Dark Lady is a mystery novel written by Richard North Patterson. 

 It is a complex story that talks about politics, political corruption, organized crime, big construction  projects,  misappropriation of public money and influential people with some of their darkest secrets exposed.

 Dark Lady is a 'dark' novel. I was particularly disturbed by the masochistic love making scenes and by the vivid description of the mutilation of bodies by a cold blooded killer.

 Patterson's characters are complex, believable individuals with their own secrets that the author exposes to move the story along. By following their life stories, the characters seem real. Their dialogues , both spoken and in thoughts, allow us to see into their soul and understand their motivations.

 The protagonist of the story is a young, ambitious Assistant County Prosecutor, Stella Marz (Marzewski) who was given the nickname Dark Lady by a courtroom deputy due to her "ruthless" cross-examination practices. She has lived in Steelton, a city divided by Onondaga river into the West and East sides beside lake Erie, all her life. 

 Stella was a daughter of the West Side - known as Warszawa - where a wave of Polish immigrants "poor, hardworking, Roman Catholic and largely illiterate" settled in the late 19th century. 

Among those newcomers was Stella's grandfather, Carol Marzewski. He too was offered a job in America by Amasa Hall, a wealthy owner of steel mills, who paid his workers as little as possible and became rich in the process.  

This is how Stella remembers stories about the early settlers and her ancestors.

 At twenty-three, Stella Marz,  decided to leave her parent's home, unwilling to accept a life of poverty and enduring abuses by her old-fashioned father (Armin Marz), whose loss of job left him "unemployed and bitter." 

She landed a job at the Jack Novaks's law firm in Steelton city. Wealthy, influential, attractive at his thirty eight years of age, Novak offered Stella a refuge from poverty and family unhappiness and supported her law-school studies.  Nothing was given to Stella. As an honor student Stella had worked diligently through college and law school.

 She fell in love with Jack Novak. Her boss. Stella believed she had found a partner at law, a lover who could understand her, only to learn with time that Jack was a troubled man. 

 Not only was Jack Novak the lawyer of the ruthless Mafia head Vincent Moro, who paid Jack well to bribe whoever could be bought in the Police and the justice department in Steelton county, but Moro practically owned Jack. That and Jack's strange sexual fantasies aided by use of drugs and third party either watching or part-taking in sexual orgies, made Stella decide to leave Jack Novak and his firm.

 As his gesture of good will, Novak offered Stella his help in getting her a job as the Assistant County Prosecutor working for Arthur Bright. Stella proved to be a great lawyer and having passed the Bar exam, her ambitions grew as well.

 Arthur Bright was the first African-American ever elected Prosecutor of Erie County. It was he who had eventually made Stella Head of the prosecutor's homicide unit.  Bright aspired to become the Mayor of Steelton city, which was the reason he entered the 2000 Mayoral race. Stella's ambition to become the first woman elected Prosecutor of Erie County depended on how successful Bright would be in defeating the current Mayor, Thomas Krajak, who was running for re-election.

 To replace Bright, Stella needed his endorsement. Bright, on the other hand needed Stella to campaign for him in the Warszawa among predominantly white and racially biased voters. Both have devoted much of their professional life to a fight against drugs, demanding and enforcing tougher, stiffer sentences, more education and better treatment facilities. 

 Thomas Krajak, the current Steelton's Mayor, believed that his ticket to re-election was to build the baseball stadium. The $ 275 million project that he named "Steelton 2000" would benefit not only the biggest local developer, Peter Hall and his company Hall Development, but also every other contractor, as well as the city itself.  According to the agreement, Hall Development would share any savings in construction with the city. The city will benefit from new tax revenues from jobs created as well as sales of baseball and concert tickets, All-Star games and other events. That was Krajak's pitch in "selling" the Steelton 2000 project to the voters.

 Krajak needed Peter Hall on this project. Peter unlike his heartless, former steel baron grandfather Amasa, was very respected in the business community and popular in the county. He was a graduate of prep school and Princeton and with guaranteed career in business and the fourth generation of inherited wealth, Peter Hall entered the Steelton 2000 project not only to earn more money and have the stadium for his "Blues" baseball team but also to attract more businesses to the city and create more needed jobs.

 To coordinate the business and to overlook the payments to contractors and subcontractors, Peter Hall hired Thomas Fielding as the project supervisor for Steelton 2000. 

Thomas Fielding was totally devoted to his job of checking and certifying that the compliance goals are being met.  The agreement between Hall Development and the City guaranteed Steelton 2000 thirty percent of the work performed by the workers of minorities. The minority general contractor was a company called the Alliance Company.

 After thirteen months working on the project Steelton 2000, Thomas Fielding was found dead. His Maid found his naked body in the bedroom of his townhouse next to a dead black prostitute, named Tina Welch. He died of an overdose of heroin. 

 Only a few days later another dead body was discovered. The Chief of Detectives, Nathaniel Dance informed Stella Marz of a homicide - "a big one". A unanimous caller alerted the police. Jack Novak was found hanging from his closet door. He wore a garter belt, stockings, and a pair of black high heels lay where they had fallen from his feet.

 In search for motives and subsequently for the killer or killers of Thomas Fielding and Jack Novak, Stella discovers a dark secret of the County Prosecutor's Arthur Bright. A hidden tape in Jack Novak's home, discovered by Stella, showed a drugged Arthur Bright wearing a garter belt , stockings and a pair of black high heels while being pleasured by a prostitute.  The tape also showed another person killing the prostitute after the act.

  Arthur Bright was blackmailed by the mafia head Vincent Moro to support Steelton 2000.  Moro ordered Jack Novak to do the "convincing" part. Jack Novak understood the consequence of failing to get Bright to comply. Bright did not agree and consequently Novak was executed. The way Novak's body was mutilated was a warning to Bright.

 Stella suspected that Moro was involved in the Fielding's murder as well. Only this time it was Mayor Krajak who demanded of Peter Hall that Fielding continue signing the performance reviews of the Alliance Company's subcontractors. Fielding refused to sign the bills and review performances when he realized that there was no Alliance Company; that it existed only on paper and that the city was robbed of millions of dollars. Fielding was convinced that the money was going to someone with whom Mayor Krajak had an agreement with. Krajak informed Moro of Fielding's refusal to cooperate. Fielding was found dead soon after.

 The killer of Fielding and Novak was the man who was seen killing the prostitute on the tape, an old school buddy of Vincent Moro, a senior police officer Johnny Curran. Moro gave the execution orders personally to Curran, who in turn completed them.

 The only killing that police was able to pin to Moro, was his killing of Johnny Curran during the last secret meeting between them.  Curran was wearing wiretap.

 As for Arthur Bright, the County Prosecutor... Unable to cope with the prospect of having his dark secret exposed and the shame he would bring onto his family, Bright commits suicide. 

 Dark Lady is not Richard Patterson's the most acclaimed novel. But it is well written and makes one think about social and moral issues connected to political decision-making in our daily lives.

 Richard North Patterson has written fourteen bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, Patterson served as the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups dealing with gun violence, political reform, and women’s rights. 

Dark Lady (424 pages) was published by The Ballantine Publishing Group in 2000.

Children love to spend time with meaningful adults in their lives. As a matter of fact, spending time with your children could be the most important thing you do, to help your children reach their maximum potential. According to the January 2015 National Geographic Magazine article: The First Year, a baby's brain is affected by the amount of love that they receive.

People who researched babies brains went to the child's environment, their home, with a checklist. One of the questions was, do you have at least 10 books at home. Children who are given positive attention may be more prone to higher IQs.

The article further discusses: do you hug and kiss your children, answer their questions, praise them, have an affectionate voice? Your children's physical brains are being wired according to your direct interactions with them.

Love is the most powerful gift that you can give your children. If you, as a parent, did not receive love as a child, it might be hard for you to give love to your child. Do not fear. There is hope for all parents. "God is love," 1 John 4:8. Turn to the lover of all our souls, and seek His face. He is infinitely interested in every aspect of your life. He can and will change you and your children to be all that He created you and your children to be.

Kimberly Yoghourtjian

Author of "Emily Explores the ABC's of Salvation

Announcing EMSA Publishing’s very first ever Fabulous First Lines Competition!

The first line of a novel is incredibly important in that it sets the tone of a novel, establishes point of view, and hooks the reader. Here’s your chance to see how your novel’s first line stacks up.

The Rules:

• The Fabulous First Lines Competition will be open to thirty (30) self-published and indie-published authors.
• The competition will run throughout the month of August 2015 as follows:
  • August 2 – 8 => voting will take place for the first group of 10 authors
  • August 9 – 15 => voting will take place for the second group of 10 authors
  • August 16 – 22 => voting will take place for the third group of 10 authors
  • August 21 – 29 => voting will take place for the top three winners from each week, with a winner being declared on 30 August 2015
• The prizes:
  • bragging rights
  • a badge you can proudly display on your website
  • your book featured on EMSA Publishing’s homepage slider for the month of September 2015
  • posts to social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Storify) directing readers to a blog post featuring your novel’s cover, book blurb, and author bio

For more information, visit the Fabulous First Lines Competition page.

Writers need opportunities. We give feedback. 

WriterAdvice seeks flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction running 750 words or less. Enlighten, dazzle, and delight us. Finalists receive responses from all judges. First prize is $200. Submit to the 10^th WriterAdvice Flash Prose Contest by April 21, 2015. Complete details at www.writeradvice.com. 

Questions? Please ask. 

How to market to multiple book review websites at once

The K-Instant Dashboard is a powerful online tool that every writer / publisher need to acquire for themselves. It is a do-it-yourself website application that can instantly promote your Amazon books to thousands of readers every time it is used. This web server was developed by Rachal Rofe, a U.C Berkeley graduate with degrees in English Literature and Software Engineering. The playing video above explains everything you need to know about this program.

Even though the K-Instant application is now closed to new buyers, writers who are still interested in this program can take of advantage of it through the Indie Writers Support initiative, which allows any author to apply for the mass promotion with a $10 payment. The I.W.S. staff member will handle the rest, including setting up your book details (the book cover, keywords, synopsis, sample reads, and even your contact email if you choose to) for submission to the associated book-review websites.

Your book(s) will be submitted to these 16 appealing websites immediately every time it is used:

• E-reader News to Day
• The E-reader Cafe
• Pixel of ink
• Indie Book of the day
• Frugal Free Bies
• Free Digital Reads
• Kindle book Promos
• Digital Books Today
• Get Free Books
• Book Deal Hunter
• Its Write Now
• E Reader Perks
• Book Goodies
• Free Book Dude
• Erotica Everyday
• E-Books Habit

Apply for the program at, http://j.mp/1o7wZuA

The video below was illustrated by the owner of the program herself, and it will show you how you can run your book promotions with this program..

That's not all. In addition to having your book added to these great websites, this application also let you promote your book to the twenty-two Facebook groups listed below with one push of button. That's right. All you'll have to do is compose a message about your book that you want posted to these Facebook groups (each with an average of 5,000 members or more) and press send. The book message will post on the Facebook groups' walls instantly.

These are the Facebook groups that you will be able to promotion to anytime and every time:

‘Here they come,’ shouted Raoul. ‘There are hundreds of the bastards.’

Peter looked behind and could see Bonaparte sat impassively astride his horse. Next to him on a handsome grey mare was Citizen Barras. But whereas Bonaparte looked confident, Barras was clearly apprehensive.

‘Hold your fire men,’ bellowed Bonaparte. ‘Let the Royalists fire the first shot. But when Citizen Barras gives the command, don’t hold back. Gun crews; stand to!’

‘Only fire blank case to begin with,’ said Barras nervously. ‘That should drive them off.’

‘The guns are already charged with canisters of grapeshot,’ replied Bonaparte. ‘We haven’t time to reload them now. Anyway, people aren’t that easily fooled Citizen Barras. If we fire blanks, the moment they see there’s no blood, they’ll become twice as bold and I’ll be forced to kill ten times as many. Now; get ready to give the order.’

The mob, meanwhile, continued to advance; slow, sullen and menacing.

‘I can’t,’ exclaimed Barras as his face blanched and his mouth was suddenly dry.

‘Fortune’s a fickle citizen,’ said Bonaparte curtly, ‘just like a woman. Lose the moment and she’s gone. The mob’s almost upon us. Get ready to give the order.’

‘I-I cannot give it…’

‘Then let me give the order,’ said Bonaparte coldly.

Barras gave a hesitant nod.

The rebels were now within musket-shot range. Suddenly a booming voice erupted from within the ranks of the troops facing the Royalists.

‘Disperse in the name of the Convention.’

The answer was a stabbing of flame and puffs of smoke as a ragged volley of musket shots was fired off by the rebels. Peter and Raoul ducked behind the barricades, but several troops weren’t quick enough and spun backwards as musket balls struck home. Moments later, Peter and Raoul sighted their weapons and waited for the command.

‘Fire!’ barked Bonaparte.

Peter’s carbine spat flame and smoke, and he saw his target fall to the ground as a ball caught the rebel full in the chest.

All along the Convention’s defence line, a murderous rolling volley of muskets and carbines delivered a scything blow into the Royalist ranks. Then there were three virtually simultaneous and deafening roars.

Hidden behind a wall of musket smoke, neither Peter nor Raoul had seen the slaughter inflicted by the cannon, but when the thick bank of smoke cleared, they could see the devastation delivered by the eight-pounders. It had been instantaneous and decisive.

Bonaparte’s guns had shredded the tightly packed ranks of the mob. In one dreadful moment, dozens of rebels had been mowed down by cones of deadly shot. The carnage had been swift and brutal. Scores of dead and mangled figures lay sprawled on the cobbles.

Wide-eyed rebels stood behind their dead and wounded compatriots stunned; their charge instantly halted. Then some desperate individuals tried to rally the mob. But as they surged forward again, their rain-sodden Bourbon banners held high, a commanding voice could be heard above the agonized cries of the wounded and dying rebels. In a strident voice, Bonaparte coolly ordered his gunners to load another volley of grapeshot.

‘Fire!’ he yelled.

Cannon erupted once again and men tumbled to the ground like lifeless marionettes. The crowd recoiled in disbelief at the death and destruction delivered by the deadly guns. The cobbles, only seconds earlier slick with rain, were now slick with blood.

Some of the first things new writers are told is to write what you know, and to show, and not tell. Russian playwright and author Anton Checkhov is credited with having said “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass,” underscoring the latter. Showing can be a powerful tool when used with discretion, but all too often new authors forget to do this, preferring instead to paint their word pictures with broad strokes rather than choose a finer brush.

I’ve often written about how writing is a construct, something artificial made to seem real. Everything authors do, from creating and recreating setting, penning plot, and/or developing character and dialogue is not real. Everything about any given scene is there for a purpose; the trick is to add them subtly so they seem happenstance.

To read more, see http://eliseabram.com/glints-of-light-on-broken-glass-the-art-of-showing-in-writing/

Before I self published I did approach some small publishing houses, I even toyed with the idea of Vanity Publishers. Having received the usual rejections letters or no response at all, which I did half expect, albeit the rejections were not of a negative, saying they liked the story, it just wasn't for them. This set me off in search of selfpublishing options as I really I wanted to get my story out there in the big wide world. I initially looked at Amazons createspace for my paperback version and smashwords for the ebook version but after weeks of deliberation and Internet searching I came across http://completelynovel.com, a Print-on-demand platform, who offer a free and paid packages to publish with.

The free allows you to publish and sell through there site and the paid packages allow you to sell through booksellers world wide, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, waterstones etc.

I started out with the free version but soon went up to the mid package and I have to say how I was pleased I am with their service and with the final product once my book landed on the doormat.

My book is now featured on the above mentioned sites and I have recently signed up with Amazons KDP program, of too which I am very pleased as and my book sales, are slowly but surly increasing. And promoting my product has certainly helped, by using the various social media platforms, I feel Twitter has given me the greatest following, although I do have an author page on Facebook, of which I advise anyone to do and in particular get an author page on Amazon if you use it, as this will give your fan base more info on you as an author. As does my webpage and blog site. I have also joined varying communities for self promotion and use some paid services to promote my work too. And off of the back of this, I now have a literary agent currently reading my book, so hopefully if she feels I have something and everything crossed we can work together to further expand my presence. I will keep you posted on how this fairs.

I have one question for anyone that care to answer, now my book is selfpublished can I still approach a main stream publisher?

Academy of American Poets

A price of $5,000 is given annually for a second book of poetry by a U.S. poet that will be published in the forthcoming year. The winner also receives an all-expense-paid weeklong residency at the Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Copies of the winning book are purchased and distributed to approximately 1,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. U.S. publishers may submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages that has come under contract and will be published in 2016 by May 15. There is no entry fee. Visit www.poets.org/awards for more details.

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council - Fellowships and Grants

Individual Artist Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to Minnesota writers, and Career Development Grants of up to $3,000 each are given twice a year to Minnesota writers to persue a specific arts opportunity. Poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age, and have lived in Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, or St. Louis counties in northeastern Minnesota for at least six months are eligible. Using the online submission system, submit up to 10 pages of poetry or 15 pages prose, a description of the work sample, an application, a project description and budget, and a resume of up to two pages by April 30. There is no entry fee. Visit www.aracouncil.info for more details.

Bird Runner Wildlife Refuge

A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction published in the previous year that "illuminates the heritage of America's mid-continental prairies." Authors and publishers may submit two copies of a poetry collection, a short story or essay collection, a novel, or a memoir published in 2014 by April 30. There is no entry fee. Visit www.praireheritage.org for more details.

Loft Literary Center

Grants of up to $10,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in the state of Minnesota for at least one year. Writers who have published no more than two books in any genre are eligible to apply. Using the online submission system, submit 15 to 20 pages of poetry or 20 to 30 pages of prose, an artist proposal, a biographical statement, a preliminary budget, and a resume by April 3. There is no entry fee. Visit www.loft.org for more details.

Passaic County Community College - Paterson Fiction Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a novel or short story collection published in the previous year. Publishers may submit books published in 2014 by April 1. There is no entry fee. Visit www.pccc.edu/poetry for more details. 

Ploughshares - Emerging Writer's Contest

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Writers who have not published a book or chapbook are eligible. Submit three to five pages of poetry or up to 6,000 words of prose by May 15. There is no entry fee FOR CURRENT PLOUGHSHARES SUBSCRIBERS. Visit www.pshares.org for more details.

Poetry Foundation

Five fellowships of $28,000 each are given annually to emerging poets. Writers who are U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 31 as of April 30 are eligible. Using the online submission system, submit 10 pages of poetry, a one-page writer's statement, and a list of publications by April 30. There is no entry fee. Visit www.poetryfoundation.org/foundation/prizes_fellowship for more details.

St. Francis College - Literary Prize

A prize of $50,000 is given biennially for a third, fourth, or fifth published book of fiction. Self-published books and English translations are eligible. Submit five copies of a short story collection or novel published between June 1, 2013, and May 31, 2015, by May 1. There is no entry fee. Visit www.sfc.edu/literaryprize for more details.

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Register to be a member of this lucrative Indie Writers Support Network at http://indiewritersupport.com/?xgi=5L8oWKMvg5p6f5

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 It is a hot Friday night in Lilburn, Georgia and the cool breeze is a welcome relief as it touches my face with a gentle caress…I hear the firecrackers in the far distance popping at Stone Mountain Park.
        Anderson Cooper is interviewing a family member of one of the victims of the Charleston Nine in Charleston, South Carolina. My windows are open and I hear the firecrackers like muted gun shots, and the emotional verbiage from my television in the Cable twenty-four news cycle on CNN and MSNBC. I dare not touch the remote button that would bring up the conservative spin on Fox News…my blood pressure is high enough.
       As I have listened, the last two days about the horrific killing of nine innocent people at a Wednesday evening Bible Study at an AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, the commentators, the experts and the reactions have ignited my emotions faster than any speeding six-flag rollercoaster.
        I admired the family member’s classy forgiveness message to the “Racist Terrorist” and the humble heart-felt response from the killer’s family. I’m still baffled about the response, from the Charleston Judge, and I am working on how I am going to emotionally respond to his remarks at the opening of the hearing of the alleged killer.
        I hear words.
`       I hear responses.
        I hear all this talk, but unless you grew up in the AME Zion Church, you don’t have a clue about the response the faith community is exhibiting in Charleston. Why they are forgiving a heinous killer with love as their love ones lying in an undertaker’s establishment.
      I can hear people asking… they forgive in less than 48hours? The answer is a resounding…yes!
       I grew up in Winder, Georgia at Bush Chapel AME Zion Church that sits on a hill and still dominates the community. My great, great grandparents helped build that 100-year-old stone brick church.
      It was a place of forgiveness.
      It was a place of LOVE!
       Love dominates the church as exhibited by the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what is coming through in Charleston, South Carolina and in every AME Church across America!
       You see small crowds, at services, but you see people dedicated people who love Jesus Christ. I learned early, if you don’t let  love penetrate deep then hate will surface and now you have anger then a reaction that will lead to further violence.
        Bush Chapel AME Zion Church was a place of worship on Sunday mornings and Bible Study on Wednesday Evenings.
         Many Wednesday evenings, in the late 50s and early 60s, I held my       Grandmother Katie’s hand and we walked through the cemetery to the church at the top of the hill for Bible Study. As I looked at the 87-year old Charleston Victims face, I could see my grandmother…I cried.
        Back then, I felt so safe.
        I felt love.
       I also held that same strong hand as we walked through segregated Winder, Georgia to Peskin’s department store or stood in line at the back of Hardegre’s Restaurant, at the Colored Window, waiting for my favorite hamburger with the special sauce, chili, tomato slices and ketchup.
         The last two days have brought back memories…I see the love in the people.
        Bush Chapel AME Zion Church was a place of safety and love that carried us through “Segregated” times in rural Georgia.
        In the summer, the windows were opened for the cool air to come in. We knew that “racist” could do anything, but we knew that GOD was bigger…nobody was ever afraid.
        I know the “Charleston Nine” knew in their last minutes, the GOD of love was with them and carry them home.
        From my Bible Studies, I learned many things, but one of the most important was something from the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 31-8: “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor forsake you.”
         The last few evenings have been full of anguish, but I know that God lives.
          When I heard those responses from the Charleston AME Zion Church family, I could feel what I learned at an early age…Love!
          It was deep!
          It was in the soul!
          It was true!
          It was Christian!!!
         You can’t love or hate at the same time.
         If you hate, you will take up the banner of the Charleston Killer.
        If you love, you will take up the banner of the Charleston Christians.
        It’s your choice?
         May God richly bless the “Charleston Nine” in heaven and their families still on earth?
        The “Killer” must be in our prayers. I was re-taught this principal of “Christian Love:” from the Charleston Christians who spoke today at the court hearing,
        God Bless the person, who killed nine innocent people at the Bible Study, and his family.
          For a Christian, this is what we must do.
         This is our calling.
         May God Richly Bless You!

Amazon’s search relevancy is based on the information that is provided in product feeds, specifically in the Search Terms, Title, Brand, Manufacturer, MPN, and UPC fields.

In the Search Terms fields, sellers are given a choice to provide 5 key terms or phrases. More often than not, sellers choose words that already appear in their Title, Brand and Manufacturer fields. This is not necessary. Amazon’s system automatically includes Title, Brand and Manufacturer when determining search relevancy.

Instead, come up with new and inventive words that relate to the product at hand.

If you are struggling to come up with search terms, contact Amazon Seller Support and ask for suggestions. Or, if your company has a Google Adwords account, use the Keyword Tool to see what the most commonly searched words are for your product. You can then apply these words or phrases to your Amazon search terms – this practice is based on the notion that Amazon’s search pattern will likely be the same or similar to Google’s.

We will like to introduce you Keyword Optimizer Pro; a keyword research software designed to uncover profitable niche keywords in mere seconds, so that you climb your way to the top of Google, Bing, and Amazon's top search results. This tool is FREE for now, but not for long. Download this Unique and Powerful keyword research software at this link; kop-setup.zip (accessible to our premiums and by donations). The activation code is KOP1234. Enjoy.

Our Prime Membership is open to all published writers.

Elite Members of I.W.S will be able to:

• Gain access to our exclusive contents and downloads
• Enjoy a more Professional Networking
• Become a member of our VIP Fan Clubs 
• Be invited to our Virtual Classrooms
• Read Exclusive Reports
• Attend our Special Webinars

You can apply to Join the other PREMIUM MEMBERS at; http://indiewritersupport.com/group/featuredwriters

Editorial copy, such as reviews, is infinitely more credible than space advertising. Here is an article that appeared in the late 1980’s that says it all—better than we can.

Appeared in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 
Good Reviews Are Heavenly In the Crowded Software Field 
By RON WINSLOW Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

BREAKTHROUGH SOFTWARE CORP. paid $6,000 for an ad in PC Week magazine last month to advertise its Time Line software program and received 100 responses. In January, however, a favorable review of the project management program in PC Products magazine generated nearly 900 inquiries, says William Lohse, president of the Novato, Calif., company.

     That's one reason why the hundreds of magazines and newsletters that have sprung up to serve personal computer consumers are so important to software publishers and other computer product manufacturers.

     Market surveys show that word-of-mouth and product reviews are the two most influential factors in a customer's decision to buy software and often a review gets word-of-mouth going. Such big-time software publishers as Lotus Development Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are sensitive to how their products are received. And small concerns clamoring for attention among the 5,000 software companies that issue up to 400 new products a month, would almost die for a favorable review in a leading magazine; they often die without one.

     A review "authenticates your software in the marketplace," says Barry Smith, vice president, marketing, of Lightyear Inc., a small Santa Clara, Calif., software concern. "Not getting attention is a real problem. If you don't get above the noise level, it really doesn't matter how good a product is.

OF COURSE, some software, such as Micropro International Corp.’s WordStar word-processing program, have become dominant products despite critical reviews. Nevertheless, companies often revise marketing strategies in response to what reviewers write about them and their competitors. Magazine editors, meanwhile, must stay abreast of an avalanche of new products while grappling with deadlines, review standards, ethics and a demanding readership— and with trying to beat the competition.

     For magazines, the quest to be first can be perilous. Monthlies, whose deadlines may be three months in advance of publication often write preview news articles based in part on so-called beta-test or pre-release versions of a product. A year ago, editors and industry analysts were impressed with an early version of an Ovation Technologies Inc. product touted as the first integrated software package. Personal Computing featured Ovation on its cover last July. But before the magazine hit newsstands, Ovation suffered setbacks and the software never came out.

     To avert similar embarrassment, many magazines clearly tell readers when articles are based on beta-test products. Editors may check the financing of start-up companies before giving exposure to otherwise promising products. And it is industry standard that new products aren't formally reviewed until they are on retail shelves.

IN LATE 1983, Byte magazine alienated many readers with its practice of publishing "product reviews" written by the manufacturers themselves. Byte used the articles in part to provide technical insight into new products, but Byte readers grew worried that the magazine "wasn't on their side," says Philip Lemmons, the current editor. In an editorial last March, he apologized for the magazine's insufficient "zeal in purging promotional material from certain articles" and other mistakes and reaffirmed Byte's editorial independence, Byte still runs manufacturer-written articles, but their purpose and authorship are clearly explained.

     Some magazines also have established guidelines aimed at providing fair reviews and ensuring integrity. Rory J. O'Connor, senior editor of InfoWorld, has written a 60-page manual— unavailable to manufacturers—to make sure his 30 free-lance reviewers apply the same standards to the products they write about. He requires writers to disclose to him any financial interests they have in high-tech companies to avoid conflicts of interest.

     Meanwhile, software publishers play to and react to the reviews. Microsoft added cursor control keys to Word, a program for Apple Computer, Inc.'s Macintosh computer after reviewers commented that writers don't like using a mouse to work with text.

MICROPRO RECENTLY held a press briefing to "reposition" its Wordstar 2000 program as a "new" product aimed at a "new market." InfoWorld, which considered the product an upgrade of the original Wordstar, had criticized it for being slower than Wordstar and for difficulty in converting Wordstar files for use with Wordstar 2000.

     And Ashton-Tate Inc., a Los Angeles software company, changed the shipping date last year of its Framework program to coincide with the release of Symphony, a similar product by Lotus. The strategy almost backfired when Ashton-Tate missed its new deadline, but it recovered in time to generate a flurry, of Framework vs. Symphony showdown reviews, nearly all of which Framework won. “We took full advantage of the (computer) publications with that," boasts an Ashton-Tate spokesman.

     Lotus says it is "quite satisfied" with Symphony's sales despite the unenthusiastic reviewer reception, however. Indeed, Symphony currently outsells Framework by five or six to one, says Robert Lefkowits, an analyst with Cupertino, Callf.-based InfoCorp.

     But Lotus plans to handle the press differently with the pending release of Jazz, a Symphony-type program for the Macintosh. Reporters seeking to review Jazz are being asked to attend a training class later this month, a spokesman says, to get "an understanding of the product and a perspective in which to review it."

     That doesn't bother InfoWorld's Mr. O'Connor. He plans to give Jazz to a reviewer who doesn't attend the session. "The buying public isn't going to be going to one of these briefings," he says.

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Taking time out, especially when travelling, focuses the imagination upon the passing trivia, amongst other things, and the potential in that as well as the challenge of the less mundane when it presents itself. I refer to trains sometimes in my stories, because I like travelling in them I suppose. I love their sedate rhythm and pace, even high speed seems to relax one into silent reflection. A mini encampment of reticule and essential items within easy reach,I travel light, is a comforting reminder of self-sufficiency and the welcome prospect of an unencumbered continuation to the journey. Room to stretch imagination and limbs. These self-imposed limitations facilitate wider opportunities to observe and contemplate. Extracting a mood out of which to create the next sentence, or catch a new idea for a title and theme.  

 As the hours eat up the miles I think of the different accounts each fellow traveller might give, Chaucer like, on the move, to lessen the load of that potentially wearisome predicament.  Then I lapse into the luxury of closing my eyes and drifting into sleepy momentum where the thoughts tumble and retreat and images come to mind.  On opening them again, now rested, the view from the window has changed. It’s a long journey.

This is where the sight of the spontaneous juxtaposition is for me a thrill. A limping grey tabby, suddenly moving quite quickly, in spite of its disability, along the detritus and graffiti adorned walls of the back of a block of flats, as the train reaches the near edges of the next urban mass.Here we will interrupt the miles and make a connection underground. Another set of possibilities. At what point do we meet the characters in their day? They speed past inside the crowded, metallic containers, our eyes meeting and parting fleetingly, before the shapes disappear from view into the dark. Full of short stories and anecdotes, sometimes poetic gems, like small films, made in focussed frames and concentrated space. These players exit too soon and the moment is passed. But an expression and stance remains with me which I will hold on to.

Another screen appears to be deciphered anxiously, and the crowd, waiting to be connected, using time until the sign to join their chosen carrier appears, suddenly surges towards the point of imminent departure. Carriage, seat, high or low? The perspective and position start to work on the imagination again.   

I have an idea as I watch the woman, sitting underneath the image of a sleeping mobile phone, rushing to find her phone, which is ringing loudly, emphatically. She fumbles with embarrassment and is amused at the same time. What does this tell me about her and the menage she is part of, or apart from?

All is at peace once more and the reflection, on the ceiling, from the seat in front, gazes at me because I seemed to find something amusing. Our reflections meet, I turn away and imagine what someone else must make of my reactions.

Suddenly the landscape changes and the houses become familiar, standing rectangular and light in isolated groupings which will soon become larger settlements and eventually a reason to leave this temporary, scenic route.

Watching the exits and entrances as the train waits, the platform is wet,but the people seem at one and in quiet acceptance of it. The glass lift propels them heaven wards and we move out. Time to collect my thoughts and hope I remember what entertained and perplexed. I wrote some of it down, but held the rest at bay as I wanted to mull it over.

The air is cooler than usual as we step out and the mood calmly serious, unflustered and functional.

Three men walk ahead in automatic conversation, their accents different,their gait sympathetic with each other’s. They are in their own story which might have begun as ours had, earlier on in the day, but in another place with a different course to run. They are intent and edgy as they turn off the main drag and disappear, without turning. I have another idea to conjour with, new dynamics to explore and define, an entrance for that fleeting expression of fixed bewilderment which passed by as I stood, waiting for the right connection.      

Telling The Stories of Those Too Often Ignored

Throughout the past four years I have met many people, now friends, who for various reasons are, or were, homeless.

Antonio, slept on a park bench and was beaten, had his teeth kicked out, for no other reason than his choice to sleep outdoors. He is a small, gentle man who has a phobia about enclosed spaces.

Craig, slept on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. I saw him every morning,  was never sure if, when I lifted the corner of his sleeping bag, I would find him dead or alive. Sometimes, he confided, he would have preferred never to awake.

Joy,  fell on hard times. She slept behind a dumpster in back of Starbucks. I saw her with blackened eyes, bruised legs, cracked ribs, cut and swollen lips. I usually see her sitting on the sidewalk 'panning' for change.

I can't do much for these people except to show them love, compassion, an ear to listen, perhaps a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. I want to do more. To know them is to love them. What was seen cannot be unseen.

I am  writing an account of their daily lives. Identities and locations have been changed to protect the usual suspects. My book, Gotta Find a Home: Conversations with Street People, is published by Karenzo Media.  I thank publisher, Karen Silvestri for helping to realize my dream. Release date was June 4, 2014.  All profits will be used to support those forced onto the streets and the Ottawa Innercity Ministries, Street Outreach Program.

Purpose: OIM’s Street Outreach teams come to walk alongside the poor and homeless in the downtown core. Volunteer teams provide relief provisions, pastoral care, crisis intervention and referrals. Street Outreach is the main component of OIM’s work. Through Street Outreach our trained volunteers meet men and women living on the street, create trusting relationships, and can work to filling both physical and personal needs. Last year (2012) OIM connected with 7,672 individuals on the street in downtown Ottawa, 2,735 of whom were youth.

The Red Vests If you see two or more people walking down the street wearing a bright red vest with the OIM logo on it then you have run into one of our mobile outreach teams! OIM’s Street Outreach volunteers are out meeting with people and handing out snacks and toiletries six days a week. We have teams on the street Monday to Thursday nights (7pm – 9pm), including late Wednesday (9pm-Midnight). Additional teams are out during the day on Wednesdays & Saturdays (10am-1pm) and Thursdays & Fridays (1-3pm).

My readers often ask, “Are you Gus LeGarde?”

I laugh and tell them, “Hardly. Gus is a much better man than me.”

I genuinely mean it when I say it. But is it really true?

When I started writing the LeGarde Mystery series, I wanted to base Gus on my father – a wonderful Renaissance man and a talented pianist/music professor. At the time, he’d just passed away from cancer, and I was overwhelmed with grief. The idea of starting the series as a testimony to him was appealing, and it provided some great therapy.

Dad and I were a great deal alike. We both nurtured huge gardens, cooked, and loved kids and dogs. So, as I began to write, particularly in the first person POV, Gus ended up being a lot like me.

So, am I Gus LeGarde? And is he a better man that me?

Gus and I are very much alike. So much so that my friends always think it’s me in the stories, and I often get asked questions like, “What was the name of the book where you and Camille went to Europe with Siegfried?”

We do look alike. We have the same wavy dark hair with silver sprinkled at the temples. The same hazel eyes. The same shoe size. But he’s twenty pounds thinner and more fit than I am. Hey, I’m allowed to dream, right?

Gus and I grow expansive gardens, cook lush feasts for our families, adore our grandchildren, and dote on our dogs. We’re good husbands, and responsible citizens. We live in big old houses in the country, and are crazy about nature, particularly the Genesee Valley and Finger Lakes regions of upstate NY. We love to ride horses and love to swim. We devour mysteries and read in bed before going to sleep.

However, Gus can run for miles without getting out of breath. He can hold his own in a fistfight, lucky devil. I get winded if I jog for more than a half mile, and I’ve never been in a fistfight in my life. Call me a pacifist. I’ve always used words better than fists, I guess.

Gus can play a flawless Chopin etude without even looking at the music. His artistry is perfect, his skills precise. I struggle through the simplest Chopin waltz.

Gus is drawn to trouble, ferrets out the villains, and fights to uphold honor for the common good. I struggle to get through my day to day existence and only write about courage and upholding justice. I sure believe in it, but I don’t really participate, do I?

Let’s talk about church. Gus is a better parishioner than I ever was, even when I regularly attended our local Methodist church. He’s on all the committees; plays organ for church services when needed at local nursing homes and prisons, and is an outstanding parish leader. I used to do some of that, until the committees took up far too much of my writing time and we lost the best pastor we’d ever had. I became discouraged and let the organized religious part of my life go – especially when my grandchildren moved in and going to church meant losing precious hours with them. Right now, they’re foremost in my life. I know God understands. ;o) And I will go back to church when they’re older and life settles down a little. I miss it.

Wait just a minute, now. Gus has a lot more time than me, doesn’t he? Hmmm. There may be something to this line of reasoning. He lives five minutes away from his job where he teaches music at the local university. I drive 35 minutes each way to work, twice a day. That’s a lot of driving. After he teaches a few classes a day, he is free to hunt scoundrels and investigate evildoers to his heart’s content. I’m stuck at work at least eight hours a day.

Now I’m starting to get jealous. Which is really sick, since he’s my own invention.

Gus also has Siegfried, his gentle giant brother-in-law who chops his wood, mows the lawn, feeds the livestock, and cleans out the horse stalls. Wow. Gus really has it easy. No wonder he has time to chase down the villains!

I’m warming to this angle. Let’s see…

Gus has another advantage – Mrs. Adelaide Pierce! I’ll admit, I always wanted the “real” Mrs. Doubtfire, and I invented Adelaide because I longed for her in my own life. During the weekdays she shops, helps with the grandkids, does mountains of laundry, cooks meals, and cleans the house. Sigh. Those jobs fall to me most of the time, since my wife is disabled. And I do lovingly care for my sweetie pie, bringing her meals, monitoring her meds, and generally loving her a whole lot. We both weave chair seats on the side, to make extra money. Hey! There’s something Gus can’t do!

And I just thought of one more thing. I take photos. Some of them are nice. And Gus doesn’t have a clue about photography. He’s got a good eye for art, but he leaves the photography to his adopted father figure, Oscar Stone. But Oscar’s a better photographer than me. He’s published coffee table books galore. Wait a minute, let’s not get off on that tangent.

The next time a reader asks me if I’m Gus LeGarde, I might hesitate before spouting my usual answer.

We really are one and the same soul – with a few minor perturbations. His thoughts are my thoughts. When he mourns his first wife, I tap into the feelings of fear and grief I experienced when my wife almost died, when the threat of her demise hung over our family. When Gus mourns his father’s passing, it’s my grief he’s feeling. He cherishes his grandkids like I do mine, with the same fierce sense of adoration and protection I feel toward my little pals, Julian, Gordie, Isabella, and Christopher. And when he picks his sun-ripened tomatoes, or his juicy plums, or his aromatic basil, he’s raiding my garden. Each meal he cooks has been my real-life creation, and every book he reads I’ve read.

And there’s one important fact here we must address…I created Gus. He wouldn’t have “life” it it weren’t for me. Ha. So there!

It’s an interesting relationship, this author/character thing. Kind of crazy. And impossible to ignore. Now that I’ve analyzed it to death, though, I think I’ll get cracking and let Gus take me on another mission. ;o)

copyright 2015, Aaron Paul Lazar

***

To read more about Gus LeGarde, please visit http://www.lazarbooks.com.

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, thrillers, love stories, and writing guides, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming releases, THE SEACROFT: a love story and DEVIL’S CREEK.

One of our facebook group members has suggested that we could get to know each other face to face. I think it's a good idea. As we are all in various parts of the world, it would be a good idea if we know how many people are in the same location and have the same interest. As a first step, please check the box that you feel best explain you. Thank you all.

MUST BE A FACEBOOK USER TO PARTICIPATE.

Many self-published writers have to find ways to market themselves nowadays if they still want to remain in the game. Writing alone is a full-time job, but having to do the marketing by yourself, makes it an overtime job. In today's lesson, I will show you some helpful websites that can bring daily customers to your published book.

Book auctioning websites attract millions of debit card owners every hour, and most of them are looking for valuable items to buy / own. EBay is the largest auctioning website in the world right now, and its service is not restricted to authors who were willing to market their own autographed books to buyers.

Auctioning off your published books online is fairly easy to do, and may require that you (the author) have many copies of your own books handy and ready to ship out to buyers. Any published author may order copies of their own books directly from their published at a fairly cheap price, of at least 50% off. These self-marketing authors may then market their own books at the local venues and invites, thereby doubling their earnings on every book, and gaining experiences with their readers who may thereby become permanent fans.

Self- marketing is no longer shameful practice, and Author J.R.R. Tolkien had proven it since way back in the early-mid 1900's when he self-published and marketed what are now his world renowned books.

Before I give you the auctioning websites that may increase your daily book sales, I want to give you one last advice pertaining to the pricing of your book at the websites. For instance (and for safe practice), if your book's original price is $21.00, and you can get a copy from your publisher for only $6.00, then it will wise if you start your bidding for the sale of the book (autographed or not) between $15 to $20, this way, you will attract more buyers, your effort will still be profitable, and you'll receive instant incomes (mostly through PayPal). The final bidding price for your autographed book may even double if the buyers are very eager enough to have the treasure (book) in the hand.

List of free Book Auctioning Websites:

• WebStore.com
• SpreadmyAd.com
• Kijiji.com (as known as eBay Classified). Very effective.
• Auction-warehouse.com
• ePier.com
• vStoreAuction.com
• eBay.com
  
• Craigslist.com
  
• SpecialistAuctions.com
• Hoobly.com
  

To generate more buyers to your book-auction-sites after they are created, you may freely post the website URLs to I.W.S network, or published them as wall posts on Amazon Book Clubs. Every book adverts on Amazon Book Clubs instantly streams on Readersbooks.info and I.W.S to expand their views. Every twitter posts with #IndieWriterSupp also streams on I.W.S and Readersbooks.info for the free reading public.

Tellers of Tales

A traditional ballad singer sings within the framework of the ballad form, and an experienced and skilled performer uses techniques of improvisation, decoration and emphasis, where it is appropriate and which may emotionally transcend the boundaries of the form in the experience of the listener. The ballad often includes a repeated line, which is in itself a powerful technique and accentuates the accumulating drama of the piece.

The tune also can be sparse, yet its cadence is often emotionally expansive as the singer articulates and describes the action. Action that might be murderous, magical, funny, heroic, tragic or erotic. Long or short, spoken or sung, the telling of the tale is a skill which requires practice and imaginative integrity. Voices in the tale are not static and the writer’s, speaker’s or singer’s voice, at its best, orchestrates and brings them to life with a subtle empathy. Finding voices and bringing them to life is a vast subject and I will develop this theme at some other time.

Knowing one’s form, and the techniques within that form, intimately, whether as a singer of tales or as a writer of them, is something essential to the ease of telling the story and how comfortably it is received. One’s readers and listeners love to suspend disbelief, be moved and involved with the lives of the characters, care about them and carry the atmosphere beyond the ending. Think of that profound silence which exists at the end of a great performance, leaving the audience still attached to what has gone on and in mutual harmony with its components and their effect and weight. This is a palpable response and something a teller, or writer, of tales should seek to evoke.

Rigour and discipline within the form allows freedom of imagination if one recognises that possibility, however, over prescription, within rigour and discipline, produces weightless and lifeless pages and empty renditions. An over emphasis upon the obvious as opposed to a creative pathway towards one’s conclusion.

Imagination is a marvellous human attribute and we all have it. It marries well within form and content and at its best creates an elegant truth, communicating succinctly and with emotional integrity to the audience.

Jenny Dunbar