Okay, as promised, I am celebrating MS Awareness Week by offering a FREE download of “Once in Every Generation” through Amazon’s Kindle program. The offer will last five days.

   Here are the links to the USA and UK Amazon sites, but I know it’s available in whatever country Amazon books are sold. http://amzn.to/d0MUEz (USA) - http://amzn.to/V8PX9S (UK).

   I’m not computer-savvy enough to know how it works, but I’m told you don’t even need a Kindle to download it. Do it for you, or mention it to a friend. Hey, it’s FREE!

    The caveat is that it is not about MS. It’s about relationships and learning how to face challenges (it just happens that a main character gets diagnosed with PPMS, so the reader learns about the disease). It can apply to any physical or mental challenges one may face.

   Enjoy! And, please remember that I love to get feedback. Read on!

Oh, what a ride....

And so, it is complete. No, not my second novel, but the Amazon 5-day giveaway. I had reservations about joining the Kindle Direct Program Select, because it required exclusivity to my book (only regarding e-book status). I found that to be a pompous request from a colossus of a company. But, after hearing from other authors that they successfully had their novels downloaded in the hundreds, and to celebrate its 2-year anniversary of publication, I decided to give it a try.

Five days later, I can report that I am tickled pink that I made that decision. There were 14,860 downloads! Of course, I’d be tickled bright red if those downloads were with a royalty. Nonetheless I am thrilled that my novel is now in the hands of 14,860 readers, who may have otherwise not have read it. Yes, it was FREE and people love getting things for FREE. I do too. Will 14,860 people read it on their Kindle? I doubt that. But, just suppose 500 of those people actually get around to reading it – then that means 500 more people will have learned about multiple sclerosis. (Though the novel is NOT about MS, one of the main characters receives a diagnosis of MS and the reader learns about the tribulations we MSers may go through daily.)

With the giveaway over, the novel is available to download once again for $4.99. In addition, it is in the Amazon Lending Library and available to their Prime Members for 90 days, exclusively. People have already begun to “borrow” the book, and they are still buying the paperback. With a giant push, I have added to the platform that I started building October 2010 when the novel first was published (in publish-speak a “platform” is an audience).

Now exclusively in the hands of Amazon, I feel a great sense of relief, in that I can really concentrate on my second novel. Yes, I still have to promote, but not on a daily basis. This affords me the luxury of working on this second novel.

My next novel is so different than my first, that I may have to warn some people before it goes into publication. I really stepped “outside the box” of my comfort zone with this one. It is partly historical fiction/partly contemporary. There is murder/suspense/mystery, and it is loosely based on a real person who survived the Holocaust. I promise: no vampires or zombies.

I can only hope that the platform I built will continue to follow my writings. And, I sincerely want to thank all of you who downloaded the novel and made it an Amazon Bestseller. Oh, what a ride it has been!

CORRECTION: The ebook version of "Once in Every Generation" is NOW downloadable for FREE on Amazon for 5 days beginning today. You do not need a Kindle to download it. You can download it to your PC or other e-devices (Kindle for PC is free - and I have no doubt that Apple devices have their own version). This is in CELEBRATION of its two year anniversary of publication! After the free 5-day period, it will be available exclusively to Amazon Prime Members and their Lending Library for 90 days. Maybe by then I will be ready to launch my second novel. Here's the link: http://amzn.to/d0MUEz.

Amazon's Lending Library

Okay, I have succumbed to something I swore I would never do. I joined the Amazon Kindle Select Program. Although my book is on Amazon as a paperback and as an ebook, and I felt it was pompous of Amazon to expect exclusivity. That meant shutting down Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.com and any other avenues that distribute "Once in Every Generation" electronically. But, in the past few months I have been hearing from other authors that there have been major downloads of their books through this program. While readers have been buying my book steadily since it's publication, and I have on occasion offered it discounted, I have wearied of promoting it. Ugh, the business end of the book business. So, when I hear that authors can get their books into the hands of 400-1000-plus readers, who might then suggest it to others, I decided to give it a try. This affords me two important "shot-in-the-arms." 1) I don't particularly care if a reader gets it for free (without royalties coming to me), because it means a reader is reading it. My message is getting out there. And that has been my greatest wish for my novel. 2) This gives me uninterrupted time to concentrate on my second novel which has been moving along quickly. Perhaps, those readers of my first novel will then want to buy my second novel as well. In the industry this is called "building a platform." Though I must warn all my readers that this second novel is vastly different than my first: Suspense/mystery/thriller/historical fiction - it has it all. So, there is a 5-day window of FREE downloads through the KDP Select programs and the link is below. After that it gets put into the lending library for 90 days. I'm giving it a try. At least, I will have 90 days to work exclusively on my new novel. ONCE IN EVERY GENERATION - For 5 days only for Amazon Prime Members: $0.00 (borrow for free from your Kindle). http://amzn.to/d0MUEz. Please share this with your friends.

Have Author Will Travel - Virtually!

    Writing with a disAbility can create many issues, which leads to creating new possibilities – sometimes even a “paradigm shift” in thinking.

    Recently, I was invited to be a guest author at a book club two hours away by car. Sitting in a car for two hours can be fatiguing and painful for me. Had I not had family living in the area, I may have graciously turned it down. But, I accepted and had a wonderful experience meeting and making new friends.

    Two interesting things came out of it (besides new friends):

    During the book club conversation, one of the members stated that she liked that I did not give distinct and detailed descriptions of my characters, but was still able to create a clear image in her head of that person. Another person agreed. Then, a member who was African-American stated that, in her mind, she saw all the characters as black. I loved this and thanked her. Why had it not occur to me that we see characters in our own image? I know for a fact that through a particular Facebook page, I have a large readership who is African-American.

    After I left, I played a game with myself imagining each character a different race. Some ethnicities did not lend themselves to these characters, but others did and it was a worthwhile experiment for me as an author - ever learning and growing as a writer.

    Secondly, right before I left for the book club, my sister had suggested I offer to Skype book clubs in other states. Then while at the meeting, someone suggested the same thing!

    It had never occurred to me to offer that. What a great idea. I can be a part of a book club meeting anywhere in or out of the USA (and not leave my home). Well, at least my face and voice can participate. Just sit me down on your coffee table. Now groups, with or without disabilities, can have me in their living room participating in a discussion of my novel. Fascinating and creative idea. What a great way to reach out to readers. In researching this idea, I found that it's not new. It's been around for a while, so my sister can't take full credit. But, it's new to me. Also, if you're technically-challenged, then I am available to speak with book clubs over the phone.

    I’m making this official: anyone wishing me to participate in their book club meeting contact me through my email at lauren@laurenbgrossman.com. No charge. Only prerequisite is that those present will have read “Once in Every Generation.” Otherwise, I’m going to look very foolish on your computer screen, twiddling my thumbs and humming to myself.      

Ahh, the Smell of Coffee and Writing is in the Air!

    Well it has been a while since I last posted a blog. January 1st was my last post. Since nothing had come to mind, I did not want to blog for the sake of blogging. That would be rambling about nothing and, I assume, boring and a turn-off for most of you.
    But, I have some exciting news.
    First, let me just say this:
    One of my past posts was about procrastination (on my part). It ended with a solemn vow to write two days a week. I'll share a secret: that didn't come to pass. As Angelina Mariano says in Once in Every Generation "Life gets in the way of living." And, that’s exactly what happened.
    In my case, my multiple sclerosis got in my way. I became ill and lost any momentum I had begun. MS can do that. Pain can do that. Fatigue can do that. Lack of interest can do that.
    Finding myself flat on my back with pain from degeneration in my lower lumbar area; the pain and fatigue made me lose interest. I can hear you saying, "Well, that's what laptops are for." Uh, uh. Not me. I prefer to write sitting up and at a desk. Habit, I suppose. A condition I set up for myself years ago.
    After a while, the pain subsided and, though the degeneration will inevitably continue, I have been reinvigorated with energy.
    Big news: I have broken a habit. I no longer sit at my desk, but actually take my laptop to a bustling coffee shop…and I WRITE! With a caramel macchiato (with soy milk), and a muffin, I sit and get lost in my writing. Background noise be damned – I don’t hear it. I am lost in my writing. Yesterday, four hours magically flew by before my cel phone rang and shook me out of my reverie.
    As a result, I am getting a lot done on my second novel. I hope you are as happy for me as I am. I call this the J.K.Rowling effect.
    My second news:
    1.)    Next week I will be a guest author at a book club about two hours north of me. I was contacted through my website by the hostess. She has MS and found me on Amazon.
    2.)    I will be on internet radio on February 22^nd for an online book club.
    3.)    There is a Facebook book club who has slated me as their first book – date TBA.
    So, as my body is back to moving along, so is my writing/book life.
    And this is HUGE: My book is number three out of 100 books on Amazon under literature & fiction – multiple sclerosis! I’M NUMBER THREE!!! I ask that if you have read it, please post a review on my Amazon site: http://amzn.to/d0MUEz. You don’t have to use your name – an alias will do. It’ll help keep me up in the ranks.
    Well, I’m off to the coffee shop. Got to keep writing, not to mention I'm now addicted to caffeine.