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 So much has changed in my life since I last spoke to you. Life got in the way of writing, then writing took a new turn. I have come out of the broom closet and let everyone know that I am a Witch. That fact doesn't tend to sell many children's books, but it has sold some horror and lots of my non-fiction about Witchcraft.

If you don't want to stick around I understand. Those who do will still get a variety of genres with a couple of new ones added. read what you want, pass on what you don't want. It's that simple.

In other news; I have gotten married, moved to the neighboring county, and became an ordained minister. I can do weddings and handfastings, blessings, funerals, and everything in between for any religion or belief. I am accepting of everyone. So is my husband. He didn't bat an eye when I told him that I was a Witch. I am truly blessed.

If you'd like to check out my book about Witchcraft here's a link.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Book Store Now Live

The Book Store went live today. Haven't made my first sell yet, but I'm hopeful. It hasn't been live long, so I must be patient. Everything is going great. I look forward to sharing many stories with you.

Ebooks For Sale Straight From Author

I will be selling PDF versions of my books in The Book Store for a dollar per download starting September 5th. These will be coming straight from me with no middle man and no outside publisher, so I have complete control. Expect sales in the future.

I decided to do this because I was a bit tired of my books being more expensive than I thought they should be. I will still sell through the other places, mostly so I can still offer nook and kindle versions for those who can only use those types of books. The paperbacks I don't have much choice right now since I can't find a place to sell them cheaper. I'm working on it.

I chose PDF because I can protect myself some with embedded security, and mostly because everyone with online access can read PDFs. Free PDF readers can be found everywhere online including Adobe, Evince, Nitro, and many more. Also most e-readers can already read PDFs. I wanted to make it as easy for you as possible.

Side Note: My spell-check is acting up. Please disregard any misspelling here. The darn thing is changing what I type and misspelling things itself. Maybe it had a heatstroke.

Anyway, My store officially opens on September 5th, though you can already buy the books there in other formats. The PDF versions may be working now, though I'm unsure if I've gotten the kinks worked out yet. I can promise things will be working properly by Sept. 5th. As always questions and comments are welcome. You will find updated contact information on the Contact Me page. If you have any problems with your purchase, please let me know.

Updates and Junk

The price of "The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny" has been reduced. You can now buy he paperback for $18.84. The Kindle and Nook prices will be lowered within the next 2 weeks.

I didn't get "The Dark Corner" published over the summer. Life just gets in the way sometimes. Right now I'm shooting for New Year's and hoping to release it before Christmas. Mrs. Claus loves a good scary book while Santa's making his deliveries. We'll see if I can make her happy.

I now have author pages on Facebook and Amazon. Be sure to check them out. Speaking of Amazon, my books sold there are now available in the UK, Germany, and France. I'm global!

Well, that's about it for now. I'm going to try setting up a schedule for writing blogs regularly so that you know when to expect them. More later.

3 Formats to Choose From, Free Bookmarks and Paper Models

My books are now available in 3 formats; Paperback, Kindle, and Nook! More formats mean more ways to take my books with you. You can enjoy the adventures no matter what reader you use! You can find links to all 3 formats in my bookstore. You can find the Paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon.com, and the Nook format at Barnes & Noble .com.

 "The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny" has been released in physical stores, as well as libraries and more online stores. If you don't find it in your local bookstore or library, be sure to request it!
I'm hoping to have "Luralye" in the expanded markets soon. You should find it in bookstores by the end of May. It would make the perfect gift for that fantasy lover who's graduating this year.

I've added bookmarks to my Fantasy site, Susie Smith's Children's Stories. Just go to the Fun Stuff page, save the images, then follow the instructions to print out bookmarks that match your books. I've included "The Dark Corner" even though it won't be out for a few months. If any of you are into paper models, there are free models of Horace and Tiny to print and build on the fun page as well. Have fun!

Indie Horror Weekend

Indie Horror.org is proud to present the 1st Indie Horror Weekend!

For three days, April 1st through 3rd, Indiehorror.org will be hosting the Indie Horror Weekend. There will be horror writing, contests, Twitter chats, giveaways and prizes.

Points will be earned by participating in various activities throughout the weekend. Points equal entries into the prize drawings held on the last day, so the more points you earn the better chance you have of winning. Winners will be chosen by a virtual hat monkey machine. Possible prizes will be revealed as points are earned.

Some ways to earn points are: Post a short story or chapter in the Workshop. Critique stories that have been posted in the Workshop. Participate in one of the IHChats. Join or start a discussion in the Forum. Comment on a blog post. Tweet about Indie Horror Weekend. Participate in one of the flash fiction contests. Blog about Indie Horror Weekend on your own blog.

Find out more about it by visiting Indiehorror.org at http://indiehorror.org/2011/03/19/indiehorror-weekend/

Lots of fun to be had by all. Come join the party!

Luralye Is Here

Luralye is finally available for purchase! You can find it in the stores on my websites. Links to them are at the left under My Sites. If you liked Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, you will enjoy Luralye. I'm not saying it's as good as those books, I'll let you decide that. It is a fantasy action/adventure which takes place in the fantasy land of Luralye. It is geared toward middle school kids, but isn't too simple for YA and adults.

Reviews thus far have been stellar. "Great Plot" "Likable, Believable Characters" "Will Be Loved By All Ages" These are a few of the rave reviews I have received so far. As always, the book is available in both Paperback and Kindle versions.

In Other News...

I now have an Author Page on Amazon. You can search for me or click on my name under the titles of my books to go to my page. Be sure to check it out.

I am starting to do school visits. For the time being, I will only be visiting local schools. I will read some of the book, do a question and answer session, or both. I don't have any scheduled yet, but I'll post as soon as I do. If you know of a school looking for visitors, pass on the word. I will be waiving all fees for the rest of this school year.

Tune in next time for a peek into The Dark Corner. I'll post some samples here of the horror short stories it will contain.

Updates and Junk

I just set up a Preview Page for The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny. You can read the first chapter, answer some questions, and tell me what you think. Go Here: https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1079084
 Please check it out.

Luralye is moving along faster than expected. It should be for sale by the end of this month. It will also be available in Paperback and Kindle. I think you will love it.


I'm thinking of doing something special for holidays on here. Maybe I'll write in green for St. Patrick's Day. I'd love suggestions. Leave them in the comments. You can also let me know what holidays you'd like to celebrate on here.


I will start doing events to promote my books soon. I'm only doing local and online events right now. If you're interested, or know of someone who is, please contact me at susiesmith13@gmail.com or through one of my websites. I will have printable book marks available on my sites soon for my first three books.I will also set up some kind of calendar to list the events and tell you where to find me. I'll let you know where to find it or how to use it as soon as I know. Does anyone know if I can set up a calendar on my blog? Yes, I'm new to this stuff.


That's all for now. I smell something cooking, and it's making me hungry.

More to Love, News That Is

"The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny" is now available in Kindle form on Amazon. Now you can buy it in print or ebook. You can find both version for sale in my book store links to the left, or go HERE.

Momentary rant: Why do online spellcheckers not know online lingo. Website, ebook, blog, etc. are not recognized and have to be added. Why? It's stupid! I even had to add internet. Really.

Back to more news. Luralye will hopefully be available to purchase by the end of April. I'm hoping sooner, but I'm not going to rush things. If all goes well, it will be available in both formats too. I'm thrilled to finally get it out there.

I joined Goodreads.com, a site for book lovers and the people who write them. You can get to know your favorite writers, read reviews of their books, give some reviews, and chat with other fans. You can find me HERE and join yourself.

My third book is in the works as well. I'm hoping to have it out by summer. It is a collection of short horror stories written for adults. It's called "The Dark Corner" and may become a series. I haven't decided that part yet.

Indie Horror is now open to horror readers as well as writers. You can read reviews of the latest Horror Novels, read blogs written by Horror Authors, and discuss everything horror in the forums. Come join us and get to know your favorite horror writer more personally.  http://indiehorror.org/

That's all for now, I think. Tune in tomorrow to see if I killed the spellchecker.

Book finally Released!

My first book is finally available for sale! Here is the Official Press Release: 

Local author Susie Smith is releasing her new book today. “The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny” is a tale of adventure and friendship between an elf and a giant. This book is sure to be enjoyed by both young and old. Each chapter is a new adventure which can be read as a bedtime story, or read the whole book as one big adventure. Come along and join the fun.


Susie has lived in Henderson County all her life and resides in Cairo. She has been published in online children’s magazines: "Barkley's Christmas Rescue" published in Holiday Crafts 4 Kids December 2005 issue and "5 Rules for Internet Safety" published in Fandangle Magazine October 2006 issue.



You can find the book for sale here: https://www.createspace.com/3565901
Or you can find it on Amazon.com in a few days.
You can visit the author’s website here: http://susiesmith13.tripod.com/

Don’t forget to like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Susie-Smith/178733528836741

New Book: Horace and Tiny

For those of you who don't know, my first published book is nearing completion. If all goes well, it will be for sale by next month. As soon as I have a definite date I'll post it with a link to where it can be purchased. To celebrate, I give you the first chapter:


  "The Great Adventures of Horace and Tiny"


                         Chapter One

   


 Horace is a giant. A really big giant. He is so much bigger than the other giants that everyone is afraid of him. He is a very nice giant. When he sees someone, he always smiles and says hello. His teeth are so big  that his smile frightens them and they run away, so he lives in the woods all alone. He has lived alone since he was a teenager, and he is now 297 years old. That’s not old for a giant though. He has short, black hair, a short beard and a mustache. If you overlook his size, he looks like a very kind person. But since his size is so hard to overlook, most people don’t know he is a nice guy. More than anything, he wishes he had a friend.

  Tiny is an elf. A really small elf. He is so much smaller than the other elves that everyone teases him and makes fun of him. They have done this his entire life, all 24 years of it. He has no friends. He wishes that if they were going to tease him, they would find something else to tease him about. He thinks to himself, “Why can’t they tease me about my stringy blond hair that needs a cut, or my little pointed ears, or the way I walk or talk?” One day he gets fed up with the teasing, so he decides to live in the woods all alone where no one will be around to tease him.

  When he’s alone in the woods, he stops to listen for voices. Nothing! Pure silence. Well, maybe not silence, but no people sounds. He is very happy, but gets bored easily, so Tiny decides to climb a tree so that he can see the sky. He climbed and climbed until he reached the top. While he was sitting there Horace happened by.

  “Hello there big guy,” Tiny says. “Would you mind stepping to the left? You’re blocking my view of the sky.”
 Puzzled by the little man’s reaction to seeing such a big giant Horace asks, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

  “Why should I be? Are you going to tease me about my size like everyone else?” replies Tiny.

  “No, I won’t tease you. Everyone is really small to me, So your size isn’t that different from up here. Aren‘t you going to scream and run away like everyone else?” asks Horace.

  “Well, everyone is a lot bigger than me. If I was scared of all the people bigger than me, I’d be scared silly all the time,” said Tiny. “Say, what are you doing out here in the woods?”

  “I live here. Everyone is so afraid of me, they won’t let me live in a town. So I just stay out here alone. I would never hurt anybody, but they don’t care. Why are you out here?” Horace asked.

  “I want to live out here so that no one ever picks on me again. They always call me names and push me around, so I’d rather stay out here alone,” said Tiny.

  “That’s not nice. Those people are mean. If I had a friend, I’d never let anyone pick on him,” said Horace.

  “Well, if I had a friend I’d show everyone how nice and sweet he is,” Tiny said.

  “Hey, maybe we could be friends. We could live in the woods together and travel together and…” Horace began excitedly.

  “Just hold on a minute, how are we going to travel together? I couldn’t keep up with you even if I ran,” said Tiny.

  “Then I’ll carry you. You could ride on my shoulder or in my pocket. Then you would always be taller than everyone but me, and nothing could block your view of the sky. What do you say?”

  “That sounds great! Say, I’m getting hungry. I know where a giant bird’s nest full of eggs is, but I can’t reach it,” Tiny said, a little embarrassed.

  “No problem, I bet I can. I know where there is a lake with cool water for us to drink, but it’s surrounded by mountains bigger than I am. I can’t fit through the gap,” said Horace.

  “No problem! I bet I can,” Tiny said.

  So Horace got the eggs from the high nest. It was no problem for him to reach. Tiny got the water by dragging a giant water skin tied to a big rope and filling it in the lake. When it was full, Horace used the rope to pull it out again. They ate and talked and laughed until it started getting dark. Then they decided they had better find a place to sleep. They found a clearing with soft grass and stopped there for the night.

  They became the best of friends, traveled all over and had a great many adventures together.

The Story of Luralye

Today I thought I'd give you some insight into the picture I use as a background here. It is a picture I drew of Luralye. I could explain what each thing is, but I think you should read it for yourself. Here is the first five pages of the book "Luralye." I hope you enjoy it.

                    Luralye - Chapter One - The Beginning

“Here in the land of Luralye, magical creatures flourished. They played all day in the green grass, under the purple sky. As the fluffy blue clouds floated by, and the golden river babbled to itself, the Necrions sang and danced in the red puffle flowers.

Now what are Necrions, you may ask. They are furry creatures with small snouts that resemble a teddy bear’s nose. They are brightly colored, and have long, thin tails with a puff of fur on the end. Their color gets brighter when they are happy and dimmer when they are sad. Their favorite food is the gumdrop bushes. They love to climb peppermint trees and chase the orange Tuku Birds.

Lord Bardwin, a powerful wizard, is the kind, wise, and fair ruler of Luralye. He is fairly tall and a bit lanky. He is several thousands of years old, but looks to be in his forties. His bald head shines through his wizard’s crown. He protects Luralye and all its inhabitants. Everyone loves him, except the Snarflinches.

Snarflinches are evil, goblin like creatures. They live in caves in the Black Mountain, and use Necrions to create a power source for their inventions. The waste from creating this power is called glop. It is green, glowing, toxic, and smelly. They almost destroyed Luralye from glop pollution. After repeated warnings to stop glop production failed, Lord Bardwin banished them to the Dark Land.”

The children sat in their desks reading from a history book. They all squirmed, waiting for the class to be over. Hampton, their teacher, sat behind his desk watching for anyone not doing his or her work.

“Boy, is this boring,” Jason complained as he closed his book. “Can we go and chase the Tuku Birds now? You know, we could study why they like being chased so much.”

“No,” Hampton, their teacher, barked. “This is your history study time. You must read the material. It will be on the test next week. You of all people can not afford to fail. Besides, there is nothing about the tuku birds that we do not already know. The tuku birds just like playing silly games. Now get back to work.”

Jason slumped in his chair, and then slowly opened his book. He ran a hand through his short, black hair.

Daniel leaned over to Jason and whispered, “Don’t sweat it. Hampton has been more of a pain than usual lately.”

Jill flipped her long blond hair out of her face and added, “Every since that meeting with Lord Bardwin, Hampton has been pushing us to learn about the Snarflinch exile. Do you think there is a connection?”

“Oh, maybe Lord Bardwin is planning on letting them come back to Luralye,” Kelly said dreamily. “That’s why he wants us to learn about them, so that we can understand them.”

“That is not likely,” Jason laughed. “It’s more likely that he would want us to keep an eye on them in case they start making glop again.”

“They do not make glop,” Daniel stated. “They make the power source. Glop is just a by product. Did you not pay any attention in class? Anyway, I don’t think Lord Bardwin will be letting them back into Luralye any time soon.”

“Well, if you four don’t pipe down and do your work, I am going to throw you into the Swampy Gorge,” Hampton interrupted. He was standing behind their desks, an annoyed look on his face. “Then you will not have to worry about whether the Snarflinches will be coming back or not.”

“Hampton, what did the Snarflinches do that got them kicked out?” Jason asked, mostly to change the subject. “The book is not completely clear. It had to be worse than just a little pollution.”

“It was not just a little pollution,” Hampton answered. “There was so much glop that all of Luralye was in danger. It flooded the land, killing everything in its path. Several species became extinct from the destruction. So many Necrions were killed to make the power source that they too almost became extinct. Eighty percent of Luralye became a wasteland, and with very few Necrions left to heal the damage, this kingdom was on the verge of becoming extinct. They still managed somehow to pull off the Great Healing of Luralye.”

Kelly gushed, “Wow, I never knew Necrions were so important. I thought they were just cute.”

“Now who has not been paying attention in class,” Jason said. “We learned last week that the Necrions keep the land healthy and make things grow. That is why they are protected.”

“Well, I was absent last week,” Kelly huffed. “Besides, my aunt said that they are protected because it is wrong to kill cute, fuzzy things.”

“Your aunt is a dork,” Jill said.

Going Indie

I've been talking to some writer friends about publishing choices in today's market. It occurred to me that while those in this business might understand why a writer may choose to self-publish, normal people may not understand. I thought I might try to explain why I chose to publish my book myself.


When I first decided to get my writing published, I had many of the same misconceptions you probably have. I thought self-publishing was something people did when they weren't talented enough to be accepted by a traditional publisher. I thought independently published books were poor quality, unedited, full of mistakes, and generally not worth reading. I was very wrong!

I noticed that several Indie books were becoming popular, and selling as good as traditionally published books. This made me start researching Indie book, and what I found surprised me. While there are some books that are everything I thought, most of them are as good or better quality than traditional books. I can name several traditional books that had lots of mistakes and were poorly edited. That really put things on an even playing field for me.

My book went through a great deal of editing and polishing to make it perfect for the readers. Well, it may not be perfect. After all I am only human, so I may have missed a punctuation or spelling mistake. It happens, no matter how the book is published. Humans do the editing and polishing in traditional publishing too. I can tell you that I did my best.

That is one big difference in Indie and traditional, I have to do all the work myself where a staff does the work in traditional publishing. At least I get to keep a little more of the profits because I'm not paying a staff. I also like having more control. I chose what my book would say inside, what it would look like outside, and even what size it would be. I am proud of the end results, and can honestly say "I did that!"

I hope I've changed any negative thoughts you had about Indie books. If any of you are thinking of trying it, I say go for it and good luck. Just know that it does take a lot of hard work to be an Indie writer. It is worth the effort.

Welcome to Luralye

My name is Susie Smith and I write stories. Some of these stories are big enough to call books. The title of this blog comes from one of those big stories. Luralye is one of my favorite places, so I thought it would be the perfect place for us to meet while I tell you some stories and news of my latest books.

Many of my stories are fantasy and horror, some for kids and some for grown-ups. I'll try to keep everyone entertained here. I'll warn the kids and their parents if the story is for adults, but I don't tend to get too graphic either way. There will be lots of talk about writing and the writing life, and maybe just life in general.

As soon as I have a book for sale, you will know about it. I'll try not to beg you to buy them too much, but since selling books is new to me I may get a little excited and remind you about them a lot. After all, who else can I gush to if not my friends in Luralye.

I think I've introduced this place pretty well now. Come on in, pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and relax with some good friends. Oh, there's Kool-Aid for the kids. And there's always pie, a wide variety of pie. If you're not here for the horror, I'd stay away from the kidney pie. Real kidneys and stuff.