Monday Meandering - January 26th

First Meander - Marketing

I don't usually track sales on Amazon. That's not what I got into writing for. However, sometimes we need to know what's working (or not) with our marketing.

Friday started a three-day "free" marketing blitz for the Just An Old Fashioned Love Story anthology. Click here to see my post about it. We paid for some marketing that spread throughout the weekend. We topped at #2 for anthologies (#1 was an erotic series). Our highest level (that I saw) was #61 for the Kindle's Top 100 Free. I'm not sure how that equates to overall downloads. Our member over that hasn't reported.

It was an interesting experiment, and we're starting to get some reviews in.Which, of course, is kind of the point of giving the book away, that and exposure.

Second Meander - Genre

It can be your friend or your worst enemy.

I've mentioned before about struggling staying in one genre. Yes, I write romance, but I almost always like my romance served with a nice side of ... something. It's that "something" that keeps sending me into different genres. For example:

• A Change of Plans, Safe Harbors #1 is an adventure romance, though it has elements that place it in women's fiction.
• Hope's Watch, Safe Harbors #1.5 is romance but also deals with women's fiction elements.
• Torn Canvas, Safe Harbors #2 is general fiction with a strong romantic element.
• A Season of Change, Safe Harbors #2.5 is romance but there are some suspense elements.

With Swing Vote, Safe Harbors #3, I've been under the impression that it was a thriller--because it has thrillerish elements. But the more I've been researching, the more I've concluded that I can't/shouldn't write and market it as thriller.

So I did even more research. I've concluded that SV is going to be romantic suspense. And I'm good with that. I have the skeleton of the story down (that's my first draft), but I needed to KNOW for sure what approach to take before I proceeded any deeper into the edits.

Third Meander - Size

The awesome Canda Mortensen post on her blog here about the length of various categories of literature. Since I have various lengths (Hope's Watch and A Season of Change are both novelettes and Second Chances 101 is a novella), I thought I share. I found it interesting.

Did you have a good weekend? Do anything fun?

Just An Old Fashioned Love Story ... And More!

What do you know? It's Friday,

and I'm spotlighting two of my own books!

A Change of Plans is part of an anthology of other clean romance books. AND, the anthology is free Friday through Sunday. Click here.

This boxed set is a collection of sweet romantic novels by five multipublished authors: 

Return to Rainbow Rock, by Susan Aylworth

A Father for Phillip, by Judy Griffith Gill

Jenny's Turn, by Vanessa Grant

Marry in Haste, by Moyra Tarling

A Change of Plans, by Donna K. Weaver.

Did you notice that I said "books"?

A Season of Change is available now for preorder here. Since it's a short story (actually a novelette),

it's only $.99. It will release on February 6th. I've never done this before, so it should be interesting.

It’s a time of change for Jori Virtanen. The former playboy model is about to be married. He juggles wedding arrangements, a bachelor party, and plans for keeping the ceremony secret from the press. But Jori has another problem. He has to figure out how to tell one of his best friends, Marc North, that his girlfriend may not be what she appears. 

This ebook-exclusive short story includes an excerpt from Swing Vote, Safe Harbors #3.