Author Archives: Tiffany Turner

About Tiffany Turner

I am a teacher by day, writer during the evening and weekends. I've written a children's fantasy series called the Crystal Keeper Chronicles. I've learned a lot as an Independent author. I want to share that now through blog posts, interviewing fellow authors, and reviewing other children's books. If you don't see it out there, build the blog yourself. I'm hoping to create a resource for people to find quality children's books that don't always fall along the lines of mainstream.

Jun22

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Updating to send out on RSS feed.

The Indie Children's Authors Connection

Sometimes you can find some really good ideas on Writing Boards. Some turn out to be fabulous ideas. Back in Dec. 2011, I noticed some posts on kindleboards.com in the Writer’s Cafe about a back door way of getting your books to go free on Amazon. I’ve heard from another author this is even difficult for traditional publishers to do. Amazon tends to not let books go free. Unless you know the back door.

The key ingredients to start the experiment turned out to be Smashwords and having your book on the Premium Catalog. Other authors tried this with having their book published on the Apple Store as well. I don’t have a directly published edition through Apple, but it is something to be noted. This way was possible as well.

I listed my first book, The Lost Secret of Fairies, as $0.00 on Smashwords. It takes a few…

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Jun21

The Amazon Price Matching Experiment

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Book 1 sold over 9,000 free copies in over a month.

I listed my first book, The Lost Secret of Fairies, as $0.00 on Smashwords. It takes a few weeks for it to set to that price on the other websites like Barnes and Nobles. But I noticed that it went free on the Nook within 2 weeks. Once it hits a big site like Barnes and Nobles, Amazon will often price match it with the Kindle edition. Then the fun really begins.

By the end of January, I’d sold 400 free books of The Lost Secrets of Fairies. Amazon matched it on Jan. 24, 2012. I watched the numbers climb to 1,739 to 2,037 by the next day. I noticed it averaged about 200 free downloads in one hour. As I tracked the numbers, it slowed down to 100 free downloads an hour over the next few days. By the end of January, I had 5,386 free downloads for my first book. The second book in my series, The Lost Secret of the Green Man, had 21 books sold.

February was a fun month. The sales continued with free downloads changing to 100 a day for The Lost Secret of Fairies. Sales of the second book followed. My first book returned to its normal price of $0.99 by March 15. The total free downloads for Feb. included 3,642. There were only 9 refunds in that time. Making the total free downloads for end of January, February, and beg. of March at: 9,894.

To see if all this would benefit my second book sales, I crunched some numbers. There were 21 sales of the Secrets of the Lost Green Man in January. February had 35 paid sales, and March had 24. The grand total of sales was 80. So, for about every 125 free downloads, I had a paid sale for my second book.

The Lost Secret of Fairies became the top in the Free Store for several listings. On Feb. 6, it listed as #1 children’s books/social situations. On Feb. 7 it was #1 children’s books/self esteem and respect. I witnessed it topping out at #110 in the Kindle Free Store around the same time.

After my first book returned back to $0.99, the free bump kept it selling at 2/3 higher than normal. My average sales is about 10 books a month. In March, it was at 64 sales, and for April dropped in sales down to 29.

About the end of March 2012, other authors noticed drops in sales ratings even with free book sales. After a while, people reported back trends on the Writer’s Cafe board that Amazon must have changed their algorithms in regards to free book sales. Free book sales were no longer being counted the same as paid book sales. The ratios seemed to work out to 10 free book sales equaling 1 paid book sale.

For the month of May, things returned to normal. The Lost Secret of Fairies had 12 Kindle Ebook sales while my second book, The Lost Secret of the Green Man, had 9.

What did I learn from this experiment? I’ll benefit from the over 10,000 sales of my first book, free and paid. I have an awesome reader base now. This will help when the third book is ready for release this fall(2012). Plus, for every 60 copies downloaded for my first book, a second book was bought. The Free Download bump raised my sales for two months. I even received 3 new reviews on Amazon, and 4 new reviews for the Nook. They were all positive. In addition, there were fewer refunds than I thought.

The most important thing I walked away with; I have thousands of new readers introduced to my series. That, in itself, is priceless.

Crystal Cluster **The Crystal Keeper Chronicles are available on Amazon.com as paperback or Kindle editions.
Also available on Smashwords.com. and the Nook by Barnes and Nobles.

Apr26

A World Beyond Video Games

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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The Dragon Box by Katie W. Stewart

If you love video games, The Dragon Box by Katie W. Stewart might be the next fantasy read for you. James is friends with the eccentric, but friendly old man next door, Mack. On one of the strange visits to see Mack, James is given a new video game. It has no screen or normal controls. But when he sits on his bed to give it a try, it takes him into a world beyond his dreams. Literally.

James is transported into a new world in which a dragon needs his help to save the kingdom from an evil witch. James is the unlikely hero, and has to figure a way to save the day. But he has to make some choices that help him realize, there is more to being a hero than being able to wield a sword. And the reset button might not work.

I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this story in the end. Stewart has a way of charmingly describing the action in a gentle, funny way. The relationship between Mack and James is a classic wizard and boy hero joy that has you smiling until the end. Between the video game twist and the world of fantasy brought to life, I was cheering for James to figure out the solution for each challenge he endured. This is a great read for any child that loves adventure, fantasy, and video games.

***** Five Star Rating
The Dragon Box is available as a Kindle edition at Amazon.com.

Apr13

Only The Shadow Knows-Teens Are People Too

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Rita Morse and the Sinister Shadow by Holly Hook

I recently read Rita Morse and the Sinister Shadow by Holly Hook. It was quite an interesting read with the main character being a female. This book gives young girls a chance to be whisked into a town controlled by shadow people. These shadow people feel that teens should be seen and not heard. So it is up to Rita and her two best friends to put an end to this madness.

This war on teens by A. Gist, the leader of the shadow people, was trying to get all teens put in their place. Yet, Rita Morse, a strong willed heroin, would not let that happen. She battled with her friends to defeat the evil A. Gist.

Rita Morse and the Sinister Shadow has a great ending with optimistic opportunity for a sequel. I would give this book 3 stars. It starts out with a bang and then has a few slow spots in the middle, but picks up at the end. My teenage daughter enjoyed reading this book along with me.

*** Star Rating
Available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

Written by guest blogger,
Debbie Cogliandro

Apr11

Dolls Make the Best Travel Companions

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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A recent epicture book has caught my attention. Emilio by Silvina de Vita is a charming story about an ignored doll. Thoughts of the “Velvetine Rabbit” came to mind as this little rag doll is ignored by his owner. You want him to be loved. He tries everything, with adorable pictures to illustrate his plight. Finally, he is packed in a dark suitcase and travels to places that even the Travel Gnome would be jealous of.

This ebook seems like a great fit for young children 2-6 years old. It is also available in Spanish. It’s a great way to get children excited about travel, esp. if a toy is their favorite travel companion. Plus, it can be used to teach that travel can be fun, and that a special travel toy companion can bring security to a worried child.

**** 4 star rating. Available in English and Spanish editions at Amazon.com.

Blog Link: http://piopiobooks.wordpress.com/

Apr1

Independent Book Blogger Award Nominee 2011

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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The Indie Children’s Authors Connection has been nominated for the Independent Book Blogger Award 2011 in the Children’s-general category.

Please show your support and vote with the link below. It is sponsored by Goodreads. Voting begins on April 10, 2012. Will keep all readers updated with the results. Thank you for your support!

Link here to Goodreads to vote for the Indie Children’s Authors Connection.

Feb12

Interview with Sybil Nelson

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Sybil Nelson

I am pleased to present to you the interview with Sybil Nelson. Sybil is the author of the “Priscilla the Great” series and several other YA books. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and two children. She is currently working on her PHD in Biostatistics. She graciously took time out of her busy schedule to answer the following questions.

1) How did you get your idea to write about a preteen super hero?

Do you want the real answer or what I tell everyone? I’ll give you both and let you choose.
Truth: Due to a change in birth control, I ended up having my period for a month straight. I was so annoyed and wished that my period could bring me something besides cramps and chocolate cravings. I thought it would be cool if my period could also bring me superpowers. So I got the idea for a girl who got super powers on her first period. I wrote the entire book in less than 30 days. When HarperCollins showed interest in the book, The Adventures of PMS Girl, they convinced me to get rid of the period concept and to change the book to Priscilla the Great. After eight months of editing with them, they ultimately rejected the book.

What I tell everyone: I really wanted there to be a book that triumphed the power of being a girl. There are lots of great action books for boys, but not so many for girls. I used to love reading comic books as a kid and I am addicted to the X-Men. I thought there needed to be a superhero book for girls that are like me when I was young.

2) What is your favorite characteristic about Priscilla?
I love her sense of humor. She really tells it as she sees it. She might not always see it correctly, but her way of viewing things is definitely amusing.

3) What kind of books did you enjoy reading while growing up?
I read anything and everything when I was growing up. I even went through a Harlequin romance phase. Hey, maybe that is why Priscilla’s mother’s name is Quinn.

4) What advice would you give to young writers?
Write every day. That is the way to hone your craft. I find that if I skip a few days of writing, it’s harder to get back in the flow of things. But when you write every day, you are sharpening your skills. And you can’t edit an empty page. You have to have something written. So just write. Write anything all the time.

5) What is your writing routine?
I try to write at least 1000 words a day. I keep a journal with me where I jot down ideas all day long and then at night before I go to bed, I type out those ideas.

6) In one sentence, how would you describe what it is to write?
Writing is freedom.

7) Any new projects in the works? Future events?
Ha! I have so many ideas I don’t have time to write them all. Here is what I’m currently working on.

Dark Marco – Spin off of Priscilla the Great
La Cienega’s Smile – Short story prequel to Nothing Else Matters
Somehow Someday – YA romance

I have more projects, but I have to limit it to three at a time.

Sybil Nelson’s books are available on Amazon.com, Smashwords and Barnes and Nobles.com.

*Read the book review of Priscilla the Great.

Jan28

Kids With Super Powers Rule

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson

What if you’re 12 years old with Super Powers? Which super power would you have? Pricilla Sumner doesn’t have a choice. She discovers the hard way that fire can shoot from her fingers. And the fun continues from there.

Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson is a book that combines a comic book heroine with a Spy Kids plot. Priscilla likes to hang out with her best friend, Tai, and talk about boys. But when she discovers a secret so intense it can fry her friends, literally, that’s when things get interesting.

Unlike some comic books, it seems more realistic. Ok, really. There’s a nice emotional connection that comes from the first person narrative of Priscilla. You feel you have the super powers with her. Suddenly, fire shooting from your fingers is a problem along with a possible first kiss with a boy.

Priscilla and her mother don’t get along well. Her mother is so busy with work, she seems to hardly know Priscilla exists. But as her powers grow, she realizes her mother is the key.

Noting clues, such as her father upset she appears on a local TV show and her mother gone for long periods of time, Priscilla starts to put together a bigger picture. Everything is revealed when she finds herself in mega trouble. And it will take trusting her mother, figuring how to use her powers, and relying on herself to save her family.

Though I’m not a big super hero fan, I enjoyed the realistic, narrative writing style. I started to get sucked in relating to the fact most teens try to wish they were something else. Along with the combination of teen and super hero problems, Nelson combines an adventurous plot.

Though I might have chosen different super powers, I found relating to Priscilla easy and fun. There are some older teen issues. Priscilla and her mother have a simliar talk about boys that most preteens should have. If you have a child that hasn’t had Family Life ed in school, you might want to look through to see if you want them to wait until they are a bit older. In the end, I was won over by the witty and super Priscilla. This an enjoyable first book to a super series.

Rated 4 Stars ****
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.

*Read the interview with Sybil Nelson.

Jan2

Interview with Charles Markee

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Tiffany Turner

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Author Charles Markee

To start off the year, I’ve had the chance to interview the author of the book, Otherworld Tales: Irish the Demon Slayer, Charles Markee. He is a great inspiration if you’re interested in Celtic lore. His story weaves the imagination with traditional Irish legends such as the Tuatha de Danann and Cuchulain. So, enjoy a peek into the world that Charles created and how he got there.

1) Your book includes a lot of Celtic lore and fairy tales. Why did you
choose to use them as a starting point?

My initial starting point was autobiographical. As a pre-teen, I spent summers in a cabin my grandfather built circa 1921 in San Geronimo, a rural community in Marin County, California. My two best friends and I rode bikes and explored the hills, forests and creeks. We had adventures just like the three characters in my book.

In the first two chapters, the boys seek help from an old woman the boys believe is a witch. For her Irish accent, I remembered a 1960s broadcast of an interview with the Irish poet, Ella Young, in which she described communicating with trees, animals and even rocks. I love the outdoors, so it seemed natural for talking trees to become a significant character in my book.

That Irish theme struck a familiar chord. My mother was 100% Irish, we lived in an Irish Catholic neighborhood of San Francisco and I attended a high school with primarily Irish and Italian kids. The school motto was and still is today, the ‘Fightin’ Irish.’

I had grown up surrounded by this Irish population. Curious about my heritage, I spent two years studying Celtic mythology. Most of my research uncovered tales of leprechauns and fairies, not what I wanted. Finally, I discovered a treatise titled, Cuchulain of Muirthemne, by Lady Augusta Gregory, a peer and friend of Yeats. I poured thorough this exhaustively and incorporated many tales of the great Irish hero, Cuchulain, as updated adventures for the boys and one girl in my book.

2) Have you ever been to Ireland?

Funny that you should ask. Half way through the second or third draft, my wife told me that I couldn’t very well write a story about Ireland without going there, so we did. After a few days in Dublin, we rented a car and got completely lost looking for Tara, but eventually found it. It’s a mystical place, the presumed location of the ancient castle of the king of kings. I made it the location of Queen Aine’s castle in my story. We then took a train to Belfast in Ulster and traveled through the countryside where Cuchulain fought his battles. I stood at the window most of the trip taking photos of the landscape. Later I bought contour maps of the area so I could accurately describe those places that the boys visited in their search for Irish’s sister.

3) Are there other adventures planned for Irish and his friends?

Several readers have asked for a sequel and I’m about half way through a first draft. My target release date is the summer of 2012. This time the boys discover another part of the Otherworld that exists inside Mt. Shasta in California. You can download the first chapter here: http://www.charlesmarkee.com/html/irish2.html

4) What inspires you to write?

Everything inspires me to write, especially talking to other writers. People I meet become my characters. Places I see become the environment in the story. Events I witness become portions of the plot. I’m always writing even when I’m not writing. Finally, I confess that I love the god-like ego-trip of creating a fictitious world filled with my characters who take on an existence of their own.

5) What advice would you give young writers?

Read voraciously, especially in the genre you want to write in. Get to know your target audience. Join and participate with your local community of writers. Join or form a critique group. It’ll keep you sane. And above all, keep writing.

6) In one sentence, how would you describe writing?

For me, writing is the process of producing a dream state in readers’ minds that will take them into the world I have created.

7) In closing, what other books are in the works? Events or
appearances for 2012?

In addition to the sequel about Irish and his friends mentioned above, I have a completed manuscript sitting on the shelf. It’s the story based on true events about a Hispanic girl who discovers her best friend is dying of a kidney disease and her parents refuse to allow medical intervention. It’s a story that needs to be told, but my 72 rejects tell me that it won’t succeed with traditional publishers. You can download the first chapter here: http://www.charlesmarkee.com/html/maria_summary.html

A short story titled ‘Hills like Brown Camels,’ a parody on Hemingway’s ‘Hills like White Elephants’ is published in a 2011 anthology, ‘The Sound of a Thousand Leaves.’

Available from Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Voices-Sound-Thousand-Leaves/dp/1463740220/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325276789&sr=1-1

I’m working on another short story for the 2012 anthology. It is titled ‘The Bear’ and it’s based on an event in the life of my father-in-law who was a bear guide in the Shasta/Siskiyou County mountains for 30 years.

As the coordinator for the North Bay Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), I plan, provide speakers and host quarterly meetings in the Santa Rosa area for children’s book writers.

***Charles Markee is the author of Otherworld Tales: Irish the Demon Slayer. Link to the book review here. His website is located at www.charlesmarkee.com.

Dec31

#SampleSunday Jan. 1, 2012 Sneak Peek Into Dragonfire

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Tiffany Turner

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I’ve been busy writing the third book in my Crystal Keeper Chronicles, The Lost Secret of Dragonfire. Here is a sneak peek into my current draft. The last look was in May 2011. Wanda had her little brother break her crystal pendant. So, she was off to visit master miners and makers of crystal pendants, the dwarves.

A Look Into the third book of the Crystal Chronicles: The Lost Secret of Dragonfire:

There was a sudden flare of light. Then, I saw standing in front of us, a shaggy man as tall as me. He had a long, brown beard, a bulbous nose, and beady brown eyes. His eyebrows were beyond bushy, and he held a torch flooding the corridor with enough light to make the crystals glint in all directions. His cloths looked like a peasants drawing from one of my fairy tale books. You know, long following sleeves, vest, drawstring at the collar, and brown baggy pants. But the most distinguishing thing was his hands. They were large and beefy. It made him look out of proportion. I saw the glint of boots under the cuff of his trouser.

“Welcome to the City of the Dwarves. For a human child, to be this close, you must be a Crystal Keeper and on fairy business. I’m Clarkson. The Watch for the Western Edge of the Dwarf Capital. Be what business ye on?”

I cleared my thought and stood up a bit. I tried to sound official by saying, “I am a Crystal Keeper of the Western Realms of Fairy. You are right. I have come on fairy business. I be named Wanda.” Flashbacks of the visit to the Renaisance Fair came flooding back to me. I pointed down at Brewford. “This is my cat sorcerer and assistant, Brewford.”

And instructor, guide, and general reference for advice. Brewford nodded. His head voice was filled with cat dignity.

“What is it that you wish of the Dwarf Kingdom?” The dwarf folded his arms. “It is my job to find the best resource to guide ye.”

I couldn’t continue with the Faire language. I was going to have to switch to normal talk. “Well, Clarkson, my little brother totally broke my crystal. I need a new one. My unicorn guide said this was the best place to come.”

He answered with a gruff affirmative that ended in a grin. “Good to switch into the informal language. I was never good at it in school, you see. Your unicorn was right. We supply the Fairy World with most of their crystals for Keepers, healing, building, and pretty much anything else that could be needed. If a dwarf knows anything, it’s crystals, stones and the earth. It is our speciality. If you need it, we can mine it.” He gave me a wink and motioned to follow. “I think the Dwarf King would be interested in hearing your problem. Maybe you can help us with ours.”

We did notice a magical imbalance in the paths on the way here Dwarf Clarkson. Brewford had taken the lead in front of me. He slipped right next to the dwarf. If I’m not mistaken, the energy flow is being interrupted. Have you found the source?

“That is the problem Cat Sorcerer. We can’t find the interruption point. If we knew where it was, we could fix the imbalance. It’s as if someone has found a way to divert power from the paths, and it’s starting to affect the roots. We need to find it, or the fairy paths themselves will start to collapse. The Fairy World would be divided permanently from the Real World. The imbalance could destroy both worlds.”

There was a tisk, tisk from Brewford. It is more serious than I thought. You’re right in taking us to the Dwarf King. I’m going to need to ask some questions as well.

This sounded like some kind of Fairy Armageddon. I had to get this straight. “Do you mean, the Fairy Paths would collapse? Be destroyed? How would the fairies travel and communicate?”

It’s worse than that Wanda. Brewford’s head voice actually held a note of concern. The fairy paths connect the World of Fairy, but it is also the conduit for all of the Fairy Magic. Without the Fairy Paths functioning correctly, Fairy World magic will be cut off or worse, fade from the World of Fairy.

“And the World of Fairy,…” I left it hanging in the air as it started to settle into my mind.

“…would die.” Brewford’s words were more chilling than the air around me.

Oh boy. Not good. I hope we could find this Dwarf King fast. I was right that I felt a need to go quickly.

We arrived at the corridor end. It opened up to the glow at the end of the tunnel, and I couldn’t speak. We were in a cavern, the largest crystal cave I had ever seen. The walls were lined with crystals and structures of crystal, stone, and rock. It was beyond cave dwelling and cave man like. It was a catacomb of crystals and caves.

In and out of different level openings, dwarves moved in and out. Some had beards. Some had long walking sticks, carts, baskets, and even small mules. The rush of industry was about this place, and dwarves were everywhere.

“Welcome to Geldenar”, said Clarkson. He waved his hand about and grew with a big smile. “I can tell this is your first visit to the Dwarf Nation. Your eyes are huge. Glad that you seem impressed.”

Look for other sneak peeks and release information for The Lost Secret of Dragonfire through this blog.

**The Crystal Keeper Chronicles are available on Amazon.com as paperback or Kindle editions.
Also available on Smashwords.com.