Mystic Freebies and Reductions for Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers of my blog! Today, I'm sharing with you all a little freebie and holiday promotion I have going on.

Yeah, you read that right! For the first time ever, Lily will be free on Amazon. And the other three novellas in the series will be just $0.99! That's a total of just $2.97 for the entire five book starter set. You're saving almost ten dollars so grab 'em while they're hot!

Have I gone insane? Perhaps! But you're the one getting the great deal.

Here are the links:
BRONYA
LILY

SHELIA
MELODY
CORALIE

This sale is for five days only! Get yours starting at midnight tonight!

What do you think about this deal? Are you excited yet?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Mystic ~ Shelia Synopsis and Release Date

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere!! Today I'm going to let you in on the idea behind Shelia, book three of my Mystic series. So, without any ado whatsoever, here you go!

Mystic ~ Shelia (Book 3 of the Mystic series) - Paranormal

Synopsis:
After a horrible accident takes the lives of her parents, Shelia Morgan is placed in the care of her Aunt Ivy and Uncle Melvin. For six years they work her like a slave. On her twelfth birthday, Uncle Melvin makes Shelia an offer that will destroy her life.

When she turns 19, the ugly truth about her past comes out during a therapy session, Uncle Melvin is arrested, and she's placed in the sights of everyone in town. Hurling insults, objects, and threats, the townspeople side with her uncle and call Shelia a liar. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her freedom in one day. When a girl named Markaza shows up and tells Shelia she's part of a group of young women destined to save the world, Shelia begins to dream of a new life and true freedom from her personal demons.

She tells the jury her story and boards a plane destined for New York and her new life. Once there, she meets Bronya and Lily: Two other young women with special powers they must learn to harness in order to fight an evil that will rise on December 21, 2012, and destroy the world.

Markaza boards a plane to Atlanta to save the life of a young lady named Melody before her mind destroys her from the inside out. As Markaza fights for Melody's life, Shelia, Lily, and Bronya throw themselves into their studies and learn that even power from within can get out of control.

Mystic ~ Shelia will be released just before Christmas, 2012.

If you don't have a copy of Bronya, go grab one today. $3.99 at Amazon, $8.99 at CreateSpace. This is a series you do not want to miss and Lily releases October 30, 2012!

As a bonus, go check out Home School Your First Grader written by Beth Jones. It's free today on Amazon for Kindle.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Week 13: The Next Big Thing

Welcome to The Next Big Thing Blog Hop! By hopping through the blogs on my page, you’ll have the opportunity to discover some great new authors and read about some great new books coming soon. I encourage you to visit as many as possible.

I was tagged by Mr. Robert Chazz Chute of Chazz Writes.

Without further ado, let’s get going!

My ten questions and answers:

What is the working title of your book?

There are two: Mystic ~ Lily and The Abigale Chronicles – Book Three. This is a doubly special blog post because it's also a cover reveal for The Abigale Chronicles.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for Lily came from the idea for the whole Mystic series. I wanted a strong woman with values that were solid. When she breaks down and betrays those values because of her situation, it gives me an opportunity to show how one can recover from a fall. All my characters in this series are strong women who fight through tough times and make a pact to change the world. I want to speak to people and make them consider a different point of view for once.

As for The Abigale Chronicles, my six-year-old daughter gave me the idea. I write the series for her and she requested (very politely) that there be dragons, fairies, princesses, and knights. So, for the third book in the Abigale series, I gave her exactly what she asked for. She giggled a lot while we read it.

What genre does your book fall under?

Lily falls under the genres paranormal and urban fiction while The Abigale Chronicles are chapter books for young readers.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Wow! What a great question! I would have to say, for Lily, she would be played by either Sara Paxton or Hayden Panettiere (of course, if Hayden, she would need some way to look much taller, perhaps) and Markaza would be played by Hailee Steinfeld because she has that edgy look. Elisabeth Moss for Shelia and Cobie Smulders for Bronya. For Abigale, Emma Furhman and for Emmett, Max Records.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Mystic ~ Lily: The second of six women, one battle to save the world.

The Abigale Chronicles – Book Three: A dragon, a princess, and a knight fight all odds to give the one true gift: kindness to another.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

They will both be self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me three weeks to write Lily and a week and a half to write Abigale.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

There are no other books like these that I’ve found. If you see some, point me that way, please.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My daughter inspired me to write The Abigale Chronicles.

The hate in the world inspired me to write the Mystic books. I feel like I have a voice inside of me struggling to get out and change perception. Tolerance and judgement of others are topics I have strong opinions on.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This installment of The Abigale Chronicles has lots of humor for children. My daughter cracked up when the dragon burped and set things on fire.

Mystic deals with tolerance of people that make life choices that are different. I hope people really pay attention to the unique chance they have to see the world through someone else’s eyes. If you know anyone (or been through it yourself) who’s dealt with being homosexual and hidden, depressed, disfigured, addicted to drugs, anorexic, abused as a child, or anyone who’s made that difficult decision to have an abortion, you’ll “get” this series. It will speak to you.

You can find the first book in the Mystic series here: Mystic ~ Bronya

Now the links for my five fellow bloggers:

Heather Topham Wood of Heather's book Chatter

Sandi Tuttle of An Average Woman in a Superwoman World

Beth Jones of The Hungry Freelancer

Becky Fyfe of Imagine! Create! Write!

Crystal Lee of Crystal Lee ~ Author

I hope you've all enjoyed this blog for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Keep going and meet some other wonderful authors!!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

I'm Gonna Fire You Up

Mystic ~ Bronya is edited and ready to roll off the presses after some formatting. It's a novelette of just over 17,000 words so it shouldn't take you long to get through it. What I'm hoping, however, is that you do read it and you do take something away from it.

My goal here is to show you what happens on the other side of the wall you're staring at. I will show you what it's like when someone ridicules you or tells you you're a heathen, grotesque, immoral, or that you brought everything that happened to you on yourself when you find yourself in circumstances beyond your control or understanding. This series is intended to let you see into the world of another person who may be different from you, and what the ultimate consequences of not stepping around that wall could be.

If you disagree with my message, that's your right. Many people will. That's okay. Bronya goes through some pretty tough times and experiences a lot in her short tale. Lily is struggling with different issues but they are just as difficult to stomach.

Mystic ~ Lily is currently sitting at just over 3,000 words that have made me cry, shake, get angry, and be sad. Her tale is a lot like Bronya's because Lily's choices also change her life and the people that surround her can't accept her anymore.

I consider myself lucky because I have a voice that speaks loudly and clearly and I'm not afraid to use it.

If you're a writer and you're reading this blog, I challenge you to write something you believe in with all your heart. Buck the consequences, get out there, and fire people up with your message. Books have shaped the world as we know it.

The pen is mightier than the sword. Use your pen and make a difference.

Everyone has an opinion. Yes, they are like assholes in that everyone has one but no one wants to hear them. Make people want to hear yours. Make them listen. Present your case in a compelling way. Show them something they don't already know or give them information they may not have been privy to before.

I double-dog dare you.

I can almost guarantee it'll be the best writing that's ever dripped from your fingertips onto a keyboard. You have passion, use it.

Now that I've gotten you all worked up and your brain going a million mph, I invite you to check out my interview posted over on the Chapter Book Challenge blog. Go give it a read and tell Becky I said, "Hello!"

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo