Neumarian Uprising - Escapement Cover Reveal!

Neumarian Uprising

We need your help! Thanks to our spy, Ciara Knight, we are able to communicate with you today via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

The Neumarian uprising has begun. We are fighting for freedom and equality for all, but we need your help. Ciara informed us that you might want to know more about the uprising and why we ask you to risk your lives for our cause. To answer these questions I’ve agreed to let Ciara tell my sister’s, Raeth’s, story about her captivity. It will be free for you on a site called Amazon until March 1, 2013. Our spies have told us this will help spread the word and find more recruits for our rebellion against the tyrannical queen. You can help by simply downloading a free copy of Weighted, a prequel to the Neumarian Chronicles. If you are intrigued and wish to follow our uprising, Escapement, book I of The Neumarian Chronicles, will be available for only $2.99 until March 1, 2013.

Escapement is told by Princess Semara. Don’t hold the fact Semara is a princess against her like I did, there is more to her than you can possibly imagine.

Here is a brief explanation of her telling of our uprising:

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death. 

What people are saying about Escapement:

“A heady mix of action adventure and steampunk -- leavened with a dash of romance -- ESCAPEMENT offers up its fair share of thrills, horrors and heart-pounding moments. A strong start to a captivating new series.”

-- Jana Oliver, author of The Demon Trapper's Daughter

“A riveting tale of justice, mercy, honor and love. Take a deep breath and hold on, because you'll be turning the pages of Escapement quickly. Three unlikely comrades, Princess Semara, Ryder, and his sister Raeth, embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever. The beautiful love story nestled into these action-packed scenes will make you sigh and remember why you love to love. After reading the prequel Weighted, I knew this story would be amazing, and it was. Ciara Knight truly has a gift for creating awesome worlds and characters you won't forget.”

--Lindi Peterson--Award winning author of Summer's Song.

“Betrayal, secrets, and a rebellion send readers on a grand adventure, caught in the plight to discover Semara’s gifts and purpose.”

--Alex J Cavanaugh, author of Amazon best sellers CassaStar and CassaFire

“The most unmissable series ever! I couldn't stop reading, the action and romance too breathtaking to break the spell!”

--ARC review by Sudah on Goodreads

"A courageous heart-stopping journey by young people to save their kind."

--Hildie McQueen, bestselling author of Where the Four Winds Collide

If you’d like to see a peak into our world, please view this short clip on You Tube.

If you are now ready to join our fight, please add Escapement to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here.

Shout out on all your social media sites, and tell everyone you know to stand up and fight.

           Be Bold.
                          Be Brave.
                                           Be Free.
                                                            In the name of the rebellion,
                                                            Ryder Arteres

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Escapement can be found at Amazon.

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest

Today I'm participating in the DINYB blogfest, hosted by the blog-tastic Ciara Knight and Alex Cavanaugh.

I found Jenni Merritt's Prison Nation awhile back during a bloghop giveaway and first noticed the cover on her blog. When I looked a little more into it, I found that she was a self-published debut author just like me, so I clicked on the book's Amazon page to learn more about it. Prison Nation was the first self-published book I read, and if you've been looking for a new young adult dystopian, then it's definitely worth a read.

Prison Nation Goodreads Blurb:

In the Nation, no one is innocent - not even the children born behind bars. Millie 942B has spent her entire life locked away with her criminal parents and countless other inmates. She believes in the Nation, in its strict laws and harsh punishments.

But when Millie is released on her eighteenth birthday, she finds things are nothing as she was taught. People vanish, never to be seen again. Lies cover every word. Trust is as fragile as ice.

And then there is Reed. Born and raised outside the Prison walls, his dreams and thoughts cause Millie to doubt everything she has ever believed.

What is truly worth fighting for? If she pushes too hard, she could lose her freedom. If she stays silent, she could lose herself. The clock is ticking, and Millie must find the truth before it is too late.

Add Prison Nation to your Goodreads TBR list.

Purchase Prison Nation on Amazon.

Thank you, Ciara and Alex, for organizing this blogfest! Now, please help me in spreading the word that I noticed Jenni's book because I can't tell her. She needs to find out by following the bread crumbs through the web of socal media, leading back here. We shall see!

IWSG, A New Knight, & An Award!

It's that wonderful time of the month again, the first Wednesday, which means a post dedicated to the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. Mine is a little early this month because I have a blog hop giveaway post scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and I didn't want this post getting lost by having them both on the same day.

 So I had my first IWSG post in March, which seems so long ago now. I had been blogging for a couple months at the time, but all my posts were more like journal entries, just for me to read. I didn't know how to get out there and just start talking to people. Then I found this group and talked to a few people the first month. And then the April challenge hit and I talked to a few more. I'm beginning to feel like a real blogger now. So much has changed in the past few months.

Thank you to everyone who's come to visit me, left a comment once or twice, or leaves comments regularly. :) I try to hit as many blogs as my nights allow for most of the week, though I do need to take a night or two off to relax.

It's great to feel involved in a group like this and in the blog hop events. I've started highlighting exciting news of other bloggers when I find the announcements in time, and I'd like to do it more. :) I'll soon set up a new tab for guest posting and highlighting. So if there's something you'd like me to highlight, then feel free to email me.

More news I have about getting involved is receiving the opportunity to work with Ciara Knight on her Goodreads group The Knights of the Round Table. I know very little about moderating a Goodreads group, but I'm determined to learn fast and do the best job I can! It's a really fantastic group bringing authors and readers together, giving readers the opportunity to read books for free in exchange for reviews. What a great concept and I'm thrilled to be a part of the group. Please, check it out. Thanks again, Ciara!

Lastly, I received The Booker Award from Andrea: The Enchanted Writer. She has an enlightening and entertaining blog, and a fellow IWSG  member. Check out her blog if you have not done so already. Thanks so much, Andrea!

The rules for this award:

This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)
Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 3 (I'm bending the rules a little) other lucky book blogs you adore.

 Here are my favorite books (in no particular order):

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
• The Wastelands (The Dark Tower III) by Stephen King
• The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

And I'm passing this award on to three bloggers I greatly admire:

• Candilynn: Writer for Young People
• Gina: Diary of a Writer in Progress
• Nicole: Write Me a World

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to enter my blog hop giveaway starting Thursday, checkout my guest post on Alex's blog on Friday, and download a FREE copy of Provex City this weekend from Amazon!

Memorial Day is a Great Day to Say Thank You

I had a blast participating in Cherie Reich's 2nd Annual Flash Fiction Blogfest and I'd just like to thank Cherie again for hosting it! She announced the six finalists on Friday, an eclectic collection of stories, all of which are great reads (certainly something for everyone). You can check them out right here:

Geek Banter

Medeia Sharif

Far Away Eyes

Title by Jaq

Scribbles From Jenn

Demolishing the Block

I want to thank Ninja Captain Alex again for visiting my blog on Friday and sharing some thoughts on his humble beginnings. He is a writing and blogging inspiration to me, and by reading the comments on his posts every few days, I know there are many other writers/bloggers who feel similarly. I just hope my post did him and his first novel, CassaStar, justice.

From these two events, I've received comments from a number of new bloggers and I'd like to formally welcome you all. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope we can talk more.

Something I've come across time and again as I've been working my way though new blogs over the weekend is the cover release of Ciara Knight's novella, Weighted, which is set for an August release. I'd like to show my support as well and display the cover here. It looks freakin' awesome!  

Here's the blurb: The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself.  It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

Are you a fan of Silversun Pickups? Their third album, Neck of the Woods, came out a few weeks ago and I've been listening to it exhaustively. I don't think it's better than Swoon; it feels more like a continuation than a progression of their sound. I hear more eighty's new wave influences in this album,  which I enjoy matched with Brian's raspy vocals.  


It is Memorial Day, so let's all take a moment of silence for those who have given their lives for the United States. And if you see a member of the US Armed Forces while you're out, please take a moment to say "thank you."