TonyaKappes.com News

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE!
It’s here! From now until August 31, we’re going to be doing a Summer Reading Challenge!

Here’s how it works:
You earn points for reading books, entire series, leaving reviews, or recommending the Magical Cures Mystery Series on your social media channels
Any books in series you’ve already read count. Any reviews you’ve already left count.
The Reading List is here: https://amzn.to/3gNxFf2

This is an honor system challenge. I know it’s hard to find links to reviews and things, so if you say you left a review, I’ll believe you. If you say you read a book or a whole series, I’ll believe you.
The books are either free at various times so continue to check the newsletter and in Kindle Unlimited, so it’s a great time to join that program if you don’t have it yet. The link doesn’t work for me, because I’m already a KU subscriber. You can click here for more info about joining this program: https://amzn.to/2XbRx38
One complaint I’ve had in the past from readers during big challenges like this is that they can’t keep track of what they have and haven’t done.

I’m just using a spreadsheet, which EVERYONE CAN SEE.

You can edit this sheet. Please be careful not to delete someone else’s entries. 🙂 I’ve put a couple of examples in the top rows for you.

PUT ENTRIES HERE:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zm4ZzO913nPV_-tGPGOjcsMoFjPutgAkQ7UG8TwIPIY/edit?usp=sharing

Why did I pick this particular series for this year’s challenge?

I’m so excited to be writing in the Kindle Vella program for Amazon- SOUTHERN MAGICAL BAKERY COZY MYSTERY SERIES

The series is based on Lo Heal-Park. She is the adult daughter of June Heal and Oscar Park from the Magical Cures Cozy Mystery Series. Lo is unable to live in Whispering Falls because she’s not a spiritualist, which is a village rule. She did find a wonderful talent! She took her job as an employee at Wicked Good Bakery very became an excellent baker.

She was given special classes at UnHidden Hall A Spiritualist University since she’s not able to take the usual classes offered there to witches and wizards so she did graduate with a culinary arts degree.

Lo has gotten approval from The Mary’s and the Village Council to move out of Whispering Falls and start a life of her own where she will open her own bakery in a mortal town.

Characters from the Magical Cures Series will be going to visit Lo and help her out since Lo will have no choice but to scratch her nosy side by learning to become an amateur sleuth in this fun baking cozy mystery.

Here is where you will be able to read this episodic culinary cozy mystery. I’m going to be publishing the episodes here and on Kindle Vella.

I’d already planned to write this in episodic form on my website until Amazon asked if I would interested in joining them on a new adventure – Vella.

You can check out what Vella is by clicking HERE.

With Kindle Vella, I’m able to offer the story on their new platform and also here on Patreon. I’m not able to offer it in Kindle Unlimited, book form, ebook form, or for free in anyway.

That is why it will be on the Patreon page for y’all to enjoy for only $1 a month compared to buying tokens on Vella for $4.99

If you’re not a member of our Patreon page, you can check it out here.

I can’t wait for y’all to read it each day and excited for the new adventures of Lo Heal-Park and the amazing crossover character interaction from the Magical Cures Series.

That is the sound I hear all day long. The keys on my computer are always clicking and it’s not always about writing.

Just think back to ten years ago. Go on! Clear the cobwebs out of your brain and really dig back in there.

Think about how you communicated with people. People you didn’t even know. Didn’t even know existed!

It blows my mind how much social media has really made connections between people around the world. I love hearing stories of how adoptive siblings found each other through something as simple as Facebook. I also love how I can stay connected to my group of high school and college friends through social media since I don’t live in my home town or near my college friends.

As an author, having these social media tools have really helped me reach out and get to know y’all, my readers. Many of you have become my friends, even though we haven’t met in person.

Last year I was fortunate enough to met about one hundred of my street team members. Social media helped me recognize them right off and hug them! We had been “friends” in my head (because of social media) for so long that I was able to just pick up our conversation by asking about their family members, health issues, reading, and many things friends talk about.

I have to admit I LOVE LOVE LOVE all social media. Recently I have really gotten into Instagram!

My boys have used Instagram for a long time and leave it to me to be late to the party. Most of my readers aren’t on there yet and I post a lot of fun pictures and didn’t want them to miss out, so I attached my Instagram feed my website. It’s so cool. This lets my readers stay in the loop on Instagram without being a member of the social media.

I’m always trying to make it easier for the reader to connect with me.

Be sure to check out my Instagram or my website, while you are on my website, sign up for my newsletter and receive a free mystery ebook download! Let’s stay connected!!

What is your favorite social media tool as a reader? Why do you love it?

Leave a comment to win a print and signed copy of a signed A Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery book of my choice!

When I decided to become an author I had ONE goal in mind and still live by that goal: REACH ONE READER!!

What I mean by that is that I want to make ONE person smile everyday, one person get lost into a world of laughter, light mystery, and forget about life for a while.

No matter how easy or how hard your day is, we still need the down time. That was what reading a book did for me. I’ve never claimed to be a literary great or a read that you have to think really hard to follow the plot. I’m like a beach read. Something that you can pick up and know that you will smile, laugh, and think how on earth does Tonya come up with these crazy characters.

That was and still is my number one goal. So…when I decided to become an author, I wanted to connect with readers the way I would want an author to connect with me. I like hearing how authors work, but I LOVED hearing about their everyday life and things they enjoyed because I felt like I was stepping inside of their world. If I liked that, then I hoped my readers would like that. Of course I have to talk about writing and books, but mostly I’m about everyday life on social media and on my blog. Plus I LOVE giveaways and I love giving them away. I’m a giver…so sue me!

What does coffee have to do with all this? I LOVE COFFEE!! I’m addicted. It’s bad. Six years ago I started posting a daily good morning coffee photo on my Facebook. It took off like gossip in a small town and I found a fun way to connect with my friends and readers on social media. I’ve even gotten a lot of fun coffee items mailed to me from my reader friends. (BTW..I don’t use the word FAN because that word rubs me wrong. Readers are readers, like me!)

Every night I look forward to getting up the next day because I know I’m going to get to have coffee with a few thousand of my friends!

What about you? How does your favorite author connect with you??