Happy Thursday, everyone! Today's post... Oh my goodness. I was so excited last night when I got an e-mail announcing that Emancipation took a silver award in the Chapter of Excellence Contest held by Writers After Dark. I have to share some of the details! Grab your coffee, or tea, and let's get going!
Here's all the details about the book (gonna start there):
Title: Emancipation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story 1) Author: Jo Michaels Genre: Psychological Thriller Length: 70k Buy Link: Amazon Kindle ~ Paperback
Blurb:
Tobias Butler has been sitting on death row since being sentenced for a gruesome murder in 2007. Bored out of his mind, he decided to apply to the online pen pal program in 2012. It's a pleasant distraction—nothing more, nothing less—for three years, until he's contacted by a beautiful, smart young lawyer named Jess. She's convinced he's innocent and wants to see him freed. As they organize their attack on the judicial system, he wonders how she plans to get his conviction overturned—because he's guilty, and he knows it. Jess is desperate to release him—and he's desperate to feel his hands squeeze the life out of her once she does.
Information about the contest:
Writers were to submit either the prologue or chapter one to the contest, and each entry was judged by how well that chapter gripped the reader, making them want to find out more.
Click here to see ALL the winners. There are some awesome books on there, and I'm humbled to be included among them.
Here's my certificate:
EEP! So excited! Huge thanks to WAD for everything they do.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Friday, everyone! I know you've probably all been wondering where the heck I've been, but I had some life to deal with, and it's been pretty rough on my time. Funny, but no one ever expects life to walk out of the shadows and slap the ever-loving crap out of you.
I bow to the Fates. You've put me in check, ladies!
Anywho, speaking of Fates...
I have some super exciting news!
Cherry Hill Publishing (links to their Facebook page) - Publishers who produce great audiobooks - has picked up the rights to two books I'm involved in. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this is, but I sure can show you!
Up first, 7: The Seven Deadly Sins
There's no audio sample for that one yet, but it should be hitting us any day now.
Second, Emancipation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story One)
Click HERE to listen to chapter one on the Cherry Hill website (you just click the audio cover on the page). 18+ ONLY.
Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm completely bragging on myself. Not often that I do this, but this book has been such an amazing experience, I have to. Ready? Here we go!
If you've been following the blog for the last week, you'll know I released a psychological thriller last Tuesday. Well, I submitted it to Reader's Favorite for a review. What I ended up with has blown my mind!
If you'd like to see these reviews in their entirety, go here.
FIVE STARS
Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite
After two well-deserved years on death row for the inexcusable murder of a family of four, Tobias Butler only scoffed at the Pen Pal mails that adorned his prison cell. The anger dripping from the ink of multiple avengers of the death penalty was quite amusing. And the holier-than-thou sentiments had become boring. Then a letter arrived that created an entirely new mind set for Tobias. Jessica Phang sounded like the real deal. Beautiful, intelligent, wealthy, and obviously...
FIVE STARS
Reviewed by Lorena Sanqui for Readers' Favorite
Tobias Butler had already served some of his sentence while sitting on death row when a novice lawyer, Jessica Phang, contacted him through his profile on a pen pal website, offering him a chance at freedom. It seems too good to be true, but the temptation of getting out has him starting a mail correspondence with the young lawyer. Soon, the two are meeting and going over the case to have Tobias proven innocent and freed. Tobias killed a family of four, landing him on death row, and he knows he did it - so how will Jessica prove Tobias’ innocence in Emancipation by Jo Michaels?
Emancipation by Jo Michaels is a thrilling read with a unique and stimulating plot. It was twisted and...
FOUR STARS
Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite
Emancipation: Pen Pals and Serial Killers – Story One by Jo Michaels is an exhilarating, suspense-filled thriller. Tobias (Toby) Butler is a convicted killer, trying to stay alive in a prison with its own hierarchy of guards, thugs and gangs. Toby has a new pen pal - a young, beautiful and determined attorney, Jessica Phang. Jessica studied his case during law school...
If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for? Here are the details:
Blurb:
Tobias Butler has been sitting on death row since being sentenced for a
gruesome murder in 2007. Bored out of his mind, he decided to apply to
the online pen pal program in 2012. It's a pleasant distraction—nothing
more, nothing less—for three years, until he's contacted by a beautiful,
smart young lawyer named Jess. She's convinced he's innocent and wants
to see him freed. As they organize their attack on the judicial system,
he wonders how she plans to get his conviction overturned—because he's
guilty, and he knows it. Jess is desperate to release him—and he's
desperate to feel his hands squeeze the life out of her once she does.
AGES 18+ ONLY due to strong language, violence, and sexual situations.
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to do some more of my happy dance now!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Tobias Butler has been sitting on death row since being sentenced for a gruesome murder in 2007. Bored out of his mind, he decided to apply to the online pen pal program in 2012. It's a pleasant distraction—nothing more, nothing less—for three years, until he's contacted by a beautiful, smart young lawyer named Jess. She's convinced he's innocent and wants to see him freed. As they organize their attack on the judicial system, he wonders how she plans to get his conviction overturned—because he's guilty, and he knows it. Jess is desperate to release him—and he's desperate to feel his hands squeeze the life out of her once she does.
This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat. Tobias is planning to murder the beautiful attorney, Jessica, who’s promising to get him released from prison. See what happens as he manipulates her into believing in love, second chances, and justice for the wrongfully accused. She wants his love, and he wants her soul. What will happen when she sets him free?
This isn't your mother's romance novel. It's 70k words of dark, gritty, and terrifying.
Nightlights will become the norm as Tobias sucks you into his world and leaves you breathless.
About the author:
Jo Michaels is...
Hi, I'm Jo. Let's forget all the "Jo Michaels is blah, blah, blah" stuff and just go with it. I'm a voracious reader (often reading more than one book at a time), a writer, a book reviewer, a mom, a wife, and one of the EICs at INDIE Books Gone Wild. I have an almost photographic memory and tend to make people cringe at the number of details I can recall about them and/or their book(s). My imagination follows me around like a conjoined twin and causes me to space out pretty often or laugh out loud randomly in completely inappropriate situations.
One of my favorite things is hearing from fans! You can find me on social media most any day of the week. Connect! I'd love to hear from you.
Just in case you missed that link, you can score your copy of this novel here.
I hope you all enjoyed the heck out of this post, and I hope you come and join the party on Facebook. I'm over there giving away themed prizes and all manner of fun stuff. Come on down! We'll be at it from 11AM EST until I'm exhausted and can't take anymore!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Monday! Oh my goodness! I'm chewing my fingernails off over here. Emancipation, Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story One, releases tomorrow!
Use this link to the event on Goodreads to invite all your friends: GOODREADS EVENT
In celebration of this epic event, I'm going to give you all a recap of the awesome giveaways running right now (that end at midnight tonight), some inside information on this book, and a look at the next story in the series. Ready? Let's get going!
Giveaways running right now:
This one over on Goodreads (two copies up for grabs).
All the things end at midnight tonight or 11AM EST tomorrow!
Now, for the inside information. *grins*
In the back of the paperback AND hardcover version, you'll find the entire first part of Dark Bishop, titled Pawn, by Casey L. Bond and Rachel Brownell. See my review for the whole book here.
In the Kindle version, you not only get Pawn, but you also get a look inside Inger Iversen's Incarcerated.
That's TWO bonus reads, and I can't tell you how flipping excited I am about it.
Now, I have a surprise for you all! I have the next book in the Pen Pals and Serial Killers book all plotted out (and I'm a couple thousand words in). Ready for details? I bet you are! *grins*
Title: Provocation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story Two) Author: Jo Michaels Genre: Psychological Thriller Length: TBD Expected Publication Date: Late 2016
Blurb:
Doctor Victoria Ward has been killing men for over thirty
years. Her victims all have one thing in common: they’re abusive. Righteousness
is a close companion—it helps her sleep at night—and she holds the virtue closely
as she defends the innocent, upholding the law when it won’t rise to protect
those who need it most. When she meets a young girl named Kelly, and follows
her down a twisted path of deception, Doc Ward finds herself face-to-face with
a ghost from her past. Never before has she wavered in her resolve—but can she
defend another against someone she loves?
How excited are you for this book?
Keep your eyeballs peeled, and get ready for the most amazing release party of the year over on Facebook tomorrow!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy SATURDAY, everyone! Oh my... a Saturday post! You know it has to be something special, right?
Emancipation releases Tuesday, but I entered the first 125 words or so in a little contest where there's a huge giveaway going on. Read on to find out ALL the details.
This is so much fun!
I’ve entered my novel into a friendly contest called Battle of the 1st Pages, where readers can see the 1st pages of ten different novels and vote for their favorites.
Here’s the best part: just for voting, you earn entries into the Rafflecopter giveaway of a Kindle Fire 7” OR $75 in PayPal cash (winner’s choice).
On your mark, get set, put a big X on your calendar for Tuesday, 3/22! Why? Because Emancipation is set to take the internet by storm!
A couple of early reviewers' thoughts (from Goodreads):
"WOW. By far one of the most edgy books I have ever read. Emancipation blew me out of the water. Jo Michaels hit the nail on the head with combining the perfect plot of a serial killer locked in prison and the perfect innocent lawyer." ~ Jaci
"Tobias is pure evil and to say I wanted him dead is an understatement. With each page my desire to wrap my fingers around this guys throat or be the one to push the button that ends his life on death row increased." ~ Tina
"I have had this on my kindle to read and kept putting it off. You know that saying never judge a book by its cover? Well don't! I sort of did with this one, to me it is a little creepy so I felt I really had to be in the mood to read it. Now I have read it I feel the cover is perfect! I certainly wasn't creeped out, I was glued to it!" ~ Book Lover's Emporium
"The story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering what would happen next. There is a lot of graphic violence in this book and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Some parts had me cringing in my seat" ~ Jade
There are only a few days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway, too.
Happy Wednesday, everyone!! I don't know about you, but my week has been kinda crazy. Do this here, do that there... I'm so happy it's hump day! Today, I have a wee little request for a smidgen of help. Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!
As you all may know, Emancipation goes live March 22, 2016. We're doing a Thunderclap to help spread the word.
If you'd be so kind as to help support it, I'd be ever so grateful.
It's a shot at $50 Amazon cash and a signed hardcover of EMANCIPATION before it hits the shelves for real.
On to other news!
There's a book sale happening!
Grab Dark Bishop, a psychological thriller with a main character to rival Tobias, for just $0.99 on Amazon through Sunday, and get chapter one of Emancipation free. That's right, even if you're not on Wattpad, you can still read the first chapter of this book (UNedited) so you're ready when it hits shelves in March.
Over on the IBGW blog, we have a big giveaway running! You can snag two paperbacks. One is Flesh and Stone, the other is Heartless! Get on over there and enter!
Happy Wednesday! Yayyyy! I have so much exciting news for you all. Stay in the loop and read on down.
News Flash #1:
Emancipation is done and in the hands of my amazing editor, Tia, for round one. Release date of March 22 is firm, and anyone who signed up to be an ARC reviewer will get their copy on January 29 (as promised).
Right now, there's a giveaway for two copies of the book running over on Goodreads. You can enter here:
Happy Thursday, everyone! So, as you all may know, I'm working on a psychological thriller. I can't even begin to tell you how twisted it is so far, but I'm about 15k in, and I have it on my calendar to share an excerpt with you today. I spent all day yesterday prepping for the big pitch party next month, and I'm happy to say it's all set up and ready to roll. Links aren't live yet, but we have an AMAZING grand prize this year. You'll have to wait until December to find out what it is. *grin*
Check out the post announcing the first full chapter publication here, and see a teaser letter from Jess to Tobias here.
If you're interested in joining the Facebook party for the release of Emancipation (March 22), you can do that here. Monthly prizes are being given away, and I have an invite contest where you can win some Amazon cash.
Without further ado, here's excerpt #2 (unedited, in case you were wondering):
“You better behave in there, Butler.”
“I will.” Giving his best smile, he waited for the door to be opened. Once he had a clear path, he stepped over the threshold and stared.
Jess was sitting at the table with her back to him. When the door banged closed, she turned, and a smile bloomed on her face. She stood up and walked toward him with her right hand extended. “Tobias. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”
Her voice oozed through his brain, and he drank her in from head to toe. Button up blouse, short skirt, and heels. To keep his loins under control—he didn’t want to pop a boner while shaking her hand for the first time—he forced his eyes to meet hers and played it as cool as he could. With a grip that was firm but gentle, he took her hand in his own and shook once. “Nice to meet you, too.” In the back of his mind, he wished all the formalities could be skipped and that they could go straight to f-ing against the wall. But he kept his face stoic, and he knew he’d passed when she laughed.
“Are we going to stand here all afternoon, or would you like to sit down?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just, when we touched, I felt something there.” He laid it on thickly, hoping she was as dumb as she was blonde. “I think we’re going to make quite the pair, Jessica.”
“Please, call me Jess. I liked it in your letter, and I’m positive I’ll like it now.” She blushed.
He noted the way she was looking at him and knew he had her. “Okay, Jess. Then you call me Toby.” With what he was sure was a pleasant smile on his face, he moved around the table and sat down across from her.
There was a box next to her briefcase, and she motioned to it as she organized her papers. “Brought you donuts.”
His jaw dropped. How the hell… “I’ve never heard of them letting anyone in here with stuff like this. How’d you manage that?” He reached for the box and lifted the lid, pulling out the first donut his hand could grab, lifting it to his lips, and taking a huge bite. Sugar melted on his tongue along with the yeasty dough, and he moaned as his eyes slid closed.
Jessica’s answer was barely heard. “I have my ways. Attorney, remember?”
“Mmm hmmm,” he said, as he chewed the third bite. When on the fourth donut, chocolate coated his tongue and sprinkles crunched between his teeth. Lost in the ritual of eating one of the sweet confections, taking them one after another, and savoring each bite, he allowed himself to relax for the first time in nearly twelve years. There was no one trying to take his food, stab him, or make him do anything. Being allowed to do what he wanted, when he wanted, was a luxury he’d taken for granted on the outside.
Never again.
When he’d consumed the last donut, he opened his eyes and smiled.
Jess was leaning forward, her chin resting on one palm, watching him intently. “Enjoy that?”
He nodded. “More than you know.”
“I enjoyed watching it. Should’ve brought you more than six.”
~~~
RELEASES MARCH 22! Enjoy the book trailer!
Hope to see you at the party!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Monday! Oh man, what a crazy couple of weeks this has been. Anyway, I have some awesome news for you. *grin* I was struggling with how to do this, because the blog is a public thing that I want to keep appropriate for ALL ages, and my new book isn't for those under the age of eighteen.
Yeah, there's some strong language in there. My guy is in prison. I kept it real. There's violence, too.
So, how do I let you read chapter one while keeping the blog a "safe" place for everyone?
I decided to use Wattpad as a buffer. They check the age of anyone on the site, and I was able to mark the content mature so it can be moderated appropriately.
Oh, and I'm sharing the cover today!
Win/win!
Don't forget to join the Facebook party here. If you're interested in helping out with the release day stuff, fill out this form. And if you want an ARC, fill out this one.
Without further ado, here are the details:
Title: Emancipation Genre: Psychological Thriller Blurb:
Tobias Butler has been sitting on death row since being sentenced for a gruesome murder in 2007. Bored out of his mind, he decided to apply to the online pen pal program in 2012. It's a pleasant distraction—nothing more, nothing less—for three years, until he's contacted by a beautiful, smart young lawyer named Jess. She's convinced he's innocent and wants to see him freed. As they organize their attack on the judicial system, he wonders how she plans to get his conviction overturned—because he's guilty, and he knows it. Jess is desperate to release him—and he's desperate to feel his hands squeeze the life out of her once she does.
Blurb:
