My book is totally available--with incentives!

It's taken me a while, but I finally was able to get my book available for purchase on its own site:

http://www.hairyeyeballs.com/books.html

And that's not all: If you buy the book directly from me (rather than through Amazon or Barnes & Noble), not only is it cheaper (cost-wise), I'll also throw in a free bookmark (those are them to the left over there) and I'll sign it for you! Even with personalized signage! Just let me know who to dedicate your copy to in the "Add special instructions to the seller" box when you check out.

Yep. It's that simple.

Midwest Book Review on Twisted: Tales to Rot Your Brain: "very much recommended"

I sent Twisted: Tales to Rot Your Brain Vol. 1 out to reviewers back in January, and at the time I was thinking getting a review from The Midwest Book Review looked kind of promising. Turns out I was right.

Not every book that gets sent to TMBR actually gets a review, so just the fact that they did review mine makes me terribly happy. Here's what they had to say:

"Life doesn't make a whole lot of sense, so sometimes we need some stories to match the madness. Twisted Tales to Rot Your Brain Vol. 1 presents unusual stories of flash fiction, meant to bring readers into a dizzying spin of problems and how those losing it may deal with it in all the wrong ways.  Twisted Tales to Rot Your Brain is a humorous and intriguing delve into flash fiction, very much recommended."

Did you catch that? "Very much recommended." (!) So not only did they review the book, they also liked it!

I've updated the book's listings on Amazon to include the review, but I'm still working on updating the Barnes & Noble listing. I'm also brainstorming all the ways I need to use the review in promotional materials: business cards, Facebook, Twitter, blog (duh), newsletters, sites, book stickers, and on and on. Looks like even more late nights are in order.

ePubs and ebooks and mobis

Over the past couple of months I've been teaching myself the ePub thing in Adobe InDesign CS5.5 (a Christmas present from my lovely husband), which wasn't so hard except when you have images that kind of have to be where they are, the way they are. Figured it out, sort of. It just got to the point where I had to decide how much I was willing to give up in exchange for my sanity.

The short version of this is, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth Twisted: Tales to Rot Your Brain Vol. 1 is now available for immediate download on your Kindle! Yay!

I've checked and double-checked and triple-quadruple checked to make sure this thing works on Kindle, Kindle Fire, Kindle for iPhone and Kindle for iPad. No small feat.

Next victim: the Nook at Barnes & Noble!

As an aside, I just noticed the URL for the book uses the phrase "Twisted-Tales-Your-Brain." I wonder if the "Rot" in the middle of that was too offensive for them.

Cool.

Five-Star Amazon Reviews!

The book has received some excellent reviews on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, along with some five-star ratings! I'm not sure what these people are on, but I'm hoping some more people find it.

Here's one that I hope sums it all up:

"Excellent sick little work of art"

Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

But the book needs more. Lots more. We need to get the word out and loudly. More reviews make all the reviewers more legitimate, so if you would, please take the time to donate to the discussion.

Operators are standing by.

Getting Dirty From Newspaper Print

I did an interview a couple of weeks ago with a local newspaper about the Twisted book and how I funded it through Kickstarter. They took some pictures of me along with some of the Kickstarter rewards a few days after the interview. The article printed just this past Monday. Here's the online version, mercifully minus the horrid photo of me that accompanied the print version:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_767174.html

Sometimes when I do these things I have trouble dealing with misquotes and misinformation, but this one is pretty much on the money. The quotes in the article that Mike Arnzen supposedly said totally melt my brain though. I understand he was my fiction writing professor—and everything I know about writing fiction I learned from him, and everything I've read since then just reaffirms what he taught me—but getting a pat on the back from a mentor is incredibly satisfying.

When I set something that might be a little on the "out there" side free to roam in the public, it's easy to get nervous about its safety. I worry about whether I've pushed anything too far, whether people will get it, whether it will be over everybody's head. But so far things are going well. It looks like Dr. A totally gets it, but he's the one who taught me how to show (my dark side) without telling. I know a couple twenty-somethings who get it, but they've lived with me for years, and how they turned out is probably my fault. I'll apologize to them later. But on top of that, I've also gotten a couple of nice comments on the Kickstarter page and on my personal Facebook page, so I'm starting to think everything's oakey dokey.

Along those same lines, the book got its first review on Amazon, and it's a five-star! Thanks, tonimarie77! I totally owe you dinner and a movie for that one.