Spring Breakin & a Hometown Signing!

Every time I read "signing," I read sighting... Like I'm a UFO.

So I'm with the family down South taking a little break, enjoying a little chilly sunshine, rejuvenating. I'm going to be offline for the most part this week, but I'm thinking of you guys! Hope you're all doing super~

Can't wait to get back in the writing saddle next week!

Many of you are on spring break this week, so have a lovely time!

And if you're in or around the Gulf Coast, stop by this special event at a little bookstore in Fairhope, Ala., a mere 10 miles from my old hometown...

I'll be joining superstars Abbi Glines and Steph Campbell for a meet and greet, Q&A, and book signing party.

I would love to see any of you who might be around!

So til next week, have a super week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

If you like LOOPER... (even if you don't)

This new series by awesome writer-friend Susan Quinn (link) is FANTASTIC. I'm telling you. She's releasing a new installment every week, but you can get #1 Today for only 99 cents. Here's the scoop:

The Debt Collector 
by Susan Kaye Quinn

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack series comes a new future-noir serial, The Debt Collector. The first episode, Delirium, launched Wednesday (3/20).

What’s your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. 

He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he
collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. 

That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. 

But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.

Contains mature content and themes. For YA-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s Mindjack series.

Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. 

This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. You can find out more about the series at the Debt Collector website and facebook page. The Debt Collector newsletter is a special list just for episode releases.

Early Praise

 “The street-smart science of LOOPER meets the cold, just-the-facts voice of DOUBLE INDEMNITY in this edgy, future-noir thriller that will have you holding your breath, looking over your shoulder, and begging for more.” —Leigh Talbert Moore, author of The Truth About Faking, The Truth About Letting Go, and Rouge

“Do you owe more than your life is worth? No worries. A more deserving person than you can benefit from that excess life—and someone else will get paid with it. Enter the Debt Collector.” —Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014)

The first three episodes of Debt Collector will be released a week apart, starting Wednesday 3/20. The remaining episodes will release every two weeks. Delirium can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo. Or add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Debt Collector is her more grown-up SF. 

Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium happy. Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. 

Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. 

Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time.

~ ~ ~

The series is so SO good. I promise you will love it.

In other news, I'll have that survey info for you next week. If you haven't filled it out yet, hop on over (link). And have a super week-end reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Sassy Surveys, Blood & Snow

[Note: I'm also on the Indelible's blog today (link).]

I've always loved taking fun quizzes (not school quizzes).

Like back when I used to get my Sassy magazine (I had a subscription), I always liked filling out those surveys that told you if That Boy Was a No! or a Go!

I saw him first.
Neener neener.

Or if I had a Bookish Betty personality or a Bubbling Brooke... (I made those up in case you're wondering. #nerdalert)

So anyway, I've bumped into a Burning Question, and I've decided to turn it into a fun survey for YOU, reader-friends! (whee!!!)

Here, sit down. I'll French braid your hair while I explain it to you.

It's about Amazon Categories and buying books from online bookstores...

Background: On Sept. 4, 2012, when I hit "publish" on my very first indie book The Truth About Faking (link), I was pretty ignorant about how to reach readers.

I mean, we're talking about a place where there's no bookstore, no clerk, no nothing. How do I let people know what to expect? Well, first write a good book blurb, and then there's this...

Where do I belong?

Amazon gives indie authors two choices for where to put their books, taken from pre-established BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) categories.

The Truth About Faking is a light romantic comedy in which a 16-year-old girl falls in love with one guy while chasing another. Several things happen, and by the end of the story, she realizes things aren't always as they appear and not to judge books by their covers.

That's the short version. So, I say...

Category 1: Juvenile > Fiction > Love & Romance
Category 2: Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age

There's no "Teen" or "YA" category, so my additional search terms (Amazon allows seven) are: romance, teen, clean, romantic comedy, chicklit, contemporary, young adult

Easy peasy, yes?

Well, it was in September. Readers found the book, it was exactly what they expected, and they either liked it or didn't. Lucky for me, most of them liked it--yaaay!

Fast-forward six months, and mixed in with the 5-star (happy!) reviews, I'm seeing more 2- or 3-stars complaining either, "I didn't expect this to be so innocent." Or, "High school." Or, my latest 2-star review: "Honestly, this was not a bad read, it was just too young for me. But there were some good messages."

Me = *head scratching*

[Important Note: The reviews are NOT the point. I am NOT slamming these reviewers.]

The Point is finding my intended audience in this new bookstore setting.

I don't want people buying my book expecting one thing and getting something that makes them feel... frustrated. But even more importantly, I want to connect with the readers I'm writing for. I want them to find the book I wrote for them.

So here's the Sassy Survey! Answering the Burning Question, "How do you buy books on Amazon (or online)?" (Whee! Let's see what we learn; fill in the blanks are optional but helpful!)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

And please tell me in the comments your thoughts. Is there some other method I haven't thought about? For example, some people only buy books recommended by friends. Is that you?

* * *

Now bring on the Blood & Snow!

On Amazon

Blood and Snow: The Complete Set
by RaShelle Workman
(YA Paranormal)

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.

Snow isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know that yet.

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant - not quite human, not quite vampire.

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adopted sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of.  She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she'd rather drink from her Hunter.

Or, a human.

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there's a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen's twin sister. And Snow's supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires. 

ON AMAZON | ON GOODREADS

RaShelle

RASHELLE WORKMAN lives on a mountain with her husband, three children, and three dogs. From her back porch she can see the city lights and imagine...

She's the bestselling author of the Dead Roses series (Sleeping Roses is being translated into Turkish, and will be available in print wherever Turkish books are sold in 2014), the Immortal Essence series, and the Blood and Snow series.

Find her here: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

RaShelle's also giving away a Kindle Fire! Go here to enter and WIN (link).

I've known RaShelle since my early days of blogging back in 2010, and she's got the kindest heart. We're Indelibles sisters now, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to know her and to help share her success with you. HUGE congrats, RaShelle!

And have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! <3

Fun News, Jump Boys, & The Edge of the Falls

First the Fun News!

Rouge has made it to the Quarter Finals Round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

Download me FREE!

O.M.G.

I confess, y'all, I've been doing everything in my power not to think about the fact that I entered this contest.

Why? Well, I love this swishy, musical-theater, romantic-suspense story so much, I feel like sometimes I'm wearing it on my sleeve.

And after its history, and to see it do well, and to read the nice reviews has just made me ... verklempt.

Give me a moment. Talk amongst yourselves...

Or better yet, if you would, please hop over and download the FREE first chapter (link)!

I don't know if it helps or not, but it might. And it'll give you a feel for the book if you haven't read it. You might like it! (Especially if you liked Les Miz--it's very similar in tone and feel.)

And if you have read Rouge and like it, you might consider leaving a short, sweet review there. Your call.

Thank you so much!

Now for the Jump Boys~

Great bloggy friend Ali Cross/Alex Banks has written the most awesome-sounding middle-grade science fiction adventure! I'm dying to read it and so is my fifth grader!


Jump Boys: SOS
by Alex Banks
MG Science Fiction

A dare gone terribly wrong.
An SOS from another universe.
A threat from right next door.

Thirteen-year-old twin brothers Jayce and Val are about to jump the multi-verses on a dangerous dare, but true danger is closer to home than they realize.

The Jupiter Prime colony has been orbiting the stormy gas giant for nineteen years and all anyone wants is to get back to Earth. Sent to preserve the best and brightest of the population, a grievous error in the Prime’s navigation coordinates sent the colony to an alternate dimension with no way to return to the Earth they call home.

In a society where technical expertise is valued above all else, Jayce and Val are among the most privileged—until they uncover their uncle’s plot to claim dominion over space and time. While attempting to rescue a lone girl from a post-apocalyptic earth, Val will come face to face with space pirates and Jayce will lay his life on the line for the sake of his brother and the little girl who holds the key to time itself.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords * Goodreads

Alex Banks doesn’t live on Planet Earth.Alex lives on the Prime Colony Ship orbiting Jupiter or on a pirate ship off the Nova Scotia coast,or on a world called Insulunda where the land masses shift and move like clouds.Wherever there are dreams to be charted like stars in the sky or fun to be had just down that street . . . that’s where you’ll find Alex Banks.

~ ~ ~

Last but not least, The Edge of the Falls (link) is now out!

I did the cover reveal for great bloggy friend Nazarea Andrews's new book last week, and now you can get it. It's an awesome romance for lovers of Beauty & the Beast.

On Amazon

Here's the description:

Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in.

But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change.

Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts?

Edge of the Falls is a romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

Here's the link to get it on Amazon.

Nazarea's also having loads of fun giveaways and contests on her blog (link), including things like query critiques and chapter critiques! Check it out!

Fun times.

Enjoy, and have a super weekend, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

The Persistence of Story

Does it feel early to anyone else? Daylight savings, man...

Okay, first off, I'm over on The Kindness Project blog today talking about how I don't believe happiness is a choice. Feel free to hop over and disagree with me (link).

Now, what's this about persistent stories? Well, I'll tell ya.

We're all writers here. Or readers. And writers are readers, so that makes us all one and the same. My point is this: since the Dawn of Time, there have been folks telling stories and folks wanting to hear stories.

Putting on my storyteller hat, I'll admit the reason I'm a full-time writer now is because once I typed "The End" on that first book of mine back in 2009 (which is still in the drawer), it was like I'd pulled my finger out of the proverbial hole in the dyke.

(Don't be gross. It's a legend.)

All the stories just flooded my brain, and I've been working hard to keep up ever since. In that first year alone, I finished five books. Granted, I spent the next year revising two of them (The Truth About Faking and Rouge), and another year waiting for traditional publishing to have its way with me...

(Yes. I was thinking it that time. And Letting Go was written later, just fyi.)

Here I sit with three books out there, three more ready to go, one needing to be finished, and in my head is this new idea that's just bugging me...

I guess that's just what we do. We either have to tell stories or we have to listen to them. Hopefully they're good ones. Hopefully you like the stories I tell...

Or I don't know. Am I just talking to myself here? Do most of you writer-friends have very organized brains that behave and follow sequentially? Do I need my head checked?

(I know who's going to say Yes to that.)

Either way, I'll just keep on writing and putting them out there. I can't help it. It's how my brain's wired up. I smell hair burning...

While I untangle the wires, I've got two new stories to share that I'm pretty sure you'll like:

Great bloggy friend M Pax (love that name) has just put out #3 in her Backworlds series. I got to edit the very first one, and I can tell you, it is awesome!

I don't normally read space opera, and I was hooked, pulled in, and cheering for Craze (the main character) by story's end. That book, The Backworlds, is FREE, so run get (link)!

The new book is Boomtown Craze, and it sounds like another great installment. Here's the poop:

On Amazon

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans.

Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com.

MP!

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website/Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads ~ LinkedIN ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ Wattpad

And until March 22, you can enter to WIN! a set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze (US only), OR! a choice of five ebooks (open internationally). Click here to enter!

The second book is by bloggy friend Lisa Gail Green (link). It's not out yet, but here's the lovely cover and information:

Tricked into slavery by the man she loved, the Djinni Leela has an eternity to regret her choices.

Awakened in the prison of her adolescent body, she finds a new master in possession of the opal that binds her. But seventeen-year-old Jered is unlike any she’s seen. His kindness makes Leela yearn to trust again, to allow herself a glimmer of hope.

Could Jered be strong enough to free her from the curse of the Binding Stone?

Add it on Goodreads today!

Follow LG2 on Twitter.


Oh, and my giveaway's still going on! You can enter to win a signed print set of The Truth About Faking and The Truth About Letting Go at this (link)

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! I'm just over here sorting it out~ <3

A Party, Pressies, & A #WIN

Happy Friday, reader-friends!

What's this party, you say?

Well, I'll tell you, but first let me unveil the WINNER of Justine Dell's newest book All American Girl (link) from Monday.

We had 16 comments, and Random Number Generator picked #8! That would be.... *drum roll*

Summer Ross! Woo hoo! 

Yaaay, Summer!!!  *throws confetti*

HUGE congrats, girl. And remember, Justine's event with pressies is still happening on her blog (link). You could win a copy of The Truth About Letting Go and several other great books!

Now, for the partay here!

The Truth About Letting Go (link) is off to a great start--THANK YOU so much for your support!

On Amazon

Today marks the kick-off of my Big Promo Blitz in which many book bloggers will help me spread the news, give excerpts from the book, post information about how I wrote it, the story behind the story...

It's running until March 22, and there will be lots of fun events. But for the Big Present, and I'm having a Grand Prize Giveaway for the whole thing...

It's a signed, print set of The Truth About Faking (link) AND The Truth About Letting Go (US only). 

For international entrants, I've added an ebook set--but anybody can win that, too!

Of course, I can't leave you guys out, so I've added the link to the entry form here (link), and I think most of you will find this one easy-peasy to enter, as we're already all hooked up on social media.

So hop on over if you want to join the fun, and have a super week-end, my lovelies! <3

SFINE & #WIN All American Girl!

Happy Monday, reader- and writer-friends! Can you believe it's March 4 already? shew!

Quick The Truth About Letting Go (link) Update:

A HUGE Thank You! to everyone who's bought, read, reviewed, and helped spread the word about my new book! ((HUGS))

Print copies are now available on Createspace (link) & Amazon (link)!

Get me!

And remember, even a short, sweet review on Amazon and Goodreads helps your favorite authors! Here are the links if you'd like to leave one:

Amazon | Goodreads

I've got a HUGE promotional blitz starting Friday. This is "outside the pond" marketing, so it's mostly book bloggers.

But! I'll be giving away ebook copies of The Truth About Letting Go, and a GRAND PRIZE signed, print set of Letting Go + The Truth About Faking (US only). I'll post a link to the giveaway once it's live if you're interested.

So what's SFINE, you ask?

Check it out!

Well, it's a BIG, FREE independent authors event happening in San Francisco June 15! Basically, you come out, meet your favorite authors, and get them to sign your books...

Who's going to be there? Coleen Hoover, Nyrae Dawn, Jolene Perry, Steph Campbell, Bethany Lopez, Jillian Dodd, moi...

And a bunch more really popular independent authors.

Click here to go to the official website that lists everybody!

Also! They have an online store for the event. So if you're planning to go, pre-order your books and have them waiting for you when you arrive! (This is really super convenient for us authors, so definitely use it if you're going.)

Now to #WIN All American Girl!

Great writer-friend Justine Dell has just released All American Girl (link)! I read her first book, Recaptured Dreams (link), and it was great! I'm sure this one is, too!

Today Justine's here with her casting couch AND a chance for one lucky commenter to #WIN All American Girl! Take it away, Justine~

Greetings! Thank you all for stopping by today. *grins like a maniac* I’ve got the wonderful of honor of doing my very own Casting Couch for All-American Girl. *squee*

I swear, I think this is one of the most fun things about writing a book—deciding who would play the characters!

Here’s my A-list movie production cast members:

Jenny

First up, Jenny, Samantha’s dear friend from New York. She’s quirky, fun, yet she can be serious (to keep Samantha grounded. Played by Katie Cassidy.

Next we have Candice, Samantha’s dear friend from years past. Candice is also the sister of Samantha’s love interest, Lance. Her personality is caring; she seems to always being moving quickly, but calmly. She’s got big plans but doesn’t quite know how to put everything together. I think Anne Hathaway is perfect for her!

Candice

Dorothy

Next up is Samantha’s Grandmother, Dorothy. Dorothy played a huge role in Samantha’s past and she’s one of the reasons Samantha must put her life back on track. Dorothy is wise, thoughtful, and she still has a nice touch of humor and sarcasm. Perfect for Fionnula Flanagan.

Ava

Samantha has as stepdaughter, Ava, from a previous marriage, who she thinks about often during her growth through the story. Ava is only 5, full of heart and fun-loving. Baliee Madison would play her perfectly. (Bailee is 13 now, so we would have to rewind her years a little…lol)

Jax

Lance, the hero of the story, has his own son, Jax. This little guy is 5, full of energy, loves to talk about dinosaurs! He’s also got some nice manners, thanks to his dad. *wink* Davis Cleveland would be perfect! (Again, though, we’d have to rewind his years a bit).

Finally, we come around to Samantha. She’s a heroine with a long history of life problems. She struggles with her emotions and strives to be the strong and beautiful woman everyone wants her to be.

Samantha

There are times she’s hateful and mean, but you can see the glimmer of love and hope beneath her eyes. For that reason, I think Amy Adams would play her perfectly. She could be the cold Samantha, and still make you love her. It helps that she already has that beautiful auburn hair and green eyes. And she could be the thoughtful Samantha, making you love her even more.

And LASTLY…we come to the hero, Lance. *swoon* Ahem, sorry. I love him.

Lance

Lance is stubborn, but smart.  Strong, but wonderfully soft. A dedicated father who’s had his own life battles. Never one to turn away from a challenge…oh, and he’s loved Sam since high school. He owns a construction company, so he’s big, with that sexy rough-and-tumble type look. *drools*

Uh…where was I? Oh, yes…Lance. Let me get to the picture before I lose all train of thought.

The PERFECT man for this part is Chris Hemsworth. Period.  

And there we are! The cast that makes up All-American Girl. Simply perfect. ;-) I do hope you’ll check it out to match these wonderful people with their wonderful characters!

All American Girl

by Justine Dell

At the age of thirty, with two failed marriages and a tanking writing career, Samantha Moore deals with the world with the only tool she had left: anger. And she’s tired of it. When her grandmother's near-death sends her rushing back home to Vermont, she hopes for the chance to overcome the rage ruling her life.

Once she’s home, Lance Cummings becomes a constant source of indigestion. Lance is a single father who learned first-hand the devastating effects of a damaging relationship. He sees through Samantha’s nasty temper—straight to her cry for help. He wants to help her, but he also wants to know why Samantha ran from him—and their future—twelve years before.

Taking care of her Grams, dealing with an alcoholic brother, and getting Lance to remove his annoyingly attractive nose from her business is draining on Samantha. And she’s only got three weeks to finish her stagnated novel or her publisher will drop her. No pressure. To top it off, pretending to hate the man she actually loves makes each day in Vermont harder than the last. Especially when Lance turns up the heat.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Omnific

Justine Dell  lives in the Midwest, happily catering to her family, which consists of a horse-obsessed teenage daughter, four dogs, and a husband who is too good to be true. She's never moved from her hometown, but hopes to grow old in a much warmer climate.

During the day she works a normal job with college students who try their best to keep her young. They've done a good job thus far. At night, said teenage daughter and her horse require mounds of love and attention. The weekends belong solely to her and her writing. That's when she morphs into a sticky bug, unable to leave the confines of her computer chair.

She started writing four years ago after seeing a movie that set off a chain reaction she couldn't have stopped if she'd wanted. It's not a hobby for her; it's an obsession. One she loves and one she loves to share. Her debut book, Recaptured Dreams and her newest release, All-American Girl, are available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever book are sold.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Book Trailer

Random Number Generator will choose one lucky commenter to #WIN a copy of All American Girl. Winner will be announced here on Friday.

And hop over to Justine's Blog (link), where you can enter to #WIN a copy of The Truth About Letting Go and several other great prizes!

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! <3