99-cent E-books

By now, many of you have heard of Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old who self-published her e-books on Amazon and soon became a bestselling author. In January 2011, she sold nearly half a million books! Like many writers, Hocking tired of the long, discouraging process of trying to find a traditional print publisher to take on her novels. So she did it herself––like many writers before her, including Benjamin Franklin, Gertrude Stein, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Virginia Woolf and, more recently, Stephen King, Deepak Chopra, and John Grisham.

E-books and Amazon’s Kindle program offer writers of all types to speak directly to readers, without going through the middleman. In 2010, 20 million people read e-books. Not only are e-books convenient, cheaper than print books, and instantly available, they’re environmentally friendly, saving trees and waste.

One of Hocking’s keys to success is her price point. By selling her books for $.99 to $2.99, she encouraged readers to take a look. She’s not the only author to utilize this method––or the only one to succeed. When you sell your e-book on Amazon for $.99 you only receive $.35 in royalties per sale. That’s not much, but if you sell 500,000 copies it adds up to big bucks. And in case you’re wondering, many authors only get about that much from the sale of a traditionally published paperback.

So, I decided to give it a try. My mystery Hidden Agenda, which in print form won the Kiss of Death Award (given by the Romance Writers of America’s mystery chapter), is now available as an Amazon e-book for $.99. A mix of murder, magic, astrology, and romance, the novel has gotten great reviews, both online and in print media. I hope you’ll choose to read it. Please share your thoughts with me if you care to do so. And please consider writing a review on Amazon.com if you feel inspired.

By the way, you can still purchase signed, first edition trade paperbacks from my website for $9.99 (quantities limited) if you prefer.

Erotica or Porn?

What's the difference between erotica and pornography? One definition says that erotica is something you find sexually stimulating, whereas pornography is something another person finds sexually stimulating and you find disgusting. Truly, it's in the eye of the beholder. And our perspectives change over time. What would have been considered "hard core" only a decade ago is lunch-time fare for many modern readers.

Still, many writers of erotic literature still publish under pseudonyms. Some of us don't want our bosses, kids, parents, and neighbors to know we get into this sort of thing. Other authors who write various types of books find it avoids confusion if they publish nonfiction titles under one name and erotic fiction under another. That was my reason for publishing my erotic mystery "Tarotica" under the pen name Amber Austin, because I'm best known for my nonfiction books in the fields of holistic health, self-help, and metaphysics.

I'm pleased to announce that "Tarotica"––originally published as an e-book by Ravenous Romance (and still available in that format)––is now available in print through Amazon.com. This unique X-rated thriller is both a risky and risqué road trip across the US and an esoteric journey through the major arcana of the Tarot. Coffee Time Romance reviewed it as "one of the hottest books I've ever read." Crave More Romance praised it as a "five-star mix of magic and real world."

If you're interested in the Tarot, mysteries, sex, and/or erotic romance, I hope you'll enjoy this original and colorful interpretation of the Tarot's major arcana. Each chapter relates to one card and contains plenty of steamy sex. I've worked with the Tarot for many years and written several nonfiction books on the subject, including "The Everything Tarot Book," "The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need," and "10-Minute Tarot." Interpreting the ancient oracle into a lusty thriller was a lot of fun, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Secret of Sex Magic

What would you think if I said you can have everything you want? What if I said you already have everything you think? Once you understand that both are true, you’re on your way to becoming a magician.

Now, what if I told you that you don’t need to work long and hard in order to attract the good things in life? Money, success, love––anything you choose––are yours for the asking. All you have to do is make mad, passionate love as often as possible. That may sound too good to be true, but magicians around the world have known this secret for thousands of years, and they’ve used their sexual energy to reap all sorts of benefits. You can, too.

Most people want to lead better lives. We want to be happier, healthier, wealthier, or whatever. We’d like to take control of what happens to us, instead of being at the mercy of chance, fate, or other people’s agendas. That’s why most magicians do spells in the first place. Magic enables you to harness the raw energy in the universe and direct it to produce the outcomes you choose. Magic lets you attract what you desire in life and protect yourself from pitfalls. Although you can do this with any type of magic, sex magic is an especially effective way to accomplish your objectives.

Maybe you’re saying to yourself, my sex life is pretty good. But I’m still in debt and struggling to make ends meet. What’s the deal? The simple answer is, you’re not doing it right. No, I’m not talking about what goes where. I’m sure you know how to fit tab A into slot A. What I mean is, you think sex is just something that feels good and makes babies––and that mindset is limiting your possibilities. You don’t realize sex has much more to offer you. You haven’t yet learned to mobilize this powerful attracting force that abides within you and utilize it to shape your world. My new book Sex Magic for Beginners, just published by Llewellyn, tells you everything you need to know to start changing your life and attracting whatever you desire.

The Elixir of Love

Perhaps you've heard the term "elixir." In some magickal circles, elixir has a special meaning. This spell, excerpted from my book Nice Spells/Naughty Spells (published by Adams Media) explains one way you can use the elixir of love to enhance a romantic relationship. 

Best times to perform this spell:

During the waxing moon

When the sun or moon is in Taurus, Libra, or Scorpio

On Tuesdays or Fridays

Ingredients or equipment needed:

A chalice or goblet

Wine or apple cider

Male and female sexual fluids

Engage in sexual intercourse. Afterwards, pour some wine or apple cider in a ritual chalice or goblet. Add a few drops of “elixir”––the mixture of male and female sexual fluids––to the chalice. Focus on each other and your love while you drink the “potentized” wine (or cider) together. 

Brigid’s Day, Imbolc, or Candlemas

This sabbat honors Brigid, the beloved Celtic goddess of healing, smithcraft, and poetry. A favorite of the Irish people, Brigid was adopted by the Church and canonized as Saint Brigid when Christianity moved into Ireland. Her holiday is celebrated either on February 1 or around February 5, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius. In the Northern Hemisphere, daylight is increasing and the promise of spring is in the air. Therefore, Imbolc is celebrated as a time of hope and renewal.

The Holiday’s Significance

Brigid is one of the fertility goddesses, and Imbolc means “in the belly.” This holiday honors all forms of creativity, of the mind as well as the body. Illustrations of Brigid sometimes show her stirring a great cauldron, the witch’s magick tool that symbolizes the womb and the receptive, fertile nature of the Divine Feminine. As goddess of inspiration, Brigid encourages everyone, regardless of gender, to stir the inner cauldron of creativity that exists within.

Brigid goes by many names, including Lady of the Flame, Goddess of the Hearth, and Bright One. Her feast day is sometimes called Candlemas due to her association with fire. In magickal thinking, the fire element is believed to fuel inspiration and creativity.

Although Brigid is an aspect of the Divine Feminine, her day falls under the zodiac sign Aquarius, a masculine air sign in astrology. Her blazing hearth is both the metalsmith’s forge and the homemaker’s cook fire. Thus, she represents mind and body, a blend of yin and yang energies, and the union of polarities that is necessary for creation.

Ways to Celebrate

On Imbolc, the Sun King’s chariot ascends in the sky; the sun’s rays grow stronger and days grow longer. Witches celebrate this spoke in the Wheel of the Year as a reaffirmation of life and a time to plant “seeds” for the future. You may wish to build a fire in a magick cauldron to honor Brigid. On a piece of paper, write wishes you want to materialize during the year, then drop the paper into the cauldron. As the paper burns, the smoke rises toward the heavens carrying your requests to Brigid.

In keeping with the holiday’s theme of fire, many people light candles to honor the Goddess. Candles are the most common tool in the witch’s magickal toolbox, used in all sorts of spells and rituals. Engrave words that represent your wishes—love, prosperity, health, etc.—into the candle’s wax. Then light the candle and focus your attention on its flame, while you envision your wishes coming true.

Excerpted from my book The Everything Wicca & Witchcraft Book, published by Adams Media, copyright 2008. To order this or my other books on magick, please click the link to my website www.skyealexander.com and go to the books page.

Magickal Mini-Mystery

This is the second in a series of mini-mystery stories with magickal themes––see if you can solve it, just for fun.

The Librarian's Discovery

The library was moving to new quarters and her job was to pack up the old books in the west wing that no one ever read anymore. As she removed several moldy texts from the top shelf, she accidentally knocked an ancient leather-bound volume onto the floor. The book fell open to a page illustrated with a peculiar-looking diagram.

The librarian climbed down off her stool and picked up the book to examine it more closely. No title or author's name appeared on the cover or front matter; only a caption under a strange diagram identified it as "a map of the journey to the soul."

Intrigued, the she read on. "The journey to the soul is a winding route indeed, yet if you follow it faithfully you cannot become lost. Seven paths lead to the center, but all are one. The journey leads in and the journey leads out, yet you’ll only find the way in and the way back out by walking in circles. Turn left and right and left again, and you will reach your goal.

"Each path is governed by a celestial body; therefore the map of the journey to the soul is a map of the heavens. Each path resonates with a single note; therefore the map depicts the musical scale. Each path is aglow with a single color; therefore this map describes the visible spectrum. Each path is aligned with one of the body's energy centers; therefore the map shows the way to health and harmony."

QUESTION: What is the strange map?

Magickal Mini-Mystery

One in a series of short puzzles with magickal themes, just for fun.

The Old Astrologer's Secret

Sadly, the old astrologer gazed up at the sky. The stars told him that soon his art would be vilified and many like himself would be put to death for practicing it. A new ideology was dawning; its proponents would attempt to destroy the Knowledge of the celestial bodies and how they influence life on earth.

So the old astrologer set out to preserve the Knowledge for future generations. To keep it safe, he knew he'd have to hide the information about the four elements, the thirteen lunar months, the fifty-two weeks of the solar year, and the two archetypal forces in the universe (masculine and feminine) someplace where antagonists wouldn't recognize it. But he also wanted the Knowledge to be easily accessible to all who sought it.

The old astrologer thought and thought, until finally he came up with a clever solution. He'd hide the Knowledge in plain sight! 

Thousands of years later, this ancient Knowledge is still with us. Nearly everyone in the Western world has touched upon it at one time or another, without realizing it. The secret Knowledge is hidden in millions of homes around the world––probably in yours––where it is available to young and old alike.

QUESTION:  Where did the old astrologer hide the Knowledge of the heavens?