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From the latest Author Earnings Report over at http://www.authorearnings.com:

‘When we look at just debut authors from the past five years, we find more indie authors now earning a $50K-or-better living wage than all of their Big Five and Small/Medium publisher peers put together… even after we throw in that overgenerous 2x multiple for traditionally-published non-Amazon revenue.’

Looks like it was a smart business model to keep our author rights, hey Cracker? Now, all we’ve gotta do is get our audio books and foreign rights happening and we can split the 50K profits, whaddaya reckon?

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Claim your little bit of romance reading by subscribing my weekly newsletter over at http://www.melhammond.com where I’ll be posting updates on my latest project, Around Australia in 8 Romances.

The first three chapters of Coming Home, set on North Queensland’s most beautiful island, Magnet Island, is yours for joining (as soon as I learn how to upload it) and I’ll be looking for feedback. For those of you who have already subscribed, don’t worry, I will make sure you’re included.

The official launch for Coming Home is June, 2016, and a free copy will be my thank you to you for your contribution and support.

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KABOOM!!!!

A CRACKER & GILLY MYSTERY – Book 4

CHAPTER 1

Oh, Ooh, Kablooie, We’re in Trouble Now Boys

Kablooie, and from the shops side of the beach to above Pyang Avenue, from the Surf Lifesaving club to the Bowling Club, the lights went out, the stars and moon in the sky the only light to be seen.

‘Run to the beach, geez, run.’ Cracker pushed his two mates toward the beach where even the minimal light from the moon failed to pierce the night darkness.

Trann and Bone needed no persuasion and leapt in to full speed. Unfortunately, the boys hadn’t been given clear enough directions and they crashed into each other and fell to ground in a sprawling entanglement of arms and legs.

‘Stop mucking about you fatheads. We could be in serious trouble. Run that way!’ pointed Cracker, ‘Duck down when you hit the sand and hide under the lee of the beach.’

The three boys fled to the beach where they found a deep depression which would conceal them from even the most determined searchers.

After a space of three to five minutes three heads appeared and looked back at the electricity substation that, as a result of one arrow fired into the night had unexpectedly turned the boys night of adventure, by exploding in a fizzing, sizzling, spark flying nightmare.

‘Keep calm,’ Cracker ordered. “We go home and say nothing. Meet back here tomorrow at eight, ok?’

Not quite meeting each other’s gazes, the three boys hi-fived and went their separate ways.

 

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  1. Attitude matters
  2. Education is an investment
  3. Giving is better than receiving
  4. Values cultivate respect
  5. Word-count matters – without content you have no business – see  Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
  6. There is no such thing as perfection
  7. No one is laughing at you, in fact, most of us a rooting for you
  8. If at first you don’t succeed – see ‘The 1000 Day Rule: What Living the Dream Really Looks Like’ by Dan Andrews
  9. Surround yourself with experts (Jane Friedeman, Janna Penn and Dan Blank to name a few)
  10. Look back and see how far you’ve come – celebrate!!

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Every new year brings good intentions and great ambitions. This year, it’s eight novels, equalling 480,000 words, with the grand title of Project Romance: Around Australia in 8 Romances.

With such an ambitious project, I’ve invested in a few tools to help me. One is Joel Friedlander’s Book Planner which will help keep my book publishing schedule on track. The other is Joanna Penn’s Creative Freedom Course,

You can follow my progress and learn about my fun with Book Planner and Creative Freedom over at http://www.melhammomd.com. If you subscribe to my email list you will receive a weekly email with my tips and lessons learned as I try to meet my self-imposed challenge for 2016.

Here at Growing Up Writing we’ll be focusing on marketing, both my adult books, and our Cracker & Gilly series, as well as leaning the processes of creating audible books.

Oh, and I’ve just subscribed to Jason Kong’s newsletter, Storyrally, an online Marketing For Fiction Writers forum.

See you on the road.

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Historic Carcoar offers everything this writer could possibly want to inspire productivity – historic buildings, heritage rose gardens and solitude – so much so that I think this is the ideal location to hold a writer’s retreat during the cosy winter months that only the Bathurst/Orange area with its villages, fine food and wines, and romantic weather can offer (think log fires, foggy mornings and crisp, clear days).

Anyone interested in log fires, devonshire teas and uninterrupted time to write?

I’ve found the ideal location at an old nunnery attached to the local catholic church.

Stay tuned for details.

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It’s officially the end of Week 3 of our Book Tour and our time on the farm, and our retreat, is at an end.

Here’s what we learnt:

  1. Horses can eat water lilies out of their dam and survive
  2. 36 degrees is unpleasant no matter where you are
  3. taking time out is important, so important that I think this should be number 1
  4. Cleaning is a great way to get out of writing and our caravan is now spotless
  5. Christmas Book Tours are fun as long as you have a farm to come home to
  6. You can write wherever you are but sitting under a shady tree watching donkeys and goats increases productivity
  7. Being still increases productivity
  8. Taking time to look back is important…it shows you how far you’ve come
  9. taking time to look forward is important, too, and what better time is there to plan out the new year than when you’re feeling good about point number 8
  10. Taking time now to do nothing much except write (and clean and sell books and go for long walks in the bush and swim in the sea and watch horses eat grass and count the stars in the night sky) is the best time of all.

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