Back on the Black Friday Bandwagon

November 28, 2019 Chris Hall7 Comments

black friday lunasonline

Here it is: MY FREE OFFER TO YOU!

Until Sunday 1 December (midnight PST)

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
5 star rated on Amazon and Goodreads

A novel set against the backdrop of 1980s Liverpool. It’s a tale of love and loss, thieves and gangsters, and ultimate reunion and redemption. There are mysteries to be solved and a few laughs along the way. And don’t forget your dancing shoes!
PS – it’s not about football or allegiances but is does contain content of a sexual nature; some swearing and occasional violence. Try a sample!

Download from these links:
USA ~ UK ~ Australia ~ Canada ~ India
Other countries, such as South Africa

Imagination

November 27, 2019November 27, 2019 Chris Hall14 Comments

what do you see 5 by chris hall lunasonline — *Island perspective by Chloe Smith*

As the world turns,

you turn with it

always just a little out of kilter;

existing within a land of virtual friends

and made up characters,

submerged in the limpid pools of your mind’s eye,

where with every throw of the dice

you win.

Written in response to Sadje’s ‘What Do You See #5‘ photo prompt.

Black Friday and Beyond

November 25, 2019 Chris Hall2 Comments

Goodreads ratings for Chris Hall's books

Offers are about to abound on my novels as we approach the holiday season. They’ve all been well-received so far, so stay tuned to grab your freebie ebook or reduced price paperback.

NaNoWriMo Week #3

November 22, 2019 Chris Hall6 Comments

nanowrimo 2019

Well, I’m pretty pleased with myself at the end of week 3. I have a further six chapters more or less completed, although obviously not polished, and the story is flowing now.

My characters are fleshing out nicely: they have quirks and foibles and they’re starting to spark off one another. Yesterday I nearly fell off my chair trying to imagine what it would be like to climb up the inside of a cave, and I became quite breathless swimming along an underwater tunnel.

It’s been fun!

I’ve fallen a little behind today, as I spent all morning chatting over rooibos tea and biscuits with one friend, and half the afternoon chatting over coffee and stollen with some other friends. I must take advantage of the sudden sugar rush!

On to the final week…

Enjoy, fellow NaNo writers! My tip of the week: cake helps.

The Epic Journey

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019 Chris Hall17 Comments

what do you see 4 by chris hall lunasonline

He’d battled over the Melancholic Mountains of Mythndlore,

scythed through thick forests where Dark Shadows lurk

stumbled across Mind Leaching deserts and now

wading through the stagnant Green Marais

at last he’d found what he was seeking.

The light at the end of his personal

Tunnel of Angst

…

Finally, he types

‘THE END’

Written in response to Sadje’s ‘What Do You See #4′ photo prompt.

Writer seeks reader…

November 18, 2019November 27, 2019 Chris Hall3 Comments

Kindle front page

I’ve put together a collection of offers for e-readers which will start on Black Friday!

A 4 day free ebook offer for You’ll Never Walk Alone will start on Thursday 28 November at midnight PST. I’ll be doing some targeted advertising to parts of the US and Canada via a Facebook ad campaign to see how the novel will be received ‘across the pond’.
Hot on its heels will be a 5 day freebie of Following the Green Rabbit which I’m going to run alongside a reduced-price offer on the paperback version, targeted at UK readers on amazon.uk. Again I’ll be trying some paid advertising via Facebook. This certainly worked for my ‘summer-read’ novel: ‘The Silver Locket’ (penned as Holly Atkins), reached the dizzy heights of No.17 in the UK charts for free Kindle books during that campaign.
And talking of the summer, I’m going to try a similar freebie offer directed towards Australia and New Zealand to see if they’d like to pour themselves a Pimm’s and spend a sunny afternoon with The Silver Locket over the holidays there.

Offers will be across all Amazon territories, so you might want to bookmark this page, although, of course, I’ll be mentioning them again as they’re launched!

thank you

To everyone who has read my books already.

Especially to everyone who has read, rated and reviewed
on their WordPress sites, on Goodreads and on Amazon.

I’m really thrilled by your support and enthusiasm for my work!

NaNoWriMo Week #2

November 15, 2019 Chris Hall12 Comments

nanowrimo 2019

Well I’d be fibbing if I was to say it was all going swimmingly. And, in a sense this is more prevarication. So I’ll keep it short.

This week two things have been troubling me:

Firstly, the story I’m working on is set in a semi-fictional part of South Africa, which I know fairly well, and it’s sort of present day, but there’s something which doesn’t feel right. I’m not yet sure what it is.

Secondly, I’m having trouble with a couple of characters. I can’t quite work them out. I’m still waiting for them to speak to me. I’m sure they will. I need more conversations!

I just checked back to this time last year. I was doing better word-count wise, but I can see there were doubts in my mind.

Oh and my laptop is on a go-slow. Must be the heat: mid afternoon, 34C in the shade.

Okay, I’m telling myself it’s going to be fine, fine, fine. Just go with the flow and enjoy it! It’s not that anyone but me is piling on the pressure.

Going back to the writing ‘happy place’ for a couple of hours…

Onward and upward, fellow Nano writers!
(as I said this time last year).

To which this year I add:
Relax. Enjoy.

The Writer’s Gift

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 Chris Hall19 Comments

what do you see 3 by chris hall lunasonline

Waves of words wash over her

transporting her through

space and time

to other realms

where dreams come true

and the adventurer knows no bounds.

Riding the White Horses of the Camargue

Dancing with Wolves

Searching for The Beach

She journeys to the Centre of the Earth

explores King Solomon’s Mines

and witnesses the Return of the King.

Laying aside her book

she drifts, dreams,

and the waves of words

still wash over her.

Written in response to Sadje‘s ‘What Do You See #3‘ photo prompt.

You still have to sell!

November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 Chris Hall24 Comments

Writers, we love to write, don’t we? That’s the best, even if NaNoWriMo can make us a little jittery (I know I had a wobble last week). But if you’re a writer, or an artist or creative of any kind, you know how wonderful it feels to be in the zone.

The converse of this: you still have to sell.

For indie authors, it’s all down to us.

This is why friend and fellow author, Paul English and I were selling our books at the local car boot sale last Saturday. My husband Cliff was there too with his some of his lovely artworks. He’s a very important member of the team as he has the transport (that’s his bakkie in the background) and the tables and the all-important awning were borrowed from his school.

I have to tell you, it was not a great success. I sold a copy of ‘The Silver Locket’ very early on, but that was it! No other sales of anything! A couple of sniffs… and a couple of people said they’d come back next time. And there will be a next time, in two weeks.

I mean, who wouldn’t want a lovely book for a Christmas present?

Ah well, there’s always next time.

Meanwhile I’m planning some Black Friday and holiday offers – stay tuned out there!

NaNoWriMo Week #1

November 8, 2019 Chris Hall19 Comments

nanowrimo 2019

Okay, I can’t stop long: brain to squeeze, imagination to let fly, words to get down…

I was feeling confident to begin with; I had a bit of a head start: the main characters were waiting for me and I already had parts of their stories. Some of you might remember, young Sam and his little boat, Johannes the retired engineer, feisty Albertina, the two little aunties and shopkeeper Abdul.

So I spent a day or two reviewing and re-writing. Big mistake! I wasn’t getting the flow. No-one speaking to me, so no-one was guiding the story ahead. (You have to remember, I sit back and let my characters do the work).

Temporary crisis of confidence. Why am I doing this? There’s nothing there! NO story to tell!

But then I ran out of old stuff and started out again. Now we are moving forward. Scenes are emerging before my eyes, there is an overarching theme, there’s going to be a road trip, and I can see a little vervet monkey sitting on a book shelf. The monkey tells me he’s called Felix, but I’m not sure where he fits in yet. But he will.

Oh, and there will be mystery… and magic… and a stick fight…