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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Behind & Beyond My Books: The THUG GUARD Cover is Here!!!
Ohhhh yeahhh, D. D. Scott-ville, I am sooo Happy Dancin' today!!!
Here it is...the THUG GUARD Cover...
Wow...do I luuuvvv, luuuvvv, luuuvvv this one!
And woohoo...what a grand, kick-off cover for my new, Cozy Cash Mystery Series!
Bravo to my fantabulous designer Shelley of Webcrafters Design!!! You rock, Shelley!!!
Now...here's a little something special and super-sweet about these Cozy Cash Mystery Series Covers...
I wanted a unique and fun way to help readers immediately know which book in the series each story is, but with titles like THUG GUARD, LIP GLOCK, SMOOTH CRIMINALS, and so on, that could be a wee bit tough.
Sooo...I decided to make the Big 'Ole Bag Full Of Money underneath each "A Cozy Cash Mystery" subtitle, the clue.
From now on, when I say all you have to do "is follow the money and/or the cozy cash trail"...you can not only solve the mystery in each book, but also immediately know the order of the books in the series too, by "following the money"...as in the number in the middle of each book's cash bag which will tell you which book in the series you've got!
Fun and super-cool, right?!
The best part...you've only got a little over two weeks 'til you can try it out and "follow the money" in THUG GUARD, Book One of my new, Cozy Cash Mysteries.
Think a Wanna-Be-Plum...yeah, as in Stephanie Plum...who's also a Hollywood Stylist to The Stars teaming-up with her very own Bond, James Bond-style U. S. Marshal who's about to bring down a Madoff-style Ponzi-scheming King. Oh...and along for the adventure, try The Bootscootin' Books Mom Squad - now a blue-hair version of Charlie's Angels - plus all the rest of your fave Bootscootin' characters too!
Sexy Sassy Smart THUG GUARD and Cozy Cash Mysteries Wishes --- D. D. Scott
P.S. THUG GUARD will be released on or about May 16th...and ohhh yeahhh, I'm keepin' the Cozy Cash Mysteries Ebooks at just 99 Cents each (more on that next week)!!!Labels: Behind and Beyond My Books, Book Covers, The Cozy Cash Mysteries, Thug Guard
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Being a Water Warrior with My Heroes & Heroines Too!
Happy Tuesday and Happy Earth Day too, D. D. Scott-ville!
Yes...I know, last Friday, April 22nd, was officially Earth Day, but everyday is Earth Day in D. D. Scott-ville!
The DH and I always, always recycle all that we can, and we're sooo tickled our recycle bin fills-up ten times to one as quickly as our garbage bin. We also eat as much organic as we can get our hands on, and make art for our home and yard out of as much of other people's "junk" as we can find.
This year, though, I wanted to do something extra for Earth Day...and since we live along the fantabulous shores of Lake Michigan, I knew just what to do...
With the help of my Aveda Salon, I became a Water Warrior, by getting this super-cool, water-blue hair extension...
How cool is that?!
And just like my Protector and Firecracker Heroes and Heroines - my beloved Bootscootin' Series Roxy Rae Vaughn and now coming soon (in mid-May), my Cozy Cash Mysteries Hero and Heroine Roman Bellesconi and Zoey Witherspoon, who can be described as:
♦ ♦ ♦
The Protector
Another Knight-in-Shining-Armor kinda guy but one who might be a little more predisposed to do things his own unique way rather than by the accepted historical codes of chivalry. He gets the job done and protects his heroine, family and friends by utilizing whatever Christopher Chance-like (HUMAN TARGET) methods he deems necessary given the current situation and/or enemy. (Det. John McLane from Die Hard)
♥ ♥ ♥
The Firecracker
Like a big ol’ stick of raw dynamite, this gal is just one match away from blowin’ her top. She creates quite a report – aka the fireworks term for a bunch of noise – wherever she goes. She packs a ton of punch. And has enough explosive energy for her entire world and then some. Once she’s channeled into a positive direction, however, there’s nothin’ or nobody that can stop her from getting what –or who— she wants. (Samantha Jones from Sex and the City)
***Note: For more super-cool character types and definitions and tons of crazy-fun conversations about them, see my grog The Naked Hero !!!
I'm doing all I can to fiercely protect the waters of the world, starting in my own backyard, by being an Aveda Water Warrior! Here's some more scoop on how you too can be a Water Warrior:
http://www.aveda.com/aboutaveda/earth_month.tmpl
Sexy Sassy Smart Water Warrior Wishes --- D. D. ScottLabels: Behind and Beyond My Books, Being a Gutsy Girl, Being a Gutsy Romance Writer Girl, Earth Day, The Bootscootin' Books Series, The Cozy Cash Mysteries
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Time For a Short-Shorts, Shorts & Novella Show & Tell
Happy Thursday, D. D. Scott-ville!
Yesterday, at my grog The Naked Hero, we had a super-fun discussion regarding
Show & Tell Us About Your Short-Shorts, Shorts, & Novellas
And, I wanted to bring this inquiry to D. D. Scott-ville too!
First off, I'm not talking about these Short-Shorts
Nor...this fantabulous 1980's Nair Commercial...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou9AabR6_1w
And yes, I’m aging myself...but anyhoo...LOL...
When I say Show & Tell Us About Your Short-Shorts, Shorts & Novellas, I’m talkin’ about the lengths of those stories you’re reading that aren’t full-length novels.
Now, when I researched the definitions and word counts of each of these story formats, given our tremendously changing publishing world, I of course found nothing remotely definitive as far as answers. But here are some basic guidelines (from Wikipedia):
Short-Shorts = anything less than 1000 words
Short Stories = 7000 – 9000 words to some and anywhere from 1000 – 20,000 to others
Novellas = 17,500 – 40,000 words or anywhere from 10,000 – 70,000
Novels = 65,000 words and up
Told ya…no dice on definitive numbers, right?
But really…who cares?!
All that matters are that we’re getting fantabulous books and hopefully for fantabulous prices too, right?!
So...here’s where I need your help, D. D. Scott-ville Readers and Fans...
What kinds of fantabulous short-shorts, shorts and novellas are you E-reading lately? Who are the amazing authors? And how much are you paying for these Ebooks?
I’m asking because I’m about to do something quite unique with my new, Cozy Cash Mysteries, which debut mid-May with THUG GUARD.
So far...I’ve treated y’all to three of my Bootscootin’ Books for less than the price of one, traditionally pubbed, Agency Model priced paperback book. (In other words, buying my entire series of Bootscootin’ Books, which includes three books, each between novella and novel length, now costs $6.97 versus one, traditionally pubbed paperback at around $7.99 for either the Ebook or Print version.)
Now...as my Bootscootin’ Books get a Cozy Mystery twist - with my new Cozy Cash Mystery Series – tell me this...
What would you say to Cozy Cash Mystery Shorts (that are actually more novella-length by the above definition)...all for 99 Cents each?
RomCom-Cozy Shorts, if you will...or to say it another way, romantic comedies with a chick lit, gone-country twist – now turned cozy-short twist – as in a Cozy-Short Mystery Series…
The theory being, you’d get great, novella-length, LOL cozy mysteries, for a great price of 99 Cents, and anywhere from six to ten new stories a year versus two or three full-length novels.
I can’t wait to get your thoughts on this approach...and to hear What kinds of fantabulous short-shorts, shorts and novellas you’ve been E-reading lately? Who are the amazing authors? And how much you are paying for these Ebooks?
Sexy Sassy Smart D. D. Scott-ville Cozy-Short Wishes — D. D. ScottLabels: E-Book Country Experiments, Readers and Fans, The Bootscootin' Books Series, The Cozy Cash Mysteries, Thug Guard
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Writing Realistic Crime Scenes: Death By Pepper Spray and...Cocaine?
Happy Tuesday, D. D. Scott-ville!
So I'm wayyy, wayyy deep into deadline week for my mid-May release THUG GUARD - Book One of my new, Cozy Cash Mysteries.
And I needed to kill-off a couple suspects.
Being as my heroine Zoey Witherspoon is a Stylist to The Stars, plus now a P.I. too, I had to find a fashion-world kinda way to do-in a couple bad guys.
My research so far had involved all kinds of Miss Universe-style pageant sabotage stories like the one from 2007 when Miss Puerto Rico's gown and makeup were tampered with using a pepper-based itching powder.
Which made me ponder...
Can Pepper Spray kill?
More research...
And I found this fantabulous blog...
The Writer's Forensics Blog by author and MD D.P. Lyle.
Plus, I found the answers I needed.
Pepper Spray can kill, if a person is on Cocaine at the same time.
And here's the scoop, straight from Dr. Lyle's post "Cocaine and Pepper Spray: A Lethal Combination?":
Pepper spray is a very painful product to have sprayed in your face. The reaction to this sudden pain and burning of the eyes and throat is a fight or flight response. Epinephrine is released by the adrenal glands in massive quantities and, in a situation where there is already cocaine in the system, it could easily cause dangerous arrhythmias, heart attacks, or strokes. The combination of cocaine and epinephrine is known to be potentially deadly.
I would suspect that if this combination does indeed prove to be lethal that this is the mechanism by which it occurs. The danger is not from the cocaine and the pepper spray, at least not directly, but rather from the combination of cocaine and the epinephrine that is released due to the pain of the capsaicin. The devil is in the details.
But from a practical point of view, dead is dead and the mechanism is more or less irrelevant. Very interesting and I hope there is further research in this arena.
Sooo...there you have it. Pepper Spray can kill...if cocaine is already wreaking havoc on the body's systems.
I won't make this anymore of a Spoiler Alert for THUG GUARD...but I can tell you, Zoey and Dr. Lyle are gonna be teamin' up for lots of cool "killing" facts on the pages of my new Cozy Cash Mysteries.
You'll see how this little bit plays out in THUG GUARD, which releases on or around May 16th!!!
The Best of Crime Scene Writing Wishes --- D. D. ScottLabels: Being a Gutsy Girl, Being a Gutsy Romance Writer Girl, The Cozy Cash Mysteries, Thug Guard, Writing Realistic Crime Scenes
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Super Fun Amazon Kindle Rankings for BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS!
Happy Thursday, D. D. Scott-ville!
So y'all know I've been over the moon this week, following my thrill at BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS being chosen as a Pixel of Ink Bargain Book.
Well...let me give you a peek into what that has done for my BOOTSCOOTIN' sales...
Within 36 hours of being chosen as a PoI Bargain Book recommended read:
I'd sold 161 additional copies of BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS
I was ranked #600 in the entire Amazon Kindle Store
Then ranked #21 in all Amazon Books Categorized as Books-Literature&Fiction-Comic plus ranked #25 in Kindle-Ebooks-Humor and #49 in Books-Contemporary-Romance
And shared the rank slots, at several points, with these super-cool, LOL chicks...
#29 CHELSEA CHELSEA BANG BANG by Chelsea Handler
#30 I'M OVER ALL THAT by Shirley MacLaine
#31 BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS by D. D. Scott
So "yo-yo, Dawg" (in Randy Jackson speak) or "yeah-yeah" (in Stephen Tyler speak) or "you get a check for that" (in J. Lo Speak)...when you're American Idol-ing your writing-for-publication career, what a thrill to be "sharing the stage" with American Icons like Handler and MacLaine.
When it's writing LMAO funny stuff - to attract that kinda fan and reader base - what a hoot to be aligned with two fantabulous and fantabulously funny women!!!
Now that's an accomplishment worth BOOTSCOOTIN' over!!!
Sexy Sassy Smart Queens of Comedy Wishes --- D. D. Scott
P.S. I'll be giving you all the Real Sales Numbers Scoop and Analysis regarding my PoI Experience this coming Saturday and Monday at The WG2E.Labels: 99 Cent Experiment, Amazon Kindle Rankings, Bootscootin' Blahniks, Chelsea Handler, E-Book Country, Pixel of Ink, Readers and Fans, Sales Success, Shirley MacLaine
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Pixel of Ink Chooses BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS!!!
Happy Tuesday, D. D. Scott-ville!
And wow am I Happy Dancin' down every lane in D. D. Scott-ville!!!
Yesterday, BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS was chosen as a Pixel of Ink Bargain Book!!!
Here's the scoop:
[Bargain Kindle Book] Bootscootin' Blahniks
BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS
Super Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
For those of you not familiar with Pixel of Ink, it's a must-stop-and-shop, super source of beyond fabulous "Free and Bargain Kindle Books".
The PoI Community is over 18,000 members on Facebook alone!!!
For authors, if you want to find readers, this is the spot!
And for readers, if you want tons of fantabulous scoop on great reads for great prices, Pixel of Ink is your spot too!
Not only are there always bunches of great books recommended at Pixel of Ink, but every Sunday is what's called Sample Sunday where many authors post sample chapters of their books. Just click on the hyperlink I've given you, and you'll be able to catch-up with all the beyond fabulous samples!!!
Make sure you bookmark, like and follow Pixel of Ink! You'll be sooo glad you did!!!
And here's another big 'ole Thank You Shout-Out to the amazing Sharon Rosen of PoI who chose BOOTSCOOTIN' BLAHNIKS as a PoI-featured Bargain Book!!!
Sexy Sassy Smart Pixel of Ink Wishes --- D. D. ScottLabels: Bootscootin' Blahniks, Breaking News, Features, Finding Fabulous Readers, Interviews and Reviews, Pixel of Ink, Readers and Fans
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Naked Hero & The WG2E: Paying It Forward to Readers and Writers
Happy Thursday, D. D. Scott-ville!
Today, I'm givin' y'all an update on two of my fantabulous grog (grog = group blog) adventures...one centered on all my fabulous readers and one reaching out to fellow writers.
Y'all know how very very much I believe in Paying It Forward. And one way I do that is by making my grogs must-stop-&-chat destinations for all kinds of quirky fun and big-time scoop for both my superfab readers and fellow writers too.
Boy-oh-boy is there a ton of new and wayyy cool stuff goin' on at both my grogs:
The Naked Hero...where it's all about readers and "stripping down characters to their skivvies in books, movies and pop culture"
The Writers Guide to Epublishing...where it's every writer's destination-site for all-things-Epublishing
So here's the Super New Scoop Regarding Both Grogs:
*** We've given The Naked Hero a Spring Make-Over. That's right! New colors. New Themes. Tons of new content on all your fave character types in books, movies and pop culture too. Here are a few fabulous examples from just this week:
The Protector: Christopher Chance, meet Roman Bellesconi
Gone with the Wind Isn't Gone After All
Anaheim Public Library Foundation and Stripping Down Lola Cruz
Pink Poodle Crazy...Think Again
Stripping Down Olivia Limoges
Firecracker Heroines and Fireworks Too
The Evil Queen
*** At The WG2E, we've kicked off our "Writers Making Choices" Interview Series where we have today's hottest and bestselling authors telling us how and why they made their decisions to go the Epublishing route. Here's the line-up so far...with tons more fantabulous authors to be added:
Barbara Silkstone
Karen Cantwell
L. C. Evans
Coming Soon:
Sibel Hodge (Friday, April 8th)
Bob Mayer (Tuesday, April 12th)
John Locke (Thursday, April 21st)
Amanda Brice (Dates TBA)
Michele Scott (Date TBA)
Sooo how cool is all this scoop...for both readers and writers?!
That's how I Pay It Forward!
Now It's Your Turn, D. D. Scott-ville: Who would you like to see as Guests on both grogs, and what features would you like to see added to either or both sites?
The Best of Reading and Writing Wishes --- D. D. ScottLabels: Blogs2Follow, Blogville, Grogs, The Naked Hero, The WG2E
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Sometimes Being an Author Makes You...Faint!
Happy Tuesday, D. D. Scott-ville!
Last Friday, I had one of the most amazing experiences thus far in my writing-for-publication career, and I just had to share it.
So...I'm sitting in my fave comfy chair, a Keurig Hot Cocoa Cup close-by and my Kindle in my lap, just like I do every Friday, after lunch, catching up on the week's publishing industry blogs and grogs...
When what to my wondering eyes should appear...oh wait...wrong story...but trust me, this was sooo much better than Santa Claus...
Anyhoo...moving on...
I clicked on my Kindle Subscription to one of my uber fave industry blogs - Bufo Calvin's I LOVE MY KINDLE - and read this post headline:
"Author Sells 12 Times as many books at $0.99"
Thinking to myself 'cool, that's a must-read 'cause I've had a very similar experience', I clicked on the post and began to read. Here...check this out:
"Author Sells 12 Times as many books at $0.00"
When I saw that not only did this author have the same experience, but that this author was also, in fact, ME - YOURS TRULY, I'm honestly not sure what happened.
I remember standing up - because I was gonna do a huge 'ole Happy Dance around my living room - but the next thing I knew I woke up on my living room floor, in the fetal position, crying like a baby.
No joke! I think I fainted!!!
LOL!!!
You see...I'm a huge fan of Bufo's I LOVE MY KINDLE and consider him one of "the" Go-To-Guys for all-things-Kindle and Epublishing. When I saw that he was following my career, and not just following it, but talking it up, I...well...fainted I guess.
So yeah...sometimes, being a writer makes you...faint!
Cheers to that job hazard! LOL!!!
Anyhoo, if you're a writer, writing-for-publication, subscribe to I LOVE MY KINDLE on Kindle - it's well worth the 99 cents per month subscription fee to have it pushed right to your Kindle - or bookmark the free I LOVE MY KINDLE online version.
Sexy Sassy Smart D. D. Scott-ville Swooning Wishes --- D. D. ScottLabels: Being a Gutsy Romance Writer Girl, Bufo Calvin, I Love My Kindle
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