What's Going On

I haven't spent too much time on this blog. That's because I've been enormously busy getting ready my thriller, Forever Young-Blessing or Curse. Right now it's with my editor, Helen Ginger, but I'm not sitting around in the meantime.

Since I received the rights back to my debut mystery, Two Wrongs, and my romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams, with the aid of Stephen Walker of S.R. Walker Designs, I have some great, new covers. I'm almost through getting Girl of My Dreams ready for its second chance in the sun, with only a few tweaks to go, before tackling the electronic formatting for Kindle and Smashwords. I chose Girl of My Dreams to work on first, because it's shorter, and I wanted the good feeling of a job accomplished.

It's all a giant puzzle, which I hope will come together very soon!

Really Roughing It

I'm sitting on the deck of my cottage in the Northwoods. Inside, along with electricity and running water, I have basic cable TV with remote control, VCR and DVD players, a laptop computer, an iPhone from which I can get email and connect to the Internet, or in the alternative, connect the iPhone to the computer and read it all there. On the end table by the bed sit my hands-free landline phone and clock radio. The kitchen contains a small stove and refrigerator, and running water. The bathroom boasts a toilet and shower.

Coming Soon
Forever Young-
Blessing or Curse

My husband fishes from the pier or takes his motorboat out when weather is permitting. So far on this trip, weather is very much cooperating.

From the campground further down the road, I can see a Fed Ex truck coming out.

Did I mention all the great restaurants nearby, and the casino a little too close for my pocketbook?

It's a wonder in the midst of all this hardship I can actually find the strength to sit down and get any editing done on my thriller, Forever Young-Blessing or Curse. Despite the enormous odds, somehow I'll have to manage.

Tell Us How It Got There

On one of my many walks, I happened to notice a hole in the window of a new house that was for sale. I had a few ideas of how it could have gotten there, but I thought I'd ask you to tell me and everyone how you think a hole in a window could have happened.

Please give a short scenario of how the hole got there - a sentence or two, or if you wish, 1-2 paragraphs.
Later, I'll tell you my theories.

If you like romantic suspense,
Killer Career is 99 cents on
Kindle and Smashwords,
$13.95 in print

Thriller - Forever Young-Blessing
or Curse - almost ready!

Mystery - Two Wrongs coming out
again soon!

This Week's Lineup

I'm still working on Forever Young-Blessing or Curse, so I'm not blogging as much. I still managed to get a few posts in, if you'd like to check any of them out.

My 2nd monthly post at The Blood-Red Pencil -
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2011/09/leave-tip-today-on-blood-red-pencil.html

My blog at Acme Authors Link inspired by a Sold sign -
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/2011/09/sold.html

My guest, RJ McDonnell, rock & roll series mystery author. That's not all he does -
http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/2011/09/rj-mcdonnell-senior-tweener-fulfills.html

Morgan Mandel

Killer Career is 99 cents on
Kindle & Smashwords.
Also in print at Amazon.

Forever Young-Blessing
or Curse Coming Soon

Two Wrongs to be re-
released soon.

Authors, Be Aware!

Money's tight, so we all need to be alert. I noticed an email ad from Kohl's about free shipping, with no purchase limit, along with 15% off. I then remembered I'd also received a mailer ad containing a 20% off code. I knew what I wanted to buy, so I went online and completed the transaction. What would have been a $51.00 charge became $35.36.

Many readers are out of jobs, or making less money than before. They're looking for deals also. Authors need to be aware of this trend. If you're publishing a book on Amazon Kindle or Smashwords, don't overcharge. Unless you're super-popular, you won't make many sales.

Or, maybe you're entering into a contract with a publisher. If so, think about that publisher's record with ebooks. Are they usually overpriced? What percentage of the sales will you get? Would it be worth it to keep the electronic rights if the publisher will allow it?

The majority of readers still want print, but the tide is still turning. While it does, and probably afterwards, overpriced ebooks don't sell as well. People still want to read, but they're looking for bargains. I know I am.

My current romantic suspense, Killer Career, is priced at 99 cents on Amazon Kindle and at Smashwords. I plan to put Forever Young-Blessing or Curse up at $2.99 at first. I have two backlist books I'm getting ready to also transfer over, and don't plan to go higher than $2.99 for any of them.

What are your thoughts about ebook pricing and book trends?

You can also find Morgan Mandel at
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel
http://twitter.com/morganmandel
and other online spots.