A Bestseller

Who would have thought that No Law Against Love would be shelved beside the likes of Dan Brown and Memoirs of a Geisha? But it's happened.

Douglas Books in Douglas Village, a suburb of Cork City, has agreed to sell our anthology and placed it on the shelves with some of the cities best selling novels. This makes the second bookstore in Ireland that is carrying the book.

The first is Macroom Books. They have the anthology in their front window and on the table just inside the front door.

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the best last week so was unable to contact the main book wholesaler for Ireland, but I will be doing that this week. I'm also contacting one of the main breast cancer awareness foundations to see if we can get their support, and I'm planning on posting a copy of the book to two of the nation's top media programs, one TV and one radio, both of which do book promotions, especially if the book is for charity. If we can get the support of the cancer foundation and the support of the media then we're a shoe-in for the wholesaler to pick us up. So, wish me luck...on all fronts. If we can make some substantial sales here in Ireland, Highland Press has promised to donate those proceeds to an Irish cancer charity.

I'm almost done with my bookmarks and bookplates, so if anyone is interested in adding them to your collection, drop me an email. Just send me a SASE and I'll pop them in the post.

I've got my inclusions for Hurricane Mercedes' gift basket for the Regis and Kelly Show. I'll be including Maisie's Tutti-Frutti Body Bar (handmade, all-natural ) and Hank's Scented Wig Powder. Those are being posted this week along with a pair of land certs from our company A Piece of Ireland. While the soap and powder fun items, the land preservation scheme is serious. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll come to Ireland and want to see their parcel!

Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

Thank you to everyone who's already bought a copy of No Law Against Love. Your support of this book and the charity is greatly appreciated. I hope you're enjoying the stories as much as we enjoyed writing them. Admittedly, Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady are my first short stories, but I found that I really enjoyed them. So, keep your eyes open for All Time Love, which is being considered for the Once In A Blue Moon anthology (May 2006), and Dancing In The Moonlight, which is being considered for the No Law Against Love 2 anthology (January 2007). Both will be published by Highland Press. I'm also submitting proposals for their Recipe for Love anthology (for release by June 2006) and their Christmas anthology (for release by December 2006).

No Law Against Love is still available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as the publisher, Highland Press. So...BUY THE BOOK!!

And don't forget to drop me a comment at the link below or by dropping me an email. Now that I have stories out there, I'd love to hear how my readers feel about the stories.

~ Kemberlee
PS...As a reminder, previous posts have been archived. You can access them at the links below.

Delivery Day!

First let me say Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I hope you had a lovely time with your loved one.

My Valentine's Day was good. It started off when I received my first box of books and they look great. No Law Against Love is a traditional trade size paperback with a glossy cover and heavy grain, easy to read pages. Even though I've already read many of the stories as a contributing editor, I'm having a great time re-reading them and all the ones I haven't read yet. This is one great little...scratch that...one great BIG collection of fabulous stories. I'm enjoying them all so much that I can't pick just one that I like the best.

Amazon has us listed as a regular book now and we're still available on Barnes & Noble, so grab your credit card!!

Please drop me a message to let me know if you've received your copy the book and what you think of it.

Good News -- No Law Against Love is being stocked in our local bookstore here in Macroom! I drove by this afternoon and they have a copy in the front window beside the front door. Very well positioned at eye level.

Douglas Books in Douglas village, part of the greater Cork City area, will be stocking the book as soon as I get copies to them, which will be Friday afternoon. They seemed very keen on stocking the book and may even host an autographing if the book sells well.

I'll be contacting Eason's this week, too, which is the largest book distributor in Ireland. They have 50 of their own shops and supply most of the independent shops around the country. If we can get in there, we'll have a wonderful donation for the cancer charity in October. If we can make some substantial sales here in Ireland, Highland Press has promised to donate those proceeds to an Irish cancer charity.

I've finished the design for the bookmarks and will be printing and laminating them. They're going to look great! I'm working on bookplates now. As I mentioned before, anyone who wants them need only send me a SASE.

Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

I'd like to send a special thanks out to a lady who's been dubbed Hurricane Mercedes. She's the daughter of author Jacquie Rogers and is the self-appointed marketing whiz for No Law Against Love. Her current project is putting together a gift basket that will be sent to the Regis and Kelly Show. Kelly Ripa loves romance stories and Regis's wife is a supporter of breast cancer awareness programs so Mercedes got the idea to send a basket full of goodies from the authors that represents some of the stories. I'm donating a handmade, all natural body bar in Tutti-Frutti scent that I'm labeling Maisie's Tutti-Frutti Body Bar and an old fashioned powder and puff that we're calling Hank's Scented Wig Powder. I'm also including an additional gift for both Regis and Kelly from my husband's land conservation program, A Piece of Ireland.

Thank you, Mercedes, for going over and above the call of duty on this one! I hope the show appreciates all of your hard work like we, the authors, do.

Happy reading everytone! And...BUY THE BOOK!

~ Kemberlee

Sold Out?

Wow! Can you believe it? Our book No Law Against Love went to print Monday, it started shipping on Tuesday and by Thursday all the books that were printed had sold out! Barnes & Noble had us ranked at #70 by Wednesday - that's #70 - then Thursday we'd sold out and are now back to the "out of stock" notice. At least they have us listed.

You may have noticed that Amazon has pulled our page. They've done this without an apparent or valid reason. The publisher, Highland Press, is trying to sort this out as we speak...so to speak.

However, you can STILL order by going through Amazon's backdoor. Click on the bookcover to the right, and it will take you to the order page.

You can be sure that the book has gone to reprint, so all outstanding orders will eventually be filled. Very soon, I hope.

Anyone who still wants to place a preorder, contact Highland Press directly, or myself. Especially if you're in Europe. Good news! The book is also being printed in the UK and will ship all over Europe. Yay!!

Some grrrrrrrreat news to share - I've managed to get a bookstore in Cork to stock the book. When my copies arrive this next week, I'll take some into the shop and hopefully they'll sell out immediately :-) We'll also talk about the prospects of an autographing. Wouldn't that be fun?!

I'm also going to hit up the bookstore here in Macroom this next week, and the bookstores in Killarney. From there, I'll be contacting the major bookstores around the country. AND I'm hoping to get some support through one of the Irish cancer groups, as any sales I make over here will benefit the cancer programs here. Stay tuned, as "they" say.

BTW, who are "they"?! LOL

Please drop me a message to let me know if you've received your copy the book and what you think of it.

Oh, and I'm making up some autogaphed bookplates and doublesided laminated bookmarks. If you've bought the book, drop me an email and I can organize with you to get some of these. They're free if you send me a SASE and *promise* not to resell the book for profit. Yeah, there are a few sad souls out there doing that already. The charity is the one losing out. Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

Happy reading! And...BUY THE BOOK!

~ Kemberlee

IT'S A BOOK!

I've heard that publishing a book can be like having a baby. If it's true, I can believe it with the No Law Against Love anthology. It was pure pleasure in the conceiving, and exciting and thrilling watching the growth. And the labor process has been a real bear. But delivery day is near.

The book has gone to print today, which means it will be available by Valentine's Day. Those with preorders should receive the book by this time next week.

I'd like to thank everyone for your patience. You will have this wonderful collection of stories in your hot little hands very soon. I hope you enjoy our little baby as much as we, the NLAL authors, have enjoyed conceiving it.

Know that I'm as anxious as you are to finally hold this baby in my hands, too.

Drop me a note or comment to let me know what you think of the book when you receive it. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.

~ Kemberlee
PS...Don't forget you can still buy copies of No Law Against Love at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Read excerpts of my stories here on my website. Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good - Reviews are still coming in for No Law Against Love. The latest is from Romance At Heart eZine, which had something great to say about each of the stories. Reviewer Linda had this to say about yours truly --

Tutti-Frutti is a special love story filled with romance between two people that is so unique in its own way. A little ice cream with no spoons could turn out delightfully wicked with that one special person. Ms. Shortland crafts an adorable little romance! It had a certain flare to it with the slippers and such a zany day, quite uplifting!

Dude Looks Like A Lady is a read where the characters and the settings are all quite believable. The storyline is great making it a fantastic read about romance that last throughout many years. Ms. Shortland has penned a story that touches the heart and leaves a wonderful sigh.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I read these reviews. They're my first reviews, so it made me feel great about my writing ability. Reviews can be heaven or hell for a writer. A good review can make you soar. A bad review is like a rejection from an editor or agent and send you into the pits of depression that lasts for days. So getting good reviews on my first publishing efforts has me soaring, as you can imagine.

The Bad - The printer is having issues with formatting. No Law Against Love was supposed to be available at the end of January, then it was pushed forward a week. Now the publication date is pushed forward until next week. I wish I could say I have a date, but I don't. We're all still hoping it will be available by Valentine's Day.

The Ugly - Well, this is what the authors and the publisher will get if the printer doesn't perform soon. ;-) At least the eversion will be available soon, and reviews are still coming in.

You can still place preorders through Amazon. B&N took the preorder option down thanks to the tardy printer, but you can still put No Law Against Love on your wish list there.. And you can always place your orders with the publisher, Highland Press.

In the meantime, I'm working on a new short story for Highland Press's next anthology called Blue Moon. If things get worked out with the printer, the Blue Moon anthology should be available around June or July. This is a straight romance, no silly laws, and is entitled All Time Love, which is enspired by a new song of the same title by Will Young. It's a lovely song and I'm hoping readers will think the story is too.

I'm also working on another silly laws short story for No Law Against Love 2, which will be released around this time next year. This story is called Dancing in the Moonlight and will be set in Seattle, WA this time.

I'm also still working on The Diary, a chapter of which can be read on this site. This is my full-length historical set in Ireland.

Bookmark my site and check back often for updates on the publication of No Law Against Love. We're pushing for publishing early this weeks so that it's available for Valentine's Day. Cross your fingers for us, light some candles, say a prayer...everything will help ;-)

~ Kemberlee