Many hands make light work

Monday began with a trip to the haematologist for Pat’s pre-chemo consultation. I was quite nervous about this because she had only just been discharged from hospital after her mini-stroke. The haematologist decided, after having a good look at the various scans, X-rays and blood tests, that it would be safer for Pat to have a break from the chemo. He was happy with the progress she has made so far, and saw no reason why he couldn’t give her a chance to get stronger. I was happy with that. It’s too early for me to say Pat is healing and getting her mind back, but a couple of days ago we went through the Jack & Jill nursery rhyme. I had to help her with each line. The following morning I asked her if she could remember it and she recited it without a problem. I was really excited for her because it gave an indication that her brain is healing. I need to get her a bit heavier though because she lost weight while she was in dock.

I’ve tried to squeeze some literary work in while coping with Pat and the jobs around the house and garden. I had a look at my pulp fiction WIP. I managed a few lines, but not enough to say I’m making brilliant progress. I’ve got my main character into Russia, he’s on a bus two thousand miles from Moscow and heading for the Siberian Peninsular. What he witnesses on the bus is the key to the next step in the story in which my character shows his remarkable guile, cunning and extreme fighting skills. Well, it is a pulp fiction thriller, so I must not let detail and facts get in the way of the action. Right? The character’s name, by the way, is Martin Quil, from a work of fiction I conjured up sixty years ago and resurrected in my pulp fiction thriller this year called Hunted. He’s a clever lad; has all the skills I can invent, and he speaks fluent colloquial Russian. Now, where could you find a hero like that? Only in Hunted — the Sequel. Ta Da!

My campaign on Amazon Ads sucks at the moment. Having put up three ads according to Bryan Cohen’s instructions, I have sold precisely none. The advice I have received is that the data with AMS can take up to six or seven days to filter through, I have to be patient and if nothing else happens, I have to increase my budget. All seems a bit too simple to me, which is probably why I’m getting nowhere, but I will stick with it; after all, I’ve paid Mr. Cohen for his expert advice. I had hoped that the new book jacket, which was designed by top man, Stuart Bache, would be enough to draw the clicks and opens like moths to a flame, but that doesn’t seem to be happening either.

Another small string to my bow (if that’s the right thing to say) is having my book, Hell’s Gate with Voracious Readers. I am picking up at least two subscribers a day which means new readers. The system allows me to have as many books on offer (free of course) to encourage readers to subscribe. Eventually, depending on how many ‘clicks’ I get, I will have to pay a small, monthly subscription. It’s voluntary, naturally, and I can pull out any time. This should help the organic growth and lead to more sales. Hope so.

Looking ahead (well ahead), the tickets for Mark Dawson’s SPS show next year was so over-subscribed that he has had to find another venue. Fortunately he has and the numbers expecting to attend will be over 700. It will be called SPS (Self-Publishing Show) Live. You don’t have to be a member of Mark’s group now because there’s enough room for everybody. It happens to be the day before the London Book Fair opens, so quite a few of the SPF crowd will be staying on for that too. If Pat is fully recovered by then, I might be tempted to stay over, but at the moment I suspect I’ll just take in the SPS event.

I managed to get some garden time in this morning and took the shears and hedge trimmer to much of the stuff that’s taking over. Pat would be horrified if she knew what was in my mind, but as the poor girl can’t do it, I have to make the decisions. Such power. Whatever next? Wish me luck.

Always looking for that light-bulb moment.

Pat is out of hospital now; she came home on Wednesday. It was confirmed that she’d had a mini stroke; some kind of conflict with her tablets. Thankfully Pat has full use of her limbs and most of her faculties. Her responses are mostly mono-syllabic, but she can always grasp what is meant when questions are put to her. She has difficulty recalling much, but there are signs of improvement even though they are minimal. I am told, by people who have experienced this kind of thing, that recovery is usually 100%. I certainly hope so, but the poor girl has chemo to put up with as well. She begins her fourth round next Tuesday, provided the haematologist approves it. I remember one of my chemo sessions being postponed after a period of isolation.

This weekend was to have been a big one for us: our No.2 grandson is getting married in America next week. We would have gone but for what’s happened to Pat. Meanwhile two of our sons are going with their families, so for us the videos will be something to look forward to.

I finally managed to complete the first two hour video training session of Bryan Cohen’s excellent Amazon Ads School. I now have to do the homework which is to post three ads on Amazon and try to make sense of everything Bryan has told us. These ads, although meant to draw in some money, are more about learning and gaining some kind of traction among the Amazon readers and to eradicate all the unnecessary keywords that might prove to be useless. There are other pitfalls as well that need avoiding, but getting some ads out there is the only way to learn and find that light-bulb moment. And on the subject of getting ads out there: my sales this week have been practically zero — two copies, which means no-one is seeing me on the Amazon product pages because I’m not advertising. I’m hoping to start my campaign tomorrow.

I received the six author copies of my latest book, No Time to Die on Thursday, and posted five of them out to our four sons and one to a friend of ours in Lincoln. The cost of sending the book to Australia was just over £7 — more than the book’s worth I think. But I had to sign it for our Aussie boy. He probably won’t read it, but I live in hopes. Incidentally, the books were printed in Poland.

I did something yesterday I didn’t expect to do, and that was to start loosely plotting the sequel to my pulp fiction thriller, Hunted. It’s been beavering away in my head for a while now, and I’ve tried to ignore it because of looking after Pat and getting all the jobs done, not to mention spending hours up at the hospital. But the first concept, the opening preamble if you like, is down on paper. I’m well pleased with it too. Trouble is, I don’t know where to go from there yet. I guess I will.

I managed to get out and do a big shop today. Two friends of ours from church came in and sat with Pat. I was out for two and a half hours, spent a fortune and got everything on my list. I couldn’t believe I was actually looking forward to going to the shops and being allowed the time to get what I wanted as well as what was on the list. Perhaps in today’s diverse world, I should identify as a woman one day a week and enjoy shopping more often. No? No, I didn’t think so either. Whatever comes, I’ll soldier on.

Those of you who are in Mark Dawson’s SPF group will know that he has organised an SPF Live convention in London next March. Trouble is, there’s only room for 300 people, and he knows it will be well over-subscribed. The tickets go on sale at 2pm Monday. I can imagine people glued to their computers if they’re at work, hoping the boss doesn’t see them as they try to add their names to the list. I’ll be at the hospital with Pat for a mid-day appointment. If she doesn’t need any X-rays or scans that day, I could make it back in time for the 2pm deadline. Here’s hoping. Wish me luck.

Coming, going and coping

My week began slowly with regard to Pat’s situation. This was the beginning of what we call the ‘second week’ in the chemo process where the patient is most vulnerable. I had to pick up seven syringes from the hospital to begin the ‘protective’ phase for her, but by Wednesday she was showing signs of deterioration and Thursday morning was taken back into hospital. She is now on antibiotics and has had three scans. Outwardly, Pat is OK, and is showing signs of good recovery, but it’s unlikely she will be home for a couple of days yet. I’m getting used to living off ready meals by the way.

On the book front, I have joined a promotion for my latest book, No Time to Die. It began yesterday and this morning I’d sold five copies. The promotion will run for five days. The link for the books on offer, all free or $0.99 (Crime thrillers — 17 of them) is at https://storyoriginapp.com/to/5Jey3uT. At the moment mine is showing on the first page, but I think the organisers rotate the pages. Why not have a look?

All in all this month, my book sales have been sketchy, but I’ve managed to sell about 44 copies so far. That is good for me because it isn’t all promotion; a lot of that is organic. I’m hoping to remedy that by creating a campaign on Amazon Ads. Trouble is, I still haven’t got through the first Bryan Cohen video properly. I set the video going on my PC, sit back to absorb the information and wake up with out a clue of what’s been said. So I rewind and then give up. Back the next day, same thing. I will crack it though, after all, it cost a fair bit, but the idea is to have a forensic understanding of the way in which the ads work, and how to manage them. Time will tell just how successful I’ll be with them. Unfortunately my current situation doesn’t lend itself to serious study. I’m off to the hospital in ten minutes, couple of hours and home again. Snatch a meal, walk the dog and go back to the hospital. I’m spending more on car parking each day than I would on advertising. Frustrating, but that’s the way it is. When we lived in Spain, car parking at the hospitals was free (probably still the same).

I'm back from the hospital now, and have a couple of hours to eat, walk the dog, iron some PJs for Pat and finish this blog.

I have changed my reading habits from typical A&A thrillers, most of which annoy me, to perhaps a more cerebral crime novel. I downloaded The Sound of Rain by Gregg Olsen. (No, me neither). Anyway, the guy’s a ‘best-selling author, so I thought I’d give it a go. So far it’s a little weird for me, but interesting. I think the story will become more edgy as it goes on. I’ll let you know if I get round to finishing it; something I seem to have trouble with these days — finishing what I started.

I can’t see much further ahead for my own book ambitions, simply because I have little time to myself now. If Pat recovers fully, I should be able to get back to some semblance of order. I can only squeeze this blog in because of separating my morning and afternoon visits, plus I think by keeping this ‘space’ open, it helps me to maintain links to my readers and zillions of fans. Meanwhile, I hope I sell a ton of books. Wish me luck!