Q & A's: Time For Reader's Questions

 

These are Q & A’s sent to me from readers. I answer them the best that I can.

 1. I recently read the Secret diary of a gypsy heart and I was confused as to how old Serena was when she wrote the Diary, and does she have other diaries?

Answer: Serena wrote the secret diary in her mid-50’s, she already has adult children and since it’s a secret diary, it was not found with her other diaries that she has in her treasure chest. She has other diaries but the reason why this diary is secret is because as she mentioned in the first chapter, the diary consists of relationships that she was in before and during her marriage.

2. Will there be a sequel to Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart?

Answer: yes, but not for a few years.

3. I read The Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural & Unusual Phenomenon, I thin kit is a good read, but it is too short. Will you write another book like that one?

Answer: I am in the process of writing another book with Paranormal/supernatural content and some religious content, but it won’t be published until next year or in 2024.

 4. Do you plan on making all your books as audiobooks?

Answer: yes and no. Right now I am only working on the novelettes as audiobooks first then I will tackle the full length novels.

NOTE: Ever since Google Plus was Axed, there has been less traffic to my blog, therefore I make vlogs for my YouTube Channel, of what I have written on my blog. So if you visit my channel, please subscribe, It needs more subscribers. Thank you. 

I make short vids but I disable the comment section for them. You can leave a comment on the videos that have it available, though.

Author's YouTube Channel

 

WTF: Kindle Removed Ratings, Why?

 

Two months ago, I received an email from KDP claiming that they supposedly detected accounts attempting to manipulate Kindle services by simulating reading or borrowing activity on my titles. So now here we are, they removed the 5-star ratings that a ‘verified’ buyer posted on some of my books! 

In the Company of Elves, Chandra’s Quest, (book 1) & Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart ARE NOT affected but the others were. As far as I’m concerned, a verified buyer is a verified buyer! If they purchased the book & rated it, it's valid. What's the problem?

 The problem is that when there is toxic jealousy involved, the person who is hating on you will do anything to hurt your chances of feeling impowered and happy over small or great accomplishments. They do things underhandly, and the worst part is that they will never admit that they’re jealous of you, even if you confront them. They will deny it big time. Now, I don’t know why KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) knocked off some of my 5-star ratings on some of my books, but I feel it is unfair and unjust. You’re wondering how one person can cause such a mess, well they can especially if that person complains and sends a red flag on you even though you have no idea what happened and you’re innocent. It's happened in the past to me but under different circumstances, not about my books.

Sure, KDP claims that there was an account trying to manipulate KDP services by simulating reading or borrowing my books, but I think it’s Bullshit. Chandra’s Quest, In the Company of Elves and Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart are not affected, however Gypsy Heart did lose a one 5-star rating, probably because the rate came from the same person who downloaded that book and the others recently. Older rates and reviews are not affected.

 Nevertheless, it is unfair to remove what I feel came from a verified buyer, period! Haters will be Haters and Indie Authors who don’t have haters, are lucky.

Below I added a video I found on YouTube explaining what jealousy is and how it can affect your life, also I will add a link to my Author’s YouTube channel, please subscribe to my channel. 

Jealousy

My YouTube Channel

What is This?

Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural & Unusual Phenomenon Chapter 12 Excerpt

 

Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural & Unusual Phenomenon

Chapter 12 excerpt

Chapter 12: Night Crawlers

What are night crawlers? Where do they come from? Well, the first sighting that I’ve heard of was several years ago, posted online and on YouTube.

*Fresno, California, might not always be the most exciting place in the world, but it has one claim to fame that's out of this world. The Fresno Nightcrawler sightings began back in the 1990s and have only occurred a few times since then. These strange creatures look like pants walking but are only a few feet high and are seen just wandering around. There are only a few eyewitnesses in Fresno,

but the Nightcrawlers do pop up on other surveillance cameras, startling whoever checks the CCTV tapes. Much video footage of cryptids is easily debunked by video analysis, but the weird thing about the Nightcrawlers is that the videos seem to be legit. 

What I think: Yep, I have never seen a Night Crawlers, I would love too though. When I was a kid, my family and I went on vacation trips to different states and national parks. Never once did I see anything unusual but then again, we never ventured outside at night without my parents beside my brother and me. I do remember once when we were camping somewhere at a campground in Arizona in a forested area by a lake, there was an unusual looking deck, like for boats and stuff. What was unusual about it was that the deck was made of wood, kind of old looking, but there were large rocks extending from the lake’s floor upward, close to the deck where you can just step on them and continue walking on them until you reached the edge and can look out to the lake. One day as I was at the edge, I peered downward to see how far the large rocks go. The water was semi clear and as I strained to look down, I saw two large snails making their way up alongside of the rocks! One was as big as a basketball the other a bit smaller. My eyes shot open. I have never seen anything like it before, so I quickly ran back to the campsite. No, I did not tell my parents. I found the large snails unusual, and I was scared. But of course, this has nothing to do with the Night Crawlers so let’s continue. Many people have seen Night Crawlers. Native Americans have encountered them.

*According to tribe members that live near Fresno, the Nightcrawlers are beings that have pretty much always lived on earth, even before human beings got there. According to these myths, the Nightcrawlers have long legs that allow them to move through difficult or boggy landscapes because they are swamp-world beings.

Author's Website

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Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart Chapter 1 Excerpt

 

Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart Chapter 1 Excerpt

Life doesn’t present stones to bruise your soul,

But challenges to leap, to make you whole.

Embrace each dawn with eyes anew,

With a heart wide open, and goals to pursue.

May tomorrow's light guide you on your way,

Bringing you nearer to your goals each day.

Chapter 1: Serena

If you’re reading this, it means I’ve passed on. I’m Serena Raye Sanchez, and I penned this diary back when I was in my late 30s, a time when my hair was starting to grey, and my body was beginning to show signs of aging. In my youth, I was considered quite attractive, sporting light brown or sometimes burgundy hair, depending on the dye I chose at the time. Honestly, I can’t even recall what my natural hair color is anymore, but I can confidently say I was never a blonde.  I’ve always had a slim figure and striking hazel eyes, a trait I got from my mother. 

My mom, Maria, had a rich heritage, being both Irish and Mexican, while my dad, Scott, was of Caucasian descent. I also have a younger sister, Caroline, who is happily married and has two kids of her own.  As I pen down these thoughts in my diary, I can't help but reflect on the fact that both my parents have passed away, may they rest in peace. I have three daughters: Sarah, Salem, and Shari. It’s funny how all their names start with an S, just like mine.  Before diving in, I should mention that this diary covers all the crushes and romances I've had over the years. Think of it as a bit of a confession, though I’m pretty sure some people wouldn’t forgive me if they stumbled upon it. I may be dead, and it doesn’t bother me, but it will hurt my family. Despite everything, I am and always will remain the person people knew and loved regardless of my flaws. No one’s perfect and not everyone walks the righteous path so I do have Haters that will always judge but that doesn’t matter, not anymore.  There was a time when I believed everyone had a soulmate, a spiritual twin somewhere out there. Finding him or her may take a person a Lifetime but people do find each other, some do that is. When I was younger and single, I was totally into soap operas and really enjoyed them. I often found myself daydreaming about meeting my Knight, my Angel, or my Soulmate. But before diving into that, I should mention my first crush, which might not excuse my later choices but definitely gives a glimpse into who I used to be. So, let’s rewind to high school, where I encountered my first major crush on a guy named Alex Romero. He had a bit of a following, with dark brown hair, light hazel eyes, and clear skin, he stood around five foot five back then, but I’m sure he grew taller as time went on. I used to think he was flawless, but looking back, I realized I was wrong. As for myself, I had my own struggles. I was a bit on the heavier side, especially in the rear department, what I affectionately called, "junk in the trunk." Combine that with my low self-esteem and a hefty dose of shyness, and you’ve got a recipe for some seriously awkward times during those years.

I wasn't really the kind of girl Alex would notice or date; I was pretty average in looks. Still, I had a huge crush on him. And no, we never had sex, and I didn't even think about it. Why? Because I was brought up in a strict conservative Mexican family. Yes, there are conservative Mexican families out there, contrary to what some may believe. I didn't look like the girls he was into, and I wasn't eager to lose my virginity, so I held myself back. I believed that when I met the person, the right one, I’d know it. The first time I laid eyes on Alex: It was like a refreshing gust of wind ruffling my hair, that one instant when a new thread was added to the intricate fabric of my life, a moment that would forever hold significance for me. Alex and I were in the same English class, and there I was, caught without any paper to jot down my essay.  So, I turned to him and asked if he could spare me a sheet. He said, “Hi,” and handed me a few sheets of paper. Our eyes met and something happened, at least for me it did. “Who is this guy talking to me? He is so cute,” I thought to myself. My mouth dropped, my heart skipped a beat, I got that feeling in my stomach, butterflies. I've definitely had my share of crushes on guys before. Back in middle school, I liked two boys, Chuck and Simon, but they always went for the thinner, cuter girls. I thought Alex was different, or at least I hoped so. If I had looked like those other girls, he liked maybe we could have been a couple and gotten closer, but my low self-esteem always held me back.

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Life of a Dasher Excerpt Chapter 1

 

Life a Dasher Chapter 1 Excerpt

Chapter 1: Bring it On

 

My name is Mary, and I'm a contented wife and mom of two wonderful kids. On the weekends, I take on a part-time gig as a project manager at an advertising firm that focuses on promoting new homes constructed by big housing developers. My role involves overseeing a team of folks of all ages who stand at busy intersections in various cities and towns, proudly holding signs to draw attention to these exciting new properties. I was once in their shoes, but after a few years, I decided to step up and request a role as a supervisor or project manager. I wanted to escape the constant exposure to the elements while twirling signs. A lot of folks underestimate how tough this gig can be. Being a sign twirler or Human Directional comes with its own set of challenges and benefits, but honestly, I just couldn't handle the random insults from strangers anymore. It's wild how some people can be so out of touch. It's often the case that those who come off as mean or rude are younger, typically under 20, but during my time as a Human Directional, I saw plenty of adults behaving just as immaturely. When I first took on the role of supervisor, I assumed it would be a breeze and not too chaotic, but I quickly realized I was mistaken. In 2019, my town decided to crack down on housing companies by slapping fines on them for using Sign Twirlers at busy intersections, where they would enthusiastically wave their signs. The town officials claimed it was too distracting for drivers and pedestrians alike. As the area manager, I found myself in the thick of controversy, having to navigate the fallout from this decision and address the concerns of both the companies and the community. The entire situation complicated things for the company when it came to positioning the sign twirlers in the best spots for maximum visibility. Just a heads up, some of the housing communities throw a grand opening sale, people can go and enjoy the free snacks and drinks the clients provide, even if they’re not going to buy a house that day. I just wanted to let people know about that, so the next time you see a grand opening, go and get yourselves some free food. So, it was December 2019, and many housing companies were shutting down because of whispers about a virus from overseas that was expected to hit the U.S. Before I knew it, I found myself unemployed. That extra cash was a nice boost, so now what do I do?

This is an excerpt from Life of a Dasher, you can download the book through Kindle unlimited. Please rate & review. Thank you.

Author's Website

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What Is This?

 

Recently I received an email from KDP regarding some kind of alert for content review. Naturally I was perplexed by this. Here is what it said:

 

Hello, 

 

We are reaching out to you because we detected accounts attempting to manipulate Kindle services by simulating reading or borrowing activity on your titles.

 

You do not need to take any action, however, we will block the activities of these malicious accounts and their effects on payments. This means that you will still receive royalties associated with legitimate reading activities, but you will not receive royalties associated with activities related to these accounts. 

Please note that this notice does not represent a change to your account status but is sent to make you aware of how our security countermeasures will affect your previously reporting page count and your royalty payments. 

 

We understand you might have questions regarding the nature of how we detect these activities; however, please be aware that we cannot provide details that might compromise the integrity of our security systems.  

 

If you have any other questions, please reply to this email.  

No, I did not reply to it but went directly to KDP Community forum. I would rather not click on the link they provided because I did not want to click on something malicious. If this email is not directed to me personally, and it was sent out as a newsletter to all Indie authors then that's fine but recently I received several downloads of my books which surprised me but I am thrilled about it and I don't see a problem with it, people can download any of my books if they wish. I even got several global rates on all of them, thank you and I received an actual review on my book, In the Company of Elves, however, I was curious about the email I  received from KDP so I went ahead and logged into the KDP community forum. I asked about the email and why I would be receiving it and this is what several users said:

 “The notice has nothing to do with reviews and all to do with vandals manipulating sales numbers. I had it happen to my account several years back and it takes a while for them to find and disable the culprits, but they will do so. They are trying to reassure you will get paid for all legitimate sales but not for those fake sales being stuffed into the system. Think of it as cyber graffiti. Nothing to do but stay aware and wait it out.”

User 2: 

"Amazon is looking out for itself, not publishers. After all, you will not receive any royalties from page-reads they deem questionable. Be glad you still have an account. Back in the heyday of click-farms, hundreds of innocent titles were used to camouflage the real beneficiaries of click-farming. A great many indie bystanders found themselves jettisoned along with the offending parties, sometimes instead of. Click-farming isn't what it used to be (too many checks, balances and limitations to bring in the $500,000/month they used to get), but the practice has not gone away, no more so than has review or ranking manipulation. Even leaving out those who might get caught up with the actual scammers (like dolphins in a tuna net), KDP deletes 300-500 publishing accounts annually for a variety of reasons. I am sure a goodly percentage of those terminations are undeserved. It is always a mistake to assume KDP is looking out for us, is our friend or colleague/partner, or that they will listen to our protestations of innocence once a determination has been made."

I don't know what he or she is talking about, I've never heard of click-farming before. As far as I'm concerned, any VERIFIED buyer, is a verified buyer. Verified reviews or global rating is genuine and I should receive royalties from those sales, period! 

3 user:

"Well, the scammers aren't, AFAIK, "targeting" you. They manipulate YOUR sales, which means YOU get the money, not them. There's no realistic way for scammers to download KU, Kindle Unlimited book and speed read through them and THEY get the money. You get hurt by it, yes, because Amazon alerts to it and then starts to monitor your downloads and all that. It's bizarre. Not as bizarre as the sideways-book pirates, which is odd but odder."

This person is totally wrong, you can read through a book in two weeks or less if that book is under 100 pages. If it’s a novelette. Some of my books are novelettes. The only books that I have that are more than 100 pages are the Chandra’s Quest Trilogy set and In the Company of Elves.

So, I’m not sure where I stand with receiving royalties from KDP because ever since I had received the email, I haven’t heard anything else from them.

For those who want to know, my account on Amazon KDP is still up and running, it will not be deleted because I am not guilty of any kind of supposed scam. I’ll still have it next month, 6 months from now and for as long as I’m alive. Period!

Please do feel free to visit my author's page and download or buy any one of my books. Read, rate and review. Thank you.

I will make a vlog video about this soon. Please follow links below.

Amazon

 Facebook page

Author's Website

 

What Genre Do I Prefer to Write

What Genre Do I Prefer to Write

Fantasy, Paranormal/Supernatural and general fiction, anything else but Sci-fi. Yes, I find Sci-fi hard to write. My first book Chandra’s Quest is science fiction, in fact the whole trilogy is but I added a bit of fantasy and mysticism to it. It has taken me longer to finish the trilogy than expected but finish it, I will. 

20 years ago, I was inspired and motivated to write this trilogy however as the years moved on, I found myself lacking the motivation I once had. 

Fast forward to now, I struggle completing book 4 but I will get it done nevertheless and move on to my next projects.

 I have a Supernatural/paranormal book in the works, easy to write since I get my inspiration by reading Reddit stories or creepy pastas, etcetera. The web is full of them. The foundation is there, all I have to do is fill in my take on whatever moves me. 

I will not reveal the title of the book, I prefer to keep it surreptitious. 

Bottom line is, I am still working on and wrapping up Book 4 of Chandra’s Quest, once that’s done and published I will dive into my other projects. 

For those who have read Chandra’s Quest, and await the final installment,  be patient, it will be published this year as an eBook first.

 By the way, if you have read any of my books, please do rate or review them. I appreciate it. Thank you. 

Website 

Global Rate verses Actual Reviews

Lately I've noticed on Amazon  that people would much rather leave a global rate rather than a review. I prefer both but would settle for a rate anytime. 

What is the scale of rating on Amazon?

Rating scale: 1-5 stars. 1 being bad, 5 real good and the rest are in-between. 

When I scroll through items on Amazon that I am interested in, I look at the most recent reviews, then scroll to 1 star ratings then to 5 star ratings. I find that the most RECENT reviews and rates are more relevant. 

How important is it for an Independent Author to receive ratings & reviews?

It is important for an independent author to get reviews and ratings because it ups their credibility and exposes them to more readers.

What is the Audience of an Indie Author?

 There is always an audience for any kind of book out there but it's hard for Indie Authors to gain an audience if Amazon shuffles their books to the bottom of the list! Not fair, is it. This is why it's important to rate and review their books so that more readers will notice these incredible authors. 

All reviews count. The more reviews or rates a book gets the better. However, there's a problem with certain people claiming that reviews on Indie/self-published books are Fake and are posted by friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances or neighbors of the Author!! Does anyone see how ridiculous that is? 

Those claims are unfounded and are only put out there to discourage or scare readers from leaving reviews or rates on self-published books. So please be fair, all reviews and rates are valid, just post them. 

In conclusion, reviews and global rates help a struggling Independent author fulfill their dream of being recognized and sell more books. 

Stay safe & be blessed.