N.L. LaFoille

Betrayed by her family, then kidnapped by pirates, Rachel is having a rough time. But she’s not giving up. The ship’s Captain, and his dangerously handsome first mate, have no ill intentions toward her; in fact they accept her into the crew. Rachel adapts to her new seafaring life and all its adventures, including sword fights, rival pirate ships and a trip to the New World that will change her life forever. Get ebook  Nautical Miles  free  here  July 15-19!

There are a thousand ways to get cover art for your book. Here is just one: Fiverr.com I considered 99designs and Behance, but you can't beat the prices at Fiverr. Graphic design jobs starting at just $5! You'll probably get what you pay for so I don't necessarily recommend hiring a $5 job. I set my sights between $15 and $50 and scoped out a huge array of designers. Check out designers' portfolios and make sure you read their reviews.  In addition to perusing designers' ads, you can post your gig like a Wanted Ad and request for sellers to approach you. I hired a designer and waited with bated breath, only for the deadline to come and go with not a single word from them. I messaged them thrice and still no answer. Luckily, you can cancel the order at any time and get a refund (in Fiverr store credit). But I got a special 20% off coupon from the site for the designer's no-show. The second designer I hired for $35 for an ebook + print cover packa...

I'm reading Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is The Way . (And of course applying it to my own life as I send out queries to literary agents in hopes of getting my novel published.) It's not as engaging as his book  Ego is the Enemy , which literally made me cry, but still thought-provoking. It speaks of the obstacles, the roadblocks, the problems we all face when we have a goal we're striving toward. The tagline: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. Some people have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve extraordinary feats, such as General Grant in the Civil War and of course Thomas Edison testing six thousand filaments to invent the light bulb. We're not shooting for such grand heights as reuniting the United States of America (even if it needs it right now) but we all have obstacles and goals too. My goal is to make a living as an author. The self-published route to that hasn't been panning out, so I've returned to the traditional...

Do you get that buzzing, sweaty-palm excitement that I do at the mention of FREE BOOKS? That means you're a bibliophile too! Check out the Free and Discounted book sale hosted by the Indie Author group, Support for Indie Authors , from October 28 to October 31. Over 75 free and discounted books in a wide range of genres; you're sure to find something you'll love! *cough* Nautical Miles will be FREE October 28th only! Pick it up and support indie authors!

We love fiction; it transports us to exciting worlds with exciting people, whether we’re taking an epic journey across another universe or navigating a family crisis. I’m a voracious fiction reader. I write fiction, I adore fanfiction; any kind of fiction, count me in. But if I’m being honest, the most beneficial reading I do is non-fiction. In my naïve egotistical years, I used to make a lemon face when talking about non-fiction; it always brought to mind a washed-out navy blue cover with Papyrus font and a Shutterstock image that would be dry as a day-old cracker to slog through. What do I want to read non-fiction for? I live in the real world every day and it sucks; take me to Middle Earth. I didn’t understand then. Non-fiction makes me a better writer. Non-fiction is research, it’s expanding your boundaries and horizons. I recently read a book on bodybuilding. I have no particular interest in bodybuilding; I’m 120 pounds with rocks in my pockets, but in the future if...