by jphilo | Jun 3, 2022 | See Jane Run!
See Jane and Jolene saying ay yai yai yai yai? Do you know why they’re saying it? Because the release date for See Jane Run! is only days away.
Jolene’s not sure she’s ready to hear from people who don’t like her baby.
Jane’s not sure she’s ready for people to get to know her.
As a result, they’ve resorted to making faces at each other while fiddling with their glasses.
Juvenile behaviors to be sure.
Or maybe nervous habits.
Whatever the case, there’s only one thing to say about the situation…ay yai yai yai yai!
by jphilo | May 26, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The See Jane Run! release countdown continues! The June 7 release date is less than 2 weeks away, a fact that fills me with equal parts of delight and dread.
Delight in my book baby’s entrance into the world. Dread of all to be done before, on, and after Book Baby’s birth. These are familiar emotions to parents experiences awaiting the arrival of their human or literary offspring. For those of you who would like to be part of the birth plan, here are some things you can do:
- Pre-order See Jane Run! on Amazon through June 6. Pre-orders are a big deal because they boost release date sales. Those sales increase the likelihood for a book to be designated as a best seller, which improves visibility. If you do pre-order, you will receive a free bonus. Instructions on how to claim your bonus can be found here.
- Write an Amazon review when you finish reading See Jane Run! Amazon grants greater visibility to books with 50 reviews and yet greater visibility after 100 reviews. Every review adds to that total, whether it is posted a day or a year after the book releases. So thanks to everyone who reads the book, then writes and posts an honest review whenever you can. I truly appreciate your efforts.
- Come to the book launch party on June 18 at The Chocolaterie Stam (230 Main St, Ames, Iowa 50010). There’s going to be live fiddle music, an author reading, a question and answer time, door prizes, and yummy chocolates and gelato available for purchase at The Stam. Print copies of See Jane Run! will also be for sale at my book table. Those who purchased print copies through Amazon can bring them to be signed, too.
For those of you who live too far away to attend the party, more fun is on the way! The launch party for the second book in the series, See Jane Sing!, will be held in August during the Harding County Fair in Camp Crook, South Dakota. Also, a virtual launch party is in the works for See Jane Dance!, the third book which will is scheduled for release sometime in the winter of 2023. Whatever the weather, wherever you live, the virtual party is gonna happen.
by jphilo | May 11, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The release date for See Jane Run! is less than a month away. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how, after spending more than 10 years dreaming about the arrival of this publication date, it is approaching faster than I can get through my to do list by June 7, 2022.
By far my least favorite item on the list is begging asking people to join the See Jane Run! book launch team. I’m not sure why this particular task repels me since all team members are asked to do is write and post a review on Amazon, for which they receive a free Kindle copy of the book. That’s a pretty good deal, right?
Even so, when I beg ask people to join the team, I feel like I’m crossing a boundary. Today, I’m sticking my toe over that boundary and begging for volunteers for some simple reasons.
- Amazon reviews provide a tremendous boost to a book’s visibility.
- Amazon reviews persuade people to buy or not to buy books.
Based on those two reasons, feel free to imagine me at this very moment getting down on my very aged knees, clasping my hands in supplication, and begging asking you to consider becoming part of the See Jane Run! launch team. If you’ve been persuaded, here’s what to do next.
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Send an email to me at jolenephilo@me.com ASAP saying you want to be part of the team.
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Watch for a reply email with an advance electronic copy of the manuscript attached.
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Read your advance copy between now and the release day, June 7 and compose your review.
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Watch for a June 2 email invitation to pick up a free Kindle copy of See Jane Run!
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Pick up your free copy between June 4 and June 6. This allows you to write a VERIFIED review on Amazon.
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Post the review you composed on Amazon. (The June 2 email will have more details about how to do this.)
If you have any questions, email them to the address listed above. But hurry! The release date for
See Jane Run! is less than a month away. Once June 7, 2022 has come and gone, so does this opportunity.
by jphilo | Apr 20, 2022 | See Jane Run!
The skinny for claiming your See Jane Run! preorder bonus is very skinny. Or as Jane might say, it’s easier than milking Merle Laird’s prize Jersey heifer. Those of you who are wondering who Jane is, who Merle is, and what the cow’s name is, will find answers when you read See Jane Run!
The preorder bonus is a zip file containing a baker’s dozen of stunning photographs taken in northwestern South Dakota. The photos are of all seasons and provide a taste of the vast and wild land where See Jane Run! takes place. The photos are suitable for printing, framing, and using on calendars.
To claim your preorder bonus for the Kindle version:
- Preorder See Jane Run! on Amazon anytime between now and June 7, 2022.
- After placing your order, click on the “Returns & Orders” button in the top right corner of the Amazon web page.
- Download an electronic copy of the invoice/receipt for your order or take a screen shot of it.
- Send an email to anne@midwesternbooks.com. Type “See Jane Run Bonus” in the subject line. Attach the electronic invoice/receipt in the body of the email.
- Your zip file should arrive shortly in your inbox. If it doesn’t, leave a comment below and I’ll check into it.
To claim the bonus for the paperback version which will be available for purchase on June 7, 2022:
- Order the print version of See Jane Run! within 48 hours of its release on June 7, 2022.
- After placing your order, click on the “Returns & Orders” button in the top right corner of the Amazon web page.
- Download an electronic copy of the invoice/receipt for your order or take a screen shot of it.
- Send an email to anne@midwesternbooks.com. Type “See Jane Run Bonus” in the subject line. Attach the electronic invoice/receipt in the body of the email.
- Your zip file should arrive shortly in your inbox. If it doesn’t, leave a comment below and I’ll check into it.
Leave a comment if you have questions about how to claim either the Kindle preorder bonus or the 48 hour print order bonus. I’ll get back to you shortly!
by jphilo | Apr 13, 2022 | Reflections on the Past
Spring blizzards on the South Dakota prairie are uncommon, but they do happen. This week’s weather reports and pictures posted by friends who live west of the Missouri River attest to that fact. Their pictures inspired me to locate snapshots my husband and I took when we lived in Camp Crook. In the top one, a much younger me is holding our son Allen. The one below shows my husband Hiram doing the same.
Now for a few fun facts to accompany the photos:
- Our son was born in 1982. Judging from his size, these photos are from 1984 or 1985. My gut says 1985, the last year we lived there.
- This snowstorm was in early May. That’s right. May. I believe a week after our school’s spring field trip, which took place on a beautiful day.
- Hiram’s mother was visiting at the time. She was tired of arriving or departing during raging snowstorms and expressly chose to come in May to avoid bad weather. Instead, she watched 18 inches of snow, fall, then melt and create 18 inches of mud.
- The top photo shows the Methodist Church furthest to the left and the Catholic Church to the right. We lived in the yellow gold house. It is still there, but the building behind us is gone.
- Hiram and Allen are standing to the south of our house. The log buildings are a hunting cabin and its outhouse. Hiram made good use of the outhouse when our electricity was out. We had the presence of mind to fill the bathtub with water when the storm began. Hiram’s mom and I used bathtub water to flush the toilet until we had power again.
- I am not making any of this up.
- The Methodist and Catholic churches in See Jane Run! are similar in appearance to the ones pictured above. Since art imitates life, it is safe to assume that spring blizzards on the South Dakota will appear in future books in the series.
- It is not safe to assume the same for the outhouse. Neither Jane nor Jolene consider outhouses artistic. Not at all.
