Cornish Mysteries now in UK

by Carola

[I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because after 45 years in the US, my UK schooling is beginning to wear off.] 

All three of my Cornish Mysteries come out in the UK this week. Read excerpts at http://historicalfictionexcerpts.blogspot.com/2013/06/cornish-mysteries.html

Buy now at
Waterstones
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Nook

They're set in Cornwall, in a fictional fishing village called Port Mabyn, which is a cross between Port Isaac (think Doc Martin) and Boscastle, and set on the North Coast between those two towns.
Eleanor Trewynn, after working all her life for an international charity all over the world, retires as a widow to a Cornish village. She buys a cottage and sets up a charity shop on the ground floor.

US hardcover

Large print

UK cover

The first book is MANNA FROM HADES: 






 Looking forward to a peaceful retirement, Eleanor's horrified to find in the stockroom behind the shop, the body of a scruffy, unknown youth.


Waterstones
Amazon.co.uk

REVIEWS:
“Adept at showing character through witty dialogue, Dunn paints an amusing picture of a small town that readers will want to visit again soon.” -- Publishers Weekly on Manna From Hades

 “Dunn has a knack for writing meatier-than-usual cozies with strong female characters, and she has another charming winner here.”
-- Booklist on Manna From Hades

“Eleanor is a wonderful, multi-faceted heroine and Manna from Hades is a first-rate story…Carola Dunn demonstrates the same smooth writing and seasoned storytelling that readers have come to expect from her.”
--- Mystery News

“Welcome to Cornwall, beautiful land of Cornish pasties, cream teas and murder. [Manna from Hades] is a modern day version of the classic English village mystery.”
--- Kirkus Reviews

 Port Isaac pics

UK edition

Padstow

The second is:
  A COLOURFUL DEATH

US edition

Once again murder disrupts the quiet life of widowed charity shop owner Eleanor Trewynn, who's settled in the village of Port Mabyn with her Westie, Teazle. On returning from a train trip to London, Eleanor's artist friend and neighbor, Nick Gresham, discovers that someone has slashed several of his paintings in his Port Mabyn shop. Rather than go to the police, a furious Nick sets out to confront rival artist Geoffrey Monmouth, who Nick is sure is the culprit. Accompanied by an anxious Eleanor, Nick finds Geoff stabbed to death in his Padstow bungalow. When the authorities detain Nick, Eleanor determines to track down the real killer, who just might be one of the young artists living communally on a local farm. Bolstered by strong characters, the fast-moving plot builds to a satisfying conclusion. --Publishers Weekly

Waterstones 
Amazon.co. uk 

Large print

VERDICT Dunn's second cozy set in 1960s Cornwall (after "Manna from Hades") is a delightful romp, full of busybodies, unscrupulous artists, and a charming Westie with character. ---Library Journal

On-line review:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/none/quot-a-colourful-death-quot-by-carola-dunn-book-review-1697662/

 The third book is THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW

US hardcover

“The sights and sounds of the coast of Cornwall come alive in The Valley of the Shadow. The rescue of a drowning Indian man leads to a race against time to rescue his family, trapped in the smugglers’ caves on the rocky shore. Feisty retiree Eleanor Trewynn enlists her fellow villagers in tracking down those responsible for abandoning the refugees — but will the smugglers find her first? Dunn gives us a thoroughly enjoyable, cozy suspense novel — one with a social conscience.”
 —Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

...Dunn lives up to her reputation for cozies that take on serious stuff, allowing her ragtag bunch of investigators to unearth a story with roots deep in international politics...
--Publishers Weekly 


Waterstones
Amazon.co.uk

Large Print

UK cover

Rocky Valley--Gave me the idea for Valley of the Shadow

The Valley of the Shadow Dec. 11th

Carola Dunn

The Valley of the Shadow, my third Cornish Mystery, comes out on December 11th from Minotaur, in hardcover, e-book (Kindle, Nook, and others), and Mystery Guild--large print and UK editions to come. 

 Reviews:

 Dunn lives up to her reputation for cozies that take on serious stuff, allowing her ragtag bunch of investigators to unearth a story with roots deep in international politics...
 Publishers Weekly
 

http://news.bookweb.org/news/december-2012-indie-next-list-preview

 “The sights and sounds of the coast of Cornwall come alive in The Valley of the Shadow.
 The rescue of a drowning Indian man leads to a race against time to 
rescue his family, trapped in the smugglers’ caves on the rocky shore. 
Feisty retiree Eleanor Trewynn enlists her fellow villagers in tracking 
down those responsible for abandoning the refugees — but will the 
smugglers find her first? Dunn gives us a thoroughly enjoyable, cozy 
suspense novel — one with a social conscience.” —Carol Schneck Varner, 
Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

     ...the author introduces several village characters and draws the reader 
into the small, cozy world of Cornwall. The action moves in a leisurely manner but it 
kept me turning the pages. As the police-procedural aspect of the story kicks in, Eleanor 
and Megan make a good mother-daughter team.
      The denouement is both wild and funny, and the author ties up all the threads in a 
surprising but satisfactory ending.
      I loved this Author’s Note: “Port Mabyn is a fictional village in a fictional world 
lurking somewhere in the 1960s and ‘70s, between my childhood memories of Cornwall and 
the present reality. <snip> For information about the real Cornwall, I refer the 
reader to countless works of nonfiction, or, better still, I suggest a visit.”
Pat Browning

 You can see pictures of the setting here:
http://murderousmusings.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-valley-of-shadow.html

and read an excerpt here:
http://historicalfictionexcerpts.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-valley-of-shadow.html

Title? Cover Art? What makes you buy?

Carola Dunn

I expect some of you know that before I started writing mysteries, I wrote Regencies--32 full length novels and a bunch of novellas. (Many have mystery and suspense elements, smugglers, spies, attempted murders, impersonations, etc.) They have all been available as e-books for several years, but it's only since they became available on Amazon that I've been getting a monthly list of all titles and how many of each sold.

It's been interesting. For some reason the same titles tend to have the highest sales numbers month after month. Lavender Lady is almost always at the top.

Ginnie Come Lately also does well, as does A Poor Relation.

At the bottom are the collections of novellas. I can understand that. Some people just don't particularly like novellas. Somewhat above them are my ghost and time travel Regencies, The Actress and the Rake and Byron's Child. OK, so some people don't like ghosts or time travel.

But why are Angel and The Fortune Hunters so often near the bottom? 

 



















Is it the picture? Is it the title? It doesn't seem to be the number of stars or reviews on Amazon that makes the difference. It's all a mystery to me.





Especially as Smugglers' Summer has such wonderful cover art, the title seems to me as intriguing as any of the rest, and it has 5 stars, yet it's near the bottom in sales!














What do you think? Is there anything I can do to level the playing field?

Available in multiple formats at RegencyReads.com or for Kindle at Amazon.com/carola+dunn+regency

PS. Just after I finished this and turned off my computer, I went out to get the mail. Nice surprise arrived: The trade paperback large print edition of My Lord Winter, first published in 1992. I take it this means the hard cover large print sold well enough to justify bringing it out in paper. The work that keeps on paying!

E-book Daisy

by Carola Dunn

I am exceedingly happy to announce that at long last all my Daisy Dalrymple mysteries are available for Kindle and Nook (using the original hardcover art--not necessarily a good idea!).

 The first four recently joined the fifth through twentieth.

 

They were delayed partly because I changed agents halfway through the series and my former agent no longer agents; partly because back when I wrote them St Martin's wasn't interested in what were called "computer" rights.

Their legal department first had to figure out what to do about it. Then the two agents had to come to an agreement--not difficult--as to who was "agent of record." Countless papers (in sextuplet) had to be sent back and forth and signed by all concerned. That really slowed everything down. Then the publisher had to decide what they were willing to pay for the e-rights. 

 

 

It's all sorted at last. You can find these four and all the other titles at:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/daisy-dalrymple-series?keyword=daisy+dalrymple+series&store=ebook

And:

http://www.amazon.com/daisy+dalrymple+mysteries

(Click on my name at the top to go to my website and see a list in the proper order.)

E-Reading Ups and Downs

By Jaden Terrell

I came late to the electronic revolution. Long after my husband had said he might never read another print book (because of the ability to change the font size on the e-reader), I was still insisting that I didn't want to read on a screen. I liked print just fine.

He bought me a Kindle two Christmases ago. (Which means, to be fair, I'm going to have to also invest in a Nook.) Surprisingly, I like it. It's great for traveling, because I don't have to lug a dozen books with me, and it's cheaper and easier to download books than to go to the bookstore--too easy, if you ask my wallet, but that's another issue. Overall, it's a convenient little gadget, and I'm glad I have it.

On the other hand, I've noticed some downsides, and I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had the same experiences.

1. When I read a novel, I often like to flip back and refresh my memory about characters and events. Did I miss a clue? Wait a minute . . . wasn't there a guy with cigar on the park bench when the heroine jogged past? And now he's two tables away at Starbucks? With a print copy, I have a pretty good idea where in the book that information was, and it's quick and easy to flip back to it. Finding the reference on my e-reader is cumbersome and annoying--so much so that I usually don't bother. Sooner or later, Cigar Guy's role in the plot will (or won't, if I was mistaken about the park bench) be revealed. I know you can bookmark things, but how would I have known to bookmark Cigar Guy when I had no idea he was going to be sitting there in Starbucks ten chapters down the road?

2. When I read nonfiction, especially books on writing craft, I often like to refer back to previous chapters. Same problem as above, except I can't just blow it off as a plot device I'll find out sooner or later. The information I need isn't going to show up again. Instead, I have to take notes as I go, and if there's something I think I might need later, I have to write it down--even if I only think I might need it. That means I have to read with a notebook and pen in hand, taking notes I shouldn't need to take, since I own the book. Yes, you can highlight. But again, it's cumbersome, and I've never figured out how to get back to what I've highlighted. And I don't always know what I want until later.

3. I can't tell how long the book is. A "real" book, I can see how many pages it is and how big the print is. I know about how long it will take to read and how close I am to the end. An e-book, not so much. So I'm 5% done. Five percent of how much? The only way I can tell is to estimate how long it's taken me to read a percent of the book ("Good lord! I'm still at 4%?!" or "Good lord! I'm already at 20%?!), and then I know if I have War and Peace or Ten Apples Up on Top.

4. For some reason, it's much easier for me to put down a book I'm reading on my e-reader. When that happens, I may or may not come back to it. Or, maybe it's more accurate to say I may take a very long time to get back to it. I bought a book for my Kindle, a book by an author I love. Read a little. Meh.I'm not saying it wasn't good. It just didn't particularly engage me. A few weeks later, I picked up the hard copy at my local B&N. Just browsing through it, I was immediately engaged, bought it, and finished it in two days. I went back to read it on my e-reader, just to see if I loved it as much. Same words. Same story. Meh. I had no trouble putting it down. (It wasn't because I'd already read it; I'm a voracious rereader of books I love.) There's been some research that says we read and process e-books differently from print books, and all I can figure is that's what's happening to me. You can find an interesting post about one person's anecdotal experience with this here. The comments are especially enlightening.

The upshot of it is that, while I find the e-reader convenient, I don't find it especially engaging. The joy I take in reading a good book is diminished when I read it on an e-reader as opposed to an actual book with pages. I would have expected it to be exactly the same, but for some reason, it feels like a completely different reading experience. (Audio books also feel different, but those I get more immersed in those if the reader is good.)

What about you? Do you experience the digital and print versions of a story differently, or is it exactly the same for you? Do you enjoy your favorite books as much, regardless of the delivery system, or does the delivery system make a difference?

Video interview

by Carola 

Gone West comes out on Tuesday, hardcover, Kindle, and Nook:

I'm now 5 months behind with my Work in Progress, so I hope you'll forgive me if the rest of this Wednesday's post is just a link to a video interview about my  career as a writer:

http://www.authorsroad.com/CarolaDunn.html

This was created by a couple who, on retiring, sold their house and bought a motor home with the intention of travelling about and interviewing authors. As they started from Portland, I was one of the earliest.

It's about half an hour long, so if you're interested allow time.

e-Revolution

By Mark W. Danielson

Depending upon your frame of reference, the word “revolution” may spark images of riots, banners, blood, and death, or perhaps spin the Beatle’s tune in your head. But for writers, the e-publishing revolution is as significant as Gutenberg inventing the printing press.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be passing on what I learned at the 2011 San Francisco Writer’s Conference. Of course, there is no way I can sum up everything, but I will attempt to share its key points. First and foremost, I must say this is a very professionally run conference, and I encourage anyone able to dedicate the time and money to consider attending this event in the future.

E-readers have increased exponentially in the past three years. While the iPad, Kindle, and Nook lead the pack, more readers are on the way. E-book sales increased 190% last year while bound book sales decreased 5%. The repeated message from Writer’s Conference speakers is e-publishing has empowered authors like never before. The up side of e-publishing is authors receive a much higher royalty. The down side is there is no quality control filter that literary agents normally provide. While e-publishers such as Smashwords.com will gladly publish your work, they publish whatever is sent to them, good or bad. And while this makes it enticing to e-publish, authors must realize they will be judged personally as much as they will on their work. So, before sending your manuscript to a literary agent, self-publishing, or e-publishing, make sure you hire a reputable editor to ensure it's as good as it can be.

It’s both interesting and encouraging that 80% of the e-books sold are fiction. That’s great news for fiction writers because it shows that people are still reading for entertainment and escape. My two out of print books will be e-published this year. I’m proud to say that Danger Within and The Innocent Never Knew are as pertinent now as when they were written.

It is up to every author to produce quality work. Without quality, there is no credibility or repeat sale. The e-revolution may be here, but if you’re going to wave your author’s banner, you’d better have something worth reading.