February 29, 2024
Due to technology difficulties, I almost missed my February deadline. But here I am hoping you received chocolates, or flowers, or kisses and hugs from your favorite valentine. Maybe even all of the above.
As promised, I’ve added a new short story to the FLASH FICTION STORY COLLECTION in the Short Stories section on my website. Along with a few of the short stories I wrote and shared with you in 2023, I hope you enjoy Charmed Seclusion.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m making progress on my next book, CRISIS MODE. Editing is a tedious task, but one I cannot skip. My goal is to provide you with the best version possible. The book cover is a work in progress.
A sneak peek to wet your appetite.
PREMISE: When bombs ravage New York City, a recently widowed mother becomes the #1 terrorist suspect in the nation, forcing her to take her three children into hiding to avoid the FBI.
More to come!
Thank you for being on my team. This writing journey would be a lonely and pointless effort without you.
January 31, 2024
Wow! A whole month has gone by and I never wished you a Happy New Year. Well, “Happy New Year!” I mean it, I hope you’re either living up to your resolutions or comfortably resigning yourself to the fact you never should’ve made them.
My resolution is to write every day. Of course, I haven’t exactly over burdened myself. My commitment is for two minutes or more and that can include just staring into space, thinking about what I should write. So I guess the expectation is to at least think about writing every day. I know, that’s not much of a resolution, especially since I think about writing all the time. I write scenes in my dreams. Sometimes I jump out of bed and dash to the office to write it down. I don’t really write it, I type it. So does that make me a Typer and not a Writer?
FUN NEWS: As promised, I’ve added a new FLASH FICTION STORY COLLECTION to my website. It includes a few of the short stories I wrote and shared with you in 2023. Check out the new story I wrote last week. Chica Loca (Crazy Girl) It’s under the Flash Fiction heading on my Short Stories page. My goal is to add a new short story every month. I hope you enjoy reading them. I enjoy writing them for you.
Stay tuned for the big reveal for my next book. I’m busy editing, creating a book cover and psyching myself up to dive back into the labor of publishing.
Since February is a LEAP year this year, this might be the time to check out the LEAP SERIES on my website provided you haven’t already read them. Just in case you were wondering what to do with that extra day.
Happy reading and may 2024 be everything you want it to be!
December 24, 2023
My wish for you is a Merry and Joyous Christmas!
Thank you for making my book launch of HIDDEN a success. Your support has been amazing. If you gifted my book to a friend or loved one for Christmas and they enjoy it, I would love to hear about it. Shoot me a message from my website contact page and thank you for sharing.
My recent silence may have made you wonder if I’d abandoned my writing. Though I did take a breather from the hard work of publishing, I have been silently preparing for my next launch in 2024. Details will be available soon on my website “sandyjuker.com.”
In November, I wrote a short story for a contest. The theme: Legends & Myths. You can read my entry here: Scottish Heather by Sandy Juker. This fun little story to make you ponder the voices in your dreams, did not win the Grand prize. But I am pleased that out of hundreds of entries, my story received an Honorable Mention as one of the top twenty stories considered by the judges.
I’m looking forward to a productive 2024. My plan is to add at least one new Short Story to my website each month. I hope you enjoy them.
Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Click image below to read contest story.
October 2, 2023
Published! Published! Published! This is the day! HIDDEN is available for purchase on Amazon as Kindle Edition and Paperback.
If you read my book and love it, please tell all of your friends and please leave a customer review on Amazon.
Sales, Ranking Stars and Reviews are the measuring sticks used by Amazon to elevate books in their categories and to boost my success as an author.
Please take three minutes and log onto Amazon. Type “Sandy Juker” in the search field; HIDDEN will appear.
Scroll down to,”Review This Product”, click on “write a customer review”, check one to five stars and leave a brief, honest review. That will make a difference. Of course, if you loved it, feel free to leave a long glowing review.
Most importantly, thank you for your support! Writing a book is exhilarating and hard. Asking for your help is hard, but thanking you for supporting me on this journey is easy. I wouldn’t be here without you! You are the reason I write.
I hope you enjoy every word.
September, 14 2023
This is my “Excited Author” voice.
HIDDEN, the Kindle Edition is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The eBook will be downloaded to your Kindle device on October 2nd. How exciting is that?
More exciting news! The Paperback version will be available for purchase on October 2nd.
This is my “Marketing” persona speaking now. Please bear with me, this is important. In case you are not familiar with the challenges of publishing, I will share a few of the hurdles that authors must clear to become successful. Besides maneuvering the technological world of formatting and uploading to Amazon’s publishing site, we must understand the inner workings of Amazon’s algorithms.
Huh? Yes, Amazon has formulas to determine a book’s place in the category lists. Best Sellers do not become Best Sellers unless certain criteria is met. Of course the primary qualification is Sales. The other significant markers, are Ranking and Reviews. You know, the stars and the customer comments. Those are extremely important to a book/author’s success.
NOW FOR THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS!
You can request an ADVANCED READER COPY of my book NOW. The ARC is FREE until Sept 22nd. My hope is that you will have time to read HIDDEN between now and October 2nd and will leave a review on Amazon once the book is published.
You can make a difference. Of course, buying my book would be a wonderful help toward my success, but you don’t have to make a purchase to help. The first five days of my book launch, October 2nd to 6th, are extremely critical days in elevating my book in the Amazon formulas. Please log onto Amazon during that week and check one to five stars and leave a review. Just a short honest comment. That will make a difference.
To receive a link to the FREE ARC send me an email from the “Contact Me” page of my website.
Thank you for subscribing! I’m so glad to have you along for this exciting journey.
I hope you enjoy the seasonal poem that I’ve included below?
August 2023
I got it! I held it in my hands! I read my first Proof Copy of HIDDEN from cover to cover. And I want you to know, I stayed up late turning the pages and got tears in my eyes and cringed when Marty cringed. It’s a damn good book! Oops, did I say that out loud? Well, I’m really proud of this book and I hope you will love it too.
After a few minor tweaks so it will be the best it can be when you hold it in your hands, I ordered my second Proof Copy. Again, I will scour the cover and pages in search of any imperfections. You are the reason I wrote this book, and I want it perfect for you.
October 2nd is my planned release date. That’s only six weeks away. I’m excited and nervous. I will let you know when HIDDEN is available for pre-order on Amazon.
In the mean time, for your reading pleasure, I have added a collection of “Creepy Little Tales” to my Short Stories. A bit of wicked suspense for those seeking the unexpected.
If you are reading this on my website and have not yet subscribed, please, please, please, sign up today. I want you to be among the first to know when I hit “PUBLISH” on Amazon. Imagine the thrill I will feel as a writer to have my debut novel available on the biggest retailer of books. I hope you will be there to share in the thrill.
To receive the subscribe confirmation and updates, you must add my author email address to your contacts. sandywrites@sandyjuker.com I do not want to end up in your junk/spam mail. To end up in the junk heap would be the ultimate insult to my efforts as an author. I want to share with you, so please add me to your approved contacts and subscribe.
Another Flash Fiction Friday short story follows. Inspiration rose from the prompt words provided by Demi Lejeune, a fellow author and member of The Write Practice. FFF is just one of the many advantages of being a member of TWP writing community.
To enjoy this little gem of a story, click on the image below.
July 2023
You are the reason I’ve been working feverishly to get my suspense novel, HIDDEN, published. July has been filled with great strides toward getting the book into your hands or on your e-book reader.
- Final manuscript edit complete.
- Cover Design finalized.
- E-book file formatted and uploaded to KDP Publishing.
- Paperback file formatted and uploaded to KDP Publishing.
- The Proof Copy is on its way to my door.
I’m eager to hold the physical book. Of course, I’m hoping everything is perfect. Realistically, I’m sure there will be needed fixes before it is ready for my October first launch on Amazon.
If you haven’t already subscribed to my website, please, please, please, sign up today. I want you to be one of the first to know when I hit “PUBLISH” on Amazon. Imagine the thrill I will feel as a writer to have my debut novel available on the biggest retailer of books. I hope you will be there to smile along with me.
To receive the subscribe confirmation and updates, you must add my author email address to your contacts. sandywrites@sandyjuker.com I do not want to end up in your junk/spam mail. To end up in the junk heap would be the ultimate insult to my efforts as an author. I want to share with you, so please add me to your approved contacts and subscribe.
The following Short Story started as a Flash Fiction Friday piece per the prompts provided by Demi Lejeune, a fellow author and member of The Write Practice. My four LEAP SERIES Short Stories were entries in contests sponsored by the TWP writing community. They have been a significant part of my writing journey.
Click on the image below to enjoy this little gem.
June 2023
Summer is a fleeting treasure. I hope you have discovered a few rare moments to tuck away in your memory banks for long winter days when the sun is scarce. Those are the memories I rely on to provide details and descriptions so my readers can envision the people, places and events in my stories. Unlike the commonly held notion that the author is the painter, I believe the reader is the painter. My job is to provide inspiration.
Currently, I am working on a handful of short stories for a new collection of Creepy Little Tales. These will begin showing up on my website in August. For those who enjoy a little wicked suspense, stay tuned for updates and a link.
Publishing plans for my suspense novel, HIDDEN, are still on course for October. I will keep you posted as that time nears.
If you read my May post, perhaps you are wondering about my eye surgery. I am scheduled for a second surgery as the first retina repair did not go well. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a better outcome. Fortunately, we have two eyes and by some miracle of design, our brain can fill in the blind spot from a torn retina. I can do everything I’ve always done as long as I have both eyes open. Again, my message to everyone: If your vision changes suddenly or you have a surge of floaters, visit your eye doctor ASAP.
I hope you enjoy the following Flash Fiction Friday story. It is a bit of Gallows Humor. I didn’t know there was such a thing until I shared it with a group of writers. Who knew? I hope you enjoy it.
Click on the image below to read the story.
May 2023
I recently found out how important healthy eyes are to a writer. As I’m sure they are important to everyone, I’m going to share my recent experience. Having worn glasses or contacts most of my life, I’ve become accustomed to vision changes through the years. Go see the optometrist, get a new prescription, and live to see another day. No big deal.
Not one of the eye doctors from the decades of my life mentioned that as we age, our eyes may or may not spontaneously combust. Well, not really, but natural changes in the fluids of our eyes can cause a spontaneous retinal tear which, left untreated, leads to a detached retina. That’s bad, and can lead to blindness.
Last Fall I noticed my vision was not as sharp as usual, and I had an odd little blurriness that would occasionally float across my line of sight, but I still had six months of contacts in the drawer, so I put off going to the eye doctor until April. She immediately referred me to an ophthalmologist who immediately scheduled me for pneumatic retinopexy surgery. Because I put off getting my eyes checked, the tear became quite large, and the retina was detaching.
Google the symptoms so you don’t make the critical mistake that I made. I’m still recovering from the surgery. It will take one to six months before I know just how much of the blind spot will be recovered. I wish someone would have warned me that after age 50, floaters or flashes or a sudden blurriness in vision should not be ignored.
I know you didn’t visit my website to hear about my surgery woes, but if just one person benefits from my mistake, the world will be a better place.
As for my writing, I still have one good eye, and my brain still works in mysterious ways that I can’t explain. Just for fun, I’ll share another little story inspired by Flash Fiction Friday prompts.
PROMPT WORDS: (use at least three) anguish, recycle, stall, restoration, beer, divide
Click on the image to read story.
April 2023
When I’m not working on or planning my next book, I’m seeking inspiration. Writing requires constant practice, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with a subject or story idea. As a member of an online writer’s group, I have taken advantage of Flash Fiction Fridays. The rules are simple. Write a piece of flash fiction (100 to 1000 words) using at least three of five provided prompt words.
The following is a very short flash fiction. I started with 1000 words as my goal but when inspiration drove me to the last sentence; it felt so done, I couldn’t write another word. So, it is VERY short (188 words). I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Of course, I’ll let you find the three prompt words that inspired this little gem.
Flash Fiction Friday PROMPT WORDS (use at least three): stinginess, pocket, fairy, inaccuracy, negotiation, fade
March 2023
Like many, I wrote poetry in my teens. Melodramatic stuff that I no longer understand. Most of my poems and philosophical bits were prompted by insecurity or inspired by those times when my life was out of control.
My first novel was from a personal need. I had a scar on my heart that needed to heal. So, I filled page after page with a fictional version of every pain and emotion that had contributed to that scar. Oh, what a cleansing that was.
Rising from the chains of self pity, my creative spirit floated free. That’s when I became a writer. I set my pen to paper… No, I hammered my keyboard until I had written, Crisis Mode, my first suspense novel.
That was just the beginning.
