https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-carol-mckibben/.
It's not perfect, but it gives you a lot of background on me. Let me know what you think!
Unconditionally, Carol
There's an expression that horse trainers use whenever a client's ride becomes difficult - "Keep riding through it." I've heard it at least a hundred times while riding my horse. It's a function of good horsemanship. If you give up or get off in the midst of difficulties, you might win the battle that day but lose the war in the long run. Learning to be really good at something takes persistence and time. Such it is with life; so it is with writing.
Bold Journey just did an interview with me. Thought I'd share.
https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-carol-mckibben/. It's not perfect, but it gives you a lot of background on me. Let me know what you think! Unconditionally, Carol
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It’s springtime in Central Texas. The Bluebonnets are out, and wildflowers are everywhere. It’s a rebirth for the countryside. For me, it’s a rebirth to my writing. I wasn’t inspired over the winter. Then, an idea hit me. A personal tragedy years ago in our family has become inspirational. I decided to use it as the bones for a novel with the working title of Caddy’s Tale. Yes, it features a dog, but this time, the canine doesn’t narrate it but is integral to the story. It’s in the paranormal genre, even though it doesn’t appear so in the beginning. It won’t be finished until the end of 2024, but I wanted to share an early excerpt and see what you think. I’d love to hear from you to learn if you think it might be of interest to readers. So, here goes: EXCERPT FROM CADDY'S TALE The puppy fought the waves. Drowning in the sea wasn’t in her plan. She struggled to the shore… finding shifting sand under her tiny paws at last.
The girl ran toward the sputtering pup who coughed salt water from her lungs. Lily Loggins hit the water and wadded in to scoop up the black Pit bull pup with a white blaze on her chest. Pressing her close, Lily moved to the dry sand, sat, and cradled her rescue. “What happened, girl?” She inspected the puppy and noticed it was female and beautifully marked. Climbing closer, the puppy licked the girl’s face non-stop. Lily giggled and rolled on the sand with the dog who started to bark and whine at the same time. Holding the puppy out arms-length, she announced to her, “Where’s your owner? I haven’t ever noticed strays here on Crescent Beach. I’d better find out if you are chipped and locate your people!” Looking around at the empty Florida beach, she jumped up, removed the long-sleeved shirt tied around her waist, and wrapped up the pup in it. She trudged the mile up to the house nestled just behind the dunes where she had lived all through high school with her dad after her parents divorced. The rustic home faced the ocean complete with a wrap-around porch and floor to ceiling windows. Climbing the stairs up to the deck, she spotted her father. He turned to face her with a pipe in one hand and a glass of Jack Daniels in the other. He smiled. “What have you got there, honey?” His thick Southern drawl made him appear slow in thought, when, in fact, he was highly intelligent, a C-Level safety specialist and executive, who had spoken before Congress on the issues facing the mining industry. Tom Loggins worked around the country throughout his career and had a successful one. However, Lily adored him not for that but for his unconditional love for her. His support for her had always been unwavering. Lily admired his tall stature. He was a bear of a man with red gold hair peppered with silver and the bluest of eyes. His smile always carried some secret that he kept to himself. “Dad, I found this pup on the beach! She looked as if she was struggling to keep from drowning. I didn’t see anyone around, so thought we could take care of her until I can get her to the vet tomorrow to see if she has a chip.” Tom smiled and nodded his approval. “Thanks, Dad! Love you.” As Lily scampered inside, she yelled over her shoulder, “Going to give this puppy a bath! Who knows where she might have come from. Can’t wait to tell Micah about her.” Tom shook his head at the thought of Micah Moore. Tom felt the twenty-nine-year-old hot-shot professional golfer might not be right for his barely eighteen-year-old daughter. They had met at the Marsh Creek Country Club, where Tom was a member. The man did have the balls to arrange a meeting with him to discuss his intentions. Tom puffed on his pipe and took a sip of his whiskey and thought back to that recent night. Micah Moore was a handsome young man with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. Of average height, the man was an athlete in every sense of the word. What Tom liked about him was his respectful attitude. He’d approached the situation in an honorable fashion. “Mr. Loggins,” he started with his golf cap held between his two hands, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. The moment I saw your daughter, I was gobsmacked.” Tom chuckled at the thought of that word. Micah fidgeted in his seat. “I mean, six months ago, I would have told you that I didn’t believe in love at first sight. I know now that it does exist. I love her. I adore her. I knew she was a high school senior, so I waited. All those free golf lessons I offered the two of you were just an excuse to be around her.” He stopped to catch his breath. He searched Tom’s face for any sign of anger. Tom leaned back in his chair and kept silent. He glanced at Lily who huddled on the leather couch next to the man she proclaimed to love. She’s so young. How can she know for sure? She nervously twirled her index finger around one of her blonde curly strands of hair and sat staring adoringly at her beloved one moment and then fastening her brilliant blue eyes at her father the next. Micah went on. “Now that she’s eighteen and out of high school, I want to ask you for your blessing. I want to marry your daughter.” Tom leaned forward. “Not so fast, Micah. You know her mother is staunchly against this relationship. I think you need to give it some time. Date… er… you haven’t been… with my daughter, have you?” Dad!” Lily squirmed uncomfortably at his insinuation. “Sex?” Micah reared back in his seat. “No, no. I wouldn’t do that. I want to marry her, not fool around with her!” “Good.” Tom smiled. “Then let’s give it the test of time. In a year if the two of you feel the same way, then I will consider giving you my blessing. But know this, Micah, if you don’t follow through with this and stay respectful, you’ll have hell to pay from me!” Tom smiled at the look of resolve he saw in the other man’s eyes. Now, they’d have to convince Lily’s mother, Joan. His thoughts were interrupted with laughter from his daughter. “Dad, I just got off the phone with Micah. We’re going to call the puppy Caddy. Get it? Caddy. Micah’s a golfer.” She winked at him. Tom rolled his eyes and puffed on his pipe. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you? We need to see if she belongs to anyone.” “We will, but don’t you see? She was meant to come to us.” *** So, there you have it! Let me know what you think! Just reply to carol@mckibben.com and tell me what you think. It’s a draft, so be kind! It hasn't gone through editing yet. I’d love your thoughts. I can promise you I won’t kill the dog in this story! The dog, like in Luke’s Tale, provides inspiration and unconditional love, and we did have a Caddy in our family years ago. Contact Carol at http://www.carolmckibben.com or join her at https://www.facebook.com/CarolMckibbenAuthor. What Did I Love Most about Each Book?
I know this is short and sweet, but the information is all here: https://shepherd.com/bboy/2023/f/carol-mckibben Wanted to share it. It includes reviews of each book. In addition, here for your reading pleasure are the 100 Best Reads from 884 Authors! https://shepherd.com/bboy/2023 What a treasure trove! Hope you enjoy! Til Next Time, Carol About a decade ago, after I'd written Luke's Tale, I was at the barn with our horses with my daughter Stephanie, who owns Troll River Publications. She asked me what my next book would be. I laughed and said, "Well, I write through the eyes of dogs, but I want to write a vampire novel." Intrigued, she looked at me and said, "A vampire dog? How cool." I scratched my head and said yes. "I'll create a character using our current rescue Snow as the model." (That's Snow just above.} She said, "I like it. What's the character's name going to be." I thought a minute and said, "Snow Blood." And, there you have it! Snow Blood Season 1 was published in 2014. With 137 reviews on Amazon, with an average of 4.3 stars out of 5-stars, that's not shabby! I didn't stop there! I wrote four more books in that series and then did a spin-off series entitled Moon Blood. Then another, entitled Reign. It's been a journey! To celebrate that journey, I've placed the ebook of the first book, Snow Blood Season 1, on sale for .99 cents on Amazon. Go check it out. Hopefully, reading where it all started will take you on a cool journey! Until Next Time,
Carol If you’ve been working as a writer for a while, you know how challenging it can be to get discovered. In today’s world, where anyone can self-publish a book and compete for readers’ attention, it takes more than great writing to get noticed. You will need a solid understanding of the business side of writing professionally, as well as a strategic approach to marketing yourself and your work. In this article from, we’ll explore some of the key strategies you can use to get discovered!
General Business Advice for Writers One of the most important things you can do for your writing career is to treat it as a business. This means establishing a professional image and brand, organizing your writing time effectively, and tracking finances. By treating your writing like the business it is, you’ll start to see it from the perspective of an entrepreneur rather than a hobbyist. As Writer’s Digest explains, this will help you think about the purpose of your book and who it serves, just as an entrepreneur does when developing a new product or service. Marketing Yourself as a Writer Your marketing strategies as an author will depend on your goal for your writing. If you build a business around your writing brand, your marketing goals may stretch beyond the sale of books. Perhaps you will leverage your books to sell courses, workbooks, or coaching packages. If, on the other hand, you just want to sell enough books to hit your monthly income goal, you will need to focus solely on book sales. While digital marketing strategies such as social media, email, and content production are viable and effective methods for building your brand as an author, don’t overlook traditional offline advertising! Handing out flyers or leaflets is a great way to get the word out about new books. Instead of hiring someone to design your flyer for you, an online flyer maker will support your efforts in creating a useful flyer design on your own. Look for an online design tool that provides professionally designed templates that you can customize to meet your specific marketing needs. Build a Strong Author Platform Building an online presence and connecting with your readers is important for finding success as an author in today’s digital age. Building a strong author platform is key! Your Writer Platform explains that you can start building your author platform by identifying your target audience and determining exactly who makes up your fan base. Then, work on developing your brand voice, messaging style, and reader engagement through communications across various platforms. Encourage Reviews from Readers As an author, reviews are a powerful tool for promoting your book and encouraging others to read. How can you get more readers to leave reviews? The simplest method is to ask, sending out an email or social media message to readers after they’ve had a chance to read your book. You may also want to provide incentives, such as a giveaway or discount on future books, to encourage more reviews. Collaborate with Other Writers One of the best ways to market yourself as an author is to collaborate with other creatives. Consider working on a project with another author you admire whose work aligns with your own. Just be sure to come up with a project agreement so you’re both on the same page before you begin writing. You’ll have to agree on marketing ideas, deadlines, budget, compensation arrangements, and ownership percentages. Remember to also define goals for the project and try to treat this like a business partnership rather than a creative collaboration alone. Building a successful writing career requires not only great writing skills but also a strategic approach to marketing and business management. Treating your writing like a business, embracing both online and offline marketing strategies, and collaborating with other writers can help you get eyes on your work. While it might feel like a slow process, keep working, and you’ll achieve your writing goals! Are you looking for inspiration from a fellow author? Check out the Carol McKibben website for a variety of fiction and nonfiction books! About the Author: Mary Shannon is a content writer. She may be reached via mary@SeniorsMeet.org. It's here! So today I'll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger trying to spread the word and respond to messages about this Book 2 in the Silver Blood Knight Series! I wanted you to know that it is available in Amazon Kndle for a limited time for 99 cents. You'll find it at https://mybook.to/reign2 for both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you haven't read Book 1, Reign - The Assault of Lucifer Morningstar, Amazon is offering both Kindle books at $1.98. You'll find that here. But if you just go to the first link and then on to Amazon, you'll see it there as well. What's it about, you ask? Here's the blurb: They are Italy’s only hope.James, God’s own appointed knight, a hybrid vampire wolf, a teenaged wizard, and a handful of kindred Lycans are the only barrier that stands between all of Italy and its destruction. The corrupt politician, Matisse, has spent decades transforming himself into a Lich. Now that he can raise the dead, he leads masses of undead warriors across Italy, intent on killing every living soul in their path. As heaven’s small band struggles to stop the Lich and his unholy soldiers, other mythological predators arise, determined to destroy James and his friends. With evil closing in on every side, will Heaven win? What are early readers saying about Reign - The Rise of the Lich? Here are a few: 5-Stars! "Reign - The Rise of the Lich was not like any vampire story I've ever read. Suspenseful and filled with mythology, it's a page-turner!" - D. MacMillan, Marketing Specialist 5-Stars "I have been reading all of Carol McKibben's vampire stories for years, and THIS mystery is a not-to-be-missed thriller. It's the true page turner you can't put down til you see how it ends. Pure enjoyment!" - Andrea Michaels, Author of Reflections of a Successful Wallflower and Thursdays at 2 5-Stars“Carol McKibben’s books never disappoint and are all must-reads, this one included.” -Dina Bushrod, Social Media Assistant Who Is Reign? Reign is the narrator of this series, as are his relatives, Snow Blood and Moon Blood in my earlier series. He is a miracle, magical creature that you will adore for his loyalty and unconditional love of his master, James, the Silver Blood Knight and all his hybrid lycan companions. The Reign Series, like the Snow Blood and Moon Blood Series, are all part of a saga originating from the very first vampire, Brogio. Join us for what has been called a roller-coaster of a legend! I hope you will join me in my latest adventure! Til Next Time,
Carol I have been busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger! The second book in my Silver Blood Knight Series, Reign - The Rise of the Lich, will launch on Am l and all other distributors on April 21, 2023! If you think writing a book is difficult, it's the marketing that kills me!
Anyway, I was interviewed last week by The Authors Porch, and I thought I'd catch you up by sharing it with you! Let me know what you think: https://theauthorsporch.com/2023/04/13/author-interview-carol-mckibben/ Til Next Time, Carol When I read long-time friend and fellow book conspirator Liese Gardner's latest blog, I felt compelled to share it. Why? Because keywords are such a mystery to so many in the book world.
So let's get right to it, shall we. Click here for a terrific tutorial from her: https://liesegardner.com/finding-the-right-keywords/. Want to learn more about Liese and what she does? Go here: https://liesegardner.com/. Til Next Time, Carol Hi! Just a quick note to let you know that Reign - The Rise of the Lich will be on sale in pre-order for 99 cents from now until launch day, April 21st on Amazon! If you are in to vampires, shifters, mythological creatures and lots of the unexpected, this one is definitely for you! Take advantage of the pre-order price today! Here's the link: https://mybook.to/reign2. Check it out! Til Next Time,
Carol At last! Here is is! The Cover Reveal for Reign - The Rise of the Lich (Book 2 in the Silver Blood Knight Series.) Watch here for the Pre-Order Sales Link coming this week! Want to know more about it? Here a description: They are Italy’s only hope. James, God’s own appointed knight, a hybrid vampire wolf, a teenaged wizard, and a handful of kindred Lycans are the only barrier that stands between all of Italy and its destruction. The corrupt politician, Matisse, has spent decades transforming himself into a Lich. Now that he can raise the dead, he leads masses of undead warriors across Italy, intent on killing every living soul in their path. As heaven’s small band struggles to stop the Lich and his unholy soldiers, other mythological predators arise, determined to destroy James and his friends. With evil closing in on every side, will Heaven win? Be sure to take advantage of the 99 cent presale as soon as it is live here!
Til Next Time, Carol |
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