The Mystery of Mountain Mishap

I have a marketing mystery that I haven't been able to figure out, and it's nagging at me. One of my historical novels, Mountain Mishap, has consistently been outselling all my other ebooks for close to a year now. In fact, its sales have grown until it's not unusual for the book to sell better each month than all my other books put together.

I have seven other historical novels, so that's not the reason. There's another historical novel that the publisher has had at 99 cents for a couple of months now, and Mountain Mishap at $2.99 has been selling better, so price isn't the deciding factor. I have four other books set in the Appalachian Mountains, so it couldn't be that. I haven't advertised it as much as I have some of the other ones because I haven't needed to. And it doesn't have as many reviews than some of the others. In addition, it has 4.7 stars on Amazon, and I have books rated higher, even some with nothing but 5 stars.

I would love to know why the book has done this well so I could use the information as I publish and market others. If any of you have read it and/or have any ideas to answer my question, I would love to hear from you. In any regard, I'm extremely grateful it's doing so well. I have just started the process of producing it on audio books and have selected the narrator. We'll see if it does as well there.

______________________________

Maple Syrup

December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day. What a good day to have some pancakes, waffles, or French toast topped with maple syrup. Some cooks substitute it for corn syrup in recipes, and you can find some baking recipes online. In addition, it's fun to experiment to see which maple syrup surprises your family likes.

Red, black, or sugar maple trees are most often tapped to obtain maple syrup. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter. The starch is converted to sugar and rises in the xylem sap when spring comes. This is the time to drill holes in the trunks of the maple trees and collect the sap in buckets. The the sap is heated to boil out some of the liquid and leave a syrup. This process originated with Native American groups, but European settlers soon adopted their practices and improved them over time to meet their needs.

Although maple syrup and sugar have about the same amount of sucrose, maple syrup has some health benefits refined sugar does not, the main one being antioxidants. These antioxidants fight free radicals that are known to cause serious health problems. The darker the syrup, the more important antioxidants it has. So today is a good day to indulge in a good helping of maple syrup.

________________________________

Many Sacrifices

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

When we think of Jesus' sacrifice, we think of the cross, and so we should. He came as the ultimate, final sacrificial lamb to die for all if they would put their trust in Him. No other sin sacrifice would ever be needed. This is the heart of the gospel message. This is the good news we're supposed to share with the world. And the main part of the story begins with a birth in Bethlehem.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).

However, leaving heaven, going through the birth process, and living on a sinful earth must have also been a great sacrifice. Think of leaving a place like heaven. He came to earth, not as a conquering Messiah but as a weak, helpless baby in a manger. He must have cried like most babies at the indignity of being pushed out into a cold, uncomfortable world. When He agreed to come, He knew his purpose - to die a cruel, torturing death nailed to a humiliating cross.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people (Matthew 4:23).

While on earth, he would set the example for us to follow. From obeying His Heavenly Father; to baptism; and then to teaching, ministering, and serving, He demonstrated how His followers should live their lives, not thinking of themselves but others and not seeking their will but God's. In many ways, Jesus' whole life was a sacrifice. How closely are we willing to follow His example?

______________________________

Choosing a Narrator

Audiobooks are the up and coming format. No longer does a listener have to borrow audio disks from the limited collection most libraries have or purchase the expensive CDs themselves. Like so much else, it's gone digital. And as in ebooks, Amazon has a big slice of the market with their Amazon Audible. They make it easy for both writers and producers

After filling out the form to list the already published book for production, the writer will need to choose a narrator. I usually put in the filters of what I'm looking for and then listen to the samples of some of the narrators that apply on Audible. However, for the last couple of books, narrators have contacted me from the initial listing. This didn't happen often at first, but it has made it quicker and easier to find my producer. They will be responsible for all the technical end of things as they read and record the book. You will need to furnish the manuscript, upload the cover design, and review the chapters for errors.

My dilemma in choosing the narrator has more to do with the accent and gender. Is it better to have someone with the accent of the book's setting or one with a more general accent? Heretofore, I've gone with ones with the accent the main characters in my books would have. Most of those have been Southern, although two were set in Pennsylvania. However, I'm beginning to wonder if readers don't prefer less of an accent. I haven't been specific as to gender unless there is only one main character. What do you think? What type of voice is best?

______________________________

It's Dewey Day

December 10 is National Dewey Decimal System Day because Melvil Dewey was born on December 10, 1851, in Adams Center, New York. He became a noted educator, librarian, and created the Dewey Decimal System of organizing books. He served as the head librarian at Columbia University before becoming the director of the New York State Library in 1888, but he had a tendency to become embroiled in controversy.

He created the Dewey Decimal System, for which he is most noted, in his first job directly out of college. Amherst hired him to manage its library and rearrange the collections there. Dewey used Sir Francis Bacon's method of assigning components decimal numbers. He copyrighted his system in 1876, and over time, it became widely used. He also did other work in the field, including establishing traveling libraries.

As both an avid reader and writer, I have long appreciated libraries, and all the libraries I have used except two used the Dewey Decimal system. I volunteered as a student assistant in the library in middle school and worked in the library part time when I was in college. In my opinion, Dewy's system is still the easiest for patron's to use. So, I will gladly celebrate National Dewey Decimal Day. What about with a good book?

________________________ 

Why Doesn't God Make His Will Clear?

I think most Christians sometimes struggle with knowing God's will for them. We might wonder why He doesn't make His will clearer so we can follow it better. If He would just tell us or show us, we would do what He wants. Yet, would we? Did we always obey our earthly parents or guardians, even when we knew what they were saying was for the best, or were we determined to have our own way?

Look at Abraham. He only knew a very small part of God's will for him when he packed up everything, took Sarah and his servants, and traveled away from his extended family and all that was familiar to him. He had no idea where he was going or what he was to do when he got there. But the fact that he obeyed God, even when he didn't know the full extent of His will, grew his faith. He learned to seek God and to rely on Him.

It is in the ignorance and the not knowing, that our faith grows. If we easily knew what God wanted of us, it wouldn't require faith, we wouldn't grow as close to Him, and we would take Him for granted. As Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet hath believed" (John 20:29). It is in the struggle of seeking God and His will that our faith grows stronger and stronger. As we read His Word, fall on our knees in prayer, and seek to be obedient, we grow closer to Him. He'll show us His will for us when the time is right. In the meantime, enjoy the journey of living in His presence, because that's where you'll be when you're seeking His will.

_________________________________

When Winter Is Past, Another Audible

I am very happy to announce When Winter Is Past is almost out on audible. This has been one of the books that has steadily sold very well, and I expect it will also do well in the audio version. The narrator lives in Pennsylvania where the novel is set, and he has a touch of a British accent which seems appropriate for 1739 in the colonies. Out of my five novels with audible contracts, he's only the second narrator who has finished on time and the first male to do so.

Corey Thomas Hutcheson has an easy-to-listen-to, appealing voice. He's also a professor and an author with a background in storytelling and almost ten years of recording experience. With a background in literature and folk studies, he is currently a lecturer at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. I feel sure you will enjoy his reading of When Winter Is Past, as I have, and I hope he and I can work on another project sometime. You can visit his website at www.corythomashutcheson.com.

The story tells of Stanton Klein, a widower, Beth Evans, and the people of Middleville. Stan-ton’s father had given up on life after his wife died and left Stanton orphaned to live with his grandparents. As he grew up, Stanton decided he would never love like that. He and his first wife had fared well together, but he'd never loved her, and she died in childbirth. Now he’s decided to find another woman to marry - after all, a farmer needs a wife and sons. However, with the changes come important lessons and dangers that Stanton never imagined. Beth has taken care of her father, since he fell from a barn roof and can no longer walk. People, like Fiona, have always made fun of her, because she has a limp. When Stanton befriends her, she’s wary but also intrigued. Her father encourages her to give Stanton a chance, but she's not so sure. The book is not only an exciting romance, but it has a mystery to solve as well. And as always, all of my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children. It will be released as soon as ACX reviews and approves it, and it's currently available in print and e-books.

___________________________________