So begins the freebies

As the summer kicks off, I find myself working on a client edit and the final edits of Future Past. And as I go over my editor's suggested changes, I find myself just as excited about the story as I was when I typed the first word in March of 2010.

In a couple of weeks, I'll begin the promotions leading up to the Future Past release date. For now, I'm going to give a bit of background on the stories I already have for free in my library.

"The Jump" is a simple story yet one that holds a lot of meaning for me. It was my first published story. I was on top of the world when I received my payment of a contributor copy of the lit mag it was published in. It was 13 or 14 years ago and I can't remember what the thought process was that led to the story, but I remember thinking about how I would feel if I was near the end of my life, how I might respond if faced with such a difficult decision. This ebook is FREE on all sites. Click here to read an excerpt and find out where you can get your copy.

 



"An Unusual Cupid" has been an unusual success and is probably one of the most sappy things I've ever written and probably the most downloaded with close to 4,000 downloads since its release. Mostly good reviews lace its product pages with the biggest complaint being that it is too short. Some have even expressed a desire for me to turn it into a novel. So what led to this unusual love story? I wanted to write a short and sweet, free Valentine story for my readers. I enjoy writing paranormal tales and occasionally, I am a bit of a romantic, so this story combined the two in a way that even I didn't see coming. Click here to read an excerpt and find out where you can get your free copy.



And last but not least, "Theory of a Tramp" is one of my favorites. "Theory of a Tramp" wasn't just some epiphany that came to me in the middle of a dream. (And yes, I've had those.)  I was actively using brainstorming techniques to come up with a viable story.  I used a picture prompt.  I flipped through more than a dozen pictures until one spoke to me.  (See the pic below.) Looking at the pic, you see rust.  Apparently there was some water damage.  So my brain started churning.  What could've caused such a mess?  That led to an image of an over-flowing bathtub.  What if someone had drowned in that tub?  How did they drown and why?  One thought continued to lead to another until I had the premise of the story. One reviewer remarked that the story could have been an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" to which another reviewer agreed. Click here to read an excerpt and find out where you can get your free copy.


 

In the next couple of weeks, I'll begin lowering the prices on some of my titles as well as MAKING THEM FREE (for a limited time) at some point before the release of Future Past, so stay tuned.

 

Thank you for reading. It elates me to share my work with so many people.

I wanna be a beach bum.

Last week, my family and I went on vacation; the first vacation we've ever taken. Sure, we've been on overnights here and there but for this year, we packed our bags (and then some) and took off on a long drive to Panama City Beach, Florida where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort on Front Beach Road.

Yes, I've seen the ocean before but it was a bad day to see it. We'd gone to Jacksonville, Florida to watch Alabama play the Seminoles. We took some time out to head to the beach. My oldest son was less than 2 years old and I was pregnant with my youngest. When we went into a gas station to ask for directions, the cashier told us where to go but then said there was a "red tide warning". Being as that we were down for the ball game, I thought he was cracking a joke at us obvious Alabama fans (the Crimson Tide, get it? Hardy har.) but as it turned out, there really was a red flag warning. We couldn't get in the water and the air quality on the beach was horrendous. I felt as though my sinuses were on fire. I got to see the ocean for the first time and it was magnificent, but I only got to spend a few minutes staring at it before we had to go.

Until we went to PCB, I really never understood the pull to the beach. I never understood how people could get excited over sitting on or playing in sand. I never understood how wonderful it would be to walk along the beach at sunset or dig for seashells or feel the moist sand between your toes. What was the big deal? But then we got there, went up to our room on the 10th floor and the first thing I did was head over to the balcony.

 

Right then and there, I fell in love with the beach and the view of the ocean. We swam, we played, we attended events put on by the Resort, we built badly constructed things in the sand... I've never in my life felt so wonderful and at peace. Even reading took on a new meaning. Since I was between semesters, I took several novels and my Kindle with me. I spent a lot of time dozing and reading while stretched out on a lounge chair or on my beach towel. Our last evening there, I felt like a character from one of those novels. I wore a flowing white skirt and I held the bottom of it up as I strolled carelessly in my bare feet down the white beach toward a melting sun. I didn't want to leave. My kids and husband were happy and I was mesmerized.

 

There aren't many pictures and I typically don't share many family photos anyway. I actually left the camera locked up most of the time in order to drink in the atmosphere without worrying about preserving the moment.

 

I'm back in reality now and school and work has once again taken over. But that's okay. The memory of that time will be embedded within me for a long time.

 

And since I can't be there in the flesh, I now seriously want to write a story set on the beach just so I can revisit those moments in my mind. :-)

 

Peace, love, and the ocean blue,

 

Pamela

Email campaign #3 - "Future Past" Announcement and Enter to Win!

Drop Content Blocks Here by: Announcement: Future Past coming in early August. Pamela Caves releases first fantasy novel. For ten years, Dayel struggled to survive inside the most infamous prison in the world with no memory of who she was before or what she did to get there.  Scars over her body and rumors of mass murder indicate that she might not want to know. She can't believe she could be such a monster, despite evidence to the contrary. All she wants upon her release is to live in quiet solitude. She soon finds that others have no intention of allowing her the normalcy she desires. On her path, she makes unlikely friends, escapes assassins, and battles unimaginable foes. Her memory begins to return and with it, magic begins to manifest. Terrified that she will hurt someone with her untamed abilities, she begins the journey to unravel her past, for doing so can only ensure her future is lined with peace. But what she finds is more horrifying than she ever thought possible and everything she thought she was comes crumbling down around her.

Drop Content Blocks Here by: Now Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Coming soon to Kobo, Diesel, Apple, Sony, and more.   by: Sixteen year-old Lenya McKay is told that both her parents were killed when their vehicle imploded. She refuses to accept it, though, and goes off in search for them with the help of new Squad 13 weapon's officer, Corporal Zhoven Spiridon. Instead, they find something they could never have suspected; enemy infiltration. Growing up takes a sudden leap when she is Zhoven's only hope for survival against an unpredictable and brutal enemy. Meanwhile, Sabina has to adjust to her new life without the use of her legs and to a new job; it's the first time in her life she's felt less than adequate.   Drop Content Blocks Here by: Countdown to Future Past Promotions by: Did you know you can already get many Pamela Caves titles for free? Titles like "The Jump", "Theory of a Tramp", and "An Unusual Cupid" are free on all sites. But the best part? All other titles in Pamela's library will be offered for free throughout the summer! Keep an eye on Pamela's blog and her Facebook page to get coupon codes for free downloads. EVERY TITLE will be FREE at some point this summer in anticipation of the release of Future Past. Also, we will be doing a drawing for a free, signed copy of Future Past, exclusive to our mailing list subscribers. Current subscribers are already entered. If you wish to subscribe to the mailing list to have a chance to win, click here and register!                         by:   by: Read Pamela's new poetry, "The Thing About Love" on her blog.