This is my main author's blog. I share excerpts and updates to the books I've written. I am an indie author and mother. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Thursday, June 25, 2026
The Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural & Unusual Phenomenon--Excerpt
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Leaving Reviews Help
Yes, leaving reviews and ratings is definitely beneficial to the author. Contrary to what some might say, anyone who has purchased your book or downloaded it during a promotional offer is eligible to leave feedback. While there’s a common belief that reviews from friends or family could lead to a ban, this isn’t necessarily accurate. It’s fear mongering by other authors.
Question: How would platforms like Amazon or Goodreads even determine if reviewers are related? Some claim that these sites dig through social media for connections, but is it worth the effort to invade someone’s privacy just to invalidate their reviews? Sounds ridiculous, isn't it. It makes no sense really, since millions of self-published authors publish their books every year and to waste that much time for one author is mind blowing. Consider this for a moment: if an author faces negativity from haters or a disgruntled peer, it might create some buzz, but authors, don’t let that fear hold you back.
It’s important not to discourage anyone from sharing their ratings or reviews of your books. A smart move for any author is to secure an ISBN number before publishing on KDP or any other platform. It costs $125, and having your own ISBN can enhance your book's visibility with major retailers, rather than relying solely on Amazon for distribution.
Apparently, Amazon primarily focuses on distributing books through its own platform, unlike IngramSparks, which reaches a wider range of retailers. While I’m not entirely sure about the specifics yet, many authors have shared that they wished for their books to be available in places like Target, Walmart, or libraries, but Amazon's distribution is limited to its own site.
This year, I’m planning to take a different approach by not only publishing a paperback through Amazon KDP but also utilizing IngramSparks for broader distribution. You can find more information about Bowker Publishing Services in the link below. Thank you for visiting my blog and please subscribe to my channel. Not all blog entries are made into short videos but most are.
Monday, December 1, 2025
Rates & Reviews do Matter
My son captured this image of a book I recently finished called,
The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe, which is available at Target now. I bought mine
on Amazon. I was drawn to it because of the smut it claims it has. However, I
rated it as a three star on Amazon, as I found the storyline somewhat clichéd
and reminiscent of typical fanfiction plots. Even the book, Ask Alice: A Tainted Wonderland by Kell Frillman, rated a higher star by me, than this book.
In The Never King, the character of Wendy does not embody a
strong female lead, which raises the question of why this book has become a
bestseller on Amazon. I suspect it is largely due to the numerous ratings and
reviews it has received since its release, some of which are not particularly
favorable by some readers but there it is on Target shelves.
The significance of
ratings cannot be overstated; a book is deemed a bestseller when it accumulates
a substantial number of downloads or receives numerous ratings and reviews.
However, it's crucial to understand that a high volume of ratings—such as over
1,000—does not inherently indicate quality. Those who claim that ratings and
reviews are inconsequential are mistaken; they play a vital role in how
platforms like Amazon classify bestsellers. The presence of ratings can elevate
a book's visibility, regardless of its actual merit. Consequently, books with
fewer ratings may achieve only moderate recognition, while those with extensive
reviews are more likely to be prominently featured on Amazon, making them
easier for readers to discover.
In my quest to discover indie authors with few ratings, I
often navigate through a sea of choices to uncover hidden treasures, a task
that can be quite daunting. To my fellow indie writers, I encourage you to
persevere! Continue crafting your stories, as there is an audience out there
eager to embrace your work.
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Can You Copyright Titles, Names and Slogans?
Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks. In general, book titles are not eligible for copyright protection. The U.S. Copyright Office views book titles as “short slogans,” not intellectual property. The underlying theory to this notion is that there may be other instances where the same or a similar title is equally appropriate.
Yes, it’s true even though an author copyrights their written work, it doesn’t mean the author owns the rights to the title, and names in the book. Slogans & short phrases is different and might be protected by trademark.
The difference between the Chandra's Quest by Barbara A. Miller and my book is that they both are of different genre. My Chandra's Quest is sci-fi/fantasy, Miller's book is general fiction/romance. I read a few pages from the sample book, it seems to be a western type of romance book.
After I revised, In the Company of Elves, I published it on KDP. A few years later another author published her book using the same title. However she did write a fantasy book much like my book but there are significant differences between the two.
I copyright my books with the Copyright Office so I am not worried. Bottom line is that names & titles are not copyrighted even if the author sent their manuscript to the copyright office.
Website
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Books I am Working On Now
Womens' Stories: A Collection of Unbelievable Short Stories (General Fiction)
Sunday, September 3, 2023
The Hypocrisy: Early Reviewer Program?
As I stated in a previous entry, Amazon is biased. I have read other Author’s complaints regarding reviews that have been either blocked or removed by Amazon because they don’t fall under their dictatorial rules. Here’s a screenshot of those rules.
What bothers me is this one rule:
“A review by someone perceived to have a close personal relationship with the product’s owner, author, or artist.”
Again, as I stated before, what the fuck? How the Hell would Amazon know who is who? The author doesn’t personally know everyone who follows them. Several years ago, I remember a person who posted online that Amazon will delete or block reviews coming from people that the author knows like neighbors, friends, family members, co-workers, followers, etcetera.
I laughed because I couldn’t believe what I read. It’s unbelievable. I wonder what their bases for comparison is. I want to go back to the reality where Amazon wasn’t crazy. By the way, I stumbled across something that I found curious. While looking online about why Amazon blocks reviews, I came across this:
Reviews are harder than ever to get, so why not take advantage of an Amazon-sanctioned review service?
The Early Reviewer Program is an initiative in which Amazon offers small incentives to buyers to leave a review for a new product. The program costs $60, and Amazon will continue to ask for reviews for 12 months, or until you get five reviews through the program (whichever comes first).
So, tell me, why would Amazon offer this? Now, that’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think? They don’t want reviews coming from people who were paid to post a review but yet, they are encouraging sellers, indie authors and indie artist to pay $60 to get reviews on their products. Does anyone see the hypocrisy here?
Well, I don't know where it all leads for the Indie authors. It just seems that they can't get a break.
In addition, I want to add that I have seen that some indie authors have resorted to paying an outside source for reviews. It's true. I've seen it online. I would never do that because you don't know who you're sending the money to. Take for instance one person who suggested a site owned by someone in Nigeria. No way would I even consider anything from another country, especially Nigeria. But I fear that some indie authors are so discouraged and irked over the fact that their reviews are begin blocked, they will consider going to outside sources and thus, Amazon will delete their accounts. My advice is don't do it. There are other ways to obtain reviews. GO to other websites. Goodreads, Book Thing, and other places are not picky. And yes, I know that Amazon is the first place a person looks to when they want to buy a book or something else, I get it but find other places. Be happy if your book gets a 4 or 5 star on any website because that really means something--it does.
For those who wish to purchase my books elsewhere please follow the links below:
On Barnes & Noble you can only purchase paperback versions of the books I'm selling.
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Reviews & Rates Are Important but Is Amazon Bias?
I’ve read other Indie/self-published author’s comments about how they feel that Amazon KDP is biased and that only a selected few are allowed to obtain reviews/rates. I feel that most of these authors are right. I’ve seen how some books that people would consider cheesy, not worth reading or buying have over a thousand reviews and rates and not all are verified buyer reviews. If Amazon is against fake reviews, wouldn’t they consider those reviews to be fake?
Some reviews are deleted because
they claim that the author knows the person. Really? That’s’ insane. Not all
the author’s followers are BFF’s or family members.
Here’s what I’m talking
about:
“Amazon is trustworthy
and is an important business, so reviews from friends, family members and
anyone that they think the author knows personally are deleted.”
What the fuck? Here’s
where my beef starts with them. How would Amazon know who these people are? One
of my books got a review from someone in another country and I don’t know who
that person is. I don’t know half of the people who are following me online. I
have a fair number of followers on FB, Twitter, Instagram, and other online
websites but I don’t know those people personally. It’s ridiculous. It’s
stupid!
Amazon’s algorithm is
designed to prevent fraud but highlights bad reviews while blocking and
removing the good ones.
Is this true? Well, for
the past 10 years that I’ve been with Amazon KDP, it certainly seems like it.
Here’s another author’s
experience, which I am sure others can relate:
“The day my first
title, Ages of Aenya, was made public, I received a one-star review/rate. The
same exact day. The book was not yet available for download, and even with
Prime delivery, it would have been impossible for someone to read through a
600-page book in a small amount of time. Clearly, the review was written by a
troll, a person who has been harassing me for years online. I reported the guy
to Amazon, insisting the review was fraudulent, a thing they could easily prove
if only they bothered to investigate the timing, but after numerous emails,
phone calls, and complaints from my fans, Amazon let it stay, an ugly and dishonest
stain on my reputation. Fine I thought, I have readers who will drown out the
troll, and then this started to happen. Amazon started to remove the good
reviews.”
Yes, that happens way too often and that is why I feel that reviews that should be posted, never get posted. So, here's where readers should post their reviews, on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, because all you must do is sign up with them, they don’t care where you bought the book. Google books and Apple Books is also another place to post your reviews.
Unfortunately, Amazon is still the first thing readers go to, to see reviews on books they are interested in buying. It’s sad really that Amazon adversely influences traditional publishing marketing and drowns out other authors,like Indie authors who did not publish with a traditional publisher. I must side with the indie authors who are being pushed to oblivion, obscurity.
So
bottom line is, don’t give up fellow Indie authors, I’m with you on this.
Please support Indie author, consider a small donation. TY
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
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
*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.
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.
Life of a Dasher Excerpt Chapter 1
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.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
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.























