Amazon Gift Card giveaway!

While leading up to the release of my first book in The Bed Wife Chronicles, I decided that getting my name out there was key.  After all, the more people hear your name and about your book, the more response you could possibly get when it's released (it just makes sense right?).

So I decided to hold a little giveaway!

When my Facebook page reaches 300 fans, I will give away two $5 Amazon gift cards (that's at least two ebooks for your Kindle!).

For all the details, check out my Facebook Page.

But hurry!  We are already nearing 300, and if you want to be part of this giveaway you need to act quickly!

Facebook fans are flowing in

Such an amazing amount of support in the Indie community.  Eighteen hours ago I had a mere (but faithful) 50 fans on my Facebook page.  Just now, I received my 200th fan!

In 18 hours the authors and readers of the Indie community banded together and started sharing me with their friends and family. 

The support is, truly, heartwarming and so very touching.

Thank you!

Pen names or real name, who can choose?

I was recently approached and had it suggested to me that now is the time to start thinking about a pen name.

What is a pen name?  Well, long story short, it is an alas name you use when you write.

Many authors will do things like use their initials (eg: J.K. Rowling) instead of their full name.

However, with a name like Smith, what can you do to it to make it distinguishable from any other Smith out there?

My maiden name is Patterson, and at first I thought that could be an agreeable alternative.  Though, when you search on Amazon, you get "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson."  I can assure you I do not want to be competing with him! (on a side note, I read that book!  It was good but I cried like a baby... but we'll leave that for another time)

So the alternative is to change my last name completely. 

For some reason I'm not comfortable with this.  I have written down various versions of my name using different last names and, though the ones I have narrowed down sound pleasing enough, it makes me feel as though someone is taking my work and putting their name on it.

Obviously this is silly.  I wrote my story, it will belong to me, but to put a name other than Suzanna Smith on it feels as though I'm selling out.  Why is that?  Well, mainly because, I am Suzanna Smith. 

So now I am stuck trying to decide what to do about my author name.  Who knew writing the book was the easy part?

Writing all day and night

Yesterday I decided to really sink in and get back to work on book two in The Bed Wife Chronicles. 

My goal is to have it almost ready to go when book one is ready to publish.  I'm a little picky and like to have my ducks in a very detailed, lined up, not a webbed foot out a place, row.  Plus, to me, it makes sense to be able to put a little exert from book two in the back of book one and then say "Coming (insert date here), (insert title here) book two in The Bed Wife Chronicles."

So after a lot of getting stuck and unstuck (kind of like getting the car out of the wet, soaked mud and ice that is outside right now), I managed to crank out 5,500 words for book two.

My word count is just under 17,000 words and I still have much more in store!

So, back to work for me!

A little inspiration

This really spoke to my heart while taking this journey on the road to becoming an author.  It really is about taking the steps, no matter how big, to get you moving toward the end result.

First Review of Book #1 in The Bed Wife Chronicles!

A few days ago I had sent book number one in The Bed Wife Chronicles to my Beta Reader Tara Huffman.  After spending some time with the book, she sent back this wonderful review!



The Bed Wife by Suzanna Lynn (4.5 out of 5 stars)

At first glance, this reads as a mid-evil/historical fiction. However there is also a slight fantasy twist that brings a whole new element to the plot.

We start off getting to know the land and the kingdom of Wintervale with great descriptions of the castle and the kingdom as a whole. The world set up is very well done and it is easy to visualize this terrain as Ms. Smith took her time in illustrating the layout.

Luana is our female main character and is portrayed as a strong willed, self-sufficient young woman. Her family is well known not only for the goats that they herd but also for her father’s drunken ways.

Prince Baylin, our male lead, is a depicted as a kind hearted man who puts his kingdom before himself. His title as next in line for the throne does not seem to weigh down this character’s charm and his personality makes him easy to swoon over. It would be easy for him to come off as an arrogant ass however he is just the opposite.

Throughout the first few chapters, we are given glimpses into the past and how Luana and Baylin first met as children. The connection and bond that they shared was strong, however frowned upon by the castle.

Years pass before Luana and Baylin meet up again and even though they each remember the friendship that they had as children, there is a definite riff between the two. As time goes on and certain things are put forth, they are once again forced together under some unusual circumstances.

Communication does not seem to play well into their involuntary relationship, however being forced to spend time with one another does make old feelings resurface and also creates new emotions.

We are given a few supporting characters that are both good and bad. They each play a very important role in both Luana and Baylin’s life as a couple and as individuals.

The plot is new and refreshing, especially amongst the trend of billionaires and BDSM reads. It is easy to get lost within these pages and I found myself truly enraptured with this story that holds a slight modern twist on the typical fairytale. And even though this is a quick read, we are not left with little to hold on to. There is more than enough action and mystery to keep you on the edge and wanting more.

~ Tara Huffman

Editing, editing and more editing

Let's face it, editing is probably harder than actually writing the book. That's why you hire an editor!

After sending my first few pages to my editor (I have an editor!!!!), she sent back some helpful suggestions and put me to the task of doing the first edits.

I am a strong believer in pen and paper. I miss the days when people actually wrote each other letters and I have a small addiction to paper pads in general. So I printed off book one of The Bed Wife, pulled out my trusty read ink pen and got to work.

After spending the day in a sea of red ink, I transferred those edits to the Word document.  Twelve hours later, I have finally finished the first edits!

I just sent off the story to my first Beta Reader, Tara!  I'm so very nervous and excited at the same time. No one, outside of family, has read this story.

So while I wait to hear back from Tara, I thought I would share my thoughts on the editing experience through this wonderful picture.

Thank God for editors!