Monday, September 4, 2017

HBS Author’s Spotlight – Class of August 2017

This month we have a group of interesting writers with worlds of knowledge and expertise. The author interviews are a MUST read.

Be sure to check out what they have coming next for their readers. I try to pick authors who are interesting studies and ask them unique questions for our Q/A section.

Check out the Showcase feature of the HBS Author's Spotlight. I have included those authors in this class. Also, we have added the Author Bundles we have posted this month.

Thanks to the following outstanding authors for a great month. Here is a summary of our August 2017 crew.


Sharon Coady
Author: Sharon Coady

Author Genre: Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal

Author's Blog: Whisper's World
Twitter: @srcoady
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Sharon loves her family, tattoos, reading and writing when she's not riding around behind her husband on their Harley. You can check out all her books on Amazon and Createspace. She's a nurse for the Veterans Administration by day and a hard working writer at night creating believable characters and books that leave you wanting more.

Her husband spent 22 years in the Army and his career took them to some exciting duty stations around the world. Sharon and Ed have settled in Florida with three of their daughters and five of their eleven grandchildren. They have four daughters, three granddaughters and seven grandsons. They are awaiting the birth of their first great-grandson in May.



Interview Excerpt

Next: Placing Her Bet which is a book about a young woman with Agoraphobia (the fear of crowds) who forces herself to go to a race track and place a bet on a horse after having a dream about her late grandfather. She meets a man who helps her place her bet and invites her to his private box to watch the race. It is a clean, sweet romance.

I think social media relationships are important. I am trying to build my following with advertising with other authors and tweeters. It's not easy when you work a full time job and write part time! I am still trying to build my followers find the newsletter the most difficult one to do.

Book signings: It is a great way to meet new readers. I actually have one coming up in September (16th is in Orlando, Florida ) and another in December (Mt. Dora, Florida).

Covers: Most of my covers have come from the collaboration with a great cover artist. We work together taking our ideas to create the covers.

Shorty’s: I actually find it harder to write novellas. My readers devour everything and usually the most avid ones ask me when I am going to write something longer.

Author bundles: I love doing sets with other authors. I have seen an increase in sales on my other books and my single books that were in the sets. The main objective of course is to reach more readers and help them find other authors to enjoy.

Giveaways experience: It is great! Readers who may not know you and might pass your book over if they have to read it will usually seek out your other books once they have read you.

Primary genre: contemporary romance with some mystery and suspense.

The Diamond Club was the brain child of another author to bring together a group of authors that used the Diamond Club as the central focus for the books. I saw an increase in sales and reads when we did the release. We were hoping to build a world of intrigue, suspense and mystery with the books. It was put together with a lot of hard work and advertising.

Author's Book List
Clarity
Melanie's Christmas Gift
Candi Kane Kisses
Last One to Know
Mavy's Christmas Miracle
Christmas Choices
Broken Lies
Summer of Change
Yesterday's Memories


For the rest of the story...View Sharon Coady - HBS Author's Spotlight

Kerry J. Donovan
Author: Kerry J. Donovan

Author Genre: Crime, Suspense, Thriller

Author's Blog: Kerry J Donovan
Website: Kerry J Donovan
Twitter: @KerryJDonovan
E-Mail: news@kerryjdonovan.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
#1 International Best Seller with his action thriller, Ryan Kaine: On the Run, Kerry J Donovan was born in Dublin. A citizen of the world, he now lives in the heart of rural Brittany with his wonderful wife, Jan. They have three children and four grandchildren, all of whom live in England. An absentee granddad, Kerry is hugely grateful for the development of video calling.

The cottage is a pet free zone (apart from the field mice, moles, and a family of red squirrels).



Interview Excerpt

Next: The second book in the series, On the Rocks is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and is scheduled for release on 24th September at the very latest.

Social media: I joined Facebook and Twitter about five years ago as a complete novice and have grown my platforms organically since then. I have SM friends I’ll likely never meet in the flesh, but would love to do so.

I can quite safely say that Social Media has revolutionized my publishing process and I wouldn’t dream of launching a new book without tweeting, blogging, or Facebook posting about it.


Great covers: My friend, editor, and author, Michaela Miles and I spend a great deal of time and effort in designing my covers.

Together, we come up with a concept for the series theme and buy stock photos from an online source (e.g. Bigstock and Depositphotos). I then commission a cover designer to finalise the design.


Short story collection called The Collection: I created the book with the aim of using it as a sample of my work. To be honest, I don’t really promote the book and often use it as a giveaway. Some are funny, some are biographical, and some are pure whimsy.

Novella: Raymond Collins was my first self-published work of fiction. I used it as an introduction to Detective Chief Inspector David Jones and his team. I set is as a Permafree book for over a year, and it did generate a small but loyal following. I’ve since written three full-length Casebooks and have more in the pipeline.

Death, Lies & Duct Tape Set: It is impossible to quantify the effect of the Box Set on the sales of my other books. All I can say at this stage is, it certainly didn’t harm sales. As for the logistics of the Box Set, I was approached by one of the members and invited to join. I knew a few of the other authors on the project and was flattered to have been asked.

Free Books: Since 2016, I have made it my policy not to give my work away free any more. I believe giving books away free devalues the product and, just because someone downloads a free book doesn’t mean they are going to read it. Without buy-in, there’s no real incentive for the ‘reader’ to actually open the book.

Primary genre: I write crime and action thrillers. My fundamental marketing approach is to produce the absolute best work possible.

I do maintain a reader list and cull it regularly to weed out the subscribers who don’t want to hear from me and fail to open my Newsletters. I find the best way to build a list is to put a little link in the Back of Book matter and ask readers who like the book sign up.

Getting reviews: I offer ARC copies of my latest books to individuals and to reviewing groups I found on Facebook. I also include a review request in the back of all my books.

Author's Book List
Ryan Kaine: On the Run
The DCI Jones Casebook: Cryer's View
On Lucky Shores
The DCI Jones Casebook: Sean Freeman
The Transition of Johnny Swift
The DCI Jones Casebook: Raymond Collins
The DCI Jones Casebook: Ellis Flynn


For the rest of the story...View Kerry J. Donovan - HBS Author's Spotlight

D.E. Haggerty
Author: D.E. Haggerty

Author Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor and Comedy

Author's Blog: D.E. HAGGERTY - WRITER, BLOGGER, BOOK ADDICT
Website: D.E. Haggerty
Twitter: @dehaggerty
E-Mail: dena@dehaggerty.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
I grew-up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on from my mom's Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn't flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories, which have thankfully been destroyed.

College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin.

A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from adopted home.

I packed up again and moved to The Hague where I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.



Interview Excerpt

Next: I’m currently working on a historical romance set in Istanbul during the Second World War. I’m having a hard time coming up with a timeline for this one as the research is a bit daunting, and I’ve decided I’m Wonder Woman and can take on several projects in my private life. I’m discovering there is a reason why Wonder Woman was a comic book character and not real person!

Social media is part of my campaign to have an author platform – whatever that is! Having a good following has leant credibility to me as an author. I find that the more followers I have, the more serious I’m taken as an author, which leads to readers contacting me directly asking to review my books or telling me they’ve enjoyed my writing. It has taken me quite a while to build a following on social media.

Personal appearances: I’ve done some book signings in the past but living in a country (The Hague) where the primary language is not the one in which I write limits my opportunities.

I bundled my two series for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted to give readers a good deal…A bundle also gives readers a chance to read a big chunk of the first novel for free as a sample. My hope was that they’d be hooked enough to give the series a try after the longer sample. The series bundles are my best sellers. I put one of the bundles on sale every few months and the sales usually shoot through the roof.

Free Books: I don’t usually give a copy of my book away for free as part of a giveaway. I don’t think most readers are interested in receiving a free book from a mostly unknown author. I usually give away an Amazon gift certificate as who doesn’t want one of those? I also have some issues with giveaways as I’m living in Europe and my Amazon account is in Germany.

Primary genre: murder mystery. But, to be perfectly honest, I think chick lit may be a better answer as my mysteries as well as my romantic comedies fall under the chick lit category.

Great blog: The primary goal of my blog is to make myself visible to potential readers and give them a taste of my writing in the hope that they’ll then give one of my novels a try. I expanded the blog to include my real-life experiences with marketing and writing as I found it difficult to find articles/blogs that talked about experiences writers were having.

Living in The Hague: Without online marketing, I wouldn’t have much of a writing career. I sell the vast majority of my books in English-speaking countries. I rely on online marketing for these sales

Reviews: After trying a variety of techniques, I’ve found blog tours and my own personal list of reviewers the best methods of getting reviews. I continue to beg bloggers for reviews, but most bloggers are super busy.

Author's Book List
Fat Girl Begone!
Self-Serve Murder
Bring Your Own Baker
Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker
Molly's Misadventures
Love in the Time of Murder
Jack Gets His Man
Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem
Life Discarded
Buried Appearances
Unforeseen Consequences


For the rest of the story...View D.E. Haggerty - HBS Author's Spotlight

Lloyd Lofthouse
Author: Lloyd Lofthouse

Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, History, Romance

Author's Blog: Lloyd Lofthouse
Website: Lloyd Lofthouse
Twitter: @lflwriter
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam Veteran, who worked as a maître d’ in a 15 million dollar nightclub for a few years. He also taught English literature in the public schools for most of 30 years where he explored Romeo and Juliet with thousands of high school students.

A romantic at heart, in his award winning novels, he tests true love in difficult situations and the challenges of keeping that love alive. My Splendid Concubine, his first novel, is an epic love story that teaches acceptance and respect for other people and their cultures. Running with the Enemy, his second novel, is a love story that will either cost the characters their lives or will complete each other’s hearts. The Redemption of Don Juan Casanova, his third novel, is the story of a man raised in a world of sin and seduction, who craves the love of one woman but fears, because of his infamous reputation as a libertine, that he’ll never find a woman to love who will trust him to be faithful.

Lloyd Lofthouse lives with his family in California’s San Francisco Bay area.



Interview Excerpt

Next: My next book is the first in a planned series of five called “Becoming Merlin” (also the title of #1) and the first novel in the series is finished and going through revisions. In addition, the rough draft for number two, “Becoming Merlin, the Awakening” is almost completed. Hopefully, #1 will be out before the end of 2017.

Social media: My first serious social media interaction was when I launched iLookChina.net back in 2010 after taking a workshop in late 2009 to learn how to blog and attract visitors. In 2010, following what I had learned, I wrote and posted more than one thousand posts, and sold an average of 180 books a month that year.

The advent of e-books made it possible for me to publish and reach readers without going through agents, editors, and publishers. Before I became an indie author and published “My Splendid Concubine” back in 2008, that same book had been turned down by agents and editors. Thanks to the e-book revolution, that novel has sold and been downloaded more than 60,000 times in addition to picking up a number of literary awards at book festivals around the world.

Great covers: I’ve paid for a few of the book covers and produced the rest on my own using Adobe Elements. I tried getting readers involved in the production of one book cover I was working on. I read it was a good promotional tactic to use, but the results weren’t satisfying, and I probably won’t be doing that again

Time management: I’m a goal oriented writer, and I have a white board in my home office where I write them down. For instance, on that board, there is a goal that I finish writing the rough for chapter twenty-three in the second “Becoming Merlin” novel by August 13, 2017. I’ve already written more than one-thousand words in that chapter but have more work to do before moving on to the next chapter.

Interesting: I have had three giveaways for three of my four books, and the one that worked best was the BookBub giveaway of “My Splendid Concubine” in 2015. About 40,000 copies were downloaded in 24-hours and that resulted in an explosion of Amazon reviews, tripling the number and burying the trolls’ reviews that had attacked the book in 2013 to bring down the average rating after I was sucked into a flame war by stepping into a flame trap defending another author I knew.

Author's Book List
My Splendid Concubine
The Redemption of Don Juan Casanova
Crazy is Normal
Running with the Enemy


For the rest of the story...View Lloyd Lofthouse - HBS Author's Spotlight

Michael Pogach
Author: Michael Pogach

Author Genre: Literature & Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction

Website: Michael Pogach
Twitter: @MichaelPogach
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Michael Pogach is the author of the dystopian thriller Rafael Ward series, starting with THE SPIDER IN THE LAUREL.

He has also authored the "dirty and intense" chapbook Zero to Sixty, as well as stories in journals such as New Plains Review, Third Wednesday, and Workers Write.

His fame beyond the written word extends to a duel with a rodeo bull, surviving a taste test of Loch Ness, and adding whiskey to everything he cooks.

Michael lives with his family, his motorcycle, and his delusions of grandeur in Pennsylvania.

Michael is an author and English professor. He began writing stories in grade school. He doesn't remember these early masterpieces, but his parents tell him everyone in them died. He's gained some humanity since then, even allowing characters to survive once in a while. He is a graduate of Penn State and Arcadia University.



Interview Excerpt

Next: The Long Oblivion is the sequel to The Spider in the Laurel, the second book in the Rafael Ward series. It will be coming out in March, from Ragnarok Publications. It picks up about two years after the end of Book One, and finds Ward in hiding in the dangerous Western Districts of the Republic.

Social media has definitely helped. I've met some great people, opened up dozens of doors, and learned a lot about the publishing business and marketing through social media. I was a bit of a late-comer to Twitter and to making a dedicated author page on Facebook. And the one thing I learned that might be most important for newer authors is that social media is a great resource, but it's not a giant collection of readers salivating to buy your book.

Personal appearances: Anyone can keep up with me on my Twitter and Facebook, and on my website where I list all my appearances, as well interviews I do and and blogs/articles that I write.

Audiobook: Having The Spider in the Laurel published as an audiobook has been one of the coolest experiences of this who authoring thing. I found my narrator, the great Terry F. Self, on ACX, which is Audible's portal for authors and narrators looking to make audiobooks. There's no doubt the audiobook has introduced my work to a whole new fan base, and so far the reviews have been quite good.

Most of my short stories were published before my first novel came out. I was almost exclusively a short story writer before I decided to dedicate my time to my first novel (which took four years to write). So, the impact hasn't been so much of the stories on the my novels, but the other way around.

Author bundles: CAM Horror and Science Fiction Charity Anthology. I think the anthology has added a few sales for me, and it's definitely helped me make more contacts in publishing with the other authors in the collection and their fans too. Better yet, the anthology itself was such a great seller that for about a week I (and the rest of the authors in the anthology with me) were boosted into the top 50 selling authors on Amazon. Seeing that was amazing. I never thought my author pic would be on a page like with Stephen King and George RR Martin and the like.

Busy schedule: Writing, family, an almost three-year-old, and I'm an English professor, so time and scheduling are haphazard at best. If I'm lucky I end up with an hour or so a do to devote to the business of writing, which could be answering emails or managing social media or figuring out a marketing plan.

Primary genre: My short stories have primarily been literary fiction, while my novels tend towards scifi and thrillers. I love dystopias too, and plan to revisit that genre when the Rafael Ward series is complete by creating another near-future world gone wrong.

Author's Book List
CAM Horror and Science Fiction Book 1
The Spider in the Laurel


For the rest of the story...View Michael Pogach - HBS Author's Spotlight

Ian Sutherland
Author: Ian Sutherland

Author Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Author's Blog: Ian Sutherland
Website: Ian Sutherland
Twitter: @iansuth
E-Mail: ian 'AT' ianhsutherland.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Ian Sutherland was brought up in the Outer Hebrides, idyllic remote islands off the west coast of Scotland. In an effort to escape the monotonous miles of heather, bracken and wild sheep, Ian read avidly, dreaming of one day arriving in a big city like London. And then, at the tender age of 12 he was unexpectedly uprooted to Peckham, an inner city suburb of South-East London. Ian quickly discovered that the real London was a damn sight more gritty and violent than the version in his books and shown on tv. Undeterred, Ian did what he did best, and buried his head in books, dreaming of other places to escape to.

Roll forward some years, and Ian can still be found with his head in a book. Or, given that he enjoyed a successful career in the IT industry, an eBook Reader. And now, having travelled a fair bit of the globe in person and even more of it via the Internet, Ian lives with his wife and two daughters in a small idyllic village, surrounded by green fields, copses and the occasional sheep, yet located just outside of the London he finally came to love.

Here, he writes gritty, violent crime thrillers full of well-rounded characters, set in and around London and its suburbs. His stories also feature the online world that most of us jump into blindly each day, but Ian exposes its underbelly and dramatically illustrates how dangerous the internet can be for the unwary.



Interview Excerpt

Next up for me is the immediate sequel to Taking Up Serpents, which is currently being written under the working title of ‘Big Bad Data’.

Social media: Of all the social media platforms, Twitter has provided me the most value, both in terms of readers as well as networking. I’ve focused on it from the beginning and created a system that allows me to grow my followers massively, scale my reach when I tweet (whether about myself or to help others), and to convert new followers into email subscribers (where I can build a more intimate relationship). I attract relevant followers through my organic tweeting activities and by following people who already follow authors similar to myself, many of whom will follow back. I developed these strategies by analysing best practices of other non-author related, digital marketing experts and adapting them to suit myself. This is what led to me writing Advanced Twitter Strategies for Authors.

Audio books: Today, my narrator sent me the draft recordings of the audiobooks for Social Engineer and Taking Up Serpents, so I’ll soon have the full set available in audio. I believe that when readers see the ebook is also available in paperback and audiobook formats, then it appears even more professional and may indeed impact my regular ebook sales. This is my own theory and I suspect would be hard to prove one way or the other!

The Death, Lies & Duct Tape project was a real blast. We were 14 already successful indie thriller authors clubbing together to broaden our exposure. Our real objective was to hit the USA Today bestseller list and so we created a 6-month launch plan to build excitement, gather pre-orders from platforms like iTunes, Google Play, Nook and Kobo and then launch with a bang on Amazon. To hit the list you need to sell a hell of a lot of books in one week from multiple bookstores.

The Brody Taylor Series Boxset objective: The first was to have an immediate upsell offer to anyone who joins my mailing list, where I can point out that the boxset is available cheaper than the price of buying the other two books in the series individually. (The upsell page is displayed when a subscriber clicks to confirm their email address).

Free books: When I first published my debut novel, Invasion of Privacy, in 2014, I also wrote and published a standalone prequel novella called Social Engineer. Back then, I made Social Engineer permafree and used it as a lead in to Invasion of Privacy. It’s always easy to market something that’s free. This worked in those days, allowing me to gain many more sales of the sequel than I would have obtained otherwise, especially as a completely unknown author.

My primary genre is thriller and, within this, the subgenre of cyberthriller. I first assumed that my ideal reader was a 20 – 30 year old male and this was who I targeted my marketing efforts at. However, I’ve since worked out from my email list, book reviews and the demographics you can see from Facebook advertising, that my typical reader is a 40+ year old female

I believe my email list is the biggest asset I have for ongoing marketing.

The goal of my blog is to keep having something to share with my readers, so that they don’t forget about me! But blogging does more than this. Each post often receives links from other websites, providing me backlinks. The more backlinks, the higher my site will rise in Google search results. The more visible my site, the more chance I have of new people stumbling across me outside of my activities on social media.

Author's Book List
Taking Up Serpents
Invasion of Privacy
Social Engineer
Advanced Twitter Strategies for Authors


For the rest of the story...View Ian Sutherland - HBS Author's Spotlight

HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Suzanne Jenkins
Featured Book: The Jade Emperor


After a stranger appears on their doorstep, a picture-perfect family takes a side trip to crazy town in this story of a soldier's last chance at love.

A marriage of nearly half a century faces its greatest challenge when a stranger arrives, bearing life changing news. Although Steve and Kelly Boyd live together, they barely tolerate each other. Marrying in their teens and quickly becoming parents, the separation due to the war in Vietnam forms the foundation for the next forty-five precarious years.

Filling the empty marriage with the companionship of her twin sister, Karen, and the family she made with Steve, Kelly’s life revolves around her six adult children.

The stranger’s sudden appearance clarifies so much about Steve’s lifetime behavior to Kelly.

Heartfelt conversations at the local coffee shop where son Reggie works as a barista, help the family resolve differences, build new relationships, and grow in acceptance of one another.

At the end, love outweighs everything.

Author: Suzanne Jenkins

Author Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Suspense

Author's Blog: Suzanne Jenkins
Website: Suzanne Jenkins
Twitter: @suzannejenkins3
E-Mail: suzannejenkinswriter@gmail.com
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Get Suzanne's newsletter and never miss a new release! Receive a FREE Pam of Babylon short story by signing up at http://suzannejenkins.com

Suzanne's Gift to You! DOWNLOAD FREE and Bargain EBOOKS Start the first installment of Suzanne's bestselling series, Pam of Babylon FREE! Download Today - The Greeks of Beaubien Street 99 Cents (Greektown Detroit Detective Stories), and Burn District: The Prequel.

Her anthology of romance titles with eleven other authors, A TOUCH OF PASSION, has just become the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.

Suzanne writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women's fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are a reflection of American fantasy with historical reality. Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads.

Suzanne's stand alone novels include Someone Like You, the Family/LGBT themed Alice's Summertime Adventure, suspenseful The Savant of Chelsea, Slow Dancing, The Liberation of Ravenna Morton and Perfect for Him, her latest romance story. "Bring the tissues," readers say.

Burn District, Jenkins new sci/fi series, follows an American family as they flee from political insanity to save their lives in the Arizona Desert.

Her short story, Vapor appeared in Willow Review, Spring 2013.

A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins divides her time between the west Michigan lakeshore, the Brandywine River Valley, and the mountains of Southern California, traveling across country with her husband, Jim and dog Oscar in an RV, to visit their children and grandchilden on different coasts.

Author's Book List
The Jade Emperor
Second Chance
Pam's Adventures in Babylon
Mademoiselle
Meet Me at the Beach
South Shore Romance
Beach Spirits
I'll Always Love You
Save the Date
Soulmates
In Memoriam
The Tao of Pam
Family Dynamics
Prayers for the Dying
Dream Lover
Don't You Forget About Me
Pam of Babylon
A Greektown Wedding
Christmas in Greektown
The Princess of Greektown
The Greeks of Beaubien Street
Perfect for Him
Gracefully, Like a Living Thing
Burn District 1
Slow Dancing
The Liberation of Ravenna Morton
Someone Like You
Alice's Summertime Adventure
The Savant of Chelsea


For the rest of the story...View Suzanne Jenkins - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

James Moushon
Featured Book: Operation Asian Tiger


Chuck Chun joins Jonathon Stone in a mundane assignment in Singapore. The dull surveillance op quickly turns from boring to the search for terrorists and the solution of an international tragedy. The Royal Malaysian Police are going in the wrong direction as Jonathon uses the vast resources of the CIA to zero in on the truth.

Author: James Moushon

Author Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

Author's Blog: eBook Author’s Corner
Website: James Moushon - Mystery Writer
Twitter: @jimhbs
E-Mail: james.moushon@gmail.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
James Moushon is a Mystery writer and an Author Advocate.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars.

In 2003, Moushon changed his focus to ebooks and their development.

He is the author of the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels. He has published three books: 'Black Mountain Secrets', 'Game of Fire', ‘The Cajun Ghost’ and 'Operation Alpha Dog', a collection of short stories all featuring Jonathon Stone, CIA undercover agent.

He is currently wearing two Hats. He is a mystery writer and a book publishing blogger. You can find his blogs at:

HBS Author's Spotlight
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 450 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

eBook Author's Corner
The Corner is a collection of Author advice and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.

He has spent the majority of his adult life developing computer systems and thinking about writing mysteries.

Author's Book List
Operation Camp Navajo
Operation No Sanctuary
The Cajun Ghost
Operation Alpha Dog
Game of Fire
Black Mountain Secrets
Operation Asian Tiger


For the rest of the story...View James Moushon - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Jinx Schwartz
Featured Book: Just Follow The Money (Hetta Coffey Series Book 9)


Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she’s not afraid to use it!

She’s been visiting France for a couple of months, barging on the Canal du Midi with her boyfriend, Jenks Jenkins, hitting the hot spots in the South of France, eating great food, drinking fine wine, and foiling a terrorist plot: all the usual stuff.

Now, she’s ready to leave for Mexico and back to her yacht in the Sea of Cortez, but not so fast. At the last minute she’s offered a mysterious and lucrative assignment by persons unknown, and jumps at it. After all, Jenks is back at work in Dubai, so why not stay in France a little longer and make some bucks, to boot? Never mind that she doesn’t know where she’ll be working, or for whom.

Ending up aboard a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean—with a surprising crew—she quickly finds herself embroiled in a kidnapping, and up to her neck in bad guys; the problem is, just who are the good guys?

Author: Jinx Schwartz

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult/tweens, Historical/Western, Humor, Chicklit

Author's Blog: Jinx Schwartz's Water Writes
Website: Jinx Schwartz
Twitter: @jinxschwartz
E-Mail: jinxschwartz@yahoo.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Jinx Schwartz is the author of eleven books, including eight in the award-winning Hetta Coffey series. Hetta is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she's not afraid to use it!

A ninth-generation Texan, Jinx has lived and worked all over the globe, and much like the protagonist in her Hetta Coffey mystery series, she's a woman with a yacht and not afraid to use it.

Author's Book List
Just Follow The Money
JUST PARDON MY FRENCH
Just Different Devils
Just Needs Killin'
Just The Pits
Just Deserts
Just Add Trouble
Just Add Salt
Just Add Water
Troubled Sea
The Texicans
Land Of Mountains


For the rest of the story...View Jinx Schwartz - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Lizzy Stevens
Featured Book: The Road Less Travelled


Mia had dreams of being successful and becoming a Best-Selling author but she wouldn’t take shortcuts to get there. She worked hard in every aspect of her life.

She didn’t have much family to speak of but Nate and Mary were more family to her than her real family. She would do anything for them and they for her. They owned the diner that Mia worked at.

Everything changed for Mia when Nate had to have a back surgery and be out of work for weeks. They called in their nephew, Mason, to help them during their time of need. Mia knew Mason when she was a child but hadn’t seen him in years. She didn’t know what to expect since the only thing she could remember was a boy that used to pick on her and pull her ponytail when they were young.

Mia and Mason spent a lot of time together as the weeks passed. They grew closer and both gave everything they had to help Nate and Mary.

Mia got a call from a film producer interested in one of her books but she needed to fly to L.A. to have a meeting with him. She didn’t want to go alone because it would be nice to have a friend along for the trip. However, there was no way that Mary or Nate could come with her because of Nate’s surgery. Mia was surprised when Mason offered to go along with her.

Was Mason only spending time with Mia because he felt like he should? Or Were they beginning to become more than friends?

Author: Lizzy Stevens

Author Genre: Paranormal, Romance and Woman's fiction

Author's Blog: Lizzy Stevens Blog
Website: Lizzy Stevens
Twitter: @LizzyStevens123
E-Mail: witchesofsnowhollow@gmail.com

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Lizzy Stevens is an Amazon International Best Selling Author. She writes paranormal/ romance and woman's fiction. She's a wife & mother of 2 boys.

Lizzy has been writing most of her life but got her first official contract in 2008. 2013 was an exciting year for her. She became an International Best Selling author on Amazon.

Author's Book List
The Road Less Travelled
Don't Make A Wish
I Think God Is Mad At Me
Deadly Secrets: The Lies
Deadly Secrets: The Lesson
Winter Romance
Hanna's Secret
An Unexpected Love
Blackbeard's Treasure
A Lost Memory
Midnight Falls: The Beginning
Rachel's Legacy
Caleb's Whole World


For the rest of the story...View Lizzy Stevens - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

Maggie Toussaint
Featured Book: DADGUMMIT


Amateur sleuth Baxley Powell is on vacation at Stony Creek Lake in the north Georgia mountains. Her parents, best friend, and ten-year-old daughter are camping with her. Almost immediately, a young man’s body is found beside the lake. Strangely, there’s no apparent cause of death. The local police have heard about Baxley’s skill at closing unusual cases, and at their urging she agrees to help. Her psychic sleuthing leads the police to a halfway house.

There they encounter eight comatose victims and an odd man named Jonas, who also has supernatural abilities. Baxley senses Jonas cruelly drained their life force energy. Jonas escapes, taking the sheriff as a hostage. Deputy Sam Mayes, a Native American, leads the manhunt, and he keeps Baxley close, knowing she’s the key to capturing this powerful criminal. Baxley’s paranormal talent of dreamwalking, which she uses to traverse the veil of life, draws the unwanted attention of beings believed to be Cherokee folklore. Jonas stole a treasured artifact from them, and they want it back.

They hold Baxley’s best friend and two others because they know Baxley can help them. As the clock ticks, Jonas taunts this crime-fighting duo and proves to be a wily adversary. With the body count rising, Baxley and Mayes realize they are up against an entity who appears to be invincible. Do they have the power to subdue an energy vampire, turn the tide of evil, and save the day?

Author: Maggie Toussaint

Author Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance,Suspense

Author's Blog: Mudpies and Magnolias
Website: Maggie Toussaint - Romance Danger Mystery
Twitter: @MaggieToussaint
E-Mail: maggie@maggietoussaint.com
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Award-winning southern author Maggie Toussaint is published in romance and mystery genres. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Romance Writers of America.

Maggie uses real life inspiration to flavor her books. Her rich scenery and colorful characters have received much notice, but at heart, she tells a darn good story.

Author's Book List
Dadgummit
Doggone It
Bubba Done It
Rough Waters
Gone and Done It
On the Nickel
Dime If I Know
Hot Water
In For A Penny
Death, Island Style
Murder in the Buff
Seeing Red
Muddy Waters


For the rest of the story...View Maggie Toussaint - HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

HBS Bundles and Co-Authored Showcase


Featured Set: Mystic Passion: 6 Paranormal Romance Novels


6 Paranormal Romance Novels



AVAILABLE at Amazon



Romance and passion await in this set of brand-new novels! Fall in love with smart women and hunky heroes who have something special mixed into their stories. From ghostly love to psychics to mythological gods falling for humans… this set is full of romance along with a touch of magic mixed into the spice.

Available for a limited time only! Don’t miss out!

Denise Moncrief – Wild Rose

Being a single mom away from family and friends will be tough for Dani Wilde, but if she stays in Montrose, she’ll get sucked back into her old life. Cole LaFleur can’t see how hiring Dani to help with the renovations of the old Wild Rose Inn in Telluride can be anything but trouble. Renovating the hotel stirs up more than dust. Does love have a ghost of a chance?

Nikki Lynn Barrett – Peaceful Slumber

After a near death experience, Scott discovers he can see ghosts. He wants nothing to do with this gift. It isn't until an amnesiac ghost in a blood stained wedding dress enters his life that he starts to think differently. He promises to help figure out who she is, even if it means she has to move on. Go figure, she's the one person he gets along with, and wishes she were alive.

Rachelle Ayala – Black Tied

Sapphire Sing needs to discover her grandmother’s matchmaking secret. When her friends steal Grandma’s magic wok, one reputed to cast love spells, she is hurled into an ancient conflict between playboy demons and one seriously hunky demigod who is determined to capture both her heart and her wok. After an epic battle between demigod Johnny Wok and the playboy demon king, Sapphire is forced to make a choice that cuts to her heart.

Sharon Coady – Safe With You

Easton Ruden spent his life with a hateful stepfather and brothers after his mom died. When an uncle he didn’t know, dies and wills him a mansion on the other side of the country, he jumps at the chance to leave. Tegan Moreau spent her entire life helping protect the secret of the mansion. When Easton arrives, she knows he is her soul mate, and she must convince him to help her. When a witch and an unsuspecting young man are thrown together, can she convince him magic is real?

Chantel Rhondeau - Gifted Visions (Faith Baxter, Psychic Detective)

Psychic Faith Baxter is called to a small Wyoming town to find a missing teenager. She didn’t anticipate having a skeptic for a partner. Detective Evan Flynn wants to solve the case quickly and escape his so-called psychic partner. She pulls forth repressed childhood memories and throws him off kilter. Can Evan put aside his belief that Faith is a fraud and keep her safe when the case takes a dangerous twist?

Mimi Barbour – His Devious Angel (Angels with Attitudes – Book #2)

Man-hater gets mixed up with a crazy, hotshot soldier when he runs her down with his convertible. Now she's stuck having to accept his help to do her dog-walking job. Just her luck some expensive pets go missing, and her new partner decides the puppy-mill rumor needs to be investigated. Dangerous work without an eccentric angel to assist.


Author: Denise Moncrief


Author: Denise Moncrief
Author Genre: Romance, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Denise Moncrief - Suspense, She Writes
Author's Blog: Suspense, She Writes
Twitter: @dmoncrief0131
E-Mail: denisemoncriefbooks(at)gmail(dot)com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Suspense, She Writes: Where the road to happily ever after takes a suspenseful detour.

Want to know a little bit more about Denise? She has a wonderful husband and two incredible children, who not only endure her moods but also encourage her to indulge her writing passion. Accounting is a skill she learned to earn a little money to support her writing habit. Besides writing paranormal suspense, she holds a part-time job in public accounting and enjoys traveling, reading, and cooking.

She wrote her first story when she was a teen, seventeen handwritten pages on school-ruled paper and an obvious rip-off of the last romance novel she had read. She's been writing off and on ever since, and with twenty-four stories already published and sixteen still available for purchase, she plans to continue releasing new books for years to come. In 2015, her Haunted Hearts series sold over 19,000 copies, placing the series on Amazon's best-seller list of ghost thrillers for over a year.

Author: Nikki Lynn Barrett


Author: Nikki Lynn Barrett
Author Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Young Adult

Author's Blog: Nikki Lynn Barrett
Twitter: @nikkilynnbarret
E-Mail: nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
I'm an avid lover of books. I've been writing as far back as I can remember, completing my first "book" by fifth grade in one of those one subject spiral notebooks. I have a passion for music, photography, jewelry and all things creative. I live in Arizona with my husband and son, but dream of being somewhere much colder and stormier. For now, I'll have to live that life through my characters and stick it out with the summer heat.

Author: Rachelle Ayala


Author: Rachelle Ayala
Author Genre: Romance Historical

Website: Rachelle Ayala
Author's Blog: When a Woman Wrongs a Man
Twitter: @AyalaRachelle
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Rachelle Ayala is an award-winning USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She writes emotionally challenging stories but believes in the power of love and hope. She has won Readers Favorite Gold Awards three years in a row with A Father for Christmas, Christmas Stray, and Playing for the Save.


Author: Sharon Coady


Author: Sharon Coady
Author Genre: Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal

Author's Blog: Whisper's World
Twitter: @srcoady
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Sharon loves her family, tattoos, reading and writing when she's not riding around behind her husband on their Harley. You can check out all her books on Amazon and Createspace. She's a nurse for the Veterans Administration by day and a hard working writer at night creating believable characters and books that leave you wanting more.

Her husband spent 22 years in the Army and his career took them to some exciting duty stations around the world. Sharon and Ed have settled in Florida with three of their daughters and five of their eleven grandchildren. They have four daughters, three granddaughters and seven grandsons. They are awaiting the birth of their first great-grandson in May.

Author: Chantel Rhondeau


Author: Chantel Rhondeau
Author Genre: Romance, Mystery & Thrillers

Website: Chantel Rhondeau - Romantic Suspense
Author's Blog: Chantel Rhondeau - Past Writing/Self-publishing Tips
Twitter: @ChantelRhondeau
E-Mail: ChantelRhondeau(at)gmail(dot)com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
I once thought a great mystery or fantasy book with strong romantic themes was the highest level of reading bliss. After reading my first romantic suspense novel, I never looked back. Before long, the need to create my own stories took over. I spend my days in the clinical profession of medical transcriptionist, but my passion is in the blissful hours spent with my characters in the evenings.

I live in the western United States, and when I'm not writing I love playing cards with my family, bowling, and snuggling with my lazy kitties.

Author: Mimi Barbour


Author: Mimi Barbour
Author Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Suspense

Website: Mimi Barbour Believe
Author's Blog: Mimi Barbour Believe
Twitter: @MimiBarbour
E-Mail: mimibarbour66@gmail.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
New York Times, USA Today, Best-selling author - Mimi's been heard to say: "I'm an author who loves to write uplifting stories about romance. Add in some time travel, or maybe an angel, or even a little romantic suspense and it makes the story more fascinating because of the incredible possibilities."

Mimi is an Amazon best-selling author who's sold over 500,000 copies of her books world-wide. Her five romance series: The Vicarage Bench/ time travel at its best, Angels with Attitudes / angels love romance, Vegas / fast-paced plotting, Elvis / make a song a book and her newest, Undercover FBI / with sizzling conflicts and lots of humor.


Featured Set: Pat Tierney Mystery series



Rosemary McCracken
What would you do to protect your family?

Financial advisor Pat Tierney’s world is shattered when a visitor to her office tells her that Pat's late husband is the father of a seven-year-old boy. Stunned by the revelation of her husband's affair, Pat is even more shocked when the woman bolts from the office, leaving young Tommy behind.

When Tommy's mother is murdered, police tell Pat that the boy may be the killer's next target. In a desperate race to protect Tommy, Pat searches for the truth and uncovers a deadly scheme involving illegal immigrants, trafficking in human body parts and money laundering.

And Pat discovers that she'll do just about anything to keep her family safe.


Author: Rosemary McCracken


Author: Rosemary McCracken
Author Genre: Mystery

Website: Rosemary McCracken
Author's Blog: Moving Target
Twitter: @RCMcCracken
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook

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Amazon Author Profile


Author Description:
Rosemary McCracken writes the Pat Tierney mysteries. Safe Harbor, the first mystery in the series, was a finalist for Britain's Debut Dagger. It was published by Imajin Books in 2012, followed by Black Water in 2013 and Raven Lake earlier this year. “The Sweetheart Scamster,” a Pat Tierney story in the anthology, Thirteen, was a Derringer finalist in 2014. Jack Batten, The Toronto Star’s crime fiction reviewer, calls Pat “a hugely attractive sleuth figure.”

Rosemary lives in Toronto, Canada, and teaches novel writing at George Brown College.

Title: Safe Harbor

Author: Rosemary McCracken


What would you do to protect your family?

Financial advisor Pat Tierney’s world is shattered when a visitor to her office tells her that Pat's late husband is the father of a seven-year-old boy. Stunned by the revelation of her husband's affair, Pat is even more shocked when the woman bolts from the office, leaving young Tommy behind.

When Tommy's mother is murdered, police tell Pat that the boy may be the killer's next target. In a desperate race to protect Tommy, Pat searches for the truth and uncovers a deadly scheme involving illegal immigrants, trafficking in human body parts and money laundering.

And Pat discovers that she'll do just about anything to keep her family safe.

Available at Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Title: Black Water

Author: Rosemary McCracken


How strong is a mother's love?

When Pat Tierney's daughter, Tracy, asks her to help find Tracy's partner, Jamie Collins, their mother-daughter relationship is stretched to the limits. Pat heads out to cottage country where an elderly man, who killed Jamie’s sister in an impaired driving accident ten years ago, has perished in a suspicious fire. Unfortunately, Jamie is the prime suspect.

Pat takes charge at the new branch her investment firm has opened in the seemingly idyllic community where Jamie grew up, and her search for Tracy's missing sweetheart takes her through a maze of fraud, drugs, bikers and murder.

Once again, Pat proves that family can always count on her.

Available at Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Title: Raven Lake

Author: Rosemary McCracken


Murder, jealousy, fraud, deceit—welcome to cottage country!

Financial planner Pat Tierney’s dream vacation in cottage country turns into a nightmare when the body of an elderly woman is discovered in a storage locker. Pat’s friend, Bruce Stohl, is the murdered woman’s son, and when he is pegged by police as their prime suspect, Pat rallies to find his mother’s killer.

Meanwhile, a con artist has targeted cottages in the area, and vacationers are arriving, only to learn they are victims of a rental scam. When disgruntled renters show up at her door, Pat fears for her family’s safety.

Now she must navigate treacherous waters to protect those who are dear to her.

Available at Amazon
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Authors Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
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2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing all these books and authors. Best of luck on your books and stories!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for including me in your list.

    ReplyDelete