Posted on by Alexie Linn

Join My Reading Journey: Special Edition Newsletter

A Special Edition and a Sore Head…

That’s SPECIAL EDITION and a Sore Head from thinking… not Sorehead from being crabby.

Why do I have a sore head?

Because I must confess. I confess that gathering subscribers on a mailing list is not my strong suit. I need more treasured readers on my subscribers list.

Without subscribers, I have no readers. If I have no readers, why am I writing and publishing books? If I don’t author books, how will you know how fun characters and life can be?

So, to inform and entertain you, I must gather subscribers. The education gauntlet has been thrown down.

I did it. I picked it up.

I need to gather a group of enthusiastic, cherished readers.

Are you curious about the writing process? Do you want to know when super-duper book opportunities pop up? Opportunities like free and discounted books. And saving authors from brain burps…

That’s what this Special Edition of my blog is all about. Saving me from my brain burp and enhancing your escape time at no cost to you.

With my confession made for the world to see… What’s in it for you?

If you’re a writer in waiting, you’ll be inspired and entertained by subscribing to my delightful newsletter!
If you love captivating, insightful, and joyous books, you should subscribe. It will wonderfully enhance your knowledge. It will fill your life with limitless joy and excitement!

You will not regret subscribing to my little newsletter… ever. I will never ever share your name without your express permission. And I will never flood your inbox with gunky, no-account stuff. I don’t have the energy for such antics. I have quirky characters to ramrod. Which brings me to the cherry on top…

In return for your 3-second, or less, investment of time in subscribing… I will give you a 100% free exclusive novelette eBook. And more fun stuff to come… but not everyday.

This short book is the prequel to the Sally the Loner Series. It’s called ‘Come for Coffee with Sally’.
Click the Cover to get it FREE today! It’s a Magic Link.

It reveals a taste of Sally’s 87-year spunky life including some nutshelled mysterious misadventures she’s sweated through.

Can her story boost your courage to plow through the misadventures in your own life? Or, at least, give you a giggle break at how she handles surprises in her daily life…

All these possibilities for free… At this time, the only way you can get this novelette is through this magic link in this post.

I’ll give it to you again… Just click on the magic link to sign-up and see what this 87-year-old feisty lady is all about.

Behind this magic link is a fun, provocative, and interesting read that will cost you nothing but refreshing emotions.

Here’s an excerpt from one reader:

“I am totally addicted. The author has a way of taking a mystery story and making it like you’ve never thought of before. This is totally refreshing … I am definitely now a big fan of Alexie Linn.“

On that note I bid you adieu. And say thank you for stepping up; signing up; and being my protagonist.

Happy Reading

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Behind the Scenes of a Productive Author

Behind the Scenes of a Productive Author

Does this happen to you? It happens to me.

Each time I decide what I want to be when I grow up, a picture comes into my head. The picture invariably is of me (and my team) with the shiny finished product with throngs of people lined up to buy or use that gorgeous piece I’ve created. Cash is flowing. People are jubilant and crying for more…

But is it that simple?

Hmm. Not so much.

I’ve flipped career paths several times over the years simply because of the behind the scenes demands.

Demands like:

  • Graveyard shifts because I’m a morning person. I turn into a pumpkin at sundown.
  • Working with a redneck crew that shun and torment a woman in their midst.
  • Micro managers that must give permission for a bathroom break when it will affect no one else on the floor.

It’s easy to block out the details of what goes into the production of a product. Especially when you have no clue until you get there; having leapt smack into the bubbling pot of goo.

So, in preparation of your leap into becoming a productive author, here’s a peak at what goes on behind the scenes to get a book from thought to publication at Alexie Linn, Author.
  1. The Inspiration:
    • Ask the question. Define the problem that needs a solution. (The reason for writing the book)
    • Who are the characters that have the problem? What is each character’s quirk?Does the protagonist need a sidekick?
    • Make the antagonist 3 dimensional. Why are they so darned antagonistic?
  2. Outline the story — make a gazillion decisions:
    • How does the story begin?
    • What led to the problem?
    • Where is the problem happening? Research places.
    • What are the options to fix the problem?
    • Refine the options with what happens along the way
    • Research the options for suitable fixes
    • Attempt to fix the problem
    • Keep working the fixes until one clicks.
    • Will the chosen venue work?
    • Tie up all the loose ends… or leave them dangle?
  3. Write the story:
    • How much material have you to work with?
    • What’s the slant? What are you selling to whom?
    • Who will be reading it? A pre-schooler or a scholar?
    • Average 5-letter words or 20-letter words?
    • How many chapters? About how many words per chapter?
    • How many total words?
      • Is it a:short story (1,500-30,000 words);
      • a novella (18.000-40,000 words);
      • a novel (40,000-150,000 words);
      • a flash fiction (300-1,500 words); or
      • a nonfiction (25,000-150,000 words)
    • Decide whether to start at the beginning, middle, or end.
    • Look for a publisher (write and submit a proposal) or indie publish (write the proposal for yourself or just skip it)?
  4. Publish the Book
    • Prepare the manuscript for indie publication
    • Write or rewrite the description
    • Select key words or phrases for search engines to snag —  
    • Design the cover
    • Write and arrange for Pre-order ads
    • Run the editing gambit (See Publishing Checklist)
    • Publish to the website with available when date
    • Format the MS for E-book and Print versions
    • Upload to the server(s) – Phew! — Almost done…
    • Prepare the narrator’s version of the manuscript
      • Remove photos and anything else that the narrator should not read or describe.
      • Compile an audition script; including character ages and voice inflections like a stutter, lisp, or an accent.Select a narratorNegotiate a contract with the narrator
      • Upload the narrator version of the manuscript
  5. Promote, promote, promote
    • Order author copies of print versions for promotion and gig sales
    • Schedule book signing and sales gigs
    • Post the new book to social media servers from the website often and frequently
    • Write the blog
  6. Repeat steps 1 through 5

And there you have it. A nutshell peek at behind the scenes of Alexie Linn, Author.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes journey and are now more prepared to dive into the very busy life of authorship.

The inspiration, outline, write, and publish process takes about 30-days for this author. Promotion never ends.

I’ve seen books promising you can do it all in 7-days. And I just opened an email from a homesteading blogger that her 85,000-word book is finally done. Her project took 5-years.

We each work at the speed that best suits us… or that providence allows. The most important step is to keep plugging away at it. Artificial intelligence does it faster. But it will never do it better than you. Strive for perfection, but keep going to the end.

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Here’s 7 Things You Don’t Know About Alexie Linn Books…

7 Things You Don’t Know About Alexie Linn Books…

Or do you?

After about 40 books and a few years, Alexie Linn has her own special routine of idiosyncrasies to produce a quality read. Relatively fast and easy… so to speak.

When she was puzzling out her own quirks, she wondered how much do you really know about the author of the books you read? How do you picture your reading material being written?

Is the author hunched over a monster desktop computer on an antique oak desk in a windowless den? Or is he or she perched at a folding picnic table under the tall pines talking to the squirrels between bits of copy?

Where does the next revelation come from? Is there a method to the writing obsession?

Like any other business, authors set methods and policies to turning out their prose. Although they may not be aware of it for the first dozen, or so, books. But, with time and experience, a modus operandi emerges and a professional is born.

If you’ve read or listened to several Alexie Linn books, you may have picked up on these characteristics of her books. Is this article one of those subtle… or not so subtle… take aways?

Here are the 7 Alexie Linn idiosyncrasies for your learning or affirmation lessons.
  1. The stories are inspired from real events. Because so many stories are told within the stories, it takes a passel of real events to write even one complete book.
  2. Characters are inspired by real people. You could easily recognize bits of yourself or someone you know in the characters that materialize when they appear on the scene. Do you?
  3. 100% of writing is done between the hours of 2 AM and 8 AM. These are the hours when the Alexie Linn brain is in a churning granny gear. The rest of the world is quiet. It’s dark. Intrusions are minimal or not at all.
  4. Every book is a cozy. Alexie Linn believes her purpose is to bring warmth, comfort, and relaxation to you, the reader. Whether you’re stuck in traffic or unwinding in a quiet corner, Alexie promotes upbeat, light hearted optimism for you in every book she writes. But don’t misunderstand. Bad things still happen to unsuspecting characters. Have you lived a mysterious misadventure with Sally the Loner yet?
  5. Every story has at least one subtle… or not so subtle… take away message. Because every story is a learning experience. It might be confirmation that you are not alone. Or poignant situations that you aren’t dealing with at the moment. And the reminder that your own egads moment could always be worse.
  6. Facts are researched for accuracy before they are allowed into a story. As in Book 9 of the Sally the Loner Series, Alexie went on a fact-finding mission to convey accurate protocol of how lawsuits are generally handled. Is that another subtle lesson? Is that information that you can pull out and use in real life… should you find yourself wanting to sue someone – or are being sued.
  7. Methods of getting out of pickles have to pass a ‘possible’ and ‘logical’ test. The most memorable instance that Alexie can recall is the time the protagonist stopped at a convenience store on her way to investigate a hiking trail. The heroine bought a cup of coffee, a snack, and an umbrella stand. She carried the umbrella stand with her out into the woods. When the antagonist appeared, she heaved the umbrella stand at him to knock him out. Really? Hmm. (FYI… not in an Alexie Linn book)

And there you have it. 7 things you didn’t know about Alexie Linn. And now you do. How can you apply these things in your own life? Have you snagged a copy of Sally vs The Marauders: The Case for the Defense?

Cheers,

Aaralyn Rae

An alter ego of Alexie Linn

P.S.  Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks…..

The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog with your email address.

The next easiest way is to click here to follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your listening and reviewing pleasure.

BUT! If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing…

Subscribe to my You Tube Channelto not miss a fun and entertaining Book Trailer. They’re short. They’re mesmerizing. And they won’t waste your time.

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It’s 99¢ Story Day!

>99-cent Story Day! <

The Personal Transformation of Queenie

A memorable life-changing cozy mystery and adventure…

Two women lay sprawled in front of my truck.  They are very dead.  Queenie sits like a statue on the passenger side of my vintage Chevy pick-up looking like the circus fat lady that she thinks she is – but she’s not laughing.  I am on sabbatical in the Kaibab National Forest, feeding my own free spirit with life changing time by myself, much needed and anticipated after my last exhausting coaching case. 

I know none of these women, but the two dead ones seem to have known me because they have magically materialized near each of my camps for a couple of seasons now.  I met Queenie last evening and was simply lending a hand – or, in this case my truck and nutritional expertise – to a woman in temporary need.  Our less than 24-hour kinship was an uncomplicated ‘women helping women’ moment – I thought.

While this could be a wearisome story of murder and mayhem, it isn’t.  It’s the story of how one woman’s life changing personal transformation had a ripple effect in solving a cold case and enriching personal growth.

Who am I, you ask?  I am Joan Freed, the rebel life coach and nutritional therapist.  You’ve never heard of me?  That’s okay.  I keep a low profile intentionally.

My office is wherever my 19′ Wilderness RV is parked – which is never in an RV park if I can help it.

Click here! Use this code at checkout… 7Q5KE

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Guess Who Crashed Dinner… For a Free Book…

Guess Who Crashed Dinner for a free book!

Yesterday morning I rolled out of bed and promptly added my flannel shirt, thermal undies, and cozy socks before even considering making coffee.

This morning I rolled out of bed and added nothing to my lightweight nighty. Why? Because it was still 74° in my tiny house at 2 am!

Did you guess who crashed dinner for a free book?

If you guessed good old dependable Sol, you are correct! What did you win? A free e book or paperback review copy of Book 6 in the Sally the Loner Series.

What else do you have to do to get the book?

Follow my blog on alexielinnauthor.com and Email me your address of where to ship or cyber-send your book and whether you want a large print paperback or e book when it makes its debut in the next few weeks. It’s that simple.

Why am I doing this?

Besides what else can you do when it’s 98° in the shade on April 10, 2023, it’s one step in the launch process of publication.

One step in several, depending on how focused you are on sales and promotion.

This particular publication process started with the pre order sale on Amazon. You can receive all pre-publication sale notices by following me, Alexie Linn, on Amazon.

The launch of the pre-order sale commits me to a stop editing, start formatting timeline to get the completed manuscript uploaded. And it’s free advertising for us writers. Why the heck wouldn’t I do that first?

After the final edits and gazillion formats are finished, I upload the manuscript to Amazon. Then move on to D2D to supply all the other favorite retailers and library services with the story.

The final step is to add the book and more details to my website then share it to social media.

And that’s where Guess Who Crashed Dinner For a Free Book barges in…

From my Alexie Linn Author website, I can spread the word even further.

But why will I give you, on my dollar, a chance to read about Sally’s latest mysterious misadventure? I want to know what you, my peer, liked (or didn’t like) about the story, including the cover.

And, in case you missed the memo, Sally the Loner is an 87-year-old spunky woman who lives in an igloo in the desert. Things just happen to Sally.

All she really wants is to be in control of her own daily life. But is she?

In Book 6, The Sourdough Bakeoff, Sally gets roped into being the named contestant for Bobby, the sourdough kid. As with any good cozy mystery, bodies appear. And a slew of good – and not so good – characters throw wrenches – or is it sourdough — into the contest.

Learn more about The Sourdough Bakeoff here.

But if sourdough is not your thing… see all the Sally the Loner Series titles here.

There are several links to follow Alexie Linn listed below. Opt in to never miss out on what she’s up to in the publishing world.

Your like and share clicks are greatly appreciated. Yet another reason to give you a free quality read.

Happy Publishing,

Alexie Linn, et al

P.S.  Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks…..

Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your listening and reviewing pleasure.

The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

BUT! If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

Subscribe to my You Tube Channelto not miss a fun and entertaining Book Trailer. They’re short. They’re mesmerizing. And they won’t waste your time.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid

Great News! Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid is available in E-book, Print (large print and fine print) and in Audible!

Read it Now at Amazon
Read it Now, Direct from the author
Read it Now at your other favorite retailer
And now… Click HERE to GRAB it on Google Play Books!
sally the loner meets the sourdough kid cover

Description

Sally loves being the boss of everything. She also loves living alone. But now, stuck and in excruciating pain with every effort to move, she asked herself, ‘What is it that goes before a fall? Oh, yeah, PRIDE!’

So, what happens when this spunky, resourceful 87-year-old woman gets sent to an Alzheimer’s care center instead of rehab for her broken hip?

Enter 12-year-old Bobby, who’s losing his own sourdough queen granny to Alzheimer’s. Bobby and Sally are both stuck in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients. The two click like peanut butter and jam.

How this Story Came to be…

Sally, the Loner has been itching to be discovered through the last few books I’ve written. But there was never a place for her because she’s a loner, like so many of us.

Then the day came that cousin Margaret fell, broke her hip, had surgery, got moved to a rehab and lost track of. Nobody knew what rehab she was moved to. And Sally was off and running, writing her own story in the way that characters do.

Buy it Now at Amazon
Buy it Now at your other favorite retailer
Or Buy your eBook Now Direct from the author!

It’s a fun and interesting read… Keep reading for important reader info…

P.S. The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Oh! And another ‘One More Thing’…

I forgot I have a You Tube Channel. It even contains a smattering of videos… including The Video Trailer for Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid. Check it out here.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Genre — Huh?

Genre – What’s Yours?

There’s genre, and there’s categories. They’re the same but completely different.

Category is who it is written for. Who is the person enjoying your story? Is it an adult or a juvenile? A man or a woman? Is it a child or young adult?

Who is the person reading your book?

Genre is the form, subject matter, or style that it is written in.

Such as:

  • Fiction
    • Action
    • Adventure
    • Mystery
  • Nonfiction
    • How-to
    • History
    • Biography

Then there are subgenres. Two subgenres would be ‘Cozy’ or ‘Erotica’. Both are important for the prospective reader to know before they dole out their hard-earned cash for the story. It goes to the value of the entertainment and your reputation.

A Cozy Mystery is generally light, usually includes a recipe or three, and could be a ‘G’ to ‘PG-14’ rating. They are quick reads that don’t like to be put on hold, but great for a distraction in one’s chaotic life.

Erotica, on the other hand, is rated ‘R’ and into the ‘X’s’.

A reader who is expecting ‘Cozy’ and winds up with ‘Erotica’ probably won’t buy another of your bestsellers.

The same goes for one who is anticipating ‘Erotica’ and finds they have to solve a murder or taste a cake.

I argue the genre issue with each new book I write. Here’s why:

The Joan Freed Life-Changing Mystery/Adventure series is – to me – a cozy mystery and adventure. Heavy on the adventure.

I choose Cozy because there’s no vulgar language or explicit sexual scenes. But there have been readers who questioned my Cozy classification. I can only guess at the reason for the question… namely, not every book contains recipes.

The good news is that I get to choose. I say Cozy because my books are just good clean fun mystery and adventure – with a few life-coaching twists thrown in for good measure. You are welcome to share your thoughts on the subject – in a Cozy manner, please. 😊

My aim is satisfied, repeat readers. Get as close as you can to the genre you choose, but be willing to change if you find out you’re in the wrong pew.  I am.

Happy Genre Choosing,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find me, follow me, and get deals on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!