Tag Archives: murder

Quantum Crystal by Rob Shackleford

Quantum Crystal

Is humanity evolving?

Today, millions suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress due to warfare, car accidents and violence.

In response to this global epidemic, pioneering medical researchers develop a new treatment that is seen to produce outstanding results. Dubbed the ‘Quantum Crystal’, the treatment is soon rolled out for many of the maladies that affect modern humanity.

But is this treatment all it is purported to be, or are deeper changes under way?

‘Quantum Crystal’ examines the efforts of victim support group, The Staff, to rollout the Quantum Crystal to a deeply divided humanity and the inevitable violent opposition to change.

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Author Bio Two

An English-born Australian, Rob Shackleford has lived in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, with a varied career that has included Customs Officer, Scuba Instructor, College Teacher and management roles in too many places.

With degrees in the Arts and Business, he is mad keen on travel, Scuba diving, Family History, martial arts, astronomy, and playing Djembe and Congas. Despite that, he is actually not that boring. Rob is father of two and has made his green escape with his lovely lady into Australia’s Gold Coast hinterland.   

Other Books by Rob Shackleford

Traveller Trilogy

Traveller Inceptio

If you were sent a thousand years into the past, would you survive?

After the accidental development of the Transporter, university researchers determine that the device sends any subject one thousand years into the past.

Or is it into a possible past?

The enigmatic Transporter soon becomes known as a Time Machine, but with limitations.

An audacious research project is devised to use the Transporter to investigate Medieval Saxon England, when a crack international team of Special Services soldiers undergo intensive training for their role as historical researchers.

The special researchers, called Travellers, are to be sent into what is a very dangerous period in England’s turbulent past.

From the beaches of Australia to the forests of Saxon England, Traveller – Inceptio reveals how Travellers soon learn that they need more than refined combat skills and modern technology to survive the trails of early 11th Century life. First Two Chapters here …

Writing “Traveller – Inceptio”

“Traveller – Inceptio” is my first novel and, like any first novel, is the result of years of writing, rewriting, editing, and then leaving it to sit and mature, or rather for me to mature, so I could go back and write new chapters and make adjustments. Originally titles “Traveller”, Traveller – Inceptio was rebranded to make the book name stand out more.

To keep the historical components accurate I had to engage in considerable research. In so doing I have tried not to become too engrossed in the historical minutiae of Saxon or Gabi Gabi Aboriginal life but have attempted to look at what it was like to be a person living there and then. If I have made errors, these are a lapse in my research or understanding and are not meant to be malicious or lazy. I welcome scholarly and cultural input and corrections so I can better understand the rich tapestry of human history where I dip my toes on occasion.

While writing Traveller I have the deepest gratitude for friends and family for their encouragement, input, and correcting my many spelling and grammatical errors. The inspiration for Traveller came when I was sitting on a beach one day and observing the many resorts that proliferate around Australian beaches. Thinking how the world has changed over twenty years then led to speculation of changes over the past two hundred years since the European settlement of Australia. So – why not 1000 years? The world was such a different place.

The cover is an image of a Saxon saex or knife as created by Artist Blacksmith and Bladesmith Owen Bush of Kent in England. I am grateful for his generosity in permitting the use of his image. View his impressive work at http://owenbush.co.uk/  

To describe the attempt to professionalise the writing process, this book has been physically published, professionally edited, rewritten and shortened, republished in electronic format, and recently proofread. Phew!

I hope you find Traveller Inceptio to be an enjoyable read. 

Traveller Inceptio eBook Links:

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Barnes & Noble

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Traveller Probo 

Traveller – Probo is the inevitable sequel to Traveller Inceptio and the second of the Traveller series.

Traveller Probo

Would you survive if sent one-thousand years into the past?

Development of the Transporter saw highly trained researchers, called Travellers, successfully sent one-thousand years back in time to early medieval Saxon England.

Traveller Missions now mean enormous national prestige and the recovery of valuable lost artefacts and knowledge, so nations vie for the use of the Transporter and more daring Traveller missions are planned.

As the study of History becomes hotly contested, politics and power soon come into play.

To study lost peoples and civilizations, Special Forces researchers have to be even better trained, better equipped, and prepared to put their lives on the line.

While Michael Hunter continues to build a life in Saxon England, the tragically injured Tony Osborne finds his resurgence in a mission to ancient Turkey, and Professor Adrian Taylor seeks to better outmanoeuvre his contentious colleagues.

From the misty shores of New Zealand to the shining splendour of the ancient Byzantine Empire, it is soon learned that sending modern researchers into the past is not without its rewards, and pitfalls.

Traveller Probo eBook Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

 

Traveller Manifesto 

Traveller – Manifesto is the final novel for the Traveller Series.

Traveller Manifesto

Traveller Manifesto is Book 3 of the Traveller Trilogy, the explosive final sequel to Traveller Inceptio and Traveller Probo.

To use the enigmatic Transporter and send Special Forces trained Researchers back a thousand years is now the biggest game in world politics.

But not only politics, as academics scramble to outdo each other and harness prestige in the increasingly influential field of History.

As Professor Taylor is rescued from Byzantine Rome, a heavily-armed US Traveller team explores Mississippian Cahokia to experience a situation beyond even their control. Michael Hunter and Tatae flee Giolgrave in the hope of finding safety from modern interference. But at a terrible cost.

And something seems to be happening in Israel, resulting in the creation of a high-profile investigation team to uncover if there is a clandestine Traveller mission operated by the US and Israel.

From the windswept mountains of Wales, to the hills of Cahokia and the dusty wadis of the Negev, researchers find that to visit the past may not necessarily provide the answers they seek.

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More about writing the Traveller Series

When we examine the history of humanity one thousand years in the past we find many human populations were experiencing massive change and population migration. Migration meant populations coming into contact and the inevitability of violent conflict. This resulted in the extinction of cultures and races.

The people of the time were often not people we of the 21st Century would like to visit. Over a surprisingly wide segment of the globe, any strangers risked becoming victims of cannibalism or ritual sacrifice. The Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and indeed many locations would be just too dangerous for a 21st Century researcher to visit.

 

Rob Shackleford Social Media Links

Rob Shackleford Author Website

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Goodreads

 

 

Forever Mine – Cy & Rylan Book Cover Reveal.

Finally… It’s arrived. My book cover for Cy & Rylan’s story of true love. A Wolf Shifter Romance with murder and mystery surrounding two lovers as they learn about each other. Looking at their differences, how to live together, how to grieve together. A unit and family. You can PRE-ORDER HERE

Publishing 30th June 2020

SYNOPSIS

Cy is an Alpha wolf-shifter, heir to his father’s pack. Cy is also gay, something his father won’t accept. In fact, he’s already lined up a female mate for him. A woman Cy hates.

Cy found his true mate ten years prior. He waited and watched, praying for salvation.

Rylan Jessop is from the other sides of the tracks. Not good enough for the elite of the pack. A university graduate due to a scholarship, Rylan returns home and accepts a date with Cy. They mate. At first, Rylan is horrified, he wanted other things from life.

Mated, he finds himself loving Cy and taking a stand against Cy’s father who is furious. Cy takes the lead and their adventure begins as they travel across America to Canada, learning to love and getting to know each other.

Will they get their ‘Happy Ever After’?

This is the first novella in a series called ‘Forever Mine’. Mature content due to a new relationship. LGBT Erotic.

PRE-ORDER LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B5Q6KK7  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08B5Q6KK7

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08B5Q6KK7

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08B5Q6KK7

TEASERS

AUTHOR BIO

You want to know who I am? Well, let’s see!

I’m British born and bred, although I have lived most of my life in New Zealand. Sweet as? (Kiwi Saying) I love New Zealand, the best little country in the world today, though I’m sure others will have different opinions.

First and foremost, I am a wife and mother of four children, though we lost our youngest 17 years ago. My husband and I have been married for 28 years this year. Our two eldest daughters are in the UK having their OE (Overseas Experience as they call them in Kiwiland). My son is about to start university to study architecture.

This will be the first time my husband and I will have true freedom to do as we wish, when we wish, without the phrase “Get a room” from the kids with our reply of “Don’t need one. Got a house.” And that was just about kissing…lol. Kids these days!

I am a Family History Researcher and have been for the past twenty years. I fell into writing in 2012 and became a multi-genre author because the muses…yeah more than one…wouldn’t shut the up. I have published over thirty books and have over a hundred drafts on my computer. My main genres are Children’s Adventure Stories, Young Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, New Adult Murder Mystery Romance under my own name. Under my pen name of Beth Bayley, I write Contemporary Billionaire Romance (reverse aka the woman is the billionaire) as well as a set of Mythical Welsh stories. I also have one wayward muse who I call Chloe King, who is an Erotic Author. Pain in the…and a nympho. Meanwhile, I’ll stay prudish, thanks.

In 2014 I established up my own Publishing Company called Plaisted Publishing House Ltd, which now runs Author Services for Formatting, Editing and Book Covers. We’ve helped over forty clients in various different ways. We also do Family History Books and Ghostly Anthologies.

You can contact me at:

claireplaisted@gmail.com

http://www.claireplaisted.wordpress.com

http://www.billionaireromances.wordpress.com

http://www.authorchloeking.wordpress.com  ADULTS ONLY

http://www.plaistedpublishinghouse.com

http://www.facebook.com/claireplaistedauthor

http://www.twitter.com/plaistedpublish

https://www.instagram.com/rotosis/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-plaisted-6054816a/

https://www.pinterest.nz/plaistedpublishinghouse/pins/

Interviewing Author – Jane Risdon

We’d like to introduce you to Jane Risdon, one of our latest clients who recently released an anthology of shorts called Undercover: Crime Shorts. This book already has five 5 star reviews with readers enjoying the twists and turns within the stories.

You may have already heard of Jane Risdon. Jane is one of our Ghostly Writers and has a story in each of our Ghostly Writes AnthologiesIntroduction over here is the lovely, creative murder mystery author, JANE RISDON.

What & Who Inspires you to write?

Nobody inspires me. I am self-motivated and have always wanted to write. I may get ideas from overheard conversations, situations, and experiences I’ve had or come across in my ‘other life.’  Working in music, television and the movies is great fodder for a writer. Anyone who has spent time in Hollywood knows what I mean.

How did you get into writing? What was/is your journey like?

I have always written, even as a child, and  I’d always promised myself that when my life on the road managing recording artists, songwriters, musicians, and record producers – with my musician husband – either got quieter or I decided I’d had enough, I’d spend my time writing the crime novels I’ve wanted to write since reading Agatha Christie as a youngster.

Who would you like to thank for supporting and assisting you to where you are today…?

Firstly my husband who has always supported me in whatever I’ve done, and secondly best-selling, award-winning author and life-long friend, Christina Jones. We got to know each other in the late 1960s when she was a rock journalist and fan-club secretary to my husband’s band. She’d always wanted to write with me and has encouraged me for years. We eventually wrote Only One Woman (Accent Press Ltd) together….published May 2018.

Thirdly, Margot Kinberg, author of the Joel Williams series of crime novels and Associate Professor, who kindly allowed me to contribute two short stories to one of her anthologies having read some of my other efforts before. She has always been the first to encourage me and introduce me to her writing/reading friends.

You are a Guest Blogger and wish to let people know something new about the writing world what would you write about?

I’ve written more guest blogs than I can shake a stick at. I always decide what I think the blog wants to say to its readers and what they expect from me and take it from there. I could write from a character’s perspective, or give in-depth detail about my writing process, or a particular book or story I’m working on or have just published. I do this regularly and enjoy it a lot. I always try to make it unusual – provide unknown facts perhaps, and to inform and entertain as well. I often write about my previous career in music and before that when I worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Whitehall and had quite a few adventures during the Cold War.

Tell us three things about your life that you love.

I love that I am still married to the same person I met aged 16 – 51 years ago – and with whom I have a son and now 3 gorgeous grandchildren.

I love that we have shared a fabulous career in the international music business with so many adventures and unreal memories and experiences.

Mostly I love not having to deal with hormonal-enraged female artists and testosterone-fuelled musicians any longer who came so close to being annihilated it is unreal.

If you could work anywhere in the world to write where would it be and why?

I’ve lived and worked all over the world including America, Singapore, and Taiwan to name a few places, and I guess being back in England is the bee’s knees for writing. For adventure and excitement – I’d go back to Hollywood and Los Angeles. That place is totally out there and unreal.

Choose one of the next three as a pet. Which one would it be and why? SNAKE, SPIDER or LIZARD

I cannot stand any of these so I’d not have any. Whilst I like animals, fish and birds (in general) I cannot stand anything near me which creeps, crawls, slithers or flies. We once managed a rock guitarist who kept a tarantula in his room – he lived with us for a year – and the sound of it eating crickets which he had sent through the post weekly, nearly finished me off. My sister-in-law kept a boa-constrictor in her sitting room and the sight of that eating its micro-waved rats and mice used to drive me demented. No pets whatever they are thank you very much.

Your muses are singing and dancing, totally annoying you. What music are they listening to? Do you like it or does it make you want to run screaming?

I keep hearing tell of muses. I’ve never had one, not got a clue what one is, and I am not sure I’d stand one. As for music – dear god! I’m married to a professional musician, lived all my life working with musicians, living with musicians, sharing hotel rooms, tour buses and whatever as well as eating, sleeping, and dreaming music 24/7 for the last 51 years – I enjoy silence – it is precious. Besides, listening to music for pleasure is something I’ve not done in yonks. Put music on and I’ll analyse it in detail: the notes, the tempo, the production, the performance and so on and so forth. Listening to music was my life. Now I just want peace and quiet. Unless my husband is playing his guitar – I can cope with him.

How did you stumble into Indie Publishing? What made you choose this way?

I am actually signed to a traditional publisher – Accent Press Ltd – for all my writing: novels and novellas etc., – but I am free to go elsewhere or self-publish if I want to publish collections of short stories or one-off short stories not covered by my contract.

My co-written novel with Christina Jones, Only One Woman, is my most recent publication with Accent.

I have contributed to 15 anthologies, online newsletters and magazines – before and during my publishing contract. Mostly Flash Fiction and short stories – not covered by my contract.

Recently, with Plaisted Publishing House, I have put out my first collection of crime short stories – Undercover: Crime Shorts, which I’d discussed with my publisher prior to going the self-published route. They cannot publish collections by a solo author – only anthologies with several authors – so I thought, blow it, I’ll do it myself.

When I was involved with music I used to write articles for music magazines, and if I had to I’d create press releases and bio’s for artists if I wasn’t impressed with their record label’s marketing department’s efforts.

Tell us about your book cover designer. Who are they? Where did you find them?

The designer for the cover of Only One Woman was in-house at Accent Press. They sent us several ideas which were what the publisher wanted basically and in the end, after a few alterations, we went with the cover you see today. So far we have 53 5* reviews on Amazon alone and on GoodReads and other book review places we have more than I know, so I guess the cover is successful. Most readers love it.

The design for Undercover: Crime Stories, was chosen by me from one of the online design sites you can find. I gave it to Claire and Mara at Plaisted Publishing House and they did the rest with consultations with me.

Marketing is the bane of our writing careers. How do you go about it? What’s your secret?

I do marketing every day – and of course, my publisher does as well. Whether it is for Only One Woman or Undercover: Crime Shorts I do the same. I spend a couple of hours every morning hitting the Facebook Groups, doing blogs, articles and if involved, blog tours. I am constantly looking for new ways to make something sound/look fresh. It is never-ending.

My work in music has helped me understand marketing – how to hone it down and change it for whichever outlet or entity I am aiming at. The secret if there is one, is keep at it all the time, putting your name and book out there and eventually via osmosis you’ll begin to make an impression and when someone is wondering what to read, give as a gift or whatever, the chances are your name/book will pop into their head.

CHALLENGE TIME – Write a short poem or story of no more than 500 words.

The Letter – Jane Risdon – under 500 words.

Haunted by the neat sloping writing on the blue Basildon Bond paper which lay accusingly on her writing desk the old woman sat locked inside her thoughts.  She couldn’t bear to pick the letter up to read it again, but there was no need really.  The contents were not unexpected after-all.  She’d been waiting nearly forty years for something like this to happen.  And now it had.

Every knock at the door, every strange hand’s address on an envelope had filled her with such fear the like of which she could never share.  She had never told. The only reason she had an answering machine on her phone was so that she could screen her calls.  Just in case.  Now, there on the desk along with all her bills and other correspondence, the letter lay, the words terrorising her silently across the darkening room.

She didn’t ask herself how or why.  She knew the answers and had known this moment would come eventually, either in the form of a visit, a phone call or a letter.  Forty birthdays had come and gone and with each passing one she had agitated in case this time, it would be the one; the day when she would have to face her past.

Long ago she had put away the photo, the little sepia image now faded with age and fingering.  There was nothing she could have done even if she had wanted to, and she wasn’t even sure any longer if she had ever wanted to do anything.  At first, it was not a matter of choice but necessity, but there had come a time, many years later when she supposed she could have, possibly should have, tried.

Soon it would be over.  Of course, she could ignore the letter but that might force a visit, in person, without warning.  She could pretend it had never arrived and feign ignorance if anyone queried its receipt.  Her stricken mind tried to battle with her emotions.  Part of her needed this to happen, craved it and dreaded it, fought against it and longed for it.

Her tired faded eyes moved across the room to stare at the blue ghost beckoning her.  A date and a time had been suggested and if she didn’t respond the writer would understand, after all, it must be an awful shock after so many years but hoped that she would consent to a meeting, without strings of course.

Without strings, the old woman mused.  There were always strings, and there would always be strings.  She sighed heavily, tears brimming as she stood and made her way over to the letter.  She picked it up, reached for the telephone and dialled.

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

I spend time listening to my husband playing his guitar – songwriting or messing around – and we both love long walks in the countryside or in gardens or around old villages, churches, and cathedrals etc. I am a photo addict and love to take photos of the places we visit – we belong to the National Trust and have done ever since we were young and managed to get a few hours off (on tour in the UK) when we’d wander off to look around a stately home or gardens. Overseas we loved exploring places where we were not in danger of meeting tourists. If I get time I usually write a blog post with information and photos taken on one of our ‘jollies.’

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/JaneRisdon2/

https://accentpressbooks.com/collections/jane-risdon

https://www.janerisdon.wordpress.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00I3GJ2Y8

https://twitter.com/Jane_Risdon

https://www.goodreads.com/JaneRisdon

https://www.instagram.com/janerisdonwriter/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/janerisdon2/

Proud to Announce – Jane Risdon and her New Release

Undercover: Crime Stories by Jane Risdon

Our latest client, Jane Risdon has just released her latest book of short stories with Plaisted Publishing House (Author Assist).

It is a wonderful collection of old and new stories, murder, mystery, detective and much more. She has some amazing reviews, our favourite is from Roger A Price author of Nemesis and Vengeance

Undercover – Crime Shorts; is a wonderfully satisfying anthology of seven short stories which transcend above the crime fiction genre providing a ripping yarn irrespective of the reader’s crime fiction preference. Jane Risdon has cleverly stitched together a mix of tales to suit all fans of the genre.

The book cover was made by our contractor, Award-Winning Digital Artist, Mara Reitsma of  Covered by the Rose

 

SYNOPSIS

Under one cover for the first time a collection of crime shorts from Jane Risdon with more twists and turns than Spaghetti Junction – a must for those who enjoy gripping yarns.

The paperback can be found on Lulu:

Paperback

The ebook of your choice can be found at:

eBooks

About the Author

Jane Risdon began writing five years ago having had a successful career in the International Music Industry which has taken her all over the world working with everything from Rock, Thrash Metal, and R&B/Pop to Chinese Opera. Her work has taken her to North America, Europe, and Singapore: even to Taiwan. She’s been involved in Television, Radio, and the Movies around the world.

Travelling extensively and living overseas she draws upon her life experiences when writing Crime/Mystery novels, short stories in all genres – including humour, and she has dabbled in flash fiction. 

Some of these experiences have found their way into her short stories about the Music Business, and she is presently working on a novel which will bring a lot of her crazier ‘rock ‘n roll’ experiences into one tome. 

Her main focus remains crime, however, and she is working on a series of novels called ‘Ms. Birdsong Investigates’ centered around a glamorous ex MI5 Officer forced into early retirement, who is trying to keep a low profile in a rural village in Oxfordshire. Her past experiences come to the fore when she finds herself investigating murder. Soon she finds herself back on old territory with Russian Mafia, Ukrainian People Traffickers, and an old flame to deal with.

In addition to being a regular blogger with a considerable following, she has an author page on Facebook with many dedicated followers there as well. You can find her at @Jane Risdon on Facebook and @Jane_Risdon on Twitter.

She continues to work on Ms. Birdsong Investigates as well as several other novels including The White Haired Man set in Bollywood and based on true events.

Jane is a keen photographer and enjoys the countryside and visiting old buildings and historical locations and often uses photos as visual notes for her writing. She loves history and archaeology and is loves anything to do with science and astronomy.

With a background (early on in her career) in the Diplomatic Service in Whitehall, London, followed by a long career in International music, Jane has a wealth of experience and a huge pool from which to craft her stories.

Ghostly Writes – Interviews

Introduce Yourself and where you’re from.
Mary R. Woldering From Euclid, Ohio USA

Tell us about your writing journey?
I’ve always been a storyteller. Now I am a chronicler of dreams and visions. I began to publish my writings at 65, so technology is still a great unknown.

What is your story about?
Three ghosts in a haunted mansion. One is a demonic spirit trapped in a staircase, another is an angelic young girl trapped in an upper room. The third is the spirit of the witch who trapped them, returning to finish her work.

Why did you choose this topic/genre?
The story is based on some paranormal research my friends and I did in 1970 combined with stories we had heard about these spirits. I always wanted to write the story as it was, in part, an origin story for one of the characters in my Children of Stone series

Why publish in the Ghostly Writes Anthologies?
It was suggested that I do that by another contributor.

Share your experiences of helping each other in the Ghostly Writes Group.
I doubt I’ve been much help, but Mara Reitsma has helped me.

What other Anthologies have you participated in and for what reason?
Dreamtime Dragons 2017 – again, it was suggested that I write a story for that group

What scares you the most? A Snake or a Spider? Why?  If something else, tell us about it.
Spider more than snake, but large jumping and flying insects like moths or cicadas  or flying cockroaches upset me from my childhood. They would crawl across my ceiling in the house we rented and one night one fell on me.

What is your favourite part of Halloween?
Giving out candy and frightening passers by

How do you celebrate Halloween?
Same as above

Share your favourite Halloween celebration from your childhood.
Getting candy as a child. Later on it was communicating with spirits

LINKS

Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2DMvkKJ

Page/Group:
https://bit.ly/2ubYwv1

Author Page:
https://bit.ly/2x1PZJe

Website:
https://www.maryrwoldering.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/maryrwoldering/

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7398194.Mary_R_Woldering

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ChildrenofStone

Journey into Creating a Publishing Company – Part Three

I never name call anyone. I am always polite and rational with anyone with any discussion. If or when a person earns my ire I tend to grumble a lot, though I do step back and think about the situation which has arisen. I will help as much as I can or as the client will let me…One thing I am clear about is when a client has approved a final file then they will need to pay for extra work, whether the original job was a swap of skills, paid or a package.

2016 was a big year with a lot of changes. It wasn’t a good year on many fronts though I did have a favourite. Needless to say this year was filled with bullying clients and gossip in the local writers group which I didn’t know about for nearly two years. I was devastated by both of these. Luckily for me I have stong family support from my husband and children and some really great friend. Many of those friends were students from my Business Management Course and my Incubate Course.

There was one bully who I worked with. They were like an advisor, going to do marketing for me on a local scale, introduced me to a local reporter for one of the free newspapers. All of this was appreciated. In exchange I formatted their first book, pulled together a book cover – all to the best of my ability at that time – both ebook and print, assisted them set up accounts with createspace and kindle. Now if one thinks about all the time involved the different things I was learning, it was a lot of work. I can’t really put a price on this.  They were happy with the result…UNTIL…They suddenly decided I’d not done the book properly (a word I now HATE) Thinking back I did two books for this person. The other was in exchange for a computer (desktop) he put a price of $300 on which strangley was raised to $400 during email discussions. It wasn’t acutally worth anything due to it’s age. Once again I did the second book plus two websites.
What I wonder now is if the second book was better set out than the first due to the growth in my learning…Would you redo a client’s book for free because you’ve learnt more about interior design?

One thing I will advise everyone with a small business…

MAKE SURE YOU KEEP ALL YOUR EMAILS FOR EACH CLIENT SO THEY CAN’T BITE YOU ON THE BUTT/ASS AT A LATER DATE!!

Even in those days, I insisted all clients to proofread their own books for any formatting edits. Bits that need changing or taking out etc.  This person approved the final file. Six months later they complained I’d left their home address in the back of the book and I have the synopsis in the back as well.  EXCUSE ME…YOU APPROVED IT!!  Fed up with the ongoing emails, I redid the formatting which was once again APPROVED.  
    Now we come to the end of 2016. They had decided to sue me…I presume at small claims court. They were going to win and take all my business/money etc.

WOW.  Not only this, I had another client who disparaged my name (Yes I can still sue them for defamation of character) They contacted me for a meeting.  I went into a deep depression and fog for three weeks…It was one of the worst time in the year for this to happen due to course work for Business Management along with trying to claw my way out of the fog and stabilise once more. 

With the bully I was still getting emails. In the end I sent them an offer which most folks wouldn’t refuse. I got a unpleasent email stating I was to re-do the book, and upload it to createspace, and purchase 5 or so copies to be sent to them by a certain date. They had gone a step to far. I was now furious.
     Offering them one last deal. It took several weeks to prepare and over $500 out of my business…which is still a loss to this day.  I printed off all their emails I met with my business admin who I had to pay ($75) to go through them and advise me if I was correct with my assumptions. That was another $300. Yes I was correct. If they sued me I could prove they were in the wrong, not only that, I could re-sue them for defamation of character.
     The email was sent. It wasn’t accepted. I still don’t understand why. The email was sent via my business admin. Their reply.  “All I wanted was to have it edited”
    If a client has approved a final file then they need to pay for any further formatting edits. They also need to use the final file I sent them.  I have about 4 different files with different words counts on my computer…Which is the right one? Why should I continue to edit their work for FREE when they had approved final files. 

From this time one I went quiet on Facebook which of course, affected my business badly. This person was still on my friends list and in two groups I ran. It wasn’t until mid 2017 that I finally deleted them, unfriended and blocked them. This was all thanks to another online friend who is like a sister to me. The relief was immense, though with them still living locally I was real nervous going up town. Call it anxiety of thinking they’d verbally attack me in the street. This is also another reason few of my friends online know I went back to England. 

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KEEP RECORDS FROM ALL YOUR CLIENTS AND ALSO ALL YOUR REPLIES. IT MAY SAVE YOU ONE DAY.

This same person also emailed saying they had paid for a membership to the Chamber of Commerce…NOPE they didn’t because I have my receipt.  However I still wonder today if they paid for a second year – without my permission due to the fact I still received post from this group. I have never been able to find out.

SAVE ALL YOUR RECEIPTS!

As for the second person…They are still in the background, pottering along with life, asking me for coffee…well until they found out I was back in the UK…

The strange thing is that the only clients I’ve ever had issues with were all local males to were I used to live. All my online clients have been amazing and I have loved working and growing with them.

As for the Writers Group. I gave the then chairperson – who is an Editor, a printed out copy of my book to look through and advise.  She came back that it wasn’t her style and a bit rude. Ok yes she is an older lady.  What I didn’t know was that she’d told the rest of the committee and god knows who else that I wrote Erotica.  The book at that time was called Malachy’s Unit – it is now called Hidden Secrets.  It is not erotica or even erotic. It is murder, mystery romance with a bit of spice.

Nearly two years later I took my children’s book in to sell and show to the writers group. Girlie and the War of the Wasps. One of the gentlemen who approached me to buy a copy said. “Oh, I thought you only wrote erotica.” to my reply. “I don’t write erotica.”  Once again I was as mad as hell. I never went back to the group. The thought they were all looking at me a a nonsense smut writer (yeah they were that bad) was beyond a joke.

The Best Part…

The best part of 2016 was assisting a client with three children’s book. ‘The Pottontots’ is a set of three books with wonderful art work by the author. Keith Broad was awesome to work with and his stories are a great read for any child.

Meet the wonderful Poppy Mann

I was always an avid reader as a child and began to make up stories of my own and wrote them for my own enjoyment.  I also had an interest in fashion and after leaving school, became an apprentice fashion designer in Melbourne going on to design for one of the top Australian fashion houses. This career finally brought me to New Zealand, designing for a company here in Wellington where I eventually met my future husband, a serving army officer. After accompanying him on several overseas postings we finally settled in Rotorua where we opened three restaurants using my training as a chef in Paris and a switch in careers working in the emerging food industry.

It was many years later that I wrote my first full length novel based on a newspaper article that I had read in a French newspaper. I submitted it to Harpers/Collins who replied immediately expressing an interest in it, but finally didn’t publish it. I still like the story and intend to self publish it soon.

I tend to write romantic mysteries, more along the lines of Danielle Steel and Nicola Thorne. I concentrate on the story line and try to keep things moving to keep the reader interested.

I have three more books rattling around in my head that need to be put into print but would feature The Night Of The Moonflower as my favourite at present. It was written over a period of several years as life intervened and was based on a lot of my own experiences living in Indonesia. However it is a work of fiction. I have almost completed writing the sequel after being implored to keep the enigmatic anti hero Jan Van Hendryks  in print.

I do plot, but the characters seem to take over and change my best laid plans occasionally.  I always write in the 3rd person, but may one day  I will write in the 1st person to write my book of family memoirs. I try to edit as I write, but do seek professional help for final edit. I write for people who like a good story with a few twists here and there, a bit of mystery and of course a conflicted romance! This book is a great read!

I am now self publishing with professional help. I will promote my books on my Poppy Mann Facebook website and my books will be available on Amazon. You will also find Poppy’s book here with other new releases. 

Favourite authors? So many excellent writers  in all genres today. Isabelle Allende, Deborah Challinor, Rani Manicka, Mary Lovell, Lisa See, Fanny Flagg, Julia Stewart, Anne Rule, Peter James. Jeffrey Archer, Lynwood Barclay etc.etc.

As I read at least three full length books a week, fiction and non fiction, the list goes on with new  favourites being added to the list.

I am a member Of the Romance Writers of New Zealand and have great respect and admiration for the writing talents and friendship of my fellow members. We have some great story tellers here that deserve to be read world wide.

You can fine out more about this wonderful author HERE

Haunting you this Hallow’s Eve

Ghostly Writes Anthology 2016

It is that time of year again when authors love to haunt you with our scary, horror filled books that will thrill anyone who loves Halloween.

Ghostly Writes Anthology, presented to you by Plaisted Publishing House, Ltd, New Zealand, with a selection of 26 Indie Authors from around the world.  This eBook will be available wordwide from the 31st October. (KINDLE will be late due to getting PERMA FREE established) Each story has its own focus, be it a haunting or not. There are creepy cottages, houses and creatures. Some you won’t want to read at night.

One thing you will notice is that we have left the English Grammar and Spelling in the country of origin – like it or not, it is what it is – English from around the globe.

This year our authors and their stories are:

A Dying Scream – J G Clay

Cabins – J B Taylor

Caedes – Adam Mitchell

Canvas – Sarah Mosier

Chaconne – Neil Newton

Death has a Sound – Rocky Rochford

Embers of Webber Street – Karen J Mossman

Eternally Connected – JLC Roche

Ghost in the Machine – Eve Merrick-Williams

Ghost of a Chance – Wendy Steele

Haunted House Arrest – Jennifer Deese

Hello Dear – Stewart Bint

Luella – Kyrena Lynch

Mother Called Today – Mike Elliott

Natatorium-Adele Marie Parks

Play Time – Amy Budd

Ruby Kisses – Jessica Wren

Sitting on a Cloud – C A Keith

Soul Man – Claire Plaisted

Spools of Thread – Ashley Uzzell

The Beneficiaries of Secret Cottage – Jane Risdon

The Curse of Havencrest – Cayleigh Stickler

The Ghost of Rose Cottage – Marjorie Hembroff

The House on the Hill – Jim Adams

The Thin Place – Elizabeth H Newton

Here are a few of the teasers to enjoy.  

                                   

                                      

If you wish to have more information you can find me at www.plaistedpublishinghouse.wordpress.com  

plaistedpublishinghouse@gmail.com 

Our offical book trailer will be out soon on YouTube along with two others made by authors who are participating in this years anthology.