#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

Part 5 of Midnight Magic is in review with Amazon.  The miniseries is going well. I just had a give you a teaser of the poet scene with Droskyn Rothstein and Emily Erskine. The wizard and his wisdom heat things up in part 5. Some of the loose ends from Past in the Present are finally explained. It's getting good. I can't wait to write the next part. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think when you finish it.

Most of you know that I don't have money. I don't earn much past what I must have to pay my bills. Sadly, I am not an everyday millionaire. Nor am I likely to ever become one. I don't make more than gas money from my stories each month.
I write because I love it, for my dedicated long time readers, and with the hope of meeting more people who need to escape into the dream from time to time. Sure, I would love to be able to write full time all the time, but unless or until that becomes my reality, I will remain content with just being able to write.
Having said all of that, I must admit that I am always seeking knowledge about the field of self publishing. I stumbled over the Self-Publishing Show on YouTube. (I am not a paid spokesperson nor have I ever purchased anything from Mark Dawsen and company.) 
I have watched a few episodes, but the one with author Force, made me rethink a few things about what I am doing to market my books. I honestly believe that this is where I fail. I am not a carnival barker or a natural born salesman so I have to seriously work at all of that. I believe I might be making a couple of mistakes not giving away more free stories. Also, I really must pay for ads.
I have dabbled in them a bit, but am just not comfortable with them. It is the expense that bothers me the most. I have only recouped the money one month, but I just broke even. I think I need to let the ad run longer and add more money to it. Where will the money come from? Even though I know something I can try, I once again lack funds to implement it. Sigh. I will get there. I am sure that I am getting closer.

I have tried doing this a bit before. It's not easy turning a book into an audio format. Especially a paranormal romance with a serious amount of heat involved. The sizzle between the pages can get pretty serious and reading it aloud is not so easy for me. I have committed and crafted one audio scene from A Pack Forms. If you would like to check it out, it's on YouTube. Hit the like and subscribe button. I am going to attempt to get a bit more stuff like that out in the future. I am still debating the format for that kind of stuff. If anyone has an idea, let me know. I will check it out.

Okay, so Eli doesn't actually say that line until Midnight Magic, but it is still cool. I just think this would make the coolest cell phone cover. I would so put my tiger on clothes and bookmarks. I have never been able to get Printful to work on my site and there is no one to call to get help. It is all automated but the videos are all out of date so I need to investigate another vendor. Sigh. That aspect of the dream is standing still at the moment. How I wish for more time. Bear with me, and I will figure it out. I use Weebly for my website and blog. If anyone out there has an idea that would allow for print on demand items or knows how to fix my Printful and would share, I would gladly hear you. Drop me a line somewhere and I promise I will check it out as soon as I can. 

I am currently writing Strange Visions and still working on a story in the Lyons Gate miniseries as well as Dragon Wedding. Dragon Wedding is a book like The Library. It seems to be stuck in limbo land. I think I have to write more of Strange Visions to be able to 'see' what happens next in Dragon Wedding. I really am a total pantser and I swear I don't know what is about to happen yet. When the characters find out, I will write it down. LOL.  

I have work to do. Thanks for taking a moment to step into the behind the scenes of the dream. If you read, please be kind and leave your review. All authors will love you more for it. Have an awesome weekend. I will catch up again next week. 
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
​Ophelia Kee

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

I have updated the upcoming titles list to reflect a few changes I felt needed to be made. As always I reserve the right to alter titles as I see fit. I do love that about Indie Writing. I am the publisher, so I have the right to use working titles and alter them as necessary until the publish date.
Why change the title? Sometimes the one I begin with no longer fits the story once it is finished. Other times it feels too wordy. I want the title to reflect the main story arc. I also want it to be short so when people are searching for titles, they don't have to waste time typing it forever or get confused remembering it. One or two word titles really feel better to me although I will use up to four words if necessary. (Example: Tolkien's There and Back Again is not nearly as widely known as The Hobbit. They are the same story.)
The thing that writers need to know is that once a title is published by an author, in a paperback tangible form with an ISBN number, it stays that title. The only way that it can change is if it is published again with a new ISBN and then it is not technically the same book. Until the book is actually published, the title can be changed at the author or publisher's discretion even if advanced teaser quotes or excerpts are shared digitally. So long as the story has no ISBN, the title is easily changeable.
The truth is that although a good title matters, it is not that important in the grand scheme of things unless you are writing stand alone works. You do want it to grab attention, but you don't have to overthink it. It simply needs to fit the story.
The really important words on the cover of a book are the author's name. The author name is technically the brand name. It is the one thing that readers use to find your body of work. So if Ophelia Kee is typed into Google, different online links to social media, my website, my author page, and my books on multiple platforms will show up. Ophelia Kee takes up the first 8 pages of a search and have pages of images as well. The series name, the book titles? They are not nearly as powerful a search tool. 
I know a lot of authors suffer from imposter syndrome (they feel that their story is not that good and maybe they are not a real author), but the truth is that a well written story is always good. If you want to be recognized and read, you do have to note that simple detail. Be sure that your author name appears prominently on the book cover. Do things to enhance the reader's memory of you by always using the same font style or letter coloring for your name, choose where your name belongs on the cover so that when readers see it they immediately recognize your book and want to read it, and make it stand out from the other words on the book. (It goes without saying that the books contents need to be well written, proofread and edited or the branding will not matter.)
Don't get the big head and make it bigger than the book title. That's as bad as making it so small that you are not memorable. People don't believe that you are as big as Stephen King or JK Rowling just because your name takes up half of the book cover (LOL). The contents of the story are why the title should be bigger. You are not the story. If you write more than one book, you are many stories. You are the brand and it is your name that people will search for more often than they will search for one of your titles.
​

Draoithe: Midnight Magic ​is currently publishing. The tale begins with the excerpt tale of Drake and Lorelai
and the first four parts of the miniseries are now available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited or each part is only $.99 from Amazon. I do write adult themed contemporary fantasy and paranormal romance so be warned in advance if you are new to the dream. It takes only a moment to be kind, and I would prefer to allow readers the grace of truth about my writing. No one likes to be misled and waste their money purchasing a story that they can't read or already know that they would not appreciate. For those of you who have been in the dream awhile, thank you sincerely for supporting my author walk. For those who have only recently stumbled into the dream, welcome to my chronicle of what I have discovered along the journey. 

​If you read, remember ​that your kind review makes a world of difference to the author and other readers. Enjoy the #booklife.
Be Careful,
Happy Reading,
Ophelia Kee

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

Draoithe: Wizards and Grotesques the short read duet is finally available. Each part is only $.99 or you can purchase both at once for $1.49. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
This short story should have been published quite a while ago. I apologize for how long it took to get it done. I was involved in project publish and somehow Wizard's and Grotesques was pushed to the back burner. This story is the response to the outcry after War Dogs was released. Several readers were adamant that I close the tale on Hector and River. They felt cheated as if I had left them hanging in the air from the edge of a cliff. So I have released a closure tale to aid with the book hangover from War Dogs. It is quite a bit less risque than most of my works, but the young men are young and the girls are a bit inexperienced. They will reappear in future tales and their story is not quite finished here, but I refuse to give away other stories even if I could commiserate with the left hanging feeling. SO...
River Livingston and Hector D’Artigen are cousins born with the ability to cast spells and ‘see’ the magic of the dream. The two cousins learn and practice their gift with their grandfather until when he passes away and they must keep their abilities secret. 
When they stumble upon two female shifters, Tequila and Absinthe, whose magic is anything but right due to one of Peter Elliot’s nefarious works, the two young wizards vow to aid the girls who draw them in. Noblesse Oblige lives in the souls of two young men who have found their lifemates broken. 
Follow River Livingston’s escape from Phoenix in Part 1 and Hector D’Artigen’s escape from the Wizard’s Circle in Part 2. Draoithe might be home for a while, but Eaglafonn has a hold on the two wizards when the Demon King, Alexio Asmodai offers to heal the two girls in Draoithe: Wizards and Grotesques. 

FREE this weekend! Grab your copy of Dread Allies: Shadow King Part one and step into the dream in the Netherworld. Meet the Demon Princes of Eaglafonn and find out id the Shadow King can win a queen.
Alexio Asmodai is the demon king of Eaglafonn, a small outpost kingdom in the Netherworld overruled by the Demon Lord Asmodeus. It is Alexio’s responsibility to protect and police the frontier borders against any threats. He is an accomplished knight, so that part came easy.Eaglafonn is a cold and isolated kingdom. Alexio needed to stay and build his castle atop the hot springs in order to beat an addiction to seduction sickness. After over seven centuries, he thinks his loneliness has finally come to an end when he opens a crate to find a woman sent by Asmodeus for him to keep safe. He falls for her instantly. She is a human woman, fragile, timid, and irresistible. He must follow his liege’s directive, convince her to become his queen, and see that she is cared for properly in a place that is inhospitable to her existence. This leads to a realization that his castle lacks a lot to be a first class home for a lady. Can a tainted demon prince rise to the challenge to become a true king and win the woman who stole his heart? 

The Storyboard Preview for Draoithe: Midnight Magic is available on Youtube and has been uploaded to Facebook. You might even find it on Pinterest! The miniseries is currently publishing and Part 3 should be available before Friday! This tale is just getting good. As always you can read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited or purchase each one hour short read for only $.99. But if you haven't connected on social media, swing by and see the preview before you get invested in the story. 

I am always writing. The main character from Midnight Magic will return to play a peripheral role in a new miniseries coming up. This image and this quote are coming from that. Sorry if the title is off a bit though. I am changing it. (It is so cool to be Indie all the Way. I can alter whatever I want whenever I want. I will keep the storyline intact always. On occasion though, it is nice to be able to create, know it is not perfect and see the evolution as it happens.) I thought I would share a tease from the future! This story like the others is just too damn good. It also got way too long, and I have decided to break it into two new short read miniseries. There is more awesomeness coming in the dream. I am still editing and updating the short reads that are already out. The dream keeps getting better. If you are new to my author walk, welcome. If you have been around awhile, thanks for sticking it out and enjoying my stories. I would love to hear from you. Reach out. I am a real person even if my professional career prompts the exclusion of my real persona. Questions, comments, suggestions. I'm listening!
I gotta run off and cook some dinner. If you read, please be kind and leave your review. I will catch up with you next weekend!
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
Ophelia Kee

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

Draoithe: Midnight Magic is publishing. It's a twelve part miniseries so you have to give me a bit of time. Drake and Lorelai the short read is out. I hope you will check it out and let me know what you think. If you have not seen the other short reads, you might want to visit Ophelia Kee and see what is new. I am still publishing, but things are moving slower now that I am back to being only a part time author.  I know some of you want the whole thing all at once, but it is hard to edit that way. I did set up Part 2 of Midnight Magic on Kindle today. It should be out by this Friday for sure. It takes a minute for Kindle to review everything. I will try to keep up. My professional career takes up a lot of my time. I apologize in advance if you loved having my stories coming at you fast. I am prepared to publish a new short read at least once each week though; maybe it will help a little.

While Midnight Magic is in the final editing stages and is staging up to be published. I am still always writing. I write the story as the scene comes to me. I don't want to write to the market. I want to tell a good story. I never use a plot guide (?) or a story arc. I don't know how to story outline and most of the terminology for writing eludes me. I just need to write.
Learning how to handle all the publishing and marketing is a full-time job and has been fun. I think I finally have a handle on promoting, and I think I know how to make it all a success. Sadly, I lack the funds to make it all happen over night so I will do it as I do everything. One thing at a time.
Maybe when it is all done and the last page is published, I will finally have the money and the time to seriously devote to advertising it properly. To all of you who have been following me faithfully since you stumbled into the dream, Thank you. I promise not to quit until it's quitting time. 
From the reader's perspective, the story is a long way from the end. From my perspective it is nearing completion. If I can, I will have it all done by the end of next year. 2021 is going to be epic.  Peter Elliot, Meid Breach, and Bushyasta along with a few other minor shadowy characters are going to get theirs. I promise.

The title is likely to change, but here is an excerpt from a far future volume. I want to tell you how good it gets, but you will simply have to read it all and find out for yourself. Visit me at OpheliaKee to find out when this one is coming! Over 225 titles were published this summer. Project Publish was a huge success. I want to thank all the readers. You make it worthwhile. I will be giving away another title again this month. If you have never met the demons from Eaglafonn, then you will want to pick up Dread Allies: Shadow King part 1. It will be FREE to all August 13th thru the 17th. I hope you enjoy it.

My social media presence has declined. Sorry if I have missed you. It was not intentional. It is taking me about a week to turn around messages these days. If you drop me a line, Wait for it. I will respond. I am just a bit slowed down due to the job. I still want to hear from you, I just can't seem to wave my magic wand and clone myself nor add hours in the day. I am most active on Instagram and Facebook. Or email me. I answer that just about everyday.

The summer is hot and long. The Corona virus has been an evil interruption in everyone's lives. I personally had to re-enter the professional rat race. I know it's not easy to feel as if you can get away, but I can promise a great escape when you step into the dream! I have to get some marketing and promotion handled. If you read, as always, please be kind and leave your review. Thanks from an independent author.
Be Careful!
Happy Reading,
​Ophelia Kee