Tales of the Dragonfly

Award Winning Romance Suspense, Wounded Warrior Romance and New Adult Romance


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JAMES MOUSHON: Generosity Runs Supreme on the Blogosphere | S.R. Mallery’s AND HISTORY FOR ALL

JAMES MOUSHON: Generosity Runs Supreme on the Blogosphere
09
Friday
Feb 2018
Posted by srmallery in Uncategorized ≈ 1 Comment

 


For an author, much good can come from participating in a boxed set. Exposure, of course, is the number one benefit. In addition, another title is automatically added to your stable. But by far what I found to be the most rewarding gift I received when I joined the set of, “Love In Times Of War,” was meeting new authors who have now become friends. It also brought James Moushon. A fine novelist in his own right as well as a consummate reviewer/blogger/promoter, as soon as I ‘met’ him he proved to be incredibly supportive of me and so many others. After giving reviews for each author in this particular boxed set, he then invited every one of us onto his blog, where he proceeded to interview and create very nice looking, well composed promotional posts.

That wasn’t all. To my delight, he continued on with this path of generosity. Without my even asking him, he presented a couple of other books of mine, always with the thoughtful comment in his email informing me of his newest post about me: “Please let me know if you need anything else from me.”

In short, how could I not include him on my KINDNESS KORNER? So thank you so much, James, for your largesse and extreme kindness to those of us in the Indie Author world.

BIO:

James Moushon is a Mystery writer, Author Advocate, and a Book Publishing Blogger. His blogs recently passed ONE MILLION views.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars.

In 2003, Moushon changed his focus to ebooks and their development.

He is the author of the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels. He has published three books: Black Mountain Secrets, Game of Fire and The Cajun Ghost plus several short stories including Operation No Sanctuary (June 2017), Operation Camp Navajo (July 2017), and Operation Asian Tiger (August 2017). All featuring CIA Agent Jonathon Stone.

A Jonathon Stone Mystery Short Story Winter 2017 has been released:

Operation Sundown (November 2017), Operation Little Havana (December 2017), and Operation Listen Close (January 2018). All featuring CIA Agent Jonathon Stone.

You can find his blogs at:

HBS Author’s Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix

The blog’s purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 600 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8

The HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

eBook Author’s Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ

The Corner is a collection of Author advice and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today’s everchanging world of book publishing.

He has spent the majority of his adult life developing computer systems and thinking about writing mysteries.

His website is: http://www.jamesmoushon.com

To contact him, e-mail: james.moushon@gmail.com

Website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer

Author’s Blog: eBook Author’s Corner

HBS Author’s Spotlight

Twitter: @jimhbs

E-Mail: james.moushon@gmail.com

Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads

Google+: Check Out Google+

Facebook: Check out Facebook

For an author, much good can come from participating in a boxed set. Exposure, of course, is the number one benefit. In addition, another title is automatically added to your stable. But by far wha…

Source: JAMES MOUSHON: Generosity Runs Supreme on the Blogosphere | S.R. Mallery’s AND HISTORY FOR ALL


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Social Media & Me #mgtab

Social Media & Me #mgtab

As a relatively new author, one question I get asked a lot is how much importance do I place on social media.

With over 150k followers on twitter between 2 accounts, along with at least another few thousand between Facebook and LinkedIn, I’d have to say that social media is necessary these days to get yourself out there, but shouldn’t be as important once you’re moving along and actually selling books.

My first sales platform was twitter, and at one time it was my favorite place to post. I’ve met a lot of great people there. And because I was promoting other authors as well as myself, I began getting sales every week from being so visible.

But I’m not as enthusiastic about Twitter as I used to be. Mostly because my account was suspended when I had around 80k followers in the summer of 2016. It can be very disappointing to build up followers and set up tweets, spending hours and hours online, and then suddenly have it all taken away from you by some unknown decision maker and still not totally understand why. You begin to think about all the other things you missed out on, even if you know what you were doing was in an attempt to be helpful to others.

With the help of another author, who prefers to remain anonymous, I did get my account back. But life is just too short to spend the amount of time I was spending there. And really? It’s all about writing, which I decided I needed to be doing more of (although that’s easier said than done sometimes!)

How important do I think it is to connect with other romance authors and help each other?

HUGELY IMPORTANT.

If I hadn’t made friends with other romance authors in the community, I would never have been asked to write a novella for my first anthology. And with the success of these anthologies, came the success of my stories independently.

Many of the friendships I’ve made have been lasting and invaluable. Not only have I received help and great advice from my fellow authors, I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned with others who’ve needed help.

It’s pretty amazing to look at how my life has changed as both a person and as an author since I began using social media to start connecting with other authors of not just romance, but other genres.

Hot shot 3 preorderComing September 6

 

HOTSHOT CHARMERS: Men Women Love (Hotshots Book 2)

The kind of man who charms you has more than a suggestive smile, more confidence than a king and the kind of muscled body Michelangelo would dream about sculpting. He knows what you want, what kind of flowers you like, your favorite perfume. He knows how to make you smile and how to make you melt from the inside out.

He’s the hero in every one of these stories. They will make you sigh while they make you hot. And make you dream…

Here are 7 stories about these special men written by NY Times and USA Today, best-selling, award-winning authors where one lucky woman will capture a hotshot charmer’s heart.

Sweet Heat6Coming September 19

Sweet Heat: Where Romance & Suspense Meet

6 NYT and USA Today Bestselling authors come together to bring you romances guaranteed to make your blood run hot! Only 99c Passion, suspense, mystery. Something to suit every reader’s taste. Grab a blanket and curl up with us for an unforgettable escape. Get yours today before it goes away. LIMITED TIME ONLY.

Becoming part of an anthology is what really worked for me as an author.

Selling a bundle of stories at an inexpensive price can get your name out there if the anthology does well, and can even turn you into a bestselling author, like it did for me.

Plus it’s really exciting to have fans!

Two Hearts Christmas 6

Coming on September 26

TWO HEARTS’ CHRISTMAS WISH 

Seventeen-year-old Jason Matthews made a wish when he’d shared a kiss with Katherine Conlin under the mistletoe at Dragonfly Pointe fourteen years ago. Now an Air Force Captain and wounded warrior, he awakens in the hospital in Germany where his dreams have been invaded by the girl from his past.

Once he returns home to the states, he finds out approaching Kat might be a little more difficult than he’d thought since she’s been in a long term relationship for nearly two years.

But another year later when Jason discovers she’s on her way to the Dragonfly Pointe Inn for the Christmas holidays without her boyfriend, he seizes the opportunity to become reacquainted.

Kat had been expecting a proposal this Christmas, and when her boyfriend backs out yet again on the carefully laid plans she’s made for them, she realizes she probably wouldn’t have been happy with him anyway.

Kat has often wondered what happened to Jason Matthews, the boy she’d made a wish with years ago, and the last thing she expects is to run into him again at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.

Will there still be that special Christmas magic between them to make those long ago wishes come true?

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AUTHORS IN DEPTH: FRANCIS H. POWELL

AUTHORS IN DEPTH

WITH FRANCIS H. POWELL

ARTIST-ACTOR-TEACHER

Author of Intriguing Dystopian SciFi

FRANCIS H POWELL PIC For Tamara 2

FRANCIS H POWELL COVER FODFrontCoverMed.jpg.opt221x331o0,0s221x331

VISIT FRANCIS AT UTUBE

What is the name of your most recently published book? What makes it different?

My most recent published book is called “Flight of Destiny” it is a book of 22 short stories.  The stories are very dark, but at the same time there is an element of satire.  I would say they are very British in character,  there is social satire about the upper classes, the hunting, shooting, fishing types.  I think in this day and age, it is quite an unusual book, many authors seem to be copying formulas, there are authors trying to be the new E L James (author of Grey and the Fifty Shades Trilogy) or trying to emulate other successful authors. There are niche markets, for example Young Adult books, that authors have tried to tap into. My early motives were to write the best stories I could, to bring all my angst and dark fears to the fore. I was writing for myself…but was happy that people who read my stories related to them. My style of short stories was influenced by Roald Dahl, (I loved Kiss Kiss, which I read as a child). I like to include a dramatic twist at the end of the story. I think my stories are very visual, I like to describe people or places in detail. I like each sentence to be really strong…the stories have to start with real impact, for example “Black Widow”

Mercedes Schwartz had just had the most incredible orgasm, but her pleasure was still incomplete. While the man on top of her was still npumping away, she stretched an arm over to her bedside table and grasped the small sharp-pointed hat-pin she kept there. Rather than let him reach fulfillment, she plunged the pin into his back and killed him.

I really like the format of short story writing and have found it really works well for me. I like to create despicable characters,  as well as freaks, outsiders, and oddballs.  I think the characters I come up with, makes my work different as well as  my range of language.

Please give an example of a character in your book.

There is a real oaf called Maggot (which is also the name of the story).  He is in a desperate situation and is forced to sell his daughter to a tyrant to pay off his circus debts.  He is greedy and obviously callous. 

Maggot grasped the money in his gnarled fingers, trying his best to give the impression he really wasn’t interested, though, in fact, he undeniably was. His beady eyes drifted from the coins in his hand to the remaining ones flashing and glinting inside the treasury box.

He is volatile and potentially violent man, who surrounds himself with thugs. There is nothing particularly likeable about this man.

Have you been compared to any famous authors? If so who?

Somebody compared my stories to those of Edgar Allan Poe. Recently a reviewer wrote, “They’re a little Ray Bradbury, a little Stephen King, but with Powell’s own unique twists. Very interesting read.”

What would be the Dream Cast for your book and directors if it was to be turned into a movie?

A cast of oddballs outsiders…Jack Nicholson, he’s just a huge actor…Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci,  Christopher Walken…Film directed by Tim Burton or for a  darker version…David Lynch.  I would provide the music. It would be a cult film, not mainstream.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I  went to Art School after leaving school.  I still paint as well as making sculptures.  I have had some one man shows as well as taking part in group shows, in Paris.  I work as a teacher and work in different universities and some Architecture schools around Paris.  I write music (electronic) with my computer and I also make videos, which I post on youtube.  Recently a friend who has  adopted a character called Lord Lupine, agreed to do a reading of one of my short stories “Bugeyes” with his Lord Lupine persona…Lord Lupine seems to like sherry and seems a debauched Lord.  The video is very Monty Pythonesque.  The link is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJrntiV0spI

I have been described as a renaissance man, I try my hand at many creative activities. I have also written poetry and had it published.

Tell us some things that might surprise us…

  • I was in a Pigbag video, dressed as a gorilla, stealing a trumpet, then playing it…
  • I was an extra in a film with Kate Winslet, pre Titanic. It was called “Jude” it is a very depressing film, I appear for about two seconds…I was at the shoot for two days.
  • I have been on Austrian TV, dressed as a Scotsman, in a kilt…I was supposed to be a Highland games player…at the time I was tall and lanky and was the wrong person for the job.

When and why did you begin writing? How does your present day work compare to what you wrote them?

I moved to a remote village in Austria. It was not far from Vienna, but a very oppressive and strange environment. I thought I should try writing a book. I launched into it…nothing came of it. I do many creative activities, painting as well as writing music. Writing lay dormant, put to one side. Then later, living in Paris at this point in time, via an advert, I made contact with a man called Alan Clark, who had a literary magazine called “Rat Mort” (dead rat).  I submitted four short stories for this magazine, encouraged by Alan, I began to write more and more short stories, and developed a style…I guess if I compare these stories to earlier efforts at writing…there has been a huge development…I am sure my early attempts were imaginative but raw.

Do you consider yourself part of a movement? Are there other writers like you pursuing similar themes, styles, approaches?

It would be nice to be considered part of a movement, especially if it was considered a cutting edge movement. I am not conscious of this. I love the work of Rupert Thomson, who wrote “Dreams of leaving” as well as other books. I met him when I was a new student at Art College and he and his writing has made a long lasting impression on me.

Are you sometimes shocked by some of your own writing/ideas?

There are some pretty crazy things that go on in my stories.  They are surreal and dark and excruciating at times.  I wouldn’t say “shocked” but maybe retrospectively sometime in the future I might think did I really write that?

What advice would you give to writers who are struggling to get their first book published?

Stick at it, don’t fall by the wayside. Find a niche, find a formula that works for you. I met a woman who is an aspiring writer, who told me of the heartbreaks of her rejections. Maybe some people aim too high or have high expectations. If you post stories on the internet, there are sites I have come across like ReadWave and Scriggler, maybe you can get useful feedback, people actually get to read your stories, rather than languishing on a hard drive doing nothing.  Even if 50 people read your story, it’s a start.

Would You Like To Connect With Francis??

PURCHASE FLIGHT OF DESTINY

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VISIT FRANCIS’ WEBSITE & PURCHASE THERE

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Thanks so much for visiting with me Francis.   You’ve certainly led a unique and interesting life.  Best of luck and success with your book as well as all of your future endeavors!