Kindle Unlimited

As an author, I’ve never been all that sure how to feel about Kindle Unlimited.  I’ve heard mixed reviews.  Some authors love it and think that the pay-off is great.  Others think it is Internet robbery and claim that their sales and royalties have taken a major hit.  I didn’t have any books enrolled in KU, so I had no idea if or how it would affect me.  I chose to keep it that way.

Then I published the Cemetery Tours Series Box Set.  The set includes the first three books in the Cemetery Tours Series: Cemetery Tours, Between Worlds, and After Death.

I knew I was only going to post it to Kindle.  I haven’t had a whole lot of luck formatting for Nook and sales haven’t been at all good enough to make the effort worth it.  So I uploaded the box set exclusively to Kindle.

Yesterday, on a complete and total whim, I thought, “You know… I’m going to give Kindle Unlimited a shot.”  At this point in the game, I’m curious.  It will be a learning experience if nothing else.  It’s not permanent.  It’s only for six months.  If I decide I don’t like it or that it’s not worth it, then I simply won’t re-enroll.

However, for the time being, the Cemetery Tours Series box set IS available on Kindle Unlimited.  That means that if you have a subscription, you can read ALL THREE novels in the series for FREE.  It’s over 700 pages, but then again, it’s three books.  It should be a bit lengthy.

Read the Cemetery Tours Series for FREE!

So if you have Kindle Unlimited, hop on over and download the Cemetery Tours Series.  I don’t think you’ll regret it.

In other exciting news, the new Lurking Anthology, Lurking in the Shadows, has an official release date!  It will be available on June 28, 2016!  We don’t have a cover just yet, but I’m super excited about this anthology.  My contribution, An Empty Building, is by far the darkest thing I’ve ever written.  I had to write it in short increments in order to keep my own sanity.

Have a happy Thursday, y’all!  Keep reading!  Keep writing!

Fascinating New Thing

Okay, so this piece has nothing to do with the song (if you know the song, ten points to you).  But there are a lot of new and exciting things happening.

First of all, I found out last night that a short story I wrote has been selected for publication in a new Anthology coming out in May!  The Anthology is called Lurking in the Deep and it features a collection of stories centered around water-based fears, i.e. sea monsters, mermaids, ghosts of those lost at sea, etc…  As soon as I found out about it, I knew I had to submit something.  I love the ocean, as you all know, and I love scary stories, again, which you all know.

Just for the record, the ocean in my story is a lot more sinister than Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Another bit of exciting news that I’d like to share is that my dear friend Paula has just published her first children’s book!  It’s called Jack Learns to Grill and it is so, so, so cute.  It’s the first in a series about her dingo, Jack, in which he learns new skills and lessons about life.  It is beautifully illustrated by Tana Jacks.  If you have children in your life or if you’re an animal lover, I hope you check it out!  It’s a darling book!

Paula’s Blog: https://paulawalkerbaker.wordpress.com

Jack Learns to Grill: http://www.amazon.com/Learns-Grill-Paula-Walker-Baker/dp/1508579210/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426194297&sr=1-1&keywords=jack+learns+to+grill

Finally, I think I’ve come up with a new idea for a few blog posts, but I’m going to have to work on them a little bit to see if it’s actually going to be something worth pursuing.  I’ll let you know!

Also, thank you to all who’ve sent me pictures of Cemetery Tours!  Keep ’em coming!

Have a great weekend, y’all!

Indie Author Interview

Huge thank you to my friend and fellow author, Melissa Zaroski (author of the amazing Davenport Manor series – if you like vampires and romance, I highly recommend her books) for featuring me on her blog!

http://davenportmanor.net/indie-author-interview-jacqueline-smith/

You can find Melissa on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7255267.Melissa_Zaroski

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissazaroski

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavenportManor

https://www.facebook.com/MelissaZaroski

Hello, November

Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope you all had a spooktacular Halloween filled with fright, laughter, and small children requesting candy on your doorstep.

A few girlfriends and I celebrated by dressing up, eating a lot of junk food (and one surprisingly delicious organic and gluten-free pasta dish) and watching Hocus Pocus, only the greatest Halloween classic of all time.

Here’s what I looked like:

At first, I’d intended to go as a zombie, but then, I found this old veil that my sister had used for something, so I decided to go as Grace, the ghost bride from Cemetery Tours.  How cool is it to be able to dress up as a character from your own book?

After a super successful Halloween, I dove right into #NaNoWriMo.  Well, first I drove out to Fort Worth to hang out with my BFF, but then I dove right into #NaNoWriMo.  I’m happy to announce that I have since earned my 5000-Word Badge.

Remember, the book I’m working on is NOT another Cemetery Tours installment.  I am working on that as well (Chapter 12 is actually about to make me cry… It’s really sad…), but this #NaNoWriMo project is something that I’m working on strictly for fun and my own entertainment.  If I like it, then yes, I will probably publish it, but I haven’t decided whether or not it will be under my own name or my super secret pen name.

Finally, Halloween may have come and gone for another year, but ghost stories are fun to read all year round!

Happy November, everyone! How are your #NaNoWriMo projects coming?

Cemetery Tours and Haunted Houses

After my presentation on Ghost Story Trivia at the Colony Public Library, I was invited along on a history tour of the Colony.  We visited an old cemetery (which, of course, I loved) and The Spencer House, which I am convinced is haunted.  I wanted to share some of the pictures I took here with you!

From the Cemetery:

From the Spencer House:

And a few that I photoshopped for the sake of my autumn expectations.

Finally, I have to share my spooky experience from the trip.

At the cemetery, most of the graves are centered off in one general area of the yard.  However, I couldn’t help but notice this one tree off to the side, and the grey bricks that lay beneath it.  At first, I dismissed it, thinking it was probably nothing very interesting.  Still, I couldn’t help but feel that I needed to go over and see what it was.

When I arrived at the tree, I found that the bricks were actually broken fragments of a small grave marker. There were only three letters carved into the stone. J.E.S. My initials.

Medicine Park Paranormal Fair

My Saturday began at 4:45 AM. I am a night owl, so that’s actually not to long after my natural bed time. However, I’d actually managed to get to sleep around 10:45 the night before, so I actually got around 6 hours.

After loading up my car, my dad (also my book-selling partner in crime) and I loaded up the car and made the three hour drive up to Medicine Park, Oklahoma.

It’s a really beautiful area.

After I finished admiring the scenery, we went inside and set up the Cemetery Tours table.

This is me with all the stuff… I was really excited to see that I look tan.

The fair itself was really interesting. There were several venders and paranormal groups there. Also a few mediums and psychics, as well as a man who knew all about different rocks and crystals and ways to cleanse your home of bad spirits. I’ll be honest, I’ve never really been too much into the metaphysical. I don’t know what the different rocks and crystals mean, but it was pretty cool to learn.

There were ghost hunters and paranormal investigators there as well!

The highlight of the event, however, was when my friend and fellow author and WORDPRESS BLOGGER Sierra (http://permashift.wordpress.com) came to see me! It was so much fun hanging out with her and geeking out over the Lion King and books. She told me all about her service in the army and we bonded over a very nutritional Sonic lunch. Thank you so much for coming out, Sierra! I had so much fun meeting you!

Near the end of the event, Tanya, who headed up the convention, announced that there would be a raffle drawing. Now, I never enter raffles because I never win, but I decided to enter anyway.

Guess what? I won something!

It’s called a pendulum. I initially put my name in the drawing for it because I liked the color of the stone and I love dragonflies. But according to the guy who knew all about the rocks and crystals, the stone is a Sodalite and it represents the throat chakra (which I misunderstood as throat shocker). Anyway, it basically means that I don’t think before I speak, which is 110% accurate. My family is constantly making fun of me for my lack of filter.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience and I’m looking forward to more book and paranormal events like this one in the future. I sold several books, made a few new friends, and got to see a beautiful new town. Very worthwhile.

30 Days!

Okay, people of the cyber world, it is June 1.  That means the one month countdown to BETWEEN WORLDS is officially on!

In honor of the impending release, CEMETERY TOURS is on sale from now to July 1 for only $2.99 on Nook and Kindle.  Once July 1 hits, it will go back to $4.95, so get it while it’s on sale!

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cemetery-tours-jacqueline-e-smith/1117000854?ean=9780989673402

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Cemetery-Tours-Jacqueline-Smith-ebook/dp/B00F7CHQ08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401672575&sr=8-1&keywords=cemetery+tours

Before Cemetery Tours release, I tried to do some kind of fun promotional thing at least once a week.  Today, I thought I’d give you a few Anti-Spoilers/Bits of Trivia about Between Worlds.

1) I have had the idea in my head for this book longer than Cemetery Tours.  I pretty much wrote Cemetery Tours so I could write this one.

2) It is set in a fictional mansion in Maine.  This mansion was inspired by too many childhood viewings of Casper.

3) Brink plays a bigger role in this book than in the first.  He actually wasn’t intended to be in the book that much.  In fact, he was just going to have a few scenes in the beginning of the book.  But as it turned out, he is everyone’s favorite character, so he ended up being promoted to one of the main characters.  The best thing about Brink being everyone’s favorite, I realize, is that no one ever has to worry about me killing him off.  He’s already dead.

4) I was afraid that this book wouldn’t be as spooky as Cemetery Tours, but there were a few scenes that, when I wrote them, I actually spooked myself.  I’m hoping that readers find them spooky too.

5) In this book, we meet the rest of the Cemetery Tours team: Gail Marsh, J.T. Sawyer, and Peter Jamison.

I can’t think of anything else that won’t reveal too many plot points, so that’s all you’re getting for now.  I will, in the weeks following, be releasing the first two chapters for download (if I remember how that is!), as well as a soundtrack list and ideal casting.  Stay tuned!  And please, check out Cemetery Tours and, if you enjoy it, leave me a review!

If you don’t like it, please don’t review it.  😉

Speaking of reviews, I found out today that you can review your own books on GoodReads.  I decided to leave Cemetery Tours a nice, modest little review.