This poor book has been languishing in my computer files for a long time, and I think I’m finally ready to do something with it. I made a cover for it, anyway! I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts.
And now, here’s a little about the book!
Rule #1: Always work to benefit the village.
Rule #2: Obey the leaders, or become exiled into the nuclear war-decimated wasteland.
Rule #3: Never bring an outside back to the village.
Harmony has always had a tough time blindly following anyone, let alone the village leader intent on seeing her exiled. So when she stumbles across a not-quite-dead body during a scavenging hunt, she’s determined to take him back to the village. The other members of the hunting party tell her to leave him, let him die, it’s too risky. Even Pace is wary of helping her. He knows what the price of her aid will be.
Harmony refuses to let the emaciated and strange looking man die alone in the desert. That’s not the only reason. After having been told her whole life that they were the only humans left in the ravaged Southwest, possibly the world, she wants nothing more than to expose Luther for the liar he is.
For most of the villagers, survival is all that matters. They wear themselves out, day after day, just trying to stay alive. Harmony asks herself daily what the point of staying alive and safe is when it only inflicts misery. Her desire to share this one small truth and give hope to the villagers, backlashes when Luther finds out. His son, Zen tries to step in on Harmony’s behalf, but Luther is relentless.
So is Harmony. She now knows the truth is somewhere outside the walls of the village, and she won’t stop until she finds it, with or without Zen and Pace’s help.
Maybe this only happens in my house, but unlike the picture above with nicely closed cabinet doors, I can walk into a room and, no kidding, there is almost always at least one drawer, cupboard door, or package of something or other left open. Usually, more than one. There have been times when I’ve walked into the kitchen and literally every cupboard door is standing open because someone was looking for something and, after finding it, walked away.
Just like when my kids (my daughter specifically) stomps away, annoyed I haven’t purchased sufficient snack-worthy foods, your readers will walk away when they finish a book unsatisfied because of questions you never answered if your book leaves them with option #1.
2: Fill in where you neglected to follow through. Any questions you posed that pertain to that particular book (notice I’m not talking series-length questions) make sure you have an answer, or make it apparent that question will be answered in a subsequent book, if you’re working on a series.
How does price affect your decision making?
Another reason I choose to offer free books is because many of my books are Young Adult titles. Teens don’t have a lot of purchasing power in many cases, especially in non-US markets. They can download free books at the click of a button, or read on Wattpad with no restrictions. Many teens need permission and a credit card number to purchase ebooks. That means convincing their parents the purchase is worth the money. That gets easier when they can say they’ve already read the first book and loved it.
Kindle Worlds is an Amazon initiative that allows authors to publish stories set in another author’s fictional universe. The 
So, about 7 years ago, I started looking for an agent or publisher. I had two finished manuscripts I was ready to send out. I also had a toddler and a kindergartener and a very supportive husband. What else did I have going for me that would entice and agent or publisher to pick me up?
