Between Heaven & Hell: The Chosen Ones Book Launch Was A Success!

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that attended the live event on Facebook! I had a lot of fun, even in spite of the technical difficulties with the cameras. I hope your necks aren’t too sore from bending sideways to view the first part! (And thank you to Jimmy for notifying me of that fact.)

Glitches add flavor…

Since the built-in webcam on my desktop doesn’t have a very clear picture, I decided to do the broadcast from my iPhone. Unfortunately, as we went to sign into the event, there was some sort of glitch that would not allow my phone to stream live. At the last minute, we ended up using my co-host Melissa’s phone.

Another unplanned glitch was that since I don’t do “selfies”, I don’t own a selfie-stick. So, minutes before the event was set to start (I know, it was poor planning on my part), we fashioned a magnetic pole to attach the phone to, and duct-taped it to the wall behind my desk (yes, I am a BIG fan of red-neck ingenuity. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?) And it worked…although we did have to re-adjust during one of the breaks, as the tape started to droop a little, allowing the phone to slide down.

I have stated before that I am no expert when it comes to technology and all the gadgets, but I am determined (stubborn) enough to figure out a way to make things work.

Sharing Smiles (and tears)

The responses from the live event warmed my heart, bringing laughter and tears of joy at times. I fully enjoyed the interactions from the audience. Though I was nervous being in front of the camera to start with, thanks to the good-natured humor and welcomed support, I quickly overcame the nervousness and thoroughly enjoyed myself! (That’s the point of having a party after all.)

The closing of the event was broadcast from a local restaurant, The Noisy Goose Café. I chose it, not only because of the great food and atmosphere, but also because it was Christian’s favorite restaurant. It’s where he treated me to dinner to celebrate my first book, Faith, Hope & Miracles, and I had wanted to reciprocate for his book. So, Melissa and I enjoyed a meal of cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate malt milkshake, in honor of Christian.

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The Numbers, Reviews, and Comments…

I would like to share a little of the success from the launch with you, not because I want to brag, but because I am so thrilled with the responses.

First, on Friday, the day before the launch, the book’s ranking on Amazon Kindle was #1209 in the Christian Fantasy Fiction category. By the end of the party, it had moved up to #16. Quite the jump in a very short period of time!

By Sunday morning, it hit #4 in its category, then #1 that afternoon…SUCCESS!!!

I won’t pretend to know or understand how Amazon’s algorithms work (they like to keep their secrets), but as an author, to see the book hit that sweet spot of #1, even if only briefly, put a big smile on my face…and my heart!

I also received the first review late Sunday evening (It was written before that, but apparently Amazon has a delay in their postings):

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW!!!

As if all that wasn’t enough to make my heart soar, on Friday morning I received an invitation to do an author interview for the book. (I’ll share a link to the site when it’s posted).

I can’t say that I know how everything works up in Heaven. But I know that if Christian could see all of this, he would be smiling. And that is the greatest success I could have!

So, I give you all my most sincere appreciation for the help and support in making this dream come true and keeping my promise to Christian. There are still 2 more books to finish the story, and I’ve already begun the process for #2, which will be scheduled for release in early December.

Thank you for your continued support and sharing this journey with me!  – Amber