If you're an international reader (i.e. not from the US), then you might have noticed something strange about the Amazon.com website over the last couple of days.
The books are disappearing.
Not all the books—only the Kindle versions. The paperbacks are still there (although if there isn't a paperback version, there is no book). A bit of investigation shows the ebooks are still there—it's just that international customers can't see them. Instead, we can only see them on our "local" Amazon site—for me, that's Amazon Australia.
This could be a result of Amazon trying to implement their new databases (they're apparently getting rid of Oracle). It could be part of Amazon's ongoing efforts to try and get customers to shop at their local site. It could be both.
But Amazon have botched the implementation. Customers haven't been emailed to say we are being moved to the "local" site. Instead, we're simply not seeing the books for sale. This contrasts with, say, Amazon UK. I can see Kindle books for sale on Amazon UK. I'm just given the message that they're not available to purchase, and directed to my "local" store.
What Should Readers Do?
At this stage, readers appear to have four options:
Switch to the local Amazon store for Kindle purchases.
Switch their default address to a US address (e.g. Amazon HQ).
Do nothing.
Buy from Kobo or iBooks.
None of these options are ideal, as I explain below:
Switch to the local Amazon store for Kindle purchases
My "local" store is Amazon Australia. There is no financial advantage to me in switching—my bank is still going to charge me an international currency fee whether I buy using USD on the US site, or AUD on the Australian site.
I can't even tell if Amazon Australia is giving me the AUD price or the NZD price—the exchange rates are currently similar, and there is no way to tell without buying.
I've heard many reasons why people shouldn't switch, and no good reason to switch.
Switch their default address to a US address (e.g. Amazon HQ)
This is the advice many authors have been given by Amazon customer service (once the CS reps understand the problem—it's hard to explain a problem when the CS rep is seeing something different than you on the exact same web address).
I tried this, but either I didn't do it properly, or Amazon is smart enough to know I don't live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20500. Anyway, it didn't work for me.
However, it has worked for many fellow Kiwis (although one appears to now be living in Panama, not the US). And it did work for Irish author David Gaughran (like New Zealand, Ireland doesn't have their own Amazon store, so he also shops at Amazon.com).
By switching his location from Ireland to Seattle (Amazon HQ), he only had to pay 6.5% Washington state tax on his purchase, not Ireland's 23% sales tax. I can't imagine the Irish (or New Zealand) tax department being happy about Amazon getting out of paying sales tax by encouraging customers to lie about where they live. On this basis, we should all claim to live in Alaska or one of the other four US states that have no sales tax.
Do nothing
Do nothing is always an option. But doing nothing means international readers can't buy any Kindle books except those which mysteriously still show as for sale on the US store.
Of course, I could read some of the 1500+ books I already have on my Kindle instead of stalking the Kindle store for something new ...
Buy from Kobo or iBooks
There are places to buy ebooks other than Amazon. Kobo is big in Canada, and iBooks has a strong market prescence in Australia. Both sell epub books, which can be read on many apps and most ereaders other than the Kindle.
The disadvantage of this option is that many of the books which have disappeared from Amazon.com are Kindle books enrolled in KDP Select, which means they are exclusive to Amazon.
Are you affected by Amazon's new geoblocking?
What's your plan for dealing with it as a reader?
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, works as a freelance editor, and has recently introduced an Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
I'm a long-time Regency romance fan. I can't remember when I read my first Georgette Heyer novel, but I remember reading and rereading many of the 1990s reprints. I loved the humour and intelligence, and the trials of falling in love in an age where male-female relationships were strictly regimented.
I watched the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice when it first showed on TV. I rewatched the series a couple of years later when my husband bought me the videos for Christmas (and discovered that TVNZ had cut almost an hour of footage in order to get more ads in). I then bought and read all Jane Austen's novels—more humour, more intelligence, and more difficulties in finding true love. I also loved the settings and the clothes (and Julia Sawalha, aka Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous).
Regency romance has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years, but many of the general market novels have a lot of sex and not much Christian faith—which seems at odds with the period. So it's good to see more Regency romance coming out of the Christian market, from authors such as Julie Klaassen, Kristi Ann Hunter, and now Carolyn Miller.
Miss Serena's Secret is Carolyn Miller's fifth novel, and the second in her Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series. If you've read the others, you'll enjoy catching up with some of the characters from the previous stories. If you haven't, don't worry: this is a standalone novel.
Despite the title, Miss Serena actually has several secrets.
These secrets combine to persuade her that she will never marry. She will especially not marry a man like her father, a gambler who lost their fortune at the tables. So she is not impressed when she meets gambler and womaniser Lord Henry Carmichael.
This is a sweet and slow love story. It's not the romance novel where we meet the hero and heroine and wham bam they're together. Instead, both characters have plenty of time to get to know each other and to change—to mature into people who are able to fall in love and contemplate marriage.
Miss Serena is an artist, and her art plays a key part in the novel. I'm no painter, but I loved the painting references—the colours, the techniques, and the little upset at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition.
Recommended for Regency romance fans.
Thanks to Kregel Publications and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
Barclay Pearce has undergone a transformation since A Name Unknown and A Song Unheard, the first two books in this series. Then, he was a thief and the leader of a large adopted family of thieves. He's now been persuaded of the truth of the gospel and the associated need to change his ways. His newfound honesty is challenged when V, his mysterious boss, asks him to befriend Mr Manning, a clockmaker who has made what could be a revolutionary discovery.
As Barclay befriends Mr Manning, he also meets and befriends Miss Evelina Manning. This is an interesting relationship to watch develop, as Lina has recently been jilted because her fiance didn't think she loved him. Now she's wondering if she can love anyone ...
And, as with the other books in this series, there is a bet within the members of Barclay's makeshift family—and again, it relates to the title.
There are two things which consistently impress me about Roseanna M White's writing.
First is her research. She has the ability to take little-known factoids from history and incorporate them into her story without it feeling forced (for example, the origin of Rolex watches, and the presence of internment camps in England in World War I).
And the writing. She's an excellent writer, and I found myself highlighting a lot of brilliant lines like this one:
World War I is an excellent backdrop to this romance story about two people damaged by their parents and trying to rise above their histories to become better people. It's the third book in the Shadows Over England series, and while it can be read as a standalone novel, you'll enjoy it more if you read the other two first.
Recommended for historical romance fans.
Thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
Fawkes begins in 1604, not long after King James I has ascended the throne of England and joined the thrones of England and Scotland. The country is filled with tension as two factions fight to rule.
The history books has this fight as being Roman Catholic vs. Protestant, with King James (and Queen Elizabeth before him) being firmly of the reformed Protestant faith. But Fawkes twists this into a fight between Keepers and Igniters, both blaming the other for the plague of stone that is at risk of taking over the land.
Fawkes begins with Thomas Fawkes, the narrator, at boarding school on the eve of his Color Test.
Yes, there are echoes of Harry Potter and Divergent here, in that every adult has a Color which they can control to a greater or lesser extent. Keepers believe each person can and should only control one Color. Igniters believe the Keepers have been hiding the White Light from the public for centuries. Both sides believe the other caused the plague which kills by turning its victims to stone.
Thomas Fawkes is the son of Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the thirteen men who plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill King James I and restore a Catholic king to the throne (I live in New Zealand. We still "celebrate" Guy Fawkes with fireworks on 5 November every year). Those who know history (and know history is written by the victors) know the plot was foiled and Guy Fawkes has gone down in history as the bad guy.
Fawkes places us in the mind of Thomas.
While he and his father have been estranged for years, both are Keepers. At least, Thomas thinks he's a Keeper ... except he keeps hearing the voice of the White Light. He has been raised to believe Keepers are right, and he has no reason to doubt that.
But he's never actually stopped to consider what is true.
And that's an unexpectedly modern theme—that what we believe to be right and true isn't necessarily so. Instead, we need to search for truth. Find truth. And fight for truth.
All of which are difficult in this modern era of #FakeNews.
Anyway, students of history will understand that while Fawkes is trying to persuade us that Thomas Fawkes (and the thirteen conspirators) are the "good guys", history tells us they are not. That makes the early chapters an uncomfortable read. But students of history will be pleased to know the story does run true to history. Well. Kind of. History doesn't have Keepers and Igniters and the Stone Plague. Fawkes does not have Roman Catholics and Protestants at loggerheads. But the parallels are there for those who know or care to look.
I'm not a big fantasy reader. But Fawkes worked for me, perhaps because it was a Harry Potter-esque twist on truth that allowed the reader to consider Truth. It got me thinking without taking me out of the story, and that's high praise.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
I recently attended a local Christian women's conference, One Heart. We had a variety of speakers and testimonies over two days speaking on an aspect of the conference theme: Faith, Freedom, Fullness.
The first speaker introduced the theme of faith, talking about how we often treat faith as a noun, a thing. But we need to turn faith into a verb—we need to be doing it, not just talking about it. But doing it isn't always easy.
She quoted the chorus of a famous song by Queen: I want it all ... and I want it now.
That's the way many of us live our lives.
But it's not what the Bible says. The Bible talks about pushing on. Pressing in. Staying faithful. Pressing through when God seems to be silent. Carrying on when everything is against us. As the speaker pointed out, remaining faithful to God in difficult circumstances takes faith and courage.
But faith without works is dead. We need faith. But we also have to do the work. Paul talks about this:
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Hebrews 10:36 (NIV)
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
I'm sure you've heard a sermon or speaker making a similar point.
As I listened, it struck me that many of us have the Queen approach to life. We want it all. We want it now. We want the prize without fighting the good fight, without running the race.
We want it all in our professional lives.
We want to have a successful career without doing the work. Without getting the education, putting in the hours, making the mistakes.
We want it all in our personal lives.
We want to have lost twenty kilos without doing the work. Without eating less, without exercising more, without watching our family eat ice cream and cake while we eat celery and kale. We want to have run a marathon without doing the work. Without putting in the miles, without training, without blisters, without pain. We want to have climbed that mountain without putting one foot in front of the other, step by painful step.
We want it all. And we want it now.
The same holds true with our writing. We want to be amazing award-winning writers without putting in the hours. We have the same approach to our author platform. We want it all. We want it now.
That's not gonna happen. You're going to have to do the work. It's biblical.
But it is doable. In the same way as losing weight or running a marathon is doable. It's not easy, but it is doable.
We have to have faith that our writing and publishing is part of God's plan for our lives (Jer 29:11). That we're acting in obedience (1 Thess 4:11). That our eyes are on Him, not ourselves. That we're building a platform to share God's truth the way He would have us share it.
That's going to look different for everyone, but I believe the main principle is that we must give, not take. Serve others, not ourselves.
We need to have faith, but we also need to do the work. To press in. Daily. To build a platform that gives without thinking about the reward.
Robert Schuller said:
Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.
Building your author platform is that unspectacular preparation. As the organiser of the One Heart conference said:
God has given you a gift, but he's not giving it to you on a plate. You still have to do the hard work.
(And anyone who tells you building an author platform is easy is probably trying to sell you 1,000 fake Twitter followers for just $10).
But you don't have to do the hard work alone.
You have to do the work, but work in a community. Sportspeople join clubs and work with coaches. Dieters can join Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Business people have mentors.
Writers have communities as well.
(Like American Christian Fiction Writers and International Christian Fiction Writers.)
Writers can learn writing craft from books, from blogs, from critique partners. We can join writing organisations, enter contests, find critique partners. But there is more to writing than just writing, and that's where many writers come unstuck—with platform building, publishing, promotion, and other marketing tasks.
That's why a lot of my blog posts are about marketing.
Most writers find it the hardest part of the whole writing business. I suspect that's because marketing "rules" are even more of guidelines than the "rules" of writing.
It's also why I developed the Kick-Start Your Author Platform Marketing Challenge. For those authors who don't have a background in business or marketing, it can be hard to know where to start, and hard to work out what the rules are.
So if you're in the process of building your platform and are finding it hard work, don't worry. That's normal. This is your time of unspectacular preparation. There are communities around to help you.
And if you have no idea how to even start building your author platform, don't worry. Check out my Kick-Start Your Author Platform Marketing Challenge and see if that's an approach that would work for you.
Then do the work.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, works as a freelance editor, and has recently introduced an Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Lisa Harris is one of the regular International Christian Fiction Writers bloggers who has been named a finalist in the 2018 CAROL Awards from American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a finalist in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category with a novel she co-wrote with Lynne Gentry.
Congratulations, Lisa and Lynne!
The three finalists for the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category are:
Four Months in Cuba by Luana Ehrlich, ACFW Qualified Independently Published, editors Pat Brown and Jodi Shumway
Ghost Heart by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry, ACFW Qualified Independently Published, editor Ellen Tarver
Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, editors Amanda Bostic and Erin Healy
To honour Lisa and Lynne, today we're resharing a review of the eye-opening Ghost Heart. This review previously appeared at www.iolagoulton.com.
A Medical Thriller Asking Big Questions
Ghost Heart is medical thriller. I have a love-hate relationship with medical thrillers. I love it because I love the suspense aspects. I hate it because it highlights the inequalities in medical profession both within countries like America, and globally. A million dollars for a heart transplant? The mind boggles.Yes, there is some blood and gore (gore = anything that can't be fixed with an Elastoplast. There are some good reasons why I didn't go into a medical profession). The worst of it is actually in the Prologue, so if you read the sample and are afraid it's going to get worse, don't worry. It doesn't.
Kelsey Taylor is five years old, and needs a heart transplant stop urgently. Her mother, Catherine, is prepared to do anything to save her daughter. Even going to Africa to for a heart transplant. The only way she save her daughter is to ask her father for help—which could destroy her relationship with her husband.
Mia Kendall is a heart surgeon in the public hospital in Tanzania. She finds her heart transplant patients are dying. But the transplant patients from the nearby private hospital not. She's suspicious. What is happening? Is there a problem with her surgical methods? Her post-operative care? Or is there a problem with the transplant organs?
Jeme is a Tanzanian wife and mother. Her husband has recently had a heart transplant, but he's sick again. And she's trying to protect her daughter—an albino, at risk of being kidnapped and murdered by hunters for her white skin and blue eyes. Unfortunately, this part of the story is based on fact. Albinos are considered cursed, yet at that same time, their body parts are considered good luck charms.
Ghost Heart focuses on the people who are trying to save lives. Catherine and Jeme, trying to save the lives of their daughters from two very different threats. Mia, trying to save her patients, and to make up for one mistake long ago. Organ transplant pilot Race Daniels, trying to save lives to make up for the two he couldn't save.
It also highlights the tragedy of our modern medical system, and the way it favours the haves over the have-nots. Those who have insurance or money or who live in a country with a good public health system vs. those who don't. The tragedy of transplants—the fact one person has to die in order for another to receive a new heart. The tragedy of greed—that where money is involved, someone will find a way to get rich at the expense of others.
The novel is suspense from start to finish, with several unexpected twists. Don't do what I did and start it when you should be going to bed! Recommended for all medical suspense lovers.
Thanks to the authors for providing a free ebook for review.
Amazon Description
A brilliant transplant surgeon. A rogue organ broker. A ghost child. And the legend that could destroy them all. A brutal murder convinces surgeon Mia Kendall there’s more than she imagined to the mysterious spike in heart transplant rejections. Determined to find answers before she loses another patient, Mia gets sucked into a dangerous international medical web. With time running out for her youngest transplant recipient, Mia is forced to partner with a disillusioned ex-military pilot who flies brokered organs across East Africa. But searching for the truth will prove costly for the unlikely duo racing to stop a madman before he annihilates a rare and cursed bloodline. From best-selling author Lisa Harris and award-winning author Lynne Gentry comes a chilling, hypnotic medical thriller that will take you from the suburbs of Cincinnati to the jungles of Africa.
You can read the introduction to Ghost Heart below:
The Honourable Katherine FitzGilbert (I'm sorry, but the title is British, so it should be Honourable not Honorable) is now known as Mama Kit. She shepherds a group of not-quite-orphans in a forgotten house in the country. Her anonymity and remote seclusion are her weapons, the way she protects those in her charge.
Graham, Viscount Wharton, is bored ... at least, until he notices a beautiful lady in green at a ball, a lady he then rescues before she disappears. He has no idea how to find her again, as he doesn't even know her name. So he's more than a little surprised to come across her in an out-of-the-way almost-abandoned manor house near the small market town of Marlborough.
As first meetings go, Kit and Graham's first meeting is definitely memorable. So is their second.
But it's when they meet in Marlborough that things get interesting. Graham is trying to locate his best friend's missing sister, and he realises Kit must know where she is. But Kit has spent the last twelve years protecting women and hiding their illegitimate children, and she's not about to stop for some random Lord who finds her secret home. No matter how attractive he is.
And the end ... I'm not going to give spoilers, but I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.
A Defence of Honor is the first full-length novel in Kristi Ann Hunter's new Haven Manor series, but it's not the first book. There is a prequel novella, A Search for Refuge, which is available as a free ebook.
It's not necessary to read A Search for Refuge first, although I did, and I can assure you it will provide needed backstory to A Defence of Honor.
Recommended for all Regency romance fans, because it's close to perfect. And Kristi Ann Hunter is a wonderful witty writer.
Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
You can't live in Australia (or New Zealand) and not play or watch cricket.
If there isn't a law against it, there should be. Cricket and rugby are our staple sports, and there is more than a little international rivalry between the teams.
But cricket isn't a sport I see in fiction. I've read books where the hero played baseball or football (that's American football, not soccer). I've read Falling for Maddie Grace by Meredith Resce, which featured Australian Rules football. While there are some general market romance novels featuring rugby players (go the All Blacks!), I've never read a novel with a cricket scene.
So I was thrilled when I opened Solo Tu by Narelle Atkins, which starts with beach cricket. Beach cricket, backyard cricket, school cricket, provincial cricket, international cricket. All variations of our national summer sport.
I decided to share some cricket basics with you today, in honor of the release of Solo Tu.
Cricket is a team sport. There are two teams with eleven players on each side, and it's played on a grass oval. The picture above shows my local ground, the Bay Oval.
Each team takes a turn to bat, like in baseball. There are two batters on the pitch, one at each end of the wicket. Here's the wicket. You can see the batters at each end, getting into position for the next ball. The two men in red are the umpires:
Batting
One batter is "on strike", which means they are facing the bowler. There are two sets of wickets, and the two batters run between the wickets to score. If the ball goes all the way to the boundary, that's a "four"—four runs are scored. If the ball goes over the boundary on the full, it's a "six". The batters don't have to run if a four or six are scored, which is an incentive—a batter can be at the crease for hours.
Unlike in baseball, several bowlers take turns to bowl. Each bowls an "over" at a time, which is six bowls or "balls". The next bowler then bowls from the opposite end of the wicket, so each batter gets a chance to face the balls—to be on strike. Bowlers bowl overarm, rather than the more sideways throw of a baseball bowler.
The main ways batters get out are by being caught out, by being bowled out (if the batter misses the ball and it hits the wickets), or run out (if the ball hits the wickets while one of the batters is still running). There are lots of other rules—here are the basics from a recent game I attended:
(Simple? Yeah, right.)
The innings is over either when all the batters are out, or when a certain number of overs have been bowled. The most common games are 20/20, where each team faces 20 overs, or a one-day game, where each team faces 50 overs.
So cricket is kind of like baseball, except where it isn't.
But baseball has nine innings in a game, whereas cricket only has one or two. School and one-day cricket have one innings each, while test cricket has two ... spread over five days. Tests are international games, and usually played as part of a two or three-test series. That's a lot of cricket. The best part? (Or worst part, dependig on your point of view).
A test can result in a draw. Which means you play cricket for fifteen days, and there is no winner. That's testing.
Beach cricket is less formal. It's usually one innings and the boundaries are flexible—the sand dunes and the water. The teams will be even, but won't necessarily be eleven players on each side. Men, women, boys, and girls all play together. The rules bend depending on who is playing, and where. We have lots of space on the beach:
And it's a lot of fun—as you'll see if you read Solo Tu. These days I prefer armchair cricket to playing, but it's still a staple of the Aussie and Kiwi summer.
What's your favourite summer sport?
You can read the cricket scene from Solo Tu below:
The GDPR is the General Data Protection Regulation, and comes into force on 25 May 2018. It harmonizes data privacy laws across the European Union (EU), so it affects any organization holding personal data from EU residents. Note that the EU still includes the United Kingdom, so GDPR still applies. The British government have indicated they will implement GDPR-like legislation following Brexit (if it goes ahead).
Why do authors need to know about GDPR?
GDPR affects all organisations based in the EU, or supplying goods or services in the EU, that collect and process the data of EU residents, regardless of where they are based.
Some contributors to (and readers of) International Christian Fiction Writers are based in the EU, so are directly affected by GDPR. The rest of us are likely to be affected as well, because we are supplying goods or services in the EU:
If we have a book listed on Amazon.co.uk or BookDepository.com, we're indirectly supplying goods.
If we have a website that's viewable in the EU, we're suppling services in the form of information. Free services, but still services
If we have an email list that includes EU residents or may include EU residents in the future, we're supplying services, and we may also be marketing to EU residents.
If you have a self-hosted website, then your site is collecting a lot of information on your behalf, and you are responsible for ensuring only the necessary data is collected, that collected data is kept private, and that it is deleted on request or within a reasonable timeframe.
For example, if you comment on www.iolagoulton.com, I ask for your name, email address, and website (although that’s optional). But the website also collects and stores your IP address, and may store cookies (e.g. so the site remembers you have commented before and that I approved your comment, so subsequent comments aren’t held for moderation. Another cookie knows not to show you the email signup pop-up more often than once every 90 days).
Yes, you need to know about GDPR.
But GDPR isn’t the big bogeyman some commentators are making it out to be. Sure, it toughens up on the way we collect and use personal data, but the main principles are around people who hold personal data using that data in a way that is fair, transparent, and lawful.
Please note: I'm not a lawyer, so none of the information in this blog post is legal advice. It's my best guess as a layperson who has studied the subject. If you want legal advice, you ask a lawyer who is qualified to practice in this area. In this case, that means a lawyer based in the EU with a background in privacy, data protection, or similar. You don't get legal advice off the internet.
There are two excellent YouTube videos from British lawyers, and I'll link to those at the bottom of the post for those who want or need to know more.
What does this mean?
We tell people what data we are collecting, why we are collecting it, what we are going to use it for, and we only use it for that purpose. And that purpose must be lawful.
We only collect the data we need, with the permission of the owner of that data. We do not pass data on without permission, and we make sure anyone we pass data to is also collecting and using that data lawfully.
That’s not so hard, is it?
First, the Possible Exception.
Yes, there is an exception, and that's when your website or blog is managed through a free provider such as Blogger (like Australasian Christian Writers) or WordPress.com (but not self-hosted WordPress.org).
As best as I can tell, Google owns Blogger. Blogger/Google collects personal information every time we upload a post to Blogger, or comment on an existing post. The writer owns the copyright, but Google owns the platform.
I suspect this makes Blogger the data controller, not me (or us, in the case of ACW), and that means it is up to Google to ensure Blogger sites are GDPR compliant. Click here to read Google's Privacy Policy.
I think the same is true for WordPress.com (i.e. not self-hosted WordPress). It’s hosted by WordPress, which means they own it. Click here to read the WordPress.com Privacy Policy. Note that WordPress do say:
We also process information about visitors to our users’ websites, on behalf of our users and in accordance with our user agreements. Please note that our processing of that information on behalf of our users for their websites isn’t covered by this Privacy Policy. We encourage our users to post a privacy policy that accurately describes their practices on data collection, use, and sharing of personal information.
If this isn’t right, please let us know in the comments (with the appropriate link), and I'll update the post.
What do you need to do to prepare for GDPR?
If you have a self-hosted blog or website, or an email list, then there are some tasks you need to complete to prepare for GDPR. Based on the research I've done, here's my approach:
1. SSL Certificate
SSL certification adds a layer of security to your website. If you don't already have SSL certification, now is a good time to consider it. You may be able to get a free SSL certificate from your web host.
You need a Privacy Policy, outlining the personal data you collect and how that is used. I spent a whole day researching privacy policies online (and wrote a blog post about it), then discovered this: WordPress Privacy Policy
Automattic, the owners of WordPress and WooCommerce, have made their Privacy Policy available under a Creative Commons Sharelike licence. You will need to adapt it for your own needs and brand voice, but it's a great start.
Another good option is Zegal.com, which offers free privacy policies tailored for New Zealand or Australia. Mine was clear, easy to read, and easy to understand, but it's not GDPR-compliant. I contacted Zegal, and they say they will be releasing a GDPR-compliant Privacy Policy before 25 May, but it will only be available to paying customers.
3. Terms and Conditions
If you are selling directly from your website, you should consider a terms and conditions policy. I'm currently using the extreme legalese of Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, but I will look at this again.
4. Cookie Policy
Most websites use cookies, and EU law requires website owners to advise visitors of this fact, and obtain their consent to using cookies. WordPress plugins such as the EU Cookie Law Widget help site owners comply.
If you use WordPress, check out the GDPR Cookie Compliance plugin. It's easy to install and customise (you can check it out at www.iolagoulton.com. Note that I haven't customised it at all.)
5. Contact Form
Most websites have a contact form allowing visitors to email the website owner. It seems pretty obvious to me that completing a contact form means the website owner is getting your personal information, but some people are recommending adding a tickbox to make this explicit.
Regardless, your Privacy Policy will need to include what information you collect on your contact form, and what it is used for. The WP GDPR Compliance plugin for WordPress will add a tickbox to your Contact Form 7 or Gravity Forms contact form. It takes about two minutes to install and activate, which means WordPress users have no excuse.
6. Comments Form
Most blogs have a comments section, which collects personal information. Do we need to add a tickbox for specific consent? I've seen blog posts from non-experts that suggest we do, but my WordPress site doesn't have any way of adding a tickbox to comments.
However, the WP GDPR Compliance plugin also handles comments, so I've added the tickbox using this plugin. It took another three minutes.
7. Email Signup Forms
Your email signup forms need to include a reference or link to your new or updated Privacy Policy. You must also make it clear that visitors are signing up for a newsletter that will include sales and marketing emails, and that they have the option to unsubscribe at any time (which they will have if you're using a competent external email service provider. You are, right?)
There has been discussion over whether you can still offer a free gift to new subscribers. My understanding is that you can, but it has to be:
Sign up for my email list to receive regular newsletters and occasional marketing emails. In return, I'll send you a free gift!
Not:
Want a free gift? Sign up here!
Even better, have a tickbox as part of the signup form, so your website visitors know exactly what they are getting. I use Bloom from Elegant Themes* for my website signups, and that doesn't have the tickbox option. Yet. MailChimp* does have GDPR compliant forms, but they are not as pretty as my Bloom forms.
* These are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you purchase something using these links. The amount you pay does not change. If you don't want to use affiliate links, then use your favourite search engine to find the sites.
8. Email List
Do you need to contact everyone on your list before 25 May to reconfirm they want to be on your email list?
This is the really hard part, and it's something even the experts can't agree on. Some experts and mailing list providers say yes. They say you need to email everyone on your list and ask them to reconfirm their consent, then delete the people who unsubscribe or don't respond. The issue with this approach is you will lose a large number of subscribers (although it is argued you're only losing the unengaged subscribers, so cutting them will improve the performance of your list).
Some email list providers (e.g. AWeber, ConvertKit) seem to be able to segment out EU subscribers by their IP address, which makes the consent process easier. If your email provider has this option, it's worth exploring.
Other experts advise against asking your email list to reconfirm their consent, because sending the email implies you don't have a record of their consent and you shouldn't be emailing someone without their consent.
The approach you take will depend on how you built your email list, and who your email list provider is. MailChimp (my email list provider) seems to be taking a softly-softly approach. Others (e.g. MailerLite) seem to be more aggressive in requiring list owners send reconfirmation emails.
What I don't recommend is what I've seen two US-based authors do over the last few days: email their list with a suggestion/request people opt out if they no longer want to be on the mailing list, and that not opting out will be taken as consent for GDPR. I don't like this approach for two reasons:
There should already be an unsubscribe option on every email you send.
This is passive consent—do nothing, and you're on the list. The principle of GDPR is that subscribers must actively consent to being on your mailing list. That is, they have to check the box that says "Sign me up!" to be on your list, not uncheck it to stay off your list.
There is one thing the experts agree on: this is a good opportunity to either try and reengage your email list, and to delete those who haven't opened recent emails (say, any email for the last three or six months, or your last three or six emails). This is the approach I have taken.
Listen to the Experts
As I said at the beginning, I'm no lawyer. But I've read a lot of blog posts, and listened to podcasts and watched videos from GDPR legal experts. Here are the two best sources of information I've found:
Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula podcast interviewed British lawyer Gemma Gibbs:
Nick Stephenson's First 10,000 Readers interviewed British lawyer Suzanne Dibble. Suzanne also has a Facebook group with loads of free information. Click here to find Suzanne's Facebok group. She also has a GDPR Compliance Kit for sale, for GDP 197. Here's Suzanne on GDPR:
What do you need to do to prepare for GDPR?
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat.
A Light on the Hill is the first book in Connilyn Cossette’s new Cities of Refuge series. I think some of the characters featured in her previous Out from Egypt series, Counted with the Stars, Shadow of the Storm, and Wings of the Wind. I haven’t read any of the Out of Egypt series, but didn’t feel I missed anything.
The series title gives a hint as to the plot of A Light on the Hill: someone needs to seek refuge. Here’s the book description:
Seven years ago, Moriyah was taken captive in Jericho and branded with the mark of the Canaanite gods. Now the Israelites are experiencing peace in their new land, but Moriyah has yet to find her own peace. Because of the shameful mark on her face, she hides behind her veil at all times and the disdain of the townspeople keeps her from socializing. And marriage prospects were out of the question . . . until now.
Her father has found someone to marry her, and she hopes to use her love of cooking to impress the man and his motherless sons. But when things go horribly wrong, Moriyah is forced to flee. Seeking safety at one of the newly-established Levitical cities of refuge, she is wildly unprepared for the dangers she will face, and the enemies--and unexpected allies--she will encounter on her way.
Old Testament Biblical fiction, by definition, isn’t Christian fiction.
It can’t be, because the setting predates Christ. But it is an insight into the life and culture of the times of the Old Testament—in this case, the years after the nation of Israel first arrived in the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. And it does point to Jesus. The cities of refuge represented a revolutionary idea. An accused criminal could seek and gain mercy, instead of being subject to the cultural retribution of an eye for an eye, a life for a life.
But the theme of A Light on the Hill is definitely Christian.
Justice, or mercy? Love, or hate? Forgiveness, or retribution? While Biblical fiction isn't Christian fiction per se, good Biblical fiction reinforces the fact the Bible is one story, with the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament. This is additionally reinforced by the main characters, most of whom have chosen to follow Yahweh rather than being born Hebrew.
I don’t read a lot of Biblical fiction. It seemed to fall out of favour for a while, and my interest got pulled in other genre directions. But A Light on the Hill easily equals those early Biblical fiction stories I read from authors like Francine Rivers and Angela Hunt.
The story does take a while to get going—the first quarter is background, introducing the characters and setting up the situation that will force Moriyah to flee for her life. However, even this background is an interesting and necessary introduction to life in Shiloh in the early days of Israel.
The writing is strong. It’s an unusual choice to write historical fiction in first person, but it works because it takes us deep into Moriyah’s mind, and that enables us to relate to her. After all, we all have hidden scars of one sort or another. The characters are well-drawn, and the plot is full of suspense as we journey with Moriyah, hoping she’ll reach her objective, yet worried she won’t.
A Light on the Hill a story of judgement as the people of Shiloh judge Moriyah based on her external appearance to the point she hides away from people and from life. It’s also the story of mercy, as Yahweh has already established the means for Morihay to be accepted and saved.
Recommended for fans of Biblical fiction, or for those who would like to better understand the times of the Bible.
Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
Welcome to International Christian Fiction Writers and our first Monday Milestones post for 2018. In Monday Milestones, members of the Beyond the Borders zone of American Christian Fiction Writers share their latest achievements.
Click here for more information on joining American Christian Fiction Writers. In case you were wondering, Beyond the Borders covers all members outside the USA—there are around 100 of us, from over a dozen different countries.
Onto our Monday Milestones!
Award Nominations
Kara Isaac
Then There Was You by Kara Isaac, edited by Iola Goulton and Halee Matthews, is a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA Awards for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements.
Then There Was You is also a longlist title for the blogger-nominated INSPY Awards for Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense.
Drew and Madeline Fathering are back. They are visiting Drew's distant relatives, Lord and Lady Rainsby of Thornburn Hall, and planning to watch the Open at Muirfield, Edinburgh. They are not the only guests—there is also a married couple, and a Russian artiste seeking his muse.
Death at Thornburn Hall is the sixth book in the Drew Fathering series. Each book is a standalone murder mystery, which means you don't have to read the earlier books first (although there are some plot threads that trail though the series). It follows the pattern established in the first book, Rules of Murder.
Drew arrives somewhere (Thornburn Hall, in this instance).
There is a death (sometimes there is more than one).
Drew investigates.
The local police force don't appreciate Drew's efforts.
Drew solves the crime with help from Nick and Madeline.
It has almost has a Scooby-Doo feel, albiet in a different time and place, and without the inevitable, "and I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids." Yes, there is humour in here:
There is plenty of witty banter between Drew, a member of the British aristocracy, Madeline, his American wife, and Nick Dennison, Drew's best friend and the son of the Fathering Hall butler (a friendship that continues to raise eyebrows).
And Carrie is back: Madeline's American best friend, who Nick would like to persuade to stay forever ... However, Carrie is not stupid. She's realised the same thing the rest of us have realised:
Drew Fathering attracts murder. Murder attracts risk and danger.
But that's the fun! Well, that's the fun for me, as a reader. Carrie doesn't see it quite the same way ...
The writing is excellent, as usual. There is a cast of characters ranging from mysterious to suspicious. Some things are not what they seem, and there are plenty of genuine clues scattered among the red herrings. The ending is satisfying on several levels (well, satisfying to the core characters. The murderer, as usual, is less than satisfied with being caught by Drew).
I love this series because it is so British. It reminds me of driving through the English countryside, of camping in Scotland under the shadow of Ben Nevis, of taking the train to Edinburgh and disembarking at Waverley Station.
The Drew Fathering mysteries are an echo of England in days gone by.
They remind me of childhood favourites such as The Famous Five, and Swallows and Amazons, and of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Georgette Heyer, and other 1930's murder mystery writers.
But it's also an echo of the England I lived in ... because I've visited many of the places Drew and Madeline visit—Winchester, Beaulieu, Edinburgh. The beauty of England is that it is old, and a modern visitor can see many of the same sights as Drew and Madeline see.
Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Julianna Deering at her website, and you can read the introduction to Death at Thornburn Hall below.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
I requested Athens Ambuscade for review for two reasons:
It obviously featured Athens, Greece, which makes it perfect for a post at International Christian Fiction Writers.
I've never heard of "ambuscade" before, so I had to find out what it meant (it's an antiquated term for 'ambush' for those who are interested.
But then I read the book description and wasn't so sure ...
What happens when a strapped-for-cash bridal designer needs a stuffed animal...and fast?Up-and-coming bridal designer, Jacqueline Gianakos must fly a Montana taxidermist to Greece in order to stuff her Grandmother's cat. If Chrysanthemum isn't preserved within two days' time, Jacqueline will lose the home that was her childhood sanctuary. But will she survive the next 48 hours when the taxidermist ignores her pointed request and then shows up wearing flannel?
This sounded a little weird. And perhaps it was. But it worked.
Jacqueline is in Athens dealing with the estate of her recently deceased grandmother. Ya-Ya left what could have been a to-do list in the envelope with her will, and the lawyer decrees that Jacqueline must complete all the tasks on the list before she can inherit the house. This would seem ridiculous and unbelievable, but the writing and the setting makes it seem almost logical.
Anyway, Jacqueline (never Jackie and definitely not Jack) is a lady with Plans. She has emptied the attic, cleaned the gutters, built a tasteful orange tree house (if that's not a contradiction in terms then I don't know what is), and baked a watermelon pie (I have no idea how you bake a pie from a fruit that is basically water).
Now she has to get that nice taxidermist from Montana to stuff her grandmother's dead cat.
He's arrived in Athens, and they've got two days to stuff the cat and show the lawyer. Shouldn't be difficult ...
Jacqueline and Shane collect the cat from cold storage (it's been dead three years, and Ya-Ya wasn't crazy enough to keep it in her own freezer. Yes, this is a good time for crazy cat lady jokes). Then their troubles begin as thugs in black vans want to steal the cat. Yes, you read that right. It's the "ambuscade" promised in the title.
What follows is a fast-paced cat chase through the streets and sights of Athens, including a visit to the Parthenon, the Gate of Athena, the Monastiraki Flea Market, and the Cave of Aglauros. It's also funny, in a laugh-out-loud kind of way, not a how-stupid-is-this-woman kind of way.
Jacqueline is a little strange (I guess she takes after Ya-Ya).
As I said, Jacqueline is a lady with Plans. She has plans and lists and is perhaps a little over the top. For example, when she arranges to meet Shane, the taxidermist, in an Athenian cafe, she doesn't tell him what she'll be wearing. She tells him the width of her belt, and the three shades of eyeshadow. I try to be organised, but Jacqueline takes planning and organisation to a whole new level.
Athens Ambuscade is a quick read, both because of the fast pace and because it is relatively short. But it packed a lot of punch: lots of great lines:
And:
It also had a strong Christian theme, with Jacqueline learning a definite lesson about the nature of God (a lesson that had nothing to do with kittens or rainbows or fluffy things).
And the location ... Wilks did a great job with the location:
So much color. A swipe of robin's egg blue across the Mediterranean sky, ancient white marble, and the flush of green growth clinging to the mountain. God seemed to create His most glorious splendors in hard to reach places.
Some books are set in exotic locations, but you read them and get the feeling they could have been set anywhere—the setting comes a distant third behind the plot and characters. Athens Ambuscade is different. It almost felt as though the setting were a character, and I loved that—although I am glad my own short visit to Athens wasn't nearly as exciting as Jacqueline and Shane's.
I recommend Athens Ambuscade for those who enjoy romantic comedy from authors such as Kara Isaac, and those looking for a Christian novel equivalent of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Thanks to Pelican Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Iola Goulton
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).
Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.
Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola). 
What happens when a strapped-for-cash bridal designer needs a stuffed animal...and fast?Up-and-coming bridal designer, Jacqueline Gianakos must fly a Montana taxidermist to Greece in order to stuff her Grandmother's cat. If Chrysanthemum isn't preserved within two days' time, Jacqueline will lose the home that was her childhood sanctuary. But will she survive the next 48 hours when the taxidermist ignores her pointed request and then shows up wearing flannel?
