What is a plot bunny and why does Kim have one?

I woke up with this idea:

Wow…it’s Friday already???? 

Just kidding. I woke up thinking about my next book. And before I get off on that idea explanation, let me say THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I checked my numbers and I was AMAZED at how many downloads we ended up from Disk of Death. I also wanted to say a SPECIAL thank you to those who have reviewed it. I am so grateful for you!

For those who haven’t been following, we have had over 5000 downloads, and that is in ALL the territories and countries that Amazon offers from Brazil to America. SO excited! Disk of Death is now an INTERNATIONAL book.

Now about that plot bunny…

So – I am so busy these days prepping for book three’s release,  I have lost track of time. I am not sorry about that because it is ultimately going to be for your benefit *smile* – the thing is…I have found a sub-plot for book three that refuses to be ignored. 

This dilemma might make a plot bunny owner out of me yet!

What is a plot bunny?

Well, it’s an idea that won’t go away, and like a real bunny, subject to birth many more.

plot

This means I have gone off on a tangent and had to incorporate things into the story that will be important and carried over into book four.  And, I might add, likely will become a major plot-line that will come to fruition in book five. 

It’s so much fun!

But I am trying to be a better plotter for this. I checked out the Snowflake Method and I think that might work for me for this purpose. (It gets pretty hairy once you get along about step 6 – but I think it’s doable). The only problem is, it takes time to plot out the story. I am in a rush! I want you to have it NOW. Sigh. So, do I keep rewriting the way I want to do, or do I stop and plot them out? I am thinking stopping will be the best thing, but I really hate to keep you all waiting.

Such a great problem to have!

I just want to reiterate to my readers, if you are NOT a Zanie yet, (aka a newsletter subscriber) you REALLLLLLLLLLY should. I am going to be revealing the cover, and the release date for book three to the Zanies soon. They get everything first.

The cover for book three is SO cute. Almost as cute as In the Shadows, my Halloween read featuring Shannon and Dwayne. It’s out now and you can get it here : http://a.co/bsog70g – and it is only 99 cents so … you can’t lose!)

So, I am curious what other writers do about this situation. I mean, I have held this book up already longer than intended, but I am glad I did. If I had released it earlier this month, I would never have had time to include this new twist.

Sometimes you just don’t know what is right. 

So, what do you do?

_______________________________________________


pilot

Television pilot week-are you watching?

television shows,

Do you watch pilot episodes of television shows?

I don’t know about you but as for me, this week is one of the best of the year. 

I am a “pilot” watcher. I love seeing the pilot episodes for all the cool shows that are airing this week. I am really loving my DVR, too. I can watch one pilot and record another. I did that on Sunday while watching my beloved football team, and recording Chesapeake Shores on another channel.

So, just some of the shows I will be watching pilot episodes for this week are: 

  • This is Us
  • Empire
  • Big Bang Theory
  • Designated Survivor
  • Lethal Weapon
  • Macgyver (I may have missed the pilot for this, but this week is Ep 1)

I love a wide variety of shows… so while those are recording, I may be watching something else. The thing is, we go out at night sometimes, and we miss television programming, so it’s great to be able to catch it later. Lazy Saturday mornings or late LATE Saturday night is my time to watch the recordings. 

Believe me, this is a guilty pleasure.

pilot
kalilapinto / Pixabay

I am also reading a variety of things at the moment as well. I’m reading a fantasy in paperback, a sort of paranormal-fantasy on my Kindle, listening to a romance on audio, and all these great TV shows…well, my imagination is fully engaged these days.

We do not go to the movies very often any more as it is too easy to catch them on video somewhere. Red Box is my friend. I used to have Netflix, but it was like that old adage, just because you pay for it every month doesn’t mean you will use it. It became like a gym membership. I got mad at myself for paying out for it every month and not using it. So, since I wasn’t using it, it had to go. No more Netflix.

This is the double-edged sword of membership fees.

You  want the service, and you think it will make life better, but if you are not vigilant and make use of it often, it will become a burden. Your bank account will look at you forlornly every month that the fee is taken out and you didn’t use the service.

So, my thought?

Don’t sign up for auto pay on things that you might not use.

I think some things are way better deals than others, however. I mean PRIME membership at Amazon is very cool. You can use it for a lot more than just getting free shipping. The link below will take you to Amazon to check out PRIME.

Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime

This is cheaper than Netflix for movies, by the way, and you get a lot more along with it. AND! Christmas is coming…and you know you need gift ideas!

 

 

Free book’s download day-info. This is going to be a stat rich post, so if you are not much into numbers, you might be bored. Those of us who want to see in black and white how an author’s giveaway works, and if it was a success, and if you think it might do well for you … well, keep on readin’. Everyone else, I will have something geared for you later this week. Don’t forget to tune into Writer Groupie Podcast next week. My guest will be Thom Reese.

So… the Disk of Death free book day went like this :

Product Details 630 am

Product details 1230 pm

        Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

o   #7 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Cozy

PRODUCT DETAILS DOWNLOADS 1:10 PM (click image for closer look)

book

image2

Product Details 230 PM 

·        Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

o   #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Cozy

Product Details 430 pm (final count that I captured)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

o   #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Cozy

I did actually make it to #76 Free in Kindle Store and #2 for cozy – later that night. That translated into 3200 downloads, and I had another 602 the next day before the sale went off. The first day after the sale, I showed 1000 pages read. I know there are a lot more to come. It proved to me that taking out an ad somewhere and putting a book out for free STILL is effective, but you really have to work it.  (A huge thank you to my bestie, Kristi Rose for all her help!)

Thanks again to all my fans and followers. You guys rock my world.

 Become a Zanie by subscribing to the newsletter and get info on freebies, new releases, and special offers before EVERYONE else!

Information about what’s coming on the blog

Welcome to KimSmithAuthordotcom…my blog, my work, my world…here’s the latest information about what I am doing – and what you will be seeing…

14138693_10210439339843020_2053070651848225989_o

so…. the promo for a free Kindle copy of Disk of Death has ended…and wow- thanks so much to all who participated…it was a fun day. I will be posting up the stats soon. Just because those who are aspiring authors like to know. It’s always good information to have in case you want to try a giveaway. Let me tell you, THIS ONE WAS A WINNER!

BUT NOW!!!!!!!!!! YEW TO A KILL IS REDUCED TO 99 CENTS ON A KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL…starting today! YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO GET THE SECOND BOOK NOW! TOMORROW IT GOES TO 1.99 (which still isn’t a bad deal!) So, go here now https://amzn.com/B01FGUFH6U to get it CHEAP!

As the banner image suggests, I will be at Imaginarium Con in Louisville in October. It’s a creative person’s dream con. There is literally something for everyone there. I will also have paperback copies of most all of my books for sale CHEAP in the dealer room so be sure to stop by.  I will be sharing a table again this year with Linda Rettstatt, another local author (who if you haven’t checked out her books, and you like women’s fiction,) you should look her up. More good information to have.

I also am hoping to book Writer Groupie Podcast for the rest of the year, so if you want to be on the show, you should send me a contact form SOON. Once I start booking authors at the con, there will be nothing left until next year.

I am finishing up the final touches for Shannon and Dwayne’s third caper, entitled Schooled in Murder,  and that will be out in a few weeks. I believe that I could get it out sooner, and had planned to,  but getting ready for the con is taking a lot of my time at the moment. And of course, this previous freebie day for book one took a lot of planning and work.

Don’t forget about IN THE SHADOWS – it is a great little short mystery that has a twisty ending and all the zany goings on with Shannon and Dwayne that you guys love. And of course, it is only a mere 99 cents. Information overload, yet?

I will also be gearing up for the end of the year stuff, like my usual end of the year post about what I did and how much money I made etc. You will want to check that out. Then I will of course be bringing you my goals for 2017 – GASP! Can you believe that the new year is only a few months out??? Yep, so if you haven’t made your goal list for 2017 – now is a good time to be considering that.

I am likely going to be doing a giveaway for the new book coming….and I will probably make my short YA romance that is coming in November, CHEAP-so if you haven’t signed up for the Zanies Newsletter, please do that over in the sidebar. My newsletter subbers get all the news first. (I apologize to them now for I didn’t know about the countdown deal on Yew to a Kill until after I had this blog post already created…so, sorry Zanies, I know it was last minute but at least you still get in on it!)

information

That’s it. I’m done.  

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ZANIES NEWSLETTER

The Disk of Death free download is still available for a few more hours, and then it will be over. But yesterday was a great day for watching stats. We had 4,270 downloads. So…today… all I can say is thank you!

thanks

But remember…there is still book two, Yew to a Kill, that you can devour! Zanies(newsletter subscribers) should be watching their emails for special offer on that coming soon!

Not a newsletter subscriber yet? You can be by filling this out!