Nancy's Notes From Florida

The Big Move Begins
January 13, 2021

Greetings, dear friends. These last few months have been tumultuous as we prepared to move from our house of forty years into a new place near where our kids live. As we get older, it becomes evident that we need to be close to family for mutual support, and the pandemic brought home that nothing else really matters. And so we spent the Fall months packing our belongings and missing the friends that we would leave behind. The virus already had isolated us and sent us to virtual or phone visits. In a way, that detachment helped the process of moving.

American Van Lines made everything go smoothly. Alan B., our moving coordinator, answered my calls promptly and stayed as our agent throughout the process. It took three days for the actual move. On the first day, the guys arrived to pack our things. We’d already taken many of our small fragile items to store at our condo in Windermere. They packed everything else, including all our books and art works. They loaded the two vans on the second day, leaving us with an empty house. Afraid to book a hotel room due to the rampaging virus, we slept overnight on the carpeted floor of our daughter’s former room. It had to be one of the most uncomfortable nights we’d ever spent. Don’t our empty rooms look forlorn?

Then came moving day. At dawn, we headed north on Florida’s turnpike. We arrived at the house around 11am, having had the foresight to stop off and buy a quick take-out lunch. Not long afterward, the movers arrived. They unloaded the furniture and placed it where we wanted. All the boxes went into the garage. And that’s where many of them sit now. Alan called us daily to make sure everything was going smoothly and so did Elena, another team member. I was impressed by how carefully this company handled our items and their professional courtesy. I had paid extra for insurance with a high deductible, and while a few small items and an older tv had problems, they weren’t worth a claim. Then began the job of unpacking and deciding where to put everything, but that’s the topic for my next post.

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Year-End Goal Review
December 31, 2020

As a writer, it’s important to do a year-end goal review to see what you’ve accomplished and what has yet to be done. This will help you in setting goals for the new year. Aside from moving to a new location, this is what I’ve completed:

Goal Review

CREATIVE GOALS

Publish Easter Hair Hunt, #16 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries – DONE.
Published March 10, 2020

Reissue mystery backlist titles and update earlier covers – DONE.
a) Updated mystery covers and/or interior back matter for 14 books
b) Reissued in ebook and paperback:
Shear Murder – April 14, 2020
Hanging by a Hair – May 23, 2020
Peril by Ponytail – June 14, 2020
Facials can Be Fatal – July 14, 2020
c) Added all Bad Hair Day Mysteries to IngramSpark for new trade paperback editions

Revise and reissue romance backlist titles – DONE.
Reissued the Light-Years Series in September and the Drift Lords Series in November – 6 books total.

Put Writing the Cozy Mystery into audiobook – NOT DONE

BUSINESS GOALS

Bundle books into box sets – NOT DONE.

Schedule Price Promotions – NOT DONE.

Go wide with audiobooks via Findaway Voices – DONE

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In conclusion, I published one original title and finished reissuing all my backlist titles. Now I’m ready to move forward once my home office is reorganized and my life is put back together. A vaccine is on the horizon, which hopefully will allow socializing again and in-person events in the not-so-distant future.

How about you? Are you happy with what you’ve gotten done?

Happy New Year and thanks for sticking with me during these tumultuous times!


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The Big Move
December 1, 2020

My husband and I are about to embark on a grand adventure. After forty years in our cherished house, we are moving four hours away to be near our kids and grandson. It’s not easy when we’ve remodeled this house to suit our style and we love the neighborhood. It’s difficult saying goodbye to our friends and leaving our favorite local restaurants. In a way, the pandemic has helped by isolating us from everyone. Meetings have been cancelled. We can’t get together with friends. So we talk on the phone and visit via Zoom. We can do the same things from our new location.

At the moment, we feel as though we have two lives. One half of us is still in our long-time residence getting it ready for sale and the moving van. The other half is planning ahead to what we want to do in the new house. Hopefully, the rewards will be worth the angst in the end.

In the meantime, my posts (and my writing) will be taking a back burner to these disruptive changes. I’ll resume at the beginning of next year if all goes well.

Have a wonderful holiday season and thanks for understanding.

Until later,

Nancy

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Warrior Lord Reissue
November 20, 2020

I am excited to announce the reissue of Warrior Lord, Book Three in the Drift Lords Series. This title was previously published by The Wild Rose Press. A fantasy wedding in Las Vegas turns into a nightmare when contest winner Erika Sherwood realizes she’s married an alien in this action-packed fantasy paranormal romance novel.

Warrior Lord

Book Three in The Drift Lords Series
Copyright © 2014 by Nancy J. Cohen
Published by Orange Grove Press
Digital ISBN: 978-1-952886-15-7
Cover Design by The Killion Group, Inc.

Pottery sculptor Erika Sherwood marries a stranger at a Las Vegas casino after they win a game together and agree to split the reward. It isn’t until her life is threatened that Erika realizes the wedding was for real and her husband is an alien. A warrior from another planet, he’s come to Earth to quell an invasion of beasts from another dimension.

With their location exposed, Erika and her new husband need to make a fast escape. They plunge into a whirlwind of danger, passion, and heart-pounding suspense in their pursuit of a weapon that can defeat the enemy. More alarming are the feelings Erika develops for the taciturn warrior. Will he leave her when their mission is done?

A Drift Lord and swordsman of the Tsuran, Magnor tricks the redhead into marriage when he realizes she is one of six women prophesied to save Earth. But as they race to prevent an apocalypse, he wonders if he risks his heart more than his life.

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Excerpt

Cameras aimed at her, and a wedding march blasted from the speaker system. She resisted the urge to press a hand to her aching temples.

Magnor waited for her under the canopy where myriads of tiny lights twinkled. He looked proud and tall, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched her step forward. His cape swung behind him, making him look like an avenging god with his impressive height and sword.

She took her place at his side and together they faced Dennis. The official held an open book in his hands. Dennis began the brief ceremony, his words bypassing her brain as she stood rooted in place, immobilized by the rapid pace of events.

“With the power invested in me by the State of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Erika’s head whirled. Not even fifteen minutes must have gone by. Was this what passed for a Las Vegas wedding?

What a sham. She supposed that every minute they were on the air, it cost money.

Magnor’s head descended, and he pressed his mouth to hers. As far as the TV viewers were concerned, they’d been married. The exchange of rings had felt real. She wondered who’d given him the one he’d slid onto her finger. Dennis, most likely.

The ruddy-faced official shook their hands, gave Magnor the key to the honeymoon suite, and said their new car would be available for pickup from the valet. As for the cash, it was theirs for the taking. He handed them a large-sized signed check made out to Mr. and Mrs. Magnor.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Dennis said. “I’ll need your signatures on these documents, please. It’s simply a formality, but we do need permission for the resort to use your likenesses for publicity. These papers also include transfer of title to the car, tax forms and such.”

Erika signed with a shaky hand. In her frazzled state, she couldn’t be bothered to read the details.

Magnor followed suit, then grasped her hand in his and raised it in the air. The watching throng cheered loudly.

“That’s it then, wife.” His low, rumbly voice broke through the haze in her head. “You’re mine now.”

Praise

“Cohen’s third book in her Drift Lords series is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. She effortlessly blends fact with Norse mythology and fiction to create a fabulous tale, layered in detail and rich in texture.” Muddy Rose Reviews

“Warrior Lord held me spellbound with this story of soul mates trying to save the world. This book has action, adventure, and romance. If that is not enough for you, this book will have you at the edge of your seat. I love mythological beings and incorporating them into a modern story takes a lot of skill and creativity…A great read.” Drue’s Random Chatter

“A fun combination of action, adventure, sci-fi, mystery, mythology, and romance. I loved this book and cannot get enough Drift Lords.” WiLoveBooks

“I really felt connected to these characters. This is an entertaining read and definitely will leave you satisfied.” The Book Maven

“Warrior Lord is a fast-paced science fiction tale with suspense and romance. Erika, the sculptor from Earth and Magnor, a warrior lord on a mission to find the book of Odin, fall in love while fighting his enemies. A very-well written book that kept me reading and guessing until the last page.” Reader Forever

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A fantasy wedding in Las Vegas turns into a nightmare when contest winner Erika Sherwood realizes she’s married an alien. WARRIOR LORD #pnr #fantasy #romance Share on X

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Back-to-Back Book Releases: Yay or Nay?
November 17, 2020

Launching a series all at once can be a daunting task. You have to plan the promotion campaign with tight deadlines. This release schedule was a new venture for me. With two backlist trilogies, it made sense to book the releases close together. This meant getting all the titles ready before the pre-order dates.

Once I’d completed my revisions, here is what came next:

  • Assign individual ISBN Numbers and add to Copyright pages (optional but recommended).
  • Mention this title was previously published by your former publisher if it’s a reissue.
  • Add new front and back material.
  • Complete formatting for each book.
  • Add updated book covers to website.
  • Convert book into digital and/or paperback formats.
  • Set release dates.
  • Add book to vendor sites and schedule as pre-order.
  • Create memes for series as a whole and for each individual book.
  • If running a sale, create memes for sale book(s).
  • Write tweets for each title and for overall series.
  • Schedule a newsletter.
  • Book ads if desired.
  • Write blogs for Cover Reveals and Reissue dates.
  • Add distributor links to scheduled blog posts and website.
  • If a reissue, decide if you want to link to earlier versions to retain reviews.
  • Claim your titles on BookBub, Goodreads and Amazon Author Central.

I decided to run a pre-order sale. With the titles respectively at $.99, $1.99 and $2.99, this would give readers a saving of $6.00 over the regular retail price of $3.99 each.

There appeared to be a spike in sales for each book on their release dates, presumably due to preorders. The first book in each series had the most sales. I’m experimenting with these books on Kindle Unlimited and will evaluate the results once the royalties start coming in.

Would I do this again? Not for original titles. You’d have to write all three of them first and then promote your books to the next millennia. It gets tiring fast. There’s a reason why publishers produce one book a year in a series. You need time to contact reviewers, plan a promotional campaign, schedule ads, write copy, and so much more. It’s easier for backlist titles when you already have reviews, but you still want to attract new readers with fresh covers and added bonus materials.

In conclusion, a back-to-back publication schedule may work for more energetic writers, but I wouldn’t do it for my original works. I need more time for advance planning. In this case, though, with all three books in each trilogy already written, it was easier to get them ready for a fast launch.

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Have you ever rapid-released several books in a row? How did that work for you?

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