I'm Still Here

Materials Ready But Am I?

The scans have arrived.  Truthfully they arrived over a week ago.  I looked at one and tried to format a page.  I've forgotten everything.  I found a book that describes the steps.  Now I know except for one thing.  And I'm calling a friend to tell me what to do about that.

There are three books to do. I don't know when I'll start.  Maybe Thursday.  Maybe next Monday. Not starting on the weekend.  Now that I'm retired I still obey weekends. It's crazy.  Sometimes during the week I have to look at the paper to see what day it is.This isn't alarming. Lot's of retirees do this.

Before I work with the scans I want to put up another of my eBooks free for a day.  This worked well when I did it before with other books. But I don't do it.  I keep putting it off.  You don't simply say it's free and sit back.  You have to publicize it and that's the part I hate. I guess that's what I'll do on Thursday.  Going out tomorrow.  It's sounding more and more like I won't get to working on the scanned book before Monday.

I got a new novel from the library and I want to read it.  No time for work.

New Books

I've sent 3 more books to be scanned so I can turn them into eBooks.  I've gotten a lot of new readers with the eBooks I have already put up for sale.  My books are all ones I've had published and the new 3 will be, too.

The scans haven't come back yet but they will soon.  I'm going to take it slow but I'll post when they go live.

Plans Change

It's been awhile but during that time I slowly changed my plans stated below.  I'm not going to put up the novel, Beautiful Rage.  It's not as good as the novels I've already put up as eBooks.  So why do it?  I thought I'd pick another book but then it seemed like a lot of work and I don't feel like it right now.

I'm not going to post chapters of a work in progress either. Why would I?  A work in progress implies that I want to progress and I don't.

A Plan

I'm planing two things.   One is that I'm going to put up another eBook. It's a book that was published eight years ago. It was titled BEAUTIFUL RAGE.  But now it seems that every other book is called Beautiful Something. I feel I have to change the title, but I hate to. Also I can't think of another title.

The other plan is that I'm going to put a chapter a week of a book I never sold, never tried to sell and never finished.  Why?

Honestly I don't know.  Maybe I'll know when I do it.

These plans don't take place for a few months.

Change

I hate it.  I was trying to do one thing in my blog and the whole thing changed.  I lost my list of books I recommend and I can't think how to get it back. Can't remember the name of it.  If anyone knows can you let me know?

Anyway I hate the way this looks now and I can't get my old blog back.  I'm going to go look at a movie...oh no I'm not.  I have to deal with my printer.  New ink.  Never done it before.  And it will be another change.

One More Book--Free For a Day.

Who remembers "Queen for a Day?"

The book is RAZZAMATAZZ and it will be free on the 14th of this month.  One day only.

I wrote it under the pseudonym Jack Early.

The last thing veteran reporter Colin McGuire , fleeing his job on a big-city newspaper in the wake numbing personal tragedy, expects to find in sleepy little Seaville on Long Island’s North Fork is murder. In a few short weeks Seaville has brought him friends, some comfort and perhaps more in the person of Annie Winters, who is also trying to build a new life. But as the murders multiply, so, too, do the questions and the doubts. Friends suspect friends, lovers suspect lovers and sooner or later a lot of people begin to suspect Colin.

This is one of those down-to-the-wire stories, very well written, guaranteed to keep you flipping the pages.
*New York Times

New writer Jack Early (Sandra Scoppettone) ranks with Leonard, Ludlum and King.
*Tacoma, WA. News-Tribune

Crisp writing, plus abundant surprises will keep readers riveted until the last page.
*Publishers Weekly

Clever plotting, unflagging suspense, authentic dialogue all adds up to firmly compelling, fully satisfying suspense.
*Kirkus Reviews

It is almost impossible to avoid being caught up in this marvelously well-told story.
*Newsday

I don't see how anyone can resist this!

Another Free Book

This time it will be free for two days. Donato & Daughter starts its run on March 13th through March 14th.
Originally published  under my pseudonym, Jack Early.  Later it came out under my own name.

Here's a synopsis from the book jacket:

A serial killer is stalking nuns on the streets of New York. Can he be caught in time to prevent the next atrocious slaying, in time to keep the elite task force ranged against him from being taken off the case? Lieutenant Dina Donato leads this group of seven seasoned officers; but for her own partner she chooses the best cop for the job, her estranged father, currently exiled to one of the city’s worst precincts because of an old unsolved case involving his son.
In this multileveled thriller, a monstrous criminal must be identified; a troubled history; and a police lieutenant must confront everywoman’s task; the conflicting demands of job, child and, in Dina’s case, a love affair with another task force member.

Unrelentingly suspenseful, Donato & Daughter charts the excruciating, minute-by-minute search to find the psychopath whose ritualistic killings only begin to reveal something about him to the cops, while readers come to know him intimately and agonize as time after time he outwits the law.

In this complex story of an Italian-American family, the events satisfyingly converge in a climax both astonishing and shattering.

Free Book

On Monday, February 20th, my book,  A Creative Kind of Killer will be free for 24 hours. This is the first book I wrote as Jack Early. It was nominated for an Edgar and won the Shamus from The Private Eye Writers of America.

Take a look at the quotes and read what it says about the book.  What can you lose?

A Creative Kind of Killer

Tell your friends.

The Season

If I were still writing I would've taken off the last month. I always did that...took off the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I have no idea why.  It was part of my writing routine.  A writing routine means when you're not writing, too.  It all counts. In the end, like now, I'd have as many books published as I was  meant to.  Had I worked all those weeks of the holiday season for 30 years would I have more than 19 published books?  I don't think so.  Lots of times I didn't write in the summer.  More books?  Who knows? 

I've enjoyed my time between the two holidays as much as I always did.  But now I don't have to dread January 2nd.

Happy  Holidays to All.

RETIREMENT

I've been trying to put a picture of some of my kindle books on this blog. Not in a post, but on the side.  It can't be too hard because there are some people who do it who don't know that much about computers.  I want to be able to click on the picture and go straight to the source. Any easy help would be welcome.

I've also spent a lot of time redesigning one of my covers.  Also a mess. I know how to upload it but I can't get the cover itself right. How do you add something to a picture in Photoshop?  You have the picture there but now you want to add another picture within it. How?

Not knowing how to do these things is making me feel stupid and depressed.  Or am I depressed because it hasn't stopped raining for three days?

Or is it because my browser is constantly saying "not responding?"

I've signed up for a flash fiction piece and now I'm worried that I won't be able to do it.  It's been so long since I've written any kind of fiction.

This is my life in retirement.

All Books Ready

I realized this morning that I never posted their links here.  I know you've all been waiting breathlessly.  There are five books in the Lauren Laurano series and each book is 1.99.

Everything You Have Is Mine
I'll Be Leaving You Always
My Sweet Untraceable You
Let's Face the Music and Die
Gonna Take A Homicidal Journey

The other three were originally published under my pseudonym, Jack Early. Each is a stand alone and each is 99 cents.

A Creative Kind of Killer
Razzamatazz
Donato & Daughter

There's also a short story that people are buying.  I didn't expect that but it's happening.  Only 99 cents.

Tag Sale

I hope you'll read one or two.  I think you'll enjoy them.  But what do I know?

R.I.P. Silvio Narizzano

I don't usually write about anyone who doesn't have anything to do with writing, but this is different.

Silvio was a movie and television director and my cousin. Some of you may remember a movie called Georgy Girl.  It starred Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates,Charlotte Rampling and James Mason. It was a big success.  Later he did some other movies that weren't  as successful but he did some lovely things for Granada television.  Although he was a Canadian he chose to live in England.

He was great fun and although I didn't see him that often when I did it was "a party just being near him." Sil was smart and funny and spontaneous.  Also very generous.  When he knew I didn't have any money he optioned a play I'd written.  We both knew nothing would come of it, but it was a way to help me without loaning me money.  Occasionally a phone call would come in and in the last years an email.

He was also a manic/depressive (called bi-polar today).  But I never saw the depressed side.  This disease crippled his career.  He could have done so much more.  But hell, he worked with Ingrid Bergman, Glenda Jackson, Trevor Howard, Laurence Olivier, and Joan Hickson (Miss Marple) among others.

I loved Silvio and although I hadn't seen him for years, I'll miss him being in this world.

BTW, all the obits say he was 84 but he was 87.  Somewhere along the way he changed his age...so typical of him to do that for only 3 years.

Finished

The last of the Lauren Laurano books is finished.  Gonna Take A Homicidal Journey This is the fifth book in the series.  I have no plans to put up any of my other back list books, so I'm really done with this project. I rushed to finish because I was expecting my toy (Ipad) and it arrived yesterday morning.  Do I love it?  I do.  But there's a lot to learn. Patience is not my long suit, in case you haven't noticed.

I've also lowered the price on the Jack Early/Sandra Scoppettone books to 99 cents each. They are:
A Creative Kind of Killer
Razzamatazz
Donato & Daughter

The whole experience of turning my novels into E-books has been boring, exciting, wonderful, mind numbing and necessary. Why necessary? Because the idea of having new readers is important to me.  The Laurano series began before some of these new readers were born.  Same with the others.

I started this project back in January when I sent my books to be scanned.  I think I put up my first book in February.  I had no idea when I started it would take this long.  There were a few times along the way that I wanted to quit, but I had a friend, Consuelo Saah Baehr, a wonderful writer, who had gotten me into this thing by constant nagging!  When I wanted to throw in the towel she simply wouldn't let me. Thank you, Consuelo.

From time to time I'll have to do some marketing with these books if I want new readers, but I'm going to take the summer and have a vacation.  A vacation to me means reading.  I have so many books lined up there's no way I could read even half. 
 From the front.

And from the back.

I think of this as my store.

As far as writing another book....I'll never say never.  But if I do you'll find it as an Ebook and in no other form.

A side note.  When I was proofing one of the books I got down to the last 10 pages and still didn't know who did it!  Maybe it's my memory...or something worse, but whatever it is I find it fascinating.  I hope you'll give some of these books a shot. 

I'm not going anywhere.  I'll be posting from time to time.

Maybe I'll start to rant.

Let's Face the Music and Die

I've finally gotten this fourth book finished.  I wasn't in the mood and kept getting involved in other things...mostly reading.  Lately it feels like I have to go to work and write.  It's not. I keep forgetting I can take my time and it doesn't matter.  But it does, If you're me. I want to get this over with so I can retire in peace.  Also my Ipad is arriving on Friday and I know I'll be completely occupied with my new toy.  So I'll finish up this post and get back to proofing book 5.  Here is book 4:

Let's Face the Music and Die

A Sale and A Tale

The sale is A Creative Kind of Killer for 99 cents. It went so well the last time I thought I'd offer it again.

The tale will be on Monday the 13th when Allan Guthrie posts his interview with me on Criminal-E .

Today I start another tale.  I'm beginning to proof the fourth book in the Lauren Laurano series, Let's Face the Music and Die.

Short Story

I might as well mention this because people have been buying it without me ever giving it a push.  I've written a short story called, Tag Sale .  It's 99 cents. I put it up for another reason but that didn't work out.  Meanwhile quite a few people found it and bought it.  See what you think.  Let me know.

My Sweet Untraceable You

The third book of the Lauren Laurano  series is finally available for $2.99. I had to u/l it 3 times because of formatting problems.  But it was there to buy in the wrong version and 3 people bought it.  So if any of you did you can exchange it if you wish.

I have 2 more to do and I wish I didn't.  But I can't leave the series unfinished.  It's almost summer and all I want to do is read.  I guess I'll be finished by July.  Maybe sooner.

There may be some Amazon/Kindle book sellers who are making a good living out of this, but not me.  I didn't expect to.  What makes me happy about this is that I'm getting a lot of new readers for my back list.

I hope some of you will get into this series because I think it's fun.  And so did a lot of other people and reviewers.  You can read these accolades if you go to the books.

Everything You Have is Mine is the first and the 2nd is I'll Be Leaving You Always

Try the 1st. It's $1.99 and if you like that you can go on to the others.  A long weekend is coming up, have Lauren spend it with you.

Razzamatazz

Today I'm lowering the price of Razzamatazz to 99 cents for a short time.

The last thing veteran reporter Colin McGuire , fleeing his job on a big-city newspaper in the wake numbing personal tragedy, expects to find in sleepy little Seaville on Long Island’s North Fork is murder. In a few short weeks Seaville has brought him friends, some comfort and perhaps more in the person of Annie Winters, who is also trying to build a new life. But as the murders multiply, so, too, do the questions and the doubts. Friends suspect friends, lovers suspect lovers and sooner or later a lot of people begin to suspect Colin.

The New York Times said:
"This is one of those down-to-the-wire stories, very well written, guaranteed to keep you flipping the pages."

"New writer Jack Early (Sandra Scoppettone) ranks with Leonard, Ludlum and King."

Tacoma, WA. News-Tribune

"Crisp writing, plus abundant surprises will keep readers riveted until the last page."
Publishers Weekly

You're going to love this book.
Sandra Scoppettone

Donato & Daughter

I've lowered the price on Donato & Daughter to .99 for a short while.  This is what Publishers Weekly had to say when it was first published:


“Topping his award-winning A Creative Kind of Killer and Razzamatazz Early’s third thriller combines a story of alienated family members with the case of a maniac who is murdering nuns in New York City. The suspense is unremitting.”

It says he/Early because that was me using my pseudonym, Jack Early.

And Sara Paretsky said:

“I liked the book. The complex family feelings between Donato and his mother, wife and daughter transform this into something more than just another police procedural. The shadow of Donato’s dead son hanging over the family provides a somber leitmotif for the contemporary action. Donato and Dina command both respect and affection and remind us all too clearly of our own complicated family relations.”

BTW, it was made into a movie with Charles Bronson and Dana Delany.  If you try to find the video I think they changed the title to Dead to Rites...or Rights. I can't remember and never knew why the title was changed. I was only the author, after all.