Quick Catch Up!

The past few months have been quite a ride. The list in no particular order reads as follows:

• one book 2 manuscript done and dusted!
• one book 2 edit complete! Thank you Cathy!
• book 2 beta reading complete! Thank you Carryn and Janet! (Beta reading is when you ‘test’ a manuscript for any bugs it might have, as a READER, not with the eye of a proof-reader or editor. It is a hugely valuable step in any book’s production.)
• three books Beta read for fellow authors (Two for the inimitable Melissa Delport with respect to her new Guardians of Summerfeld series. A fantastic work of escapism with all the trappings of Narnia meets Twilight and a tough as nails female protagonist to boot); and, the other book I had the privilege of beta reading was Amazon #1 Bestselling Fantasy author, Nat Russo’s, sequel to his phenomenal “Necromancer Awakening.” You don’t become a #1 Bestseller on Amazon by chance and it was a real treat to interact with the professional and gentleman that Nat is.

• one Seminar attended as a guest speaker for The South African Writers Circle (Thank you Brigitta and Ginny!)
• one workshop hosted.
• one guest speaker appearance at the Midlands Literary Festival (thank-you Darryl!)
• one magazine interview (thank you Authors Magazine!)
• one online Facebook Book Club co-created and co-administered, The Secret Book Club. Thank you Melissa and Helga! (Look us up on FB and join in the fun! Giveaways, Book Reviews, Author interviews and more.)
• one writing competition judged and another judgeship accepted for The South African Writers Circle’s Annual Short Story competition, deadline at the end of this month.
• one writing blog…a little neglected…sorry about that….

But NOW, what’s happening NOW I hear you ask? I’m very chuffed to announce that my manuscript for book 2 is complete! Cover design is in progress and the Kindle RELEASE DATE has been set for 30 September 2015!

NOW it’s time to crank up the old marketing machine for the next instalment in my Zululand series! Time to GUESS THE NAME! (2 words, you should be able to guess the first!) Post your answer in the comments section below this article on my author Facebook page. First person to get it right gets a free signed copy when the print copies come out!

Clue for the second word: “The oldest prize found in OZ!”

Lastly, a huge thank you to all those who have taken the time to post a review of Zululand Snow on Amazon! Amazon reviews are the lifeblood of an author these days. Here’s why:

After 25 reviews Amazon includes  the book in ‘Also Bought’ and ‘You Might Like’ lists, raising the book’s visibility on the site.

After 70 reviews, Amazon highlights the book for Spotlight positions and it’s Newsletter which is a massive boost for the Author.

So keep ‘em coming! Thanks, all, chat soon!