2014 Recap

2014 has been a life changing and productive year…just not as much so for my writing. I moved into a new home, bought a new car, visited the great state of Alaska, and worked hard on transforming my health. Overall a lot to be proud of.

My biggest personal transformation was my health focus I began during the first quarter of the year. I hadn’t done much in the way of exercising over the past ten years due to chronic injuries. In March I became inspired to try yoga, and have been doing it 2-3 times a week ever since. It has allowed me to gain some strength that I couldn’t do with weightlifting anymore. To accompany my new exercise regime, I worked hard at transforming my diet. I went through several phases throughout the year as I read several recommended books on nutrition. Out of everything I read, my new optimal diet can be summed up simply as a whole food plant based diet. Now I’m not 100% (especially with the holidays in full swing), but I try to maintain 80-90%. I’m still caffeine free and my alcohol consumption has been greatly reduced, along with all junk food. My results for the year have been losing 30 pounds, knocking 60 points off my total cholesterol, while maintaining ideal numbers on the rest of my blood work results. I feel good and I know I’ll feel better in the long run, so I’m committed to keep this up for life.

 My writing has not fared so well this year, but I still made some progress with my young adult series. My writing New Year’s goals for this past year were to finish Book 3 and the 1st draft of Book 4. Well, I finished Book 3, but I’m only about 1/4 of the way through my first draft of Book 4. I had hoped to get much of it written over the past two months, but the holidays have really pushed back my schedule. Since I’m writing both books back to back, I now plan on releasing them at or about the same time, hopefully by early summer 2015. I’ll also be rereleasing the first two books with new covers and fresh edits. I’ve already received the new covers for Provex City and SUSY Asylum, and I absolutely love them. For 2015, I plan to have the entire Lorne family Vault released and release one new novel, along with becoming more consistent with my blog and online presence. It's going to be a busy year, but I'm determined to continue moving forward. It's time to reignite the fire for writing.

What are your goals for the new year? What are your plans for the holidays? Have a very merry Christmas and safe New Year. Each new year brings fresh opportunities and I’m excited to see what 2015 offers up.

Charter to Redemption Teaser Tour

I'm excited to host a teaser tour stop for Charter to Redemption by D.J. Blackmore. Charter to Redemption is a historical fiction novel that is now available for sale.

About Charter to Redemption by D.J. Blackmore:

At the close of 1821, the penal colony of Newcastle looks to be every bit as black as it's painted. Emma Colchester charters a ride to Australia with a promise of marriage to a man she has never met. But appearances aren't always as they seem. And with a commitment unavoidable Emma learns that shackles are not always forged from iron. Tobias Freeman longs for redemption and hope. After a rough journey to New South Wales, Tobias learns the rations, the regulations, and the reprisal. But neither Emma nor Tobias expect the repercussions.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Britain’s penal colony of Newcastle is as cruel as it is beautiful. With a pledge to marry a man she has never met, Emma sons learns that appearance can deceive, and that shackles are not always forged in iron. Tobias Freeman is anything but what his name suggests. As a convict awaiting ‘his majesty’s pleasure’, he realises he has no rights, especially concerning Emma Colchester. When the unexpected happens, neither Emma nor Tobias bargain on the repercussions.

Excerpt:

The man she thought was the commandant led her down the garden path and clicked shut the white picket gate behind them. Emma glanced up hesitantly and her hand shot to her mouth to still her gasp of surprise.

‘You’re alive.’
‘Aye,’ he nodded, ‘for now, at least.’
‘The commandant?’
‘He is otherwise occupied with a convict who has nothing to do on a Saturday night other than hide in the bushes.’

‘What are you doing wearing his clothes?’ Emma whispered as she glanced back at the manse. Laughter tinkled through the open windows like silverware on china.

‘I am about to take the air with the landed gentry’s niece, and it was hardly fitting, miss, that I should be in the garb of a government man when one such as you appeared before me.’

Emma felt herself colour deeply at the audacious compliment. She looked up in sudden breathless nervousness. Emma saw his eyes glitter and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered madly at the consequences of being in the company of a convict; both for her and him.

‘As a gentleman you should be aware of the fact that a young lady is first asked before being led down the garden path by a perfect stranger.’

The convict swept her a gracious bow and displayed a military bearing that looked as though it had been born to him.

‘But then, miss, I am neither perfect nor a stranger, and certainly no gentleman. I’ve no more chivalry than most of the soldiers in the barracks.’

‘You forget yourself I believe, sir. You cannot know any of the regiment, for you have been here no longer than I.’

‘I heard enough in the garden to know you were destined as the sweets course, that’s for sure.’ Emma frowned at the coarse insinuation.

‘Considering that I am betrothed to Officer Quinn, I hardly imagine that the commandant had any such thing on his mind.’

‘Aye, then perhaps it was not undisguised lust I saw on his face.’

Emma flushed with indignation at his words. ‘I wonder if your thoughts are somewhat the same sir, for the appraising eyes you fix on me have an altogether familiar stare.’

‘I beg your pardon, miss. I never realised I was staring.’ They stood silent for a moment.
‘Can you waltz?’ the convict asked.
‘You are asking me to dance?’

‘That I am,’ he said with a bow from the waist.

Emma took the hand held out to her, but glanced away from the parsonage, away from Gideon Quinn who stood at the open door. She could not see his features, but she could make out the indecision in his stance. Would he cut in on her dancing partner in displeasure? Yet he mustn’t have seen the commandant as a rival,because after a moment’s thought he retreated. Emma had feared he would surely see through this man’s disguise.As the strain of the single violin reached them, he took her in his arms and began to sway in time to the music. Emma noted that the convict’s movements were both strong and fluid.

‘I will say nothing against you,’ she said.

He nodded.
‘Aye, I know.’
‘What you are doing is folly, to say the least.’ She said. He didn’t justify his actions, so Emma continued.

‘Do you know what will happen to you if you’re caught?’

‘Aye, I do.’ For the first time Emma saw him smile. She was surprised to see that his teeth were strong and white, even as she wondered at his apparent unconcern.

‘It’s been a while since I danced,’ he admitted, and Emma stared at him, slightly open-mouthed. ‘And it’s nothing short of boring in a cottage with Kevin.’

About the Author:

D. J. Blackmore is a Hunter Valley, New South Wales author, born and raised. Her convict heritage

and love of history have seen the author explore this in 'Charter to Redemption.' Yet is is perhaps Australian dogged determination has seen this debut author as a new name in fiction. Although amazon reviews reflect her work, it is pertinent to note that the author's story is not unique, although her journey in writing has been. Numerous rejections never daunted the author, and many years after her dream was envisaged, so was the reality. Yet for all the countless doubts that niggle every writer who has lived in hope, it is humbling praise indeed when reviewer F. Stanford writes of 'Charter to Redemption' and Ms Blackmore's work: "this could very well be the benchmark for the standard of modern-day classics."

D. J. Blackmore is currently working on the sequel, 'Consider the Ravens.'

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway:

Two copies of Charter to Redemption 

Open to US, Canada, UK and Australia

a Rafflecopter giveaway

IWSG Wednesday: November Rain

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

I've finally begun writing again, but it's slow going. Starting is always the hardest thing for me, getting back into the rhythm of daily writing. One week would go by...then two...then three...and I'd still have nothing written down. I can now say that is no longer the case, but I'm far from a novel length. I had hoped to finish my first draft by year's end, but my schedule is shot to hell at this point. Though I'm trying not to be discouraged. I gave myself a deadline, but it isn't an end-of-the-world deadline. As long as I keep working toward my goal, I'll eventually get there.

Which leads me to my plan for finishing my YA series. I plan on releasing the last two books in quick succession. It's important to me to get this series finished so I can begin something new. I'll do some promotion once they're both ready to come out. With my current workload, I don't have the time to write and promote...my 1-2 hours a day doesn't stretch nearly as far as I'd like. It's frustrating, and even more frustrating when that frustration creeps into my writing time and undermines my productivity. All I can do is try to do better tomorrow. Tomorrow is another chance with a clean slate.

Well, it is November and I know many of you have begun your NaNo projects. 50,000 words in a month is my Everest! One day I'll reach it. Good luck to all of you taking the challenge. I'll continue plugging away to increase my word count and trying not to get distracted by too many holiday treats.

Teaser Tour: Lady Firebird by Orren Merton

Today we have a teaser tour for Lady Firebird to celebrate the release that it's now available for sale! This is a young adult urban fantasy series and this is book two in the Sedumen Chronicles.

Let's see if this news report piques your interest...

News Report from Cambridge, Massachusetts

Carla: This is Carla Hennington from WGBC in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the scene what will no doubt have repercussions far outside the greater Boston area; indeed, this may change everything we know, or think we know, about the universe in which we live.

I'm standing here with Laura Meeks, a junior at John Adams High School. Laura, can you tell me what you saw?

Laura: It was crazy. Some huge guy with, like, two bears or wolves or something grabbed this blond girl—I think she was a sophomore—who was walking home. She started screaming, my buddy Bruce and I were thinking we should do something, when we heard that girl, Lady Firebird, start yelling—

Carla: Can you describe the girl, Laura?

Laura: Oh, yeah. She was off the charts! Her hair and eyes were on fire, her skin was like leather or stone or something, I dunno, hard, you know? And she ran right at the kidnapper and his wolves, swinging her huge curved sword—it had blue flames.

Carla: The man responded?

Laura: Oh man, he sicked his wolves on her. Then Lady Firebird, like, opened up a rip in the air or something—it was crazy—and her wolves started coming out. The wolves fought, she fought the guy, but he cut her open and he and his wolves got away with the girl. It was intense—and really sad.

Carla: And that's when you and your friends aided—

Laura: Lady Firebird, yeah. I walked up, and she talked to us, that's how I know her name. Here, Bruce, why don't you...

Carla: Bruce Williams, ladies and gentleman, another eye witness. Bruce, why don't you tell us what happened from here.

Bruce: Thank you, Ms. Hennington. Yeah, um, we approached Lady Firebird, me first. She was hurt bad, but she could still talk. She told us what to do—we took her blade, and, like, waved it in the air like she said. It made like a slice in the air, and we couldn't see into it or through it, it was all black. I'd never seen—or done—anything like that.

Laura: Some other guys on the scene from John Adams dragged her wolf over, and they all were pulled through the hole in the air by these huge ape hands or something.

Carla: Were you scared?

Laura: Oh my God you have no idea.

Bruce: The whole thing was so intense! We were like...how could this be real? But there it was, in front of us. Some huge monster dude and his wolf kidnapped a girl from my school...it was crazy. But Lady Firebird tried to save her, and said she was going to bring her home.

Laura: Yeah, I hope she's okay, and she can bring that poor girl home. I can't imagine...

Carla: We're all praying for the victim of this horrible crime, absolutely. What a terrifying event. Were you two afraid, not just of the kidnapper, but of the mysterious flaming swordswoman?

Bruce: Were we scared of Lady Firebird?

Laura: I mean, sure, she was scary and all, but I think she was after that kidnapper, you know? She was trying to help.

Carla: We all hope so, that's for sure. Bruce, Laura, thank you both. And I'm Carla Hennington from WGHC, on the scene in Cambridge. For more on this breaking story we return to our Boston studio.

 About Lady Firebird:

Alexandra Gold leads two lives. 

In a universe filled with powerful spirit beings, she is the half human, half-demon Lady Firebird of the House of Keroz. She stopped Dirk Raum from murdering humans whose fresh souls he fed the House of Raum. This won her the respect of some but the enmity of others.

On Earth, she appears to be like every other eighteen-year old girl, but she longs to step forward as Lady Firebird, and let people know that she will protect them—but she worries that once people see her flaming hair, eyes, and long fangs, she will terrify those she wants to help. When Dirk returns and starts a kidnapping spree as part of his plan to conquer both universes, Alex races to the rescue. 

She is ready to meet the challenge; but is the world ready to meet Lady Firebird?

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author:

Orren Merton started writing fantasy and science fiction at an embarrassingly young age, mostly for his own

amusement. In high school, he listened to a lot of dark and moody rock, which inspired him to pick up guitar and start playing up and down California in a few bands, culminating in his Industrial rock group Ember After releasing their debut album, Grasping At Straws, and subsequently The Misery EP.  During that time, magazines, developers, and corporations began to pay him to write and edit music software related articles, manuals, and  books. Since then he has written the urban fantasy novel The Deviant and the science fiction novel Skye Entity before working on his current series of YA novels. He lives in Southern California with his family, pets, collection of sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia, and curiously large stuffed animal collection.

Website |  Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

5 ebook copies of Lady Firebird by Orren Merton (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

IWSG Wednesday: Fall Back

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

Where did this summer go? I’ve had a much busier summer than originally planned because my wife and I made a last minute decision to move around the middle of July. We had been talking about it for over a year, but it never seemed like the right time. When a larger townhouse in our association came on the market, we made the firm decision that it was time. And everything moved very quickly from there, and we were able to purchase the townhouse that had convinced us it was time to move. This was my first experience with buying and selling a home simultaneously, and it was more stressful than I’d anticipated. But with all the stress and headaches of the past two months, we are finally settling into our new home and free of our old one.

In the middle of this buying and selling process, we had a large family vacation planned (booked nearly a year ago). Of course our one big vacation for the year would coincide with our home buying. But nevertheless, it was a great experience (I won’t say relaxing…but a great experience). We spent a few days in Seattle and then boarded the Carnival Miracle for an Alaskan cruise. Besides the beautiful scenery and wonderful food, what made this vacation so special was that parents and sibling from both sides of the family had signed up to come with us, some family members flying in from around the country. It will be an experience that I’ll always cherish because who knows when all of us will vacation together again. I've included a few of our billion photos below--two from Seattle and two from Alaska.

So this is where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to for the past two months. The hardest thing for me when my routine’s been disrupted, is starting it back up, falling back into the groove and rebuilding that momentum. I’ve been outlining my fourth and final book for the Lorne Family Vault series over the past few weeks, but it’s been hard to find the time and energy with all the unpacking and little home improvement projects (I’m not handy enough to take on big projects). But I gave myself a goal of starting the manuscript at the beginning of this month and I intend to keep it. It’s time to get back into writing mode. I intend to have a first draft finished by the end of the year. So I’ve got three months. I’ve never finished a first draft so fast, but if I remain focused and keep to my weekly goals, I believe I can. Cheers--with a pumpkin latte (decaf)--to the best season of the year.

A Stop in the Sidelined Blog Tour: Kyra's Writing Process

I'm thrilled to welcome Kyra Lennon to my blog today for one of her many stops on the Sidelined blog tour. I'm always fascinated with the writing processes of other authors, so I've asked Kyra to share hers. Be sure to enter the giveaway below and pick up your copy of Sidelined! Thank you, Kyra, for stopping by, and now my blog is yours...

When Michael asked me about my writing process, my immediate thought was to panic! Because, while I think most other writers do have a real, defined writing process, I am more a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of writer.

I have a confession. I loathe writing the first draft of a new story. People often give me strange looks when I admit this – which is why I don’t usually do it, but now you all know! The first draft, for many people, is when the ideas are flowing and the words just pour out onto the page, waiting to be tidied up. For me, every single word fights me in the first draft. It’s like the ideas are so used to waiting inside my head to be written, they refuse to be dragged out of their cocoon. I like to think of it as being similar to giving birth to a really stubborn baby!

A first draft for me will usually take at least two months, if not more. I am envious of people who can fling out a first draft in a couple of weeks – I’d get a lot more done if I was one of those people.

What I love most about the writing process is the editing. I love to polish, and make the sloppy words all nice and shiny, and ready for people to read. For unknown reasons, this part happens a lot faster than the first draft. I suspect this is because I can’t help editing as I write – so there is less to do at the end. I do TRY to just write the first draft without stopping but the only time I’ve managed it is during NaNoWriMo. Maybe I need to do more of that!

What is YOUR writing process like? Are you a fast first-drafter? 

Blurb: At the age of twenty-one, Bree Collinson has more than she ever dreamed of. A handsome husband, a fancy house, and more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos combined. But having everything handed to her isn’t the way Bree wants to live the rest of her life. When an idea to better herself pops into her head, she doesn’t expect her husband to question her, and keep her tied by her apron strings to the kitchen.

Isolated and unsure who to turn to, Bree finds herself falling back into a dangerous friendship, and developing feelings for the only person who really listens to her. Torn between her loyalty to her husband and her attraction to a man who has the perfect family she always wanted, she has some tough choices to make.

While Bree tries to figure out what she wants, a tragedy rocks the Westberg Warriors, triggering some dark memories, and pushing her to take a look at what’s really important.

Buy Links: Amazon UK/ Amazon US/B&N/iBookstore

About the Author:

Kyra is a self-confessed book-a-holic, and has been since she first learned to read. When she's not reading, you'll usually find her hanging out in coffee shops with her trusty laptop and/or her friends, or girling it up at the nearest shopping mall.

Kyra grew up on the South Coast of England and refuses to move away from the seaside which provides massive inspiration for her novels. Her debut novel, Game On (New Adult Contemporary Romance), was released in July 2012, and she scored her first Amazon Top 20 listing with her New Adult novella, If I Let You Go.

Find Kyra online: Website/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Goodreads/Join My Mailing List

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Cover Reveal: How to be Manly by Maureen O'Leary Wanket

 

We're excited to be among the first to see, and to share, the brand new book How to Be Manly by Maureen O'Leary Wanket coming September 2014 from Giant Squid Books. How to Be Manly is a Young Adult Contemporary novel. The cover art is by Jillian Blazek at JillianBlazek.com. 

"When you start this program, your whole life will change."

When Fatty Matty Sullivan finds a self-help book by former football great Tad Manly at a yard sale, he secretly starts following the old pro’s advice to turn himself into the kind of guy super hot Cassie Bale will love.

But between taking care of his grandfather, trying to pass remedial Algebra, and getting caught up in his friend Jester’s half-bakedweed-dealing schemes, Matt’s summer isn’t quite the game-changer he’d planned. And when on top of it all his dad moves back in with his own plans to get rich quick, Matt suddenly has much bigger things to worry about. It turns out that there might be more to being manly than he thought.With the humor and insight of YA favorites Judy Blume and Louis Sachar Maureen O’Leary Wanket’s debut is a sharp, comic novel about trying to do the right thing...even when you’re not sure what that is.

Goodreads | Giant Squid Books & How to Be Manly

About the Author:

Maureen O’Leary Wanket is a writer and teacher living in Sacramento, California with her husband and two daughters. How To Be Manly is inspired by the humor and courage of the students she’s met in her classrooms over the past twenty years.

Maureen's short stories have appeared in Esopus, Xenith,Fiction at Work, Blood and Thunder, Musings on the Art of Medicine and Prick of the Spindle. How To Be Manly is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @maureenow.

Giveaway:

Giveaway of one paperback Advanced Reading Copy of How to Be Manly (US)
and 3 eARCs of How to Be Manly (INT)

Giveaway courtesy of Giant Squid Books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

IWSG Wednesday: Doria Falls is Done!

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally have a completed manuscript of my third novel, Doria Falls, Book 3 in the Lorne Family Vault. I wrote the final words on Wednesday of last week, and over the weekend finished my first round of editing. My beta readers will dive into it over the next few weeks as I begin the next round of editing. Hopefully, I can hand it over to my editor by the end of the month.

Even though this book took me a few months longer than I had hoped, I’m proud with how it turned out. I don’t want to kick myself too much for my sporadic daily word counts and celebrate the steady progress of one more novel under my belt. Doria Falls is a big change from the two previous books, especially SUSY Asylum. Clocking in at a slim 75,000 words (slim by comparison), Doria Falls is a very streamlined novel. The story within Provex City took place over several months, SUSY Asylum over several weeks, and Doria Falls over several days. It picks up exactly where SUSY Asylum left off—to the minute. Now I need to write a blurb for it, which is not something I’m looking forward to.

Along with editing and formatting, I am beginning to plan for the fourth and final book in the series. This will be my first experiment with a thorough, scene-by-scene outline. Hopefully, this will help my productivity during the writing process and maximize the limited time I can devote to my novel each day. My plan is to begin writing by the beginning of September and have a finished first draft by the end of the year. This series will always mean a lot to me, but I’ve reached the point where I just want to get it done and begin something completely new. It’s time to finish up and move on, allowing a whole new chapter in my writing career to begin.

IWSG Wednesday: Energy to Start the Day!

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

Sometimes the best thing one can do to move forward is to take a step back. I've done precisely that over the past few months. Last month I spoke about being paralyzed with my writing in April and turning to editing in order to stay productive. I was looking forward to May as being the month I'd complete my third manuscript. And I have been writing, but haven't produced the word count I'd originally intended for the past month.

Now to discuss my step back to help propel me to where I want to be. I've been actively writing for six years, spending a lot of free time in front of the computer screen. Over the past three years, my life has changed dramatically due to family additions and a career change that has more than cut my free time in half. Giving up writing is not an option, but if I want to succeed in the long term, then I need to find ways to accomplish more in less time, to become more efficient as a writer and as an entrepreneur, and to refuel myself with energy, passion, and momentum.

Energy--or better yet, the lack there of--has been a major issue for quite a few years. I've equated my dwindling energy to just getting older and counteracted it with drinking more coffee. I hit a tipping point where the coffee wasn't giving me that needed boost anymore, just continual heartburn. So my first major shift was getting off caffeine entirely. That was a year and a half ago. I had hoped my energy would slowly return from conquering my addiction, but that wasn't the case. My energy continued to dwindle as competing priorities kept building. My emotions were suffering. My writing was suffering. And my vision for my future as a full time writer seemed to be fading away if I wasn't committed to making some even bigger changes.

And the first big change I had to make was making a commitment to myself to regain the energy that's been so steadily slipping away. I could work to improve all of my writing routines and obligations, force myself to get up earlier, go to bed later, push my word count, and maximize any free time I could find, but none of those changes would last if I didn't have the energy to even get out of bed in the morning. I had to take a step back.

Over the past two months I've committed to a new exercise routine and healthy nutritional plan. The first few weeks were hard, but as I began to feel better, see some results, and noticed my energy returning to a level I haven't felt in years, the commitment became drastically easier. I can't remember a time when I could get up at 5am and feel refreshed, but I feel that on most mornings now (especially on the ones when I exercise first thing). To do this, I've had to take time away from writing, but with the remaining time I do have to write is now more productive. I can appreciate it more. I can see my vision returning.

I'm still writing. And I have many improvements still to make to reach my goals. But this one has been an important first step. One step back and two steps forward.

Cover Reveal for The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton

Today we are excited to share the cover process via images and the final cover for the middle grade fantasy The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton.  The book is scheduled for release on June 21st, 2014.

The cover artist has provided us with the images to show the process of creating the cover.

 These three concept images were the first pictures David created for The Summer Sacrifice. Thumbnail A evoked the atmosphere of a mysterious fantasy, B gave the impression of a teenage classic, and C was more poetic in tone. Holly settled on a mixture of A and B as the basis for David to start constructing the final cover.

These drawings were 'speed-painted' by David. They are rough in nature as their purpose was to help decide the cover's general colour scheme.

David drew a detailed sketch of the friendship group. He used this as a guide for the final painting of the group on the cover. He kept the 'camera' low, almost on the floor, to make the characters look more heroic and the serpent bonfire bigger. He worked to get a sense of wind into the image to give it an outdoor feeling and to add dynamism, and also to break up the composition's symmetry.

David paid great attention to working out the many light sources in the painting, and particularly how they would interact with the faces and bodies of the five central characters. There is a strong backlight from the fire, a mix of bounced lights from the environment, and diffuse bluish light from the sky.

This version of the cover is close to the final one. The serpent and the title still required small changes, and David also did some other general polishing, including painting the moon's glow onto the vines and leaves framing the picture, and adding the stars.

This screenshot shows the front, back and spine of the cover from inside Krita, the open-source software David uses to create his work.

The final cover for the paperback.

The final cover for the ebook.

Book Description: Three hundred years ago, the Great Goddess sent a storm to destroy mankind. She nearly succeeded. One island survived. These days, the Goddess stops the spread of evil by sacrificing the Island’s rotten teenage souls. Or so the story goes... . When Jamie Tuff survives her Taking, she thinks her worst nightmares are behind her. But then her soul starts wandering into other people’s bodies, and she discovers that the Island harbours a deadly secret. Now, she must save her little world from a fate worse than—well, worse than what the Goddess has already done to it. Join Jamie Tuff and friends on their adventures through land, sea and sky, in a world where stars walk and Halfhawks fly.

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

About the Cover Designer:
David Revoy (nickname Deevad), is a french artist living in the south of France.  He has more than 10 years of experience working remotely as a freelancer. His skills and expertise includes illustration, art-direction, concept-art and teaching. In short: he's a 2D artist (he uses drawing, painting, digital painting techniques) and paints custom artworks for books, posters, board-games, video-games and movies. His clients are located all around the world.

Since 2009 he has painted using only free and open-source software. He uses Krita, Mypaint, and Gimp on Linux. This technical choice doesn't affect compatibility with his clients: he still provides industry standards and can work or open any regular files.

He can be followed on Google+, Twitter, Tumblr or deviantArt.

Visit him at: http://www.davidrevoy.com/

About the Author:

Holly grew up in a small, sleepy village in Suffolk. The acting bug hit her at age nine, when she was asked to play Baboushka in the school nativity. That same year she played the lead role of a naughty black poodle in a pet parlour themed ballet, and she thought she had made it. Years passed, but the acting bug didn’t. She went to Goldsmiths, University of London to study Drama, after which she completed her actor training at Arts Ed.

Writing a book was never part of the plan. But life’s full of swerves and surprises and ideas dropping into people’s heads. Holly had an idea drop into hers, and that idea became The Summer Sacrifice, and The Summer Sacrifice became the first book of the Master Game Series.

For more information please visit:  http://www.hollyhinton.com/
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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

A is for Apocalypse Cover Reveal

 Welcome to the cover reveal for A is for Apocalypse, an anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish.

Often bleak, sometimes hopeful, always thoughtful, if A is for Apocalypse is as prescient as it is entertaining, we're in for quite a ride.” - Amanda C. Davis, author of The Lair of the Twelve Princesses

What do you get when you take twenty-six amazing writers, randomly assign them a letter of the alphabet and give them complete artistic freedom within a theme?

A is for Apocalypse

A is for Apocalypse contains twenty-six apocalyptic stories written by both well-known and up-and-coming writers. Monsters, meteors, floods, war–the causes of the apocalypses in these tales are as varied as the stories themselves.

This volume contains work by Ennis Drake, Beth Cato, Kenneth Schneyer, Damien Angelica Walters, K. L. Young, Marge Simon, Milo James Fowler, Simon Kewin, C.S. MacCath, Steve Bornstein and more!

A is for Apocalypse

Edited by Rhonda Parrish

Poise and Pen Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-0993699016

ISBN-10: 0993699014

Cover Designed by Jonathan Parrish

Editors Website | Goodreads | A is for Apocalypse Mailing List

To celebrate we have a Q&A for you with some of the contributors!

{INSERT ONE Q&A}

Blurbs:

“Editor Rhonda Parrish gives us apocalyptic fiction at its finest. There's not a whimper to be heard amongst these twenty-six End of the World stories. A wonderful collection.” -Deborah Walker, Nature Futures author.

Editor Bio:

“Rhonda Parrish is a shapeshifter with talents to match her every incarnation- magpie tenacity for picking the shiniest submissions, nightingale notes for crafting tales, and bright, feline eyes for seeking out her photographic subjects. She balances on the knife-edge of darkness and light, a sorceress of both realms.” - Sara Cleto

Giveaway:

Three ARC copies of  A is for Apocalypse. These are physical copies but I am willing to ship them to anywhere in the world. The Rafflecopter draw will run from May 12th to May 19th. On May 20th I will choose three winners and email them in order to get their shipping address. Anyone who doesn’t respond by May 27th will forfeit their prize and I will choose a new winner to receive it.

Fill out the rafflecopter to enter.
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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

IWSG Wednesday: Change Gears, Regroup, and Move Forward

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

I know many of you have spent the past month in the April A to Z challenge. For those who did, I remember how challenging, yet rewarding it was. I hope you enjoyed it. You deserve an blogging break.

I took my blogging break this past month, planning to spend it writing with the goal of finishing my WIP's first draft. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I let my insecurities get the best of me, and had a difficult time getting new words down on the page. I also saw where my initial planning failed me, by reaching a point where I had no idea how to get from point A to B, wasting a lot of time (including designated writing time) trying to figure it out.

For my next book, I plan to write a more detailed outline to try and improve my writing process. For my first two books, I wrote a very basic outline and then "went with the flow," creatively went where the story took me The process was romantic and worked relatively well for those books. With my increased work schedule and family demands, the need has never been greater for me to budget my time wisely, and with that, I'm seeing my creative flow approach is not the most efficient process. And I need to become more efficient as a writer and self publishing entrepreneur.

Instead of wasting my whole month in a paralyzed state, I shifted gears and edited what I had written instead. Editing can be often times tedious and frustrating, but I found it refreshing in this case. I had become so frustrated with my writing paralysis that editing provided a win.

With the first two-thirds of my manuscript now decently edited (just by me thus far), I'm ready to finish the adventure, getting Oliver one step closer to the end of his journey.   

Miss Mabel's School for Girls by Katie Cross

Let's welcome Katie Cross to my blog to celebrate the release of her YA fantasy, Miss Mabel's School for Girls, which releases March 27th, 2014!

For me, writing a book involved a lot of staring at a computer screen, slapping the delete button, pulling my
hair out, and Pinterest.

Oh, yes. You heard right. Pinterest.

The power of Pinterest comes from the images. I always find photos that I want to remember and have access to, so I pin them to a board for later reference. So, I thought to myself, Hey, I'm releasing my first book, Miss Mabel's School for Girls. Why don't I give the readers something to look at in anticipation of the book?

So instead of a boring interview where I talk about how great I am, I'm here today to take you on a visual tour to give you a few ideas of what you can expect to find in this exciting new young adult fantasy novel, Miss Mabel's School for Girls.

Wrought iron fence:
There's a wrought iron fence around the outside of the ancient manor that is Miss Mabel's School for Girls much like this one. It's known for creaking in the wind.

Potions bottles:
Potion bottles hold oh-so-many possibilities. Witches love potions, and the witches in Miss Mabel's School

for Girls are no exception. These particular bottles contain a variety of spices and herbs, all of which you can win during the launch giveaway March 27th-30th!

Peacock feather:
Miss Mabel loves peacock feathers. They represent beauty and vanity: her two favorite virtues.

Green mossy tree:
Miss Mabel's School is located in Letum Wood, a lush, expansive forest that hides many secrets. Some of these secrets catch up with Bianca Monroe, our sixteen-year-old heroine, in the dark of the night.

Trees/forest:
This is another view of Letum Wood as you'll expect to find it in the summer. It's lush, gorgeous, and a little on the dangerous side.

Old book photo:
A grimoire is a book filled with magical spells, a kind of magical diary passed through generations. This grimoire is available to win during the launch day giveaway! Head over to www.missmabels.com to find out how you can participate.

Hopefully these photos gave you an idea of the exciting adventure you'll find in Miss Mabel's School for Girls! Now, get your Pinterest on and start spreading the word! Visit www.missmabels.com to find out how to enter the giveaway and win lots of free stuff!

About the Book:

Never underestimate the power of a determined witch.

Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic.

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.

Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?

Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.

Website |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  Goodreads  | Amazon

About the Author:

My world revolves around my husband (who is a major hottie), my Vizsla's, and the mountains.

I wear hiking boots instead of heels when I need to feel powerful, and on a bad day, I love a weightlifting workout. Actually, I love it on a good day.

I don't eat bread because my thyroid doesn't like it, although there are days I miss it. Especially ciabatta. Sweet potatoes are kind of my thing. Cookies too.

I write because I never stopped.

Visit me at www.kcrosswriting.com

Giveaway:

Go to www.missmabels.com and click on the 'giveaway' tab for more information. Enter to win a potions chest, an apothecary bag of herbs and spices, an old spell book that opens to hide apothecary herbs, amazon gift cards, and more! The giveaway lasts from March 27th at 7am to March 30th at 10 pm

Mental Health Giveaway Hop!

March 20th to 27th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Reading in Twilight

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer a lucky winner the book that inspired me and numerous other new authors that it was possible to follow our passions. A key foundation to any type of success is belief--belief in yourself and what you are striving for is possible. As Henry Ford famously said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." Belief in the opportunity is the first step in making it a reality.

This book is my inspiration and needs no introduction...

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.
~Go to the entire Goodreads description of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling


Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter, signing up for my newsletter, or leaving a comment below.
3. This is open to international followers. (Only if The Book Depository ships to your country; please check this link to see if your country's included.)
4. This contest runs from March 20 - 27.
5. The winner will be selected on March 28th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 

***As the winner, if you are just dying to get another inspirational book, then you may substitute Harry Potter for another book of similar value from The Book Depository***

Thanks Again & Good Luck!

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Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

The Dragon's Egg by H. B. Bolton Cover Reveal

My name is Heidi Bolton, but I use my initials for my writing name, H.B. Bolton. I’m the author of the middle-grade fantasy series, Relics of Mysticus. The Dragon’s Egg (Book Three) is in the final stages of development and is almost ready for its May release date. Today I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my newest book cover with you.

Cover artist, Elisabeth Alba, offered an inside peek of her work’s progression through her photographs and commentary. I’m extremely fortunate to know this Scholastic Book illustrator and have had the privilege to benefit from her talents for all three of my covers. In fact, we’ve already started talking about The Mummy’s Amulet (Book Four).

I met Elisabeth about 14 years ago through one of my drawing classes. From her high school freshman year through senior year, she was one of my students (a favorite one, at that). I taught advanced-placement art, which was before having children of my own and creating worlds with unlikely heroes for my mythical stories.

Thank you, Elisabeth, for helping to bring my characters to life!

As a bonus, I’m offering a free eBook version of The Serpent’s Ring (Book One) through Amazon from March 10-13.
Grab it on Amazon!



~H.B. Bolton (Author)




Progression of a Book Cover Illustrator by Elisabeth Alba 

This is a progression of The Dragon’s Egg book cover from sketch to final drawing. Truth be told, I haven’t illustrated many multi-figure images before, and then add a ton of stuff happening around them, so I was in for a challenging composition — a fun challenge! You can see how I gradually worked out and tightened the image. In the beginning, I had planned to make the background darker but then realized if the glowing fog was everywhere, then it wouldn’t be so dark. It framed the floating castle better as well.
Once I figured out the drawing, which I did digitally, I worked on a color composition to figure out how I would paint it. This was an important step — especially since watercolor is really hard to fix if you make a mistake.

At this stage, I printed the line drawing onto watercolor paper and got to work. I painted with Dr. Ph. Martin’s Hydrus fine-art liquid watercolors to start. I painted the base color first, which in this case was greenish.

After painting more of the base colors, I decided to do some line work with pen and ink to solidify the shapes.

Once the base colors were done, I sealed the image with matte medium. The Hydrus watercolors can be difficult because they are not like normal watercolor. Once they’re down on paper, you can’t wipe them away, but sealing with matte medium helps them not to smear — which is nice! You can also see how my desk lamp caused some glare over the castle when I took the photo.
On top of the matte medium, I painted with acryla gouache to darken and saturate the colors, and to do any highlights like the edge lighting around the figures. Finally, once the painting was done, I sealed the entire image with Kamar varnish. It brought out the colors even more, because once the acryla gouache dried, it became matte and the colors faded some.

Once I scanned the image, I worked on any digital touch-ups (some things are hard to do in watercolor, like getting colors really dark, and also the colors sometimes don’t scan well). This was how it looked once scanned, before any touch-ups. It was a more faded and less vibrant version of the original painting. I also lost the highlights.

Finally, after all of the digital work was complete, the cover was ready for text.

For the typography, I added a dark-blue gradient around the edges to frame the image and help the text stand out. I’ve used the same font for all three books, but in this one, I replaced the “O” in “Dragon’s” with the actual Dragon’s Egg relic.


Official Blurb

The Dragon’s Egg (Book Three)

Sure, the glass castle floating over Evan’s head makes him uneasy, but that’s the least of his worries. With each step inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, he must battle against his worst nightmares. One after the other, wispy smoke-filled bull sharks come at him — he must remember they’re only illusions pulled from his imagination by those dreaded shadowlike hands. If only the vengeful dragon circling above was also an illusion and didn’t have his mind set on destroying the one person who can control him: Emrys.

Inside the castle’s glass tower, Emrys sleeps in an eternal slumber, and Evan’s uncertain whether he can save the great wizard. Especially now that Emrys’ former student, the Lady of the Lake, has joined forces with the cunning immortal Alamaz. Together they have already stolen the Dragon’s Egg, but their greed doesn’t end there. The Siren’s Pearl calls to them, and that means only one thing … Atlantis is in trouble.

Join Evan, Claire, and Dunkle — along with a few other unlikely heroes — as they travel across the realm of Medieval Legends, float through the Ancient Isle of Avalon, plunge inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, and be there when Atlantis rises once again.

You can see more artwork by Elisabeth Alba and keep up with her future creations through her sites:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Etsy store 

Elisabeth is a Queens-based illustrator whose work focuses on fairy tales, fantasy, and historical subjects. She earned her MFA in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her clients include Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. Elisabeth wants to thank Heidi for being the best high school art teacher ever, and setting her on the path to becoming an illustrator!

Connect with H.B. Bolton here:

Website |  Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon 

Giveaway:

Signed copies of The Serpent's Ring and The Trickster's Totem (US)

ebook of The Trickster's Totem (you can grab the first book for free!)

 

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