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Lover of Mysteries: Also the beach, dolphins, kitties, guys in shining armor, and really high heels. Here’s my blog. Love visitors to drop by my place!
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Marketing for Authors

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Quote of the Day: “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” William James

As authors, we’re always looking for new ways to promote our books and I just got lucky. Let me introduce you to Theodocia McLean with Book Marketing Global Network and Avid Readers Global Network.

She’s smart and quick to present your book/s to catch reader’s attention. Here’s the link to my new author page. Check it out and if you’d like some marketing help, contact her so, you too will have more time for writing.

And there’s more…

McLean’s comprehensive marketing for authors includes social media platforms, Facebook groups, blogs, bookstores, and more. I find these services valuable and a much-needed breakthrough for authors.  I’m tickled to be included and look forward to more authors joining me. Click here for testimonials!

Thanks for following my blog/newsletter. Hope you’re having a wonderful summertime! Carolyn

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Carolyn M. Bowen Author, Daily Inspiration, Dog Days of Summer, Goodreads Author, Murder Mysteries, Mystery Thriller, Online Bookstore, Online Shopping, Primed For Revenge Summer Promotion, Psychological thrillers, Quotes, Reading books, Smashwords Promo, Summer Reading Promotion, Suspense/Thriller, Sydney Jones Series, The Writing Life, Writing news

Dog Days of Summer Reading

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Quote of the Day: “Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly.” Van Morrison

What are Dog Days of Summer?

The Dog Days of summer means the worst heat of the season will set in. Living in the south you know it’s time to find shade, cool bodies of water, and air conditioning. And, of course, a great mystery read.

When Are the Dog Days of Summer?

Yes, the season is here! Dog Days begin July 3rd and end August 11, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The 40 days of extreme heat coincides with the dawn rising of Sirius, the Dog Star.

Stay cool and hydrated while enjoying the offerings during the summer months. There’s no better time to catch up on your reading. Load up your bookshelves for beach reads and the long summer nights.

For mystery lovers, you’ll want to check out the special promotion for Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones Series Book 1 at Smashwords. 
Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones SeriesShort Blurb:

In a conspiracy to advert prosecution in a wrongful death suit, lead attorney Sydney Jones was targeted for removal from the case of Birdman & Birdman’s prestigious client. She didn’t go quietly. There were immediate repercussions and only the fittest would survive.

Check out the reviews on my media page for books by Carolyn M. Bowen.

Are you on Instagram? Follow here and share your photos of reading my novels. I’d love to see your favorite reading spots.

Thank you for supporting my writing life. Wishing you a safe and happy July 4th! Carolyn Bowen

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5 Stars for Primed For Revenge

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Quote for Today: “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” John Steinbeck

Let’s celebrate! One of the milestones authors dream about achieving is knowing readers and book bloggers are reading and loving their books. Today is my happy day!

The writing life has its ups and downs sometimes feeling like you’re riding a merry-go-round. However, when readers respond with comments and reviews it makes the day brighter. Today is one of my soaring days. I just received a 5 Star review for Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones Series Book 1 by Chick Lit Café. Look below!

Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones Series5 Stars Chick Lit Cafe

Primed For Revenge: Sydney Jones Novel Series by Carolyn M. Bowen

Synopsis:

Practicing law in a large partnership, Sydney Jones was primed for making partner. Then her life turned upside down after a disagreement with her boss at Birdman & Birdman.

Leaving the office, she was swiftly kidnapped and taken to her assailants’ hideaway, beaten, and raped. With no memory of whom she was put her at a disadvantage with her captors. Through gritted teeth, she promised a day of repercussions for their actions while mentally visualizing her revenge.

Warned by her assailants to keep her mouth shut or else, she was delivered to her home. Not recognizing her former living quarters, she was careful in exploring her options for regaining her memory.

Piecing together the reasons for her kidnapping brought her into contact with people, some she could trust and others risky. The problem was the amnesia prevented her from recognizing the difference.

Tapped for a crime once nudged her toward caution for something afoul was going on at Birdman & Birdman. She prepared for a fight. With a vision of fury, she made a chilling decision – never to be a victim again.

Book Review:

Primed For Revenge, the first book in a new and exciting psychological thriller series by Carolyn M. Bowen brings readers a captivating mystery filled with crime, conspiracy, and deceit. The author pulls no punches with a dynamic observation into the emotions and actions taken when one’s life is confronted with unexpected, debilitating and life-changing events, of the horrific kind.

Sydney Jones has a bright career as an attorney at a large law firm, prepared to become a partner. However, a disagreement with her boss at Birdman and Birdman infuriates Sydney and she does not take it lying down, causing unforeseen negative consequences.

When she is kidnapped, tortured, brutally raped and returned to her home, Sydney is warned to keep her mouth shut. Sydney has no idea why she was targeted and she has now lost her memory too. Now, suffering from amnesia, she tries to get her life back. She begins to exercise and work out and goes to the gun range, learns to handle and shoot a gun. She becomes stronger, learns to protect herself and tries to overcome such a horrific attack on her body and life. She wants revenge and gets prepared for a fight. As she starts to regain some of her memory and put the pieces together, disturbing events are brewing behind the scenes while deceptive friendships and situations come her way.

Primed For Revenge by Carolyn Bowen is an exceptional crime and mystery story filled with intrigue, romance, action and unexpected surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, which ended with a tremendous twist. The exciting, deep, complex and fully believable plot is brought to life with Bowen’s expressive descriptive words, vivid scenery, settings, and of course, the shocking scenes. Sydney Jones is a fabulous character with strength and determination. She should not trust those who come to befriend and help her but takes her chances. Because after all, she did forget everyone she knew, and even the house she lived in. What a struggle for one woman to endure. Many readers will identify with her vulnerability, and be inspired and encouraged by the strong woman she becomes after being victimized in such a brutal manner.

Carolyn M. Bowen has captured the essence of various authentic, interesting and compelling characters. She has an original clever ability for writing about fascinating people, unique places and astonishing unusual occurrences. The dialog between the characters is brilliant and impressive, sometimes heated and many times, warm.

Overall, Primed For Revenge by Carolyn M. Bowen is an entertaining read, with a great fulfilling plot and storyline that flows nicely, is easy to follow and become engrossed in. The characters all play an important and vital part to this creative and original novel which is the beginning of a remarkable new psychological thrillers series, entitled Sydney Jones Novel Series by Carolyn M. Bowen. Don’t miss out on this captivating, compelling and thrilling 5 star read! Highly recommended by Chick Lit Cafe.

 Purchase Primed For Revenge by Carolyn M. Bowen today!

Alt="chick lit cafe book reviews & marketing"

 

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Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones Series Book 1 is now also available online and at your favorite bookstores in eBook and paperback format now! 

B&N
Books-A-Million
Google Play
KOBO
Smashwords
Foyles – UK

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Summer Reading Kickoff

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Quote of the Day: “What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person …” Carl Sagan

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Latest News: Summer Promotion

Love reading mystery-thrillers with a strong female lead character – then today is your day. Primed For Revenge, the first in the Sydney Jones Series is your right choice for entertainment. Join the thrill of reading with this special price promotion to kick off your summer fun.

A Short Blurb

Practicing law in a large partnership, Sydney Jones was primed for making partner. Then her life turned upside down after a disagreement with her boss at Birdman & Birdman.

Leaving the office, she was swiftly kidnapped and taken to her assailants’ hideaway, beaten, and raped. With no memory of whom she has put her at a disadvantage with her captors. Through gritted teeth, she promised a day of repercussions for their actions while mentally visualizing her revenge.

Warned by her assailants to keep her mouth shut or else, she was delivered to her home. Not recognizing her former living quarters, she was careful in exploring her options for regaining her memory.

Piecing together the reasons for her kidnapping brought her into contact with people, some she could trust and others risky. The problem was the amnesia prevented her from recognizing the difference.

Tapped for a crime once nudged her toward caution for something afoul was going on at Birdman & Birdman. She prepared for a fight. With a vision of fury, she made a chilling decision – never to be a victim again.

Where to order yours…

Primed For Revenge, Sydney Jones Series Book 1 is now available online and at your favorite bookstores in ebook and paperback format now! 

Amazon

B&N

Books-A-Million

Google Play

KOBO

Smashwords

Foyles – UK

Thank you for following my writing news and sharing on social media. I appreciate your support and look forward to your comments and reviews. Enjoy your upcoming summer reading! Carolyn Bowen

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Hemingway’s Advice to Writers: Part 2

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Quote of the Day: “For a true writer, each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed.” Ernest Hemingway

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Part 2: Hemingway’s Advice to Writers

As promised, today’s topic is part two of Hemingway’s advice to authors provided to Samuelson, a journalist and aspiring author at the time. His book is titled, Arnold Samuelson, With Hemingway, A Year in Key West and Cuba.

Note: The book was published after the author’s death in 1981. You may have seen the movie, if not watch it. The book is available in hard copy from Amazon and at most libraries.

We’re looking at the novels Ernest Hemingway considered the “good stuff” in literature. Although, not handwritten as the list below, in conversation with Samuelson, he said, “the best book an American ever wrote,” the one that “marks the beginning of American literature” – “Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Hemingway’s “Good Stuff”

In looking over the book list, I’m reminded of another quote by Hemingway about studying authors considered the best after their death for that was the true sign of greatness for their work had endured. In doing so, Hemingway’s novels should be added to the list of good stuff for today’s reading.

In his own words…

“Here’s a list of books any writer should have read as a part of his education… If you haven’t read these, you just aren’t educated. They represent different types of writing. Some may bore you; others might inspire you and others are so beautifully written they’ll make you feel it’s hopeless for you to try to write.”

Note: You’ll find most of these at your public library.

  1. The Blue Hotel by Stephen Crane
  2. The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
  3. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  4. Dubliners by James Joyce
  5. The Red and Black by Stendhal
  6. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset
  7. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  8. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  9. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
  10. Hail and Farewell by George Moore
  11. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  12. The Oxford Book of English Verse
  13. The Enormous Room by E.E. Cummings
  14. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
  15. Far Away and Long Ago by W.H. Hudson
  16. The American by Henry James

Following Hemingway’s method of studying the writing of great authors whose works have stood the test of time, what author and books would you add to the list?

Here are a few of my favorites. Comment below with your must-reads of classic novels.

  • The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway
  • The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • The Catcher and the Rye – J. D. Salinger
  • James Bond Spy Series – Ian Fleming
  • Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes
  • Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
  • Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
  • To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
  • The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 
  •  In Cold Blood – Truman Capote   

Note: If you missed Hemingway’s Advice to Writer’s Part One, read here.

Thanks for following my blog and sharing on social media. Your support is greatly appreciated!

For more information about my novels, click here. Thanks, Carolyn Bowen

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Charge of The Light Brigade and E-Books Pricing

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Quote of the Day: “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States of America

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The Writing Life

Writers are creative in placing words on the page one after another. The logical next step is publishing if you want your work to be read by the masses. This is when a writer become a publisher or an entrepreneur regardless of whether an indie writer or represented by a large publishing company. Today’s publishing world requires the author to have a huge stake in the promotion and sale of their books.

There are many aspects that play a role in the sale of a book. Here are a few of my thoughts about book production and promotions.

  • Great writing and production of work
  • Professional editing and formatting
  • Outstanding professional book cover
  • Marketing strategy – business plan
  • Book Pricing

Book World

A good portion of the books in today’s market are priced according to the competition. The scale hasn’t moved in years. However, the price for producing and marketing has skyrocketed. From advertising on major social platforms and search engines, websites, apps, books reviews, to the basics for creating your book and marketing. For example, keywords used for advertising are sometimes greater than the overall pricing of one book.

I’m reminded of the poem: The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alfred Tennyson. The poem tells the story of six-hundred men who followed their leader to certain death. A clip with dialog from the poem as seen in the movie, Blindside is below.

What I’ve Learned

We can continue to follow the leader into a certain death of writing careers or make changes.  Isn’t it about time pricing and selling books be measured by the costs to produce the product AND relative competition? How many businesses do you know would charge pennies for an item they’d spend several hundred/thousands of dollars to produce? The results would be a disaster and certain death for the business. There are lessons to be learned from The Charge of The Light Brigade. Treat your writing career as a business and use sound practices to measure your success.

Note: The e-book pricing suggested is created by a mathematical calculation, and research of comparable books in your genre. This is not an arbitrary number pulled out of the sky. Remember: Pricing is not set in stone; you can always change it as do most book marketers.

There’s fear involved in making any changes and I’m not immune. However, if you’re tired of feeding the beast, it’s time to make changes. Here are a few things I do to promote my books. Let me know what’s working for you.

  • Provide FREE copies for book reviewers/bloggers
  • Develop an advance readers group to be first reviewers
  • Offer FREE books through sweepstakes on major social platforms and through booksellers
  • Run ad campaign with reduced pricing/or FREE Days

To learn about my writing life, click here. I wish you tremendous success as you develop your creative business. Carolyn Bowen

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You’ve got to put the past behind you!

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Quote of the Day: “My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” Forrest Gump

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In the movie Forrest Gump, he shared his reasons for running across the United States as his way to put the past behind him. He said, “I guess that was what my running was all about.”

So many times, we try to move on after failure, defeat, bad circumstances, and other life events, without taking time to reflect, to process and learn from and release burdens that are dragging us down. Moving from one failure to the next is not a way to live your best life now. Make your happiness a priority and make peace with your past, explore new goals, and be the best you can be.

In my book, Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success, the tools and resources are available to help you find your unique personal path for living victoriously. Topics include leaving the past behind, death & dying, depression, fitness, careers, and inspiration.

The reference to cross-stepping in this book refers to the zig-zag motions you’ll master to become successful for whom you are and were meant to become. Cross-Stepping is a way of moving forward and backward until you achieve success. This is typical knowledge for surfers of the longboard who succeed with this method to hang ten or other magnificent watersport feats.

Get ready to throw overboard anything that stands in your way of achieving your dreams of living a purposeful and successful life.

Thank you for following my newsletter. I look forward to hearing about your successes. Carolyn Bowen

Novels by Carolyn M. Bowen

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Hemingway’s Advice to Writers: Part 1

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Quote of the Day: There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

Lifelong learning around my home means studying the art and craft of writing. This means I do a lot of reading and writing.

We all have our favorites and my reference to Ernest Hemingway probably doesn’t surprise you. I am fortunate to have read many of Hemingway’s novels and came across a book about him written by his friend, Arnold Samuelson, an aspiring writer at the time.

For the next few posts, I’ll share some of his advice to writers from the book by Arnold Samuelson, With Hemingway, A Year in Key West and Cuba.

Note: The book was published after the author’s death in 1981. You may have seen the movie, if not watch it. The book is available in hard copy from Amazon and at most libraries.

Ernest Hemingway’s advice on ambition, self-comparison, and originality:

“Never compete with living writers. You don’t know whether they’re good or not. Compete with the dead ones you know are good. Then when you can pass them up you know you’re going good. You should have read all the good stuff so that you know what has been done because if you have a story like one somebody else has written, yours isn’t any good unless you can write a better one. In any art, you’re allowed to steal anything if you can make it better, but the tendency should always be upward instead of down. And don’t ever imitate anybody. All style is, is the awkwardness of a writer in stating a fact. If you have a way of your own, you are fortunate, but if you try to write like somebody else, you’ll have the awkwardness of the other writer as well as your own.”

In the next post, we’ll look at what Ernest Hemingway thought was the “good stuff” writers should read.

Please take a moment and share your thoughts below. Thanks for following my newsletter. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Carolyn

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Fiction: When Truth Fails

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Quote of the Day: “That’s what fiction is for. It’s for getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient for the truth.” Tim O’Brien

One of the political topics in the air right now is about Pro-Life. I don’t usually get into political debates and I’m not this time. What I will say is that my latest mystery-thriller addresses this issue.

In my latest novel, Primed For Revenge, the main character Sydney Jones was brutally beaten and raped by her kidnapper. She became pregnant from the accoster and couldn’t imagine giving birth to the child that she’d always see as a result of the manhandling and rape. For the rest of the story read here.

There have been times in the past when fiction clearly stated the obvious truths about social, political, world events, and futurists’ expectations, and many have come true in our lifetime.

My suggestion about the current political restrictions concerning a woman’s body is doing the research: look at the mental health, financial, social welfare of THE woman affected. Then answer the question, should her life be legislated without her consent?

For more about my novels, click here!

Thanks for following my blog and reading my mystery novels. You are appreciated! Carolyn Bowen

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Reader’s Fun Giveaway

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Reader’s Favorite Fun Giveaway

Book Blogger, Summer Giveaway

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Quote of the Day:  “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Spring is about new beginnings and having fun with beach season right around the corner. The days grow longer when the summer solstice arrives June 21st.  I can’t think of a better way to kick start the season than with a fun giveaway for loyal and new readers. Let the fun begin!

Game Plan

Hit the subscribe (follow) button and share on Twitter tagging me with your favorite quote, scene, or why you like a certain character from any of my novels. Use hashtag: #ReadersGiveaway

Novels by Carolyn M. Bowen

Cross-Ties, The Long Road Home, and Primed For Revenge, The Sydney Jones Series Book 1.

For example Cross-Ties – quote “Bless Your Heart,” Leah figured out the southern meaning behind the phrase. It wasn’t as expected. #ReadersGiveaway

Winner Prizes

Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Carolyn Bowen’s book of your choice and a $25 gift certificate. The winner is selected by the most tweets with the hashtag #ReadersGiveaway – Deadline midnight June 21st.

Deadline: Midnight -June 21st

Thanks for following my blog/newsletter. I hope to see you on Twitter soon sharing this fun giveaway.

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