Archive for July, 2014

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Blog Tour Schedule for Klepto Cat Mysteries

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Here’s my blog tour schedule for July 21 through July 28. To remind you, this tour focuses on my Klepto Cat Mystery series. In fact, Brenda Castro at WV Stitcher, a blog about reviewing, and stitching, is devoting every Monday this month to the Klepto Cat Mystery series. She posted her original reviews for Catnapped, Cat-Eye Witness and Sleight of Paw July 7. This week, she is featuring Undercover Cat. Read her review here: http://www.kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com. Monday, July 21, Brenda reviews my latest Klepto Cat Mystery, The Colony Cat Caper and July 28, I will be guest blogger at her site. I’ll giving some never-before-divulged insight as to why I write what I write and how I come up with some of the Klepto Cat Mystery stories and cat personalities I feature.

July 22, Laura Thomas will post a review for The Colony Cat Caper at her site, FU Only Knew. And she’ll post my guest blog focused on my writing path—what led up to my creating this successful cozy mystery series. Be sure to visit Laura’s site next Tuesday. http://www.fuonlyknew.com After having established a forty-year career writing nonfiction, why did I decide to try my hand at writing a novel? It’s a rather interesting story. You don’t want to miss it.

Wednesday, July 23, I’ll be sharing a recipe with Anna and her blog visitors at http://www.cozymysterybookreviews.net. She’ll also post her review of The Colony Cat Caper.

July 24, one of my cat characters, Dolly, a formerly feral kitten will be guest blogger. You don’t not want to miss this. Be sure to check in at http://www.mochasmysteriesmeows.com

July 25, Michele at Miki’s Hope will post her review of Sleight of Paw, the third in the series. http://www.mikishope.com I think I’ll provide something special for you at my own blog that day, as well. My theme is a surprise, even to me. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe Rags, the kleptomaniac cat, will join us and give us some hints about the next book in the Klepto Cat Mystery series. http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog

Monday, July 28, as I mentioned above, I’ll be guest blogger for Brenda Castro at Kitty Crochet.

Whew, it will be a full week, and a fun one. I hope you will make a note on your calendar to join me and my fun cats for the journey.

So how does one go about setting up a blog tour? I thought you’d never ask. Tomorrow, I will give you some insight. As for me, I make all of the arrangements on my own. But, guess what? There are services that will do it for you. I’ll bring some of them to light for you. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, order your Kindle copy of Catnapped, Cat-Eye Witness, Sleight of Paw, Undercover Cat, and The Colony Cat Caper today. You can get the first three listed in print, as well. http://www.amazon.com. Type in a title or “Klepto Cat Mysteries.”

Posted in Announcements, Book Promotion | No Comments »

Why YOU Should Go Digital

Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

I hope you noticed I’ve been away for a while. It’s always nice to be missed. No, I haven’t been lounging on some exotic island watching gentle waves leave foam bubbles on a white sand beach. I’ve been helping a fellow author to achieve his publishing dreams. Yup, I spent the week editing a 100,000-word manuscript.

Now I’m gearing up for another book tour featuring my latest Klepto Cat Mystery, The Colony Cat  Caper. I’ll post the schedule as soon as I have it etched in stone. But I can tell you that we’re going to have some fun. Dolly, a kitten fairly new to the series, is going to share some of her thoughts and experiences. (The cats in my stories don’t typically talk, but they do occasionally participate in blogs.)

I’ll be sharing a recipe—now that’s a first. And, of course, the blog hosts will post their reviews of The Colony Cat Caper and some of the other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series.

In the meantime, I have to tell you the mysteries continue to sell like I never expected. I am having such a good time and I hope my readers are, too. The first in the series, Catnapped, has collected 71 reviews, many of those I generated through my own promotional efforts. But the majority of them, I believe, are due to the great job Amazon does in promoting books for their Kindle Direct Publishing authors.

If you have a novel, consider bringing it out through the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program at Amazon and see if it will become as successful as my little cozy mysteries have been. How successful? I’m consistently selling between 50 and 130 per day!

Yeah, you can go to your page at KDP and check the ordering activity daily. And if you decide you want to produce the book in print, as well, consider going with CreateSpace. They’re easy to work with, do a good job, are prompt, AND you don’t have to ship books ordered through Amazon. CreateSpace fills your Amazon orders for print copies on demand.

http://KDP.amazon.com

http://createspace.com

 

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The Plot

Monday, July 7th, 2014

How do you go about discovering or creating the plot for your novels? Do you have a plot in mind before you start writing? Does the storyline miraculously develop as you’re writing? Does your plot change numerous times before you’re finished writing? In my world, it’s a mix of all three.

Yesterday, I finally fleshed out the basic plot for my latest cozy mystery (number 6). I had one in mind, but it needed struts—you know, something solid to build from. After working on this book for a couple of weeks, not knowing for sure where the plot would take the reader, I got up at 2 yesterday morning and had it figured out before lunch. (I took two naps yesterday afternoon.)

Does the story work now? Not quite. There are still many questions that need to be addressed, issues that are out of place, inconsistencies, improbabilities… But these are the things I’ll conquer in the next several go-arounds.

Is Cheryl’s character believable? Would Savannah actually react that way in this situation? Should I give Michael more to do in this story? And what about Rags (the cat)? Do I include him enough to satisfy and delight my readers who choose my books because of the cat action? Is it time for another wedding? Have I caused readers to care enough about this couple for a wedding announcement to matter to them? Is the activity around the crime tame enough for a cozy, but gnarly enough to generate excitement—to evoke emotion?

Those of you who write fiction already feel that sense of responsibility to their readers. Those who don’t might be surprised at how seriously novelists take their stories and how much we focus on the end reader. Do you know who helps us to write a better story—to stay true to our readers? It’s the reviewers. Any novelist worth her (or his) words will listen to peer and professional reviewers.

Sure, some comments are downright ridiculous (“You used too many single-syllable words,” “The dog’s name is stupid…”). It’s our job to weed through comments by mean-spirited people and those who got up on the wrong side of the bed the day they read your book. But the author who does not pay some attention to comments from reviewers is the author who might not experience the level of success they desire.

I’m Patricia Fry. I write nonfiction books for authors and a series of cozies with cats called the Klepto Cat Mysteries. All five of my mysteries are on Kindle at $2.99 and three of them are also available in print. That’s Catnapped, Cat-Eye Witness and  Sleight of Paw.

I would love hearing how you work out the plots for your stories.

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The Swinging Author

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014

No, this post isn’t about authors who engage in…ahem…extracurricular activities. Today, I want to talk about authors who write across the genres.

Most serious authors seem to write either fiction or nonfiction. They strive to perfect their writing in one category before ever tipping their toe in another. Some never do cross over from nonfiction to fiction or vice versa. Yet, I’m noticing that more of us are. And in my circle or acquaintances and colleagues, it’s from nonfiction to fiction.

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have been writing nonfiction (how-to, informational) books and articles for a very long time. Now I’m writing fiction as well. I know several others who have followed a similar path. And it seems as though these are the authors who are experiencing the greatest success.

My success with the Klepto Cat Mystery series is beyond my wildest expectations. These cozies are selling like crazy. From what I observe about my colleagues who have shifted from long-term nonfiction-writing to fiction, they are also doing exceedingly well.

Why? Perhaps it’s because we’ve put in the time. We’ve honed our writing skills; we’ve established a style. We understand more about the publishing field than the newbie author. We know how to navigate the industry. We know the value of and the psychology of marketing. We understand the importance of exposure. Since we are already embedded in a writing-related career, we know how to manage our time, how much time and energy it takes to promote a new product, and we’re wired to do what it takes.

I’d like to shine a light on a few authors I know who are parlaying their writing/management talents and skills into other areas and experiencing success.

Susan C. Daffron just came out with her second novel. She’s engaged in a blog tour as we speak. Be sure to stop over and learn more about her new venture. http://www.susandaffron.com/blog-tour-chez-stinky-june-9-july-7 Susan is the author of two romantic comedies—Chez Stinky and Fuzzy Logic. I’ve read the first—just downloaded the second to my Kindle. Can’t wait!

C. Hope Clark is now also writing fiction. The third in her Carolina Slade Mystery, Palmetto Poison was released this year. Also check out Low Country Bribe and Tidewater Murder. I’ve read the first two and really enjoyed them. And it’s not just me, look at her collection of reviews. Impressive! Hope announced in her newsletter this month that her stories are being looked at by someone in the film industry. You go, Hope!!!

I’d love to hear from other nonfiction authors who are doing well in the world of fiction.

 

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