unfortunately, she may never have the chance..."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*** </div>
<br />
Where to find it:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><u><b>Amazon.com (US)</b></u></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><u><b>Amazon.uk (UK)</b></u></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank">Amazon.ca (Canada)</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><b>Amazon.com.au (Australia)</b></a></span><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id944852028" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Apple</b></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/say-no-more-n-gemini-sasson/1120817997?ean=2940046285079&itm=1&usri=2940046285079" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_Gemini_Sasson_Say_No_More?id=4Xq7BQAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GooglePlay </a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/say-no-more" target="_blank">Kobo </a></b></span><br />
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/247970364/Say-No-More-A-Faderville-Novel-1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Scribd</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy reading,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gemi </span><b><br /></b></span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-74505769514128527972015-03-31T14:00:00.000-04:002015-04-01T14:12:11.475-04:00Pre-order Your E-book of Say That Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGUY9cDyAM6F9Yndh6BNYH0VPz4duFvv6bSpCq2naFj4tVK0skuvdlZwHxZ8ZMzQWlwoC09VmM2HV14dx1Q-RqRXVHjW7R3FMJShNO2ASI5HxjPsdo1_DmPUreEQuXuNRmNrgTI5IcPsj/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGUY9cDyAM6F9Yndh6BNYH0VPz4duFvv6bSpCq2naFj4tVK0skuvdlZwHxZ8ZMzQWlwoC09VmM2HV14dx1Q-RqRXVHjW7R3FMJShNO2ASI5HxjPsdo1_DmPUreEQuXuNRmNrgTI5IcPsj/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"<i><b>A little girl's love. A dog's courage.</b></i></div>
<br />
<i>Echo's life hasn't been
easy so far. Mistreated by one owner after another, he'd rather just
learn to get by on his own. Still, he longs for his 'forever home'. Not
until he meets young Hannah McHugh does he learn to trust again. Hannah
not only understands him ― she hears him.<br /><br />Before the accident,
Hannah already knew she was different from other kids. Now, animals are
speaking to her ― and no one believes her. Even her father, Hunter,
tells her to keep it to herself.<br /><br />When Hannah and Echo disappear,
rumors run wild about her new neighbor, Heck. Hunter wants to trust his
gut, but time is ticking away.</i>"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[<a href="http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2015/03/say-that-again-chapter-1.html" target="_blank">To read Chapter 1, click here</a>.] </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You can now pre-order your e-book copy of <i><b>Say That Again (A Faderville Novel)</b></i>. It will appear on your Kindle on April 7th or if you own another e-reader and don't use a Kindle app, like Nook or Kobo, it will appear on your device on April 8th. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Order here:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>E-book:</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><b> </b></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank">Amazon.com (US)</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank">Amazon.uk (UK)</a></b></u></span>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.ca (Canada)</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.com.au (Australia)</b></span></a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id979408432" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Apple</b></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/say-that-again-n-gemini-sasson/1121517921" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_Gemini_Sasson_Say_That_Again?id=5jOIBwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GooglePlay</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/say-that-again" target="_blank">Kobo</a> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Happy reading,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Gemi</div>
<br />N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-37508423530328089002015-03-30T08:05:00.000-04:002015-03-30T08:05:36.444-04:00Goodreads Giveaway for Say That Again<div id="goodreadsGiveawayWidget132560">
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
</h2>
<div style="float: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25223870"><img alt="Say That Again by N. Gemini Sasson" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427389066l/25223870.jpg" title="Say That Again by N. Gemini Sasson" width="100" /></a>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0 0 0 110px !important; padding: 0 0 0 0 !important;">
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25223870">Say That Again</a>
</h3>
<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0 0 10px; padding: 0;">
by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4079332.N_Gemini_Sasson" style="text-decoration: none;">N. Gemini Sasson</a>
</h4>
<div class="giveaway_details">
Giveaway ends April 12, 2015.
<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/132560" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
</div>
</div>
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/132560">Enter to win</a> </div>
</div>
<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/132560" type="text/javascript"></script> To win a signed paperback copy of <i><b>Say That Again (The Faderville Novels: Book #2)</b></i>, just click on the link above. You must be a member of Goodreads to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight on April 11th.<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
Gemi N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-58848489535445646782015-03-29T13:29:00.000-04:002015-03-29T13:29:00.053-04:00Say That Again - Chapter 1<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Say That Again (The Faderville Novels: Book #2)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
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<div class="ChapterTitle" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>chapter 1: Hannah</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Hannah
McHugh placed one small foot in front of the other without knowing exactly
where it was that she was going. Her purple sneakers left barely visible
imprints in the damp clay of the path as the airy trilling of the bluebird
beckoned her onward. To Hannah, the notes were like a song sung only for her. It
filled her with happiness. Lifted her heart, all the way up to heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Every now and then, she saw a flash of
bright blue feathers, flittering against a glass-blue sky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Laughing, she followed the bird. Down a
steep slope littered with loose slabs of stone. Up a long incline through a
towering stand of trees. Along a narrowing trail that wound between boulders
bigger than her sister’s school bus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The bird danced from limb to limb.
Higher, faster. Happy, singing. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Follow
me</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">,
it said. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This way. Over here. Hurry!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Her steps quickened. Her breaths came in
puffs, her heart pattering against her sternum as she lifted her knees and
pumped her tiny arms to keep up. Her stuffed giraffe, Faustine, swung in her
grip, its yarn tail tattered and one beaded eye missing. Part of the stuffing
in Faustine’s neck had long since been compressed into her slender body, and so
her head flopped helplessly at the end of her too long neck whenever Hannah carried
her about, or leaned precariously to the right when Hannah set her on all
fours, as if the little giraffe had a question she was always waiting to ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Just as Hannah topped a hill, the bird
dove into a tangle of branches in the valley below, its song muted. Hannah
stopped, peered intently at the place where it had disappeared, saw nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Patiently, she stood at attention, eyes
and ears keened. But there was no more sign of the bird. Nothing but silence.
Deep, empty silence all around. Not even a breeze to rustle the last of
autumn’s papery leaves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Then it occurred to her that she had no
idea where her family was. Or how far she had come. Or from where.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Panic constricted her ribs. She’d get in
trouble for wandering off from their cabin. Her daddy would frown at her and
cross his arms. Her mommy would shake a finger in her face and speak to her
sternly. She wouldn’t be allowed to watch her princess movies or go to Gramma’s.
Maybe for a whole week. It would be boring sitting in her room alone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A tear squeezed from the corner of
Hannah’s eye, tracing a trail of regret as it slid down her cold-kissed cheek.
She shouldn’t have wandered away from the cabin before everyone else had woken
up. They would be worried to find her gone. Frantic. And mad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But she had only wanted to see what was
beyond the little clearing. To search for one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">them</i>. Her older sister, Maura, had told her there were fairies in
the woods and that they took naps beneath mushroom caps and bathed on leaves
dappled with morning dew and made their homes in the hollowed trunks of giant
oak trees. From a distance, Maura told her, they looked exactly like little
white butterflies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet she hadn’t seen any fairies. Or
butterflies, even. Just the bluebird. And trees. Lots and lots of trees.
Millions, maybe gazillions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">She had to get back. But to where? And
how?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As she turned in a circle, searching for
a familiar sight, fear crept up her spine. She clutched Faustine to her chest
and held her tight. This place looked different, not at all like the forest
clearing where their cabin was. They had come to the state park for Hannah’s
fifth birthday. She hadn’t wanted a party with lots of other noisy children. Or
a pile of presents. Or a fancy restaurant dinner, where waiters wearing
sombreros would sing and clap for her, drawing everyone’s attention. Those
things were all too much, too noisy. She had only wanted this: a weekend with
her family, just the four of them, in the faraway woods of southeastern
Kentucky, where she could watch the birds and look for wild animals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What she’d really wanted, though, was a
dog of her own. But they had told her she was too young for that and would have
to wait, probably until she was Maura’s age. And so she’d settled for a camping
trip. Now that they were here, she wasn’t sure why she’d wanted to come in the
first place. It had sounded like fun, but there really wasn’t much to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Christmas was only a week away and
although it was still cool, the weather promised to be good. So Daddy had
thrown their suitcases in the truck he used for his veterinary business and put
Maura and Mommy in charge of packing the food. Hannah had only been responsible
for her own things. But when she went outside this morning, she’d forgotten to
grab her coat off the peg by the door and now she was shivering so hard that her
teeth clacked. It hadn’t felt that cold when she first stepped outside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Far off, a sparkle caught her eye. She
looked down below and noticed, amid a drifting sea of fog, a shimmering silver
ribbon. A big creek. What her daddy called a river. Beyond it, the ground rose
up again to more hills, bigger hills, taller and broader than those behind her.
Hills embraced by wispy clouds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Hannah started downward, toward the
water. She was thirsty. And hungry. She hadn’t had breakfast yet, and although
she doubted she would find food anywhere near here, she could at least get a
drink of water before she tried to find her parents and Maura.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">She raced downhill, her short legs
wearying not halfway down. She stumbled, falling to her knees. Undeterred, she
stood, brushed the dirt from her leggings, and continued on. The ground
flattened out. Leaf-littered dirt gave way to winter-dead grass, anchored in
the mud of a recent rain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At water’s edge, she knelt and made a
scoop with her hands. The water froze her fingers when she dipped them in. She
brought the cool liquid to her mouth and sipped, then spat it out. It tasted icky.
Like sand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Farther along the bank, an animal with a
black mask and a ringed tail winked at her. It waded into the shallows. Hannah
recognized it as a raccoon, the same kind of animal that tipped their trashcans
over and made her daddy angry. She smiled and waved. It chattered in response,
then plunged its front paws into the water, up to its elbows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bit by bit, she scooted closer. The
raccoon eyed her curiously and went back to washing its face. Careful not to
get too close and scare it away, Hannah sat, crossing her legs. She would try
to find her way back to the cabin in a little while. After she was done
watching the raccoon. She couldn’t be that far away. Maybe if she stayed here,
they would find her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But what if they went the wrong way?
What if they searched and searched and just gave up? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">No, they’d look. They’d find her. They
would. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Hannah kissed Faustine on the head and
noticed a dab of mud there. If she dipped Faustine’s head in the river, maybe
it would rinse away the dirt. Holding Faustine’s back legs, she stretched out
on her tummy and leaned out from the bank, reaching toward the water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">She wiggled forward a few inches and
Faustine’s head flopped into the water. She held her there awhile, giving the
dirt time to wash away. As she began to pull Faustine back, a flurry of chirps
sounded above her. She looked up to see the bluebird alight on a branch on the
other side of the river.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You
should listen more closely</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, it said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“What?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Just
listen!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Hannah didn’t understand. She was sure
she’d heard the bird, but what was it talking about? Listen to what? To whom?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Fast
water. Bad.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“But I need to give Faustine a bath,
silly bird.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Not
silly.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The bird burst skyward. Hannah tilted
her head up to watch, but as she did so, she felt Faustine slip from her
fingers. The stuffed animal fell with a splash, floating on the surface a few
moments before an eddy engulfed it and pulled it under. Then, a surge pushed
Faustine back to the top.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hannah flailed a hand
outward, stretching far. Her body, small though it was, tipped over the edge of
the bank. She gasped in shock as her hands hit the cold, cold water. Then as
her head plunged beneath the surface, she captured a final gulp of air in her
lungs and shut her eyes tight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">*****</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Paperback on sale now</b>: <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Say-That-Again-Faderville-Novels/dp/1939344093" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Say-That-Again-Faderville-Novels/dp/1939344093" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a></b><br /><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Pre-order the E-book (Available April 7th for Kindle and April 8th elsewhere)</b>: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><u><b>Amazon.com (US)</b></u></a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><u><b>Amazon.uk (UK)</b></u></a></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><b>Amazon.ca (Canada)</b></a></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank"><b>Amazon.com.au (Australia)</b></a></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id979408432" target="_blank"><b>Apple</b></a></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/say-that-again-n-gemini-sasson/1121517921" target="_blank"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></a></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/N_Gemini_Sasson_Say_That_Again?id=5jOIBwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GooglePlay</a> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/say-that-again" target="_blank">Kobo</a> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Happy reading,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gemi </span></span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-62938571620116538682015-03-28T19:31:00.000-04:002015-03-29T08:51:02.087-04:00Paperback of Say No More Now Available<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzA7tY85rQ07YPZnD04VdCKZw5MmioziBvFToNo8X5ftumsB0WziO6gXWb1fErkFK-pxTUhAYzwm1I3AODWF2oRUC3-ltwVop5RAiF6374JpCom2utEEF8EogRL2avKPtUKgjD6W-9V3P/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzA7tY85rQ07YPZnD04VdCKZw5MmioziBvFToNo8X5ftumsB0WziO6gXWb1fErkFK-pxTUhAYzwm1I3AODWF2oRUC3-ltwVop5RAiF6374JpCom2utEEF8EogRL2avKPtUKgjD6W-9V3P/s1600/SayThatAgainsubchange_cover.jpg" height="400" width="250" /></a></i></div>
<i>Psssttt</i>... You can get the paperback of <i><b>Say That Again</b></i> now. Yes, now.
Well, as soon as Amazon and UPS can pack it up and deliver
it to you.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/That-Again-Faderville-Novels-Volume/dp/1939344093" target="_blank">ORDER THE PAPERBACK OF SAY THAT AGAIN HERE</a>.</b><br />
<br />
<i>Say That Again</i> is Book #2 of the Faderville Novels and the sequel to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILIBFTI" target="_blank"><i><b>Say No More</b></i></a>, but don't worry, these books don't have to be read in any particular order. You can <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V420RE2" target="_blank">pre-order the Kindle version</a></b>, which will be available April 7th. Here's the description for<i> Say That Again</i>:<br />
<br />
"Echo's life hasn't been easy so far. Mistreated by one owner after
another, he'd rather just learn to get by on his own. Still, he longs
for his 'forever home'. Not until he meets young Hannah McHugh does he
learn to trust again. Hannah not only understands him ― s<span class="text_exposed_show">he hears him.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Before the accident, Hannah already knew she was different from other
kids. Now, animals are speaking to her ― and no one believes her... Even
her own father, Hunter, tells her she should keep it to herself.<br />
<br />
Then, the reclusive Heck Menendez moves in next door... When Hannah and
Echo disappear, rumors run wild about old Heck. Hunter wants to trust
his gut, but time is ticking away."<br />
<br />
More links and information coming soon!<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
Gemi </div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-25311933421404345032015-03-16T13:27:00.000-04:002015-03-16T13:27:28.417-04:00Bruce Trilogy Paperbacks Now Available with New Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX7i33MYwp4YekOfkDynoEhC4bR9m5bohpgzp81SS6YE5A8dKRjL6dUOYaHb7m4VoiFLNcVT1DHh9OTWDottbm4wjI0kbF8knHGCc4wnM_lOcoqILcwpWhkApmoI5UEW2yitfVoSCqV9x/s1600/DSC01963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX7i33MYwp4YekOfkDynoEhC4bR9m5bohpgzp81SS6YE5A8dKRjL6dUOYaHb7m4VoiFLNcVT1DHh9OTWDottbm4wjI0kbF8knHGCc4wnM_lOcoqILcwpWhkApmoI5UEW2yitfVoSCqV9x/s1600/DSC01963.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Thanks to <a href="http://www.createspace.com/" target="_blank">CreateSpace</a>, you can now get <b>paperbacks for the Bruce Trilogy</b> delivered to your doorstep within days<i> with</i> their snazzy new covers designed by <a href="http://ebooklaunch.com/" target="_blank">Ebook Launch</a>.<br />
<br />
And the best part is they cost less than before! That's a win-win all around.<br />
<br />
You can find <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982715803/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982715803&linkCode=as2&tag=mydoatmyma-20&linkId=VDYPLFC6YFEDYNRF%22%3EThe%20Crown%20in%20the%20Heather%20(The%20Bruce%20Trilogy)%20(Volume%201)%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=mydoatmyma-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0982715803%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">The Crown in the Heather here</a></b>. New covers for the rest should be up by the end of the week, but rest assured they are in stock. At this time the new covers are only available in Amazon stores, but eventually they will be elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I have emerged from Proofreading and Formatting Purgatory. I'll have details soon on where and when you can order <i><b>Say That Again</b></i> (the sequel to <i>Say No More</i>), book #2 in my Faderville Novels series.<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-15430557004709324852015-02-16T10:58:00.000-05:002015-02-16T11:26:33.677-05:00E-book Cover Design Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygyyke3ycRi_0MPiP4cYv4_UYnKUNoaGup6fGkCk9P7Il87uDc-o6pw9BpLa2FGF68T7nEuUq3D3ffizKWnqICK0zbXHSi5PbEXcuOxeQ7x5UJ65zbZy-sAJ4IMRDdLXhz-XCPWxGxiax/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_1_TheCrownintheHeather_cover_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygyyke3ycRi_0MPiP4cYv4_UYnKUNoaGup6fGkCk9P7Il87uDc-o6pw9BpLa2FGF68T7nEuUq3D3ffizKWnqICK0zbXHSi5PbEXcuOxeQ7x5UJ65zbZy-sAJ4IMRDdLXhz-XCPWxGxiax/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_1_TheCrownintheHeather_cover_final.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Dane's covers for The Bruce Trilogy have been awarded a gold star by Joel Friedlander in his monthly<b> <a href="http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/02/e-book-cover-design-awards-january-2015/" target="_blank">e-Book Cover Design Awards for January 2015</a></b>. Joel said this:<br />
<br />
<i>"These three covers show series design at its best. The emblematic
characters each convey the tone and context of the books, and they are
held together by the overall look and the strong series branding."</i><br />
<br />
Dane is a member of the incredible team at <a href="http://ebooklaunch.com/" target="_blank">E-book Launch</a>. This was a <a href="http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-covers-for-bruce-trilogy.html" target="_blank">re-design of the entire series</a> from my original covers and I could not be more in love with them! They seem to be grabbing readers' attention. In the first two days of a recent promotion, <i>The Crown in the Heather</i> was downloaded over 40,000 times across all platforms, reaching as high as #2 Free on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.<br />
<br />
More book news coming soon! I have another book nearing publication. Yay!!!<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-67103878985165112162015-01-13T21:21:00.001-05:002015-01-13T21:21:09.304-05:00New Covers for The Bruce Trilogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qC5bm5MODKZMHfGoIS9WfK4XjxsIEQdz106ZD98QXvf4XvAUZW2mgiPsRFxuj2IT5tmtv0ETM2bAzCLYSiZ1liHFKNQ9VLxDe5NszkkWi7VMNBB780EQPbrXd63WV76rIQpy21jw5Eud/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_1_TheCrownintheHeather_cover_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qC5bm5MODKZMHfGoIS9WfK4XjxsIEQdz106ZD98QXvf4XvAUZW2mgiPsRFxuj2IT5tmtv0ETM2bAzCLYSiZ1liHFKNQ9VLxDe5NszkkWi7VMNBB780EQPbrXd63WV76rIQpy21jw5Eud/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_1_TheCrownintheHeather_cover_final.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
I am stoked to present a new set of covers for <i><b>The Bruce Trilogy</b></i>, courtesy of the talented team at <a href="http://ebooklaunch.com/" target="_blank">Ebook Launch</a>!<br />
<br />
I can't say enough great things about their cover designs. I've had the original covers since I launched the first book, <i>The Crown in the Heather</i>, back in July of 2010, and have since gone on to sell almost 100,000 copies of the books in the trilogy. While I was happy with them, it was time to re-brand and get a more consistent and up-to-date look for the series.<br />
<br />
This is especially important since I've recently uploaded all my books to a broad scope of sales channels, including Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay, and Scribd.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's amazing how fierce the competition has gotten among indie books over the last few years. The covers are more professional, the editing is better, and there are more great books than ever. Covers that were serviceable a few years ago can pale in comparison to the topnotch designs out there today.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsYRPNlM-eU1IJqkm82VNLUa3xKYKmNoCOJrkiUm4aCnT28Lp-zh-Smbjw4l4u7DThsG645YSpY_tQfMrug2yE1gZrtTwAZ5I6xsb9qijUuriSXxMKAzwcF3YdvrMWffavp3bElSjjSnm/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_2_WorthDyingFor_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsYRPNlM-eU1IJqkm82VNLUa3xKYKmNoCOJrkiUm4aCnT28Lp-zh-Smbjw4l4u7DThsG645YSpY_tQfMrug2yE1gZrtTwAZ5I6xsb9qijUuriSXxMKAzwcF3YdvrMWffavp3bElSjjSnm/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_2_WorthDyingFor_cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
One thing I wanted to do was speak to my target audience a little more clearly for this series. While I've always considered them Biographical Historical Fiction, I feel they also have a strong element of Mens Action and Adventure to them. Hey, if you don't like battle scenes, don't read these books. Consider yourselves warned. ;-) Then again, if you're reading this you probably already knew that.<br />
<br />
I love everything about these: the subject, the background, the typography, the strong branding. Don't ask me to pick a favorite. Like children, I love them all equally.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZE2e158wgkxRC253ArWtR7DrLvN5dcZlwMusxIOz8bZXVxfhVgYxqlYZwkNhSA1lVLLTrUIQHlRcm3FpXWWR7TXFXJ6j68lnBeZC6xALHfOflV2sCFtuCVOV6fNCdiIYlLtMEbkV30iA/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_3_TheHonorDueAKing_cover_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZE2e158wgkxRC253ArWtR7DrLvN5dcZlwMusxIOz8bZXVxfhVgYxqlYZwkNhSA1lVLLTrUIQHlRcm3FpXWWR7TXFXJ6j68lnBeZC6xALHfOflV2sCFtuCVOV6fNCdiIYlLtMEbkV30iA/s1600/TheBruceTrilogy_3_TheHonorDueAKing_cover_final.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a></div>
So, feast your eyes, folks! I'm having a major cover crush, myself.<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-52472088759386878082014-12-28T10:02:00.000-05:002014-12-28T14:55:05.498-05:00Broader Distribution vs. KDP SelectYesterday I posted about putting <a href="http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-crown-in-heather-is-now-free.html" target="_blank"><i>The Crown in the Heather</i> permafree as an e-book on all channels</a>. Today, as promised, I'm expounding on why I did that. My apologies if this is lengthy and a little disjointed -- it's a very complex issue. I could write ten blog posts about it, but I try not to wade too long in the muck, so I'm going to be as brief as possible.<br />
<br />
Last year I put my two standalone books, <i>Uneasy Lies the Crown</i> and <i>In the Time of Kings</i>, into KDP Select, an Amazon digital publishing program where you agree to offer books <u>exclusively</u>
on Amazon, meaning they can't be available for download anywhere else. (Since 97% of my readers were Kindle owners, this made sense for me). In return, your books are available in the Kindle Owner's
Lending Library (KOLL), where Prime subscribers can 'borrow' one book
per month. THe author then gets paid for that borrow. Also, the author is allowed
to offer their book for free for seven days in a 90-day period, <u>or</u> as a
bargain book for 5 days as a Kindle Countdown. These perks can increase
your book's visibility in the Kindle store. Both of mine benefited from
it. So I put the Isabella Books (<i>Isabeau</i> and <i>The King Must Die</i>) in Select, too. Then, when I launched <i>Say No More</i>, a new genre for me, I put it directly in Select, which turned out to be a good thing. All was well, relatively speaking.<br />
<br />
For a while.<br />
<br />
And then ... it wasn't anymore. Sales stalled. Borrows dwindled. I thought putting out a new release (although not in Select) would provide a boost, but I'm still waiting to see that.<br />
<br />
The only books I didn't place in Select, and never have, were those in The Bruce Trilogy, because CITH was part of a boxed set this year -- and I'm glad I kept those books up elsewhere ... for reasons I, and no one else, could foresee.<br />
<br />
This
summer, Amazon rolled out their Kindle Unlimited (KU) program, which
allows subscribers to borrow ten books at a time for $9.99 a month. Not all Kindle books on Amazon are available in KU. Even so, if
you're a voracious reader, this is a great deal because there is still a lot to choose from. If you're an author of
epic novels that take a while to write (like me) ... not so much.<br />
<br />
There's
a place for shorter length fiction and I'm not knocking that. I love a
quick read on occasion myself. What KU does is take away an author's
right to determine the price of their book, as all books in KU are valued
equally for
self-published books. Traditionally published books, however, get a different
deal entirely that I won't go into. For self-published books, what authors get paid per book is
independent of that book's length. So a 50-page 99-cent book gets an
author just as much money as a 500-page, normally $5.99 book. In addition, the
payment to author per borrow went from over $2 per book in Select's
early days, to $1.33 after the start of KU this past month. Ouch.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://noorosha.com/why-exclusivity-is-bad/" target="_blank">Here's a blog post that explains the pitfalls of exclusivity</a>. <br />
<br />
Many
authors found that although borrows increased, regular sales decreased.
Subsequently, so did their income. A few big names, all of them KDP All-Stars (meaning top 100 earning KDP authors, like H.M. Ward and J.A. Konrath), <a href="http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/12/21/ja-konrath-decamps-kindle-unlimited/" target="_blank">have left KDP Select</a> as well as <a href="http://www.frontierssaga.com/log-entry-5/" target="_blank">SF author Ryk Brown</a>. Of course, there are authors who have
done very, very well in Select, even with the initiation of KU. And they should stay in it. But each of
us has to do what's right for both our careers and our readers.<br />
<br />
As
an indie author, I love Amazon KDP. It has done so, so, <i>so</i> much more
for my writing career than all the other vendors put together. But it's
hard to stay loyal and remain exclusive when such sweeping changes can
occur without prior notice. Writing is more than a hobby to me. It's how
I make my living. <br />
<br />
So I'm going wide with distribution,
even though leaving Select appears to be putting a ding in my
Amazon visibility and sales. Hopefully, sales at other vendors will grow
with time and make up for those losses. If they don't, I'll reconsider. Right now, I'm not sure if this is the right move or not. Ask me a year from now. Who knows what will happen in the months to come? I could be washed up in a ditch, never having written another word, or I could be on top of the New York Times Bestseller list (always think positive, I say). We'll see. I've gone from barely selling one book a day, to regularly selling over a hundred a day, to having a good day when I hit twenty, despite having more books for sale and there being more people reading e-books than ever. Times change. Roll with it.<br />
<br />
Digital
publishing is an industry that can change wildly in a day.
The great thing about being an indie author is that we can adapt on the
turn of a dime. It can be quite the roller coaster ride, so you have to take the ups with the downs.<br />
<br />
Right now, I'd like the ride to smooth out a little.Spreading my support base a little wider seems like the most sensible way to do that.<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
Gemi N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-58895531299048680882014-12-27T08:35:00.000-05:002014-12-27T08:35:00.211-05:00The Crown in the Heather is now FREE everywhere!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IjiQPnkn05K5BLDu30ErtPmN4wo9_6JkwSgPhESO3tQLbxeLCR3beHcp20ArJ5ki2Aq1o8pc6LRswM93CiasEESCg8ERnLTA4nzkMLSQwYuTRJYF0DtCzSdDQdHiV3oLJZOaXoot7P5i/s1600/CITH_final_small_12_5_2012+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IjiQPnkn05K5BLDu30ErtPmN4wo9_6JkwSgPhESO3tQLbxeLCR3beHcp20ArJ5ki2Aq1o8pc6LRswM93CiasEESCg8ERnLTA4nzkMLSQwYuTRJYF0DtCzSdDQdHiV3oLJZOaXoot7P5i/s1600/CITH_final_small_12_5_2012+(2).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
I've finally made the move to permafree on all channels for <b><i>The Crown in the Heather</i>, The Bruce Trilogy: Book I</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
You can find it here:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>E-book: </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Heather-Bruce-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003V5X9N6" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crown-Heather-Bruce-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003V5X9N6" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Crown-Heather-Bruce-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003V5X9N6" target="_blank">Amazon.ca</a> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/Crown-Heather-Bruce-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003V5X9N6" target="_blank">Amazon.com.au (Australia</a>)</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id616901956" target="_blank">Apple (iTunes)</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crown-in-the-heather-n-gemini-sasson/1021449536?ean=2940016353661&isbn=2940016353661" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=O0-7BQAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GooglePlay</a> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-crown-in-the-heather" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kobo</b></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/246536114/The-Crown-in-the-Heather-The-Bruce-Trilogy-1" target="_blank"><b>Scribd </b></a></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What this means is that you can download CITH at no cost from any online e-book retailer.<br />
<br />
Some people have asked me: Why would you <i>give</i> your book away? Simple. The strategy behind permafree is to get new readers to try your books. I look at it the same as if that book were sitting on every library shelf all over the world. Then, those who like it and want to read more can purchase the rest of the trilogy, and hopefully other books I've written. <br />
<br />
So let your friends know they can read all about Robert the Bruce and James Douglas (<i>swoon</i>) for <u>FREE</u> <b>wherever</b> they like to get their e-books.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow, I'll post about why I decided to make <i>The Crown in the Heather</i> free from a self-publisher's standpoint. <br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-53361596620726889352014-12-24T19:53:00.001-05:002014-12-24T20:38:08.727-05:00Memories and Matchsticks is now live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfDxRuu3t_qswTuDej0Cp8kcZnHOzpXpFMcrqt_qaPVGrKIeXQUbXBiBtfYQInI0D-wd9-ZZodXfxNXwr3kAMSoNNjxTGj8rfA-lPUFjVgoZ0lZxxPfkYZQ_SUkcgvQiVY5-KDLxd21T6/s1600/Banner_Ad_MemoriesMatchsticks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfDxRuu3t_qswTuDej0Cp8kcZnHOzpXpFMcrqt_qaPVGrKIeXQUbXBiBtfYQInI0D-wd9-ZZodXfxNXwr3kAMSoNNjxTGj8rfA-lPUFjVgoZ0lZxxPfkYZQ_SUkcgvQiVY5-KDLxd21T6/s1600/Banner_Ad_MemoriesMatchsticks.jpg" height="76" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i> Memories and Matchsticks, Sam McNamee Mystery: Book 1</i></b>, is now live at all online retailers!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>There’s an arsonist on the loose in rural Wilton, Indiana — and he’ll
do whatever it takes to keep from being found out. Even murder.</i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i>
</i>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>
After
a decade-long absence, the night Sam McNamee returns to Wilton, she
plows into a mangy mutt on a rain-slicked country road. Bump, the dog
she rescues, has a history that drags Sam and her family into a web of
danger, making her father a prime suspect.</i></div>
<i>
<br />
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>
Feuds and secrets run deep in Humboldt County. Sam can't leave until the
arsonist is uncovered. Not that she'd want to anymore, since
veterinarian Clint Chastain has stolen her heart. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had a blast writing this book and hope it makes you hold your breath, laugh, and hug your loved one a little tighter. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Here's where you can get it: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><u>Paperbac</u>k : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memories-Matchsticks-Sam-McNamee-Mystery/dp/1939344069" target="_blank">Amazon.com (US)</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Memories-Matchsticks-Sam-McNamee-Mystery/dp/1939344069" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk (UK)</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><u>E-book</u>:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank">Amazon.com (US)</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk (UK)</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.ca (Canada)</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Amazon.com.au (Australia)</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id944847626" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Apple</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/memories-and-matchsticks-n-gemini-sasson/1120817989?ean=2940046312706&itm=1&usri=2940046312706" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=e327BQAAQBAJ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>GooglePlay</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/memories-and-matchsticks" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Kobo</b></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/247963274/Memories-and-Matchsticks-A-Sam-McNamee-Mystery-1" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Scribd</b></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Happy reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gemi <b><br /></b></span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-82759989312695430202014-12-17T08:54:00.000-05:002014-12-17T08:54:00.467-05:00Giveaway for Memories and MatchsticksThe Goodreads giveaway for a signed paperback of <i>Memories and Matchsticks</i> is on - now through Dec. 27th!
<br />
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<br />
<h2 style="color: #555555; font-size: 20px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0 0 10px !important; padding: 0 !important; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" target="_new">Goodreads</a> Book Giveaway
</h2>
<div style="float: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23637135"><img alt="Memories and Matchsticks by N. Gemini Sasson" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417382279l/23637135.jpg" title="Memories and Matchsticks by N. Gemini Sasson" width="100" /></a>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0 0 0 110px !important; padding: 0 0 0 0 !important;">
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px; margin: 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23637135">Memories and Matchsticks</a>
</h3>
<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0 0 10px; padding: 0;">
by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4079332.N_Gemini_Sasson" style="text-decoration: none;">N. Gemini Sasson</a>
</h4>
<div class="giveaway_details">
Giveaway ends December 27, 2014.
<br />
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/119593" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
</div>
</div>
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
<a class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink" href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/119593">Enter to win</a>
</div>
</div>
<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/119593" type="text/javascript"></script> <br />
Click above to enter to win your copy. The e-book goes on sale Dec. 20th at all online retailers. For links to buy, please go to <a href="http://www.ngeminisasson.com/" target="_blank"><b>my web site</b></a>.<br />
<br />
Don't want to miss news of my new releases? Sign up for my<b> <a href="http://eepurl.com/vSA6z" target="_blank">e-mail newsletter HERE</a></b>. I won't flood your inbox with spam; I'll just let you know when a book is available for pre-order or recently published. That's it. If you'd like more news on discounted books or other happenings, join me on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NGeminiSasson" target="_blank"><b>Facebook</b></a> page.<br />
<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
Gemi <br />
<br />
<br />N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-62000548767431056592014-11-25T16:12:00.000-05:002014-11-25T16:12:00.214-05:00Pre-orders now available for Memories and Matchsticks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyz0UQGLXxlNDBLc9IrFcidnvZ9DujDP4AtYQxVL_dOF1wR9l4s28Bh-nAoZ-XCdwN8bktkLnGMgBGL74I_YlbwJXp-2i8BkqsKTQ_PdFw_llpM-lzL7gKLDJZK7u6HXQgF9r95bBlpt_U/s1600/MemoriesMatchsticks_Ebook+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyz0UQGLXxlNDBLc9IrFcidnvZ9DujDP4AtYQxVL_dOF1wR9l4s28Bh-nAoZ-XCdwN8bktkLnGMgBGL74I_YlbwJXp-2i8BkqsKTQ_PdFw_llpM-lzL7gKLDJZK7u6HXQgF9r95bBlpt_U/s1600/MemoriesMatchsticks_Ebook+(2).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
It's <i>almost</i> here! <i><b>Memories and Matchsticks, A Sam McNamee Mystery</b></i>, goes on sale <u>Dec. 20th, 2014</u> and is now available for <b>pre-order</b> as an e-book at the following:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q20I2VQ" target="_blank">Amazon.com (Kindle)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id944847626" target="_blank">Apple (iTunes)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/memories-and-matchsticks-n-gemini-sasson/1120817989?ean=2940046312706&itm=1&usri=2940046312706" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble (Nook)</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/memories-and-matchsticks" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>You can get it at 25% off right now for just $2.99, but after it launches, the price goes up to $3.99. </b><br />
<br />
For those who enjoyed <i>Say No More</i>, this is another dog story, but it's also a romantic comedy and cozy mystery featuring an accidental female sleuth.<br />
<br />
Can't make up your mind? Here are the book description and a preview chapter:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<br />
<br />
<i>There’s an arsonist on the loose in rural Wilton, Indiana — and he’ll do
whatever it takes to keep from being found out. Even murder. </i><br />
<i> Out of work, accident prone, and dateless, Sam McNamee packs up her
belongings and her daughter to move to the Florida Keys, where she can
pen love stories as S.A. Mack to ease the lingering pain of her
husband’s death. First, though, she has to help her dad sell his home of
forty-plus years. It just might be the hardest job she’s ever tackled.
He’s a hoarder; she’s a neat freak.
<br /> The night she returns to Wilton, Sam plows into a mangy mutt on a
rain-slicked country road. Bump, the dog she rescues, has a history that
drags Sam and her family into a web of danger, making her father a
prime suspect.
<br /> Feuds and secrets run deep in Humboldt County. Sam can’t leave until
the arsonist is uncovered. Not that she’d want to anymore, since
veterinarian Clint Chastain has stolen her heart. </i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<br />
<br />
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<div class="ChapterTitle" style="text-align: center;">
C<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">HAPTER</span>
1</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> This
wasn’t how I’d planned things. I was supposed to be ensconced somewhere in the
Keys by now, sipping on a mint mojito, sea foam swirling around my Adirondack chair
while I tapped furiously at the keyboard of my netbook.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Instead, I was headed deep into the cornfields
of Eastern Indiana. So much space. So few people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The next few weeks were going to be
hell.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rain slapped against the windshield in a
percussive roar, drowning out the melody of the song on the radio. I fumbled
blindly with the knobs, afraid to take my eyes off the road. I flipped through
the stations until I found some obnoxiously upbeat techno dance music and
cranked the volume. Anything to keep myself alert. With every swish of the
wiper blades, I had a clear view for about half a second; then water gushed
down from the sky, distorting the world beyond my hood into an out-of-focus
black and white photo.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I knew these roads too well. Knew the
exact spot where it had happened, just around the bend from where we were now. My
heart clenched at the memory of that night: the phone call at fourteen minutes
past midnight, the twirling lights, the unremitting drizzle, the mangled metal
…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My eyes drifted shut. As my head bobbed
forward, I snapped back to awareness, adrenaline crashing through my veins, my
senses sharpened. My pulse drummed in my ears, the rhythm of my heart a rapid
staccato. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Stay
awake, Samantha Ann McNamee</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, I told myself. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is no time to fall asleep at the wheel.
You have precious cargo in the backseat.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A burst of red and white flashed in my
rearview mirror, spiraling me into memories of that fateful night. I focused on
the vehicle approaching from behind: a police car. The piercing wail of its
siren rose above the roar of rain. Behind me, my daughter Tara mumbled and
pulled her hood down over her eyes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Had I been speeding? Swerving, maybe? I
started to pull off to the side, sure I was going to get a ticket. Both right
wheels had barely hit the gravel shoulder when the patrol car veered into the
left lane and edged up beside me. Blood pounding, I lifted my foot from the
accelerator and tapped at the brake. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A wall of water hit my windshield as the
police car sped past. I breathed a sigh of relief. It barreled down the rain
slicked road, then turned into a lane partly shrouded by a thick stand of
trees.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There, the uneven silhouette of a house
set close to the road appeared in scattered bursts of lightning. Yellow caution
tape was draped from tree to tree all around the house. Fire trucks surrounded
the house, but there was no fire. Not anymore. An ambulance was parked in front
of the house. Two EMTs were wheeling a stretcher out the front door. On it was
a body bag.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Whoever it was, they’d arrived too late.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I glanced at the road for a second to
make sure I wasn’t drifting off onto the shoulder, then looked back at the
house. Another lightning flash, prolonged, revealed part of the roof was
missing. Jagged trusses, charred in places, poked above uneven exterior walls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Looked like the place had been ravaged
by fire. I stepped on the gas, eager to get away from there. Vehicles with
flashing lights brought back too many terrible memories. The farther away I
got, the better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The house slipped from my peripheral
vision and I returned my sights to the road ahead. It dipped into a small
valley carved by a narrow, but swift-moving creek, then rose again before
curving to the right. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I slapped my thighs to keep myself
awake. We should have arrived hours ago. Damn those movers for taking their
sweet time. Except for the few suitcases and gym bags stuffed into the rear of
my Subaru Forester, all my belongings were now sitting somewhere in a moldy,
cockroach-infested storage unit on Chicago’s West Side. Why hadn’t I stopped a
couple of hours ago down the road? I could’ve called ahead, told my dad we’d
gotten a late start and the storm was just too much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Too late now. We were less than ten
minutes away. Not that I was eager to return to my childhood home, mind you, but
when you were tight on money and had just lost a steady job —</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The scope of the headlights caught a reflection
in a nearby field. Instinctively, I yanked the wheel to the left, my foot
drawing back from the gas pedal to hit the brake. A pair of glowing orbs stared
back at me, hovering at road’s edge, ready to bound out into my path. This time
I punched the brake, inadvertently steering right. The wheels chattered over
rain-slickened asphalt as the anti-lock mechanism kicked in. The rear end of my
Forester fishtailed toward the ditch, the muddy channel carved deep by a recent
backhoe job. Rubber squealed as the tires bit into the road. My hands locked on
the steering wheel. I let up on the brake, momentum still propelling the car irretrievably
forward as the bright yellow dots flew toward me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A squeal ripped from the backseat. Tara
slapped her palms against my headrest as she grabbed hold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The right rear tire plunged off the edge
of the pavement, thudding loudly, and then scudded on the gravel shoulder for
what seemed like an eternity, although it was no more than a few seconds. There
was a soft thump as the front bumper clipped an object. The car lurched to a
halt, one tire dipping into the ditch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For several seconds, all I could hear
were the sharp, rapid breaths of my daughter behind me. Finally, I remembered
to breathe, too. The steady pounding of rain on the windows came back into
focus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After throwing the shifter into park, I
peered into the rearview mirror, but the glow from the dashboard wasn’t enough
to see anything. I groped at the ceiling, flicked the overhead light on. “Are
you okay, honey?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Silence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Please,
please, please be okay</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The car was still in one piece. At least
as far as I could tell. The airbags hadn’t even deployed. Why wasn’t she
answering me?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I glanced in the side mirror to make
sure there were no oncoming cars, then unbuckled myself and twisted around to
look in the backseat. Tara was curled into a ball, arms over her face. “Tara?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yeah,” she croaked in a whisper, “I’m
here.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You okay?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I think so. You just scared the crap
out of me, that’s all.” Her hands peeled away from her face. She looked up
sheepishly. “I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> asleep. What
happened?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Groaning, I sat facing front again. Pain
hammered at the top of my skull. “I think I hit something.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Like what? A tree, a mailbox?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I didn’t want to get out of the car and
look. Didn’t want to know. Maybe I could just put the car in reverse, back out
of the ditch, and go on?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“A deer, maybe?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“No,” I said, “not that big.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The faux leather of the seat squeaked as
Tara scooted herself upright and pressed her nose to the window. “I hope it
wasn’t a skunk.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We would have smelled it by now.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh. Guess you’re right.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Clutching the shifter, I slid it into
reverse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“No!” Tara’s frantic scream bored into my
ear canal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“No what?” I wanted to yell at her to
calm down, but she was hyperventilating already. The best course in this
situation was to remain calm and act like it was no big deal. If I keyed in to
her anxiety in the smallest bit, she’d erupt in full blown hysteria within a minute.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You might back over it,” she said
quietly. “Hurt it worse. Whatever it is.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I flicked on the hazard lights and cut
the engine. “I’m sure it’s all right. Probably just a raccoon or possum. Bet it
ran off into the cornfield already. I’m going to check, okay? Then we’ll go on.
Should be to Gramp’s place in fifteen, twenty minutes, tops.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">She stared out the window into the
darkness. I wasn’t surprised that she had no reaction to arriving at my dad’s
house. After all, she probably barely remembered him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After another long silence, Tara turned
her face toward me, her earthy brown eyes pressed into a squint. She pointed
above her head. “Can I turn off that light? It’s really bright and I can’t see
outside.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sure, honey.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tara punched the light off and turned
back to the window, her breath steaming it in drifting circles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Be right back.” I tugged the hood of my
Nike jacket over my head and pulled on the door latch. I gave it a light push,
expecting it to open wide, but the tilt of the car leaning into the ditch had
gravity working against me. My left foot was barely dangling out of the car
when the door swung back and smashed into my ankle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Shit! Shit, shit, shit —”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Mom.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I knew what was coming before she said
it. At just shy of fifteen, she was just entering the height of snarkiness.
She’d inherited the trait from her father. It was one of the things I had loved
most about Kyle — that edgy wit. Humor, in whatever form, was its own special
kind of intelligence and Tara had it in spades. It also annoyed the hell out of
me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Unless you just stepped in a cow patty,
that is not —”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“How about ‘damn it’?” I snapped. It had
been a long drive already and I wasn’t in the mood to debate semantics. “I just
slammed the door on my leg. Is ‘damn it’ appropriate?” Cursing was my biggest
vice — if you didn’t count my lack of social interests — and Tara had picked it
up early. Two years old, if I recalled. Since I couldn’t tell her not to do
what I so freely and often did, I’d tried hard to teach her to use language
selectively. If you’re going to cuss, I’d told her, do it under your breath. It
hadn’t always been successful. Nothing like getting a call from your daughter’s
second grade principal telling you she had told a classmate to “shut the hell
up” for talking during an assembly. I’d had to stifle a laugh. Chronologically,
she may have been eight then, but mentally she was twenty-eight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sure, I suppose you could damn the
door.” She wiped at the breath-fog on the glass with her sleeve. “If it makes
you feel better.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If I said anything else, this was going
to turn into a parent-child verbal brawl. I was too tired to go there, so I let
it slide. I’d talk to her tomorrow about toning down the sarcasm. Right now, I
just wanted a pillow and a soft bed. Heck, even a couch would do. Knowing my
dad, that was probably the best I could hope for.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I probed both sides of my ankle where
the door edge had pinched it. No swelling. Yet. But I wouldn’t be surprised to
find a bruise there tomorrow. I may have had the physique of a natural athlete,
but in grade school I’d managed to fall flat on my butt while playing
tetherball, hopscotch, and musical chairs. I’d long since figured out that
avoiding physical activity was the best way to avert my own early demise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hand me the flashlight from the glove
compartment, will you?” Tara said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, if you aren’t going to find out
what you hit, I will.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I pointed a finger at her to shush her,
then realized she probably couldn’t see it in the dark. “You just sit tight and
keep your seatbelt on. I’ll be back in a second.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Even her sigh was surly. I dug around in
the overstuffed glove compartment until I found the skinny LED flashlight my
boss had doled out to all the employees last Christmas. Former boss, actually. At
first it had seemed like such a cheap gift, but it had come in handy more than
once already. Little did I know that Top Floor Media’s parent company was
already starting to shave off its unprofitable subsidiaries. Had I been aware, I
would’ve started looking for a job sooner. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the end, though, it was a blessing in
disguise. If I’d had time to think about it, I probably would’ve started looking
for a new job. A real job. The kind where you had to clock in at 8 a.m. sharp, then
would spend the next nine hours watching the second hand on the clock crawl
backward. I’d just spent sixteen years doing that, jotting down grocery lists
in the margins of the manuscripts I was supposed to be proofreading because the
sex scenes were so boring that snagging a crate of Clementine oranges on sale
provided more excitement than inserting commas or suggesting synonyms for
private body parts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With a grunt of exasperation, I kicked
the door open wide. A wall of rain slammed into me. Muttering under my breath, I
yanked my zipper up all the way, then heaved myself out into the typhoon and
shut the door. I clicked the flashlight on and shone it down the length of the
driver’s side. Nothing. No dings, no scrapes. No dead bodies. So far so good. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A quick scan up and down the road told me
all was clear. Amazing how remote this place seemed for only being a few miles
off the highway. Back in Chicago, you couldn’t go two minutes without a car
going down the road, even after midnight — and that was in our suburban
neighborhood in Naperville. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Better get used to the isolation, I told
myself. At least for the next few weeks. Or however long this was going to take
until I got Dad packed up and skedaddled myself out of Sticksville.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The rain was coming down heavier now. It
was the kind of rain where it was good to sit inside, curled up under a blanket
and sipping a cup of hot tea while watching old movies. No such luck tonight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My shoes squished as I worked my way
toward the back hatch. I hadn’t even made it five steps and my pants were
already soaked. I grasped the rear bumper and went down on my knees, aiming my
tiny flashlight under the car. Nothing there. Thank God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I began to straighten, but misjudged. My
forehead smacked the corner of the bumper. This time the expletives were even
more colorful. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When I was done cussing and finally
stood up, I saw Tara gazing at me through the rear window. Had she heard the
thunk? I faked a smile. The space between her eyebrows pinched with a
questioning look. I held my hands wide, palms up, to indicate I hadn’t found
anything.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tara cracked her window open. “Did you
look in the ditch?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I held a finger up and stepped to the
far side of the car, scanning the panels on the passenger side to look for
damage. The scratch was still there just in front of the right rear wheel from
when I’d clipped the cement barrier post at the bank drive-thru last fall, but
otherwise it all looked good. I swept my light back and forth over the ditch in
a forty-foot arc. Nothing but muddy runoff, weeds, and a couple of smashed beer
cans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Spinning in my daughter’s direction, I shone
the light on myself briefly and shook my head. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“You didn’t look very hard.” She closed
the window, then pulled her hood over her eyes and slumped down in the seat
again. Satisfied that whatever I’d hit had crawled off into the field
relatively unharmed, I returned to the driver’s side.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A long, pitiful whimper rose above the incessant
pounding of the rain. I froze with my hand on the door handle. Damn it. I
couldn’t leave now. I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i> hit
something. But what on earth would make that kind of noise?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Reluctantly, I went toward the ditch,
the beam of my light swinging back and forth over the rain-gorged channel. To my
left, a field of low bushy soybeans spread. I looked for paw or hoof prints or
breaks in the rows to reveal where an animal might have gone through, had it
retreated into the field, but there was no indication of that. I almost turned
back when it occurred to me the car had skidded a good hundred yards before
coming to a complete stop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So I walked on. The cool rain drenching me.
The world beyond the column of my flashlight as black as coal. The dampness stabbing
the misery deep into my bones.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A ragged mound of fur came into view,
its inert body sprawled across the shimmering white line at the road’s
perimeter. Too small to be a deer. Too big for a raccoon. The fur was a
non-descript grayish-brown, the tail a thick plume. Coyote, maybe? If it was, I’d
leave it where it lay. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tentative, I crept forward, ready to
bolt back to the car. Closer now. Fifty feet. Thirty. Fifteen … </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Its tail flicked, the tip of it plopping
into the silty rivulet of the ditch. I stopped dead in my tracks, trying hard
not to pee my pants, wishing I’d brought something with me that could serve as
a weapon if it suddenly attacked. What if the coyote were diseased or rabid?
There was no way I could outrun it. At least with my tire iron, I could’ve
beaned it in the head a couple of times, bought myself a few seconds to sprint
to the car and dive in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A front paw twitched. I backed up
slowly, keeping the narrow beam of my LED light aimed straight at it like a
light saber. If nothing else, if it sprang in my direction, fangs gnashing, I
could momentarily blind it. Its tail flicked again. Straining with effort, it
stretched its front legs. Gaunt ribs expanded with a single meager breath. A plaintive
whine leaked from its maned throat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I took a step back, and another. Cold
water rushed into the mesh of my running shoes as my heel sank in a puddle. My
ankle buckled with the sudden motion, and I stumbled sideways, biting back a
yelp of pain as I turned to run.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I’d only made one limping step when my
daughter’s plea rose above the pounding rain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Mom?” Tara jogged past me in her flip
flops, the foamy material slapping up water. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Grabbing her by the elbow, I reeled her
in. “Tara, what are you doing? Get back in the car — now!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“But …” She tugged toward the sodden
lump of fur, twisting her body as she struggled to free herself from my
protective grip. The long strands of her wet hair slapped against her cheek.
“You have to help him! You can’t just drive off and leave him to die! Not after
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s a coyote, Tara. A wild animal.”
Rain filled my mouth. It was coming down in sheets so hard now I could barely
see the car from where we stood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">She snatched the flashlight from my hand
and wheeled around. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That</i> is a
coyote?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At the sound of her shrill voice, it
lifted its head to show a pair of mismatched ears, one semi-erect and one
upright, framing a gentle face. A thin white blaze ran between its eyes, one
dark, one a pale azure. It stretched its legs, the fur heavy with ticking,
groaned, and flopped back over sideways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A gash on its right shoulder, the width
of my palm, glimmered bright with blood.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">A
dog. I’d hit someone’s dog.</span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-89316862527190914642014-11-23T18:31:00.001-05:002014-11-23T18:31:05.145-05:00NaNo Much?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSXfy6mNN8yinLWPOzcdvN3nCPk5ogHHkPBrDrcYKB7Lv17WjdTh51GDI5nyT6cJCKQWOLHoUkJLcMZRmZNQ_En5vBViq4G0gNd4tImmPhggnnaWwrUuXMKgo0PDz0wigoxFhxBE_92JF/s1600/NaNo+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSXfy6mNN8yinLWPOzcdvN3nCPk5ogHHkPBrDrcYKB7Lv17WjdTh51GDI5nyT6cJCKQWOLHoUkJLcMZRmZNQ_En5vBViq4G0gNd4tImmPhggnnaWwrUuXMKgo0PDz0wigoxFhxBE_92JF/s1600/NaNo+2014.jpg" height="147" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
November is <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">National Novel Writing Month</a>, also known as NaNoWriMo. It's an annual ritual where writers exorcise their creativity by saying goodbye to their families and retreating into their imaginary worlds. Most, like me, give up their bustling social lives (yeah, right) to write in seclusion; however, some NaNo-ers have been known to convene at coffee houses and libraries, where they simultaneously open their laptops and race to pile up the word count, while agreeing to ignore each other. Can't imagine how fun it must be having a bunch of goal-driven introverts in one place (*sarcasm*). <br />
<br />
The goal is to write at least 50,000 words by November 30th. In one month. That averages out to 1667 words per day. <br />
<br />
Why??? you say? To be <i>that much closer</i> to having written a book. <br />
<br />
Yes, there are some writers out there (I'm looking at you, Stephen King!) who can expel 10,000 words a day just by waving their fingertips over the keyboard. Actually, I'm pretty sure he can sneeze and whole novels appear in his hard drive.<br />
<br />
I am not one of the prolific ones. I labor over every page. And if you give me an opportunity to procrastinate -- the laundry/mopping/closet-cleaning MUST be done -- I will usually take it, simply because mindless tasks are much simpler than completing a novel. During NaNo, however, I make no excuses. I just sit down and write. Sometimes for 14 hours a day.<br />
<br />
You know what's even crazier? Last year I did/won NaNO and trained for a marathon, which my husband and I ran in December. That month, I was either writing, running, or sleeping. I did take a few hours off for Thanksgiving dinner.<br />
<br />
This year on November 19th, I completed my 50,000 words to 'win' NaNoWriMo for 2014. If all goes as it should, <i><b>Say That Again</b></i>, the sequel to <i><b>Say No More</b></i>, will be available in March of 2015.<br />
<br />
"But I can't wait that long for another book?" you say? Don't fret. <b><i>Memories and Matchsticks</i></b>, the first in my new Sam McNamee cozy mystery series will be available for pre-order very soon and on sale in late December, 2014. More news on that <i>very</i> soon!<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, back to the keyboard for me. <i>Only</i> 30,000 more words to go.<br />
<br />
Until later,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-69702091617482506642014-10-10T13:01:00.000-04:002014-10-10T13:01:38.646-04:00Discovering My Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxDSgwd8V5iwpJ1Ii6RhVvKjgjsZ_ESd-6KcFIBXPXk1oMznb0nz76udG7P5spUoFT74tsnUNcydtQwyaUHYEDWWaqNNPggZD96Z34AG9134sCCAl9rV6pkw0HAL-_sXyeeqLuDQq2QjI/s1600/FC+-+Isabeau+(large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxDSgwd8V5iwpJ1Ii6RhVvKjgjsZ_ESd-6KcFIBXPXk1oMznb0nz76udG7P5spUoFT74tsnUNcydtQwyaUHYEDWWaqNNPggZD96Z34AG9134sCCAl9rV6pkw0HAL-_sXyeeqLuDQq2QjI/s1600/FC+-+Isabeau+(large).jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.de/Isabeau-N-Gemini-Sasson-ebook/dp/B00MW8VL2E" target="_blank"><i>Isabeau will be released in the German Amazon store on Oct. 14th, 2014 by Amazon Crossing.</i></a></b><br />
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine
how exciting it would feel to discover that many years after you’d written a historically
based series of novels that several of the people you’d written about were your
very own ancestors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For
weeks after I saw the movie <i>Braveheart</i> in 1995, my thoughts kept drifting back
to two of the characters: Robert the Bruce, the eventual King of Scots, and
Isabella of France, the wife of Edward II, who later became the King of England.
I couldn’t stop thinking about them and wondering about their role in history. I didn’t know why Isabella and Robert were more fascinating to me than any
other historical figures. They just were. They became like an itch I had to scratch. I <i>had</i> to write about them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
had no clue then what an ambitious undertaking that was going to be – or how
many hours in my day and years of my life it would eventually consume. I became
obsessed with research, taking enough notes to write a doctoral dissertation. I
even went so far as to visit England and Scotland on two different occasions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And
on odd thing happened to me on those trips. Several times, I would stop, look
around me, and get this strange sense that I’d been there before. Like I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">knew</i> this place, these hills, this
castle, that road in the distance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
my books came out on Amazon, readers began to ask if I was descended from any
of the people I’d written about. I honestly didn’t know. I had a family tree on
paper that went back to the 1700’s, when some of my mother’s family came to
America, but that was it. There were some Gordons in it, who I knew were
Scottish. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It
took me awhile to get around to checking further. I began to research my
ancestry online, tracing each branch back as far as I could – and hitting a lot
of dead ends. Sometimes the records just weren’t there, or they’d been lost
along the way. So I’d dabble in the genealogy in my spare time, not really expecting
to find anything notable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then
one day, I traced a Scottish family branch all the way back to Robert the
Bruce. It was absolutely surreal. It made me feel like all those years of
writing in obscurity were worth it. I kept digging and eventually discovered
another line that traced back to English roots. My jaw hit the ground when
Edward III, son of Edward II and Queen Isabella, turned up. Hah. I did have
royal blood after all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve
since had a lot of readers e-mail me to tell me that they, too, are descended from
the characters in my books and that reading about them brought special meaning
to their own ancestry. It thrills me to know that my stories have inspired others
to investigate their own ancestry. I still find it hard to believe that long
after I’d written about Isabella and her contemporaries that many of them were
actually <i>my</i> ancestors. Maybe there was a reason I felt called to write their
story after all?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Until later,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gemi </span></div>
N. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5019340552131325259.post-78189786598952986872014-10-09T09:02:00.000-04:002014-10-09T15:03:49.321-04:00The Positive Power of Readers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDgnbCoCTu45ttYVZgY9DEB1HNPK14DNQwwThxgdfcjZlY7hJ2hqnAg2kKCJaJyTlSsSwuMx8-qBY_0Vz3sVVGix7EHRTmFbTJunf9Z35VEToUR13zqEF6JEmdaVqKSHgS0EXEVSkas9r/s1600/MyBooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDgnbCoCTu45ttYVZgY9DEB1HNPK14DNQwwThxgdfcjZlY7hJ2hqnAg2kKCJaJyTlSsSwuMx8-qBY_0Vz3sVVGix7EHRTmFbTJunf9Z35VEToUR13zqEF6JEmdaVqKSHgS0EXEVSkas9r/s1600/MyBooks.JPG" height="285" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Most readers have no idea how much power they have to affect the literary world. Individually, a reader is like a drop of water. Cumulatively, they can create a tsunami.<br />
<br />
The internet has placed power in the hands of individual readers, but most of them don't know how much they can affect what others will read. Think about it. You trip across a great book on your e-reader, devour it in a few days, then look for more from that author. How many of you use those nifty little icons (FB, Pinterest, Twitter) that Amazon has on the book's page, or at the end of the Kindle book to review the book or share about it with others on social media? Too shy? Too busy? Don't think it'll make a difference? Think again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo6Hq8pWX_K5qKducdRm9nKzTCtC8at4IzECAGZqWNrVE1orRlH1G3R1rZkWnf9S-rBnya7ah_WUL9BGdrvpePEo5cHMNSoABcoNOdGXmyUaUeJhM8TDSs6k5freik8zCyxZr7SDvixNt/s1600/sharebuttons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo6Hq8pWX_K5qKducdRm9nKzTCtC8at4IzECAGZqWNrVE1orRlH1G3R1rZkWnf9S-rBnya7ah_WUL9BGdrvpePEo5cHMNSoABcoNOdGXmyUaUeJhM8TDSs6k5freik8zCyxZr7SDvixNt/s1600/sharebuttons.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
You, The Reader, have ALL the power. YOU MATTER! <br />
<br />
In days of yore, publishers and brick and mortar bookstores determined what books got publicity. Subsequently, those were the books that sold copies. LOTS of copies. Thousands, sometimes millions. How did they determine which books got top billing? Who knows? It came down to the personal tastes of a few individuals and their past experiences with similar books.<br />
<br />
Then along came self-publishing. Many, many times, the editors at the big publishing houses passed on books from unknown authors, books that were too different from what was selling currently, books outside the popular genres. Slowly, readers began to discover these hidden gems through digital publishing. Over time, sales on some of those self-published books began to rival the traditionally published books. New voices emerged. Genres expanded. Whatever readers craved, self-published authors were able to create more of more quickly.<br />
<br />
Nowadays, many self-published (SP) authors make a comfortable living writing what they love. In fact, they get far more per book sale than traditionally published authors, who have to share a portion of a book's earnings with the publisher. But traditionally published books still get the store shelf space that SP authors don't - and that is very powerful marketing.<br />
<br />
But what is more powerful than store placement? Word of mouth.<br />
<br />
Think about it. What holds more sway in your final decision if you're shopping for a plumber: an ad in the Yellow Pages, or a recommendation from a close friend? Aren't you more likely to go see a movie if everyone you know is talking about it?<br />
<br />
So next time you read a great book, tell someone else about it. Click 'share' on FB. Tweet about it. Pin it to your Pinterest board. Talk about it over coffee. Tell people what you're reading and who it's written by. If you tell 20 people, maybe only 2 will go on to buy that book, but if those 2 people tell 20 more, well...<br />
<br />
Even in the digital world, the more a book sells, the more it's seen by fresh sets of eyes. And the more it sells. Until other newly discovered books come along that gradually displace it. <br />
<br />
Momentum builds. Share your enthusiasm about the books you read. Write a quick review. Tweet, post, share, like, pin. Help the authors who've carried you away and brought you hours of entertainment. Make a difference in the world of publishing.<br />
<br />
Happy reading,<br />
GemiN. Gemini Sassonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00561583704477654856noreply@blogger.com0