Author
The hustle and bustle is over (for a few days, anyway) and it’s the perfect time for relaxing with a book. Now’s your chance to get Love Lies Bleeding in the ebook format of your choice for only $1.50! Sale ends January 1.
This link takes you to all three books (just scroll down to see them).
Cheers and happy reading,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Weekends are made for reading, aren’t they? There’s not much that’s better than getting lost in a story and ignoring the outside world for a while. One of my favourite parts is picking what to read next. If you’re in the mood for something with bite, check out my new short story Tooth & Claw. It’s inspired by real events and is free to download…
Mara, Dominic, and their fellow vampires arrive in Marseille, France in 1909, only to find another predator already on the loose. As the city tries to cope with a killer stalking the streets, Mara struggles to separate memory from delusion. Can she find peace when the past is haunting, the present overwhelming, and the future hopeless? Inspired by real events.
Tooth & Claw is a standalone story set in the Love Lies Bleeding universe.
Available FREE at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Indigo, Kobo, and other online book retailers.
As for myself, I’m currently reading (and enjoying) My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel. If you suffer from any kind of anxiety or panic disorder (or even if you don’t), you’ll find this book both fascinating and insightful.
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
PS: Don’t forget to leave a rating or review after you’ve finished Tooth & Claw!
I always find it strange that people need to be convinced to read. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love books. For me, books have always been magic, gateways to other worlds, other lives. They’re adventures and dreams, knowledge and potential, all packed into conveniently portable packages. Forget apps–no matter what you want or need at any given moment in life, there’s a book for it. How could anyone not instantly see the value in that?
And yet… According to the Pew Research Center, 26% of American adults have admitted to not reading even part of a book in the last year (and I’m sure the numbers are similar in Canada). Clearly a lot of people don’t realize they’re missing out.
If magic, knowledge, and adventure aren’t enough to get you interested, maybe I should also mention that:
(This reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode where someone was reading a book in parts to their elderly relative, always leaving the story on a cliffhanger to keep the person hanging on well beyond a normal lifespan. #goals)
Need a short story to get you started? How about “Tooth & Claw,” available free here, and at other online booksellers…
And “Blood Magic,” available free here and at other online booksellers!
You can read more about the benefits of reading books here, or you can just pick up a book and find out for yourself.
What’s your favourite thing about reading? Share in the comments…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
There’s nothing quite like reading. You start out staring at words on a page or screen, and– if all goes well –the next thing you know, you’re visualizing a vivid story in your head and empathizing with characters who suddenly feel like you’ve known them your whole life. A good story will give you the feels, stay with you long past the end of the book, and will make you want to go back and read it again.
We writers live to give readers this kind of experience. We write in the hopes of creating something worth reading, worth remembering. And make no mistake– it’s hard work. Lonely, demanding, often draining work, with more than its share of frustrations, setbacks, and disappointments. What is so effortless to read has taken someone months, years, maybe even decades to write and publish. While a few authors become household names, most toil on in obscurity, for the sheer love of writing.
As a reader, what can you do to help brighten a writer’s day and make the struggle worthwhile (not to mention keep the stories coming)? Here are 7 suggestions (6 of which don’t cost a penny):
1. Buy their books! Authors whose books sell can keep writing. If you like their work, help them keep producing it. (Handy reminder: find out where you can get Love Lies Bleeding here.)
2. If you prefer borrowing to buying, then borrow from a library or an official lending service like Scribd. It might be easier to borrow your friend’s copy, but the author doesn’t get anything that way. Libraries and lending services compensate authors and help them keep writing.
3. Ask your local bookstore or library to carry their books. Shelf space and budgets are limited, so stores and libraries often won’t offer a book unless they know people want it. (Handy Hint: give them the ISBN, as well as the title. Love Lies Bleeding’s ISBN is: 978-1775012528.)
4. Read their book! Seems obvious, but with everyone’s busy lives, it’s easy to set a book aside for later and then forget about it. Please don’t let this happen– an unread author is an unhappy author.
5. Review or rate their books on sites like Amazon or Goodreads (bookstore sites are also good). If you like what you’ve read– let the world know what you think. Just a line or two will do.
6. Share on social media (and tell your friends too). Help spread the word.
7. Go to their events. Say hi, get a book signed, let them know they’re not sending their work out into a void. Writers might not be the most social people, but we love meeting our readers!
Do you have other ways to help support your favourite indie authors? Share in the comments…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
PS: Take a moment to download your FREE copies of my short stories Tooth & Claw and Blood Magic (or if you already have, click the links to leave a rating/review)!
