Discombobulated

Hi there - thanks again to all who helped choose the next WIP. 

I haven't posted more on it for two reasons: one, I realized I really didn't like the direction the next scene was going in (seems a bit cliche) so that needs to be redone.  If you'd like to see what I plan on cutting/editing/rearranging, it's above under "cutting room floor".  There, you can at least see what happened after Caroline left the shop (which is where Midnight Ink ends in the candidate tab above).

The second, is that my health has taken a turn for the worse for the past two months, resulting in two hospital stays, and now a leave of absence until September. Now, that last bit sounds like it would be a blessing writing-wise, but unfortunately, that's not the case. My concentration is completely shot.  At some point in time, I may blog about it all, but for now, suffice it to say I'm a bit under the weather.  And some weather we've been having, huh?!  Even Maine had 95+ heat, which is something unheard of for them.

Anyhoodles, that's where I've been/where I am.  Hope to catch up to you all soon.  I do try to read your blogs - just haven't been commenting much.  I do know that Edie Ramer's "Galaxy Girls" is out now, and Charles Gramlich's "Ember Starr" is coming soon, so I'm stoked about that.  Check them out! :)

Drum roll...

And the winners are:

$20 Amazon Gift Card:  Kallypso Masters

Art Package: Mark Diehl

Congratulations, Mark and Kally! 

And to all of you who gave such valuable feedback, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Since you were such good sports, if you would like to receive e-book copies of MANAGING MAGGIE and/or UNMASKED, just send an email to katesterlingwriting@yahoo.com and I’ll be happy to send them to you (if you’re over 18!).  Just let me know if you'd prefer pdf or kindle versions.

And if you've already read those books, there are other giveaways lined up for the weeks ahead, so stay tuned. :)

Thanks again to everyone who participated! 

OH! I almost forgot - Midnight Ink won the "excerpt to be continued" contest. Congratulations, Ink. ;)

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

Ok, as a holiday weekend bonus, I'm adding to my earlier request (and prize). 

To be entered to win a gift from Amazon, all you have to do is help me choose between the two excerpts posted above (see tabs re: Candidates 1 & 2).  That's all: just read two short excerpts, tell me which one you like best and why you chose it over the other.

(And hey - if you hate them both, just tell me why you hate one less than the other, and you'll still be entered to win!) :)

As an added bonus, if you're an indie author, you can also be entered to win a free cover art package if you choose.  Just let me know in your comment whether you wish to also be entered for the art package.

The winner(s) will be announced July 8, 2011.

Promos and Motivation

I've read a few books lately on Indie publishing, and it seems the thing they stress the most is social networking - promo, promo, promo.

Being a naturally reclusive type, that is a bit hard for me.  However, it did occur to me that while I might have a hard time self-promoting, I don't mind at all to promote other people's work when I like it.  In fact, I started to wonder why I'd never invited any of the authors whose cover art I did to come by my blog and talk about their books.  Seems a natural thing to do, right?  And why haven't I done more book reviews?  I've read tons of books this past year - many by my blogging pals.  I could have been active in promoting them - I have no problem pumping up other writers on my blog, facebook, and twitter.

So, to those of you I've overlooked:  My deepest apologies; I'll remedy that situation very soon.

To myself... maybe I need to create an alter ego to peddle my own stuff? lol

Meanwhile, I've got three - count 'em three - WIPS I want to finish this year, but I'm finding it hard to stay focused and motivated.  However, I did narrow it down to two to focus on, but I still need to choose one to finish first, and decided to ask for you help in choosing by posting two excerpts to vote on.  You can find the candidates in the header tabs above.

With that in mind, I also decided to take a page from the awesomely talented Avery DeBow and try a Mad Lib (or, as she called it, Bad Lib) approach to finish the chosen story. Avery had posted a bit of a story each week, and asked for people to supply words which she had to include in the next week's excerpt. Her end story was incredible, and while I don't have the same amount of talent as Avery, the utter horror and shame should I fail to produce something might just be motivation enough to keep me going.

Mind you, both of those ideas fill me with utter terror.  You might not bother to show up.  You might hate both excerpts and refuse to vote.  You might hate the mad lib and not participate.  You might hate me.

And worst of all, I might be incapable of producing anything usable in such a manner on a weekly basis.

Oh, well.  All I can do is try.  If you don't want to play along and torture me even more senseless than I already am, I suppose I could just randomly pick words out of the dictionary.  It does lack that motivating, public humiliation factor, though.

UPDATE 6/30: By the way, if you participate, I'll promote your book across facebook, twitter, amazon, etc., and you'll be entered to win a free cover art package should you wish to receive one.  Just let me know.

Old School Vampires

Just discovered these guys today and had to share. :)

Like night and day

Some of you know that it recently seemed all the technology planets were aligned against me: I lost the use of my car, cell phone, computer and alphasmart all in one blow.

Well, the mechanic to whom I had been taking my car for a while, and to whom I had already given tons of money, told me it was going to cost around $1200 to make the car safe to drive again. Told me lots of scary stories of why it wasn't safe to keep driving. Since $1200 is what I pay for rent each month, there was no way I could afford that, so I just had to let the car sit in the driveway and walk to the train station to go to work. 

Now, my daughter just came home from school last week, and bless her lazy little heart, she just couldn't go without a car, and wouldn't/couldn't possibly drive it with someone following her to the shop, so she called another shop and had them come pick it for her while I was at work.

They had it for a day and half and came back with the following verdict:  the noise it was making was from carbon on the pistons which they cleaned off; the front brakes were a little rusty, but still ok for now, and other than that, they said, nothing was wrong with the car. Total cost of repair: $45.00. They didn't even charge me for picking it up.

Obviously, my trust had been misplaced in an opportunistic and unscrupulous shop ower who saw a single woman walk in and went, "Ca-ching!"  Unlike Frank Pasquesi, who didn't try to take advantage of the situation.

But there was more to come in my tech-challenged days.  Not  only did Pasquesi Auto prove themselves to be angels in a time of need, so did Evan Marshall and Edie Ramer.

When I lost my computer, I lost downloaded software, one of which was the Marshall Plan Novel Writing Software.  I sent Evan Marshall an email, and he quickly responded, freely replacing the software for me, and was very supportive and kind.

When Edie heard that I'd lost my Alphasmart, she immediately mailed me hers since she was no longer using it.  It was (is!) a huge help, and I'm very grateful. 

So, thank you again Edie Ramer, Evan Marshall, and Frank Pasquesi!

Has anyone recently proved themselves to be trustworthy, kind, and worth their weight in gold in your life?

Grumble, mumble, grr...

Will someone please remind Mother Nature it's supposed to be spring here already?  What's up with the SNOW?!  I woke up to an inch of it yesterday, and today, it's all howling winds and freezing rain.  Sheesh.

On the plus side... well, there really is no plus side to that. 

OH! Wait! I did work from home yesterday and today, so that is a plus. If I'd had to walk to the train station in this, I'd have been (even more) severely ticked off.  Also managed to get a chapter and a half on the new book done, so that's a plus too.  Ok, so  there were a couple of pluses to staying home in bad weather. :)

What's new in your world?

Time Travel

So, I was feeling a bit nostalgic today and sifted through my old blog posts.  I can't believe that in July it will be five years since I joined blogspot.

It was fun to discover this post that I wrote four years, five months, and four days ago, and now to know how it turned out:  http://katesterling.blogspot.com/2006/10/its-finished-i-did-it-i-finally-did-it.html

It was also fun to see what has since happened with some of my early commenters: Amber Scott and Karen Weirich (aka Devin McKee) hadn't as yet been published, and Cynthia Eden was still mainly with small e-pubs, and I don't believe as yet had her first NY contract. Now look at them!  Edie Ramer and Michelle Diener, too - look at them go!

If you've been blogging for a while, see what some of your oldest posts were and what you would tell yourself now that you didn't know then.  I'd like to hear how it went. :)

Silly Me

I thought I was a few books shy of my first month's Indie sales matching my first month's sales with Cobblestone Press, but the reality is, I surpassed them. I had forgotten to add in the Smashwords and Barnes & Noble sales for the month!

Well, now. I found that very interesting. It was also fun to discover that people from the UK, Australia, Denmark and Canada bought my book - and that the most of the foreign sales went to Australia and Denmark. Thanks, mates! Mange tak! :)

(Mind you, those weren't a LOT of sales, but it was still fun for me.) :)

Does this mean I'll stop trying to go for a traditional publisher? No. But it does mean that I'll dust off those "unusual/not mainstream/hard to define genre" manuscripts and put them out there to let the readers decide if they want to read them or not.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, I am totally pooped today. I shouldn't be so tired on the first warm Saturday this year - what's up with that?! Ah, well. Managed to get my living room thoroughly cleaned (baseboards, walls and all - could account some for the tiredness), the dirty kitchen is still looming, and I just want to hunker down with a good book or movie. Any recommendations?

(Although, I was in the mood to watch "The Princess Bride" again after reading this post.)  :)

Magical Mondays on a Thursday Evening

In the realm of "you never know what life will bring", I found this video last night. 

It's JK Rowling just after she finished writing the second Harry Potter which hadn't come out yet, and she was working on the third.  What I loved most was her excitement when she says (speaking of the first book the year it was out) "I sold 30,000 books in the UK which was just phenomenal." :)

Little did she know she'd be selling about that many per day just a few years later.  Enjoy and be inspired. :)

Books by the Numbers

There is a persistent belief that if you go indie, you'll never sell much. They say people like Amanda Hocking, Zoe Winters, JA Konrath, Tina Folsom, etc. are just "lucky" and the fact that they are now making a living with their indie books is a fluke. Ok, yes, they've gotten lucky - the luck that comes with writing a great story, being enthusiastic, learning what you need to know, believing in yourself, and taking a chance. The luck that is defined as "preparation meets opportunity."

Someone else whose "luck" is increasing due to the same formula, is my blogosphere pal, Edie Ramer.  She just sold 1000 books on Kindle this past month and I couldn't be happier for her.  I fully expect that as more people read her books (which are fabulous, by the way - I LOVED "Dragon Blues") those figures will increase and she will soon be making a living wage at it herself.

My former critique partner, Amber Scott, is also doing amazingly well. Like Edie and Zoe, Amber's enthusiasm and passion for what she's doing is carrying her far. In fact, I recently told her she is my hero right now because I remember clearly the first time we met in Barnes & Noble. Neither of us had been published, both were very shy - she, exceedingly so - but were having fun trying to make something of what we had. Now that formerly shy young woman is burning up the internet with her podcasts, vblogs, interviews, presentations, panels, you name it, and her book "PlayFling" was in Smashwords top 20 for weeks.  And I fully expect her next book, Fierce Dawn, to do really well. Go, Amber!

Now, as for me, I didn't really have very high expectations venturing into the Indie Arena. I had seen how badly things turned out for my grandfather when he self-published (in the days before Kindle), and I've read all the caveats (even by successful indie authors) that say don't get your  hopes up too much in the beginning. And of course, there is still some stigma attached to it. But I was willing to try it, to see how it went.

Since "Unmasked" is a re-release of an older novella--as well as a bit niche in its audience*--I didn't do any promotion except to mention it a couple of times on my blog, Facebook and Twitter.  I put it out there to see what would happen, and to test the waters of this Kindle publishing thing.

To my surprise, I've already sold more copies in the past month than I did the whole time it was with its original publisher, and I'm within 15 copies of matching my first month's sales of "Managing Maggie" at Cobblestone Press - and MM was their bestseller for that month.  (At first, I thought I had surpassed the sales figure, but when I looked up my royalty statement from last year, saw that I'm almost there.) Fingers crossed that I can match it in the next three days, but even if I don't, I've still been pleasantly surprised.

"Unmasked" started out ranking at around #1 million something, then got to around #300,000 the first few days, peaking so far at around 20,000 in the US, but generally ranking between 25 and 40K.  I was a bit discouraged by that number until I bought the most recent book by a well-known, traditionally pub'd  author that I like a lot, and hers was ranked at #36,000+ that day.  But about an hour ago, I just found out to my surprise that "Unmasked" was #36 on the Amazon UK's list for bisexual erotica - I broke into a top 100!  Who knew?!

Now, in reality, the number of sales this month aren't going to pay my rent (especially with Unmasked now priced at 99cents), but even so - color me hooked!  Being able to control whether and when my story gets put for sale was so liberating and empowering. Now I'm asking myself, "If my first niche novella that I've hardly promoted at all can do this, what might happen if I promoted a book that has a wider audience range -- one that I'm also very enthusiastic about?"

That will my next experiment.  I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Meanwhile, I know Charles Gramlich, Avery DeBow, Sidney Williams, Marcia Colette, and Steve Malley have all also tried the indie route recently - any of you want to share your experience so far? :)

-----------

*When I first wrote Unmasked back in 2006, it was in response to a call from a publisher looking to fill slots for an erotic anthology about a masquerade ball held by the gods. In researching the editor, I discovered she really liked male/female/female menages, so I wrote a story with that in mind and sent it to her. Two morals to that story: One, if you want to have someone else publish your books, research the editor; and two, even if your book has a limited audience, that doesn't mean it has NO audience, so don't give up!

Cat Burglars and Covers

First of all, you may have noticed the slide show with your book covers has disappeared from the top of the page. That's not because I stopped loving you, but because Amazon cancelled all the affiliate accounts of people in Illinois due to some new tax law.  I'll add something else to point people to your great books later. :)

While you're waiting for that, let me tell you about our cat, Macy.  She has the bad habit of opening every drawer and cabinet she comes in contact with to examine the contents - she's worse than a toddler.  She goes through the kitchen cabinets and drawers at least once a day in search of food and entertainment.  One day, she pulled out all the pot holders and dish towels from a drawer and dumped them on the floor. The other cat promptly came over and peed on them. 

And my daughter wonders why I want to give them away...

This morning I got up, went to the kitchen, and saw that she had discovered there was actually a drawer under the stove she hadn't seen before.  This is a heavy, metal drawer full of pots and pans, but she somehow managed to get it open and sifted through my pans.  What was she doing?  Baking cupcakes?  Loaning the pizza pan to the neighbors?

Tonight, I think I'll post a sign on my door: "Cat burglars welcome. Steal my cats, please!" 
Of course, Macy might slip the muffin tin under her arm as she goes...

------

Now, on an unrelated note (or related, since I did say "cats and covers"), in keeping with the 10 day overcome writer's block program, I've been bribing the right side of my brain with treats for writing.  For example, 20 minutes of writing = 20 minutes of something fun.  Tonight my reward was to play with making a cover for my WIP - a book unlike anything you've read from me so far - this one probably won't even have a single sex scene in it. ;)  It's more of an action/adventure with strong romantic elements.

Anyway, here is the result, and I kind of like it.  Of course, it's subject to change once the book is actually finished, but the right side of the brain had a good time, and it inspired me to keep writing.  (Oh, and I did another different sort of cover for my friend, Mark Diehl, whose drugs/guns/horror book will be released soon - you can find it on the Digital Art page - and if the cover I mention above doesn't show ((it keeps disappearing)), I'm going to try to add it to that page as well.)

Lies We Tell Ourselves

You're not good enough...You have nothing to say...You'll never finish this, because you never finish anything...You lack what it takes to follow through...You should give up now because you're wasting your time...No one will ever read this...

And so on.

Vicious, nasty inner critics that have paralyzed my writing for days, weeks, sometimes even years.  All based on one thing:  Fear.  Fear I'll never get published; fear that I will.  Fear no one will read it; fear someone will.  Fear it will be bad; fear it will be good.  You name the inner conflict, I've felt it.  And apparently, I'm not alone.

I've just finished reading a book on overcoming writer's block by Karen Peterson called "Write. 10 Days to Overcome Writer's Block. Period."  In it, she promotes the idea that the left and right sides of our brains put out conflicting information when we're afraid of something, and gives some exercises to help figure out how to get around that, such as writing and answering certain questions using first our dominant hand, then the non-dominant hand to see where the conflict might lie.  She also gave lists of things to check off, using alternating hands.

I really didn't expect to see different answers for the questions, but was astounded when I did the exercises: my left hand really didn't know what my right hand was doing!

For example, for months I've been plagued by the thought that I have nothing to say, therefore, I shouldn't write (not even blog - that's a big reason why my blogging has been so sporadic.)  But when I checked off the lists of questions that included "I have nothing to say" and "I have so much to say I don't know where to start" I actually checked both - each with a different hand, and didn't realize it.

Using more information from the book, I delved a little deeper into that conflict, and realized that in fact, I have a LOT to say, but have been terrified of saying it; which is why for almost a year, I haven't said much of anything.  I also realized where the source of that fear came from and have been able to smack it down.

It was quite an interesting exercise.  I have a way to go yet, but found it helpful.

Meanwhile, to deal with that critic who keeps telling me I can never finish anything, I also took a long look through my hard drive. Yes, I did find 22 incomplete manuscripts.  But I also found 11 completed.  "Hah! Take THAT, inner critic!"  Obviously, I can write a story from beginning to end.

Then on to the next lie: "You'll never get published and no one will ever read/like what you've written."  For some reason, that's been a persistent belief, until I realized that I've only ever submitted 3 stories, and all three were published, and all three had strangers write to say they enjoyed them.

So, roll up your sleeves, it's time for the inner critic smackdown!  Kick those doubters to the curb!  What lies has your inner critic told you that you were able to prove wrong?  And didn't you feel like Rocky when you knocked them out? :)

You've waited all year, and now it's here - Read an EBook Week!

Ok, maybe you haven't been waiting all year. But if not, why not?  Ebooks are great!  I'll admit, I was a skeptic, too, but they won me over. AND, I don't even have an e-reader. If I ever get one, though, I'm afraid my book store days will be over, except for rare occasions. That's a little sad, but there you have it.  You just can't beat the convenience, the price (well, with indies and the small pubs, at least), not to mention being able to carry your whole library with you at any time.

So, in honor of "Unmasked" now being up on Amazon Kindle (soon to be out in Barnes & Noble's Nook), and National Read an Ebook Week starting today, I put up a slideshow of some of my friends' ebooks, as well as just a few others that I've enjoyed - all with helpful links to take you to their pages on Amazon.

Try one!  Any one!  I'd love to hear about your experience with them.

Maybe not so pretentious this time?

OK, changed the header again.  I think this is better. :)

Meanwhile, in spite of my lofty goal this year to focus solely on craft and not publishing, I find I just can't do it.  I LIKE the publishing aspect too much.  In fact, I love everything about it - the first story idea, the last page, the edits, the cover art, that first sale... it's such a rush.  And I love it not just for me, but for other people, as well.  I'm always so excited when I hear the good news that someone received a new contract, or decided to go indie.  It's fun!

So, please excuse the mess as this blog continues to undergo updates as I work out its design and purpose.  I was working on setting up a new website, but I've seen several sample lately of blogs used as the author's sole website, and they've done a great job with them (I hope they don't mind if I steal some of their ideas!) 

For example, Tina Folsom did a very good job, I think (although I believe she also has a regular website as well.)  I really like the widget at the top and want to get one, but since I only have two books of my own right now, I'm going to try to add some friends' books to it (providing the friends don't mind - if you'd like to be included, let me know and I'll do it if Amazon lets me.)

Coming Out and Shouting Out

Notice anything different about this blog?  I'm working on a new website and updating my blog in preparation.  Since I've been writing under one name, and doing book covers and other art under a different name, I decided to "come out" and combine the two.  (I figure if Steve Malley can do it, why shouldn't I?) :) 

(Quick shout out, Go Steve!)

As for the title, I can't decide if it should be "creatively squared" or "creativity squared" and would be interested in hearing your opinion. Or do you think something else altogether?  All opinions are welcome - even if they are half-baked, cracked, and not worth listening to. :)

Meanwhile, I also want to congratulate Amber Scott and Edie Ramer on their Kindle success. (The crowd goes wild....Yaayyyyyyyyyy)

Some others with new books and exciting projects coming down the pike (in alphabetical order) are:

Avery Debow
Charles Gramlich
Michelle Diener
Natasha Fondren
Rick Moore
Stewart Sternberg

Any news you want to share, whether your own or about someone you know?

Digital Book World, 'PW' Present Self-Publishing Webcast

Digital Book World, 'PW' Present Self-Publishing Webcast

Got this from an email - thought I'd share, since there is such a boom in self e-publishing.  I want to see/listen, but I'll be in the office at that time. :(   If anybody can make it and is willing to tell all, I'd love to hear about it. :)

Heads Up Horror Writers

I just saw that Samhain Publishing is now open to horror writers.  Info is here: http://www.samhainpublishing.com/general-information/

I know a few people who have published with them and they were all extremely happy with the experience.  I haven't had a book published with them (yet), but they have rejected me, lol, so they are at least discriminating. :)  They were also very nice and helpful in the rejection as well.  Told me where I missed the mark, and encouraged me to keep submitting to them since they liked my writing style overall.  I was impressed, and plan to submit to them again in the future.  Whenever I have something ready, that is. :)

Time Out

It has been brought to my attention rather forcefully this year that I only have so much time and energy to go around (who knew?), and so I've decided to go into a self-imposed exile for the next year.  I'll be taking down my website and other blogs, and just leaving this one up, because I know that I won't be able to stay completely away. I'd miss you guys too much.  :)

However, I've had a few late night/early morning epiphanies that have left me with the decision to take a year off from attempting to write and create art for profit.  For the next year, I hope to focus on solely the love of the craft(s), as well as reaching deep to discover the things most important to me.  You'd think those things would be self-evident, but they really haven't been for almost two decades now.  I'm calling this: "The Year of Living Honestly: Finding Purpose and Courage in Truth."

Lofty, huh? :)

Yet, it's true.  I've been prone to depression most of my life and felt it coming back lately.  Upon further examination, I discovered that my life has been completely lacking in what I'd call honest purpose since I gave up my religion, husband, and most family and friends 16 years ago.  During one of those 3am soul-searching sessions recently, I asked myself how it was that I used to be so sure of myself, so brave in doing many things that did not come naturally to me, and realized that it was because I BELIEVED in what I was doing. I had the courage of conviction.  Can't say that I've been convinced of much of anything in a long, long time.

Hence, a desire to find out what, if anything, means so much to me that I'd be willing to face anything to protect it.  And to figure that out with as little stress as possible.  I can't quit the day job just yet (much as I would love to!) - still have bills and daughter's tuition to pay.  Though, who knows... I may yet do so.  Her education is important to me, but how it gets achieved and paid for is always up for review.  As are those bills... :)

Nevertheless, I can stop stressing about trying to write, paint, etc. and all the promotional work involved in that to make money from it (which I haven't been doing lately anyway because I haven't had the energy to keep up with it all).  So... that's it.  I'm going to do my best to just create for the sheer joy of it, for the learning that will come from that, and not stress myself out. 

I'll be honest with myself and others about how much I can, or cannot, do.  I'm resolving to not friendly with people I don't like just because they'd be useful to know in my job.  I won't smile at liars, I won't glare at friends, I won't enable the weak to maintain their weaknesses (or my own), and hopefully, I'll find some peace.

Wish me luck. :)

A Couple of October Reads...

Since it's been a while and I was getting tired of seeing my own face on this blog, I thought I should add something new. :)

I've been so busy lately, that I'm really tired and unable to string more than a few words together.  However, I do want to take a moment to heap praise on two books I've managed to get through in my frighteningly large TBR (To Be Read) pile.

I just finished "According to Jane" (quirky romance) by Marilyn Brant and "Killing Trail" (western action) by Charles Gramlich.  Two very dissimilar books, but alike in that they kept me turning the pages.

As I read "According to Jane", the word which kept coming to mind was "enchanting."  And she kept me enchanted through to the end.

As I read "Killing Trail", what kept coming to mind was, "Charles really knows how to build suspense and keep-you-glued-watching-the-action."  And he did keep me hurrying through to get to the end.

Lots of fun, both of them. 

Oh!  I just remembered that I read "The Owl Killers" by Karen Maitland - a book I won from the Magical Musings blog (thanks, Michelle!).  Will tell you about that one another time - it was also very good.  Meanwhile, here's a little more about the two from today.

About ACCORDING TO JANE:

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". From nowhere comes a quiet 'tsk' of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go - sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love - perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending.

About KILLING TRAIL:

Killing Trail is a collection of western short stories by Charles Allen Gramlich, the author of the Talera Trilogy and Cold in the Light. It contains:

Killing Trail: When they dumped Angela Cody on Lane Holland’s ranch she was scant moments from death. She managed to speak only a few words, but those were enough to make Lane strap on his guns and ride out on a killing trail.

Showdown at Wild Briar: Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Josh Allen Boone has ridden a long way from his Wild Briar Ranch. But now he’s coming home, and the real killers are waiting for him with a rope.

Powder Burn: They said Davy Bonner’s luck had run out and they ambushed him along a dark road. But luck or no, Davy wasn’t going down without a fight.

Once Upon a Time with the Dead: For the gray raiders, death was an old friend.

The work also includes two nonfiction essays, one about Louis L’Amour and another about the real Wild West.