2015 was a pretty good year

While I didn’t accomplish all of my writing goals, I did manage to publish two books that I’m very proud of: “Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic” and “Zombie Boy: Press Start“. I also wrote the vomit draft of my first horror book as well as several short stories, all of which will be published at a future time. I was hoping this year would be a good time to bring my books to the audio world, but it’s something I decided to put off a tad longer.

One big goal that I hoped to accomplish this year just recently happened. ALL of my books are now available at all the major online retailers: iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and, of course, Amazon. I’m in this for the long haul, and going wide to all the other stores just seemed like a no-brainier.

It was also a good year for me personally due to all the hiking my husband and I were able to do. And also for the two hiking-and-gaming-filled visits by my best friend and her husband. Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad, and 2015 also brought me both home and auto repairs to deal with. Bleh. However, I am very blessed with what I have!

My focus for 2016

Book sales are still low, which is to be expected. Readers don’t read my books if they don’t know they exist. So, 2016 is the year of promotion and more writing. Writing needs no explanation. I’m a writer, therefore I write. However, I can’t efficiently promote unless I have a decent number of reviews. I’m working on a plan that I can implement hopefully in the first quarter of the new year that will net me more reviews, and thus allow me to promote more. I’m sure readers hear/read it all the time, but it’s true. Reviews are so very important to indie authors like myself. Think about it. When you’re browsing an online store for a product, you check out the reviews, right? I know I do. I want to get a general feel for what other users think of said product. Does it perform as advertised? Is it a good value? Has it held up over time?

Books are no different. We buy them based on what our peers say about them. I’m gonna toot my own horn here for just a second. Knowing how important reviews are, I try to return the favor as often as I can. Granted, life is hectic and I don’t always remember to do it, but I do practice what I preach and write reviews for some of the books I read. (I mainly review on Amazon and Goodreads since the Kindle has been my preferred reading platform for a while now.)

And speaking of reviews…. One thing I would like to do more of in 2016 is read more fiction! I read a crapTON (yes, that’s a word) of non-fiction. I’d like to make a concerted effort to read even more indie fiction this next year, especially in the horror and thriller genres. With that will come more reviews, too!

See how I brought that back around? I firmly believe ya get what ya give.

Stay tuned for books 2 and 3 in the “Adventures of Zombie Boy” series! Be sure to check out book 1, “Zombie Boy: Press Start” available NOW!

Available on: Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

Happy New Year, everyone!

Val O. Morris

Val O. Morris likes to pretend the monsters aren’t real. She is a filmmaker turned author who writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and YA. A Monster Kid since birth, she loves all things ghosts, goblins, slashers, demons, monsters, zombies, madmen, werewolves, vampires, and freaky little kids who live in the corn. She invites you to come for the monsters and stay for the story.

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My iPhone has been used in two daily photo challenges this year (one from April and the second is going on right now), and it gets a lot of use out on the hiking trails. One of my favorite things to do with my iPhone’s camera is use the Olloclip 4-IN-1 lens attachment and shoot macro. Spring and summer bring out the bugs, and while I prefer them to not be in my house, I do love taking extreme close-up photos of strange-looking bugs that I find outside. (Click here to view photos on my Flickr page: Bugs and iPhoneography.)

Not only do I love the built-in camera, but my iPhone is used to edit photos, read books, watch movies, listen to music and podcasts, and even, wait for it… write stories. I’m writing this blog on my iPhone right now. My latest book, “Zombie Boy: Press Start” was written almost entirely on my iPad. (See #2 in the “5 Things I Learned” Post.)

My MacBook Air fills in the gaps (which aren’t many), and is also used to compile and publish all my books. Which brings me to the point of this blog entry. Books. Specifically, iBooks.

Like many indie authors, I did a stint of time in Amazon Kindle exclusivity, but now the time has come to spread my wings and take that next step into my writing career’s future.

I’m happy to announce that not only is “Zombie Boy” now available on iBooks, but ALL my books are! It was a goal of mine to “go wide” to all the major book retailers this year, and I am beyond thrilled to have reached that goal! Being published in 51 countries is a pretty awesome feat! That’s 700 million potential customers who love their iPhones as much as I do.

To celebrate, “Zombie Boy” will be on sale for a limited time for $.99! (Links for each book are listed below.)

Be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a review on iBooks. It may seem small, but reviews help indie authors in a HUGE way.

Thank you!

Val O. Morris

Val O. Morris likes to pretend the monsters aren’t real. She is a filmmaker turned author who writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and YA. A Monster Kid since birth, she loves all things ghosts, goblins, slashers, demons, monsters, zombies, madmen, werewolves, vampires, and freaky little kids who live in the corn. She invites you to come for the monsters and stay for the story.

Get Your FREE Book!

Books 1 and 2 in the “Monster Girl” series are only $.99!

Happy Halloween, Monster Readers! For a limited time, the “Monster Girl” series is on sale in the Kindle store for $.99!

Kindle – Monster Girl / Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic

***

ABOUT THE SERIES

“Monster Girl” – Book 1

A young girl, obsessed with monsters and the supernatural, befriends the ghost of her grandfather and, with his help, learns valuable lessons while dealing with a bossy older sister, parents who ignore her, and a school bully.

Viki Mitchell is being bullied.

All Viki wants is to fit in at her new school and join the art class. When she and her family move to a new house in Draxon Hollow, she makes both a new friend and enemy.

During a Halloween celebration, Viki is humiliated in front of all of Draxon Hollow Elementary by a mean girl at her school. With the guidance of her ghostly grandfather, she devises a plan to teach the bully a lesson.

Will she take the darker road and seek revenge?

What she does next may be surprising … for a Monster Girl.

Get “Monster Girl” on Kindle! 

“Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic” – Book 2

Following the events of the first book in the “Monster Girl” series, Viki and Herman find clues that take them on a mysterious journey as they try to discover the identity of the ghost in the attic.

When Viki defies her parents by sneaking out of her house, she witnesses her sister, Suzy, in a compromising situation that puts Suzy’s life in danger. But if Viki speaks up, she’ll be ratting on herself as well.

Does Viki do the right thing and tell the truth before it’s too late to save her sister? And just how will the mystifying ghost in the attic play a part in what Viki ultimately decides to do?

Get “Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic” on Kindle!

**The “Monster Girl” series is also available in Paperback!

Monster Girl / Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic

Val O. Morris

Val O. Morris likes to pretend the monsters aren’t real. She is a filmmaker turned author who writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and YA. A Monster Kid since birth, she loves all things ghosts, goblins, slashers, demons, monsters, zombies, madmen, werewolves, vampires, and freaky little kids who live in the corn. She invites you to come for the monsters and stay for the story.

Get Your FREE Book!

“Monster Girl” book 2 is now available at Amazon!

Following the events of the first book in the “Monster Girl” series, Viki and Herman find clues that take them on a mysterious journey as they try to discover the identity of the ghost in the attic.

When Viki defies her parents by sneaking out of her house, she witnesses her sister, Suzy, in a compromising situation that puts Suzy’s life in danger. But if Viki speaks up, she’ll be ratting on herself as well.

Does Viki do the right thing and tell the truth before it’s too late to save her sister? And just how will the mystifying ghost in the attic play a part in what Viki ultimately decides to do?

Thank you to all the Monster Readers out there who have supported me in my writing adventure!

Val O. Morris

Val O. Morris likes to pretend the monsters aren’t real. She is a filmmaker turned author who writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and YA. A Monster Kid since birth, she loves all things ghosts, goblins, slashers, demons, monsters, zombies, madmen, werewolves, vampires, and freaky little kids who live in the corn. She invites you to come for the monsters and stay for the story.

Get Your FREE Book!

It could be debated whether the anniversary should fall on the day I started writing my first book or the day it was published, but I choose the former because it’s the day I took action.

Last Jan 12th was a mild winter day, very different from today’s rainy atmosphere. The sun actually peeked its warm face out from the clouds, and I found myself sitting on my deck relaxing with my dogs when the idea struck to write a ghost story.

I had been struggling to finish a movie script and was hoping to find inspiration to write anything and finish it. That was my one goal. Write a short book and FINISH it. Eight months later it was published and it sparked something that had been lying dormant inside me since childhood.

Notebooks filled with silly stories and poems written during my childhood and teenage years adorn my bookshelves. Those notebooks represent a time when I spent much of my downtime inventing my own worlds on paper. I guess I never really lost that. After all, we (my husband and I) have been writing and producing short films for seven and a half years now, but I needed more. Just days away from my 38th birthday and I finally know what I want to do with my life.

Writing a book has given me another way to tell stories and share them with others. A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who has supported me, read my books, left a comment about what the stories mean to you, left a review, anything. It is appreciated more than you know.

I’m lucky to have many important people in my life, and one of those people was always adamant about two things: getting an education and reading. My grandfather isn’t with us anymore, but his efforts did not go unnoticed, which is why my first book is dedicated to him.

Viki and Herman will always have a special place in my heart since “Monster Girl” gave me new life, and I’m pleased today to share with you the cover and title for the sequel!

Monster Girl: Ghost in the Attic picks up a few months after the events of the first book. Full details are coming soon, but all signs point to a January release! Don’t forget, you can sign up to be notified about new releases. Now, I must go celebrate by polishing off the edit and writing 1,000 words in my third book!

A special thank you to Victoria Skye Cleveland for the beautiful illustration and to Craig Morris for the classy cover design!

Val O. Morris

Val O. Morris likes to pretend the monsters aren’t real. She is a filmmaker turned author who writes Urban Fantasy, Horror, and YA. A Monster Kid since birth, she loves all things ghosts, goblins, slashers, demons, monsters, zombies, madmen, werewolves, vampires, and freaky little kids who live in the corn. She invites you to come for the monsters and stay for the story.

Get Your FREE Book!