Sarah Jane Weldon
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  • Free Book Friday

Weekend Reads for Free

30/11/2018

4 Comments

 
Here are this weekend's free cozy mystery books to download. As always, be sure to double check that the book is still free on Amazon as prices do change. Don't forget to thank the author for making their book available for free - it helps them and future readers if you leave a review, and follow the author's profile on Amazon.

You can get the free Kindle app for your phone, tablet, or laptop (links here for the free app:  US  UK  CA  DE  AU  IT  IN  FR  ES  NL  MX  JA), or simply download the books straight to your Kindle reader.

​If you were wanting to get yourself a Kindle reader, I just purchased one for my birthday (I wrote a little review about it) on a special promo for Black Friday, reduced from £49.99 to £29.99 and I absolutely love it. 
More Cozy Mystery Inspiration on Pinterest
Cozy Mystery Book Explorer Group on Facebook
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​Cozy Mystery Audiobook Add-Ons

​If you love audiobooks or use the Whispersync for Kindle facility, then you can often download the audiobook versions of the free books for a huge discount once you have the Kindle book, even when you get the Kindle book for free. Below are the audiobook versions of this week's free Kindle books. Amazon will generally ask you if you want to add the audiobook version once you get to the checkout. 
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Download Bertram Bile: The Raven's Curse for Free

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Book 8 of my Bertram Bile time travel adventure series is available to download for free from Amazon between the 1st-5th December 2018. Newsletter subscribers can use the Audible gift codes to grab the audiobook for free. Or you can get the audiobook for free as part of an Audible 30 day free trial, or add it on at a discounted fee once you have the free book. 
​Download the book for free
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​Audible links
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Download the audiobook
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Download the Free Christmas Cozies Collection
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
Free Cozy Mystery Books to Download for your Kindle
Weekend Reads
Cozy Mystery Audiobooks and Whispersync
National Cozy Mystery Book Day
4 Comments

Cozy Mystery Author in Residence

30/11/2018

0 Comments

 
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This week's cozy mystery author in residence in our Cozy Mystery Book Explorer Facebook group is Margaret Lashley, best known for her Val Fremden Humorous Mystery series.

​​​Margaret will be taking over the group from Friday 30th December until Friday 7th December, when we'll be joined by a new cozy mystery author in residence. This is a brilliant opportunity for cozy mystery fans to get up close and personal with the author and to ask them any questions you like, about the characters, series, life as an author, and inspiration behind the books, so please don't be shy. 


A Little Bit About Margaret Lashley

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I’m Margaret Lashley, Sarah’s first “guinea pig” guest author through December 6. (Forgive me as I bumble along in new territory.)
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I am an American, born and raised in Florida, and am the author of the best-selling Val Fremden Humorous Mystery series, which just happens to be conveniently set in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.

​How did I get into writing? After graduating with a degree in communications, I got my first real job (unless you count roller-skating waitress) when I landed a spot as a “Girl Friday” at a small advertising agency. I didn’t realize at the time that the job mostly entailed running around the office screaming “The sky is falling!” at lackadaisical artists unfazed by impeding deadlines. In search of a more rewarding position, in my spare time I tried my hand at writing copy for brochures and ads. Every morning, I slipped my fledgling, typewritten attempts under the office door of the agency president. I guess he got tired of stepping on them or throwing them away, because not long after, he promoted me to junior advertising copy writer. 


That day, my writing career was born. I’ve never looked back. 

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​I’ll admit it. I LOVE to write. And that’s a very good thing, because I can’t say I have too many other marketable skills. (Snarky stand-up comedian and evil genius don’t pay peanuts unless you know somebody. And getting references? Forget about it!)

I began writing the Val Fremden series because I couldn’t find many books out there featuring a woman with thighs bigger than a hamster’s. And all the female protagonists were either in their twenties or nineties. What about all of us wonderful gals in-between?

Val, my main character, is a smart, snarky risk-taker who hasn’t won all her battles. Maybe not even half of them. At age 45, she still doesn’t have her act together. In fact, she’s divorced, broke, and wondering what Friskies Cat Chow might taste like for dinner. Princess material she most definitely is not. But she does know how to laugh. And that trait, along with a gin and tonic, is, most of the time, enough to get her through.

With Val, I wanted to explore the ups and downs of being a woman, while mining midlife for all the laughs along the way. Val is a heroine who clever, world-wise women can identify with, cheer for, cry with, cringe over, and be happy they met her (and even happier they AREN’T her).
The Val Fremden 10-book series just wrapped up with Cloud Nine. The final book released on November 22 – just a week ago. It’s been a wild ride. And it’s been gratifying to see the series get discovered and loved by readers. (The first book, Glad One, is currently topping many charts on Amazon!)

So, now what?

I’m currently taking a break to read, relax a bit, regroup, and explore what I want to do next. I most definitely will keep on writing. I can’t imagine a day without putting words on the page.
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When I’m not writing, I’m traveling. In my late 20s, I started backpacking all over Central America. And while I don’t sleep on hammocks on the beach anymore, I still love to visit new places. I’ve been to well over 40 countries so far. I even lived in Europe for nearly eight years. I’ve been back in the US for five years now. I try to plan a big trip every summer – both for inspiration and to escape a chunk of Florida’s long, hot summer. 

So, enough about me! I want to hear from YOU. Feel free to post a question in the comments section of the Facebook group during the week. I’ll be popping in regularly to answer your questions in between doing what I love best…telling stories.
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Don’t be shy! I’m here all week folks!

Download a Free Copy of Absolute Zero

​If you'd like to check out Val, here's a link to download a free copy of the prequel novel, Absolute Zero. It's a welcome gift for joining my newsletter. I promise not to spam you, and, of course, you can ditch me by unsubscribing at any time.
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Enter Margaret's Amazon Giveaway

If you live in the US, you'll be able to take part in this Amazon giveaway to win a copy of Margaret's book 'What Four'. 



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Join Margaret in the Facebook Group
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Cozy Mystery Day, 15th September #CozyMysteryDay

29/11/2018

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Cozy Mystery Day

Observed annually on the 15th September (Agatha Christie's birthday), Cozy Mystery Day helps us to celebrate all of the wonderful cozy mystery books and authors we have in the world. 

Let's face it, there is nothing better than kicking back with a 'cozie' and a cup of cocoa by the fire after a rotten day at work, school, or in the daily grind of life. Cozy mystery books are the perfect pick me up for any occasion. 

How to Observe

There are loads of ways to mark this special day, here are just a few ideas. Don't forget to use the hashtag #cozymysteryday

  • share your favourite quote or line from a cozy mystery book
  • post a photo of your ideal cozy reading spot
  • cook up one of the recipes from the back of a culinary cozy mystery (this cozy mystery recipe book is free)
  • knit or sew a pattern or make something from one of your favourite crafts, sewing, quilting, or crochet cozies
  • send a card to your favourite cozy mystery author, or if you are an author, send a card to your readers or fans
  • leave a review on a cozy mystery book on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, Audible, iTunes, or elsewhere.
  • write a blog post about your favourite cozy book or author and tell others what it is you love about those books or that author's writing style
  • follow your favourite cozy authors on their Amazon author pages, or on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, maybe subscribe to their newsletter if you haven't already
  • give a cozy mystery book to a friend or relative to borrow, or donate a book to your local library or school. 
  • set up a book signing and invite your favourite cozy mystery book author along to do a meet and greet, signing, talk, workshop, or writing retreat
  • if you are an author or book blogger, why not use the #journorequest hashtag and see if they'll interview you about your passion for the genre.
  • dress up as one of your favourite characters
  • write your own cozy mystery story
  • perform a cozy mystery story as a play at your local theatre (Agatha Christie has some screenplays/scripts if you need a place to start)
  • take the day off and spend it reading and re-reading all the books on your to be read pile
  • visit a place or location  from a cozy mystery book
  • host a cozy mystery book evening, fancy dinner, share stories, maybe play a game of cluedo, or imagine yourself as a member of the original Detection Club. 
  • write a poem based on a cozy mystery or character, or create a work of art - an embroidered image of Poirot, or a painting of Jessica Fletcher.
Discover More Cozy Mystery Books on PInterest
Cozy Mystery Books for the Weekend
Free Cozy Mystery Books to Download for your Kindle
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Victorian Era (1837-1901) Cozy Mystery Books

28/11/2018

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We're coming to the end of our historical cozy mystery book month, but there are still a few more collections to share with you before the month is up. Today's collection is a Victorian themed one, set between 1837-1901 during Queen Victoria's reign (they may or may not be technically considered cozies!). If you haven't done so already, don't forget to download your free historical books and previews here - this is a great way to try out new authors and books you might not normally read. You can also join the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook for more free books and book fun.   
Discover More Victorian Era Cozy Mystery Books on Pinterest
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Audiobook Versions to Add-On

Whenever you 'buy' (download for free) the Kindle version of a book, always check if to see if you can add the audiobook version at check out at the same time. Audiobooks are often reduced from over £20 to around £2.99 for folks who have the Kindle ebook already. This usually means that you can make use of the Whispersync function on your Kindle device and switch between reading and listening to the story - perfect for when you are at the gym, or driving your car. You can also get the audiobooks as part of an Audible subscription, or sign up for a free 30 day trial to see if you like audiobooks first. 
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Read More on Amazon
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Read More on Amazon
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Read More on Amazon
More Historical Cozy Mystery Books to Explore
Cozy Mystery Audiobooks
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
Cozy Mystery Books for the Weekend
National Cozy Mystery Book Day
More Free Cozy Mystery Books to Download
More HIstorical Cozy Mystery Books
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Cozy Mystery Books for People who Love Downton Abbey

27/11/2018

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I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of the Downton Abbey series, and with no more new series on the cards, I figured I would try and find some cozy mystery books with a Downton Abbey vibe instead. Because, well, let's face it, you can NEVER have enough cozy mystery books in your life! So without further ado, I present to you....today's historical cozy mystery books!!  
Discover More Downton Abbey Inspired Cozy Mystery Books on Pinterest
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​Audiobook Versions to Add-On

Whenever you 'buy' (download for free) the Kindle version of a book, always check if to see if you add the audiobook version at the same time. These are often reduced from over £20 to around £2.99 for folks who have the ebook. This usually means that you can make use of the Whispersync function on your Kindle device and switch between reading and listening to the story - perfect for when you are at the gym, or driving your car. You can also get the audiobooks as part of an Audible subscription, or sign up for a free 30 day trial to see if you like audiobooks first. 
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More Historical Cozy Mystery Books to Explore
Cozy Mystery Audiobooks
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
Cozy Mystery Books for the Weekend
More Free Cozy Mystery Books to Download
More Historical Cozy Mystery Books
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Kerry Greenwood Cozy Mystery Books

26/11/2018

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Since November is all about celebrating historical cozy mystery books, I thought we'd take a moment to appreciate author Kerry Greenwood and her female sleuth and fearless flapper Phryne Fisher. These books are set around 1928-1929 in Australia. They have some of the most beautiful book covers too! I'm not 100% certain that they are cozy mystery books, but they are certainly close enough and it would be too sad not to include them. 
Discover More Kerry Greenwood Books on Pinterest
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Audiobook Versions to Add-On

Whenever you buy the Kindle version of a book, always check if to see if you add the audiobook version at the same time. These are often reduced from over £20 to around £2.99 for folks who have the ebook. This usually means that you can make use of the Whispersync function on your Kindle device and switch between reading and listening to the story - perfect for when you are at the gym, or driving your car. You can also get the audiobooks as part of an Audible subscription, or sign up for a free 30 day trial to see if you like audiobooks first. 
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Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books to Download
Cozy Mystery Audiobooks
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
Cozy Mystery Books for the Weekend
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books to Download
More Historical Cozy Mystery Books
0 Comments

Weekend Reads for Free

23/11/2018

0 Comments

 
Here are this weekend's free cozy mystery books to download. As always, be sure to double check that the book is still free on Amazon as prices do change. You can get the free Kindle app for your phone, tablet, or laptop (links here for the free app:  US  UK  CA  DE  AU  IT  IN  FR  ES  NL  MX  JA), or simply download the books straight to your Kindle reader. If you were wanting to get yourself a Kindle reader, I just purchased one for my birthday (I wrote a little review about it) on a special promo for Black Friday, reduced from £49.99 to £29.99 and I absolutely love it. 
More Cozy Mystery Book Inspiration on Pinterest
Cozy Mystery Book Explorer Group on Facebook
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16 Books to download for free
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Cozy Mystery Audiobook Add-Ons

If you love audiobooks or use the Whispersync for Kindle facility, then you can often download the audiobook versions of the free books for a huge discount once you have the Kindle book, even when you get the Kindle book for free. Below are the audiobook versions of this week's free Kindle books. Amazon will generally ask you if you want to add the audiobook version once you get to the checkout. 
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Download my Bertram Bile: The Boy Who Was Afraid of the Dark Book for Free

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Book 7 of my Bertram Bile time travel adventure series is available to download for free from Amazon between the 24th-28th November 2018. Newsletter subscribers can use the Audible gift codes to grab the audiobook for free. Or you can get the audiobook for free as part of an Audible 30 day free trial, or add it on at a discounted fee once you have the free book. 
Download the book for free
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Amazon Audiobook links
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iTunes

More Free Cozy Mystery Books
Free Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery Books
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
More Weekend Reads
Cozy Mystery Audiobook Collection
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books
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National Gingerbread Cookie Day Cozy Mystery Books

21/11/2018

0 Comments

 
What better way to celebrate National Gingerbread Cookie day, than with a cozy mystery book or two! Here is just a small collection of books and audiobooks for you, but if you want to see more cozy mysteries on offer, check out the Gingerbread Cookie Day Cozy Mystery Book board on Pinterest. If you love free cozy mystery books then check out the Thanksgiving collection here and the free books collection here.  
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Audiobook Add-Ons

If you love audiobooks and Whispersync, then you can often add the audio version of the book for a hugely discounted price when you buy the Kindle book first. Usually around £2.99 instead of £20 or more. You can also get the book for free as part of an Audible subscription or 30 day free trial, so it's worth checking those out if you love audiobooks. 
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Free Cozy Mystery Books
Free Book Thanksgiving Collection
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
Weekend Reads
Cozy Mystery Audiobook Collection
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books
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Giving Thanks for the Cozy Mystery Books

21/11/2018

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We can't celebrate November without celebrating Thanksgiving and giving thanks for all the cozy mystery books we get the opportunity to enjoy. Likewise authors will be thanking their readers for being fans and enjoying their  creative works. In this Giving Thanks collection you will find full books and book previews that can be downloaded free of charge. What better way to try out new books, themes, and authors risk free. And if you need more books, then don't forget to try out this month's Historical Cozy Mystery collection too before the end of the month. Oh and here is a sneak peek of all the upcoming collections on offer, so you know what's in store each month.  If you are an author, why not add your book to one of the future collections?

There are even more historical and Thanksgiving cozy mystery themed books over in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer private group on Facebook. 
Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery Book Board on Pinterest
If you want to give thanks to these cozy mystery authors for making their books available as part of this free collection, why not consider following their author page on Amazon (only an option for UK and US sites), or leaving them a book review to help other cozy mystery fans to find their books. 
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Are you a cozy mystery author and want to have your book included in a future themed promo month? All the details on Prolific Works here. For a full list of upcoming promos click here. 
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Birthday Treats Arrived - My New Kindle Reader!! It was a Bargain!

20/11/2018

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Well I'm absolutely delighted to say that the Kindle reader I treated myself to for my birthday arrived yesterday from Amazon, and dang am I delighted with it so far!! Those of you who know me well, will recall that I said a while back that I was hoping to get myself a Kindle reader sometime in the New Year once I had saved up my pennies, but then on Thursday night, the reader I had my eye on suddenly dropped from £49.99 to £29.99 with the Black Friday sale, and since the 16th November was my birthday, it seemed like too good an opportunity to resist, so I went for it and placed my order. 
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On Monday afternoon, as promised by Amazon, it was delivered to my address, and with a little bit of supervision (help??) from the cats I broke into my birthday parcel. I actually treated myself to three birthday gifts in the end: a Candy Cane Lane Yankee Candle, Nancy Cohen's 'Writing the Cozy Mystery', and the Kindle Fire 7. I'm chuffed to bits with all three!! 
I had a lot of jobs to get through on Monday, so I decided that I wasn't allowed to open my parcel until all of my work was done - talk about a carrot! Well the time finally came, albeit late at night, and I opened up the Kindle Fire packaging, which to my delight was fairly minimal and nothing too unnecessary in the packaging department - better for the environment which was a nice plus. 

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I'm a huge lover of technology, but I'm also incredibly inpatient and very lazy, especially when I'm tired. I love new things, but I hate having to set things up and learn how they work. So that was another huge plus in my book for this device. Once I unpacked it, and without reading any instructions, I simply found the on button on the top, switched it on, and in a matter of seconds the screen came to life...first with the word 'Amazon' and a few moments later with the word 'Fire'. It was already partly charged, so I was able to work the device right out of the box. This makes it a great item to grab at the airport if you are off on your hols and decide to grab one from the Duty Free at the last moment. It would easily fit in a handbag too. 
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I'm already in love with this device, I really can't sing its praises enough, and if I was looking to get a Kindle for a friend for Christmas, or for a child, then I would certainly recommend this one, especially if you can get it on the current Black Friday deal (at least in the UK). The only thing I wish I had done, was to order a screen protector and a protective cover, because I've already got my little fingerprints on the screen, but they cleaned off really easily. So I'll definitely be ordering those next. I'm already reading my books, and I'm ridiculously happy with this new addition to my life!!
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I was surprised at how little the Fire 7 weighed. In fact it probably weighs less than your average book, which will be a huge bonus for my wrists, especially as I spend a lot of time each day typing at my keyboard, and am always conscious of avoiding carpal tunnel and similar issues that so many authors are hindered by. That will make reading really comfortable, and the screen display was also lovely and sharp and not too reflective or glaring, so that will be nicer on the eyes when reading before I go to bed. 
The other thing that surprised me, was just how robust the Fire 7 felt, not flimsy at all, and nowhere near as heavy as an iPad (at least the older versions). In fact, I couldn't help but draw many comparisons to the iPad, which costs hundreds of pounds, and seeing what this device had to offer for a fraction of the cost. Technology really has come such a long way to be able to get a device that seems akin to an iPad, but for £29.99!! Even at its regular price of £49.99 it still seems like an incredible device for all that it can do. 
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The setup was ridiculously easy. Notifications on the screen talked me through everything, including how to click home, and how to swipe back and forth and how to work Alexa. It already knew my name because it had connected with my Prime account (which you can try for free for 30 days by the way in case you aren't familiar with it), and as soon as I logged in, all of the free cozy mystery books I've been downloading were on my Kindle app, along with my Amazon Prime movies, television programmes, and Audible audiobooks. 

It surprised me to find that there were also games, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Netflix, and loads of other apps, much like I might have on my iPhone or like you would have on an iPad. And even better still, it has Alexa, something I've been wanting to get since it first came out, and which can be connected to the lighting in my future home one day, and other technology to be controlled by voice command. 
If you want to check out the Kindle Fire 7 for yourself, I'll post the links here:

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I also bought Nancy Cohen's 'Writing the Cozy Mystery' which I'm really enjoying so far.

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And my long time favourite candle, especially for Christmas and winter feels, the Yankee Candle: Candy Cane Lane which always makes me feel happy when I'm writing my next cozy mystery book

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Free Cozy Mystery Books
Kindle Questions
Cozy Mystery Writing Books for Authors
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Free Cozy Mystery Books for Today

19/11/2018

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Here are your free cozy mystery books for today. You don't need to have a Kindle device to access them, just the free app which you can download to your mobile phone, laptop, iPad, or computer. That's it. (Download the free Kindle app here: US  UK  CA  DE  AU  IT  IN  FR  ES  NL  MX  JA).

If you love audiobooks, then you can often download the audiobook version of your chosen book for a huge discount at the same time as you download your free Kindle book on Amazon, so be sure to check out the related audiobooks on this blog post below. You can find even more cozy mystery audio books here​.  

PLEASE REMEMBER WHEN DOWNLOADING YOUR BOOKS FROM AMAZON, THAT THEY WERE FREE AT THE TIME OF ME WRITING THIS BLOG POST AND THAT THE AUTHORS MAY END THE PROMOTIONS AND CHANGE THE PRICE AT ANY TIME. IF YOU SEE A BOOK YOU WANT, GRAB IT NOW RATHER THAN WAIT BECAUSE THE FREE OFFER COULD END WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. 

WANT TO THANK THE AUTHOR FOR MAKING THEIR BOOK AVAILABLE FOR FREE? GIVE THEM A FOLLOW ON AMAZON, AND LEAVE THE BOOK A REVIEW TO HELP OUT OTHER READERS BROWSING THAT BOOK.  
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Audiobook Add Ons

If you love audiobooks, or want to make use of the Whispersync function on your Kindle so that you can alternate between reading and listening to your new Kindle book, then it's well worth checking out the free and discounted options for the audiobooks. There are several ways to do this, so choose the one that best suits your needs.

​When you download your free Kindle book at the Amazon checkout, you will often get the option of adding the audiobook for £2.99 (or equivalent currency) instead of the usual £26.99 or however much the book usually costs to download. That could be 10 hours of listening!! Bargain!!

Alternatively, you can make use of Gift codes and get the audiobook for free. I have these for my own cozy mystery books and I make these available to my Free Book Friday mailing list subscribers each week on a first come, first served basis.

If you subscribe to Audible, then you get credits to use on audiobooks each month, and you can make the most of their free trial to see if you like it. They currently have a promotion for Black friday that's worth checking out.   
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Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books
Free Books for Kindle
Weekend Cozy Mystery Reads
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FREE KINDLE BOOK: Bertram Bile Time Travel Adventure Series: The Dead Jester

You can download my Bertram Bile time travel adventure series (set along the River Thames in England) for free between the 17th- 21st November 2018.

I originally wrote this as a middle grade series but it was becoming increasingly popular with the grown ups, so I'm going to be continuing it as a cozy mystery series in the New Year.

This particular story is set on the battlefields of Medieval England.

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​HOW TO GET THE AUDIOBOOK FOR FREE:

I have 50 free gift codes for Free Book Friday mailing list subscribers that you can use to download my Bertram Bile: The Dead Jester audiobook for free. 

You can also get the audiobook discounted at the Amazon checkout when you download the Kindle book for free.

Audible subscribers can get the book free as part of their subscription. You can also sign up for a free three month Audible trial on any of the Audible stores if you haven't done so already.

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Weekend Reads for Free

16/11/2018

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Here are this week's free cozy mystery books to download for the weekend. You don't need to have a Kindle device to access them, just the free app which you can download to your mobile phone, laptop, iPad, or computer. That's it. (Download the free Kindle app here: US  UK  CA  DE  AU  IT  IN  FR  ES  NL  MX  JA).

If you love audiobooks, then you can often download the audiobook version of your chosen book for a huge discount at the same time as you download your free Kindle book on Amazon, so be sure to check out the related audiobooks on this blog post below. You can find even more cozy mystery audio books here.  

PLEASE REMEMBER WHEN DOWNLOADING YOUR BOOKS FROM AMAZON, THAT THEY WERE FREE AT THE TIME OF ME WRITING THIS BLOG POST AND THAT THE AUTHORS MAY END THE PROMOTIONS AND CHANGE THE PRICE AT ANY TIME. IF YOU SEE A BOOK YOU WANT, GRAB IT NOW RATHER THAN WAIT BECAUSE THE FREE OFFER COULD END WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. 

WANT TO THANK THE AUTHOR FOR MAKING THEIR BOOK AVAILABLE FOR FREE? GIVE THEM A FOLLOW ON AMAZON, AND LEAVE THE BOOK A REVIEW TO HELP OUT OTHER READERS BROWSING THAT BOOK.  
Cozy Mystery Book Inspiration on Pinterest
Follow Sarah Jane Weldon on Amazon
Cozy Mystery Book Explorer Group on Facebook
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FREE KINDLE BOOK: Bertram Bile Time Travel Adventure Series: The Dead Jester

You can download my Bertram Bile time travel adventure series (set along the River Thames in England) for free between the 17th- 21st November 2018.

I originally wrote this as a middle grade series but it was becoming increasingly popular with the grown ups, so I'm going to be continuing it as a cozy mystery series in the New Year.

This particular story is set on the battlefields of Medieval England.
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HOW TO GET THE AUDIOBOOK FOR FREE:

I have 50 free gift codes for Free Book Friday mailing list subscribers that you can use to download my Bertram Bile: The Dead Jester audiobook for free. 

You can also get the audiobook discounted at the Amazon checkout when you download the Kindle book for free.

Audible subscribers can get the book free as part of their subscription. You can also sign up for a free three month Audible trial on any of the Audible stores if you haven't done so already.
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Free and Heavily Discounted Audiobook Versions of Your Free Books

If you love audiobooks, or want to make use of the Whispersync function on your Kindle so that you can alternate between reading and listening to your new Kindle book, then it's well worth checking out the free and discounted options for the audiobooks. There are several ways to do this, so choose the one that best suits your needs.
​When you download your free Kindle book at the Amazon checkout, you will often get the option of adding the audiobook for £2.99 (or equivalent currency) instead of the usual £26.99 or however much the book usually costs to download. That could be 10 hours of listening!! Bargain!!

Alternatively, you can make use of Gift codes and get the audiobook for free. I have these for my own cozy mystery books and I make these available to my Free Book Friday mailing list subscribers each week on a first come, first served basis.
If you subscribe to Audible, then you get credits to use on audiobooks each month, and you can make the most of their free trial to see if you like it. They currently have a promotion for Black friday that's worth checking out.   
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I Just Treated Myself to a Kindle Reader for £29.99 for my Birthday!

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I thought I would share this Kindle device with you here, because I just treated myself to one for my birthday today (I wrote a birthday blog post here by the way). I was planning to get myself a Kindle in the New Year and have had my eye on this one for a while, but I noticed that it was discounted in the Black Friday sale on Amazon UK (making it £29.99 instead of £49.99). It's arriving on Monday, so I'll let you know how I get on!! I chose this one because you can also watch movies, access Facebook and other apps, as well as read you books and listen to your audiobooks on it. Oh and it has Alexa which I'm keen to try out. It should help me pass the time when I'm on the film set and on the bus travelling to film jobs. 
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Special Announcement!! Limited Edition, Personally Signed Copies of my New Book 'Dead on Doughnuts' - Deadline to Order is 1st December 2018

To celebrate my birthday and the launch of my publishing company Isla Britannica Books this week, I'm releasing 100 signed copies of my new book 'Dead on Doughnuts' before it comes out to the public on the 1st February 2019. I previously released this book on Amazon and it did very well, getting 4-5 star reviews as I tested the water as a new cozy mystery author. 
Well I've finally saved up enough for an editor and a cover designer, and am re-writing and polishing it to be released on the 1st February 2019 as the first of many cozy mystery books to come. But folks who want to have a special, collector's edition of the print and hardcopy book can place orders before the 1st December at midnight PDT and I'll send them a signed, numbered (1-100) copy of the book just after Christmas as soon as the final print book hits my hands. That means that you get the book over a month before anyone else, and you'll have one of only 100 signed copies of the book as I won't be signing any more of this book after that. Books will be numbered as the orders are placed, so if you are the first person to order, then you'll get the very first copy ever sold and will have the number '1' in your copy. 

There are three options available, prices are in £ because I'm in the UK, but the price will be adjusted to your local currency. The cost includes shipping anywhere in the world. The paperback version is £15 (50 copies available), the hardcopy version is £25 (50 copies available), and the book box containing both the paperback and hardcopy versions (50 available) is £35.  

Dead on Doughnuts Limited Edition, Signed PAPERBACK Edition (includes shipping)

£15.00

To celebrate the launch of Isla Britannica Books and my birthday, I'm releasing 100 limited edition, personally signed copies of my new cozy mystery book 'Dead on Doughnuts' which comes out on the 1st February 2019. This means that you will receive the PAPERBACK version of the book in January before anyone else. Plus your book will be numbered, signed, and marked as one of the first 100 copies. I won't be signing any more 'Dead on Doughnuts' books after this so it will be a collector's special edition.


The price includes shipping worldwide.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COVER IS CURRENTLY BEING DESIGNED SO THIS IMAGE IS JUST A PLACEHOLDER. THE BOOK IS AN EDITED, MUCH IMPROVED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL.


There are 50 copies of the paperback version (£15), 50 copies of the hardback version (£25), and 50 book boxes which contain both the paperback and hardback version (£35).


Orders must be placed before midnight PDT on the 1st December and will be dispatched at the start of January.

Shop

Dead on Doughnuts Limited Edition, Signed HARDCOVER Edition (includes shipping)

£25.00

To celebrate the launch of Isla Britannica Books and my birthday, I'm releasing 100 limited edition, personally signed copies of my new cozy mystery book 'Dead on Doughnuts' which comes out on the 1st February 2019. This means that you will receive the HARDCOVER version of the book in January before anyone else. Plus your book will be numbered, signed, and marked as one of the first 100 copies. I won't be signing any more 'Dead on Doughnuts' books after this so it will be a collector's special edition.


The price includes shipping worldwide.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COVER IS CURRENTLY BEING DESIGNED SO THIS IMAGE IS JUST A PLACEHOLDER. THE BOOK IS AN EDITED, MUCH IMPROVED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL.


There are 50 copies of the paperback version (£15), 50 copies of the hardcover version (£25), and 50 book boxes which contain both the paperback and hardback version (£35).


Orders must be placed before midnight PDT on the 1st December and will be dispatched at the start of January.

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Want to Watch me Write my Next Cozy Mystery Book?

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From Monday the 19th November 2018 you'll be able to watch me write my cozy mystery stories live on YouTube. You can subscribe here if you want to follow my writing progress.

​You can also use the videos if you are an author and want to write with me, like a writing buddy.  
More Free Cozy Mystery Books
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Books
More Cozy Mystery Audiobooks
Weekend Reads
Historical Cozy Mystery Collection
Christmas Cozy Mystery Books
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Happy Birthday to Me!! Cozy Mystery Books

15/11/2018

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A rather self indulgent blog post from me, since I'm not only celebrating my birthday today, but I'm also celebrating the launch of my publishing company Isla Britannica Books, going full time as a cozy mystery author...and an announcing some rather special first editions of my new cozy mystery book Dead on Doughnuts!! But in case you need some more birthday themed books why not take a look at my Pinterest board and see if any of these birthday mysteries take your fancy!!
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Grand Theft Retro isn't especially birthday themed, but it does have a 1970s theme, and since I was born in 1975 I figured it might be fun to add some retro to the birthday collection!!

Help Me to Celebrate My Birthday

You may or may not know that for every copy I sell of my books, a percentage of the royalties is given to my UK registered charity Oceans Project to fund a teen to go on a citizen science expedition with Earthwatch - tagging sharks, protecting coral reefs, working with archaeologists....

Funds are also used to provide free, online, environmental and STEM education to young people aged 5-25 worldwide, in particular those without formal access to school because of things like gender, poverty, war, natural disaster, or disability. This is something I have been doing for free since 2010, reaching over 100,000 young people each year, mainly through Skype in the Classroom. I was even named by Microsoft Education for International Women's Day 2014 as a 'woman changing the world through technology'. 

The charity doesn't generally accept donations as it raises funds through passive income from my books, but to celebrate the launch of Isla Britannica Books, and it being my birthday and first year as a full time author, I've decided to set up an annual birthday fundraiser for anyone who wants to contribute towards the charity's work, to see how many teens we can fund to go on expeditions that will raise their awareness of the environment. You can find out more about the charity here.  
Donate to Sarah's Birthday Fundraiser for Oceans Project on Facebook

Order your Limited Edition, Signed Books Before the 1st December 2018

Dead on Doughnuts Limited Edition, Signed PAPERBACK Edition (includes shipping)

£15.00

To celebrate the launch of Isla Britannica Books and my birthday, I'm releasing 100 limited edition, personally signed copies of my new cozy mystery book 'Dead on Doughnuts' which comes out on the 1st February 2019. This means that you will receive the PAPERBACK version of the book in January before anyone else. Plus your book will be numbered, signed, and marked as one of the first 100 copies. I won't be signing any more 'Dead on Doughnuts' books after this so it will be a collector's special edition.


The price includes shipping worldwide.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COVER IS CURRENTLY BEING DESIGNED SO THIS IMAGE IS JUST A PLACEHOLDER. THE BOOK IS AN EDITED, MUCH IMPROVED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL.


There are 50 copies of the paperback version (£15), 50 copies of the hardback version (£25), and 50 book boxes which contain both the paperback and hardback version (£35).


Orders must be placed before midnight PDT on the 1st December and will be dispatched at the start of January.

Shop

Dead on Doughnuts Limited Edition, Signed HARDCOVER Edition (includes shipping)

£25.00

To celebrate the launch of Isla Britannica Books and my birthday, I'm releasing 100 limited edition, personally signed copies of my new cozy mystery book 'Dead on Doughnuts' which comes out on the 1st February 2019. This means that you will receive the HARDCOVER version of the book in January before anyone else. Plus your book will be numbered, signed, and marked as one of the first 100 copies. I won't be signing any more 'Dead on Doughnuts' books after this so it will be a collector's special edition.


The price includes shipping worldwide.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COVER IS CURRENTLY BEING DESIGNED SO THIS IMAGE IS JUST A PLACEHOLDER. THE BOOK IS AN EDITED, MUCH IMPROVED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL.


There are 50 copies of the paperback version (£15), 50 copies of the hardcover version (£25), and 50 book boxes which contain both the paperback and hardback version (£35).


Orders must be placed before midnight PDT on the 1st December and will be dispatched at the start of January.

Shop
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Setting up a Publishing Business - a Cozy Mystery Author's Journey

15/11/2018

1 Comment

 
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I've been a little bit quiet of late, and it might seem that progress on the writing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) has ground to a halt. But the reality could not be further from the truth. Right now my head is buzzing and I'm working hard to get everything together for the launch of my brand new publishing house Isla Britannica Books Ltd. In today's blog post I thought I might share some of these experiences with you, in case you are pursuing a similar path or are simply curious about how I spend my time outside of the writing. 

Limited Company or Sole Trader? 

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One of the biggest decisions I had to make over the past few weeks was whether to continue working as I was, submitting an annual self employment tax return to HMRC or whether to take the plunge and to set up as a more official business. I didn't need to set up as a company, I'm not earning anywhere near enough, but I knew that psychologically it would be a mental shift and the timing felt right for me to step up my cozy mystery author career.

My initial thought was to be a sole trader (for more on the differences between sole trader and limited company click here). But with all the recent discussions over the trademarking of the word 'cocky' by a romance author, and my longer term goal of buying a forever home, it made more sense to become a limited company and to have my personal assets (including my future home) protected and separate from my business assets. This was spurred on by seeing Irish fashion designer Orla Kiely go into administration after years of success, and then seeing other authors lose money when Amazon suddenly had a glitch and books suddenly disappeared over the past few weeks. Publishing and writing as a business would be potentially volatile, much like any business this day in age. I'm not getting any younger and I did not want to invest everything in my books, only to end up losing my home if things ever went wrong. This might not be the right decision for every author or publisher, but for me it was the right decision.  

I want to be a cozy mystery writer for the rest of my life, and I want to wind down my paid speaking events and my work on film and television productions (unless it involves screenwriting which is something I'd like to do in the future for my books). So my publishing business needs to be diverse, and not reliant on one stream of income.  I'll have to be savvy to make this more robust, especially as my business and all of my works will ultimately be left in my will to fund my charity Oceans Project long after I'm gone. It was a no brainer, I wanted to be a Limited Company. The main downside would be filing a lot more accounts with HMRC and that would cost me more money probably, but it felt like it was worth it for the extra peace of mind (I still have to tackle insurance, but we'll come on to that in a bit).   

As an aside, I'm starting at zero right now, so I have nothing to lose, and I'm working hard for everything I have, so there's no way I am going to put my future assets at risk. In this respect I'm very lucky as a new business owner because I'm not leaving a lucrative career, I don't have a family to support (just my pets), and I currently live in a guesthouse since my landlords decided to sell up the place I rented. It therefore made more sense for me to live in a guesthouse and to save up to buy a house for cash sometime in 2019. That way I don't have to pay utilities and council tax and can instead really focus on building my author and publishing business. I don't earn enough to get loans and credit cards (I don't think I'd use them anyway to be honest), so I have to do everything slowly and steadily, saving up a few pounds each day and doing thinking strategically. This in itself is a good thing in my view. I have had a Paypal business account for more than three months (it doesn't cost any more than a personal account) and in a few more months I should be close to having earnt enough (£9000 is the minimum) to be eligible for Paypal Working Capital. This looks like it would suit me as it would allow me to drawdown funds and these would be repaid from future Paypal income. Since I currently offer author services (Vellum formatting, beta reading, and marketing help) on Fiverr the payments for these go into my Paypal account so any money would soon be paid back from those earnings. If I can get this working capital, then I would plan to use it to buy 1000 ISBNS from Neilsen in bulk because that way the cost works out as £0.94 per ISBN instead of £89 per ISBN and since they don't go out of date, they'd likely last me a lifetime. I'd also look to pay for website hosting upfront rather than monthly, and reducing outgoings by paying for other things once a year instead of per month. I could of course stick to using the free ISBNs on Createspace/KDP but since I'm looking to run this as a long term business and without having all my eggs in one basket, I'd like to make my books available outside of Amazon, so having my own publishing house ISBNs would help me to achieve this.    

Registering with Companies House

With the decision made to be a Limited company, and already knowing what I wanted to call my business - Isla Britannica Books Ltd. (which is named after my Italian Greyhound Isla, partly because she's 13 years old now and I know that one day she won't be around anymore, so this is my little tribute to her and all her hours sat by my side as I write) I scribbled down my logo and had a lady on Upwork create it as a digital version for a few bucks. I read through lots of websites for free about starting up a business and found out from the HMRC website what I would need to set up my business.

The process itself was straightforward enough. I filled in a form online, paid my £12 registration fee, waited a couple of days, then received notification that I was now registered.  I also checked with my accountant about anything I was unclear about. She's an awesome accountant in case you are looking for a UK accountant for your own business or personal accounts.  
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Choosing an Address

When I first moved into the guesthouse back in June I was already in the process of buying a house and didn't expect to be here any longer than a few weeks, but I needed to have an address so that I could forward on any post from my previous address. I already had my accountant Helen and I knew that they offered a service whereby I could pay them a set fee each year and have my mail sent to their address so that they could then forward it on to me (and could use it as my business address - lots of accountants offer this to their clients but it was news to me). This was a lot less than me paying to have a P.O.Box because you had to pay for the year upfront with the post office, so when it came to setting up a registered address for my publishing business I decided to use the accountants address as my registered business address and added the guesthouse address for personal mail. So this isn't costing me any more than what I was already paying, and it means that I can use the address on my newsletter and on any publicly available documents.  To be honest, even if I was in my own home now, I would still use a different address as I wouldn't want people just turning up at my home. That way, if I ever move house again, it will save a lot of paperwork because everything will still go to the accountant.  
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​The other huge benefit from my perspective is that my accountant also has my will and all of my important information, bank codes and wishes for my body in the event of my death. That's because they look after the accounts for the charity I set up (Oceans Project), and I donate a percentage of my royalties each month to my charity, and when I die, all of my assets will go to my charity.  

That gives me peace of mind, that all of my post will go to them first, making life easier for my charity's Trustees later on.

And in case you are interested, when I first thought about becoming a writer, I knew that I wanted my books to be my legacy and to continue funding the work of my charity Oceans Project, but being a UK registered charity meant that the Trustees could theoretically fire me as the CEO any time they wanted, and so I decided that the best thing to do was to keep all of my book rights whilst I was alive, and to then transfer them to the charity upon my death. 
That way I wouldn't lose my branding even after my death (see the example of Enid Blyton as a case of interest). It's worth thinking about what will happen to your books after your death, even if you just want the royalties to continue providing for your family, so I don't think it is ever too soon to think about these things, and will be one less thing for others to worry about later.   
Joanna Penn and M.L.Buchman did a great podcast episode on this topic, not just for writers, but for all creatives, and there is a book and audiobook to refer to as well. Definitely worth checking those out, even if you haven't published any books yet. 

Website Building and Email Addresses

Next on my to do list was to build a website and to set up a professional email address. Not my favourite thing to do, but it was relatively painless and now it is done, it should serve me for a long time to come. I've had websites with Wix, Wordpress, BlueHost, and others before, but the one I prefer for its ease of use is Weebly. It allows you to simply drag and drop and can be set up for free initially. You only start to pay if you want your own branded domain name and any extra features, but it can be paid for monthly, though you will save a little bit if you pay for a year or more at once. 

I built this website on Weebly too. I bought the domain name sarahweldon.co.uk from Go Daddy first before I even started building the site. (I also bought islabritannicabooks.com). I would have preferred the .com for my author website but it had already gone. If I had kids right now or nieces and nephews and wanted a christening gift for them, to be honest I think I would buy them their own domain name so that it then belonged to them in the future. And I would buy it for them in .co.uk and all the other versions too!! Nothing worse than ending up with a more complex domain name because your name has already gone.

I then built the website over a few hours, and then upgraded so I could add my own domain name. I built all three websites as my charity's site was ready for a fresh look and I wanted to move it back from Wix. At the moment I'm paying between $8-$18 dollars a month per website for the hosting and domain names, but as and when funds allow, I plan to pay for these in one go because it will reduce the costs, and once my business bank account is set up I want to get all of my outgoings to leave my account on the 1st of the month, rather than random dates. This will help me to keep my accounting as simple as possible. 

I then needed to set up my email so it looked professional. I had looked at buying the email address from Go Daddy at the same time I bought the domain name, but since I use Gmail for my emails I found it really complicated and frustrating to set up the email address redirection. In the end I signed up for a free trial of Google Suite, and will then be paying £6.99 a month (I think it was?). This gave me the email address I wanted office@islabritannicabooks.com and was set up in seconds. I would have been paying for the email address on a monthly basis from GoDaddy anyway, and though it might work out slightly more expensive each month, I didn't mind because it was the simplest way to set things up. Plus everything else was waiting on me setting up the email address before I could move on.  

Opening a Business Bank Account

I tried to open a business bank account online twice before, but nothing ever came of it. I then had an appointment to see the bank to set up the account, but then discovered that I could only set up the Sole Trader bank account in branch, but not the limited company one. So they gave me a phone number to call. 

I then called and spent a long time on hold, eventually getting to just before 5pm when they shut down for the day. On my second attempt, I got through but discovered that I had to wait three days after registering as a company before I could set up the account. Finally, I called and went through the whole application over the telephone. It took about thirty minutes and because I was already a customer with Lloyds bank, I didn't need to take any extra documents to the local branch. I now have to wait to see if the application is approved which could take about 10 days before I hear back. This is probably the most frustrating part of setting up as a business for now. Everything else has to wait until this stage is gone through.

The next part of the process is probably going to be the hardest part of the transition for me. Right now I get paid on a daily basis for my author services and I live hand to mouth from one day to the next. This transition will be made a lot easier if I can get an overdraft facility on the account because it would mean that I could set up all of my outgoings to go out from that business account on the 1st of the month and that all money coming in would also go to that account instead of my personal account. The tricky part is that I've never really had a salary, but will now have to set up payroll so that I get paid a set amount every month regardless of how much or little goes into the account. This is the scary part. I need to cover the guesthouse rent and I need to change the timings of everything. But nothing can happen until the account is set up, I may or may not get a debit card, the charges will be huge if I go overdrawn, and I don't know if I'll be able to get an overdraft to help me as a buffer whilst I transfer everything to that account.   

Other Business Expenses

There are other costs to take into consideration as well. The bank account will be free to use for the first 18 months but then there will be a charge of about £6 a month. I also need to set up payroll, and will need to invest in some accounting software. Thankfully my accountant provides access to such software (Quickbooks is one) for about £6 a month, and they will also be able to submit the second tax form as I wasn't able to do this online myself so far. These are all little amounts that will soon add up that I wouldn't have if I ran things as a Sole Trader, but if I expect that my income will increase in time, the books I publish, then setting things up from the get go will make my life easier in the future.

I still have a lot to learn, but it's a really exciting journey so far!!! 
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Picked to Death - Cozy Mystery Books for National Pickle Day!

14/11/2018

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All of the books you might want in your collection for National Pickle Day (14th November). Follow the Pickle themed Cozy Mystery Book board on Pinterest here for even more suggestions!
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Pickle Themed Cozy Mystery Audiobooks 

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Free Cozy Mystery Books to Download for Kindle
More Culinary Cozy Mystery Books
Celebrate the National Days with a Cozy Mystery Book or Two
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Cozy Mystery Books for National (Spicy) Guacamole Day

14/11/2018

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It turns out that today (the 14th November) is National Spicy Guacamole Day, so here are some cozy mystery books, just perfect for the occasion to enjoy as a side dish to your celebrations!
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Explore More Culinary Cozy Mystery Books Here
Explore More National Day Cozy Mystery Books Here
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Weekend Reads for Free

9/11/2018

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​Here are your weekend reads, all of which are on free promotion at the time of writing this, but as always PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK THE PRICE BEFORE CONFIRMING as prices are subject to changes and authors may decide to raise their price at any time. This lot should keep your reading glasses busy for the week ahead! One or two may be borderline cozy mystery but they looked so tantalizing that I just couldn't resist adding them to the collection. Be sure to check out this month's historical cozy mystery collection here for more themed books that you can download for free.   

Not sure how to get free books for Kindle, or don't have the free Kindle app or a device, check out this blog post here. It's not as tricky as you might think, and all you need is the free app on your laptop, computer, or phone.

If you still need more cozy mystery books in your life, you might enjoy my Pinterest board to help you pick your next book, and I post new books on free promotion in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook, and in the Free Book Friday newsletter. 
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Bertram Bile: The Ghostly Ship

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Not a cozy mystery, but I will be turning this series into a cozy mystery series in the next few months. Free to download between the 10th November - 14th November 2018 from midnight PMT (7am GMT).

This is the story of how the River Thames got it's name and its source. A tale of a magician, and two brothers. A middle-grade time travel adventure, equally enjoyed by grown ups.
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DOWNLOAD THE AUDIOBOOK FOR FREE

You can get this book for free on Audible if you sign up for a 30 day trial free of charge. Alternatively you can use the free codes in my Free Book Friday Newsletter to get this or any other book you fancy, for free. You just need to type the code in at the bottom of the page on Audible where it says 'Redeem Gift Code'. Then use that credit to cover the ebook purchase. 
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Free Audio Books

Don't forget that you can use your Free Book Friday Audiobook codes to download any book that you like for free from your country's Audible store. All you need to do is to redeem your gift code at the bottom of the page on Audible, pick your book, then use your credit to cover the purchase cost. Here are some cozy mystery books you might want to use your credit for. If you already own the Kindle books (which you can get for free) then you will also be eligible for discount when purchasing the audiobook version. Many of these are Whispersync for Voice Ready, which means you can have your Kindle read the book to you, or swap between reading yourself and having your Kindle read the next section. Try A Charming Crime if you want to give it a go.  
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6 hrs 37 mins
£16.00 or free with your credit
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7 hrs 26 mins
£19.42 (£2.99 with Kindle) free with credit
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6 hrs 58 mins
£16.00 (£2.99 with Kindle) or free with credit
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9 hrs 20 mins
£16.44 or free with credit
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1 hr 47 mins
£4.65 or free with credit
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5 hrs 28 mins
£16.00 (£2.99 with Kindle) or free with credit
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9 hrs 13 mins
£13.10 or free with credit
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7 hrs 15 mins
£15.30 (£2.99 with Kindle book) or free with credit
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4 hrs 52 mins
£12.68 (£2.99 with Kindle book) free with credit
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10 hrs 16 mins
£15.74 or free with credit
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8 hrs 24 mins
£12.68 or free with credit
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8 hrs 49 mins
£12.59 (£2.99 with Kindle) or free with credit
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10 hrs 22 mins
£20.03 or free with credit
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£3.40 or free with credit
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3 hrs 45 mins
£10.14 or free with credit
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10 hrs 20 mins
​£17.32 or free with credit
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4 hrs 51 mins
£10.40 or free with credit
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8 hrs 21 mins
£15.74 or free with credit
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6 hrs 4 mins
£13.55 or free with credit

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8 hrs 34 mins
£16.44 or free with credit
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£3.23 or free with credit
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6 hrs 39 mins
£13.82 or free with credit
More Free Cozy Mystery Books
Guy Fawkes (Bonfire) Night Collection
Museum Mysteries Collection
Agatha Christie Collection
More Weekend Reads
Antiques Collection
Hot New Releases for Christmas
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Collection
Audiobook Collections
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Agatha Christie Cozy Mystery Books

6/11/2018

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Technically, Agatha Christie can't really be included under the heading of Historical Cozy Mysteries because the books were not written at least 50 years after the time period she was writing about. But not to include her in our celebration of historical cozy mystery books would just seem like blasphemy given that Christie is considered the Queen of the Mysteries. The technical term for Agatha Christie's books would really be 'classics' but they certainly give us some insight into the time in which she wrote. Not all of her books are cozy mystery, since they are really crime thrillers, but I'm going to break my own rules and include some of them anyway - such a rebel I know! If you want to explore more of Agatha Christie's books and wonderful book covers, check out my Pinterest board here. 

Inspector Poirot Cozy Mystery Books

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Miss Marple Cozy Mystery Books

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Free Agatha Christie Audiobooks

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15 hrs 7 mins
$34.22
Free with Your Credit
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15 hrs 37 mins
$34.11
Free with Your Credit
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28 hrs 8 mins
$29.44
Free with Your Credit
Every Friday I include free audiobook codes in my Free Book Friday mailing list for you to use to download any book you like from Audible in the UK, US, Germany, or France. You can also get the books on your 30 day free trial if you aren't already a member. What would be super cool, is that you leave a review on whatever book it is that you listen to, as this will really help future readers and help me to acquire more free codes from Audible that I can pass on to you. Need more audiobook suggestions, check out my blog post here or for more Agatha Christie audio books click here.  

Agatha Christie Crime Thrillers

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More Historical Cozy Mystery Books

Free Historical Cozy Mysteries
Museum Cozy Mysteries
Free Cozy Mystery Books
Weekend Reads
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Collection
Antiques Cozy Mysteries
Guy Fawkes (Bonfire Night) Mysteries
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Cozy Mystery Books for your 5th November Guy Fawkes (Bonfire) Night

5/11/2018

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Remember, remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot.....if you grew up in the UK then these words will be etched on your brain forever from history lessons as a child - Guy Fawkes and his plan to blow up London's House of Lords on the 5th November 1605. But more likely, will be memories of bonfire night festivities, the smell of bonfires on chilly nights, hot soup, and treacle (bonfire) toffee you could break your teeth on, and the sky filled with explosions and crowds murmuring oohs and ahhs at the pretty colours. Well, I think I just found a little niche for cozy mystery writers, as there aren't a whole lot of cozy mystery books based on bonfire night, so I'm going to set myself a little challenge and try and write one for you for next year, because it seems like the ideal time and location for a cozy murder mystery to take place!! If I can find enough other cozy authors to write with me, then who knows, there might even be a book filled with stories for all your favourite writers!! Now that would be really cool. And you can never have enough cozy mystery books - right?

FYI, a little fact you might not know about me. I was recently filmed over the space of a year for a television series based on the American and Irish 'Genealogy Roadshow' looking at my love of ice swimming (it's not been on TV yet, but will be on Channel 4 in England). Well, there were two little children there on one of the filming days, and they discovered that they were descendants of Guy Fawkes himself. That has to be a bonus when you're at primary school in England, imagine being able to get one up on your teacher in a lesson about your relative! 

Anyhow, here is a little collection of loosely themed Guy Fawkes /Bonfire Night cozy mystery books that I found for the occasion so I hope that you enjoy them. They may or may not be bordering on the 'cozy mystery' genre, but let's see how you get on. In the meantime, I've put together a Pinterest board of Bonfire (Guy Fawkes Night) books and you can download this month's historical cozy mystery collection absolutely free of charge from here. Be sure to join us in the Facebook Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group if you need more cozies in your life.     

Gunpowder Plot by Carola Dunn was the closest I could find. Set during the annual Guy Fawkes Night fireworks display on the 5th November 1924 at Edge Manor in the Cotswolds, England. 

In Reggiecide by Chris Dolley, Guy Fawkes is reanimated and brought back to life in a steampunk-esque story. 
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Free Historical Cozy Mysteries
Museum Cozy Mysteries
Free Cozy Mystery Books
Weekend Reads
Free Historical Cozy Mystery Collection
Antiques Cozy Mysteries
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Weekend Reads for Free

3/11/2018

0 Comments

 
Here are your weekend reads, all of which are on free promotion at the time of writing this, so knock yourself out....

Not sure how to get free books for Kindle, or don't have the free Kindle app or a device, check out this blog post here. It's not as tricky as you might think, and all you need is the free app on your laptop, computer, or phone. 
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If you still need more book inspiration, check out some pretty cozy covers on my Pinterest boards, and feel free to join the conversation over in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook. Oh and there's Free Book Friday too! That lot should keep you out of mischief for a while. 
MORE FREE COZY MYSTERY BOOKS TO DOWNLOAD
MORE COZY MYSTERY WEEKEND READS
HOT NEW COZY MYSTERY BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS
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Marvellous Museum Mysteries

3/11/2018

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As part of this month's historical cozy mystery collection, I thought I would share with you all the marvellous mystery books with a museum theme. There were too many to feature here, so I hope you'll enjoy checking out even more on my Pinterest board. If you want to see more historical cozy mystery pins then click here. 

In the meantime, enjoy these museum themed books, and don't forget to download this month's free historical cozy mystery books. If you want to get even more involved, please do come and say hello in our Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook. 
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I had to mention this one too, as I spotted it whilst searching for museum themed cozy mystery books. Due to be released on the 23rd April 2019. 
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FREE HISTORICAL COZY MYSTERY BOOKS
ANTIQUES COZY MYSTERY BOOKS
FREE BOOKS FROM THE HISTORICAL COZY MYSTERY BOOK COLLECTION
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Antiques and Antiquities Cozy Mystery Books

2/11/2018

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As part of historical cozy mystery month, I thought we would showcase some antiques today. There are some very prolific writers in this category and it was hard to decide which books to chose, so I really hope you will check out the authors and see their whole collection of books. They really are stunning. 

If you need more free historical mystery books in your life, here are this month's books to download for free, and my Pinterest board featuring loads of lovely book covers to wet your appetite. 
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If you want the heads up on more cozy mystery book freebies, come and join us in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook or sign up to my mailing list. ​
Historical Cozies to Download for Free
Historical Cozy Mystery Book Free Collection to Download
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NaNoWriMo Progress - Day 2

2/11/2018

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Day 2 of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) started off early for me, as I was woken by my dog at 5 am wanting to go out for a pee. It seemed a bit pointless trying to go back to sleep when my alarm was set for 6am, so I instead used the time to catch up on some social media, to pin some new cozy mystery books on boards on Pinterest, to finish a few little jobs for publishing clients, and to get in a few minutes on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT).

It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and the walk to the local Starbucks certainly got me in the mood for work. Plenty of sunshine and the first signs of frost on the ground. Unfortunately for my dog, I hadn't quite realised the outside temperature so didn't put her jacket on her, but she didn't seem too bothered by the chill in the air.
I was hoping to get a chai latte with my AMT points today, but the app/gift card reader was out of service and I didn't have cash on me, so came back drink-less. I did notice the red cups and the new Christmas drinks menu up, giving me plenty of opportunities to try out new drinks each morning as a nice incentive for getting up early to write. I'm expecting the machine to be out of action for a while, but we'll see what happens tomorrow. It's the easiest way for me to get up and about in the morning and to get into a writing habit.  
Back at the guesthouse, I managed to get my room cleaned, pets sorted, had breakfast and a shower, meaning that I was all set to sit down and work by 7am. I had originally planned to do my Pomodoro method timed writing sprints first, but instead ended up doing a bit of client work, answering emails, sorting my accounts, and finalising things with my new narrator who will begin work on my audiobooks on a 50:50 royalty split on ACX mid December. So I'm super excited about that.
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Yesterday I found some music on YouTube that tickled my fancy, with a bit of a Halloween theme and I ended up listening to that as I worked, which kept up my motivation. See what you think. Not quite sure how I ended up with it in my feed, but it was perfect for my mood, and for Historical cozy mystery month!!!

1960s playlist
1920s playlist
By lunchtime, I was feeling a bit sleepy and was struggling to keep my eyes open, so I grabbed a power nap for 20 minutes and woke up feeling ready for work again. Something I've really noticed is that when I eat frozen fruit before bed, I don't feel sleepy and my mood is much better the following day, but when I don't eat my frozen fruit (especially blueberries) I always end up sleepy and a bit deflated the following day. This has happened a few times now, so I think it's definitely something I need to incorporate into my daily routine if I'm going to be a better and more productive writer. This is especially important since I'm living at the guesthouse and not in my own place as I'm eating very differently to how I normally would, and my daily routine is all over the place. NaNoWriMo is really going to help me to develop some better writing habits. 
I wasn't too worried about flipping my day around today as I just did my writing sprints after lunch instead of in the morning, and since I was just going through an already written book, to get it ready to send to Kit my new editor, I didn't need to be in my writing zone so much. But I will need to get back into this tomorrow when I begin writing proper again and start on a new cozy mystery book. I found two cozy mystery book covers that I love, so I'm using these as inspiration now I'm getting ready to get mine done professionally. They both appealed to me on for different reasons.  
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The evening was equally busy, I worked on some things for clients, and putting today's blog posts together now, and I like to get my Free Book Friday newsletter out by 11pm my time (4pm in the US). I'm feeling very happy with progress so far, and definitely starting to see some rewards - new followers on Pinterest, new members of the Facebook group, and an average of 100 or more new mailing list subscribers each day off the back of the Prolifick Works historical cozy mystery free book promotion. I hope that this will lead up to a very successful relaunch of my books come December. I'm putting aside £1 a day towards the purchase of the ISBNS in December, and I need to set up my publishing website, and revamp my charity's website (I had the Charity Commission annual report deadline to meet too, but that's all done now, which is a relief until this time next year again).  
That's pretty much it from me for today as a new cozy mystery author and NaNoWriMo participant. Feel free to add me as a writing buddy if you want some moral support, and if you have any questions at all about my writing or routine or publishing things, feel free to ask in the comments section below. I'm new to this myself but I'm learning something every day, and I'm more than happy to pass on these things to others. 
I've got three main goals for NaNoWriMo Day 3 and these are:
  • to complete 6 writing sprints of 25 minutes each for my next book
  • to take Saturday evening off with a pizza, salad, and garlic bread as a treat (I'm awful at taking time off, but I find it does improve my productivity).
  • to listen to a cozy mystery audiobook on my phone by Adele Abbott that I downloaded for free from Audible as part of a free trial. One of the best ways for me to improve my own writing, is to read as many books by other cozy mystery authors as I can, and to see what works and what doesn't work for me as a reader. I decided to go with the audiobook because I can listen to this in bed at night, since I spend so many hours a day in front of a screen and don't yet have a lightweight Kindle device to read on.   
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Historical Cozy Mystery Books that you can Download for Free Right Now

1/11/2018

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This month we are celebrating and exploring historical cozy mystery books from Agatha Christie, to Steampunk, Victorian, antiques shops, World Wars I and II, Jane Austen, Downton Abbey style, and more. Starting with a collection of books that are currently on the bestseller list on Amazon and which you can download for free right now. FYI, each book is on a different promotion and I have no control over when the end dates are for each book, so if you see one you want, grab it now whilst you can.

If you need more free historical mystery books in your life, here are this month's books to download for free, and my Pinterest board featuring loads of lovely book covers to wet your appetite. 
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ARCHAEOLOGIST
​HISTORIAN

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ANTIQUES
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VICTORIAN
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VICTORIAN
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MAYAN​
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MEDIEVAL
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VICTORIAN
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VINTAGE​
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If you want the heads up on more cozy mystery book freebies, come and join us in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer group on Facebook or sign up to my mailing list. 
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Day 1 of NaNoWriMo: Progress So Far!

1/11/2018

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I know a lot of you are taking part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November, so I thought I would share my own progress for day 1, in case there are any tips or tricks that might help you out as well, or perhaps you can share your tips and tricks to help me grow too. If you want to know more about NaNoWriMo before you read any further, then check out my blog post here, and please do feel free to add me as a writing buddy if you fancy some moral support along the way.
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Progress So Far

My first day has gone pretty well so far, but I should confess that I'm cheating a lot, only because this is my second year taking part and my personal goal was to use NaNoWriMo to take my writing (and publishing) up a level as I want this to be my full time profession. With that in mind, my word count isn't reflective of new words written, but of old words that I've gone back through to improve on, ready to send off for editing. 
I wrote my first cozy mystery book 'Dead on Doughnuts' a little over a month ago, and though I was fairly happy with it, I always felt like it (and my readers) deserved more. I think this is reflected in the reviews which said that my story was brilliant, but that I needed a better proofreader because there were so many typos. Given that I wrote and published this book fairly quickly, without the funds for cover designs or editing, and that I wrote it during an incredibly stressful time, I'll take those reviews with pride, in fact they are so much more positive than I could ever have hoped for, That book was my learning book, the one which proved to me that I could write in the genre, that I loved writing in the genre, and that there would be people eager to read my books. That gave me the confidence boost and self belief that I needed to make the leap, and now I'm ready to take my time, and to do things properly, as and when funds allow. This starts with finding an editor and a cover designer.   
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So NaNoWrimo was about going through each book I've written, and making sure that I was happy enough with it to send it to my first proper editor Kit. It will take a while to get it edited, and I've literally had to save up with just a single £1 each day, but it feels like an important step up to me. My plan is to do this for each book, and to have proper covers professionally designed so that my books look more branded. I'm also planning to save up to buy my own ISBN numbers. I have a couple of books from my middle-grade fiction series, and a romantic comedy that I'm going to try and re-write as cozies, so that all of my books are then cozy mysteries. 

Establishing a Routine - Pomodoro Method

Whilst each book goes off for editing, I'll be focused on getting down new words, for new books each day, but with the goal of getting myself into an established routine, so that it becomes second nature and that I continue to write every single day for a minimum number of hours, no matter where I am or what I am doing. This is going to be crucial if I want to be a professional cozy mystery writer. To help me with this I'm trying out the Pomodoro method of setting the NaNoWriMo word sprint timer for 25 minutes at a time, and then seeing how many words I can get down before the timer goes off. At the end of each 25 minute session, I have 5 minutes to stretch, nip to the toilet, and to get anything out of my system that might be distracting me - checking Facebook or emails for example. I'd like to get to the point where I have 6 sessions like that per day - giving me 2.5 hours of writing time per day minimum. I have to say, this worked like a dream for me this morning, and after a few days of establishing this as a habit, I think it will be life changing. This is also going to be a big improvement in looking after myself mentally and physically after sitting for long periods of time the past few months.    

An Early Start

My alarm was set for 6am because I'm staying in a guesthouse whilst I save up to buy a place of my own, so finding quietness can be a bit of a challenge, but mornings are generally the quietest. As it happened, my cat decided to wake me up at 5.30 am and once I was up, I knew that resting my eyes for a few more minutes before the alarm went off would be a bad move. So instead, I checked my emails, and spent a few minutes filling in a survey on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). If you struggle with a low income like I do, then I can certainly recommend AMT as you get paid for doing really quick and simply tasks. I spent no more than 2 minutes filling in a survey for a PhD student and was rewarded with $6 of credit on Amazon.com. If you are based in India or the US then you can be paid in cash, but if like me you are in the UK, you can only get paid in Amazon.com credits. I use my credits for two things, firstly to save up and buy things like laptops or iPhones which ship to the UK for not too much extra in postage, or more commonly, I use my credits to buy Starbucks gift vouchers which I then upload to an app on my phone. That funds my Starbucks habit, plus with the app, every 15 drinks, you get one for free, plus another one free on your birthday, and you get to try out all the new drinks like Christmas ones before they go on general sale. 

Free Starbucks

So just before 6am, I walked to Starbucks with my dog (our local branch is dog friendly so I do write there from time to time), and she was delighted to get a free 'puppuccino' whilst I (working my way through the entire menu) decided to get an iced green tea lemonade today. Even better, the machine was down so I ended up getting my drink on the house. A quick walk back home, prized my dog from a dodgy old kebab she found on the floor, and I was back in my room at the guesthouse, drink in hand, ready for my day. A quick breakfast and shower, room tidy, and by 6.30am I was already on my first 25 minute word sprint. 

Nap Time

By mid morning and having gone through all of my first book, I was feeling a bit sleepy, so I took a quick power nap, had some lunch, and began work on some Vellum formatting and other little projects for clients. This actually worked out well, as the guesthouse owners often clean the rooms of the other guests in the afternoon and it's the hardest time of the day for me to get my concentration.

New Stationary

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Yesterday I decided to treat myself, ready for my fresh start as a writer today, so I splashed out on a fancy Leuchtturm notebook and a Parker fountain pen - I've not used one of those since I was at middle school, so it was nostalgic to try writing with  one again. This will help me to keep track of my progress and as a go-to whenever I feel like I'm not making headway. 

​With my Amazon Prime membership it meant that this arrived next day (today) even though I only ordered it late last night. Now I feel like I can really appreciate my journey and focus on my goals. 

I definitely have a psychological thing when it comes to stationary, especially when it feels posh as this reminds me that I'm striving for a life of new things, and the only way to reach that goal is to get my words done each day. 
On the whole, I'm really pleased with how day 1 of NaNoWrimo went, even if it isn't the norm, but in a few days from now, I'd like to see myself sitting down of a morning and doing writing sprints on new books. I've got my eye on my dream home for April 2019, and I want to do everything I can to raise the money I need to buy it, so chipping away at things each and every day will be the best way to reach that goal. I usually find the starting part the most difficult, so my plan is to wake up early, hit Starbucks to try out a new drink each day, by which time, I should be in the writing mindset and habit of coming home and sitting down to work.  

How are You Getting on So Far?

I would love to know how you are getting on with your NaNoWriMo, so please do share your experiences in the comments section below. 
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