Despatches: from the year of putting my children's books on Amazon as e-books

 

My last post told the story of Cordelia Finds Fame and Fortune, now on Amazon. What is fascinating is that I remember the days, not that long ago, when some of us would sit around at authors' meetings asking each other, ‘Do you know how  you get a book onto Amazon? in awestruck tones, as if it were the promised land. We would send out scouts to find a way (assign it to someone to investigate). Well it is not the promised land. However, we are way past wondering. I have a friend who can do it for me. How wonderful is that, and how quickly technology has moved that mere mortals can now access this place.  So from time to time my posts will tell you about  the latest book I have put on Amazon.

Remember what my plan is: to put as many of my books on Amazon as I can, between those that were published under the auspices of the Children’s Writers Circle, self published (one), and done by other publishers where the copyright has reverted to me. It’s a place for them to be since I can't afford to reprint them. I just discovered that others are doing this in other countries, so I am not alone.  Oh yes, I’d love  my books to sell,  love to make lots of money (sound of hysterical laughter), be discovered by MGM lounging on Amazon while drinking a soda, or more appropriately,  coconut water from the shell. Ok, hush my children, you have to be from our vintage to understand. Hint: in the olden days in Hollywood, starlets  were discovered . . .

The next/latest book is in fact a new story. It’s called Ebony and the Auntie of the Starlight, a Caribbean Cinderella. So yes, it is a sort of kind of version of Cinderella.  Ebony is, however, abandoned, no one knows who she is.

"Once upon a time in an island with deep green forests and rushing rivers and waterfalls, there was a little girl, called Ebony. Ebony lived in a children’s home, which is like an orphanage, called Ebony House,  in the district of Spice Mountain. Ebony had lived there from she was a baby. Nobody knew how she came to be there. Nobody even knew her real name. That’s why she was called Ebony, after the name of the home.

Ebony had one possession, and that was a tortoiseshell hair clip.  Perhaps it could have been a clue to who Ebony was, but nobody knew anything about the tortoiseshell clip either."

Ebony has a bit of a hard time from  some real 'bad-mind' people who pretend to befriend her , taking her out of the children's home (led by Mrs. Redeyeness  - you know how she stay, right), using wood stove, coal pot and sad iron (because of high electric bills it seems) . . . Does her prince come along? Well yes, he does, ‘some day my prince will come’ and all that. And in the end Ebony becomes a modern miss with some modern ideas.

The artwork! Oh the artwork! It is gorgeous! It’s done by artist, Rachel Wade. I just  love her work and you will too.

 

The plan is to have it available by Independence as that’s when Ebony meets Alfred, at the big Independence parade. I’ll keep sending you despatches.