The good and not so good self-published

I'm a self-published author. I'm also a control freak and like to have a say in everything to do with my books and also want a bigger chunk of my royalty. I don't want to pay an agent 15% and a publishers another cut of my profits.
That said, I love to read books by other self-published authors. Recently I finished a series by Leslie S. Talley. Her series is the Clarice Campion/ Miss Letty Mysteries and they are a joy to read. The last in the series is in a castle in Scotland, The bonnie, Bonnie Bone
 The books are about an innkeeper and her family who trade places with other innkeeper's all over the place.  Every where they go they find dead bodies or skeletons and the hunt is on to find who done it. Her home inn is in Daytona FL. Her descriptions are lively and you can actually picture the setting in your mind. The books are a history lesson as she brings each setting to life. What I also enjoyed was that they are written in the first person and she has done a fantastic job. The books are filled with humor and the exchanges between the characters are wonderful. I found myself laughing and talking back to the pages. A must read for anyone that likes a great cozy mystery.
​The other book I've been reading is Illusions of Paradise, by Pat McKanic. I'm having a hard time with this one. It's a bit slow and the formatting make it difficult to discern chapter breaks.  It's set on the Island of San Saypaz', somewhere hot and beachy.
The main characters are a sexy female reporter and an even sexier detective. I just think it could have been tightened up and moved a bit faster. I put it down in favor of reading the Bonnie, Bonnie Bone by Leslie S. Talley.
​Now to blow my own horn. My children's book, Sailing Away to Nod won a silver medal in the Florida Authors and Publishers Presidents awards this past weekend in Orlando.
As always I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or ask a question.
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