update on writing and all things plus a surprise

I know. It's been awhile. But I've been really busy working hard on my next book: the Sequel to THE BEND!

I'm excited about this book but worried too. Readers have asked me over and over what happened to Seth and Kate after they left the Bend. 

I wanted to know too.

It's not often you get characters that stay with you and even though I created them, I found myself wondering. Does Kate still have her power? Will Seth ever tell her how he feels? Will they ever return to the Bend to see what Doc and David and all the others left behind are up to?

I'm going to select my cover very soon so hang tight--

I'll share here! 

In the meantime, if you haven't read the Bend, pick up a copy now and catch up with Seth and Kate.

When finally you discover your genre--or I'm a slow learner

This is going to be one of those posts that I write more for myself than the world. You see, I've been self-publishing for over a year and a half. My first book, The Bend, had a slow start but now sells more than any others I've written.

 I joined this group that pushed to write faster and find a selling genre. The theory sounded great so I released a women's fiction, and then another suspense and then a romance.

What I've learned?

I really can't write romance or women's fiction the way I want to write them. I love twists and turns and short sentences and lots of what ifs. I love weird, I love taking that extra step.

I wrote my books and sent them out there and honestly, I'm not sure whether or not they will ever do as well as The Bend. When I wrote The Bend, I had this crazy idea about a town and a girl. I knew I had to give her something special, so I did--her gift to see death before it happens. It seemed to work. Another story has been spinning around in my head for years but instead of writing it, I veered off and took the easy route, writing and releasing stories that would get out there faster.

Not smart.

I've actually stripped my joy of writing, and when that happens, writing for money means nothing. I would rather not write.

I think sometimes I'm a slow learner and get caught up in pushing myself not always in the right direction.

Pressing the pause button today.

I can actually breathe again.

So this post is a letter to myself to remind me never to lose sight at what you love to do. If you love something, no matter what happens with it, you are going to be okay.

I am a suspense writer. (I'll tell myself that over and over until I get it.)
That's what I'm going to write .
I hope you'll let me prove that in my next book.

My newest book!

ESCAPE, my newest thriller, is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

He loves her smile—too much.

Eliza Green has never ridden in an airplane. What could it hurt to take up Drake Carter’s offer of a short ride? He’s a great employee, friendly, but when he shows up at the grocery store, her sitter’s house, and buzzes her home—she’s in big trouble.
Unfortunately, stalker laws in Pennsylvania don’t exist in 1985. She has to wait for Drake to hurt her before the system can help.
Has she been too friendly? She wanted more excitement in her life, but now she must escape from Drake’s obsession. 

https://www.amazon.com/ESCAPE-Terri-Tiffany-ebook/dp/B07GBKFHGC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1533898192&sr=1-1

Five Months Post Self-Publishing

Five months after self-publishing THE BEND, I'm still learning so much. If I'm going to repeat this process again next year, I wanted to learn as much as I can with my first.

To date, I've earned more royalties with this book than with the traditional publisher and my first book. But those earnings come with a price--marketing costs. I committed to using as many marketing opportunities as I could to get my book out there. Every day, a zillion books come onto Amazon. How will someone know about mine if I don't advertise it? At least until word-of-mouth kicks in and that may never happen. I scoured the Internet for promo sites and of course, BookBub is  #1--but cost-prohibitive for this writer. So I started smaller.  Bargain Booksy, Ebook-Soda, My Book Place, Book Reader Magazine, Book Man, Bargain E-Hunters and Amazon ads. I tracked those that worked (sold my book) and those that didn't. I did not reduce the cost of my book for any but I plan to do a 99 cent sale in the coming weeks using the site that produced the best marketing for THE BEND.

Overall, the Amazon ads have given my book the most exposure but I'm breaking even on cost to sales. But since my book is still new, I prefer to have my cover in front of readers using this method. It's hard to count the pages read KENP but those have continually increased over the months so I feel there is residual effect and that is money earned.

Along with monthly promotions, I've connected with a producer to create an audio version of my book through ACX. I've read where many readers prefer to listen to a book on their phones or IPad so going that route might be worthwhile. It costs nothing and again, Amazon does most of the work for you through their program. My timeline for delivery is early fall in time to promote for Christmas shopping.

Finally, my biggest challenge has been garnishing reviews. I added a request to the back of the book hoping that would help. I've found more readers leave reviews on GoodReads than Amazon and trying to bridge that gap frustrates me. More reviews on Amazon help sell the book.

I also tweaked my book cover to add words that are used in search engines when a reader is looking for a particular genre --like psychological thriller, heart-pounding, etc. In my Amazon ads, I added search words that come up when I typed in thrillers. I also studied the top sellers in my category and used words from there that worked for my book.

Overall, the marketing of a book takes more work than writing the book. There have been days when I wanted to stop and let it go but then I remembered how long it took me to write THE BEND. It deserves a good shot. Plus, think about this--ads are run for famous writers' books long after they first come out--a year or more. Why should I settle for less for my book?

Happy Marketing!

Celebrating my Second Novel

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Kate Snow is tired of running from her past. Ever since her near-death experience, she sees details in photographs other people can't. At first, she saw it as a gift, but she’s no longer sure if it’s a blessing or a curse. She wants to forget about being the Miracle Girl—the lone survivor of the explosion that killed everyone she loved. With hope for a new beginning and anonymity, Kate accepts a job as a photographer for the daily newspaper in the rural town of Bend, PA. Her first assignment thrusts her into the mysterious disappearance of three women and the discovery of a clandestine women's compound. Uneasy and uncertain who to trust, Kate turns to Seth Abrams, the paper's reporter.

Seth's one desire is to capture the big story that will catapult him to journalistic stardom. Bend's cult-like doings provide the perfect opportunity—until Kate, the new photographer, scoops him. When Kate reveals her secret to him along with her fears about the town, he must choose to help her or use her—and her gift, as his stepping stone to fame.

Will Kate and Seth team up to protect the people of Bend? Or will Kate fall victim to Bend's darker side?