Need an Ebook with some Writerly Inspiration?

Hey there Sockmonkeys!

I hope everyone is staying healthy and hasn't had their routine completely upended by the need for physical distancing.  High hopes, I know, but hope is a good thing to have, even when things are so strange at this point.

In any case, one of our original Sockmonkey MLs/group leaders, Darlene Reilley, shared with me an e-book she created and released to try to aid writers during this unusual time.  She is offering it as a free download from her blog Darwrites (link to follow shortly).  I am writing about it here and linking you to her post with her permission, so please, feel free to go check it out and leave her some thanks, comments, encouragement, etc.

How do you download it?  Visit The Writer's Pocket Book of Inspiration page and follow the instructions listed.

Technically, this is something that would be part of Self-Promotion Saturdays, but, since she just released it, is offering it for free and it's both timely with current events and the start of Camp NaNoWrimo, I'm making an exception and posting it right away.  I hope you find it encouraging and useful if you decide to visit and download it.

On a side note, since I just mentioned Camp NaNo, our first regional Camp cabin is full (though a few people still haven't accepted their invitations) but we have plenty of room in our 2nd regional cabin. If you're interested in doing some virtual writing with us this April, please visit the sign up thread and let me know.

The Pirates of the Asteroids

This is the fourth and final (for now) post featuring Therese (Terry) Martin's books for Self-promotion Saturday (until she releases her next book!).  Thank you, Terry, for letting us feature your work to start things off!

The Pirates of the Asteroids is a middle to high school grade pirate action adventure novel set in space.  It is book 2 in the Chronicles of Alpha series.

"The Lloyd family is back in the midst of an interplanetary crisis. Pirates have been plaguing the space ways in the Sol system for decades, selling captives into slavery, and now they've begun to attack Alpha shipping. After a passenger liner is raided and the passengers kidnapped, Lieutenant Jonathan Lloyd is given a top secret assignment, to search for information in the Asteroid Belt about the pirate gangs. As cover, his brother David and his friends are along for what is supposed to look like a vacation trip. But things get more interesting when he discovers two annoying stowaways and a frightened fugitive slave. Will this "vacation trip" prove to be too dangerous for the Lloyds?"

Therese (Terry) Martin moved to Pierce County, Washington from Colorado in 2016.  She is a retired middle school teacher, but continues to teach karate to all ages.  She is currently working on the third Alpha Colony novel and has started a mystery series set in the 1950's with characters from In the Presence of My Enemies and The Uncivil Engineer.

You can buy the Kindle version or the Paperback version , as well as read a sample of the novel on Amazon.

The Rustlers of Alpha Colony

This third installment of our Self-promotion Saturday posts takes us out of WW2 historical fiction and into book one of the Chronicles of Alpha series, Book 1, The Rustlers of Alpha Colony by Terry Martin.

"There’s a crisis on Alpha Colony, the first of Earth’s colonies outside the solar system. The planet Alpha, located in the Centauri System, is a perfect agricultural world. That’s why Earth wants to keep it and exploit its resources for its own benefit. The contract that established the colony is due to expire, and one of the conditions for granting Alpha Colony its independence is not as simple as it seems. The planet’s farms and ranches must meet a strict quota of grain and livestock to be shipped to Earth over the term of the contract. If that quota isn’t met, Alpha Colony will remain under Earth’s heavy-handed rule for many more years—or perhaps forever.

  There’s just one problem. Large amounts of cattle have gone missing. Could there be rustlers on Alpha Colony? It seems unthinkable, but a trio of middle school students has stumbled across evidence that has them convinced someone is stealing cattle. Without the missing cattle, the colony can’t make its quota. But will anyone believe these three boys? Will they be able to find evidence to convince the planetary leaders before it’s too late?

This first book in the Chronicles of Alpha introduces David Lloyd, his family, and his best friends, Coby Steinberg and Joshua Bateman. Are these three intrepid young detectives involved in a challenge far beyond their abilities? Or will they be able to meet the challenge and save their home world? "

The Rustlers of Alpha Colony is a middle to high school grade historical fiction about events during the founding of the United States told with a science fiction twist.

Therese (Terry) Martin moved to Pierce County, Washington from Colorado in 2016.  She is a retired middle school teacher, but continues to teach karate to all ages.  She is currently working on the third Alpha Colony novel and has started a mystery series set in the 1950's with characters from In the Presence of My Enemies and The Uncivil Engineer.

You can buy the Kindle version or the Paperback version, as well as read a sample of the novel on Amazon.

Author Swizzle, what is an Author Swizzle?

It is a new event being held by A Good Book Bookstore in Sumner on Thursday, August 8, 2019 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

To quote the details on their Events page:

"Author Swizzle will be a quarterly evening for local authors to share and sell books.  There will be mingling.  There will be snacks.  There will be a Swizzle drink.  There will be laughter and congratulations.

Readers come swizzle with authors.  Writers, let us know you are coming.  Invite your friends and family, bring yourself, some books to sell, and a snack to share."

I remember a post in the group on the book of faces (I'm not going to type its actual name) a few months ago where a few of our authors were thinking of splitting the cost for setting up a table to sell their books in the Huckster's Room at Norwescon, so this event caught my eye.  I believe we have a number of both traditionally published and self-published authors in the group who are probably looking for ways to get the word out about their books - and hopefully sell a few in the process.  Am I right?

If you fit in either of those categories and have a work or two (or more) that you have copies of you would like to sell, this may be the event for you.  If you are in the area and have time in your schedule, I suggest you contact the bookstore as requested and let them know you are coming (information at the end of this post).  Since this is something they plan to hold quarterly, if you cannot set up at a table this time, perhaps a future Swizzle will make its way onto your calendar.

Don't have anything ready to sell?  That's okay.  Stop in as a reader.  Support a local author or two.  Get your purchases signed on the spot.  Have fun talking with writers and readers!  Bring a reader friend or two.

This promises to be a fun night and if any Sockmonkey Writers plan on setting up a table or attending as readers, please, comment and let us know!

A Good Book Bookstore is located at 1014 Main St., Sumner, WA 98390.  Their phone number is (253) 891-9692 and their website can be found here.

Post Images - A Good Book Sumner