Amanda Greenslade talks about Myra and the Magic Motorcycle

Today at Promote Me Please we welcome Amanda Greenslade to answer five questions about Myra and the Magic Motorcycle, the first book in her new Myra series.

Myra and the Magic Motorcycle

Amanda Greenslade

Q.1. This is the first in the Myra series. Apart from a fast-paced adventure, what else will Myra deliver to readers?

A.1. The Myra books are about getting to know the world around you, diversity and the betterment of society. They are designed to tell a fun story while at the same time open some doors for discussion with children. Discussion topics that can spin off from Myra books include things like geography, science and problem-solving, as well as more specific social issues. The first book touches upon financial hardship, for example.

Q.2. Myra’s method of transport is unusual. Where did you get the idea for it?

A.2. My husband is an avid motorcycle enthusiast, and I endorse the use of fun things that appeal to kids to get them interested in reading. For boys especially I think motorcycles are a draw-card. I was inspired by The Magic Schoolbus series, but I wanted a 21st century Australian setting and a heroine who is not the usual Anglo-girl-with-pigtails stereotype we see in most mass market children's books.

Q.3.  Will you tell us something about Myra’s feathered sidekick?

A.3. Myra is very brave and curious. Diver the kingfisher is sort of like Myra's voice of caution in her subconscious. He is a fun gimmick for children to find on almost every page, a comic relief sidekick and a character Myra will be able to rely on and talk to and share all her secrets. 

Q.4. What was the most challenging part of bringing Myra to publication?

A.4. Finding the time while I am rearing two young children and running a business full time has been difficult, but it's the promotion part now which will be the greatest challenge, as I have limited time and resources to put behind it. I frequently sacrifice on housework, sleep, lunch and other personal matters to get through my day. Apart from this I have not found it difficult to publish Myra because I have ten years experience in editing and book design, and publishing books and ebooks is what we do here at Australian eBook Publisher. We have expert editors, illustrators, designers, publishers and marketers all under one roof here in Brisbane and we've published or helped people to self-publish over 300 books. 

Q.5. What advice do you have for writers launching series?

A.5. It's a bit early for me to have advice on this, as it is still early days for me. Certainly I think we've done the right thing designing a brand for the series and numbering the books clearly. Subsequent books for us now will be easier and faster to produce as we will utilise the same formula and the same design files over and over. Now I need to find time to write the next book! :)

You can buy Myra and the Magic Motorcycle and find out lots more about the series at Myra Books

Thanks for visiting Promote Me Please, Amanda.

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Meet Daniel Wicharz

Daniel Wicharz

Today, Promote Me Please welcomes our first guest in the online finance business. Daniel Wicharz, who lives in Germany, agreed to answer five curly questions about credit, especially as it applies to artists.

Q.1. Briefly, what is your experience in the online payment business? ­ 
A.1. I work in the online and payments industry since 2008. My experiences are driven by my work for PayPal and Skrill. 

Q.2. People in artistic fields often have unreliable or uneven incomes. For them, a line of credit makes sense for use when between payments. What would you advise is the best option for such artists? ­ 
A.2. In general a credit itself can be useful especially for people who need to buy something straight away without having the time to finance an item like for instance a vehicle or an expensive instrument. The issue of debt itself is not so big in Germany. Here most people do pay their card balance fully at the end of the month. 

Q.3. What are some features to look for in a credit card? ­ 
A.3. A card needs to A) protect the consumer and B) help him to make payments quickly and remotely. With 3Ds for Mastercard and verified by Visa most cards nowadays protect on the one hand side the consumer, but also on the other hand side the seller from fraud. 

Q.4. What advice would you give someone looking for a reliable means of online payment? ­ 
A.4. I would for sure advice to look for a provider who can give you control over fraud tools. Thus you can influence your risk appetite and boost your conversion rate the way you like it. I think fraud settings should totally be in control of the seller. Given you have a high margin like for instance an online game publisher you can accept a certain amount of fraud and you can set soft fraud checks in order to boost conversion. But if you sell for instance jewelry with a high basket size and perhaps a lower margin, you are probably better off setting strict fraud settings protecting you and perhaps lower the conversion rate a bit. 

Q.5.You see the credit/online business from a different angle. Do you have any expert opinions to share? ­ 
A.5. Online payment dominates the way we pay and becomes increasingly important, even offline. More and more people use for instance mobile devices that are NFC enabled to pay. So I think that online payment options will spread also to “real” physical store locations. This will increase the consumer experience and also tackle fraud, tax evasion and theft.

Thanks, Daniel!