Happy Holidays!!!

Cool Holiday Gift Ideas: Hi all. I know many people are looking for a certain something to give a certain someone. Look no further than Think Geek. 

For example, who wouldn’t want this really cool Planetary Glass Set? I’m ordering one. 

They have toys, T-shirts and other apparal, electronics and gadgets, home nad office, even survival stuff like this coffee mug . Lots of other geeky nerdy dorky stuff too. Think Geek 

Coolest Nativity Scene Ever!!!

This One's Pretty cool Too

Murcat Manor Nativity Scene

LEGO Nativity Scene

Peanuts Nativity Scene

Red Neck Nativity Scene

Finally, I leave you with this. I think I posted this least year. If so, it’s certainly worth a repeat. It’s Mr. Bean’s Nativity Scene. Enjoy!

 

My Paid Online Promo Results and Question of the Month

Hi everyone, as promised, here are the results for five paid promos I did during November, pricing Salem’s Daughters at $0.99 Two worked very well, one was okay and two flopped. 

What Worked BookSends November 4th $25.00 

I made my money back with a little left over, and the spike in the Amazon rating added much value to the promo. Salem’s Daughters soared to about 3,500 and almost hit number one in the Witches and Wizards sub-genre with a sustained top 10,000 ranking for a week. Note: You can only promote a particular book once every three months with BookSends, although you can use them once a month for other books. 

What Worked Book Goodies November 16th $5.00 

By far the best bang for my buck. I had the most downloads here and again saw my Amazon ranking hit 2,500 with a sustained top 10,000 ranking for a week! 

What Kind of Worked eReader Café December 1st Book of the Day $35.00 

This was the most expensive promo and I made half the cost back. Combining this with the first two, I broke even. The Amazon rating was boosted but not as much. 

What Bothered Me was I paid extra to be Book of the Day and all that got me was a black border around my cover image and Salem’s Daughters was listed last among the other books being promoted that day. 

What Didn’t Work Fiverr BKnights November 9th $21.25. 

I’ve never heard of them either. I saw reviews where writers used their $5.00 program for a free download promo and were very much satisfied with their results. So I tried it with my paid promo. They offered additional exposure for a few dollars here and there and with PayPal fees I was up to $21.25. I saw a small bump in downloads and that’s all. 

However if you let BKnights know you found Fiverr on KBoards, they will run all five gigs for you for only $5.00. I didn’t know it at the time. Now that I know, for $5.00 I’ll try them again. 

What Didn’t Work Awesome Gang Nov. 11th $10.00 

It was cheap so I tried it. They do have a free service, the $10.00 was an upgrade for additional exposure. I didn’t see much in sales.

I was rejected by Book Bub. No surprise there, but if they had accepted me I would have paid for the promo ($520.00). Also, eReader News (ENT) Book of the Day ($25.00 for my genre) and Read Free.ly (free) never responded to my submissions and follow up emails to use them. I’ve followed books promoted on these sites and have seen great results and will submit to them again soon. 

I didn’t use Book Gorilla as I followed Amazon rankings of the books they promoted and I did not see enough of a spike in rankings (sales) to justify the cost of $50.00.

Overall I lost money but nothing I can’t handle. About $25.00 I’m not afraid to try something. And I got hundreds of my books out to new readers.

Moving Forward I will again submit to the ones that work: Book Goodies, GoodSends, eReader Café, eReader News, Read Free.ly and miscellaneous freebies together on one day and price my books at $0.99. I’ll go all out for that one awesome Amazon ranking. I hope to get it all the way up into the hundreds. 

Then, I’ll follow up with the same promo later and price my books at $1.99. I might not see the same spike in Amazon ratings, but I’ll make $1.40 per sale rather than $0.33 pricing it at $0.99. 

Reviews Why didn’t I think of this earlier? I’ve just added this to the end of my four books: Thank you for reading Salem’s Daughters. I greatly appreciate it. 

If you liked the story, please consider posting a short review at Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are the greatest compliment a writer can receive. And thanks again for reading Salem’s Daughters. I hope you enjoyed it. 

Last Salem’s Daughters Blog Tour Stop What better place to end an exhausting blog tour that at Carol Kilgore’s Tiki Hut on Monday. Stop by and say hello. Mai Tais are on me. 

Question of the Month Brought to you by Michael D’Agostino at A Life Examined. Which one social convention would you get rid of?  

Shaking Hands. I’m a guy and I know what guys do with their hands. Scratching every part of their body, sneezing and coughing into them, running fingers through their hair, handling money, not washing them after using the bathroom (I do but many don’t) touching door knobs that hundreds of other guy hands have gripped. 

Nope, I don’t shake hands. I give a fist pump and don’t care if I offend people by it. 

Question Have you ever paid for a promo like this or are you now considering one?

IWSG, Breakthrough Box Set, Paranormal Vs. the Supernatural, and New Promotional Stuff

IWSG It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for Insecure Writers Support Group. This week’s co-hosts are Sandra Hoover, Mark Koopmans, Doreen McGettigan, Megan Morgan, and Melodie Campbell. When you’re out and about today, take a few moments and stop by to say hello to these fine folks. 

My concern this month is the changing marketing methods writers need to successfully promote their works. What worked last time may not work at all next time around. 

Case In Point Breakthrough, my first book in the Chase Manhattan series, was in Borders Books and Barnes and Nobles across the country with book signings galore. Social Media for me was in its infancy as I just started blogging and struggled to understand Facebook and Twitter. But overall life was great! 

Opening For my second book, the days of brick-and-mortar stores were gone. However, social media evolved into a hugely successful promotional platform. A blog tour, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and other such groups was a boon. 

Escalation A bit of a dud, at least compared to the first two books. Again, no brick-and-mortar stores. Social media was okay and sales were so-so at best, even though I thought (IMHO) Opening was the best of the three books. 

Salem’s Daughter A new day has dawned and I need to evolve. I’m trying something new. New, because it’s costing me a few dollars and up to this point I’ve enjoyed FREE when it comes to promoting. 

Tune in Monday December 7th for my Online Marketing Results as I’ll tell what worked and what didn’t using eReader News, Book Goodies, BookSends and a couple others. Hopefully, you can glean meaningful information if you’ve considered using similar marketing methods. 

Breakthrough Trilogy Box Set I’ve completely re-edited all three books in the Breakthrough series, finishing with Opening Sunday night. I fixed typos, edited out a $h!+!0@d (currently under review to be a standard unit of measurement) of redundancies, and brought the books current to 2015. Amazing how fast our quickly changing world, well, changes. It’s a much smoother read. 

Like my Box Set image? I sure do! I used a template from Book Boxed Set for only $5.00, then using Photoshop and a few clicks of the mouse and the product was finished. I highly recommend them. If you’ve considered making your books into a box set and want a spiffy image, check out Book Boxed Set.

Salem’s Daughter Blog Tour I still have two more stops as this proved conducive to scheduling after Thanksgiving. Please take a moment to stop by and visit the awesome Betty at Bench With A View for one of my favorite topics Paranormal Vs. the Supernatural. I think you’ll really like this one. 

Black and White Version

Color Version 

Who Am I I write Speculative Fiction and embrace science and the supernatural to help explain the universe, our place in it, and write one of a kind thrillers. You can read a full synopsis and download Salem’s Daughters by Clicking Here. 

Question How have you adapted to marketing and promotions changes over the past five years? Do you follow the same course, or have you tried new stuff? 

Do you prefer black and white or color cover art for Salem's Daughters? 

Should $h!+!0@d be considered as a standard unit of measure?

Happy Thanksgiving And Other Miscellaneous Stuff

Happy Thanksgiving 

Hi everyone, it’s Thanksgiving week and even though life can throw us a curve ball we still can find lots of things to be thankful about. 

Me, I’m thankful for my health, family, and that I have four books finished with another in the MG / YA genre well in the works. 

Witch One, errr ... Which One You’ve seen the black and white version of Salem’s Daughters. I also have a color version. I’m not sure about the latter. What do you think? Stick with the original black and white or use the colored version as well. I’d really appreciate your opinion. 

Promo Stuff I’ve tried a few new things this time around that I’ve never done. I’ll be sharing what worked, what didn’t, what was free, what cost money (I’ve never spent $$$ on a promo until now) and was it worth the cost. 

I’ll tell all on my Monday December 7th post. Hopefully this info will help others who have considered similar promos. 

I will say I’ve had a few overall decent rankings with Top 10 rankings in the Witches and Warlocks sub-genre that have covered the cost of the promo and then some. I have another promo coming up early December so we’ll see how that goes. 

Breakthrough Series I’ve finished re-editing the first two books and am wrapping up the last one. Can’t wait to finish and promote the three together as a series. 

Question What are some of the things you’re thankful for? And do you like the black and white or use the colored version for Salem’s Daughters?

Michael Di Gesu, Paranormal TV and Movies, The world's Largest Cat, And More!

Paranormal? Yeah, I think so. 

Hi all, and as always thanks for stopping by and saying hello! Today I’m at Michael Di Gesu’s Website In Time. 

This promises to be a really fun stop as the topic is Favorite Paranormal TV and Movie Shows. You won’t want to miss this one! 

Fun Fact The world's longest cat is Stewie, measures 48.5 inches (1.23 m) from the tip of his long tailbone to the edge of his whiskered nose. 

Stewie. He Looks Hungry.

Yeah, referring to an earlier post, if domesticated cats were big enough to eat us, they would. At least our faces. Nom nom nom nom nom. 

Did You Know According to researchers, keeping a cat as a pet reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes by nearly one third. 

Tell that to the cats at Murcat Manor. They increase the risk of death by 100%. 

Question: Do you have a favorite paranormal movie or TV show? Wait. Don't answer. Go to Michael's blog and answer. See you there!

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast. 

Stephen Tremp Writes Speculative Fiction and embraces science and the supernatural to help explain the universe, our place in it, and write one of a kind thrillers. 

You can read a full synopsis and download Salem’s Daughters by Clicking Here. 

Bad Girls of the Bible, BookSends Results, Cold War Space and Spy Kitties, Harley Quinn and More!

Monday I’m visiting C. Lee McKenzie at The Write Game. The topic is a fun one: Bad Girls of the Bible. 

Book Promos I mentioned last week I did a paid promo with BookSends. I rarely do this. Never really needed to in the past as I had my books in Borders Books and Barnes and Nobles and did books signings and social networking and such. Free is good! 

But now Borders Books is gone and Barnes and Nobles acts like that girl who promised to go to the prom with me but at the last minute changed her mind and then pretends like she never knew me. 

So I needed a boost and used BookSends. The results are pretty good. I made my money back and then some and got a decent ranking of 5,000 with a Top Ten ranking in the Witches and Wizards sub-genre. The book held a decent ranking for the week and through the weekend. 

The Verdict Is In I've used BookSends three times and each time it paid for itself and I received a really nice boost on my Amazon ranking that sustained itself for a solid week. There are some freebie promo sites like BookSends I’ll try as November rolls on. 

Fun Fact The first cat in space was French. She was named Felicette, or “Astrocat.” She survived the trip. 

I'm Incognito Kitty

Did You Know In the 1960s, the CIA tried to turn a cat into a bonafide spy by implanting a microphone into her ear and a radio transmitter at the base of her skull. She somehow survived the surgery but got hit by a taxi on her first mission. 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb Spend a summer at a present day bed and breakfast called Murcat Manor, and you too could become a victim of thirteen gifted and malicious killers from late seventeenth century New England. 

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

ReTweets Help a brother out. This week when you're on Twitter and if you feel so inspired you can stop by my Twitter Page and Retweet my Tweets for Salem's Daughters. Thank you in advance! 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $0.99 Click Here. And as always, thanks for your support. 

Question Do you have a favorite Bad Girl? I’m looking ahead to Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in next year’s movie release Suicide Squad.

IWSG, Feline Fun Facts, and More!

IWSG: This month I have the pleasure of co-hosting the Insecure Writers Support Group along with Karen Walker, Denise Covey, and Tyrean Martinson. Take a few moments and stop by and say hello to this awesome group of co-hosts. This month 

Also Today Lynda Young is hosting me at her Website WIP It. 

This Week Salem’s Daughters is $0.99. You can read the synopsis and download a copy by Clicking Here. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast

I’m also doing a promo today with BookSends. I rarely do promos like this. This is only the third time I’ve gone this route. But BookSends has been good to me and I’ve always made back the small fee plus some. 

Fun Fact Fear of cats (cat phobia) is known as ailurophobia (Greek - ailouros - cat). It is defined, by various sources, as: 

• an abnormal fear or aversion to cats 

• a fear of cats 

• a morbid fear of cats 

Alternate names for fear of cats are aelurophobia, galeophobia, and gatophobia.

Human Has Not Fed Me In Days. Me Very Hungry.

Did You Know When people die in their homes and their cats get hungry, the first thing they eat are the faces of the deceased people. I had to get that in somewhere during my Salem's Daughters Blog Tour.

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters ($0.99 on Kindle this week), is supernatural thriller about an average young couple who build a bed and breakfast that is terrorized by thirteen seemingly harmless cats possessed by disembodied witches who instigate a cycle of terror and murder. 
 
Question What’s your IWSG this month? Do you ever use BookSends or BookBub or other similar services to help promote your books?

Question of the Month, Hilary Melton-Butcher, Sir Isaac Newton, and More!

Question of the Month Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert? I’m more of an introvert. I can be loud if I want to be, just not all the time. I think being introverted helps writers as they are able to spend more time researching and writing than looking for people to strike up a conversation with. This is a once-a-month Bloghop you can sign up for by Clicking Here.

Insecure Writers Support Group If you don’t have your post up for this Wednesday be sure to do so. I’ll be co-hosting this month’s event and visiting as many people as possible. 

Salem's Daughters Blog Tour Monday I’m traveling across The Pond and visiting Hilary Melton-Butcher at Positive Letters and Inspirational Stories and talking about the setting of a story. 

Salem’s Daughters is discounted to $0.99 this week. Grab your copy by Clicking Here! 

Fun Facts Cats prefer their food around room temperature. Not too hot and not too cold. 

Did You Know Sir Isaac Newton, among his many achievements, invented the cat "flap" door. 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

Happy Halloween and Write With Fey

Hi everyone, today we continue the eleventh leg of Salem’s Daughters’ Blog Tour at Chrys Fey’s Write With Fey. For a full itinerary of my blog tour, Click Here or simply select the self-named TAB at the top. 

Salem’s Daughters Spend a summer at a present day bed and breakfast called Murcat Manor, and you too could become a victim of thirteen gifted and malicious killers from late seventeenth century New England. 

Did You Know Cats caused the Black Plague. That’s right. People associated cats with witches and got rid of the cats, enabling the rat population to escalate and spread the disease. 

Fun Facts In America black cats are considered bad luck. But in England and Asia they are considered good luck. 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

ReTweets Help a brother out this week. When you're on Twitter and if you feel so inspired you can stop by my Twitter Page and simply Retweet my Tweets for Salem's Daughters. Thank you in advance! 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 Click Here. And as always, thanks for your support. 

Arlee Bird, Did You Know, and Cat Fun Facts

A Present From Me to You. You're Welcomed!

Hi everyone, today we continue the ninth leg of Salem’s Daughters’ Blog Tour at Arlee Bird’s Tossing It Out. For a full itinerary of my blog tour Click Here or simply select the self-named TAB at the top. 

Salem’s Daughters Spend a summer at a present day bed and breakfast called Murcat Manor, and you too could become a victim of thirteen gifted and malicious killers from late seventeenth century New England. 

Did You Know Most cats give birth to a litter of between one and nine kittens. The largest known litter ever produced was 19 kittens, of which 15 survived. 

Fun Facts The biggest wildcat today is the Siberian Tiger. It can be more than 12 feet (3.6 m) long (about the size of a small car) and weigh up to 700 pounds (317 kg). 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

Retweets Help a brother out this week. When you're on Twitter and if you feel so inspired you can stop by my Twitter Page and simply Retweet my Tweets for Salem's Daughters. Thank you in advance! 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 Click Here. 

As always, thanks for your support. Now off to Arlee Bird’s Blog.

Barbara in Caneyland, Did You Know, and Cat Fun Facts!

Hi everyone, today we continue the ninth leg of Salem’s Daughters’ Blog Tour at Barbara Barbara in Caneyland. For a full itinerary of my blog tour Click Here or simply select the self-named TAB at the top. 

Salem’s Daughters These bad kitties are an inspiration for all Bad Girls of the Bible 

Did You Know All cats are good natural hunters, even domesticated house cats. But are they too good? Free-ranging cats, domesticated cats who spend a lot of their time outside, have contributed to the extinction of 33 different species, including birds, mammals, and reptiles. They are actually listed among the top 100 most invasive species. 

Fun Facts Neutered female cats are the main culprits who bring their humans dead mice and birds and such. Since they do not have offspring, it’s believed their instinct is to bring their family, humans, food. So the next time your cats brings you a dead animal understand they are merely trying to provide for their family. You. 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast. 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 Click Here. 

As always, thanks for your support. Now off to Barbara in Caneyland.

Jo Wake, Marty McFly is Here, People Food vs. Cat Food, Did You Know, and Cat Fun Facts

Hi everyone, today we continue the seventh leg of Salem’s Daughters’ Blog Tour at Jo Wake Food Life and a Scent of Chocolate. 

For a full itinerary of my blog tour Click Here or simply select the self-named TAB at the top.

But First I fully expect to see Marty McFly appear on the scene. And he'd better have my kids homework done. Back to the Future is still one of my favorite all-time movies. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Chrys Fey is the winner of the $25.00 Amazon Gift Card from last week's Blog Tour post at Crystal Collier's Website. I purposely worded the meatloaf choice in a negative tone thinking people would look past it. Looks like it worked as only three people picked option number two: I Don't Like Meatloaf. And I don't. Hate meatloaf. Not sure why as I love hamburger and red meat.

Salem’s Daughters The cats are actually people inhabiting cats bodies and eat people food, refusing to eat cat food for four-hundred years. 

Did You Know Cats are meat eaters, plain and simple. They have to have meat protein for a strong heart, good vision, and a healthy reproductive system. Cooked beef, chicken, turkey, and lean deli meats are a great way to give. Reference 

Fun Facts People foods you can feed your cats (but research portion amounts first) canned fish, watermelon, scrambled eggs, cheese, broccoli, watermelon, bacon, hash browns, beef, and bananas. 

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast. 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 Click Here.

As Always thanks for your support. Now off to Jo’s you go if you’ve not already been there. But first, here's a clip of both George McFlys. How is that possible? Oh yeah, wormholes and time travel. Wouldn't you just love to throw Biff through a wormhole on a one way trip to anywhere but here.

L. Diane Wolfe, Catnip, Did You Know, and Fun Cat Facts

Hi everyone, today we continue the seventh leg of Salem’s Daughters’ Blog Tour at L. Diane Wolfe Spunk on a Stick. For a full itinerary of my blog tour Click Here or simply select the self-named TAB at the top. 

Salem’s Daughters Not only for the United States. 

Did You Know While many parts of Europe and North America consider the black cat a sign of bad luck, in Britain and Australia, black cats are considered lucky. 

Fun Facts Catnip is native to Europe, Africa, and Asia and was imported to the U.S. It now grows throughout North America. Cats everywhere give a collective YEAH and, umm ... ah, who are we talking about? And where's the pizza delivery guy?

Who Am I My name is Stephen Tremp and I write speculative fiction. My fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is supernatural thriller. 

Short Blurb A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast. 

For a full synopsis and to download a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 Click Here. 

As always, thanks for your support. Now off to Diane's you go if you’ve not already been there.