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Showing posts with label #ebooksale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #ebooksale. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Month-long sale on ebooks !

cj Sez: STARTING NOW is your best chance to buy my ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale!

You can find my on-sale ebooks . . . 

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For writers and readers
  This little funny read is not my article. I borrowed it from a Facebook post, but I admit 100% to having heard all of these and certainly some of them came out of my mouth—in fact, one or two still do.
 
“Ever wonder about all of the sayings or words that seem to be lost as we grew older? Let’s look at a few of these words…
 
Do you remember the word ‘Murgatroyd’? Spell checkers don’t even recognize that word. Our computers are confused… Heavens to Murgatroyd!
 
The other day a not-so-old lady said something to her son about driving a jalopy, and he looked at her quizzically and said “What the heck is a jalopy?” He never heard of the word jalopy!! She knew she was old … but not that old.
 
Some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the march of technology. They include phrases such as “Don’t touch that dial,” “Carbon copy,” “You sound like a broken record” and “Hung out to dry.”
 
Remember when we had lots of ‘moxie’ and we’d put on our best ‘bib and tucker’ to ‘straighten up and fly right’?
 
Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!
 
We were ‘in like Flynn’ and ‘living the life of Riley’’, and even a regular guy couldn’t accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!
 
Way back, life used to be swell, but when’s the last time anything was swell?
 
Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and pedal pushers…
 
Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn’t anymore.
 
We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, Well, I’ll be ‘a monkey’s uncle!’ Or, This is a ‘fine kettle of fish’! We discover that the words we grew up with have vanished.
 
Poof...go the words of our youth. The words have been left behind. We blink, and they’re gone.
 
Long gone are words and phrases like: Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It’s your nickel. Don’t forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I’ll see you in the funny papers. Don’t take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses.
 
It seems that there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This is disturbing!
 
We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeable times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age.
 
We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. It’s one of the greatest advantages of aging.
 
We are left to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth… But just consider that no one will ever have the opportunity again for such a great change in wording and phrases. We, at least most of us, are children of the fabulous 50’s. We have been given one of life’s most precious gifts…our memories…
 
I still call the fridge an ice-box from time to time. That’s what mama called it, so that’s what I call it.
 
The lost Words from our childhood are gone as fast as the buggy whip! Sad really! Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this and chuckle.
 
See ya later, alligator! Okey-Dokey… God bless you all.”

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Do commercials rush the season or what? 

I saw this Facebook ad, complete with photos, on June 25, 2026:

  “No matter your space or style, there’s a Balsam Hill tree made just for you. From grand living rooms to cozy corners, find the perfect fit and make every room a little more magical this Christmas.”



  This post is by author and book coach Miranda Keskes.
Keskes writes that she had a client who “wondered, should she write chronologically and leave the break-up for the novel’s end? An excellent question, and one I answered with another question, “What emotional experience do you want your reader to have?”
 
How about you, Lyrical Pens writer? What do you want your reader to experience?

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“We are like books. Most people only see our cover, the minority read only the introduction, many people believe the critics. Few will know our content.”   ― Ă‰mile Zola
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  That’s it for this month’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.
 
cj
 
  My paperback books are available through your favorite bookstore and Amazon (stop by my Amazon author page for a listing: Amazon Central Author Page )
 
  Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blog for readers and writers is a monthly issue, kind of like a newsletter. I’m aiming for the first of the month, whatever day that is, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate every one of my visitors. Drop me a comment or a question, and we’ll talk.
 
➜ Follow me on        
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6
 

Sunday, May 22, 2022

A little light reading . . .

 cj Sez: Finished/submitted another short story to an anthology last week...a few hours before the deadline that had been extended for two additional weeks for malingerers like me. But I got it done. Now the waiting begins. 


  It was the second short story I submitted to the same anthology—fingers crossed that one of them makes it in. 

  I love that story coaster toon…a perfect description for the first draft of a manuscript, including any short story I’m trying to write. 

That’s when the magic of editing comes in.

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  A while back, my brother sent me the original of what follows. 

  When I got out of bed this morning, the muscles weren’t all that happy about it. Caused me to start thinking about old age and decided there’s a lovely sense of perspective that comes with it. For example:

  When people see my cat's litter box they always say, “Oh, have you got a cat?”  Just once I want to say, "No, it's for company!" 

  Employment application blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency?  I think you should write, “An ambulance”.

  The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

  The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

  Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so s/he can tell when s/he's really in trouble.

  Did you ever notice: When you put the two words “The”' and “IRS” together, it spells “Theirs.”

  Especially lovely when thinking about aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

  Some people try to turn back their “odometers.” Not me. I want people to know “why” I look this way. I've traveled a long way and a lot of the roads were not paved.

  You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

  Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

  And each day that I am lucky enough to grow older, I believe the following prayer will help keep the peace: 

  Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.  Amen.

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Just because it’s pretty:




A Blue-winged Warbler 

Photo by son Jeff. 



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BSP (Blatant Self Promotion)

So a year ago, this happened: “CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR PAPERBACK "DEATH ON THE YAMPA" IS AVAILABLE TO BUY ON AMAZON.”

  To celebrate the publication of the total book package, the eBooks of DEATH ON THE YAMPA and THE DAWGSTAR are now $2.99.

  Just in time for your summer reading pleasure . . . fast-paced, exciting thrillers with a smidgen of romance (ala Jane Bond).


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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Prayers going up for your health and safety.

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed paperback copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

P.P.S. Pre-signed copies of THE BIG FANG are not available at The Haunted Bookshop, but when you order a book from them and want it author-graphed, let them know, and I'll pop down there and sign it for you. Thanks!

➜ Follow me . . .     
➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Authors are real people

 cj Sez:  I just finished critiquing a new writer’s first few chapters and was reminded of my first efforts in creating a story or a poem people might read and enjoy.

   Authors are real people, with real insecurities and ambitions, just like the reader audiences they hope to reach. Writers may have vivid imaginations but transcribing that into well-written, well-researched stories takes skill. Like all skills, from learning to feed ourselves to walking and talking, learning how to write the story a reader can escape into takes practice and instruction, not always in a classroom…it’s why writers must be readers, too, with an emphasis on “must.”

   As an author, I want to write the best and truest stories I can. I want the facts, the dialogue, and the emotions to ring true. To help me do that, I read the stories that are wonderful examples of “how to,” as well as the stories that are wonderful examples of “how not to.” As a reader, if I don’t like something about the story, I put it down and pick up another book. Sometimes it takes a concerted effort to separate the writer-editor in me from the reader and continue reading. I’m not always successful.  

   I have acquired a lot of to-be-read stories, most of them are just for the pleasure of reading—the most recent on my Kindle being a reprint of Dashiell Hammett’s “Crooked Souls,” first published in 1923. What’s in your TBR stack or Kindle library of stories? 

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Son’s photo of an Orchard Oriole, taken on Dauphin Island, AL. 

               §§

 Writerly/Readerly quotes: 

“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.”       —E. B. White

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News of my newly released books: 

   Ebooks ON SALE NOW . . . $1.99 until June 30.

  
   Buy The Dawgstar from your favorite E-retailer, including Kindle, here:   https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5

   Buy Death on the Yampa at https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP   

   The paperback of a homegrown-terrorist adventure in Death on the Yampa is available on Amazon:    Buy Paperback Yampa

   The paperback of the international thriller The Dawgstar is available here:  Amazon Buy Now    

Reviews are encouraged and would be much appreciated. 

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj 

P.S. TO ORDER my books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

If you’d like me to autograph or personalize it for you, be sure to tell them.

The Haunted Bookshop has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     
➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ on Facebook:  cj petterson on Facebook
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Sunday, June 6, 2021

A new phone-app publisher

cj Sez:  This is awesome and scary at the same time for me: A new marketing direction for my action / adventure / thriller novels. I signed a contract with a phone-app publisher to add my latest releases to their new #SCREAM app!


A new audience for my novels

  The app audience tends to be a new/different readership base than readers who are browsing Amazon or B&N or going to the library for books.

  This from the publisher: “Death On The Yampa is releasing on #SCREAM on June 5th. This FREE app features novels tailored with drama, conflict, suspense, and the fear-inducing action that will keep you gripping your phone and on the edge of your seat.”
 
App aficionados, here's how to get started ...


  The first four readers to send me their user IDs::: I'll forward your IDs to the publisher who will deposit some free access coins in your new account to get you started on your great escape into all of the authors' SCREAM stories. The coins are used for users to read the stories on the Scream App.

                                         §§

   Son Jeff D. Johnston’s photo of the Hooded Warbler, taken on Dauphin Island, AL.

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Writerly/Readerly quotes: 

  “Why shouldn’t truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.”     —Mark Twain
 
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In eBook news:


And for the paperbacks: 

  The paperback of the homegrown-terrorist adventure in "Death on the Yampa" is available here:  Buy Paperback Yampa

  The international thriller paperback "The Dawgstar" is available here:  Amazon Buy Now   

§§

  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

  P.S. TO ORDER my books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

  If you’d like me to autograph or personalize it for you, be sure to tell them.

  The Haunted Bookshop has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     
➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6