Summer Blow-Out Sale

OUTBACK LOVE on my Kindle Fire.

Another stormy summer day here on the Florida Gulf Coast. I'm sitting in my living room looking out the front windows as the day grows darker and darker and the rain comes pouring down. Every few minutes there's another loud clap of thunder.

Well, this stormy weather got me to thinking. Maybe this is just the right time for a Summer Blow-Out Sale of my books: OUTBACK LOVE, MOON OVER MADNESS and BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS.

All three eBooks are temporarily $0.99/ea. In addition, JETTING AWAY, my short story prequel to OUTBACK LOVE, will continue to be FREE.

Teri Heyer's eBooks at Amazon/Kindle - $0.99/ea.

Just so you know, this sale was not something I planned in advance. It's the result of day after day of steamy, sultry, HOT summer weather interspersed with lots and lots of rain. How long will this Blow-Out Sale last? Well, maybe until the weather improves? It's really hard to say. Since this is a temporary, spontaneous Blow-Out Sale, not a planned one, the price of $0.99 is only available at Amazon/Kindle.

Now why would you want to buy and read my books even at this great price? Well, because they're fun, upbeat, adventurous and heartwarming reads with plenty of love thrown in and some guaranteed happy endings?

OUTBACK LOVE is a short contemporary romance novel set in Australia and the Outback. Years back my husband and I took a five thousand mile road trip through Australia, from Melbourne north through the Outback and then east to Queensland and the beautiful and exotic Australian coast. We rented a conversion van which my husband drove (they drive on the left instead of the right in Australia). I rode shotgun and filmed much of the trip. It was an awesome three week vacation and I hope that we'll be able to repeat it sometime in the future.

The places I wrote about in OUTBACK LOVE are real locales. We went there and fell in love with each and every place mentioned in my novel. OUTBACK LOVE is not a travelogue, but you will read a little about The Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Barossa Valley (great wineries), Chateau Yaldara (an awesome winery), Glendambo (a stop on the road to the Outback), Coober Pedy (where they mine gorgeous opals and most of the people live underground), Ayers Rock/Uluru (which is one of the most awesome sights ever and I did climb Ayers Rock), Alice Springs (have you seen the pop movie, 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'?), Mataranka (a hot springs oasis in the middle of the Outback), Tennant Creek (a tranquil crossroads in the Outback), Darwin (a must-see city at the tip-top of Australia) and Kakadu (an exotic, beautiful, step-back-into-time kind of place where they filmed 'Crocodile Dundee'). Whew! That was a long trip, a great adventure and wonderful inspiration for my novel.

A few tidbits about OUTBACK LOVE. A river guide I met in Kakadu was the inspiration for rugged, handsome, Ian MacAlister. A young college student working for the summer in Tennant Creek was the inspiration for Priscilla Alexander. A so-homely-he-was-cute dog in the Outback was my inspiration for Elliot.

OUTBACK LOVE is an adventurous love story with a happy ending. But it took Priscilla and Ian some definite ups and downs to get there. I loved writing OUTBACK LOVE and hope you'll love reading it too.



JETTING AWAY on my Kindle Fire.

JETTING AWAY  is a short story prequel to OUTBACK LOVE. It came about following a reader's request to know more about Priscilla's background. She wanted to know why Priscilla, a high-powered business woman, would leave beautiful San Francisco and travel to Australia to find herself.

Though JETTING AWAY is a prequel, it can be read as a stand-alone short story. No, you don't have to read OUTBACK LOVE to enjoy this story. It's all about Priscilla, a young woman who decides to make changes in her life and jets away to Australia.

Best of all, JETTING AWAY is a FREE eBook on Amazon/Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Apple iTunes, Sony and Kobo. How can you resist a fun, FREE read?





MOON OVER MADNESS on my Kindle.

My paranormal, romantic comedy novella, MOON OVER MADNESS, came to me full-blown in one mad moment of inspiration. I swear the little helper-elves in my head wrote this book and all I did was write down the story as they told it to me.

Chantel Deneuve is a responsible mother of two beautiful young daughters and living a quiet life in Florida. She also happens to be a half-witch, something she'd prefer to ignore. But then one night a to-die-for, gorgeously handsome vampire, Riordan "Rio" Martainn, comes knocking on her front door.

Chantel's life is never the same after that night. An assortment of witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, a very angry dragon named Sabilla and Jake, a dog who only talks to to children, all join in this romantic mad adventure.  If you want to read a book that will make you smile, then MOON OVER MADNESS is just the book for you.

BAYOU BLUES ... on my Kindle Fire.

BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS  is my book that evolved over time. It's a collection of eight short stories and eight poems that all contain little pieces of me. The central themes are love, family, hopes and dreams.

There's a little bit of everything in these stories and poems. "Harry's Garden" was inspired by a not-very-nice former neighbor when we used to live on a Florida bayou way-back-when. "A Kiss is Just a Kiss" was written after a childhood friend of mine died of AIDS. I was thinking of him as I wrote that story. "The Night of the UFO" was inspired after we (my husband and I) swore we saw a UFO over the bayou. I was drinking Margaritas that night, rather than Whiskey Sours (I happen to like both) and the story came to me full-blown. I stayed up half the night to write it. "I Love You, Joe Montana" was inspired, because, well, you know, I happen to love Joe Montana.

The stories and poems in BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS are very dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed the journey in writing those stories and poems.

As I finish writing this post it's still raining outside. Overall, this has been a very wet, rainy summer here on the Florida Gulf Coast. Am I complaining? No. But I've spent a lot of indoor time instead of enjoying the great outdoors and our beautiful sugar-sand beaches. However, all this rain means you get the Summer Blow-Out Sale of my books. I do so hope you'll rush right out and add all of my books to your Kindle or other eReader. Who can resist eBooks for only $0.99/ea.? I know I can't. Of course, I'm addicted to books and I'm assuming you are too.

Summer Blow-Out Sale of Teri Heyer's eBooks at Amazon/Kindle - $0.99/ea.

A happy summer shout-out to y'all. Thanks again for stopping by my blog. And many many thanks to all my readers too.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Happy Valentine's Day on Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge.

In the words of Tina Turner, "What's love got to do, got to do with it ..." I'm sure that's a question we all ask, over and over again. Romance, lust, like, longing, love, get all mixed up together. Why do we want it? Why do we need it? Well, heck if I know, but when Valentine's Day rolls around we all get reminded of it real fast.

Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It (on YouTube with Lyrics)

Turn on the telly and we're bombarded with "Buy her this, buy her that ... perfumes, flowers, chocolates." Chocolates??? Now we're talking. I absolutely LOVE chocolate! So am I going to complain about Valentine's Day? No way! Will my "Dear Hubby" buy me chocolates? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is it wise for him to forget to buy me chocolates? Probably not. And what about flowers? Yep, I love flowers too, but particularly the live variety that I can plant in my flowers pots or garden.

It's all about hearts and love on the Graffiti Bridge.

Now I'm a realist. I've been married for ever so long. The shine has worn off all that romance. So I don't expect flowers, chocolates, diamonds or perfumes (by the way, I'm allergic to perfumes). But I do expect friendship, love and a bit of romance now and then. Hey girls, don't we all?

On the other hand, I'm a dreamer and I dream about love, romance, the whole nine yards. I love diamonds and yes, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." I swear that's true. Do I have diamonds? "You betcha!" Do I want more? Girls, what do you think? "Heck, yeah!" Will I get some this Valentine's Day? Of course not! I'm a realist, remember? I'm practical. I want more important things, like BOOKS.

Yep, I said BOOKS. Ask me any time of day or night if there's something I want and I'll tell you, "I want books. Lots and lots of books." But here's where you ask, "Don't you already have lots and lots of books?" Well, of course, darling, but there's no such thing as too many books. I love romance novels, historical fiction, short story collections, poetry, history books and everything in between. I definitely love books!

I read romances and I write them too. So if you all get a chance, I hope you'll check out my books and add a little more romance and love into your life. My books are all about love, in one form or another. Oh, and there's some adventure, laughs, a little sorrow, and a good amount of romance in there too. So here they are: Outback Love, Jetting Away, Moon Over Madness, Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows. Won't you "give love a chance" and read my books?

Now, as I was saying, I read romances too. Lots of them. Here's an assortment you might want to try for Valentine's Day!

On my Kindles (Read or TBR):

Candy Valentine (A Sensual Short Story) by (my BFF) Ruth D. Kerce
Kiss Me (A Contemporary Romantic Comedy) by Jan Romes
The Trouble With Valentine's Day (Chinooks Hockey Team) by Rachel Gibson
Candy Store (A Contemporary Romance) by Bella Andre
Cupid's Cupcake (A Romantic Comedy) by Ivy Sinclair
Chocolate Kisses  (A Contemporary Romance) by Judith Arnold

Some other Valentine's Day Romances that caught my eye (all available as eBooks and in no particular order):

Be My Texas Valentine by Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday & Phyllis Miranda
Valentine Babies (Holiday Babies) by Mona Risk
A Romantic Comedy Duo by Talli Roland
Cupid on Deck by Nancy Serofano
Tripping on Love by Carrie Stone
A Valentine Surprise by Lisa Page
Valentine Collection (Anthology) by Jennifer Conner
It Happened on Valentine's Day (An Avon Romance Sampler) by Eloisa James, et al.
Valentines Say "I Love You" (Anthology) by Denise L. Wyant, et al.
My Vegas Valentine by R. A. Lee
A Cupid Kind of Day by L. A. Dale
Stirred with Love by Marcie Steele
The WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine by Talli Roland, et al.
Heart Bouquets (Romantic Short Stories) by Stephanie Craig, et al.
The Valentine's Day Ball by Julia Parks
Kiss Me (An Avon Valentine's Day Anthology) by Codi Gary, et al.
Love is in the Air (A Valentine's Day Collection) by Carolyn McCray
Valentine's Dream by Sandra Kitt, Carmen Green & Felicia Mason
Burning Hearts by K. L. Morisen
Duping Cupid by Gina Ardito
Un-Valentine's Day by Kristine Cayne
Cupid's Revenge (A Chloe Boston Mystery) by Melanie Jackson
Heart Stealers by Patricia McLinn, Judith Arnold, Julie Ortolon & Kathryn Shay
Valentines (A Trio of Regency Love Stories) by Barbara Metzger
Straight from the Heart by Janelle Taylor
One More Valentine by Anne Stuart

Valentine presents from my Dear Hubby. <smile>

I'm sure I've missed listing lots of cool/great/fun/romantic reads for Valentine's Day, so please feel free to list more in the comments below.

Once again, thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day! And just for the record, LOVE has everything to do with it.

Sunshine Blogger Award!

This is a morning to smile. I have just been awarded the "Sunshine Blogger Award!" by the incredibly amazing Jeff Whelan, author of the quirky, fabulous, fun space opera, Space Orville. Check out the link below for Jeff's awesome blog and his post about the award. Jeff gave this award to ten bloggers, so I'm in great company. Be sure to visit all those wonderful blogs. The links are on Jeff's post.

The incredibly amazing Jeff Whelan.

One of the key things in getting this award is to answer ten questions. So here are my responses.


1) What is your passion? That's an easy one, my grandkids. My grandson is six and a half and already a great reader. My identical twin granddaughters are almost four. They're all passionate about books, just like me. My passion for books is what inspires me to write.

2) Favorite time of year? I'd have to say summer. I love the warm weather and cerulean blue skies. Here on the Florida Gulf Coast that also means awesome beach days. I've been in love with the beach since I was a little bitty kid. I love sand between my toes and gentle surf.

3) Favorite book? Now this is a hard one. I have sooooo many favorite books, so narrowing it down to one is extremely difficult. Can I cheat and list two? My absolute favs are: The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart and Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey. I've read both of those books more times than I can count. If I was going to cheat even more and add a third it would be The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.

4) Favorite movie? Oh no! Another hard one. One movie? How could I possibly narrow it down to one? Well, I'm going to cheat again and list two favs: Breakfast at Tiffany's and Friendly Persuasion. Yes, I've watched those more times than I can count. I have to include a third, Casablanca.

5) Favorite animal? This one is easy, dogs. I currently have two, Shani and Dude, and I blog about them and post their pics all the time. I've had dogs since I was a baby. They're all about unconditional love, something we all need.

6) Favorite time of day? I love the sunshine, but my favorite time happens to be the middle of the night. I'm a night-owl and much of my inspiration comes to me in the darkest, quiet hours. It's also the best time to read, write or play on the net.

7) Favorite flower? Gardenia. The smell is awesome! Roses are a close second.

8) Favorite non-alcoholic beverage? Coffee, coffee and more coffee. I'll drink it black, but I prefer a dollop of milk. If I don't care about the calories, half-and-half or cream is even better. My daily fav is 100% Columbian. However, I went to Jamaica twice and fell in love with Blue Mountain Coffee. If I could afford it, I'd drink that every day.

9) Favorite physical activity? Reading. No kidding, reading is about the most active I get these days. In days of yore I used to swim, surf, water-ski, snow-ski, backpack, bike, baseball, tennis, climb trees and even run. But back surgery in 2004, osteoarthritis and degenerative back disease have slowed me down a bit. Well, my dogs do take me for a walk now and then, but they prefer car rides.

10) Favorite vacation? This is an easy one. Several years back my husband and I, along with his sister and her husband, took a three week, five thousand mile road-trip through Australia and the Outback. We drove from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, the wine country in Barossa Valley, looking for opals in Coober Pedy, climbed Ayers Rock/Uluru in the Red Center, then north on the Stuart Highway through Alice Springs, Mataranka, Tennant Creek and Katherine to Darwin on the north coast. Then we explored Kakadu, which is awesome. Then south again back to Tennant Creek and east through the heart of the Outback stations to Mt. Isa and then to Queensland and the exotic coast: Port Townsend, Cairns and the Daintree Rainforest. We even managed a day-long boat trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. Whew! That was a lot of traveling for three weeks time. I have awesome photos and movies of the trip and incredible memories. For those who might ask, our trip was very economical considering all the places we visited. No tour guides, just a good rental camper-van and an adventurous spirit. This trip was the inspiration for my contemporary romance novel, Outback Love, which includes many of the awesome places we visited. Would we do it again? If we had the money, you betcha!

Now here's the cool part of the "Sunshine Blogger Award!" I get to pass this award on to some other cool, awesome, incredible, amazing bloggers. So here are the ones I picked (in no particular order):

1) Julie's Chick Lit

2) Ellis Vidler's Unpredictable Muse

3) Molly Greene: Writer

4) Peggy Eddleman - Will Write for Cookies

5) Onisha Ellis - Old Things R New

6) Tim Vicary (Three Blogs)

The above are just a few of many awesome bloggers out there.

Now assuming the above bloggers have time to receive the "Sunshine Blogger Award!" all you need to do is answer the ten questions below and select up to ten of your own favorite bloggers to receive the award.

1)  What is your passion?
2)  Favorite time of year?
3)  Favorite book?
4)  Favorite movie?
5)  Favorite animal?
6)  Favorite time of day?
7)  Favorite flower?
8)  Favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
9)  Favorite physical activity?
10) Favorite vacation?

I want to thank Jeff Whelan for honoring me with the "Sunshine Blogger Award!" It's so cool to have my blog noticed and enjoyed by other bloggers. It was also a lot of fun putting this post together. For those of you reading this post, I hope you'll check out the great blogs listed above.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Coffee

I must confess, I have a weakness/passion for donuts, particularly doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. For this reason, my BFF, Regina, and I meet there for coffee and donuts once a week. There is nothing better than having a girlfriend chat over coffee and donuts.


Well, when we had our last chat at Krispy Kreme I decided this was a perfect subject for my next blog post. After all, who can resist all those yummy donuts? So that's when I snapped these photos for this post.

I think my favorite part about Krispy Kreme is that they make the donuts right there. So the heavenly smell of warm donuts greats you the second you walk in the door.

I can't resist a still-warm glazed donut which melts in your mouth. Ahh, just thinking about it makes me want to have one just this very minute.







Krispy Kreme has so many yummy donuts: Jelly-filled, Lemon-filled, Pumpkin Spice, Double-Dipped Chocolate, and my all-time favorite, a Chocolate-frosted Custard-filled donut.


Given a choice, I'd have donuts with my coffee every single morning. On the other hand, if I did that, I would definitely weigh more than I do now. So I'll stick with that once a week Girls' Day Out visit to Krispy Kreme.


Krispy Kreme - Pensacola

Variety of Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme




For those who know I love to add lists of books to my posts, here's my latest yummy list. I haven't read any of these books, but they all look interesting.

Donuts and Coffee Books (in no particular order):

Powdered Peril (A Donut Shop Mystery) by Jessica Beck
Drop Dead Chocolate (A Donut Shop Mystery) by Jessica Beck
Donut Days by Lara Zielin (YA)
Dollars to Donuts by Kathleen Kole
Half a Donut and Other Short Stories by Peter Holub
Doughnuts for Amy by John Malik
Like Coffee and Doughnuts (Dino Martini Mysteries) by Elle Parker
Slimming with Doughnuts by Deborah Correnti
Doughnut Dollies: American Red Cross Girls During WWII by Helen Airy
Rolling in Dough: Lessons I Learned in a Doughnut Shop by Glenn G. Sparks (Memoir)
Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut by Paul R. Mullins
Coffee Break Romance by Susan Stovall
An Order of Coffee and Tears by Brian Spangler
Coffee with Poe: A Novel of Edgar Allan Poe's Life by Andrew Barger
The Coffee Girl by Shanna Hatfield
Coffee Clutch (Jan Birch Mystery) by Marshall Thornton
Murder by Mocha (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Roast Mortem (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Coffee in Common by Dee Mann
One Coffee With (Sigrid Harald) by Margaret Maron
Jetting Away by Teri Heyer

I couldn't resist adding my short story, Jetting Away, to the above list. After all, Priscilla is having one-of-those-days where lots of coffee and some yummy donuts help her get through the day and make a life changing decision. Jetting Away is a short story prequel to my romance novel, Outback Love, but can be read as a stand-alone. Best of all, it's FREE, so I hope you'll give it a try.

JETTING AWAY - Amazon/Kindle

JETTING AWAY - Barnes&Noble/Nook

JETTING AWAY - Apple/iBookstore/iTunes

Jetting Away is also available for FREE at Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Smashwords.


As always, I hope you'll add your comments below. I'm guessing that you all love donuts and coffee too.

Happy New Year!

The New Year 2012 snuck up on me. How did it get here so fast? I swear that Thanksgiving was only a couple days ago and Christmas was just yesterday. Did I get lost in time somewhere? Did I spend too much time on the computer?

Well, 2011 was a very good year for me. I fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an author by ePubbing four books between August and November: "Outback Love," "Jetting Away," "Moon Over Madness" and "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows." I guess that is why the year zipped by so fast.

"Jetting Away" went free on Amazon October 27th and from that date on I've been on a roller coaster ride. To date, over 20,000 people have downloaded a copy of "Jetting Away." For weeks it was on the Best Sellers Top 100 Free ebook list on Amazon and then for weeks more on the Best Sellers Contemporary Fiction Top 100 Free ebook list. What an exciting ride for a new indie author. I can't thank you all enough for getting "Jetting Away."

In addition to the excitement on "Jetting Away," "Outback Love," my contemporary romance novel, was on the Best Sellers Contemporary Romance Top 100 Paid ebook list for a number of days. Needless to say, I was on Cloud-9 for all of those days.

In the midst of that roller coaster ride, I ePubbed a collection of eight short stories and eight poems, "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows." The date, 11/11/11, just seemed like a perfect day to bring out a new book. Unfortunately, "Bayou Blues..." is off to a slow start. However, it's now available as a free ebook to members of Amazon Prime. This is a book I've worked on for a very long time and am so pleased to finally have it out there. Writing poetry and short stories was my first love before writing novels.

November and December have been months of mostly dreaming and some writing. I've been working on several different ideas for some new novels. I managed to write partials on some of them and have hopes of finishing and ePubbing them in 2012. For now, I'll just say that I think you'll enjoy the novels I've been dreaming about and writing. If all goes well, I should have a new contemporary romance novel out before spring.

Many thanks to everyone who bought my books from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Sony, Diesel and Kobo. Many thanks too to those on Twitter who re-Tweeted my many Tweets, mentioned me on Twitter, and/or chose to Follow me on Twitter. Thanks too for the very nice reviews I've received on my books on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

In the meantime, best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year for all.

"Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows" - Now Available at Amazon.com

My latest book, "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows," was just ePubbed yesterday on 11/11/11. What a cool date to get published.

This is a collection of eight short stories and eight poems that touch on issues that all may face at one time or another, from lost love to life changing decisions to moments of pure happiness.

I enjoyed writing this book and hope you will enjoy reading it.

Here's a link to "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows," available now at Amazon.com for only $1.99.  BUY NOW

JETTING AWAY is Now on the Amazon Top 100 Free eBooks List

JETTING AWAY went FREE on Amazon sometime last night after I had gone to sleep. So I woke up this morning to a great surprise. By the time I checked on my sales at Amazon/KDP, 328 people had already downloaded my free book. At that point I was really excited.

If you don't already have my ebook, please use the link below to download a FREE copy of JETTING AWAY on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Jetting-Away-ebook/dp/B005JGE9R0/ref=zg_bs_154606011_39

I had always intended for JETTING AWAY to eventually be offered as a free ebook since it's a short story prequel to my contemporary romance novel, OUTBACK LOVE. Of course, both books can be read as stand-alones, but I hoped my readers would decide to read both books.

I lowered the sales price of JETTING AWAY to free on Smashwords first. Barnes and Noble quickly followed suit and so did Sony. Though I contacted Amazon, they decided to keep the book at .99 cents. I tried to explain to them how important it was to make the book available as a freebie, only I kept getting the same answer back. No.

So I was ultra-excited this morning to find that Amazon finally decided to make JETTING AWAY a free ebook. I must say, it has been really fun today watching the free sales increase and the ranking go up, up, up. The last time I checked the stats, 2192 free copies of JETTING AWAY were downloaded. That was in less than 24 hours. In the morning the sales ranking was #574 out of millions of books on Amazon. By afternoon my book was ranked #89 and on the Top 100 Free list. As the afternoon progressed, the ranking went higher to #82, then #39 and the last time I looked #33. My other two books are selling too. So this is very exciting for a new indie author.

I am excited by this day and humbled too. For someone who has been wanting/dreaming of being a writer since I was of grammar school age, today has been the best of the best. I thank all who have downloaded my books. It means a lot to me that you are willing to try a new writer. I strive to be the best that I can possibly be. I'm sure I have much to learn. This will be an evolving, growing, strengthening process. I have so many stories to tell. Yes, I am humbled by you all being willing to take a chance and read my books. Thank you so very much.

For those of you who haven't yet read one of my books. Please download a FREE copy of JETTING AWAY on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Sony or Apple. Please tell your friends and family members about my books too. It's very difficult for a new indie author to enter the book market, so I need all the support I can get.

A little story about today. I've been sick since last Friday with a sinus infection due to seasonal allergies. I try to avoid doctors and can usually get well on my own. But yesterday I lost my voice. Yep, laryngitis. So when I woke up this morning to all that excitement over my books, I wanted to scream with joy, only I couldn't even squeak, let alone talk or shout. So while all this excitement over sales and rankings were happening this afternoon, I was at the doctor's office to get antibiotics so I can get well. Hopefully in a few days I'll be able to scream and shout with joy. For now, I'd like to get my voice back so I can at least talk. I can't even call my family or friends on the phone today, because no one can hear what I'm saying. I have to admit that it's rather funny than I can't talk about this. Everyone who knows me, know that I love to talk. But for today I have to be quiet and write out my joy and thanks.

I have to say a special thanks to the gang at Twitter who helped make this all possible. In particular, indie authors Ruth D. Kerce, Russell Blake and David Bain helped along the way. They would RT (re-Tweet) all my Tweets and their Followers would RT and so on. I could never has done this all without you.

Also, indie author Russell Blake fought really hard to get his ebook, ZERO SUM, to go FREE on Amazon, which happened a few days before my book. He fought the good fight for all of us indie authors for price matching on Amazon.

I also need to thank Amazon too for finally making the decision to let JETTING AWAY be a free ebook on Amazon.

 I also have to say a special thanks to my friend of many years, author Ruth D. Kerce, for pushing me every step of the way to get my books out there for others to read. Note - Ruth offered lots of advice and moral support too. So thanks to a very special friend.

Special thanks to all my family members, friends and author/friends who forwarded my emails to others who forwarded them to even more. Believe me, it takes a really big village to sell a book. I know I'm forgetting names here, but you all know who you are. As my five year old grandson would say, "We're a team."

I know things will slow down again, but I intend to enjoy every minute of this high. I also intend to get busy writing and finishing my next books. I have two new ebooks that you'll be seeing soon. BAYOU BLUES AND OTHER SORROWS  is a collection of short stories and poems that I've wanted to publish for a long time. MOON OVER MISTLETOE is a paranormal novella that should available by the end of November.

(Please forgive all the extra adverbs, adjectives, etc. in this post. I'm too excited to edit them all out.)

On Contests, eBooks, eReaders and More

My "Moon Over Madness" Contest was a bust. Apparently no one wanted a free copy of my ebook. Okay, I understand, I think. Who wants to take a chance on a new author? I can understand not wanting to pay an enormous amount of money for an unknown. But free? That surprises me.

As I've said before, I'm a voracious reader. So when I discovered the Kindle eReader, I had to have one. What an incredible invention, to be able to carry hundreds, thousands of books in one little device that fits in your purse. Believe me, I carry my Kindle everywhere I go. Gee, I might get stuck on the top of the three mile bridge going over the bay. Hey, that's happened to me before, twice. So I just pull out my trusty Kindle and start reading until the traffic starts moving again.

What I love about having a Kindle, or any eReader for that matter, is the fact I have a whole library at my fingertips. So I can switch what I'm reading to fit my mood of the moment. My Kindle currently contains 429 books, everything from classics to history to romance to mystery to paranormal, to mystery/suspense, you name it. I have another 640 books in my Kindle archive, which I can transfer back to my Kindle at any time.

So here's the thing. New indie authors, and occasionally big authors, offer a book for free. Sometimes it's via a contest and other times on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple, etc. I'm always looking at the freebie books. It's wonderful to discover a book I may never have noticed. So I download freebies that catch my eye and I've discovered some wonderful books. I also enter book contests whenever I can, even though I've yet to win one of those contests. Oh well, there's always a first time.

I've discovered some really wonderful indie authors by reading a freebie ebook first. I've also come across some big authors I used to read, but who sort of slipped by the wayside. So my Kindle has a goodly number of those freebie books. But it also has bunches of ebooks that cost .99 cents to $3.99. That's my impulse price range. If the book looks interesting I buy it with a click and give it a try. Wow! It's like stepping into paradise, a world of books and all there by a single click.

Okay, I admit, I'm a book addict. I can't get enough books. I have bookshelves all through my house. Shelves of old favorites to be read again and again. Shelves of history books. I absolutely love reading history. Shelves of classics. I've been reading classics since I was a kid and still love them. Shelves of art books. Yep, I love to paint (landscapes and still-lifes in oils or acrylics), so art books and art magazines are a must. I have bookshelves just for paperbacks and others for hardbacks.

Yep, I'm definitely a book addict. Even though I own more books than I could possibly read in a lifetime, I still buy more. My husband grumbles from time to time. After all, he doesn't enjoy reading, unless maybe a science or travel magazine from time to time. Though he's a voracious reader on the Internet.  Huh!? And why did I marry a non-reader? Well, that's something I'll have to write about on a later post. Anyway, he grumbles from time to time and then continues to ignore all my books.

Well, I could ramble on and on about books. Suffice to say that I'm disappointed no one wanted to enter my contest for "Moon Over Madness." It's a really fun book, so I hope there are readers out there willing to take a chance on this ebook by a new indie author. The price for "Moon Over Madness" is only .99 cents and it's currently available online at Amazon and Smashwords. My two other books, "Outback Love" and "Jetting Away," are available online at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Sony.

For those who have already taken a chance and have started reading my books, I can't thank you enough. It's nice to know my books are getting read and enjoyed by other readers. For my, as yet, small following, I have many more books in the works. So please check back to hear about my latest releases. I should have two more books out there before the end of the year. One is "Moon Over Mistletoe," a paranormal novella sequel to "Moon Over Madness." I've yet to decide what the second book will be. I have several different books in progress. It will depend on which of my characters insist that their book has to be released next.

Once again, many thanks to my readers. Thank you too for letting me take this time to rant. Oh, before I forget, my ebook, "Jetting Away," is currently a free download on Smashwords and Sony. It should soon be a freebie on Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble. "Jetting Away" is a short story prequel to "Outback Love." As I've mentioned before, they can be read as stand-alone books, though I hope you'll enjoy reading both.

Win a Free Ebook Copy of My Novel, "Outback Love"

Here is my CONTEST. I have decided to award a FREE ebook copy of my contemporary romance novel, "OUTBACK LOVE," which is set in the Australian Outback, to the WINNER of this CONTEST. See entry rules below.

Priscilla Alexander is a city girl from San Francisco who desperately needs to get away from her high-stress advertising job and her dysfunctional parents who are getting a divorce after 30 years of marriage. So, in spite of the fact that Priscilla doesn't like to travel, anywhere, she decides to take a lengthy adventurous holiday through the Australian Outback. Alone.

Priscilla isn't interested in finding Mr. Right, particularly not in Australia, half a world away from her comfortable city life. But sometimes life doesn't go the way you have it planned.

Ian MacAlister, an Aussie who looks more like he should be wrestling crocodiles, isn't looking for his soul mate, particularly not stranded on a muddy Australian road. So what is he to do when he comes across Priscilla and her van which is stuck in the mud on a lonely highway?

Priscilla doesn't want Ian's help. And he doesn't want to help her. Only he feels obligated to come to the aid of a damsel in distress. Sparks fly and an adventure begins. Will Ian convince Pris that he really is her Mr. Right? Will Priscilla accept the fact that Ian is actually her one true love? Follow their romantic adventure through the Australian Outback.

ENTRY RULES: Now here's the deal with the CONTEST. I'm going to award a free ebook, Kindle copy, of my novel, "Outback Love," to the person with the best romantic destination. The contest will end next Tuesday at midnight on September 27th.

HOW TO ENTER: Tell me about your ideal romantic destination. Is it somewhere in the Caribbean? Or maybe in the South of France? Or what about the Scottish Highlands? Or maybe it's in you own backyard? The person who writes about the best, most unique, most romantic destination will win the free ebook, Kindle copy, of  "Outback Love." Enter by posting a COMMENT below at the bottom of this blog post.

I'm going to invite my author friend, Ruth D. Kerce, to help me decide on the winner. Ruth has two new, really HOT, short story ebooks, "Into the Storm" and "G-String Gentleman," now available online at Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes&Noble.

The winner will  be announced on my blog and also notified by email on Wednesday morning, September 28th. The link to the free ebook copy will be emailed to the winner. So please be sure that I have your email address.

Many thanks to all who decide to enter this CONTEST. I'm looking forward to hearing about your romantic destinations. I might even write a book set in your romantic locale.

Please note that "Outback Love" is available online at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes&Noble and Apple. My ebook, "Jetting Away," a short story prequel to "Outback Love" is also available at the same online venues. Both "Outback Love" and "Jetting Away" can be read as stand-alones, but I hope that my readers will enjoy both books.

"Outback Love" was inspired by a three week long, 5000 mile trip, that my husband and I took a few years back through the Australian Outback and other parts of Australia. The trip was a wonderful, grand, exciting adventure. I feel very fortunate for having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel there. Australia is a beautiful, exotic country. Definitely a romantic place to visit. According to my baby sister, Lisa, it's also a great place to live and raise a family, as she's been living there for the last three years.

I hope you all enjoy reading my books, "Outback Love" and "Jetting Away." Also, my newest release, a paranormal vampire/witch/ghost novella, "Moon Over Madness," should be available online in early October.

Looking for Readers/Reviewers for "Outback Love"

One of the things new authors need more than anything else is readers who are willing to review their books. For that reason, I am offering a free copy of my debut novel, "Outback Love," to the first few people who respond to my request. It will be a Kindle Edition and sent to your email address. Since I have to pay for these copies, I will only be able to send a few free copies. In return, I would appreciate it if the reader would follow up with a review on Amazon/Kindle. Of course, I can not force you to write the review, but hope that you will do so in return.

As a new indie author, I don't know if this is the appropriate way to do things. So please understand where I am coming from here. I wrote what I believe is a very entertaining novel, a contemporary romance set in the Australian Outback. This book was a labor of love inspired by an adventurous three week, 5000 mile trip my husband and I took through Australia a few years back. It was a grand adventure and I write about all the locales we visited on our trip.

Priscilla Alexander is a city girl from San Francisco who never travels anywhere. However, her high-stress job, in addition to family problems, drives her to escape as far away as she can get. So Priscilla ends up in Australia with an old conversion van and a plan to drive through the Outback on her own. Only her vehicle gets stuck in the mud at the very start of her trip and things after that don't go quite as planned.

Ian MacAlister, who comes across Priscilla and her van, doesn't have time to help a damsel in distress. On the other hand, he still feels obligated to help her out. Priscilla doesn't want Ian's help. He looks too dangerous to her. Besides, she's an independent female and believes she can do everything on her own.

"Outback Love" is the story of Priscilla and Ian and their trip through the Australian Outback. Priscilla fears she has found her Mr. Right, but at a time and a place that is totally wrong. Will Ian be able to convince Priscilla and himself that they're meant to be together? Please read "Outback Love" to find out.

As I've already said, if you'd like to be both a reader and reviewer, please let me know. I'm anxious to hear from you.

"Outback Love" - The Story Behind the Story - Part 1

It was very exciting this morning to see that my debut ebook, "Outback Love," is now available at BarnesandNoble.com. This is one more milestone for a new indie author. "Outback Love" should soon be available online at Kobo, Sony, Apple and Diesel. Now all I need is some more readers.

For those who don't already know, "Outback Love" was inspired by a three week, 5000 mile road-trip, my husband Ben and I took through the Australian Outback a few years ago. It was a grand adventure that we began in the end of June, which was the beginning of winter in Australia.

We arrived in Melbourne, New South Wales, Australia in the middle of the night following a 13 1/2 hour flight from Los Angeles, California. We were tired, exhausted, ready to get some sleep, because I'm never able to sleep on a plane. Unfortunately, our new luggage was damaged in flight due to a hydraulic fuel leak on the plane. So here we were in the middle of the night with an oily mess of luggage. When we unzipped the luggage, much to our horror, at least half of our clothes were covered in that same oily mess.

It took close to an hour to convince the airline that they were responsible for the damage. Finally they handed us a bunch of red, white and blue striped, zippered bags and told us to put whatever we wanted to keep in those bags. Then they took our two duffel-style roller suitcases and gave us a receipt. We were told to come back at 9:00 the next morning to receive a check for $200 in damages.

I then called the hotel I had booked to ask for the free transportation that was part of our hotel stay. Only the desk clerk who answered said they didn't do airport pick-ups after midnight. Huh? No one mentioned that when the hotel was booked. Well, the next step was to get a cab. Only it turned out the cabbies wouldn't accept American dollars and the money exchange booth at the airport was long since closed for the night.

At this point I was about ready to sit down and cry. I had done all the bookings for this trip and it was all starting out bad. Then a Good Samaritan stepped forward in the form of a friendly, middle-aged, Australian business man. This kind man said he'd listened to our whole ordeal over the luggage, no transportation from the hotel to pick us up and now no Australian money to get a cab. He handed me a twenty in Australian dollars and assured me that would be enough for the cab ride to the hotel. I tried to offer him American dollars in exchange and he declined. He said that sometime down the line I was to help out another stranded tourist in return. Definitely a "pay it forward" kind of agreement.

Totally exhausted, we finally made it to the hotel. By this time we were well into the wee hours of the morning. After a quick shower we fell asleep in very hard twin beds. No, I hadn't requested twin beds, but the desk clerk said all the doubles were already taken. I managed to fall asleep in spite of the hard mattress.

My husband's older sister, Barb, and her husband, Dick, were traveling with us. They'd managed to sleep on the plane so hadn't been as tired. Their luggage and clothes were not damaged by hydraulic fluid. Though their hotel room also had hard twin beds.

In the morning I was counting our blessings. Only half of our clothes were oily. So the oily clothes were in separate striped bags from the good clothes. We'd traveled pretty light, so we didn't have much of a wearable wardrobe. We got some weak coffee for breakfast, but that was better than nothing, but no food was available. I swear that when I booked with that hotel they'd advertised a free continental breakfast.

To make a long story short, we exchanged some money at the front desk so we could all take a cab to the airport. Then, after a little haggling, we finally got our check for $200 U.S. Then another cab ride to the rental place where we were supposed to pick up our rental conversion van to start our trip through Australia. My husband, who was going to do all the driving, noticed immediately that the van's four tires plus the spare were all bald. We weren't about to venture into the Outback in a vehicle with bald tires. So after more haggling the rental people agreed to put new tires on the van. Only we had to wait in their lobby for several hours while that was done.

It was mid afternoon before we were ready to start out. I was very apprehensive by that time. I'd planned our trip day by day, having figured out how many miles we could travel each day and had booked all the hotels in advance. We had our doubts about making it to that night's destination. Because of the long delay waiting for the tires we didn't get to visit the sights I'd planned for us to see in Melbourne. We had to head out immediately and didn't even have time to search for a market where we could stock up with some food and other supplies.

I think at this point Ben, Barb and Dick were not that happy with me. With the trip starting out this way, what would happen next? I had my fingers crossed and I was praying that the rest of the trip would go smoothly.

Please continue to check back to read the rest of "The Story Behind the Story" of "Outback Love."

What to Write?

What to write? This is a big question for all writers. Of course, we write what we personally enjoy. That's a given. But often that isn't what others want to read.

I've been studying the book market. Paranormals are big, I mean really big. Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts and others I still know nothing about are more popular than a sweet romantic comedy or a historical romance.

How many times have I heard the words, "Write what you know." Duh! Then my writing, and the writing of so many other authors, would be sooooo boring. Personal experience is limited, so the corresponding fiction would also be limited.

Write what you love? I love dogs, horses, travel, family, friends, laughter. That sounds like romantic comedy to me. Do I write that? I guess I do. My contemporary romance novel, "Outback Love," and my short story prequel, "Jetting Away," can be considered romantic comedy. So do I keep writing in that genre?

I love romantic/mystery/suspense. In fact, I read a lot of books in that genre. So is that what I should be writing? I guess that's why I'm working on "Murder on Sunday Beach" at this time. I find it difficult to write about blood and gore, so mine is more of a cozy mystery. Will others want to read it? I certainly hope so. Abby Love has so much promise. She's trying to get by in the world. Trying too to hold her sometimes loving, sometimes crazy, often dysfunctional family together. Can she keep her sister, Chelsea, out of jail? Chelsea has been a challenge since day one, when she entered this world, and Abby feels totally responsible for her actions. It doesn't help that Deputy Chase Bodine keeps getting in the way. Of course, Abby doesn't mind looking at Chase, he's a sight to behold. No, Abby doesn't mind looking at Chase, but she sure as heck doesn't want to be confronted and dogged by him. Chase has an attitude and an agenda, both of which conflict with Abby's struggles to hold her small world together. Well, it goes without saying that I will finish writing "Murder on Sunday Beach," the first in my Abby Love Mystery Series.

Now comes another question. Will I write something that would be daring and edgy for me to write? Something so not me? Yep, I'm doing just that. Chantel in "Moon Over Madness" has come charging onto the scene. Chantel is struggling to deny her genetic inheritance. After all, she's only half a witch, from her mother's side, and half what else? Normal? Not exactly! But her college professor father certainly doesn't fit into the witches and warlocks category. So who or what is he? Chantel never wanted to know about that side of her genetics until now, when it matters. The answers are threatening the welfare of those she holds closest to her heart. Then there's the problem of her neighborhood going downhill, big time. What with the new crowd who's moved in, witches next door and vampires down the street. Yep, the neighborhood is going downhill.

As for the question, what to write? I guess I'll write everything I can think of. And the characters who pester me the most will get their book(s) out there first.

"Jetting Away"

I'm just finishing up writing a short story prequel to "Outback Love." This is the story of what happened in San Francisco that made Priscilla Alexander want to escape to the Australian Outback.

Things were not going well for Priscilla at work. The morning's big meeting was disastrous. At first, Priscilla locked herself up in her high-rise office. Then a co-worker, Darcy, convinced her that she needed to get out of the office for a few hours. Maybe head to the salon to have her hair and nails done?

Priscilla escapes from the office and heads to the salon, stopping en route to buy a couple of yummy donuts from San Fran Donuts. Then she stops at a magazine kiosk and buys a copy of "Travel Adventures Magazine." That's how the escape idea comes about.

A couple weeks later, Priscilla is jetting away to Australia and an unforgettable adventure into the Outback. She's already dreamed about meeting a to-die-for hunk in the Outback. But she isn't looking for any guy, hunk or non-hunk. She doesn't need a Mr. Right. She doesn't need anyone. Priscilla wants to make this escape all on her own. Or does she?

"Jetting Away" should be available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com in the next few days. It will be offered as a "freebie" eBook download. So don't hesitate to get your free copy of "Jetting Away." You'll want to escape to Australia right along with Priscilla.

Great News for "Outback Love"

I'm excited to announce that "Outback Love" is now available as an ebook on Smashwords.com, in addition to Amazon.com. More venues means more readers. Now I'm waiting to hear if "Outback Love" will be accepted for premier publishing, which will make it available on Barnes & Noble online and Sony online. I should know about that in the next week or so.

This is all happening so fast. One minute I was unpublished and the next published. Really cool. This makes August an important month for me. And I just thought August was a hot summer month. Go figure.

"Outback Love"

I'm really excited about the ePub of my debut novel, Outback Love, a contemporary romance set in the Australian Outback, which is now available as an ebook on Amazon.com. It's currently listed for .99 cents, which is a bargain in this economy. Please buy my book today and help out a "starving writer." That said ... I had a fun time writing Outback Love and hope that you will have just as much fun reading my story.

Priscilla Alexander, a city girl from San Francisco, is taking an extended vacation, alone, through the Australian Outback. She is not looking for Mr. Right, not in Australia and not in the Outback. But Ian MacAlister, an Aussie hunk wearing a bush hat adorned with crocodile teeth, comes to her aid. Will Priscilla decide that Ian is her Mr. Right after all? Will Ian decide he wants to fill that forever role in Priscilla's life? Please read this story of Priscilla and Ian's romp through Australia and the Outback as they struggle with their momentous decision to stay together or walk/run away.

The inspiration for Outback Love was a 3 week, 5,000 mile journey through the Australian Outback which I took with my husband, Ben, a few years back. It was a grand adventure and many of the locales we visited are written into the book. We traveled the Outback in a conversion van and actually stayed at all the hotels and motels I wrote about. We came back home with bunches of photos, a very long home-movie and lots of memories and dreams. Would we venture back to Australia and the Outback? Yes, in a minute, only we'd take more time to visit all those places we missed in the first trip.

As far as writing goes, I've been writing since my grammar school days. I had a vivid imagination even then and wrote about cowboys and Indians, traveling the Oregon Trail, dogs, horses and adventures.

I'm so excited that, with today's technology, books can now be published as ebooks. So Outback Love is my debut novel on Amazon.com. It's now available as a download to your Kindle, PC, iPhone, Blackberry, Nook or any other eReader.  If you don't own a Kindle, then just download the free Kindle Reader App from Amazon.com. It's a wonderful way to enjoy reading.

Outback Love should be available on Smashwords.com within the next few days or so. I'll be sure to announce it here on my Blog when that happens.

I'm currently working on my next novel, Murder on Sunday Beach, which is a mystery/romance set on the Florida Panhandle amidst the white sugar-sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This is the first book in the Abby Love Mystery Series, which should be available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com in the next few weeks.

My husband, Ben Heyer, and I also wrote a Futuristic/Thriller, Firefall, which will be offered on the same venues as Outback Love. The trilogy, which should be available in the fall, is Firefall: The Rising (Book 1), Firefall: The Journey (Book 2) and Firefall: The Dawn (Book 3). I'm working on the final edits now.

In future posts I'll be adding some of the photos I took in Australia, in addition to photos of our beautiful Gulf Coast beaches.

Please check back to hear the latest news on my writing, future ePubs, and adventures.

You can read more on my Facebook page and my Amazon Author's Page.