NEW RELEASE February 1, 2014

Whispers From the Past: Vendetta by Charlotte Holley

#gypsyshadow #paranormal #timetravel

http://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Past-Vendetta-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00I5WBHKM

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-from-the-past-charlotte-holley/1118427544

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/403862

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Whispers

Psychic ghost busters Liz Carr and Kim Henson are about to learn their lives and those of John Carter and Mark Adams are hopelessly tangled with the past in a way they could never have expected. Whispers From the Past: Vendetta by Charlotte Holley. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Whispers

Whoever said the past is dead and buried never knew the evil wizard Arvashan or his fiendish plan to avenge himself on those who caused all the trouble at the very beginning . . . Liz Carr and Kim Henson find they have only skimmed the surface when it comes to the mysteries of the past and their lingering effects on the present. They are about to learn their lives and those of John Carter and Mark Adams are hopelessly tangled with Arvashan’s in a way they could never have expected.

The four friends, the local priest and the ineffable Benjamin McCann himself, have worked hard to return peace to McCann’s Manor, only to find each step forward has brought ever-increasing repercussions, leading them deeper into Arvashan’s diabolical schemes. Now the ancient sorcerer, infuriated by their success in freeing some of his captive souls, makes his demands, offering Liz an ultimatum she can never hope to accept or live with.

Liz has a few weeks to set her affairs in order and return with Arvashan to the past and a fate she has no memory of, or Arvashan will kill everyone she loves. The situation calls for a level of cunning and skill the friends will somehow have to find within themselves, along with a mastery of magic greater than any they possess, before they can emerge victorious over the ancient nemesis. But there is more . . . much more . . . and they are running out of time . . .

Word Count: 154000
Pages to Print: 463 (Print coming SOON!)
Price: $6.99

GSP's Book of the Day December 10

Wishes and Promises by Charlotte Holley

#gypsyshadow #christmas #novellette

Steven Carmichael is missing in action in Afghanistan, and it's almost Christmas. How can his wife Janie tell their five-year-old daughter Kaitlin that her daddy is presumed dead? Both she and Kaity have been having dreams about Steve for a few weeks, but whose dreams are real? Kaity "dream-visits" her dad in his hospital bed and he promises her he'll be home Christmas Day, so little Kaity is convinced Steve is alive. Janie's dreams, however, have convinced her Steve has to be dead, though she can't admit it even to herself. What will happen Christmas Day if Steve doesn't keep his promise to Kaitlin?

Word Count: 10,500

Pages to Print: 43 

Price: $2.99 (Available at Smashwords for $ .99!)

http://www.amazon.com/Wishes-and-Promises-ebook/dp/B009WWF106/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wishes-and-promises-charlotte-holley/1113629786
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/248483
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#WishesP

Short Christmas Read. When Steve Carmichael is reported missing in action in Afghanistan, his five-year-old daughter Kaitlin clings to his promise to be home for Christmas, even though everyone else believes he's dead. Wishes and Promises by Charlotte Holley. Available from Amazon, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#WishesP

GSP's Book of the Day July 31

Nancy by Charlotte Holley

->#GypsyShadow #checkeditout #youngadult #ya #shortstory

 Gail is an average teenager with problems and a really big inferiority complex, trying to ignore the world so everyone will just leave her alone. The last thing she wants is to be singled out by the popular, ever-smiling and beautiful Nancy, but some things we don't want are exactly what we need.
 
 When Gail finally becomes friends with Nancy, she learns life isn't always what it seems and the beautiful, popular teen she has tried so hard to avoid has as many problems as she does . . . maybe even more . . . 

Word Count: 3990
Pages to Print: 20
Price: $2.99 NOW on SALE at Smashwords ONLY for 99 Cents! Limited time only.

http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-ebook/dp/B0043XXD0Y
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nancy-charlotte-holley/1017483329
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4522
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Nancy

When Gail finally becomes friends with Nancy, she learns life isn't always what it seems and the beautiful, popular teen she has tried so hard to avoid has as many problems as she does . . . maybe even more . . . Nancy, a short story by Charlotte Holley. Available from Amazon, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Nancy

GSP's Book of the Day July 6

Error in Judgment by Charlotte Holley

 

Dave Saren has a past riddled with drugs and booze, one he’s trying hard to overcome. The superstar rock band Pepper Tree Lollipop has a future they are trying to preserve, one that promises a bright hope to the teens of the world. When Lollipop is kidnapped by bigwigs from the drug scene, Dave finds himself in the hands of unscrupulous thugs who will stop at nothing to discredit the band’s anti-drug campaign, including implicating him as one of the drug mongers responsible for Lollipop’s downfall to the same dope they have been publicly waging war against. Can Dave save the day, his career and the esteem of his son Mike by escaping and rescuing the band, or will he succumb to the drugs they are already pumping into his system?

Word Count: 3521
Pages to Print: 18
Price: $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Error-Judgment-Kilesha-Atlantis-ebook/dp/B0043EV9I6
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/error-in-judgment-charlotte-holley/1027875815
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4672
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Kilesha2

The world-famous rock band, Pepper Tree Lollipop, noted for their strong anti-drug platform, have been kidnapped by drug thugs seeking to regain their massive control over the world's teens drug buying by discrediting the band. Error in Judgment, Chapter 2 of Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band by Charlotte Holley. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Kilesha2

GSP's Book of the Day July 5

Going Home by Charlotte Holley

Long ago the last scientists of Atlantis engineered and “programmed” a dozen fish-like "babies" and released them to the sea, hoping their progeny would be able to save the world from the cataclysmic disaster that was about to sink Atlantis. What the scientists didn't know was the many Children of Atlantis would one day emerge from the sea and abandon Earth to travel the vastness of space.

Eons later, the five remaining “Children of Atlantis” return home on a mission to save the planet, where they are mistaken for a special new group of rock singers by a desperate teen, anxious to save his father's reputation and job. Can Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band rise to the occasion of becoming rock stars overnight, and still save the planet in time?

Word Count: 3411
Pages to Print: 19
Price: $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Home-Kilesha-Atlantis-ebook/dp/B0043EV9EA/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-home-charlotte-holley/1027874450
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4670
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Kilesha1

In the new milennium the five sole remaining “Children of Atlantis” return to Earth on a mission to save the planet from the same cataclysmic disaster that sank Atlantis eons before. Going Home, Chapter 1 of Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band by Charlotte Holley. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#Kilesha1

Book of the Day April 10

Wishes and Promises by Charlotte Holley

Steven Carmichael is missing in action in Afghanistan, and it's almost Christmas. How can his wife Janie tell their five-year-old daughter Kaitlin that her daddy is presumed dead? Both she and Kaity have been having dreams about Steve for a few weeks, but whose dreams are real? Kaity "dream-visits" her dad in his hospital bed and he promises her he'll be home Christmas Day, so little Kaity is convinced Steve is alive. Janie's dreams, however, have convinced her Steve has to be dead, though she can't admit it even to herself. What will happen Christmas Day if Steve doesn't keep his promise to Kaitlin?

Word Count: 10,500
Pages to Print: 43 
Price: $2.99

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it.* if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags* (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

*Amazon, for some unknown reason, keeps dropping the like button and has seemingly permanently deleted product tags, so unless you care to leave a review, there is no longer any way to help us get the word out about this book on Amazon. We encourage you to search for and buy it at Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, or on our Gypsy Shadow website (links provided below) and help our authors succeed, despite Amazon's bizarre treatment of authors and Indie publishers!

http://www.amazon.com/Wishes-and-Promises-ebook/dp/B009WWF106/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wishes-and-promises-charlotte-holley/1113629786
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/248483
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/Charlotte.html#WishesP

Book of the Day November 25

Nancy by Charlotte Holley

Gail is an average teenager with problems and a really big inferiority complex, trying to ignore the world so everyone will just leave her alone. The last thing she wants is to be singled out by the popular, ever-smiling and beautiful Nancy, but some things we don't want are exactly what we need.
 
When Gail finally becomes friends with Nancy, she learns life isn't always what it seems and the beautiful, popular teen she has tried so hard to avoid has as many problems as she does . . . maybe even more . . . 

Word Count: 3990
Pages to Print: 20
Price: $2.99

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day November 5

Error in Judgment by Charlotte Holley

Dave Saren has a past riddled with drugs and booze, one he’s trying hard to overcome. The superstar rock band Pepper Tree Lollipop has a future they are trying to preserve, one that promises a bright hope to the teens of the world. When Lollipop is kidnapped by bigwigs from the drug scene, Dave finds himself in the hands of unscrupulous thugs who will stop at nothing to discredit the band’s anti-drug campaign, including implicating him as one of the drug mongers responsible for Lollipop’s downfall to the same dope they have been publicly waging war against. Can Dave save the day, his career and the esteem of his son Mike by escaping and rescuing the band, or will he succumb to the drugs they are already pumping into his system?

 

 Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day November 4

Going Home by Charlotte Holley

Long ago the last scientists of Atlantis engineered and “programmed” a dozen fish-like "babies" and released them to the sea, hoping their progeny would be able to save the world from the same cataclysmic disaster that sank Atlantis. What the scientists didn't know was the many Children of Atlantis would one day emerge from the sea and travel the vastness of space.  Eons later, the five remaining “Children of Atlantis” return home on a mission to save the planet, where they are mistaken for a special new group of rock singers by a desperate teen, anxious to save his father's reputation and job. Can Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band rise to the occasion of becoming rock stars overnight, and still save the planet in time?

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Happy Anniversary to Gypsy Shadow Publishing Company, LLC!

Gypsy Shadow Publishing celebrates its third year in business during the month of September. We will have lots of surprises with discounts and free merchandise. Stop by our Facebook Page for details in September!

http://www.facebook.com/Gypsy.Shadow.Publishing

You say you want to get published?

I don't mean to sound harsh at all, but a career in writing is a hard way to go! Breaking into the publishing world is difficult and often heartbreaking. Once, a really good story had a fair chance of getting your foot in the door, but these days, it's next to impossible to find a publisher, even if you do have a fantastic story. Collectively, publishing houses receive literally thousands of submissions per day. You have to interest them from page one and do it professionally, or they won't read past the first few pages at most.

Today, the would-be author has to have a killer story, possess a better than average command of the language and know where and how to market herself. More than that; you have to have raging tenacity, get used to rejection, be willing to continue to submit your tale aggressively to dozens, maybe even hundreds of publishers and not be at all attached to the belief that your story is perfect as it stands. You may think you have written the next New York Times bestseller, but in all honesty, it isn't always the best story that makes the cut. Aggressive promotion and lots of very hard work go into making a book a bestseller. Often it's the author's own "elbow grease" that gets a book into that highly coveted position.

My advice? Unless you love writing so much you would do it even if you never sold anything, quit NOW, before you get turned down 100 times. Still want to be a writer? Okay. Some of us HAVE to write, just like we have to breathe. If you are one of us, here are some tips:

1. READ a LOT, especially in the genre you are interested in writing. If romance is your "bag" for example, read all the bestselling romance novels you can get your hands on--not all the novels out there, just the best ones! But don't just read. Absorb the way the authors write, the things they say and how they phrase their sentences. Analyze everything.

2. Proof your manuscript for spelling, grammar and dum-dum mistakes, and then proof it again . . . and again. Keep a good thesaurus and dictionary by you at all times (or use the online ones). If it isn't professionally presented, it won't get read past the first few sentences, and it certainly has very little chance of being published. Inexperienced writers think editors are there to rework their books. Not true. Editors will rake you over the coals, make you re-write it until you get it right and still not ever lift a finger to help you whip it into shape, beyond making a few suggestions. After all, this is your book; you are the one who needs to write it. If you need someone to make your work shine and you can't do it yourself, you need to hire a professional ghostwriter. Your editor is too busy to re-write your book for you, so don't expect it.

3. Join a local writer/critique group (or several) and get their feedback. DON'T be insulted if these people tell you all kinds of ways to improve your writing. Just follow their advice! Join online groups and read all the tips of authors who are making making their way out there (avail yourself of the many writer's resources these groups post to their files), because it's a tough business (have I mentioned that?) and only the fearless and strong make it. These would be the ones who kept on keeping on until they got published, so follow their examples.

4. When you think your manuscript might be ready, look through a new (as in up-to-date) copy of Writer's Market and find a dozen or so (for starters) publishing companies you want to submit to. Read their submission guidelines and do exactly what they say. Warning: this is likely to be somewhat different with each different publisher, so don't think you can put your manuscript together and just shoot it out to everyone. If you want their attention in a good way, tailor your submission and query letter just for them, as though you wrote your book with them alone in mind. You will have to rework your submission and query for each different publisher, probably; and many publishers don't want you to submit to more than one place at a time, so get ready to WAIT . . . three to six MONTHS just to be rejected and start over. Here's a hint: Don't submit to the big guys until you have made your mark with a book or two sold to less prominent publishers, unless you long to start a collection of rejection letters. I know plenty of authors who have had a dozen or more books published and they still have trouble finding a home for the next one in the world of the traditional publishers.

5. Write and write and write. Read what you have written aloud and see how it flows; check to see if it sounds dull or plodding . . . Look at it like it was someone else's work and ask yourself if you would continue reading it if it wasn't your baby. Be honest, even if it hurts. Writing is a skill which can be learned and improved on with practice, but you have to write a LOT, re-write even more and accept the critiques like they pure gold, because they may be that valuable in terms of improving your style and technique. Successful writing (and selling) begins with hard work: start with a good concept for a story; create strong, memorable characters who are real, compelling and believable; hone your presentation with sentence variety, correct grammar and immaculate usage; find a way to grab and keep your readers' interest, because if you don't, your book won't sell. Sounds simpler than it is, and it sounds like a tall order, because it is.

6. Don't think just because you have a book (or even a dozen) published that you are going to be rich and famous. Over 99% of the authors out there never get rich or famous, even though their work is worthy of recognition. Besides that, once you are published, that's when your work begins. You have to hustle to get readers, because no one will buy your book if they never heard of you or your book. You have to eat, drink and sleep promotion, and it still may not get you the results you want. If you can't promote yourself, you probably won't sell your books; and if you don't sell your books, publishers won't publish any more of your work. A publisher--even a big, established traditional publisher--can/will do only so much to promote its authors, and only authors who are already bestsellers will get a lot of promo from the publisher. You gotta do it yourself! You want to be a bestseller? Go for it, but know in advance it's going to take all the courage, stamina and consistency you can manage.

In the world of eBook publishing, the outlook on getting published is not quite as bleak . . . yet, although competition is very stiff and getting more so every day. Face it, probably more than half the people you know have written, are writing or will write a book, and they all want to see their work out there. So even eBook publishers have to deal with a lot of submissions. You should take no less care in submitting to a small indie eBook publisher than you would submitting to the cream of the top traditional publishers. Attention to detail, correctness and consistency will eventually get you where you want to be, so don't skimp in attention to details. You want them to think the best of you, so give them your absolute best.

My publishing company, Gypsy Shadow Publishing, is a small, indie publisher. We have been open since September, 2009, and to date we have 75 authors and about 150 eBooks under contract. When I say small, I mean two women read, proofed, edited and produced all those books (125 are out right now; the other 25 are in various stages of completion) in less than two years. We've had to turn a lot of stories down, just as all publishers do. It didn't mean they weren't good stories; only that there isn't enough time, energy and enthusiasm between the two of us to accept all of them. Check out our Submission Guidelines, and if you want a more detailed description of the dos and don'ts of writing and getting published. I invite you to check out a new book we just released by Jim Woods, titled: So You Want to be an Author?

Another Year, Another Move . . .

Wow, another year has come and gone (almost!). Hard to believe, but we have less than a week of 2010 to go and it will be 2011.

I’ve been thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, but I’ve yet to come up with anything adequate. The first thing that comes to mind is to make this upcoming move my last . . . EVER . . . but I know better. Even the best laid schemes of mice and men, not to mention my own, often go wrong, so I’d be kidding myself to think this is positively my last move. Still it would be nice . . .

Maybe it’s because one of my major life goals is to continue growing and learning that I find myself moving on every couple of years. Could be in a short amount of time I manage to grow as much as I can in my current location, though I have to believe I can never learn everything a certain place can provide the opportunities to master. Somehow I feel I can never learn everything there is to learn, no matter where I am. Thirst for knowledge? Yes!

Nevertheless, I confess to growing tired of being a rolling stone. I long for a “home” I can claim for the rest of my days. For one thing, my strength and energy levels are not what they once were. Back in 1986 my barely teenaged daughter and I packed the back of our hatchback full of boxes and began our migration from West Texas to Central Texas. Every couple of weekends we made the 325 mile (each direction) drive to load the car again. We actually managed to get everything we thought we had to have with us moved, one carload at a time.

Now I find I’m not even capable of loading the back of the car and taking the boxes a few miles to storage by myself. Not only that, but I’d be so hard-pressed to decide which of my things I have to have with me and what I can store that I am rendered almost unable even to begin the task. Does this mean I have become officially old, or merely that all my possessions are indispensible now? I prefer to fight the idea I have grown too old to make these kinds of decisions; yet, I must admit I probably haven’t managed to weed out all the unnecessary things from my life, so what gives?

I have to stop writing now, because I can tell there will be no suitable resolution to this post, let alone any forthcoming New Year’s resolutions. Happy New Year, everyone. May you have a beautiful and bright 2011!

Testing . . .

Okay, I was trying to link my blog to my Facebook Page, did it work? It's been more than a year since I posted (hmmm . . . seems like I should have prefaced that with, "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned . . . ") . I was just looking over past posts and I had posted on September 9, 2009 about starting Gypsy Shadow Publishing. I proudly posted we had six authors and twenty e-Books to start our little business. Just over a year later, I find we now have FIFTY authors and EIGHTY-THREE e-Books, plus SEVEN print books. Is it any wonder I haven't found the time to post to my blog? Wow! What a whirlwind year it's been! Please check out our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Gypsy.Shadow.Publishing!