D L Richardson

Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you...
My alter ego, Jonette Blake, has teamed up with 45 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Dark Mysteries & Thrillers to 2 lucky winners!
Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁
You can win my novel POISON IN THE POND, plus books from authors like Shirley Hailstock andMary Widdicks.
Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉 bit.ly/DarkThrillers-May2020
Good luck and enjoy!

Hello, 

It's April 1 which means my middle-grade fiction novel 'Dog Town' is officially released. Part of my promotion is to send this book on a virtual book tour, organised through Goddess Fish Promotions.



It also means a few very busy days of social media posting and blog visits. Which brings me to an essential marketing tool for authors: the 'swipe page'.

A 'swipe page' is a Word document with a range of links and text that you can easily copy and paste - i.e you swipe to copy the link or text - to save you sorting through documents and websites for this information. 

Trust me, when you are busy promoting your novel, your 'swipe page' will become your best friend. 

Links and text I like to include are as follows:

Links to my bookLinks to my social media sites and websiteTwitter and Instagram hashtagsLinks to blog sitesAny 'copy' I might use such as tag lines and short exciting blurbs. I will write a few of these so each post is different.



Prior …

The earth is closed today, or it sure seems like it.

To assist readers who are self-isolating, parents and students who are stuck at home, and anyone with time on their hands at the moment, I have put all of my books into Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program.

This is like Netflix for book lovers.

Kindle Unlimited usually costs $9.99 per month. Amazon normally offers new users a 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited, but I believe there is a current promotion that doubles this and you'd be getting 2 months of free subscription.

This means that you can enjoy all of my books, and millions of others, as part of this program.

Young adult titles:
The Bird with the Broken Wing
Resident Spy
One Little Spell

Dystopian fiction:
Earth Quarantined
P.S I am halfway through writing book 2

Post-Apocalyptic fiction:
Welcome to the Apocalypse - Pandora (Book 1)
Welcome to the Apocalypse - CyberNexis(Book 2)
Welcome to the Apocalypse - Primal Scream (Book 3)
Welcome to the Apocalypse - 3 book bundle


Please also co…

Just for fun, I thought I'd write a post about a great Aussie icon, the drop bear.

A drop bear is a hoax in contemporary Australian folklore featuring a predatory, carnivorous version of the koala. This imaginary animal is commonly spoken about in tall tales designed to scare tourists. Why? Because Australia actually has some of the world’s deadliest animals. And Australians truly are larrikins, so we love a good joke. 
If you don’t know what that word is, then you’re missing out on some great Aussie slang. Here is an extensive list of Aussie slang and their meanings if you're interested. If you ever set foot in the Outback (make that most of Australia), you will hear Aussie slang. Watch Crocodile Dundee and you'll pick up some Aussie slang: larrikin, strewth, fair dinkum, esky, bottle-O.  It’s like another language. 
But that’s not all that Australia is known for. We are also known for our dangerous animals.
There is a common perception amongst tourists that everything in Aus…

Do you need to be a kid to enjoy a kid’s book?





My answer is no. While you need to be an adult to read adult books, the opposite is not true for kid's books, except for perhaps picture books.

There are many middle grade and young adult fiction titles that make great reading for adults. Quite a few of these books are on my ‘what I would take from my burning house’ list.


“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins (young adult)
I was not a teenager when this came out. However, I had heard so much about this book that I decided to give it a go. I was in my forties when I bought it, and I loved this book and this series. I loved the books and movies. Did I identify with Katniss the teenager and her teenage issues? No. I identified with Katniss the rebel who revolted against the establishment, which is what adults would love to do but can’t because of mortgages, bills, insurance.

“The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien (middle grade)
I was ten when this book was read to me by my 4th-grade teacher. We sat in…

Part of my back catalogue spotlight is letting you know why I picked these 3 titles to sit alongside "The Bird with the Broken Wing".
"The Lovely Bones" was chosen because of a reader review: "This speculative fiction novel is similar to `Lovely Bones,' by Alice Sebold due to its twists and turns that evoke emotional trauma." I haven't read the book or seen the movie, but it was nice to have my book compared to a smashing success.
"The Five People You Meet In Heaven" was chosen because it's a reflective look into life and the afterlife, set in Heaven, and this book reminded me of the characters in my book as well as its unique setting.
"13 Reasons Why" was chosen because of the topic. In this book, the main character commits suicide and tells the story through the tapes she has recorded. My main character does the same and ends up in Purgatory with two other characters. Teen suicide is a serious issue, and I wanted to write a …