A MUST Read if You Are an Author! Does Amazon KDP Select FREE Promo Work?

Tags

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, book promotion, book sales, e-books, E-Publishing, Gold Train, Goodreads, Green Desert, Indie Publishing, KDP Select, Kindle, market share, Shelfari, Stepford USA

After hearing some success stories with Amazon KDP Select program, in May I finally decided to enroll GOLD TRAIN, STEPFORD USA and GREEN DESERT. I got some borrows, but borrowing wasn’t my goal.

It appeared that the program was effective for the previous authors when they made their books free for up to 5 days. Usually, lots of copies would get downloaded during the free period, which made the book jump in the Kindle rankings. After the book came off the free period, it would retain the imprint of its free ranking, which would make the paid ranking jump as well.  At least, this was the theory.

But the reality proved different…

Before I go into the story, I want to say that regardless of my feelings about the program, I am very happy and grateful that thousands of readers were able to download and enjoy my books for free. The most important thing for any writer is to be read. I wish all my readers a wonderful journey through the tantalizing world of Jade Snow! Enjoy!

And here is my story.

I made Green Desert, a Jade Snow Prequel set in Iraq, free for 5 days during the Memorial Day period. I didn’t expect too much, because it is just a short novella, and those don’t sell as well as novels. Although, as 5 star reviews from readers demonstrate, it is a darn good one! Green Desert promo was to be my test. I decided, if I liked what I saw, I’d run similar promos for my other books.

In five days, close to 1000 copies were downloaded in the US, UK, Germany, Spain and Italy. There were no downloads from France.

An awesome surprise was that I quickly received 3 unsolicited and unexpected, but very lovely, FIVE STAR reviews on Amazon. 2 of them also posted on Goodreads and Shelfari. On top of that, one of the satisfied readers added Shelfari book extras for Green Desert. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a side benefit, for the first time I discovered Shelfari for myself (how out of the loop am I?).

The bestseller rankings jumped quickly and kept climbing. The highest I saw (I didn’t watch them all the time and only recorded some) were these:

US: #1780 Free on Kindle; #26 in Mystery/thrillers/ women sleuths

UK: #760 Free on Kindle; #16 in Mystery/thrillers/ women sleuths

DE: #1283 on Kindle; #25 Krimis (Mystery); #31 Thriller

ES: #700 on Kindle; #9 Policiaca, negra y suspense (Mystery/thriller/suspense)

IT: #811 on Kindle; #11 Gialli e Thriller (Mystery & Thriller)

Find out more about the GREEN DESERT free promo here! 

I decided that 5 days was way too long, and as Green Desert was winding down, I made STEPFORD USA, Jade Snow Book 1, free for 2 days.

My first unpleasant surprise was that the promo didn’t start on time. It was about 5-6 hours late in the US and more than 12 hours late in the UK, which cut into the promo time. As a result, there was less exposure, and rankings suffered as well. The other countries were even slower. I finally emailed Amazon regarding the problem and they assured me they corrected it. A fellow author, who was running his free promo at the same time from the UK, only had his book listed free in the US. His book was never made free in the UK, which was his primary market. Needless to say, he was quite disappointed.

Despite all the delays, Stepford USA quickly shot up in rankings and kept climbing. Over 2200 books were downloaded in the US, UK and Germany. There were no downloads at all in Italy, France and Spain (I’m guessing, because of the “USA” in the title).

I didn’t get any new reviews so far, probably because it is a much longer book, although several nice readers wrote to me that they were enjoying the book and would definitely write a review. Thank you and looking forward to that!

These are the highest bestseller rankings I noticed for Stepford USA (again, I didn’t follow them all the time):

US: #193 Kindle FREE; #29 Mystery & thrillers; #9 Mystery; #8 Women Sleuths

UK: #358 Kindle FREE; #14 Mystery & Thrillers/ Women Sleuths

DE: #259 Kostenfrei Kindle; #5 Krimis & Thriller/ Krimis (mystery); #50 Populare Belletristik (popular fiction)

So far, so good!

Find out all about STEPFORD USA Free Promo here!

Meanwhile, Green Desert came off the free promo, and that’s when I had my biggest, and VERY unpleasant, surprise.

Not only the new paid ranking didn’t reflect the free ranking, but it actually was worse then the book’s pre-promo rankings! Due to how the Amazon rankings algorithm works, because Green Desert was off the paid shelf for over five days (it took extra 5-6 hours to get it re-listed) and no PAID purchases were made during that time, it lost its prior position. I realized that something changed and Amazon no longer took into account the free rankings in order to compute its paid rankings.

But as after-promo sales started, Green Desert ($0.99 or UK/Euro equivalent) initially went up to #35,000 paid in the US, then tapered off as sales slowed down.

So the theory that free rankings help improve paid rankings had to be thrown out the window. In the end of this article I’ll discuss what is behind this, what’s really happening with KDP Select, and how it affects you.

When Stepford USA came off its promo, I was already prepared for the aftermath. Sure enough, after the book re-gained its paid status ($2.99 or UK/Euro equivalent) its ranking suffered, too. It was all of a sudden in the #400,000 category in the US. Then sales picked up and in 2 days it was #20,000 in the US for a brief time.

I think an explanation is due here: Again, I didn’t watch the rankings all the time and this was the best I noticed. But I was told that it probably went much higher than that, because at one point dozens of books were downloaded in the US alone within a couple of hours. Then, as fewer books were being downloaded, the familiar scenario of sales tapering off together with rankings occured.

As I observed all this, I decided it wasn’t worth running the free promo for GOLD TRAIN. At the same time, Amazon placed Gold Train on sale. Regular price was $3.99, sale price $2.99. One would think that sales should have picked up because of this. But interestingly enough, once I started the free promo for Green Desert and Stepford USA, sales of Gold Train, which was my bestseller at the time, stopped cold turkey on Amazon. It’s like all the energy was zapped out of Gold Train in favor of the other two books. Or was it because the reader now expected Gold Train to be available for free as well?

Ironically, Gold Train sales actually picked up on B&N, Kobo and Sony, where the book is priced at $4.99.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. I believe that Amazon has done a lot for the writing community. On balance, Indie authors and publishers have to be grateful to Amazon for pushing the envelope, for opening up the market and for the ease with which Indie titles can now be listed on digital shelves. The company deserves big credit for evening out the field.

2. However, in its relentless pursuit of the market share, Amazon is becoming ruthless, elbowing out competitors and insisting on exclusivity through its KDP Select program. The danger is now that it may become a monopoly, which in the end will hurt both Indie and Big 6 authors.

As a result, Amazon has been in a war with Barnes & Noble, as well as independent retailers. B&N and others have threatened to ban some Amazon authors from their shelves.

3. An important piece of the puzzle: I have found out that in the spring Amazon changed its KDP algorithm, so when the books come off the free promo, they lose their standings and have to compete anew to regain it.

Here is the reason Amazon changed its algorithm: The Big 6 publishers were unhappy that Indie authors gained standings and visibility by simply making their books free for a few days and then transferring those rankings into paid category. That hurt sales and rankings for the Big 6 books. So, Amazon bowed to pressure and changed its rankings algorithm to favor the Big 6, essentially taking away the only effective promotional tool Indie authors and publishers possess.

4. Amazon’s KDP Select is essentially a race to the bottom. If the readers are trained to receive books for free, they will hold off buying until the title they want goes free. Therefore, authors who value their work, perhaps because it’s worth it, get punished.

The worrying trend is: Amazon pushes everyone into this race to the bottom, thus devaluing all authors’ work.

5. If you tried KDP Select, you know that in order to enroll, you have to de-list your book from other retailers. This may result in a loss of future sales, as well as your ranking with those retailers. Plus, re-listing later is a huge hassle. That alone makes you think twice before enrolling.

And with the recent change in KDP algorithm, is KDP Select worth it?

On a much more pleasant note, many thanks to all my readers for downloading and reading my books! It means a lot for any author to be read and appreciated. If you liked my books, please consider reviewing them on Amazon, Goodreads and elsewhere ( I will also be re-listing on Smashwords, B&N Nook, Sony, Apple and Kobo in October). You can find all the buy links at my Book Store. 

My books are on Goodreads, so if you have an account, consider posting there, and also on Shelfari. 

Always remember that you can make an author’s day by writing a simple review!

Thank you very much and see you on pages of my books!

Warmest regards,

Lada Ray

   

How to Make a Book Trailer

Tags

Amazon, Author Lada Ray, book promotion, book trailer, classical music, Film, Gold Train, Goodreads, Green Desert, images, indie authors, movie trailer, music, nature videos, photography, Shutterstock, Smashwords, Social Media, Stepford USA, trailer, United States, video, Windows Movie Maker, YouTube

Authors traditionally rely on writing to spread the word about their books. Yet they often overlook videos as a fabulous promotional tool. Trailers historically have been reserved for movies. But with the advent of Social Media, it became possible to make book trailers at low or no cost.

A book trailer adds an extra dimension and visibility to the promotion of your book. And in our competitive world, we, authors, should use every advantage we can get. This, visual dimension can be quite valuable. A book trailer can be posted on your YouTube channel, website, author Amazon and Smashwords pages, Goodreads, as well as a number of other places.

I know, I know. You think it’s too hard. It actually isn’t, but there is a learning curve – a rather steep one. One point I want to make is that the trailer doesn’t need to be overly complicated. For example, you don’t need to make it into a movie, unless you like that kind of thing. It is very effective to use pictures/photos, together with a snappy narrative and suitable background music. This is my preferred way of making a trailer, but of course, use your imagination and let your creativity tell you what works for you and your book. Sky is the limit!

I estimate the learning curve for making a trailer at about 50-60 hours. So, if you can’t afford to dedicate this much time to learning about movie and trailer making, than you are better off delegating this task to someone else.

But if you are up for the challenge, here is what you need to know.

First, you need to start a YouTube channel. It’s easy to sign up and setting it up takes no more than half an hour.

Mine is called Lada Ray Channel and for now, I keep it simple. So far, I’ve made 4 book trailers and a bunch of nature/Halloween videos. But I may expand my channel in the future, time permitting.

Take a look at my channel here: 
http://www.youtube.com/user/LadaRay/videos

Once you’ve set up your Youtube channel and learned the ropes, you can start making your book trailer. Estimated time for each trailer: 5-10 hours.

Here is what you will need:

1. Find and upload on your computer a movie maker software. Google it. There are several that are free, including Windows Movie Maker. Of course, you can also pay for a more sophisticated version.

2. Think about the theme and flow of your trailer. I love this part! It’s like directing your own movie. I usually write down the narrative for each frame and visualize what kind of picture would work with it.

3. Write out the narrative. Don’t overwhelm your trailer with text though. Remember, you are making a movie, not writing a book. It’s supposed to be snappy, entertaing, and a feast for ALL the senses.

4. Gather enough images to be used in your trailer before you begin. My advice, have plenty of extras. You can always discard the ones you decided not to use. It is much better than coming short while in the middle of your trailer-making process.

To find the images, go to a website like Shutterstock, where you can purchase royalty-free photos inexpensively.

I love photography, so whenever I can, I use my own pics for trailers and videos.

5. Find the music that works with your trailer. You can purchase a piece of music online, or use a royalty-free piece that is past its copyright. These are usually classics. A word of warning: classics are great if they go with your topic and presentation. But I sometimes see pieces that are completely mismatched. Try your music for size before applying it.

For example, check out my STEPFORD USA trailer.

The music used is a classic: Second Waltz by Russian composer, Dmitry Shostakovich, written in the 1940s. And it works very well with this particular piece.

6. After you’ve assembled all the elements, the real fun begins! Upload your images into frames, add text and music! Enjoy!

TIPS:

1. To make my videos look and feel more professional, I usually play with extending or narrowing time frames depending on how long I want every image to linger.

Check out my GOLD TRAIN  trailer.

Notice how the music changes and highs emphasize the narrative and work with images?

2. Always fit your music to frame. Otherwise it will be too long or too short. This will make it look sloppy and unprofessional.

Check out my videos:

Enchanted Autumn  and  Amazing Autumn Meditation

to see how the music precisely matches the length of the video. Unfortunately, not every video has this, resulting in a period of silence or a cut off piece.

3. YouTube offers some very cool video enhancement tools, like color enhancement, moving frames and text, etc. I used some of them in my videos. See if you can spot what enhancements I used in the following trailers and videos:

GOLD TRAIN  trailer

STEPFORD USA trailer

Autumn Waltz of the Ducks

Amazing Autumn Meditation

Enchanted Autumn

Humorous Enchanted Halloween

These video enhancement tools are great fun and I enjoy playing with them. Word of caution: make sure they work with your particular piece! And sometimes less is more.

Good Luck! If you decide to make a book trailer or if you already have one, feel free to post a comment together with the link!

P.S. When you set up a YouTube channel, make sure you subscribe to Lada Ray Channel and let me know about it. I’ll be glad to reciprocate!

Copyright Lada Ray, 2012

To Blog Or Not To Blog: When a Great Tool Gets Corrupted

Tags

Author Lada Ray, Blog, Blogger, Blogging, China, content, corruption, Facebook, Feedback, followers, Google, Russia, San Diego, Social Media, subscribers, Twitter, WordPress

A few days ago, I visited the blog by my new friend, a San Diego photographer, Russel Ray (no relation).

I was intrigued by one of his posts, entitled: “Is there a WordPress store where one can buy likes and comments?” It sounded kinda funny, yet kinda disturbing. To make a long story short, Russel stumbled upon more than one blog, which were started as recently as one or two months ago and had very few and very lack-luster posts, yet boasted hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments per post and had over a thousand followers.

Here is the link to this very interesting post: 
http://russelrayphotos2.com/2012/06/04/is-there-a-wordpress-store-where-one-can-buy-likes-and-comments/

If you blog, you would know that oftentimes a really great post generates just a few likes and comments, especially if you are new to the blogging realm. I’ve been blogging since January, 2012 and can personally attest how much hard work goes into creating great content, and how hard earned each and every like and comment is. It takes a while to generate loyal and interested readership. Getting 600 likes and 800 laudatory comments for a tiny, 2 paragraph entry that hardly says anything at all, if you’ve only started blogging 6 weeks ago and have 6 posts all together, seems more than a little incongruent.

The post on Russel’s blog generated tons of comments, in which people were speculating what could have caused such an anomaly. Suggestions included: this individual had another blog and when he transitioned to the new one, he took his readership with him (highly doubtful with that kind of puny content); he has great following on Twitter/Facebook and these followers come to his blog to comment and like; he has great search engine optimization and gets lots of hits from Google.   Interesting suggestions which I’ll analyse and refute below.

Russel mentioned several different blogs and here are the links to two of them:

http://travelagos.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/happy-1050th-follower/#comment-744
 (notice: in this post he’s bragging about having 1050 followers, and this is comment number 744)

http://2gallants.wordpress.com/

Now, I want to mention that in the past 6 months I met some wonderful bloggers, who put out a truly awesome content. There is a number of people I could mention here, but suffice it to say, any praise they get is well-deserved.

And then, there are these… I went on both of the above-mentioned blogs and confirmed that indeed Russel was correct: way too many likes, way too little content!

I am usually not the one to complain, lament, or point a finger. I usually look ahead, concentrate on doing my best, and see the silver lining, however slim. But this one hit too close to home. And so, I wrote the following comment:

“Russel, this is a very interesting post and food for thought. I looked at both blogs, and it really is very, very curious.

What someone suggested, that these guys have a huge following on Twitter or Facebook doesn’t hold water. I looked at their stats, and each has 2-3 Twitter/FB mentions per post. Which means that these posts have hardly ever been tweeted/FBied. Which means that Tweeter/Facebook are NOT the driver here at all.

You can trust me on this! I have over 6,600 Twitter followers and if you look at my blog, http://LadaRay.wordpress.com, especially older posts, there are 40-100 tweets each and at least several FB mentions. I get mentioned on Twitter a lot, yet very few of my tweeps have WordPress accounts. Many still use Blogger. And unfortunately, these two blogging platforms don’t talk to each other. So, there goes this idea.

Then, what is behind this situation?
I think it would be useful to compare these two blogs to the Lada Ray Blog.

It is a good comparison, since I started my blog not too long ago, in January, 2012. But I think that’s where the comparison ends. I have written something like 55 posts by now, many very substantial, highly informative posts with tons of really great pics about world cultures and travel, especially Russia and China, 2012 Predictions, feng shui articles, and other unique and great stuff you won’t find anywhere else. As a result, I get tons of search engine viewings. In 6 months I have over 20,000 hits. I noticed that one of the blogs Russel mentioned has something like 22,000 hits with what, 6 short posts?

Every day I get at least hundreds of hits, especially for my posts about Russia and China. Many, as I mentioned, originate from the search engines from all over the world. Someone suggested in a comment that search engine hits may result in likes. This is almost NEVER the case, because people who visit your blog that way are interested in specific info they were searching for. They, most likely, don’t have a WordPress account, therefore can’t just click on like that easily. I think they have to sign in, provide email, possibly answer security question, etc. Very few have time and patience. Even if they really loved your post. I get comments sometimes, often from foreign countries. But these people hardly ever click on likes.

I also have close to 200 subscribers, but still get VERY few likes. Sometimes, I get more comments than likes. It actually saddens me, because I put all that work into my posts. I put them out so people could learn something, experience things they wouldn’t be able to experience otherwise. In return, I’d like to see at least some response and validation. At the same time, I see other blogs, with posts that are puny, oftentimes not even remotely interesting or even nonsensical, and they somehow get tons and tons of likes and comments. I do realize that perhaps these people have been around for a while. But looking at examples Russel provides, this argument flies out the window.

Yes, it is possible that these people had previous blogs with a large base of followers. It is also possible that they bought following. It’s even conceivable that they are somehow famous or notorious in certain circles, but it would not be FB/Twitter for sure. See my explanation above.

What I think though is that these new bloggers are using one trick. They go from blog to blog and subscribe to lots of blogs, as well as flood them with comments. And people reciprocate. Unfortunately, many people who like as return courtesy, don’t even read the posts. But all these hundreds of likes stroke one’s ego and make one look good, even if there is absolutely no content to back it up. Meanwhile, the really great blogs seem deserted, because their authors actually spend time creating content and have no time left to fleet around randomly.

As a result, a potentially great tool, which is supposed to be used as validation and recognition of someone’s efforts to provide great content, is corrupted. Unfortunately, social media can be a blessing and a curse. And often, it is too easy to manipulate it.”

One of these bloggers, named Lagos, actually responded to Russel’s question, defending his blog by saying that it is beautiful, that TO HIM it is the greatest thing since the sliced bread, that he has lots of friends and relatives who support his blog, and also that different people like different blogs.

Here is the link to the exchange between Russel and Lagos: 
http://russelrayphotos2.com/2012/06/08/extended-hours-at-the-san-diego-zoo-begin-june-22/#comment-3953

I decided to contribute to this conversation:

“Hi Lagos, I read the exchange between you and Russel and I checked out your blog. Unfortunately, I have to agree with everything Russel said. I started my blog in Jan. 2012 and created 55 great, substantial, unique and beautiful posts since then. I have over 6,600 Twitter followers and close to 200 blog followers. My blog is not only informative, but also beautiful, with lots of great pics, history, etc. I also got 20,000 viewings in 6 months. However, since I don’t have time to randomly go around clicking on likes for people I never met and because I don’t have a family who’d like my posts to death, I get 8-12 likes per post. And these are all hard earned likes.

I am inviting you to visit my blog to see for yourself. So, my friend, I am afraid, the verdict is that you are using some kind of trick(s). This is not real, and that’s sad. Very sad.

The question is, what’s the point in putting out great info? Let’s all create this illusion of being popular, instead of actually doing something worthwhile that justifies these likes. Yes, people are different, but they are not stupid.”

The way I see it, we all have a choice: why bother creating content if you can go around clicking on likes and flooding other blogs with comments. Some will reciprocate. This will provide the illusion that one is popular – a great ego-stroking tool! Let’s forget content, let’s forget beauty, humor, information. Let’s be mindless, indifferent, let’s exist in an illusion.

Tempting? Perhaps.

But I chose another road – in blogging and in life. It may take longer, and it may be a lot of hard work. And perhaps, I’ll never get 800 likes and 900 comments per post, or perhaps I will. But I’ll do my best to make each post unique, entertaining, intelligent and beautiful! And I’ll always make it real.

In the end, I know, my reader will find his/her way to my blog. And if each reader takes away a piece of knowledge they didn’t have, an inspiration they needed, or a chuckle that brightens their day, then my work is done!

A note to my readers: And what’s your opinion? I am thinking about bringing this post to the attention of WordPress admin. Don’t get me wrong, it is marvelous that bloggers talk to each other and visit each other’s blogs. But as Maddy @ 1EarthNow blog has pointed out in her comment, “likes” should represent feedback, not a popularity contest like Facebook likes. Blogs should be more meaningful.”

Great point, Maddy! Worpress seems to be taking a somewhat dubious turn with its overemphasis on likes and underemphasis on genuine blogging. As a result, it becomes gimmicky and discourages great content.

How do we strike the right balance between the two? That is the question!

GREEN DESERT (Jade Snow Prequel): Book Review by Author J.J. Collins

Tags

action adventure, anti-war, Author Lada Ray, Baghdad, book review, culture, Green Zone, gripping story, investigative journalist, Iraq, Iraqi war, Jade Snow, Jade Snow International Adventure Series, Middle East, Mohammed Al-Tikriti, mystery thriller, prequel, Saddam Hussein, Sergeant William O'Shea, smart bomb, suicide bomber, terrorism, United States, US Occupation of Iraq, war

REBLOGGED from BooksReview4U Blog:

FIVE STAR Review by J.J. Collins

Green Desert by Author – Lada Ray, is an enthralling, captivating read. The author’s ability to take a topical subject and combine it with talented descriptive writing and creativity, always thrusts the reader into the very heart of her books.

Green Desert introduces us to daring investigative journalist – Jade Snow, and is set against the backdrop of the American forces occupation of Iraq. The author uses exceptional imagery throughout her story, to capture sheer mayhem and volatility of Baghdad, post the Saddam Hussein era.

The book has two central characters – Mohammed, a bright and ambitious young Iraqi man, who at the outset, harbours hopes to study in the West. On the other hand, we have the Oklahoman American soldier, Bill O’Shea, on his second tour of the country and missing his wife and family back home in the United States.

Jade witnesses the devastation of an explosion and the tragic aftermath of this unfortunate event takes us on the very real and moving journey, one filled with harsh realities and the subsequent very personal and real repercussions of war.

This journey is made all the more remarkable, as it is only after reading an unexpected hand delivered letter from a young boy in the street, that Jade can discover the hidden truth of these two men.

The letter allows Jade to use her investigative instincts to follow its contents in uncovering the truth, revealing the heart-wrenching pain and sacrifices of a young man caught in the middle of a war zone, trying his best to keep his family alive and safe. Only by tracing Mohammed’s story through the contents of the letter can Jade learn the truth about Sergeant William O’Shea.

This story will have you questioning the morality and justification of war, and what are the long term consequences of decisions to go to war. Is it a case of a “Rich Man’s” War and a “Poor Man’s fight?” or is it more a matter of a Western failure to understand Middle Eastern culture and their interpretation of freedom and democracy?

A powerful story in which Jade uncovers how two very different men are intrinsically linked, despite their national and cultural differences.

A gripping and entrancing  story.

Check out the Author’s website: 
http://www.LadaRay.com/

Available on Amazon: 

Green Desert (Accidental Spy Prequel)

This review has been reblogged from BooksReview4U Blog by author and reviewer, J.J. Collins (London, UK)

Update: THE EARTH SHIFTER, New YA Fantasy/Thriller

Tags

book, BOOK: Stepford USA, Catskill Mountains, EARTH SHIFTER, Gold Train, Green Desert, hiking, Moscow, my updates, mystery thriller, nature photography, New York, Rail Trail, Siberia, thriller, WordPress, writing, YA fantasy

The GOLD TRAIN blog tour, Stepford USA and Green Desert free promos, and life in general, have somewhat delayed the completion of THE EARTH SHIFTER, my new YA fantasy thriller. But I am getting back on track and have every intention of writing through the summer. THE EARTH SHIFTER release is scheduled for mid-September. So if I am MIA, you’ll know where to find me, namely, at my desk, typing away.

Note: This is only the preliminary cover

THE EARTH SHIFTER is set in Moscow, sacred Lake Baikal in Siberia, New York, China, as well as other mystical realms of this surreal Blue Planet. I will be posting updates of my progress, as well as the book’s synopsis and excerpts throughout the summer. To find out more about THE EARTH SHIFTER, please visit my author website
http://www.LadaRay.com/the-earth-shifter
.

I am also working on DRAGON GATE, the new Jade Snow Adventure set in Asia. It is currently set for release during the Holiday Season 2012.

The weather has been very nice, and I hope to also find the time to enjoy the great outdoors. We have pretty fabulous nature here, in the Catskill Mountains. I enjoy hiking on the local Rail Trail, a defunct rail road turned nature trail, looking for inspiration.

I’ve taken some fabulous photos, but since WordPress has been pretty uncooperative lately, it’s been difficult to post a lot of pics in one post, evidently, due to WordPress’ servers being overwhelmed. My husband’s verdict: they need more bandwidth. He should know, this is right up his alley. Perhaps, one day I’ll share as many great pics as possible. But today, here are just a few as a sampler. I think you are gonna love them!

Spring in the Catskills:

A Cool America: Woodstock Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

Tags

Buddha, Buddhism, Catskill Mountains, Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Karmapa, Holy Man, Kagyu, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, Karmapa, Mecca, Meditation, painting, photos, spirituality, tanghas, Tara, Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist Art, Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Tibetan statues, visiting Tibetan Buddhist monastery, WOODSTOCK, Woodstock New York

Woodstock, NY has a distinction of being a Mecca for artists, as well as heaven for holistic and spiritually oriented people. As such, it is home to the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery located on Meads Mountain Rd.

One day I am planning on traveling to Tibet, but until then, why not explore a cool piece of Tibet, located practically in my back yard.

The official name of the monastery is Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) and it is the North American seat of His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa. Founded in 1976, the monastery features the traditional teachings of the Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan Buddhism, who’d been teaching spirituality and mediatation since the 10th century. The Monastery is located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, just above Woodstock.

The Monastery has a number of monks and it hosts meditations, discussions about spirituality and higher consciousness, retreats and other events.

Recently it welcomed  the Dalai Lama, as well as the Holy Man, Gyalwang Karmapa.

Monastery’s outer gate.

The inner gate.

The outside of the monastery.

Fu Dogs protecting the building.

Colorful Tibetan prayer flags are everywhere, surrounding the monastery with benevolent energy.

Tibetan symbols on top of the meditation building: 1. Wheel of life; 2. Stupa; 3. Victory banner; 4. Fruits of abundance; 5. Kalachakra.

Entrance into the mediation hall, painted with traditional Tibetan frescoes.

If you think this is beautiful, you aint seen nothin’ yet! The actual meditation hall is absolutely amazing. A WOW amazing! As someone who collects Asian art, I can totally attest to that! I was sooooo ready with my camera to snap those pics left and right. I was practically drooling! But… the very nice monks politely asked not to take any pictures inside the sacred space. Anyone is welcome to come in and meditate, but no photography is allowed in the meditation hall. So, I went in and sat on one of the pillows. I closed my eyes and meditated for a while. How I wanted to whip out my camera and snatch just a couple of pics of the magnificent Buddha statues towering at 25 feet, of beautiful thangkas and offerings! No one would see me do it, if I was really fast, would they?

But then, I thought of those monks and the trust they put in me, I thought of something intangible that I could distinctly feel in that room. What was it? The presence? Higher conscience?

As a result, my camera stayed in my pocket. I got up and went around the hall, taking in every statue, every piece of art and absorbing the atmosphere. After that, I exited the meditation hall, put my shoes back on and went outside without taking any pictures.

So sorry, no pics of the monastery’s most awesome room. But there are plenty of the rest. Enjoy

Inside the main building. Notice the floor? This beautiful design is called the mandala. It looks like a flower, specifically a lotus, and symbolizes harmony.

Ah yes, Thangkas… A thangka is a very special art form, particular to Tibet. They are painted by Tibetan Buddhist artists on canvas, using vibrant colors and oftentimes real gold paint. Nedless to say, because of that, they are awfully expensive.

The stroke is exquisitely fine; thangka’s design is usually very intricate, with lots of amazing images arranged in a very structured way around a main image of Buddha, Tara, Avalokiteshvara, or another diety.

The canvas is usually framed with silk brockade and can be hung on the wall, creating a striking senterpiece for any space. However, when not in use, thangka can be rolled up, like a scroll, thus taking up very little space. This to me symbolizes a very Buddhist notion of “traveling light through life.” I collect thangkas and can’t stop admiring the amazing artistry of their creators.

A very interesting fact about thangkas is that despite being truly unique masterpieces, the artists don’t usually sign their names on their creations. It is believed egoic and inapropriate, as all art and creation belongs to God.

My husband with our friend Helen vising from NJ, and a Buddhist monk.

Philosophical paintings by Karmapa:

Awakening from slumber.

Inquisitive mind – genuine wisdom.

Dance of illusion.

The thunder dragon.

Union of mind and wisdom.

Pics of the Dining Hall.

The monastery has an extensive shop where one can buy very high quality Tibetan insense (I shop exclusively there), as well as thangkas, Buddhist devotional items, statues, books and other art. It is pretty awesome. Here are some of the images:

The monastery has been conceived as a fully sustainable, green project. Caring for the Earth and all its beings is an integral part of the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Solar panels on the monastery roof.

The monastery is still under construction. They are looking for donations and additional funding.

If you are interested in donating, please visit their website: 
http://www.kagyu.org/

This is part 2 of my post: A Cool America: Woodstock, NY. Check out part one here!

I received One Lovely Blog Award

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One Lovely Blog Award, WordPress

I’ve been nominated for One Lovely Blog Award by a wonderful woman, Sylvia W. McGrath. Dear Sylvia, thank you for thinking of me. It truly is an honor. You have a lovely, lovely blog and your flower banner is magnificent! I love flowers, can you tell?  

Here is the link to Sylvia’s post: 
http://sylviawmcgrath.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/one-lovely-blog-award/#comment-71

July 10, 2012 Update: It has been raining Lovely Blog Awards here! I just found out that I was also nominated for the same award by Johanna Pitcairn of the Manicheans. How cool is that! Thank you, thank you, Jonanna. Truly honored! Check out Johanna’s awesome New York City themed blog here!

The rules of acceptance for this award nomination are as follows:

• Thank the person/people who nominated you and link back to them in your post
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire
• Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know

And here comes my “ACCEPTANCE SPEECH”

Ahem… Ahem… In line with the title, One Lovely Blog Award, these are some of the things in this world I love most:

1. My husband and my family;
2. Creating cool new stories and making them come alive on paper;
3. As an internationally certified feng shui master practitioner I love helping people make their residences more harmonious and beautiful;
4. Flowers, animals and nature;
5. Really great movies and beautiful music;
6. Photography;
7. Travel and adventures big and small.

The lovely bloggers and wonderful people I choose to nominate are:

Madeline Walsh 
http://1earthnow.wordpress.com/

Darlene Foster 
http://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/

M.G. Edwards 
http://worldadventurers.wordpress.com

Erin Pike 
http://erinbradypike.com/

Jeff Whelan 
http://jeffwhelan.wordpress.com/

Pranjal Borthakur 
http://pranjalborthakur.wordpress.com/

Lesley Carter 
http://lesleycarter.wordpress.com

Thelma Cunningham 
http://thelmac.wordpress.com/

Donna Jones 
http://donnaljones.wordpress.com/

J. Thomas Ross 
http://jthomasross.wordpress.com/

Marilyn Dieckmann 
http://marilyndieckmann.wordpress.com/

Cari 
http://audacityshewrote.com/

Story Addict  
http://addictivestory.wordpress.com/

Nicky Wells 
http://nickywellsklippert.wordpress.com/

Congratulations, winners!

Once more, many thanks to Sylvia McGrath! Please make sure you visit her lovely blog:  
http://sylviawmcgrath.wordpress.com/

A Fun Little Game: The First 4 Words You See Describe You

Tags

Bestseller, book, E-book, entertaining, free promotion, fun, game, Gold Train, Green Desert, KDP Select, Kindle, Literature, promo, Stepford USA, Stepford Wives, weekend, word game

I worked hard the whole week! The weekend is almost here and I thought, why not play a little game? It’s fun, yet thought-provoking. Check it out and have a wonderful weekend!

But first, just a quick update: STEPFORD USA and GREEN DESERT free promos are over. Over 3000 free copies of my books have been downloaded during the past few days and both books appeared on Kindle international bestseller lists. A million thanks to All for your interest and support! I wish all my readers a very happy reading and hope you enjoy my books! Do remember to support your favorite authors by liking their books and contributing Amazon & Goodreads reviews!

This was the first time I’ve done the free promotion and I intend to share the results, my impressions (which are mixed at best), and thoughts on Kindle KDP Select program and the direction it’s taking, in a future post. For all the details/blurbs/book trailers/rankings see: STEPFORD USA post; GREEN DESERT post. I initially intended to include GOLD TRAIN in this free promo, but based on my impressions, I reconsidered it, at least for now. For more about that read my future post. For more about all my books see official author website: 
http://www.LadaRay.com

And now, game time! Check out this little entertaining game: The first 4 words you see describe YOU! I got “elegant” “eloquent” “stubborn” “outgoing.” And… “sweet” thrown in the mix, too. Interesting… I personally like to think I am more sweet than stubborn. Well, maybe when it comes to achieving a goal

And what do you see? Have a go and share your results in comments