Mega Sale - Reformed & Beckoning Souls!

Happy Sunday, readers! In an attempt to get some attention on two of my books that have sort of lagged in sales, I have put two of my books on sale for 99 Cents! They are great books that I enjoyed writing, and I'd love to get some attention on them! They are also both available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you are enrolled in this perk, you can get them that way as well!

Here are the two books on sale for 99 Cents -

Click here to buy Beckoning Souls on Amazon

Nathan Gallagher doesn’t believe in ghosts. As a fireman, he’s seen his share of dead people, but they never spoke to him before—until now. His marriage is great, and his relationship with his son is strong, but Nathan is sure that if he tells his family that he’s seeing ghosts, it is a quick ticket to a padded room and a straightjacket. 

When the ghosts become violent and attack Nathan, his secret is revealed—except his wife doesn’t believe his claim about the supernatural. She demands he seek professional help. He knows he’s not crazy, but with no proof that the ghosts are real, he’s committed to a mental hospital against his will. The ghosts follow him, pushing him farther into a terrifying world he can’t find his way out of. 

With his marriage, his sanity, and even his very life at stake, Nathan needs to find out why the ghosts are haunting him before it’s too late. 

Click here to buy Reformed on Amazon

Ryan Shay wants to forget his past. Memories of an abusive childhood, betrayal from his family, and a failure to trust anyone have held him captive his whole life. Afraid to confront his demons, it's a miracle he hasn't wound up a statistic in the war on drugs. Having no real purpose or reason to get better, he has failed several rehab stints and has always gone back to the one thing he finds comfort in – drugs and alcohol. 

After being accused of stealing from a local dealer, suffering from an overdose, and learning he might have a son, Ryan finds a strong reason to break the chains of his addictive past and end the cycle of his shameful ways. He is determined to become clean, despite the constant negativity sent his way from his friends and society. His success is not only for himself, but for someone who desperately needs him. 

What could be viewed as a careless mistake to many is possibly the one thing that might save Ryan Shay’s life.

Please spread the word about this sale, and as always, happy reading to you all!

Kindly,

J.R. 

Keywords - A Science

Hello readers! Long time, no blogging! I hope this finds you all well!

Since we spoke (typed, read) last, I have been trying to think up ways to get my books more exposed. New covers, new descriptions, new advertising.... the (boring) list goes on and on....

Tonight I got to thinking about keywords. Keywords meaning phrases and search terms people type in at the top of the Amazon.com page to find the exact type of book they are wanting to read. As a writer, you'd think that this would come easy. Sure, think up 7 phrases that you MIGHT think a reader would put.... well, that's simple.... as a reader, what would I put? If you haven't already learned this about me, I'm not like the average person.... I usually like things that most people don't. If a critic likes a movie, I hate it... and vice versa. So, that tactic of thinking like other readers did not work.

Amazon gives you the option to put seven keywords when updating/uploading your books. Seven seems like a lot, seven seems like not much at all - it's all in the eye of the beholder. So, what do readers often search when looking for a book? Are they broad terms that will bring up tens of thousands of results? (Kindle books, romantic books, ebooks... These are more genre specific that would have tons of options falling under that umbrella.) Then you think of more specific terms. (Firefighter romantic suspense, drug addiction fiction, organized crime romance.) Being more specific is good, but also bad. How many people are going to search that exact term? The reason I ask is this - those more specific terms are geared toward the books that I have already published. The Firefighter Heroes Trilogy, Murphy's War, and Reformed are the three specifically tied to those keywords... The broader terms are also geared toward them, but how many other books will pop up as well?

I'm slowly learning that keywords are a science. What might work this week might not work next week. They change just like people change. It's a new challenge, but I'm actually having fun with it. Right now I have some specific keywords listed under my books -

-Firefighter Romance Ebooks
-Firefighter Romantic Suspense
-Drug Addiction Fiction
-Organized Crime Romance
-Crime Drama Romance

Of course, I get 7 keywords per book, so this isn't all of them, but it gives an example of some of the things I've put to try out. If they don't work, I'll try something new. That's all I can do!

 I know as readers, most don't care, but next time you go to Amazon in search of a book, keep in mind that keywords can and are a big deal to writers. It's not the sole way to get a book exposed, but lately, it's a way to get it on the first or second page of the search result after you type in your phrase. Next time I'm looking for a specific book, I'll think about this as well.

--Happy Reading!
J.R.