Peggy Mullins "Everybody Loves Ika: One Woman's Memoir Of Her Dog, An American Pit Bull Terrier"

     

"Everybody Loves Ika" available on Amazon, Kindle, and Barnes & Noble. Like Ika's Facebook page! Order an autographed copy from the author's website.

A Note From Barbara, Book Talk Host:

     I hesitated to post a book today, July 4th, because so many are out enjoying the day. Then I decided what better book to showcase than a memoir about an all American dog!  "Everybody Loves Ika" is not only a love story to this beloved pet, but an introduction into the cruel and unspeakable world of dog fighting. It is the author's memoir of healing.

     I don't usually  do reviews on this site, but I loved this book, and memoirs are my favorites. Then you toss in a dog and I'm hooked!

     The first chapter was difficult, for if you don't know the world of dog fighting, it is shocking.  We hear about it, but most of us don't have a clue how hellish it is.

     Peggy Mullins has written a memoir, not only about her life, her beloved dog, but the world of horses. She is an expert horsewoman, dog owner, and an amazing writer.

The Book:

   Abandoned carelessly by her birth mother, Peggy Mullins grew up in a hellish adoptive home with distant, abusive parents who found every opportunity to damp out the tiny glimmers of happiness she managed to cling to in such a cold environment. After surviving two disastrous marriages, struggling to finally earn her degree in psychology, and starting her own marketing business, Peggy found herself emotionally devastated.

     Ika, a beautiful Pit Bull Terrier pup, was spared at the last moment from being born into a similarly hellish life—one where dogs were viciously abused for pleasure, sport, and profit. Though his mother and many of his siblings didn’t make it out of their gruesome home alive, Ika survived thanks to the skilled and compassionate work of a quick-thinking vet and a few big-hearted volunteers.

     In time, Ika found his way to Peggy, who would give him a loving, permanent home in which he would thrive. In return, Ika would teach Peggy the kindness, patience, and unconditional love that had long been absent from her life. In addition to Ika, she acquires several horses, all with their own unique and entertaining personalities that she details warmly in these pages.

     Along with the surprising affection of a special man and a spectacular family of animals, Peggy’s book poignantly guides readers through her difficult journey toward healing and peace.

From The Author, Why I wrote the book:

      There are few things I detest in life. Of the few, the two at the top of my list are animal abuse and prejudice. Any kind of prejudice.

       I wrote “Everybody Loves Ika” because I detest dog fighting and because I know the bad reputation Pit Bull Terriers have in the public eye due to the media coverage they receive. I want to educate people about the horrors that go on in the pit when dogs are forced to fight. My book depicts just how cruel and inhumane it is. It shows the reader the treatment these dogs get before and after a fight. If they live.

       I would like to change people’s minds about this breed also. Pit Bulls are really gentle, loving, and devoted dogs if raised in a nice environment.

       My book addresses these issues, and many more, through the true story of Ika’s life.  The book has something for everyone whether you are a dog lover or not. It is my hope that the words I have written on its pages cause people to take a renewed look at animal cruelty and the breed called the Pit Bull Terrier.  -- Peggy Mullins

About the Author:

Peggy Mullins, B.A. Psychology, George Mason University, lives in Virginia with her husband and has a deep love for horses and dogs. She works as a freelance writer, and "Everybody Loves Ika" is her first book.

Visit the author's website. Keep up with Ika's adventures on his blog. You can contact Peggy Mullins by e-mail.

  

Colorado Fires and Back To The Books Update

On June 26th, I published a post about Jon Renaud and Back to the Books, a shop in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in the shadows of Pikes Peak, dedicated to selling only self-published authors. Jon opened his shop this year. You can view it here . Little did I realize as I was posting about the shop, the shop was in harm's way because of  the horrible fires in Colorado.

When I caught the news later that night, I wrote to Jon to see how he was affected by the fires.


This was his reply:

My home and family are safe but the store was shut down for several days. Yes, the fire got very close and gave us a scare but it looks like the worst of it has passed. We are back open; however, the fires have run all of the tourists out of town so now we are wondering how the summer season is going to go.

Jon Renaud
Owner/Author
Back to the Books
http://www.backtothebooks.net/


My heart went out to Jon who is trying to do so much for self-published authors. I asked if I could share his note as an update. I also want to send a plea out to all authors to show Jon your support (my idea, not his) and visit his online shop. Please pass the word around you can buy books online, so if the tourist season does not come back, perhaps the online shop will keep Jon in business.

He has a wonderful plan in place (before the fire) to sell books on a low comission basis in his shop. I was going to send him several copies of my book, then I got distracted. Now I think I'll send a few comp copies he can sell and not worry about my cut. I'd like to do what I can to support this one-of-a-kind book shop that supports the independent author. I am going to check his online store and buy a book or two.

Perhaps you would like to contact Jon and offer your support in some way.

As authors we need to help each other! Jon's e-mail address is foxxgrp@gmail.com

Visit Back to the Books online shop at http://www.bttbonline.net/.

Please pass this post on to all the authors you know!


 

Scott Thompson "Young Men Shall See"

Available on Amazon and Kindle and your local book stores.

Scott is a winner of the Great American Novel contest, from Tag Publishing, for 2010.

The Book:

Sometimes peace means silence,and justice means murder.

Life for Gus Ambrose in the small community of River Falls, Georgia, is a constant struggle to seek wild adventure, understand the mystery of love and escape the pervasive boredom of high school. On the surface, River Falls is a peaceful and perfect world - a mix of quaint southern charm, happiness and safety. But the scars of the past have a way of working their way to the surface and slamming headlong into the present, shattering innocence and revealing the worst humanity has to offer.

Reviews on Amazon:

"The author describes the characters and scenes in a way that make them vidid enough to allow the reader to visualize the person and the scene that is taking place."

"Scott has a beautiful way of telling the story of 4 teens during their senior year of high school in 1980's Georgia."

"The book was written with such detail and emotion that I felt like I was with the main character Gus during this coming of age story. I found myself unable to put the book down, I had to find out what was going to happen next."

From the author:

Places, Characters, and Introverted Writers

Often my stories start out with real places, people, and events, but quickly become their own.  I like to write about what I know and to learn more about what I care about through my writing, always hoping that I might help others learn more in the process.  Writing is a solitary endeavor, but, often, is eventually shared where it is digested by others.  My novel, Young Men Shall See, is a coming of age story that takes place in River Falls, Georgia, in 1989 and 1990.  The story follows several teenagers through their senior year in high school.  This story of teenage misadventure changes when they encounter hate, political corruption, and eventually death.  They are faced with decisions that challenge everything they know, or thought, to be true.

When I write about a place, like River Falls, it is often based on a real place.  River Falls is based on my hometown of Newnan, Georgia.  When I was growing up this was a fairly small town that has exploded since I left for college over twenty years ago.  I could have used Newnan as the town, but chose to create a fictional place so that I could change the setting as needed to fit the story.  This gave me more flexibility and also allowed me to let the town become a character all its own.

Creating characters in stories is something that must be done delicately, and even though I often start with real people, the characters become their own quickly.  A character may start out 90% of the person it is based on, but by the time the character lives, they are almost completely unique and different.  Every character has a bit of me, as well as several other people, and by the time a character speaks their first words they are as unique as a child is from his parents.  There are parts of the parents in the child, but ultimately the child is his own person.

About Me:

           Like many writers I’m something of an introvert.  Writing is the perfect pursuit for introverts as it allows many hours of solitude with one’s thoughts.  It provides hours to sit quietly, dream, and create.  It can be very rewarding.  Many writers never chose to publish and simply enjoy the process of creating, but those of us that do publish become authors.  As an author you have to go against everything that is natural to introverts to promote your work.  Even the sub-head above titled About Me goes against my natural tendencies because it feels a bit egotistical.  But promotion is necessary, and there are rewards in book promotion when authors look for them.  Rewards like meeting new people; discussing books with other bibliophiles; and having others read and appreciate your writing, even if there’s always the possibility that some will not like your work. 

            Where I’m not introverted is with my family.  When I hug my family I’m reminded that I’m the most blessed person in the world.  I have a beautiful and supportive wife, who is a talented photographer, and two crazy little boys who have taught me the meaning of life.  We all live just outside of Suwanee, Georgia, with a Jack Russell Terrier that met his match when the boys were born.  Of course, I love to read, but also enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, kayaking, and fishing.  

If you want to read about the teenagers from River Falls pick up a copy of my novel, Young Men Shall See at Amazon, Kindle or at your local book store.

You can interact with me on Facebook,  where I often share news about upcoming readings and other book events I think my followers will enjoy. I'm available to speak to groups about my book and writing. You can reach me via the contact form on my website.

A Book Store For Self-Published and Indy Authors



A book shop for self-published authors


Jon Renaud has a different kind of book shop. Back to the Books is the very first bookstore to stock only Independent Titles by self-published authors and small press titles where authors still own all rights to their books. If you are looking for a place to market your book, Back to the Books may be just the spot for you.

This book shop owner and independent author (Dereliction of Duty ) is a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer and former CID Special Agent who earned two Bronze Stars for tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2005. 

Back to the Books had its grand opening March 2012.

From a recent interview:

1.     Tell us a little about Back to the Books… does it only stock Indie books, or traditionally published as well?

      Thanks for taking the time to speak to me about Back to the Books. I           believe we are the very first bookstore to stock only Independent Titles. Now, please don’t misunderstand, these are not all self-published titles, but also small press titles where the author still owns  all the rights to their own book.

2.     Where did you get the idea for it? Are you an author yourself? Have you worked in book retail before?

      The idea came to me a few years ago shortly after my own book was published. I wrote and published Dereliction of Duty  to use to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. During the process I discovered how difficult it was to get Indy books into bookstores. Anyway, during that process I also met a lot of other Indy authors who had some incredible books but were faced with the same problem. I always felt that if bookstore would just give them a chance, and if we could get the prices competitive, they would sell. So, the idea was there for some time and then one day I was talking to friend who owned two storefronts in Manitou Springs and he offered me one. Idea met opportunity and I jumped on it. 

3.     What made you think an Indie bookstore would be a viable/profitable business venture?

I always knew it could be a viable business plan if I could just find the right location, and Manitou Springs is the perfect location. Nobody will go out of their way to drive to an Indy bookstore but Manitou Springs is 95% foot traffic and when people walk in and see all of the great books, most stop, look around and buy books. As for profitable, I never thought, or said, if would be a profitable business ventureJ My goal is to get the store to a point where it is self-sustaining and new titles are rotating in and out to give Indy authors the exposure they need. If the first month is any indication, that goal will be met and maybe there could be some profits left over.

4.     Tell us a little about Manitou Springs, and why you thought this would be a good home for BTTB.

Like I mentioned before, Manitou Springs is an amazing little town that draws millions of visitors every year. All of the stores in town are trendy art galleries, cafés, and other similar type business. It is almost entirely walking/foot traffic through the town and has a culture that embraces everything independent and dislikes corporate. It is the perfect location to attempt something like this.

5.     How long did it take you to set up the whole venture, including your online store?

The plan has actually come together very quickly but I could not even begin to count the hours I have put into this project. The storefront became available on February 10, 2012 and I have been running since that day. So, in about one month I was able to get the physical store loaded with books and ready for the grand opening, the website and online store up and running, and arrange the pull off a spectacular grand opening. So, it has been a crazy few months but everything has come together perfectly. I finally got the employees trained so things should be slowing down for me a little.


6.     For a long time, authors have struggled against the stigma of self-publishing… In your experience, what does the general public think of self-published books?

There is no doubt there is a stigma out there for some. The biggest problem is quality and price. People believe that SP books are too expensive and poorly edited. I am working hard to help change that stigma. Although it is impossible to read every book I get in, I will read a few chapters of every book to make sure the formatting is professional and there are not a lot of typos. Unfortunately, I have had to decline a few titles because I feared they would not help our cause and just perpetuate the stereo-type. But overall, the customers that I have met do not care how the book was published as long as it is a good book.

7.     Are you still accepting new authors? How many titles do you plan to stock at any one time?

I will continue to accept new author as long as my doors are open. That is part of the business plan to continue to roll the inventory. Although Mantiou Springs is a big tourist town, I have also been very warmly received by the locals who have purchased many books already and have expressed their happiness at having a bookstore in town. They will continue to come back as long as I keep new titles coming in for them.

If you are interested in having your books featured at Back to the Books complete the form on this link.

8.     What genres of books are selling best?

So far, children’s books, Young Adult and Self-Help/Improvement books have been the best seller. And surprisingly poetry books have also been very popular. I expected the children’s books to be hot sellers as we just finished the Spring Break season and lots of kids and parents were in town during the week. I also publish a weekly bestseller list at www.backtothebooks.net so authors can see what is selling and share their strong sales with friends and family.  I expect the fiction titles to start to pick up as the tourist begin to arrive and are looking for good books to read while sitting out by the pools.

9.     How important is a good cover?

There is nothing more important than a great cover except maybe great content, but if you don’t have a great cover, no one will ever see your content. The unique thing about Back to the Books is it is designed so every book is face out towards the customers. No books are hidden on back shelves or just have the spines facing the customers. So because of this, the cover has to be able to grab attention. It is fascinating to me to watch what books draw the most attention simply because of the covers.

10.  If you could give three pieces of advice to Indie authors trying to sell their books, what would they be?

The first piece of advice is what I stated above, design a great cover. Don’t do it yourself or have your friend that is really good with Power Point do it for you. Find a great cover designer and spend the money to have a fabulous cover for your book.

Second, price your book competitive. Customers do not want to pay $25 for a 300 page paperback fiction novel. You will never be able to get your price point where it needs to be if you use most of the online publishing services because that is how they make their money, buy charging high prices for the print books. Work with someone that knows the industry a little and can help you navigate the process. I provide free advice to authors everyday.

And finally, just keep producing the great books that I have seen come through my store. Be persistent in your marketing and people will buy your work and sometime, come back and buy the sequel.

Thanks for the opportunity to share this new venture with all of your readers. If I could add one last piece of advice, if you want people to take a chance on you as an Indy, you have to do the same. Commit to only buying Indy books and then recommend them to all of your friends and family. We only succeed if we are willing to do what we want customers to do.

Jon Renaud  Owner/Author
Back to the Books

www.backtothebooks.net

http://www.bttbonline.net/


Like Back to the Books on FACEBOOK.

Ellery Adams "Pies & Prejudice"

 Available on Barnes & Noble

This post came from Facebook today from Jessica Faust Bookends. I am reposting it here to reach out to other authors.

Authors are an amazing group of people. Today authors from all over the Internet are coming together to support my friend and client Ellery Adams whose sister-in-law died tragically of complications from a C-Section. Ellery's newest book Pies and Prejudice, the first in an incredible new series launches this week and I know Ellery would be dedicated to promoting if she could. Instead these incredible authors are putting their own work aside to do what they can to support her. Thank you everyone. I'm touched by what you're doing. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pies-and-prejudice-ellery-adams/1107390485?ean=9780425251409

About the book:

 

The first in The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries.

 

When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.

Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

About Ellery Adams:

Photo from author's web

Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.  (from author's website).

Are thoughts are with the author and her family. I hope she will join us later on Book Talk to talk about her book in her own words.

  

Turner Cassity Literary Festival, Douglasville, Ga July 13 and 14.

Lynn Steigleder "Rising Tide"

"Rising Tide" is a finalist in the 2112 Indie Excellence National Book Awards Contest.

"Fantastic! Join Ben in his exciting journey discovering that without evil good cannot exist. You won't be disappointed."
- Ronnie Hale

A category six hurricane above and the habitat below that he just left destroyed by the blast, Ben finds himself all alone in a decompression chamber wondering, “What’s next?” He receives a mysterious message in Morse code, “Seek C 7.”  Is he dreaming or is someone or something trying to reach him? 

 Buy the book on Amazon.

Rising Tide is an action packed, spellbinding novel filled with twist and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Each character is created with depth that will make you emotionally captivated by their exploits and personality. It's going to make you feel as if you are there intertwined with the characters throughout their journey.  It contains a little bit of everything, from mystery romance, to fantasy and science fiction. It is definitely a must read for any serious book reader.  Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other online book sellers.

  

Lynn's Story:

Just a few months prior, I had received the heartbreaking news that my leg weakness was not sciatica but was instead multiple sclerosis, a nerve degenerating condition that could lead to immobility.  I had seen several doctors and therapist over the years prior to this news.  Needless to say, hearing the news was a shock.  Then shock number two came. 

I had worked for a pharmaceutical company for over fifteen years.  I was the supervisor of the warehouse and fabrication shop directing a team of talented men in drafting and constructing pharmaceutical displays.  I had survived several reductions in staff and was hopeful to retire from this company.  Therefore, the news that they had decided to outsource our department was a bitter disappointment. 

My options seemed limited. My physical abilities were already compromised in that my stamina and mobility were impaired.  With an uncertain future, my son, Eric, and I went on our annual fishing trip to Cape Hatteras.  It was during this trip that Eric suggested that I should try writing.  I was known for being creative and loved making up crazy tales.  I had written a few short stories but had never seriously thought about writing. 

I toyed with the idea of accepting the challenge. Initially, I wrote a few short stories. While I liked short stories, the idea began to take shape for a book. Over the next four month, the story flowed with ideas coming freely as the story line grew. I enjoyed the development of my characters and the challenge of bringing them together to a surprising ending. Rising Tide, my first novel, is a book of fantasy and adventure, released for retail sale late April 2009. I'm now working on my fourht book in the Rising Tide series and a personal biography related to living with MS.

Learn more about Lynn's writing and interests!

 

Visit the author's website and blog. 

Listen to Lynn Steigleder on radio.

What they are saying about Rising Tide!

This book is a nice mix of reality and fiction and very interestingly depicts that good can not exist without evil. I was addicted to reading this book and stayed up late every night for a week to find out what happened next. The plot twists kept me pleasantly surprised.


Loved the book! Held my attention from start to finish! Lynn Steigleder does a great job at character building and story telling! Many unique turns and events!