Quarantined! The Kobo saga continues...

Further to 'Kobo did WHAT?' I emailed the company to ask why my novels and short stories had been removed from their website.  I was told they hadn't been removed, they were merely quarantined.

A letter to our KWL authors and self-publishing partners

In order to address the situation Kobo is taking the following steps:

1. We are removing titles in question from the Kobo platform.

1. We are quarantining and reviewing titles to ensure that compliance to our policies is met by all authors and publishers. We will ensure that content meeting the policy is made available online as soon as possible.

1. We are reviewing our policies and procedures to implement safeguards that will ensure this situation does not happen in the future.

I am glad they are addressing the issue of the vile and unwholesome books that slipped through the net but the whole situation reminds me of being at school.  Someone has written a naughty word on the toilet door so the whole class is kept behind until someone owns up.

As an author I am still a very small fish in the big pond of self publishing.  I hate to admit that I'm unlikely to lose much revenue from my books being unavailable but I really feel for the bigger authors and especially the small publishing houses who have been affected by this situation.  Kobo's mistake could cost them dear indeed.

It has raised a lot of discussion about what is suitable subject matter and what is not.  Erotica is subjective, some people are turned on by sunset walks on the beach, other's prefer a bit of slap and tickle but I think we can safely draw the line at illegal acts.  Or can we?

I have been feeling a little paranoid about the book I'm currently working on.  It explores the grey areas of sexual abuse.  Is it sexual abuse if the woman doesn't say no?  Is it rape if she is incapable of saying no?

Without spoiling the story there are scenes were an older man takes sexual advantage over an inebriated young woman.  The scenes are reasonably explicit but I didn't write them as erotica to turn people on, I wrote them as part of a greater story.  If scenes of rape are unacceptable then does my book break the policy?  If it does then  by the same measure do we also lose such great works as Alice Walker's The Color Purple?

It's food for though and I don't envy Kobo's review team one little bit!

Kobo did WHAT?

I love my little Kobo Glo.  I've been singing it's praises for the past month or so and I have been busy tweeting links for other Kobo owners to buy my books from the Kobo website but today the love affair turned sour.  I went to the Kobo website and my books weren't there anymore.

What?

All six of my books had disappeared from the Kobo website.

Heaven Knows This Time.  Gone.
Another Perfect Angel.  Gone.
Angel's Shadow.  Gone.
Being Isobel.  Gone.
The Last Bite.  Gone.
The Boutique.  Yup, my innocent little ghost story had gone too.

Head scratching commenced.  I double checked my Smashwords account (they distribute my works to Kobo and other retailers) and I started to Google for clues.  Then I came across this.

BBC - WH Smith takes website offline after porn e-book scandal

Now if you've ever visited Smashwords and turned the Adult Filter 'OFF' then you might have seen some of the unsavoury titles available in the 'erotic' genre.  I'm not a big fan of porn but each to their own, I gloss over it and move on.

My husband then sent me this link.  WARNING!  The subject matter is pretty offensive, don't click if you have small children around.

The Kernel - An Epidemic of Filth

It all started to make sense.  This extreme material had found it's way onto some eBook websites and the way they chose to deal with it was to shut them down and get rid of all the self published books.

WHAT?

I'm not a computer expert but surely there are better ways of dealing with the problem than shutting the whole website down?  WHSmith website is still offline as I type this and the holding page states:

Our website will become live again once all self published eBooks have been removed and we are totally sure that there are no offending titles available. When our website goes back online it will not display any self published material until we are completely confident that inappropriate books can never be shown again. 

Now I'm glad they are trying to stop the very extreme and nasty novels from being available but did they really have to tar all self publishing authors with the same brush?

My books have been removed from the Kobo website and I've not been given a reason or explanation.  There is chaos amongst self published authors on the internet.  No-one seems to know what is going on and I'm sat here feeling hurt and confused.

Were my books bad?  Are they too explicit?  What about The Boutique?  There's no sex in that!  The conspiracy theorists are whispering about it being a planned attack on self publishing authors.  The old school publishers don't like that we're doing a better job than they are, but I don't really subscribe to all that.  I just want Kobo and WHSmith to put my books back on their websites.

I worked hard on my novels.  They may not be the most deep or thought provoking books in the world but I think they are good stories and I want to share them with people so they can enjoy them too.  I might be too much of a risk for the big publishers to take on but at least by self publishing I can reach people and hopefully provide a little entertainment to brighten their day.  Some of my stories are even free!

So, Kobo, if you're listening.  Could you put my books back, please?

If not, I'm sending everyone to Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords!

I've defected to the Kobo Glo

I was a bit late to the electronic book party.  I guess I was a purist, I liked to feel the pages of a paperback between my fingers and my eyes never really felt comfortable reading a screen for any length of time.

Kindle Touch v's Kobo glo

I bought my Kindle Touch when I started writing seriously again.  I wanted to be able to review what I'd written sitting in the comfort of my armchair instead of propped up at the PC.  The Kindle Touch seemed like the perfect thing for me.  It was easy to buy books from Amazon and my DH was pleased that I wasn't cluttering up the house with yet more paperback.

I really liked my Kindle.  OK, it was a bit grey and boring but I bought a snazzy red case to brighten it up.  It was light and fitted in my handbag so I took it everywhere with me.  It killed time in hospital waiting rooms and it provided anonymity when I was reading *those* books.  Still not sure why I bothered but curiosity and all that...

Anyway, the Kindle was great but there was a small problem.  I found myself straining to read the screen in the evenings.  I needed a light.  I did a bit of research and found you can get cases with lights on but I they looked like more trouble than they were worth.  I also researched the Kindle Paperwhite.  It looked like it would fit the bill and until I read the reviews.  They weren't very convincing.  The more I read about faulty screens, bulb shadows and weird colour casting the more I realised it wasn't going to be the one for me.

Grey Kindle, pretty blue Kobo

I'd never really considered any of the other eReaders because they weren't Amazon, but I'd seen some reviews of the Kobo Glo and people were raving about it.  I popped into my local W H Smith store and had a play.  I was sold!  The screen was clearer, the page turns were faster and best of all at the touch of a button the page lit up and I could read at night!!!

I decided to get the blue one.  It wasn't available online but thankfully they had it in stock in W H Smith at Meadowhell  (and no, that's not a typo!).  I got it out the box and fell in love!  It's so cute in blue!  It took a little while to set up on the computer but buying books is just as easy as getting them from Amazon.

I did have a little panic when I realised I could only put books on it that I'd bought from the Kobo website but then I remembered reading about Calibre and pretty soon I'd downloaded that too and I had all my other books on my new beloved Kobo Glo.

I am so loving it.  I can read in the conservatory when it starts to get dark, I can read in bed without turning the lamp on, and I can adjust the brightness so it's perfect for my eyes.  So, I'm sorry Kindle, you're relegated to reading old books in the bath because I've defected to Kobo :D

Its glow in the dark!

Do you like ghost stories?

I love a supernatural tale.  I have fond memories of reading ghost stories aloud with my friends in the school library but as an adult I've been quite disappointed with some of the short ghost stories I've read.

I like to challenge myself with my writing.  I decided to write my own ghost story but I wanted to do it a little different.  I didn't want to rehash the old stereotypes, I wanted something modern with a twist.

What if the main character was a ghost but didn't know it?

How would they feel when they realised that they were dead?

And more importantly, what would happen next?

The result was a short story called The Boutique. 

When Alison closes up her fashion boutique for the night, a chance encounter with Peter, the security guard, changes her life forever. Peter is used to people looking straight through him, but when Alison engages in conversation he's faced with the dark realisation that she is just like him. A short ghost story with a heartwarming twist. 

The Boutique is available to download for free from Smashwords.  I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy reading!

1001 Downloads!

Hi!

I'm having a little celebration.  Being Isobel has had an incredible 1001 downloads from Smashwords!

I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to download my story.  I can't thank you enough!

The idea for Being Isobel came about after seeing other authors pinning hunks on Pinterest and casting them in their romance novels.  I wondered what the authors would do if they ever met the objects of their desires?  My imagination ran away with me and I decided to write up the story for NaNoWriMo 2012.

Writing the story was quick, easy and a lot of fun!  I took a little break before editing it and in January 2013 I published it as a free novel on Smashwords.  I decided to give it away for free just to drum up a bit of interest in me an an author.  I'd already published Heaven Knows This Time and Another Perfect Angel but despite excellent feedback from my readers, I wasn't exactly challenging JK Rowling in the earnings department!

I quickly started getting five star reviews on Smashwords and Being Isobel featured in Heart of Glass magazine.  I joined an indie review group on Goodreads and received this really positive three star review from fellow author MC Lavocat.

The positive reviews were really uplifting but not everyone appreciated my story.  My mum blushed as she told me how she enjoyed it but she thought it was 'very explicit!' and a reviewer was not happy about me dropping so many F-bombs.  I know it was childish but that made me giggle :)

It's always hard an author to read bad reviews.  I was a little upset when a Goodreads reviewer gave me my first ever one star review: 'Awful writing style. It was free, but not worth the time. Implausible and annoying read.'

I know everyone is entitled to an opinion but it's hard to take criticism that isn't backed up with any reasoning.  What was so awful about my writing style?  And since when was plausibility a requirement for fiction?  Is it plausible for Harry Potter to go to school on a magic train?  Or for a little man with hairy toes to go on adventures with a magic ring?

Thankfully the reviewer was in the minority and I received many more positive reviews.

"Really enjoyed this book. Characters you can understand, romance, lust plus some real down to earth moments. I loved it. Nice and easy to read, didn't take me long at all."

"A Must Read! This book was wonderful!! I was very impressed with the author's ability to gain the reader's sympathy. Tracy is a wonderful character! Can't wait to read more of her work!!"

"I LOVED IT? THE WHOLE PLOT LINE FIT WELL TOGETHER? AND THE ENDING WAS GREAT!!! I HOPE THEY HAVE A BOOK 2 OR MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So may I say thanks again to everyone to downloaded the book and if you haven't already got it why not download it for free?  It's available from Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books and all good ebook retailers.  I hope you enjoy it!

Clair

The trilogy is complete

So, that's it then.  The Heaven Knows trilogy is complete.

I know it sounds daft but I kind of feel a bit sad to be leaving Angel and her friends.  From the opening lines of Heaven Knows This Time I lived with the characters in my head, wondering what they would do next and how they would handle all the bad stuff I threw at them.

I still feel guilty about Simon, he was a unique character and one of my favourites, but he played his part and was the catalyst for everything that was to follow.

I had fun with Lora, the flaky party girl with a heart of gold.  She's the perfect BFF, even if her mouth isn't always connected to her brain.  Livi was fun to write too but Oliver was quite tricky.  He might look like his brother but his personality is quite different.  It was interesting writing the relationship between him and Angel.  I wanted them to have a close relationship but I didn't want it to be physical, even though at times it nearly was.

Angel is no heroine, she started out as a blank canvas, passive and obedient, but I think she grew up into a pretty strong young woman, despite what I put her through.  Miles is her rock and I think they make a pretty cute couple.  They're aren't perfect but who is?

I had too much fun writing the novels, drawing on happy memories of going to  gigs when I was a teenager and mucking about in bands.  I especially enjoyed writing from Miles's point of view in Angel's Shadow.  It wasn't easy putting myself in the head of a 24 year old man but I felt the story needed his voice.

It's hard to believe I only started writing these books 18 months ago but I didn't have to think too hard about any of the story lines.  The plot came together pretty well and  I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

I still have to finish Lora's Secret Diary but for now I'm going to close the door on Angel and concentrate on other writing projects.  I recently wrote a short vampire story, The Last Bite which you can download for free from Smashwords.  I've also written a short ghost story which I've entered into a competition and I'm currently working on a novella about love and knitting.  I think I might be addicted to this writing lark!

Anyway, thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy my books :)

Heaven Knows This Time

Another Perfect Angel

Angel's Shadow

Angel's Shadow - OUT NOW!

Hi!

I'm pleased to announce the release of Angel's Shadow, the third book in the Heaven Knows trilogy.

Unknown Pleasures are back from their US tour and Angel is glad to have Miles home until her world is rocked by a shocking discovery. She's pregnant, but Miles isn't the father. 

Tensions are high and Angel struggles to make sense of everything as events unfold. A singer goes missing, a body is found and Angel wonders if her nightmares hold the key to what happened. 

All Miles wants to do is protect her but he's fighting his own battles. Fame has gone to Jamie's head, he's mixing with the wrong people and jeopardising the future of the band.

Is this the end for Unknown Pleasures? Will love tear them apart or can Angel and Miles rebuild their unique family.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon US and Smashwords.