Raising the bar (code) for authors

All credit to Deborah Macgillivray for sharing a heads-up with me, which I am now passing on in my own words to my author friends.

Apparently, (and quite rightly in my humble opinion) bookstore buyers would appreciate a bit of fairness and equality when it comes to where authors' "Buy" links.

I used to have "BUY" gateway pages, directing would-be purchasers to bookstores in the USA, in Canada, in the UK, in Europe, in Australia.... everywhere in the world. I had so many links, I was afraid I'd look like a spam site!

So, I rationalized a bit. Rather than choose one online retailer over another, I directed my front page "BUY" links to my publishers' sites. That ought in theory to be fair to all, and put my reader en route to the best possible new book price. I still have links for Tesco and WHSmith and Blackwell and Forbidden Planet in the UK, (it seems that in the UK only Book Express or amazon.uk has Forced Mate, by the way) and to Loot in South Africa, and to Krisostomus in Continental Europe, and to my bookseller friends in Australia and New Zealand.


It looks as though I'm going to have to diversify my links to the USA stores, or in the future, my next release may not be ordered by stores to which I've neglected to link.


The recommended format is

NAMEOFYOUR PUBLISHER.COM


BN.COM


AMAZON.com


booksamillion.com


indiebound.org


borders.com





 
For those who would like handy urls to get started, here are mine

For Knight's Fork

BarnesandNoble.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Knight%27s+Fork

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Knights-Fork-Spell-Futuristic-Romance/dp/0505527405/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253970411&sr=1-3

Powells
http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9780505527400-0

BOOKSAMILLION
http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780505527400?id=4539716012475

Borders
http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0505527405

INDIEBOUND
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780505527400
 
I'm also adding Book Finder for my readers' further convenience
 

BOOKFINDER
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&qi=wnk84IMOGAokXNgMRXYuV4QtRgo_9805432161_1:130:1435&bq=author%3Drowena%2520cherry%26title%3Dknight%27s%2520fork%2520love%2520spell%2520futuristic%2520romance




As I think it will be helpful to me, I'm assembling the "All My Books" pages at the same time

ALL MY BOOKS ON POWELLS
http://www.powells.com/s?header=Search+Form&kw=Rowena+Cherry


ALL MY BOOKS ON BARNES AND NOBLE
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=Rowena+Cherry


ALL MY BOOKS ON BOOKSAMILLION
http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=4539716012475&query=ROWENA+CHERRY&where=Books&search.x=65&search.y=10&search=Search

 
ALL MY BOOKS ON BORDERS
http://www.borders.com/online/store/SearchResults?keyword=Rowena+Cherry&type=1&simple=1


ALL MY BOOKS ON INDIEBOUND
http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=ROWENA+CHERRY&x=27&y=8

 
For e-books
 
ALL MY BOOKS ON FICTIONWISE
MATING NET
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b35959/?si=0




 
NEW LINK FOR MATING NET... NOW A KINDLE
http://www.amazon.com/Mating-Net/dp/B002MQYO98/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253970411&sr=1-5
 

ALL MY BOOKS ON JEXBO.COM
E-FORCED MATE
https://www.jexbo.com/items/108 

 
USED BOOK SITES
Abe books
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=ROWENA+CHERRY&sts=t&x=47&y=9
 

BOOKFINDER (a compendium of all US book sites)
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=ROWENA+CHERRY&title=&lang=en&isbn=&submit=Begin+search&new_used=*&destination=us&currency=USD&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr



I hope this is helpful, and makes a chore a little easier.



Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry

Mating Net, the soundtrack

Last Thursday, I drove 40 miles each way to a video recording studio and read every word --all 15,000 of them-- of Mating Net in front of a camera.

If you would like to hear me read this somewhat risque short story to you, please check whether or not these links work.

Part One:
http://lsc.audioacrobat.com/download/5469a230-094f-0354-5d6b-db5b4e884715.mp3

Part Two:
http://lsc.audioacrobat.com/download/e07f641f-cbd7-d71e-db0d-63a1c3d2bd2e.mp3


Mating Net is a prequel for my god-Princes of Tigron series (Forced Mate, Insufficient Mating Material, and Knight's Fork).

Set 70 years before the flurry of marriages and murders described in this trilogy, Mating Net shows how the ambitious young Princess Helispeta split a royal family and started a war.

Mating Net can be purchased as an e-book at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/matingnet.htm


By the way, please vote for Insufficient Mating Material's cover art, title, and blurb here: Award-5-Stars

Knight's Fork wins Most Intriguing Award

For those who have never heard of the New Covey Awards, the site is worth checking out. There is no charge to enter your work, when you submit, you may be wait-listed, but David Boultbee is wonderfully responsive and will let you know when you are "up" and voting for your work is scheduled.

Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry
http://www.twitter.com/rowenacherry

Jumping on the bright blue scrotum controversy

There isn't a "bright" blue scrotum in my book. There's a "glorious blue scrotum". Can you find it?

In this scene, the villain --who is known as The Saurian Dragon-- has decided to convince an alien king Viz-Igerd that his queen is committing spectacular adultery. To that end, he has doctored a radio transmission from the man, Grievous, much as it is alleged Mr John Gibson's remarks were doctored


The Dragon considered. Grievous was a memorable character, and it was dangerous to underestimate an enemy. “The same, I think. But I cannot be positive. Dirty-pink Earthlings all look alike to me.”

“They look like Djinn!” Viz-Igerd agreed, blind drunk. The King seemed struck with the physical similarity. This was not the first time His Majesty had commented. Presumably, the splendid idea of breaking intergalactic law with one of a billion human women had taken root.

“I hope you can still hear me, Your Imperial Highness. I have to say that I would not have thought it of Princess Electra....” Tarrant-Arragon’s man appeared to continue his report without a pause. The editing had been smoothly done. “…There’s no way to put this delicately. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. Bunking… both of them.”

The Dragon narrowed his eyes, watching Viz-Igerd carefully. The re-use of “bunking” had been a calculated risk. It sounded sufficiently like ‘bonking’ for his seditious purposes.

By now, at least three official transmissions were curving their way around the space-time continuum at different speeds, and in different directions, all making reference to Electra-Djerroldina enjoying unlawful carnal knowledge of someone. Or not. The flow could not be staunched. The only sensible course was to goad Viz-Igerd into such a blind fury that he’d never take a rational moment to consider that ’Rhett would be the more plausible lover.

Other auditors would hear accurate versions, of course. And Viz-Igerd’s mind could always be wiped with Djinncraft, if exploratory mischief-making turned out not to be advantageous.

“Dragon! What is a Fust-er-Cluck?”

That one had obviously been festering in Viz-Igerd’s imagination for some moments.

“Where that human comes from, it means an orgy,” the Dragon mistranslated. “That is, various clumsy sex acts performed in rapid succession, with the greatest excesses condensed into a relatively brief time.”

He glanced at his victim. He refrained from discussing how many participants were required for an authentic orgy, as opposed to a Volnoth “Orgy of State,” where only the King copulated with the Queen, although they both watched multiple goings-on. Amusing as it would be to torment His Majesty, he did have to protect his only son. ’Rhett had to survive. He was the succession plan. ’Rhett would be the next Saurian Dragon, and all the sooner—perhaps— if he wanted to avenge Electra.

Yes, the Queen might have to be sacrificed. However, a show trial without a named co-conspirator might be difficult to orchestrate. Fortunately, he’d identified a satisfactory scapegoat in Prince Thor-quentin. No one cared about Thor-quentin.

“I imagine that your Queen and the vigorous young Great Djinn Prince are thoroughly enjoying the rut-rage.” He turned the screw, while gesturing blandly to the hologram, where the messenger was still speaking, and trying to scrape invisible dirt off his footwear. “It would be Electra-Djerroldina’s first rut-rage, would it not?”

Poor Viz-Igerd, unable to control his embarrassment, was displaying his… displeasure to hear that his queen was creatively fornicating her way to Earth. There was some species of primate on Earth—the name of it would come— that had a boiled-red face that turned redder the angrier it got. It seldom had to fight. The facial reddening was threat enough. Ah, yes! The red uakari. That was it.

Then, there was the ridiculous vervet monkey from somewhere on the African continent, which came with a violent red tallywhacker, shown off to great advantage—to those easily impressed or demoralized by that sort of thing— against a glorious blue scrotum. The Volnoth threat-to-mount had nothing on the vervet for sheer outrageous… cojones.

The Dragon discovered that his urbane finger steepling had turned to pantomime- villain hand rubbing, and stopped himself.

“Anyway, Sir,” Grievous continued, “it seems your sister can’t get it off… without… bunking… Prince Thor-quentin…”

“Bun-King?”

“Need you ask?” The Dragon sighed expressively. He’d never thought of phrasing it quite as Viz-Igerd did, and his unruly mind filled with a crinkly bed of lettuce, three kinds of runny cheese, man-handled meat, and all the trimmings.

“…And, Prince Thor-quentin is proving a right bugger.”

“What is a bugger, Dragon?” Viz-Igerd’s voice sounded choked, which was not altogether surprising, given the way His Majesty was twisting the chain of office around his neck, like a panicked Earthling bureaucrat “social” worker trying to loosen a knotted necktie.


This excerpt is from KNIGHT'S FORK by Rowena Cherry


This is the news video mentioning the monkey with the bright blue scrotum. It seems to be a different species from the vervet.

LibraryThing giveaway

There are dozens of books being offered to readers/reviewers on LibraryThing.com but my own modest giveaway of 3 trade paperback quality ARCs of Knight's Fork ends tomorrow, Friday.

http://www.librarything.com/er/giveaway/list
Giveaway

Press Releases and book giveaways

I'm giving away three review copies of Knight's Fork on LibraryThing.com where there is a new giveaway program.

I'm also participating in a month long extravaganza on the Metonia Book Club on Facebook, where authors post excerpts, answer questions, and play around with vignettes.




I just met Bill on Twitter. Amazing info.

Best wishes,
Rowena

Knight's Fork wins AmazonClicks.com Authors' Choice Award

http://www.amazonclicks.com/Allwinners.html

I am absolutely thrilled that Knight's Fork received enough votes to win the award, and I'd like to thank all the authors who voted for Authors' Choice, and all the Readers who voted for Knight's Fork as Readers' Choice (which I did not win).

Thank you!
Rowena Cherry

Does chastity count?

Never in my tamest dreams did I ever imagine that I'd see one of my covers on the same page as a quote by Barbara Cartland.

It happened.

Thank you, Just Jinny. You've got me thinking.

“A historical romance is the only kind of book where chastity really counts.” ~ Barbara Cartland quotes

Does chastity count?

In my debut futuristic romance, Forced Mate, chastity counted. Technically. Royal males tended tended to cheat, but an heir to the Tigron Imperial throne was legally required to take his Princess Consort's virginity at their Mating ceremony.

However, Forced Mate was an affectionate spoof of a historical romance, so Djinni-vera's story isn't particularly interesting as an example.

My next heroine was a widow, and reasonably sexually continent (my editor abhors that expression) more for lack of opportunity than anything else. When opportunity knocked in the buff and ripped form of Commander Jason, whom she took to be a lesser being, totally unsuitable, sexually safe, and deliciously beneath her, she took him to bed, made a video the occasion, and got herself into trouble. A Royal shotgun wedding was the result.

Again, Insufficient Mating Material could have been an historical romance if it hadn't been in outer space.

The heroine of Knight's Fork is an Imperial Princess. She is also a Queen because she is married to a King. Her King is an alien and a lesser being, so he cannot impregnate her. She requires a sperm donor. No chastity there!

However, her choice for a potential stud has sworn a vow of chastity. Sexual chastity. (During poverty awareness week, I learned that chastity doesn't necessarily refer to sexual abstinence. Chastity can refer to absolute respect for oneself and others.)

Carnal chastity matters very much to 'Rhett, hero of Knight's Fork.

What about other authors' fantasies, futuristics, science fiction romances, spec roms, space operas and even paranormals?

Where do we stand? Does chastity count for some of our heroes and heroines? In other words, does Barbara Cartland's quote still apply?

I think editors of pulp fiction assume that in the future, human scientists will have solved all the problems the fear of which keep us chaste: social diseases, unplanned pregnancies, disapproving parents/pastors/presidents... Is there anything else?

Therefore, and rather conveniently (given that sex sells) our heroines of the future can have as much--if not more--zipless fun as the bad boys of history.

I wonder, though. If there's no risk, no danger, no love, no reason--as we understand it--for chastity to matter, will it?

Interjection: they're just playing Viva Viagra on the TV. Why is this issue (is it an issue?) so normal and socially acceptable? What effect will Viagra in our drinking water (you know it is getting there after it's been passed by our water inspectors) have on future generations? Why is there such a burning need for these products (or is there?)

Possibly, it is more likely that in the future there will be new reasons for chastity. I'm thinking of Dune. What a hassle to get in and out of those suits! What a waste of water! What happens if in the future, we are rationed to one bath a month (whether we want it or not)? Perhaps we'd spray ourselves with futuristic Febreeze, and rub ourselves with minty fresh hand-sanitizer.

On that happy thought, I will leave you.


Rowena Cherry
Apologies... I posted virtually the same thoughts on alien romances

The perfect compliment to my mission statement

For anyone who was following the promised countdown, I will do a retrospective on what I should have done. In the meantime, here's a bit of fun. I'm trying out what I call "Contrarian Marketing". I've been on a blog tour (I'll report back on the success of that, too) and I noticed that Savannah had a list, and she said she'd got the idea from someone else.

Those of us who are trying what might be a new trend of truth in advertising are tweaking the idea of a list in different ways. I find it the perfect compliment to my mission statement.

My goal as an author is to give good value. I expect to provide my readers with six to eight hours of amusement, a couple of really good laughs, a romantic frisson or two from the sensual scenes, a thoroughly satisfying Happy Ever After, and something to think--or talk-- about when the book is finished. And possibly some useful information

ELEVEN REASONS NOT TO READ KNIGHT'S FORK

11. Disrespectful words such as tallywacker and joystick are used with reference to male body parts

10. It's long. (Not the tallywacker... well, it is, but I meant the book). Knight's Fork has 340 pages, and most new Chapters do not begin on a fresh page.

9. It has a Prologue and an Epilogue. That's two beginnings, and two endings!

8. It's going to take about eight hours to read.

7. The hero is a 28 year old virgin and proud of it. (He's also ruthless with a weapon of a different sort).

6. The heroine is locked in a chastity belt, and she doesn't have a key.

5. The family tree is so complicated they needed to spread it over two pages.

4. If you read in bed, your significant other might be disturbed by your giggles and snorts.

3. The F- word is used, but only by villains, and only in conversation.

2. If you read it in public, someone may ask why the naked man on the cover is lying in a puddle

1. If you don't read every paragraph, you may ask yourself why the naked man is lying in a puddle


If the above list has not deterred you, please look for Knight's Fork at this convenient location
http://tinyurl.com/KnightsFork

Knight's Fork was awarded a PNR Reviewer's "Top Pick"
also a LASR readers' choice for Best Book of the Week

It's predecessor, Insufficient Mating Material recently won the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival's Romance category.

http://tinyurl.com/Backlist-reviews
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Rowena+Cherry


TEN (AND A HALF) REASONS NOT TO READ INSUFFICIENT MATING MATERIAL


10. Insufficient Mating Material are not words I feel comfortable waving about in front of gentlemen on the bus or train, for instance.

9. If it's about a man with a small penis, I don't want to read that... I see enough of that at home/at the office/on TV.

8. It's going to take about eight hours to read.

7b. I find it totally implausible that a male could have a tattoo on his male body parts... and as for one that flashes in the dark, I'm not interested in the slightest.

7. The hero is a loser. I don't like books that take the antagonist from a previous book and give him a happy ending.

6. I don't identify with a heroine who is a little bit overweight, and who wears a corset (or any other tummy taming garment).

5. The family tree is at the back of the book. I'll be furious when I find that I wasted all that energy trying to memorize the characters' names and relationships.

4. I've heard that if I read Insufficient Mating Material in bed, my giggles and guffaws will annoy my significant other.

3. The F- word is used by the hero both as an expletive and as a verb.

2. If "Survivorman" Les Stroud loved it, there's probably too much information about hunting, fishing, camping, and surviving in the wilderness.

1. Apparently, it contains "a sizzling passion hot enough to singe" my "fingers as I turn the pages".... That sounds uncomfortable.



TEN REASONS NOT TO BUY FORCED MATE

10. I'm told that it's not a bodice ripper, but it sounds like one.

9. PS. I like bodice rippers.

8. It's going to take about eight hours to read.

7. The hero is an alpha male. I don't like books that give male chauvinist pigs a happy ending.

6. I don't identify with beautiful, spirited, young, virginal heroines who have some funny ideas about sex.

5. I can't get my tongue around the Dj- names. I know that I simply pronouce them as if the D isn't there, but all the Ds bother me.

4. I've heard that if I read Forced Mate in bed, my giggles and guffaws will annoy my significant other.

3. The alien hero uses alien swear words. Moreover, his command of English grammar isn't perfect. He says unsense instead of nonsense. I hate that!

2. The spirited heroine uses her wits and her tongue. I can never have enough of heroines who kick the heroes in the goolies.

1. I don't like fantasy books set in England. Or in outer space.



Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com


http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Rowena+Cherry


I think Rowena's true skill is that she weaves this intricate world of aliens and sex just the same way J.K. Rowling weaves the world of Wizards.
~Des DiFabio, bookclubqueen

Countdown pre-empted, normal promo interrupted

Mark your calendars! On October 7th my guest on Crazy Tuesday will be author marketing expert Penny Sansevieri to share two hours' worth of promotional tips, ideas and analysis!

This week has been a blur. On Wednesday, Google Alerts alerted me to this superb review on Romance Junkies.

KNIGHT'S FORK is a page-turner from the very first one to the very last. I enjoyed it so much, after I reached the last page I started right from the beginning again. KNIGHT’S FORK has it all! If you only have time to read one book this season, I highly recommend you run out and grab a copy today.

~Kimberly Leslie

http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/paranormal/Knight_s_Fork.shtml

By the way:
Three other reviews have been posted on Amazon, and the book is in stock, as are Forced Mate and Insufficient Mating Material

I followed the "buy" link at the bottom of the Romance Junkies review out of curiosity, and discovered that Amazon has my book in stock, and was shipping orders. At the time, my own author copies hadn't even arrived!

-----------

Blurb:
What is a queen to do when the sperm donor of her dreams says no?

Carpe Scrotum. Seize Life by the Testicles! The Queen Consort of the Volnoth needs a sperm donor and only one green-eyed god has the right stuff. Little does she know that she has pinned all her hopes on the crown jewels of the fabled Royal Saurian Djinn. Not only is he the son of her greatest enemy, but he has taken a vow of chastity.

Knight's Fork continues the alien romance series of the god-Princes of Tigron, begun with Forced Mate. It takes up right after the grand downfall of my most heinous villain in Insufficient Mating Material, and this time the hero is 'Rhett.

'Rhett has incurred the resentment of his elder brothers/cousins for his more-virtuous-than-thou attitude, his spoilsport interference when they want irresponsible sex with unsuitable partners, and simply because he is his father's only son. They decide that he must be hiding a sordid secret, and they set out to find out who she is.

--------------
Thorough Tara Green's fiction promotions, I will be sharing 5 excerpts from Knight's Fork during the week of September 29th.

Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
http://tinyurl.com/Buy-KnightsFork

Countdown-- day 4 and 5

I've just signed up for the Blogging Day of Action on October 15th!

I was desperately trying to clear my emails which are up to 998 (and rising), and I came upon a posting to a yahoo group (by Marilu Mann) about the day all bloggers turn the internet into a global Think Tank on the topic of Poverty.


I LIKE think-tanks, and I daresay it won't hurt my productivity if I take a day to bend my mind to Poverty. Better here than on Alien Romances!


http://blogactionday.org

From the What It's All About Page:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the
world's bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same
issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a
global discussion.

Mass Participation
From the smallest online journals, to huge online magazines, to EU
ministers, to professionals and amateurs, Blog Action Day is about
mass participation. Anyone is free to join in on Blog Action Day and
there is no limit on the number of posts, the type of posts or the
direction of thoughts and opinions.

http://blogactionday.org




Meanwhile... I haven't accounted for my activities on Monday and Tuesday.

Having sent ARCs to the top booksellers, librarians, and independent readers on Pat Rouse's critical literary opinion maker list, I pored over Pat Rouse's other lists in hopes of identifying booksellers who would really like to hear from me.

That's an imponderable!

I also returned to LibraryThing.com and revised some information about myself, and attempted to enlist some friends (as I had one!!!) from authors I know. I also joined Eons.com and did some trouble-shooting with a spotlight feature.

A wonderfully kind review was posted on LASR, so I thanked the reviewer (which generated some pleasant correspondence) and forwarded the splendid news to my editor, the publicist, and a couple of blogs.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/0808/KnightsFork-RC.htm


I'm being interviewed by Jim Albright for WHBC on September 12th

On Tuesday at midnight, my giveaway on Goodreads ran its course. I am gratified that 346 people on GoodReads signed up for a chance to win an ARC. Today, I am mailing the ARCs.

Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry

Countdown to a book launch

Friday August 15.

Knight's Fork is due to be released on September 30th.

A six-week countdown is long enough for any blog, but I have to say that I think I was snookered before I began.

I'm still sending ARCs to booksellers and reviewers.
In the case of booksellers, I should have been sending advance galleys out six months ago. That would have been February. I don't believe I finished writing this book until May.

I am running a contest. That is the good news.


Maybe the prospect of winning a $25 book token isn't as compelling as I think it should be, but the contest rolls over every month.

I ought to visit my local bookstores and set up a signing... I ought to have done that 3 months before my release date! However, I have to have a press kit ready to take with me.

It's a Catch 22.

Tomorrow, I'll be back with more of what I should do, and what I've actually done.


Rowena

ARC cover for Knight's Fork

This is the ARC cover for Knight's Fork. It's not the cover that will be on the book.

Best wishes,
Rowena