Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Saturday Broadsheet — your weekly update on all that is happening in my writing life.
Writing News
I started my writing sessions this week by spending some time researching a few things for His Irreplaceable Belle. Mostly, these were visual inspiration items and picking character names.
As of this moment, as I write this post and before I get to my writing time today (if I get to it), I have only added one more chapter to the story, which brings me all the way to chapter two. 🙂
However, I am going to post the first chapter of that story here on my blog on this coming Tuesday. It’s already uploaded and just waiting to be released. And yes, that makes me nervous to start posting a story when so little of it has been written. Hopefully, I will get another chapter written tonight (although it’s looking doubtful), and a couple more chapters written next week, and then, I will feel more relaxed as I will be several weeks ahead. (I’ll also be able to get back to writing Kitty’s story then, too.)
Along with a bit of writing and research, I have also been super busy getting things ready for a couple of promotions. If you read my Friday Feature post yesterday, you already know about these things, but I am going to repeat those promos here anyway.
- His Beautiful Bea (ebook) is FREE in the Kindle store until January 14, 2020.
- The price of His Darling Friend (ebook) will be $0.99 USD (with other prices also reduced) starting Monday, January 13, 2020, until Friday, January 17, 2020.
The only other writing news item I have for you this week is that I have an Austen Authors post this coming Tuesday, which will be about Her Secret Bea and will include a giveaway of one copy of the ebook version of this story.
Publishing News
Her Secret Beau (ebook) is currently on preorder and will release on January 21, 2020. The print edition will release earlier because I would like to have the two editions linked and the page count corrected before the actual release day.
This book is the third book in my Touches of Austen Series, and it is best enjoyed when you have read the other books in the series first. This is why the other books have promotions. They are also in Kindle Unlimited so if you have a KU subscription, you can read them there for “free.”
You could possibly read this book as a standalone, but I think that there would be some references to previous events and people which might seem confusing without knowing what has happened with those characters earlier in the series. This is especially true in this book because the heroine, Grace Love was part of books one and two, which is why I recommend reading them all — and again, this is why I have promotions going for those books.
Kindle Unlimited Changes
Entering KU:
In mid-February, A Dash of Darcy and Companions, Cottage Collection 2 (five novellas and one novel) will be entering the Kindle Unlimited program for a 90-day term. This means the compilation omnibus, as well as each individual title, will have to be removed from all other vendors to meet Amazon’s exclusivity rules. These books will return to the other vendors at the end of the 90-day term.
Exiting KU:
On February 16, 2020, the Choices Series will exit the Kindle Unlimited program and will be returned to all other vendors. If you are a Kindle Unlimited reader, make sure you have either read the books before then or that you have downloaded the bundle to your device so you can read it later.
Upcoming…
I am thinking of rotating the Other Pens and the Touches of Austen series books out of Kindle Unlimited for a period of time so that they can be made available to readers who can’t or don’t wish to purchase books from Amazon. I have not figured out how this is going to work, but I did want to give you a heads up that this may be happening. I will, of course, let you know what will be leaving KU before it happens.
Book Reviews
I am so grateful to each reader who reads and then takes the time to review a book as that helps other readers make decisions about whether they wish to read a book or not. This year, I would like to feature one review per week in this Saturday Broadsheet post.
Amazon has been doing some tinkering and has finally included more international reviews on the .com book pages. This is the most recent international review left on His Beautiful Bea, which was posted in August of 2019, but that I hadn’t seen until just this last week.
The things which I find encouraging in this review are…
- This reader loved the characters. (Creating characters is one of my FAVOURITE parts of writing, so it’s great to hear that I’m not the only one who likes them 🙂 )
- This is a new-to-my-books reader. (I love that someone is just discovering this book even though it has been out for a couple of years.)
And that’s it for this week’s edition of The Saturday Broadsheet except to ask:
Did this change in how things are done on the blog streamline things for me this week?
I think it did. I spent a good bit of time getting my newsletter ready and then, just copied and pasted nearly all of it here.
What do you think of the new format? Are there any things you would like to know? Or do you have suggestions for things to include in this newsletter post? Let me know in the comments.
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I like the new format, and I look forward to reading His Irreplaceable Belle.
I’m glad to hear that – both about the format and the upcoming story. I did not get that chapter written last night. Maybe today after the storm prep errands are done and while the laundry is washing. 🙂
What I like: information in smaller segments. What I don’t like: If you give me too much information… I get lost in the delivery. I love designating certain days of the week for certain things. I like what you are doing and if you change it, I am sure I will like that too. I’m not a hard sell. I love your work. So, it you want to try new things… go for it. Keep those creative juices flowing by trying new things. If it doesn’t work, you can always redo it. We’ll still be here. Love you, Leenie. Have a great rest of the weekend and I look forward to seeing what you have for us next week.
I love routines. They make life easier. And I’m with you on liking information in chunks and small quantities. First week of this new format was good with very little trouble so I’m hoping it becomes more streamlined as it becomes the routine.
Happy New Year Leenie! Love your new formatting and process. Like J.W., I like things in small dosages too. I may not comment as much as I would like or read as many books, but things have been a bit crazy this past year and just recently they went a bit sideways. So until the road straightens out again, I will follow along but may not check in. Good luck and as I am a huge fan of Kitty, I am looking forward to her story being released down the road! May 2020 be another wonderful year for you and your family!
Happy New Year, Carole! I’m glad to hear you like the new way of doing things. I’m sorry to hear life is difficult for you at present. I hope this bend in the road s not too large a bend or too bumpy. I appreciate all of the support you have given me with comments and reviews and such. Take care of you and your family. Best wishes for the path forward.