For those who don't know, Kindle Scout is a program where Amazon lets authors with an unpublished novel throw the first 5,000 words and the cover up on their Kindle Scout site to be viewed by interested readers. Readers can then choose to nominate the book for publication if they like what they see. If a book nominated by a reader gets picked up, every reader who nominated the book gets a free copy of it. It's a win-win for everyone.
I'd been a bit reluctant to jump into Kindle Scout as the terms aren't ideal for an author, but then having read posts from many authors who were picked up, and were thrilled by what they got, I decided to give it a shot on this novel. Here's a link to my Kindle Scout page if you're interested in taking a look at my political thriller "Sara X." https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/376CW6LHKEVGU
In other news, my seeds are sprouting! I started my Purple Wave Petunia, Calibrachoa, and Dahlberg Daisy seeds this week and I've got seedlings! Yea! It's always impressive how small a Wave petunia is at this point and how massive it'll be by the end of summer. The growth rate on those little guys is pretty incredible. This is my first year growing calibrachoa from seed. The seed packet lists the germination rate for the seeds at 80%, so I likely won't get the full 25 seeds I planted as plants, but if I get even two plants, it'll cover the cost of the seeds compared to buying the plants in the spring. The Purple Wave seeds have a germination rate of over 95% so I'll get a good supply of them. In a few more weeks I'll start the impatiens, salvias, and marigolds. There's nothing like having seedlings growing under your lights to make you forget the cold and snow outside.
The new plant lights I installed last winter surprised me with their growth rate, so I've pushed back the starting time for my seeds this year. Last year it became a jungle under the lights as the plants really, really loved the new lighting setup. Assuming I'll get the same rate of growth this year, I can hold off on starting the plants for a bit longer than in the past.
I've still got to find a local source for thunbergia seeds. My plan this year is to do away with the hanging baskets and instead have pots on the porch railing with red salvia growing up, Purple Wave petunias and calibrachoa growing down and thunbergia climbing twine up the porch posts. Thunbergia are perfect for that in that they only grow four to six feet and stay covered in flowers much of the summer. If it works the way I hope it'll work, it should be a good look. The planter boxes lining the porch will be filled with impatiens, marigolds, salvias, and dahlberg daisies. I'm off to a good start with everything and we'll see how it goes.
The Super Bowl is coming up tomorrow!!!! Tomorrow will be a fun day for me. My traditional Super Bowl feast consists of a Belly Buster hamburger (11 ounces of ground sirloin grilled to perfection) inside a homemade 9 inch diameter bun (made using Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix.) followed up by assorted odds and ends. It's not something I eat a lot, but every now and then it's a good treat. I'm thinking Carolina will win the game but I'm hoping for a good game.
For the next few weeks I'll be working on my two nearly ready YA (young adult) novels to get them ready for whatever fate awaits them. (Kindle Scout? Self-publishing?) And I'll also be refining my nonfiction book on secrets builders and architects know that drive up your costs but do little to benefit the homeowner. I'm not sure which of those three will be ready first, but expect one of them to hit the market in the next month or so.
Thanks for reading this and if you get a chance I'd appreciate your nominating "Sara X" in the Kindle Scout program.
No comments:
Post a Comment