The Fixers have arrived!

 It's here. You've probably heard. Kindle Vella, the new serialized fiction service from Amazon. You can read one episode, if you like it, keep on reading. As an author, it's really a lot of fun. Almost like sharing a work in progress with you all. 

So I've jumped in with all my fingers on this one. It's called The Fixers. From a short story I wrote called Imperfectly Brewed. The story continues, as they say.

A woman's newfound peace and solitude is put to the test when she discovers her local cafe is a hub of intrigue and danger, and she's being cast in the starring role.

The Fixers

You'll find it online or using the Kindle Vella app.

Enjoy!

In the news...

It's been hectic and exciting these past few months! Ups and downs and sideways twists.

Good news. Hubby and I are vaccinated and beginning to venture out into the world. 

And here's more good news.

I wanted to share this wonderful article featuring the backstory of Phantom of Execution Rocks with many thanks to Peggy Spellman Hoey at The Patch for this thoroughly intriguing write-up. 

Click here to read the fascinating story behind the story: 

Port Washington Patch

What else is happening? Well, the first book in my new series, Luckland Ladies Mysteries, is getting polished and primed and ready to launch. Mystery, Mayhem, Romance and a generally fun time will be had by all when the legendary ladies take to the shelves.

There's more to come, and I promise to share it all as it happens!

Warmest of holiday wishes to all my readers! Thanks for being there during this chaotic and challenging time. Here’s hoping 2021 brings good news, good cheer and lots more stories to share.

Don’t forget, sign up for my newsletter and stay tuned for some truly wonderful news!

Authormjmiller.com

 

A little mayhem for the holidays!

Every year, I give myself the gift of writing a short holiday story. Last year, it was Holiday Homecoming. A sweet mystery with a happy ending. This year? Well, I've got a treat for you. Mistletoe and Mayhem. A fun and cozy mystery you can read over your lunch hour. Or over breakfast. As you doze off. 

If you've got #KindleUnlimited, it's a double treat, as you can read for free. If not, well, it's only 99¢. 

Enjoy a sneak preview!

Want more? Just click to get the full version! 

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading.

New Book Release!

Phantom of Execution Rocks is available now! And readers are chiming in. I'm grateful for the feedback and thankful for the kind words!

"An excellent read. A solid story, well written and completely engaging. A delightful mix of historical mystery and love story that draws the reader in." Maggie M.

"The writing is smooth and it is easy to stay with twists and turns of the mystery as it unfolds. Once you pick it up, you will not put it down." Amazon Reviewer

This is a fictionalized narrative of what may have happened centuries ago on the North Shore of Long Island. Between slave-traders and abolitionists. Between the patriots and traitors. And how it all circles back to a 21st century couple grappling with the horrors of the past, family secrets and their own scars of the past.

Enjoy!

The Porter Sisters Return

Luce is back. And on a mission...

Get ready for an adventurous little tale featuring the little house of horrors lighthouse at execution rocks. 
On the North Shore of Long Island among the estates and plantations of the eighteenth century, there were secrets. Centuries later, those secrets are coming to light. Visions of ghostly ships and tales of evil offer a mystery just waiting to be solved. But only by those who truly need the answers.
Luce Porter needs those answers. Detective Andy Holman wants to help her find them. 
Neither of them may be ready for the truth. Will it drive them apart or bond them forever?

Available everywhere Friday the 13th (of November, 2020)

The Ladies of Luckland have found their home! 

I started this blog as a journal for an aspiring author diving into the world of self-publishing.

Without a doubt I am thrilled and awed at how far I've travelled on that road. 

But life is full of curve-balls. And it's with incredible joy that I share the news that my journey as an author is taking an enormous leap. The Luckland Ladies Mystery Series is going to be published by Scarsdale Publishing. 

Stay tuned for all the news that's fit to print about our favorite rabble-rousers as they reveal their decades of secrets and lies. 

Their life of Mystery and Mayhem. Their tales of lost love and second chances.

In the town where nothing is sacred and everything is everyone else's business.

And while you wait, don't forget All About Annie and The Christoph Curse are now on Kindle Unlimited! 

Dealing with ghosts

I grew up in a wonderful neighborhood. The kind where kids fled into the street after school to play. We lived on the water. And exploring the rocky jetties and shell hunting on the beach passed the time and and fueled our imagination.

We lived on the Long Island Sound, on a peninsula. If you looked out across the water, you could see the coastline of the New York Connecticut border area. And smack in the middle of the water was a lighthouse. There were many stories about the lighthouse and it's origins. As kids we made up a few more. 

We knew they referred to the little island with the lighthouse as execution rocks. In our innocence, we thought they executed pirates there. They didn't.

Execution Rocks Courtesy US Coast Guard

Growing up is never easy. Growing up and discovering the things you took so much pleasure in were evil to their very core? That's tough. Reconciling joy and despair takes a maturity personally I may never achieve. And once I learned the true history of the horrors of the picturesque beacon, it haunted me. 

I've wanted to write about it for a long time. But I'm not a historian, I'm a storyteller.

And my next book will allow me to weave a tale featuring several variations of the the little house of horrors lighthouse at execution rocks. I need to tell them in a way that you, the reader, can accept, own and reconcile. That's my task. Help you understand that while evil comes and goes, our better selves must rise above it. Even today, google Execution Rocks and you'll find different versions of the horrors that occurred there. Some have been "purified" to remove any stain on the settlers of Long Island. Others make heroes out of enemies. Ultimately, there may be a grain of truth in every version.

So stay tuned for the story of two people haunted by a shared childhood vision, while a third tries to erase the past. 

What About Luce: Coming Fall 2020.

Introducing the Ladies of Luckland

I know, I know. I should be teasing about my new series, not giving too much away but I just can't help it. I am in love with my new cast of characters and know you will be as well. 

In the small Colorado mining town of Luckland, nothing is ever as it seems. And that includes the residents. Join me as we go behind closed doors and travel into the past to visit the lives of the Ladies of Luckland.

Kate, Matilda, Hope and Prudence have known each other forever. They grew up together. Shared all their secrets, their dreams, their first loves and their first heartbreaks. They were there for each other in every way possible. And when they grew up and had children of their own, they made a pact. To give them the best possible life they could, together. To guard and protect the next generation.  It was their sacred vow.

A vow that would be tested when their outrageous secrets catch up with them.

Secrets & Lies, a Luckland Ladies Mystery. Coming soon.

Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know when they arrive!

The Luckland Ladies are on the way!

"Devon Marks, the excruciatingly annoying, intensely good-looking bane of my existence, had just announced he’s staying at my place. For a few days. All this while I’m being terrorized by a Vegas stalker with atrocious penmanship, and my mom’s relatives are scattered all over Luckland."

Pippa O'Leary is having a very bad week. In a matter of days her life has gone from unremarkable to unbelievable.

All thanks to the Ladies of Luckland, and their secrets and lies.

Coming June, 2020. 

Sign up here to be the first to get a sneak preview along with special deals and a surprise cover reveal!

Then get ready for a rollicking good time.

Finding Moments of Joy

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

Fellow word enthusiasts, times are tough. We are all learning a new way to coexist on this planet. I'm isolating, writing and waiting for the dust to clear. But I realize it's up to all of us to create our own moments of joy now. In between the frustration, sadness, and anger is a deep need to break out of the funk. Because all of us need to find those moments of joy right now. It's hard, yes. But perhaps more important than ever before to look beyond the headlines and the fear.

Click here for a brief reminder that Moments of Joy still exist. If you know where to look.

#StaySafe #StayHome #ReadBooks

Ebooks. Hoard away...

Wondering how to survive being at home for extended periods of time? Read. Read. Read. Particularly ebooks. Why? Because there is an infinite supply. Let me explain.

Photo by Pexels--2286921

We've all now seen what panic can do. It drives people to hoarding. Fear and anxiety over being cooped up for up to a month or more has Americans hoarding a year's supply of toilet paper. I hesitate to ask why. We all have been wondering. I heard through the rumor mill that someone posted online that you coud transform toilet paper into a face mask. Well, okay then. Not true. NOT true.

In some cases, individuals have been hoarding beer, wine, vodka, whisky not to drink but in some misguided notion that any kind of alcohol will protect them. Can't find sanitizer? While it's true isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera is a home remedy concoction, I've yet to see the recipe that features aloe and tequila.

The woman spotted filling her cart with disposable diapers? I get it. Though picking up a supply of cloth diapers might be more prudent if you have a washer and dryer at home. Leave the disposables for those who can't get to a laundromat.

Back to books. Being cooped up is difficult. So pass the time with something that won't cause harm to anyone. Read a book. Don't have any? Open up that device, and load a good ereader if you don't have one. They are free. Sign up for services like Kindle Unlimited or Scribed. You can read or even listen to audiobooks to your hearts content. Good for kids. Good for adults. Most have free trials by the way that last long enoug to get through your confinement.

And just because you feel the need to download a hundred books rather than one? No worries, the supply is never ending. Taking every Patterson title you can get your hands on won't affect anyone else's ability to read the same. You can download every book on your kid's wish list.

The same holds true for other electronic media. Video games. Music. Virtual museums. Movies. TV. There are some truly astounding benefits to the electronic age. And Entertainment is one of them.

So bottom line, when it comes to ebooks? Feel free to hoard. We'll all be better off for it.

A new home for my books!

If you're reading this, I do hope you're enjoying my posts. I think it's a great way to connect! But now with 3 titles published and a new series on the way, I felt it was time to give my books a home.

Ta da! www.authormjmiller.com has arrived.

You can stop in, see what's new, sign up for my newsletter and explore my books.

It's also where I'll be introducing you to my newest series, The Luckland Ladies Mysteries. I'll be sharing tidbits, including recipes from the Blue Sky Cafe, and hints as to where the figurative bodies might be buried.

So come stop by for a visit. The door's always open.

Who doesn't like a free book?

Tomorrow is February 29th. It's a special day. Only happens once every 1460 days or so. 

For this reason, you are in for a treat.

The Christoph Curse will be FREE all day long on Amazon.

Just CLICK HERE and enjoy a fabulous romantic suspense novel. 

Here's a preview of what you'll find:

And if you do enjoy it, I'd love to see your review up on Goodreads or Amazon!

Happy Reading.

On Captivating Covers

You'd think people would read books because they are well written, interesting, topical, historical, romantic... and so on. But no, it's all about the cover. Do I want to read it? I don't know, let me see the cover. OK. I get it. I redesigned the cover of my first book and boom! Suddenly it's uber popular.

So I've redesigned another cover. It's a cover-eat-cover world apparently.

So what do you think, oh loyal readers?

Let me know! Your opinion matters.

Judging a book by it cover

From the time we are small, we are told never judge a book by its cover. You don't know what you'll find inside. You might miss out on all kinds of opportunity. Be it a book, literally, or a person or situation or experience, metaphorically.

So here I am now, faced with a momentous decision. The cover for the first in my upcoming new series... drum roll... Luckland Ladies Mysteries. I so want to share my ideas with you, and am considering it, believe me. I have a whole bunch of ideas for the cover but none have quite hit the mark yet.

Do I choose a plot element? The shoebox urns? The scrapbook of secrets? The gold?

Do I highlight the characters? The rabble-rousing ladies? The heroine? The love interest? (He's pretty hot!)

Do I go abstract? Maybe a scenic shot from Luckland itself?

Such a dilemma! I'm certain eventually it will happen. Like on Say Yes to the Dress... MJ? Are you saying yes to the Cover? But first I have to go through the agonizing process of creating it. I do have some help in the form of highly opinionated expert readers, authors, and editors who are gladly offering their assistance. Thankfully! But it is for me almost more difficult than writing the book itself. I sit down and let my fingers fly on the keyboard. The cover? It's more of a staring contest between me and the screen. And it can go on for hours. Agonizing hours. Eventually, it'll come to me. And we'll be off and publishing.

So for now, you'll have to just close your eyes and imagine what Book 1 will bring. Inside, and outside.

Words Words Words

Just a quick peek at My latest on Medium. 

"There’s only one prerequisite for writing that’s universal. You must read as well. The best writers are often born of voracious readers. I don’t claim to be one of the best writers, yet, after all there’s always hope, but reading? It’s been my salvation. Anything is possible in a book. I don’t read for technique. I don’t read for style. I don’t read for self-improvement. I read to fill my soul with possibility. The rest is a byproduct."

Read More

New Year New Cover

Yes. Annie has evolved. My debut novel, All About Annie, needed a lift. Some cosmetic surgery if you will. While some readers loved the cover, it seems too many thought the book was, shall we say, for the young adult market. Certainly it can be, but it's not my target audience. And I made the classic mistake every author makes their first time out self-publishing. And I thought well, what's done is done.

Nope. I rethought that. I have several copies of certain novels I love, each looks entirely different. What's inside remains the same. Wonderful stories. It's only the cover that changes.
I know, never judge a book by it's cover. Well, that's all fine and dandy, except readers most certainly do judge by the cover. I know this because I do it. I admit it. How shallow of me. To be clear, I don't judge people this way. The metaphor for me only applies to things.

So I am of course much happier with the new design. It speaks to me. It reflects the book in a unique way. And if you pay close attention to detail, you'll notice a little surprise on the cover for readers to smile knowingly and nod their head.

Haven't read it yet? Now's a good time to get your copy, and cozy up to a really fun read.

When I'm not working or writing or sleeping...

I've been quite busy lately. Never enough hours in the day. There's work... there's novels and stories to write... and then I've got websites I'm building and groups I'm organizing and politics I'm debating and well, there's always more.

I decided to try my hand at Medium. A website for those who simply love words. Reading. Writing. Educating. Sharing. Finding an audience to share all those crazy whirlwinds traveling through my mind.
So I started with a bit of a mind share. About daydreaming.
Click here to read my very first post on Medium.
And if you enjoy it, share it. If you enjoy the site, join. It's ad-free. Now stay tuned as there is so much more to come.

Happy reading, happy writing and Happy New Year.

Ring in a Happy New Year with Free Books!

2020 is going to be an awesome year filled with surprises, not the least of which is a whole new book series.
And to say thanks for making my inaugural year as an author so amazing, 
for one day only,
New Year's Eve 2019, 
all my books are free. 
Yes. Free.
So that means All About Annie, 
The Christoph Curse, 
and Holiday Homecoming 
are all available for free. It's only for today, so make sure to grab all three. Find them all here and download on December 31, 2019: Click for free books!