Week #1 on Being a Published Author

Follow that bus! Via Photofunia app

 A week ago yesterday, my debut novel was released by my publisher, Crooked Cat (I still squeal inside saying that). Since then, the week has been A-ma- zing as Craig Revel Horwood would say. And I think Katie Button is becoming a success and here's why . . .

Blink and you'll miss it. #90 ranking

The Adventures of Katie Button is holding its own in the Amazon Kindle charts and as a romance/chick-lit it’s she’s in a tough but very popular category which makes its her progress even more amazing. At one point, a very small point, a blink and you’ll miss it point, Katie Button made #90 in the top 100 in the Literary humour category. (Yes, I did capture that moment!)

Viv and Ralf of Gogglebox fame

I am still, after a week, totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume of praise, comments and shares Katie Button has received. I’ve even had a celebrity tweet one of my tweets! Well, if you’re British and watch Gogglebox then you may be familiar with Viv and Ralf who share the sofa with their daughter Eve and Silent Jay (who sadly, doesn’t take part anymore- did he really take part if he was silent?). I digress. They tweeted my tweet!! That was just too exciting! I think they love Adam Ant. But if it works . . .

The reviews are trickling in and they’re worth the wait. There’s even a review on Amazon US where the lovely person reviewing hasn’t even finished the book yet but felt it deserved an immediate review; a fantastic review at that.

A few of the quotes from reviews on Amazon UK

Notting Hill ad via Photofunia

I’ve been lucky enough to feature on blogs in the run up and during this first manic week. I love talking about Katie Button and the inspiration for her. It’s also meant a fair bit of shares to various social media links. I seem to be spending a fair bit of time finding new ways to get Katie Button out there. My favourite at the moment is a photo app called Photofunia where you can upload your photo to some fun backgrounds. I love the London ones which is the setting for Katie Button. They seem to generate a bit of interest. And because of this, I post more. Sometimes, it feels like I’m spamming. Where is the line between spamming and posting about your work? I can’t help it. I think I’m addicted to those Amazon rankings! Which is awful because it changes so quickly; dropping like a stone one minute then rising like a phoenix the next. But in posting so much, I have met new people, and my social media is growing, and people are reading Katie Button! People are choosing to spend their pennies reading a book I wrote. I'm blown away by this and actually can't quite believe it.

Oh, and there's a real Katie Button out there! A friend stumbled across her on Instagram. She's a chef in America. Which is rather spooky seeing as Masterchef gets a mention in my novel . . .

People who are finishing the book are now asking for more. I know how they feel. When I finished writing it, I knew I wasn’t finished with the characters. There’s still more of their story to come. But right now, I’m just enjoying sharing their story, making the most of my novel being out there. It was my dream to be published and for people to enjoy Katie Button, and I want to relish every second, spamming or not. :-) xxx

Purple sweets along with gifts for launch and prize notebooks

 These lovely people have hosted me and the gorgeous, if slightly ditzy Katie Button. Visit their blogs to find out more as they're all extremely talented writers:

https://thelastkrystallos.wordpress.com/
You'll find dragons, flowers and hot chocolate over on this blog and of course a few words with me.

https://vanessacouchmanwriter.wordpress.com/

My first visit to this blog where you'll find short stories and interviews on the chaise longue.
http://ailsaabraham.com/

My first interview and there was plenty of cake and flying carpets!
http://bullishink.com/

This lovely lady hosted a give away to five lucky readers.

http://www.theworldofkrsmith.com/p/book-of-month.html

I made K R Smith's book of the month! Thank you! K R Smith is a fab writer that makes you think and scares the pants off you! x

http://crookedcatpublishing.com/

And of course my gorgeous publisher who took a chance on me and Katie Button.

Here are all the important links to my novel, The Adventures of Katie Button

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Smashwords

Photofunia with my favourite pic; The Adventures of Katie Button

The Morning After the Night Before . . .

And breathe . . .

Yesterday, I had the most amazing experience as my debut novel, The Adventures of Katie Button, was released to the world ( or at least felt like it). My publishers, Crooked Cat, organised an online launch party, I organised a real party, I baked a cake and even had a short piece in the local newspaper. I appeared on a friend’s blog, another friend offered free copies, and of course there were the shares, the comments and cake. Plenty of cake. Funny how most of it appeared to be chocolate. And of course, lets not forget the boots; purple and glorious!

As successful and fun as the launch party sounds; and it really was amazing, there’s a few things I would do differently.

• Holding my own real party on the same night as my virtual party seemed a good idea. You only have one debut launch day after all. And this should be celebrated to the fullest! But my attention was split. I wanted to interact and join in the fun with my virtual launch as there were many people who made the effort to come, post and comment. I loved their enthusiasm. I loved their wit. I loved that everyone entered into the spirit of the event and got Katie Button. My interaction, into the evening was sporadic because I was interacting with real people at my party. They too got Katie Button. We had purple cocktails,
  
  Katie Button cakes and they kept asking me to do a reading! I ignored that one. I think I struck a balance between the two but I think it may have been even better if the events were on different nights so I could devote my all to each one. Which brings me on to . . .

• I should have been far more organised. In fact, I should be more organised in every aspect of my life. But that’s just me, living in the moment, day to day. Hardly plan ahead or think carefully about said plans (see #1). For example: I left it late to order my notebooks for launch.
  
  A little piece of me died as I pressed ‘confirm order’ when the P&P was more than the actual books! I hardly ever pay p&p. Hubby has Amazon Prime and if shopping anywhere else, I usually spend the required amount to get free p&p. And everytime I check my bank balance, I see that transaction, reminding me of the waste, the disorganisation. Grrrrr. Another example was the lack of thought for baking. I made a cake for work and wanted one for my party. Did I make two at the same time? Nope. I stupidly thought I’d have time on the actual day of the launch. Of course I didn’t. When I got home, I was responding to all the wonderful comments on my launch page. That took some time. And before I knew it, people were arriving. Which brings me to  . . .

• The next time I have a book release, I will try and fit it in during half term so I am not working. As much as I enjoyed sharing my news with my colleagues and the kids, I was missing out on all the fun of the launch. I felt I needed to be there, be part of my own party. interacting with the people who were making an effort. I saw all the  notifications building up onto my phone but was unable to do much about it until I had snatched moments called a break (which isn’t really a break when you’re preparing for the next lesson and marking). Work was brilliant! It kept my nerves at bay ( I lost it a few times, letting out the odd squeal of excitement) and loved the kids telling me their mum’s had already ordered it or were going to. But I was late to my own party (online). How much of a diva am I to be late to my own party!

Gee, this showbiz life style is catching already! Lot’s of love and thank you everyone for making my mixed up, busy, zanny awesome day so wonderful!! xxx

Links

The Last Krystallos, Lisa Shambrook  has an interview with me. She's a fantastic writer and dear friend. Visit her site for a read and to see her books and flash fiction. 

http://crookedcatpublishing.com/ My wonderful publisher where you'll find fantastic authors.

Amazon UK  for my novel, The Adventures of Katie Button

Facebook my author page is growing. Why not be a part of it. :-)

Amazon UK

FlashMob Writes Broken

“This, this is the only thing that dulls the pain,” slurred Cheryl, holding up her glass against the dim, smoky light. The caramel liquid swirled gently against the glass, intoxicating her eyes as it swayed and rolled like waves before she downed it one, intoxicating her soul.

“It’s what caused the pain in the first place,” said Cane, making a grab for the bottle, now half empty.

“You don’t understand. No one does!” she spat.

“Then let me in. Let me help you.”

“It’s too late. I’m broken, Cane. The day I got in that car-”

“Stop! We know what happened. You served your time. I don’t know why you keep on hurting yourself like this, hurting me. I already hurt, Cheryl. I lost a son that day too.”

An unwelcome silence hung heavy between them. She knew Cane hurt. She knew she caused it. Why did he think she drank? Every day, she woke up to see his sallow face etched in pain, his dull eyes devoid of seeing any beauty especially when he looked upon her. The one who took from him the most precious, innocent gift. The pain tore at her from the inside out, gnawing and gnashing as it feasted on her being.

“I’m going to bed,” Cheryl said, tipping over the chair as she clumsily got up. She swiped the bottle from the side as Cane could only look on.

The sound of the bottle plonking to the floor made Cane get up from the settee. He sighed, knowing Cheryl would be done. But he still loved her; somewhere deep down, he loved her. Every night he had to remove the bottle from the floor or bed.

“Hey, Baby,” she murmured. “Look, watch the colours paint,” she said. “It’s so pretty.”

From the door, a shaft of light swept across the floor towards the bed. Cheryl lay on her front, her head hanging over the bed, her long dark hair hiding her face. Her bare, pale arm moved ever so slightly as her finger twirled and stirred. It was then Cane noticed red. Lots of red. It ran down her arm, pooling on the wooden floor where her finger swirled, mixing with the spilt caramel liquid.

“I  . . . feel  . . . no  . . . pain,” she whispered, before her finger hung motionless.

382

Written for FlashmobWrites hosted by Cara and Ruth

Choice of prompts: "fit the pieces back together" or/and "watch the colours paint" 

  

The Adventures of Katie Button by Me, Lizzie Koch, is happening!!!!

Back in Feb 2012, I started my blog. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I first wrote about a disastrous journey home. All I knew was, I wanted to write. Then, quite by accident, I stumbled upon Five Sentence Fiction and thought I’d have a stab at it. 

My very first Five Sentence Fiction Wicked

The reaction from the community of writers to my piece inspired me to write more. Friendships blossomed too. I loved this new world of flash fiction!!

In November, 2012, a few writers were taking part in NaNoWriMo so I investigated and thought I’d take part. National Novel Writing Month is a challenge for 50,000 words in 30 days. And, The Adventures of Katie Button was born.

Now, I’m preparing to share Katie Button with you all . . .  in less than 3 weeks,  thanks to my publisher, Crooked Cat Publishing . Exciting times!! But a little nervous.

The launch date is Friday June 12th and I’m having a little online launch party (on facebook) of which so many of you have said you’ll come!! Yay!! Some of you have asked 'what the heck is an online launch party?' Well, it’s a place where you can drop in throughout the day to share and enjoy the launch of my book, leave comments and eat virtual cake! And of course, purchase, read it, and let me know what you think!

With that in mind, I thought it about time I share the blurb with you.

Thank you, all for your support. And I look forward ( I think) to your reviews . . .

The Adventures of Katie Button by Lizzie Koch

What it's about in a nutshell . . .

What happens when your dreams collide with reality?

Katie Button doesn’t believe in soulmates. When charismatic Jack Masterson asks her out on a date, despite him being her new boss alongside his more aloof brother, James, she agrees.

But her romantic dreams about a dashing highwayman, heroic gladiator and Tudor Lord are becoming more frequent. And, more worryingly, they feel real. She remembers every detail, every touch, every kiss. Until she realises the man in her dreams is James.

But Katie doesn’t even like James. And what about Jack, who is whisking her away for sexy mini breaks in the here and now?

Katie knows she needs to put an end to her dreams before they ruin her life.

But how?

Available June 12th

Amazon
Smashwords

Thursday Threads I Just Killed A Man

Here's the story that won a HM. xxx

“I just killed a man,” Nancy said, flatly.  

    “That’s what I thought you said,” replied Karen, digesting the words.

    “It still doesn’t seem real, even when I say it.”

    “But why? How? Who?” Karen blurted.

    “The lodger. He refused to pay rent, refused to leave. I couldn’t get him out. I wanted him out.

    “There must’ve been another way? I mean, to kill someone? Are you insane?”

     Nancy shrugged, turning her back on Karen as she prepared dinner. It was her only choice. She was sick of seeing him strutting around like he owned the place, like he owned her.

    “How did you do it?” Karen asked, sipping her wine, hoping it would calm her.

    “Stabbed him,” she replied, turning back to Karen. “Actually, with this knife.” She placed a basket of crusty bread on the table. “It made a bit of a mess. But I’ve been wanting to remodel that room for ages.” She noticed Karen looking ashen and wide eyed. “Oh for goodness sake, Karen. I’m not going to hurt you. You know what he was like! You didn’t have to live with him.”  She slammed down the casserole dish.

   “Sorry,” whispered Karen, resting a hand on Nancy’s. “It’s just a shock to hear.”

   Nancy served up dinner and watched Karen eat.

   “This is delicious! But, before we move on, can I just ask, what did you do with him?”

    A smirk crossed Nancy’s face. “Let’s just say I don’t mind having him to dinner these days.”

249     

Written for Siobhan Muir's Thursday Threads 

FlashMobWrites #03 Fall Out of the Atmosphere

I was left for dead.

Clawing my way through mud, I dragged my broken body through the decay of the forest floor. This was not my day to die. A hole in the ground was no place for a sorceress to rot. But I bled like any human. My strength and spirit seeped out in the blood oozing from the gash in my head but I pushed myself forwards, snagging a fingernail on a root and ripping it clean off. Pain scorched my body, paralysing me to the floor.

Maybe this was my time to die. Submitting easily to my fate, I closed my blood sodden eyes.

When I awoke, darkness surrounded me. I lay for a while, adjusting to the night as a cool breeze dulled the burning pain. I’d stopped bleeding. My strength was returning, I felt the energy tingling in my fingers, healing my fragile shell. Magic coursed through my body. And my mind turned to revenge.

Making him suffer would be easy. How was the tricky part. Being a sorceress opened up so many ways.  I had to choose carefully as I wasn’t his only victim but I would be his last. Begging with his last breath, on bended knees, he would eventually fall. Out of the atmosphere, a shooting star blazed across the indigo sky, interrupting my thoughts. It died just as suddenly as it appeared, leaving the night empty. That’s what I would do to him. Leave him empty. Leave him in a state of permanent darkness to match his heart. Leave him with the nightmares of his victims’ last moments, playing over and over in his tortured mind. Leave him broken, screaming out in pain, screaming for me to end his misery, begging me to let him die.

He would never die.

He would never live.

Eternal darkness waited for him. His soul would be nothing more than a black hole, consuming his body from within.

323

A new flash fiction challenge to get stuck in to. Flashmobwrites, hosted by Ruth Long and Cara Michaels. 300-500 words and a choice of prompts.

Cara: 'leave the evidence far behind'.

Ruth: 'fall out of the atmosphere'.

       

Thursday Threads wk 159 Maybe You'd Like to Give It a Try

A Honourable Mention for this little story. 

Huddled close to the fire, Ella watched as Conor placed their skewered dinner carefully on top. The flames licked at the flesh, hissing and crackling as fat dripped down. It had been three days since they’d eaten a proper meal, three days of scavenging, three days of walking, hiding and killing.

Killing.

Technically, the Infected were already dead so killing wasn’t quite true but you never ignored an Infected. That’s how you lost people. Ella shivered.

“Reminds me of the bbqs we used to have, although the choice of meat was better,” he laughed.

“It’s not funny.”

“You gotta lighten up. This is the new world now, you eat what you can. Gotta stay strong.” He turned the skewer. “You have to at least try it.”

“Maybe you’d like to give it a try but I’m not. I can’t believe you’re going to eat it.” Ella turned away as Conor slid the meat off the skewer, tearing the hot flesh with his fingers. Bile rose, burning her throat, at the sound of Conor’s chewing, her appetite for even the meagre berries now lost.

“Are you sure you don’t want some?” Shaking her head, Ella sipped some water, thinking back to the days of Sunday roast; a simple roast chicken with all the trimmings. It turned her stomach. She would never eat meat again. “Shame, it tastes just like chicken.”

229
Written for Siobhan Muir's Thursday Threads over at The weird, the Wild and the Wicked

Judge, Tina Glasneck
Tina says: The Cannablism story was dark, just like I love a story, and I couldn't help but wonder what got them to that point -- and I also wondered if they were eating the flesh of other humans, who'd they'd killed or actual zombies, and infected meat.