I've Been Hiding Stuff From You (Inside a Victorian manor where movie stars disappeared)

And by the way, your sister is missing.

I’ve got a secret. Dare to keep it?

You’ve Been Summoned is an interactive mystery novel that will be released worldwide on February 27th.

The reader is a character. Which means you are the detective. IT’S GONNA BE SO FUN!

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Why I decided to bet on myself:

The agents I spoke with about this novel told me that an interactive mystery sounds enticing, but they didn’t have the time on their hands to ensure a book could also work as a game. I couldn’t stomach no for an answer and decided to publish this myself. I contracted top people in the book industry. I invested my own savings. For three years, I’ve been taking on a big gamble to see if this thing can work.

From what my early reviewers are saying, it does. (Wohoo!!) But in full transparency, I don’t have the same lift I would have had if my book had been traditionally published. No publicist is putting me in podcasts or a perfected billboard-worthy marketing plan. I’ve set up advertising, but it doesn’t compete with word of mouth. And I hate sounding sales-y. I just want to be honest with my readers about this thing I’ve been working so hard to bring you. It doesn’t have much meaning without you at the other end of it. That’s the honest truth.

Your support in this experiment I’m running is so valuable to me. If the novel interests you, I’ve listed a few ways you can support me below. I’ll Substack about it again on release day, but I just wanted to get on your radar and tell you what to expect.

How to be my favorite person ever:

Just by being here on Substack, you’re supporting my mystery author dreams. I’ve gotten so much love from friends, family, and early readers about how to be the ideal consumer to support this career milestone best. Here is my honest answer:

• Follow me ‘Lindsey Lamar’ as an author on Amazon. Amazon will email you when the book drops and update you about the best prices.

• Add You’ve Been Summoned to your Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf. This helps spread the word to your Goodreads network that my book is on your radar :)

• Add a notification for February 20th on your calendar! Seriously. This is slated for my Amazon early release week, where you can buy the novel early at a reduced price. I’d much rather you buy the book on Amazon on the 20th than preorder it now because it helps my visibility on Amazon / will help me get enough clicks to launch my Amazon ad campaign. (If you’re forgetful and want to order now, you can preorder the paperback on B&N instead.)

• Review You’ve Been Summoned on Amazon after you’ve read. This is the most important way to support your author gal here. I cannot run my marketing campaigns until I have a certain number of Amazon reviews. Reviewing on Amazon is SO helpful & it’d mean the world. Bonus points if you participate in early release week & leave the review by February 27th! (If you didn’t buy the book on Amazon or got an ARC, you can still leave an Amazon review.)

• Stay tuned on my Instagram and Substack. I will have some giveaways over the next month, including my book, bookish gift cards, and other hot new releases. ‘Cause who doesn’t love free stuff?

You’re the magic in this equation. Thanks again :)

It’s my first time managing a book launch, so everything I’m doing is new. I’d love to chat with you if you have experience, advice, or tips. You can always reply to this email. Otherwise, thanks for reading this post. Normal articles will return via the next post. But I couldn’t keep the secret any longer. (Now it’s our secret!)

Thanks for being a reader these past three years. Getting to release another novel to you feels like coming home. You’ve made me the luckiest writer gal in the whole wide world. Love you, guys!

More Official You’ve Been Summoned Things:

Okay, but the cover?!!! Jeff Miller, you are the BEST.

OFFICIAL BLURB:

During a long weekend in March, a group of twentysomethings from Virginia meet for an overnight costume party. For their venue, the host has rented the historical Sophomore Manor: a place where the most prestigious socialites of the 1940's and ‘50s partied until the celebrity owners mysteriously went missing.

The event began innocently enough: cocktail toasts, elaborate costumes, and exchanged pleasantries. But at the height of the party, Jane Parks notices her twin has vanished from the scene. It isn’t until Jane finds her sister’s body that the real guessing game begins.

That’s where you come in. It’s up to you, detective, to expose a present-day link between the victim, the guest list, and Sophomore Manor’s unsolved history.

This interactive novel casts the reader as the detective. With integrated clues to examine and entangled interviews to analyze, the reader must make a case in this whodunit novel turned criminal investigation.

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Thanks for reading. I’m so grateful, as always.

-linds