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Sarah’s Tomato Pie

Geri Clouston
Foodie Lit: A genre of novel and memoirs filled with food stories and recipes Each month, I’ll share the magic of a good foodie lit read and one of its recipes. Cooking and recipes in books take us into the mind of the character or narrator and brings us into the book’s kitchen to see, smell and share the lives within. ​Or I’ll take a good read and, with the author, find a recipe to pair with it! Either way, here’s to cooking and reading together! Susan  the indieBRAG Food Sarah’s Journey by David Beasley Review and Recipe by Susan Weintrob Her father and later her half-brother were her masters.  But family ties did not free her nor guarantee fair treatment. Sarah’s situation worsens, becoming so horrific that she fears for her life from her step-brother-master’s brutality. Sarah Kinney Lewis, born into slavery in 1790, finally escapes to Canada in 1822 with three of her children. "I heard a school librarian in Simcoe mention that a student wrote an essay about a slave who had a son by the town’s richest merchant and that their son became one of the richest men in NYC.” Thus began David Beasley’s research on the life of Sarah Kinney Lewis, born into slavery…

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Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Spotlight, Food for Thought, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World , , , ,

indieBRAG Cover Crush: Deadline by Jessica James

Bob Clouston
I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover. Latest B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree!   He’s a relentless homicide detective. She’s an uncompromising journalist. Neither desires to work together—but they’ll never uncover the truth alone. Landing a front page headline isn’t why reporter Caitlin Sparks is investigating a string of suspicious deaths connected to the U.S. State Department. She has a personal stake in finding the killer. Detective Blake Madison has a connection to the murders too, and will risk anything to uncover the truth. But a journalist is the last person he’d rely on to help him solve a crime—especially one whose trail of evidence leads back to him. Joining forces becomes essential as the body count continues to grow. Someone powerful doesn’t want the truth to come out—and will stop at nothing to make sure no one talks. On the run with nowhere to turn, the couple devises a plan to expose the killer. The risk is great and the chance of success small, but the ultimate outcome is something neither…

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Bloggers, Book Spotlight, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

indieBRAG 2017 Cover Contest Prizes!

Geri Clouston
                             The Grand Prize will include the following items, with an approximate retail value of over $1000.                           Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes.   Cover will be featured on the indieBRAG Homepage      Cover will be featured on the indieBRAG Facebook Page Cover will be featured on indieBRAG Twitter          Audio Book Radio One Hour interview, book excerpt reading       WordsAPlenty  - Editing of new book or re-editing (Value over $400)  Beta Reading (Value $75)    Silverwood Books Publishing  -  Publishing Package including the following:  12.5% discount on the Silver Service Package (Value $300) 12.5% discount Publishing Service Only Package - for authors with their own ISBN and that prefer to manage their own distribution and sales (Value $240)   Providence Book Promotions  -   1 free book blast (Value $125) on either: Partners in Crime Tours (for mystery & suspense genres) or Providence Book Promotions (for all genres)   Chill With A Book  -     Free Submission for one book (Value $20)     Layered Pages  -  Interview, review with…

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award winning books, indieBRAG 2017 Cover Contest, indieBRAG News!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World , , , , ,

Ingredients In Story-Telling That Impact A Reader’s Imagination

Bob Clouston
Writing a story is an art in itself. Creating the right setting, the perfect characters, plot, believable dialogue and conflict. With those blended ingredients are what makes a story impact the reader’s imagination, mind and heart. The most important aspect of story-telling is to draw the reader in your character’s world. How are the stories written to do this and how does one make it work? Today, award winning B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree J.D.R. Hawkins shares with us her expertise on this. Stephanie: What are the steps in creating a setting for your story? J.D.R. Hawkins: Since I write about the Civil War, the settings are historically accurate. In my first book of the Renegade Series, A Beautiful Glittering Lie, the setting starts in Montgomery, Alabama, the first capital of the Confederacy, and moves with the story to various battlefields. I also chose an area in north Alabama as my protagonist’s hometown, so the story goes back and forth between north Alabama and Virginia battlefields. Stephanie: There is a fine line between creating a visible backstory and a hidden backstory of your characters. What are the steps in balancing it out? What should you not do? J.D.R. Hawkins: Because I have…

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Authors' Chat, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

indieBRAG Cover Crush: Days of Sun and Glory (The King’s Greatest Enemy #2) by Anna Belfrage

Bob Clouston
I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover. -Stephanie M Hopkins  Days of Sun and Glory (The King's Greatest Enemy #2) by Anna Belfrage Synopsis Adam de Guirande has barely survived the aftermath of Roger Mortimer’s rebellion in 1321. When Mortimer manages to escape the Tower and flee to France, anyone who has ever served Mortimer becomes a potential traitor – at least in the eyes of King Edward II and his royal chancellor, Hugh Despenser. Adam must conduct a careful balancing act to keep himself and his family alive. Fortunately, he has two formidable allies: Queen Isabella and his wife, Kit. England late in 1323 is a place afflicted by fear. Now that the king’s greatest traitor, Roger Mortimer, has managed to evade royal justice, the king and his beloved Despenser see dissidents and rebels everywhere – among Mortimer’s former men, but also in the queen, Isabella of France. Their suspicions are not unfounded. Tired of being relegated to the background by the king’s grasping favourite, Isabella has decided it is…

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Bloggers, Book Spotlight, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , , ,

A message in a dream. A face in the mirror. A race against time …

Bob Clouston
  Selkie Moon is a woman on the run. In a mad dash for freedom she’s escaped her abusive husband to start over in Hawaii. But her refuge begins to unravel and she’s running from something else entirely. A voice in a dream says: Someone is trying to kill you. Not that Selkie’s psychic, no way. But the threats escalate until she’s locked in a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious stalker. Should she keep running? Or can she piece together the clues before time runs out? Read more Wow. Such a clever mystery, and equally hilarious, sexy, and entertaining. Cheryl Schopen, Readers' Favorite I loved the clever layering of mythical past with present day reality. A thriller with depth that's really different. Annie Welsh, Top 500 Amazon Reviewer A first-rate psychological thriller with finely wrought characters, a tantalizing puzzle and just a touch of romance, all delivered with the sights, sounds and marvels that are Hawaii as a background. Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite Magic Happens Usually by Accident I used to write children’s books – over fifty of them. Then I started to write my first mystery thriller, but a series of strange events heralded the…

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Authors' Chat, From Fact to Fiction!, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion

The Bowes Inheritance Antagonist

Bob Clouston
Join us in welcoming author Pam Lecky to indieBRAG today. Pam previously was a guest on Layered Pages to discuss her male protagonist in her award winning book, The Bowes Inheritance and today she is talking with us about her antagonist. Pam is an Irish historical fiction author and a member of the Historical Novel Society. She has a particular fascination with all things 19th century, from food and clothes to architecture and social history. Her debut novel, The Bowes Inheritance, was published in July 2015 and has since been receiving excellent reviews. She is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion and was recently named as a ‘Discovered Diamond’ Novel. Last year it was short-listed for the Carousel Aware Prize (CAP) 2016 and long-listed for the HNS 2016 Indie Award. It achieved ‘Honourable Mention’ in the General Fiction Category of the London Book Festival Awards. Pam, what is your Antagonists name? Jack Campbell. He is from an Irish Ascendancy family and takes up the Fenian cause in England in the 1880s. He masterminds a bombing campaign in the north of England (based on fact but he is fictional). What are two emotional traits your antagonist has? Jack is very bitter about his past and how he was…

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Authors' Chat, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

The Fifty Shades of Grey Effect

Geri Clouston
    I love a good historical romance!  I think reading Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters fueled that love at an early age.  As most of us know, there is a big difference between romance and erotica but, that line is being blurred.  Yes, it is still possible to find a great romance that doesn’t share the intimate sexual acts of the characters however it is getting harder.  This isn’t always a bad thing.  The wild success of Fifty Shades of Grey proves that there is a huge audience for graphic sex.  I am finding that many, if not most, of the historical romances now have graphic sexual content.  As long as it is a good story and well written, a reader can just flip through the sex if they are offended by it and not lose the story or the ability to share in the intimacy of well written characters. But here is the problem I have seen all too often- The sex seems to be added JUST to titillate and not to add to the story.  It often breaks the mood, stalls the story and this lowers my impression of the ability of the author to convey…

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award winning books, Book Marketing, Book Spotlight, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, Romance, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , , ,

Creating a story is an art-a new series!

Bob Clouston
Writing a story is an art in itself. Creating the right setting, the perfect characters, plot, believable dialogue and conflict. With those blended ingredients are what makes a story impact the reader’s imagination, mind and heart. The most important aspect of story-telling is to draw the reader in your character’s world. How are the stories written to do this and how does one make it work? I have created a new series to discuss this matter on behalf of indieBRAG. If you are an Award Winning B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree, we would be delighted for you to participate in this new and exciting series. Please contact me at layeredpages@yahoo.com for further information and to set a post date. We would love to hear from you. Thank you! Stephanie M. Hopkins indieBRAG Team Member

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Book Marketing, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The World of Reading, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

Traditionally published authors are not your enemy!

Geri Clouston
Self- Publishing vs. Traditionally Published - let the war begin! Self-published authors are not competing with other self-published authors but ALL authors. Once a book is available for sale, it must be up to the standard that readers expect from all good books. You rarely get a second chance for a good first impression!  Once you put out a book that lacks professionalism, readers will be less likely to try your next book.  This can be a very difficult hurdle to get over. Traditionally published authors are not your enemy.  Most traditionally published authors don’t have any advantages that you can’t achieve. Traditionally Published books are: Edited by the publisher Cover art is done by the publisher Some help with promotion is provided- most is expected from the author unless they have high sales. Lower royalty payments Self- Published books are: Editing is provided by the author Cover provided by the author Promotion done by the author Higher royalty payments. If a SP author pays for professional help, they will probably come out about equal in money made. Doing the work requires time and money but the author maintains complete control- something that is often very important. The self-publishing community…

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award winning books, Editing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , , ,

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