One of the greatest satisfactions I
have in life comes from helping others—whether it’s in my role as a
psychotherapist, a corporate crisis and grief counselor, or as an author. I
spend a lot of my time mentoring and sharing information with other authors.
I’ve also indie published a Christmas
anthology of stories by myself and guest authors set in my Montana Sky Series,
which I knew could help all of us cross-promote. So in 2014, when an Amazon rep
first approached me about the possibility of establishing a Montana Sky Series
Kindle World, I was intrigued by the concept.
Amazon Kindle Worlds are fan fiction
contracted stories written by guest authors. In my case, authors write stories
in the Montana Sky Series, which includes my Mail-Order Brides of the West
books. The Montana Sky series books range from stirring sweeping frontier
romances to small, heartfelt stories of an individual overcoming obstacles and
loss.
But when I was first offered my own
Kindle World, I knew I wasn’t ready at that time. I had a few books I wanted to
finish first, including Mail-Order Brides
of the West: Prudence, which introduced readers to the mining town of
Morgan’s Crossing--a two days ride from my small town of Sweetwater Springs.
Having the two towns in my KW would give authors a larger scope for their
stories.
Before opening this world, I thought
about whether I could let go of the characters and towns I’ve created. Once I
decided I could adopt a “hands-off” approach, I felt ready to jump into this
opportunity and have fun!
After I first contracted with Amazon to
have a Montana Sky Kindle World, I reached out to historical or contemporary
Western romance authors to see it they wanted to write stories in my “world.”
Most of these authors were already friends of mine, or I knew them from the
Pioneer Hearts Facebook group. In addition, I’d read and enjoyed some of their
books.
I wanted my guest authors to be able to
tie their own series into mine. So in these KW stories, readers will see
familiar characters from my books as well as characters that may have a
connection to a guest author’s series. Aside from providing some guidance about
my series, I haven’t had anything to do with writing these books. They will be
as new to me as they are to the readers.
The awesome fourteen launch authors
have primarily set their books in the mining town of Morgan’s Crossing,
although some of the characters pass through Sweetwater Springs on their way to
the mining town. I’m looking forward to reading these authors’ stories! Explore
the books at:
The authors are:
Kirsten Osbourne
Louella Nelson
Linda Carroll-Bradd
Caroline Clemmons
Merry Farmer
Crystal Green
Cassie Hayes
Paty Jager
Sylvia McDaniel
Patricia Thayer
Carré White
Kit Morgan
E. Ayers
Cynthia Woolf
To see their books and to learn more
about writing in the Montana Sky Series Kindle World, go to: http://debraholland.com/kindle-worlds.html
Debra Holland is the New York Times and
USA Today Bestselling author of the award-winning Montana Sky Series (sweet, historical Western romance) and The Gods’ Dream Trilogy (fantasy romance.) Debra is a three-time Romance Writers
of America Golden Heart finalist and one-time winner. In 2013, Amazon selected Starry Montana Sky as one of the Top 50
Greatest Love Stories. When she’s not writing, Dr. Debra works
as a psychotherapist and corporate crisis/grief counselor. She’s the author of The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving,
a book about helping people cope with all kinds of loss, and Cultivating an Attitude about Gratitude, a Ten Minute Ebook. She’s also a contributing author to The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing. For more information on her fiction books go
to: http://debraholland.com
No comments:
Post a Comment