Happy UNBirthday to You! With a Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! EEK! OMG I'm totally forty-years-old today. :O Funny, but I don't feel like I'm forty; at least, I don't feel the way I thought someone who's forty should feel. Anywayyyyy, today, because I love to do this, I'm giving YOU ALL a chance at a gift.

Ready? Get your entry clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

About the prizes up for grabs today:

PAPERBACK of War and Pieces ~ Frayed Fairy Tales - Season 8

Here's the full wrap cover:

AMAZON GIFT CARD - $20

ONE lucky person will win BOTH prizes!

Here's the rafflecopter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

May the odds be ever in your favor!

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

Jo

Win Dinner with Authors Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I can't EVEN with this post! Oh my goodness! Can you even believe your luck?

Let me tell you, the dinner you'll get if you win this giveaway is delicious. I got to have dinner with Lauren Miller, Kim Holden, and Denise Grover Swank last year. There are no words to describe how amazing that was. But I DO happen to have pictures (well, of everything but the salad--it was also delicious, and I may have eaten it before I thought to take a photo--sorry)!

Feast your eyes on THESE!

 YUM!!!

However, hearing these amazing women speak was something I'll never forget, and I'm looking forward to sitting in while Alessandra and Alex give their keynotes this year! I've never been disappointed with a Utopia keynote speaker. They all rocked the house.

If you'd like to go beyond dinner and really get to know Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee, you'll need to be at the conference.

Get tickets HERE. It's not too late!

Anyway! I bet you're dying to get your chance, right? First, I have to give you the one and only rule for winning:

You MUST be in Nashville, TN on June 23, 2016 at around 5PM. Easy peasy!

Ready? Click here to enter!

Good luck to you all! Winners, I'll see you there. *grin*

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

Jo

Last Chance to Enter Giveaways - EMANCIPATION Releases Tomorrow

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).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Emancipation

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends March 22, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

This one on the Facebook release party event page. Join us HERE.

This one on the IBGW blog.

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!

Jo

News Post #2 - 2016

Goooood morning, and happy Monday, everyone! Today, it's all about that news! Grab your cup of Jo and let's get rocking!

First up, you gotta see this awesome giveaway I'm running on my author page over on Facebook!

Clicky here to getee there.

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.

Clicky here to getee there!

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!

Clicky here to getee there!

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

Jo

Utopiacon Runs Black Friday Week-long Blitz Party

Happy freaking Tuesday, everyone! There's a HUGE party going on over on the Utopia Con 2016 event page on Facebook all week! TONS of authors have donated books, gift cards, swag, and more!

Up for grabs right now:
Signed paperback of Hear the Crickets by BJ Sheldon
Signed paperback of M and e-book of Fractured Glass by Jo Michaels (plus 4)
E-copies of the entire Tala Prophecy series by Tia Bach
Signed paperback of Always Remembered, a necklace, and lots of swag by Kelly Risser
Signed paperbacks of the entire Forces of Nature series by Elizabeth Sharp

Those links will take you directly to the giveaways.

What are you waiting for? GOGOGO!

Today, there will be another blogger giving things away, and Janet Wallace is popping in throughout the week with things like TICKETS to the con and SIGNING SPACE!

Plus, there's an amazing sale happening FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY ONLY for tickets to the conference. Check this out:

Regular/general admission tickets will also be on sale! But you won't know if you don't join!

I do hope you entered to win some amazing books.

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

Jo

Five Year Giveaway from Katie M. John

CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF THE KNIGHT TRILOGY by Katie M John SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

This December marks the 5th Year Anniversary of 'The Knight Trilogy' and as part of many other things I am doing all over social media, I am giving away this lovely Birthday hamper to one lucky Rafflecopter winner. The giveaway is international and will be delivered by surface mail.

So if you fancy winning a collection of signed paperbacks, jewellery from the magical forest of Broceliande, and many other gorgeous hand crafted book swag goodies, enter the rafflecopter giveaway below.

The Knight Trilogy tells the story of Mina Singer, an ordinary seventeen-year-old college student whose life is nicely ordered until the arrival of the mysterious Blake Beldevier. With his arrival, Mina is catapulted into a world she thought only existed in fairy tales, but she soon learns that fairy tales aren't for children, and that Morgan Le Fay is the wickedest witch of them all.

In this contemporary Arthurian series, readers are taken on a fantastical adventure from the wilds of rural Cornwall, to the temples of Egypt, to the magical Forest of Broceliande, and to Templar Head Quarters in the savage mountains of Switzerland.

In a true romantic quest, Mina, Blake and her friends have to undertake quests, recover lost objects and under go heart break in order to slay their own personal dragons.

In its 5 years of publication, The Knight Trilogy has been a Number 1 bestselling YA series & Fairy Tale series in both the UK and USA. It has also been a bestselling Amazon.com title. Book 1, 'The Forest of Adventures' won Reviewer's Choice 2011 from The Kindle Book Review, and the series was a finalist in the Silver Ink awards 2013.

Book 1 The Forest of Adventures
Book 2 Immortal Beloved
Book 3 Star Fire

To celebrate, EVERYBODY can get a free eBook edition of 'The Forest of Adventures' on all eBook platforms. (Except for Amazon, but PLEASE let them know, using the button at the end of the Amazon page, that it is cheaper elsewhere and hopefully they will drop it to free there too)

iBOOKS https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1055548158
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-forest-of-a…/1120893224…
KOBO https://store.kobobooks.com/…/eb…/the-forest-of-adventures-1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck all!!

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

Jo 

Goodreads Giveaways!

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm sharing a couple of awesome Goodreads giveaways you simply MUST enter, and the Facebook Release parties that go along with them.

First up, Chasing Destiny!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Chasing Destiny

by Tia Silverthorne Bach

Giveaway ends November 30, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Join the release party on Facebook here! Happens tomorrow!

Next, 7.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

7

by Casey L. Bond

Giveaway ends January 10, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

We, also, have a release party going on Facebook *grin* Join up here! This party doesn't happen until January 7, 2016, but get in while it's HOT!

Did you enter? Are you going? I'll see you there!!

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

Jo

UTOPiAcon Thanksgiving Week Party on the Event Page - Giveaways Galore!

Happy Wednesday! I'm here with another official UTOPiAcon post for you all. Ready? Let's get down to business!

Thanksgiving week, the amazeballs that is Janet Wallace will be partying it up and giving Utopia stuff away on the event page for Utopia 2016 alongside the official bloggers. Link to the event is at the top of the form below.

What's this form's purpose? If you'd like to donate items for the party! The bloggers will be hosting all week, and giving away a ton of goodies.




What do you think? Will you be joining us?

If you don't have tickets to this event yet, you need to get them right now!

Go here! Go, go, go!

Visit all the bloggers this month!
Week 1: Jo Michaels and Maria Pease
Week 2: Shana Benedict and Delphina Miyares
Week 3: Toni Lesatz and Ren Reidy
Week 4: Ashley Bodette and Kathryn Grimes

I can't wait to party with you all!

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

Jo

BOD Zombie Crawl 2 Blog Party - Origin of the Zombie

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Short intro today; we're going right into the fun (I figured the title of the post and the next section were sufficient).

Zombie Crawl 2 - Blog Party

October 22 - 31, 2015

by Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans

How it works: Each day, the scheduled authors and bloggers will post awesome zombie-tastic content for your enjoyment along with a giveaway on their site/blog/page. You can hop around to all of the participating sites and enter as many giveaways as you like! If you would like to be emailed links to the new posts each day, join this Zombie Crawl Daily Digest list which will ensure you don't miss a post (or join the party on Facebook to get notifications). Make sure to leave comments and interact with the participating sites. Thanks for joining the party!

Origin of the Zombie

From Wikipedia:
The English word "zombie" was derived from the original form "zombi" that first appeared in a story written by Robert Southey.

Okay, well, that's where the word came from. But, the idea of the zombie goes way, way back. A zombie was not, traditionally, walking dead that feasted on the flesh of other humans. Voodoo rituals that turned a person (living or dead) into a mindless slave is where the premise for the "creature" comes from. In the Haitian rituals, these creations were called thralls.

Those slaves did whatever they were ordered to do by the person that performed the ritual. In pictures, the zombies were depicted as regular looking humans with purely white eyes. They did not speak, and they tended to move slowly, traits the modern-day zombies retained.

In literature, zombies have played a major role. As far back as 1818, when the original Frankenstein was published by Mary Shelley, you see various forms: patched together beings, those controlled by magic, people who've been brainwashed, the literal living dead, virus born illnesses causing insanity and rot, and many more.

In film, zombies have been sensationalized. From Night of the Living Dead to World War Z, there are plenty of full-length movies out there that all depict zombies in various ways.

Because zombies have been around so long, there's a small chance of them falling out of favor anytime soon. Who knows what form the creatures will take over the next two hundred years, but I'm intrigued!

Here's the article on Wiki if you want to take a look at it.

Now, we get to the fun stuff! First up, the list of the participants! Everyone will have prizes, so be sure you visit them all!

The Schedule:

OCTOBER 22 - Thursday

Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans (Party & Grand Prize Host)
Jo Michaels Blog (author)
Rissa Blakeley (author)

OCTOBER 23 - Friday
Claire C. Riley (author)
2 Girls & A Book (blog)
Emily Shore (author)

OCTOBER 24 - Saturday
Kathy Dinisi (author)
Us Girls & A Book (blog)
The Voluptuous Book Diva (blog 18+)

OCTOBER 25 - Sunday
Casey L. Bond (author)
THE KATY blog (blog)

OCTOBER 26 - Monday
Saul Tanpepper (author)
Warren Fielding (author)
The Leighgendarium (blog)

OCTOBER 27 - Tuesday
Kody Boye (author)
Rhiannon Frater (author)
ER Arroyo (author)

OCTOBER 28 - Wednesday
Allen Gamboa (author)
Armand Rosamilia (author)
Ethan @ One Guy's Guide to Good Reads (blog)

OCTOBER 29 - Thursday
Kate L. Mary (author)
aftershockzombieseries (author)
Eli Constant (author)

OCTOBER 30 - Friday
Aria Michaels (author)
Brian Parker (author)
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps (blog)

OCTOBER 31 - Saturday
Cindy Carroll (author)
M. R. Pritchard (author)
Toni L.H. Boughton (author)
Digital Dirty Girl (blog)

To learn more about Band of Dystopian and/or to enter our Grand Prize Giveaway, visit BandofDystopian.com and don't forget to join the group on Facebook!

Now for my giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck to you all!

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

Jo

Get Ready - BOD Zombie Crawl 2 Starts Tomorrow

Happy Wednesday, everyone! EEP! Tomorrow is the super fantastic launch of the Band of Dystopian Zombie Crawl 2 Blog Party. Thought I'd warm you all up in preparation and give you the deets. Without further ado, here ya go!

Zombie Crawl 2 - Blog Party

October 22 - 31, 2015

by Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans

How it works: Each day, the scheduled authors and bloggers will post awesome zombie-tastic content for your enjoyment along with a giveaway on their site/blog/page. You can hop around to all of the participating sites and enter as many giveaways as you like! If you would like to be emailed links to the new posts each day, join this Zombie Crawl Daily Digest list which will ensure you don't miss a post (or join the party on Facebook to get notifications). Make sure to leave comments and interact with the participating sites. Thanks for joining the party!

The Schedule:

OCTOBER 22 - Thursday

Band of Dystopian Authors & Fans (Party & Grand Prize Host)
Jo Michaels Blog (author)
Rissa Blakeley (author)

OCTOBER 23 - Friday
Claire C. Riley (author)
2 Girls & A Book (blog)
Emily Shore (author)

OCTOBER 24 - Saturday
Kathy Dinisi (author)
Us Girls & A Book (blog)
The Voluptuous Book Diva (blog 18+)

OCTOBER 25 - Sunday
Casey L. Bond (author)
THE KATY blog (blog)

OCTOBER 26 - Monday
Saul Tanpepper (author)
Warren Fielding (author)
The Leighgendarium (blog)

OCTOBER 27 - Tuesday
Kody Boye (author)
Rhiannon Frater (author)
ER Arroyo (author)

OCTOBER 28 - Wednesday
Allen Gamboa (author)
Armand Rosamilia (author)
Ethan @ One Guy's Guide to Good Reads (blog)

OCTOBER 29 - Thursday
Kate L. Mary (author)
aftershockzombieseries (author)
Eli Constant (author)

OCTOBER 30 - Friday
Aria Michaels (author)
Brian Parker (author)
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps (blog)

OCTOBER 31 - Saturday
Cindy Carroll (author)
M. R. Pritchard (author)
Toni L.H. Boughton (author)
Digital Dirty Girl (blog)

To learn more about Band of Dystopian and/or to enter our Grand Prize Giveaway, visit BandofDystopian.com and don't forget to join the group on Facebook!

How fun and exciting is this?

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

Jo

Gearing Up for 12 Days of Review Requests Event

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger this week, trying to get everything in order for both NaNoWriMo and the BIG December event here on the blog. Because it's almost October, I'm opening up the signup form for participating authors (for the daily prizes).

Please note: This is not to get your books considered for purchase and review! This is ONLY if you'd like to do a giveaway during the event or support the big prize.

Without further ado, here's the form!



Are you excited? I am! This year will be AWESOME!

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

Jo

Book Giveaways in Your Inbox

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know you all love books, right? That should be why you're checking out my blog. Today I'm gonna tell you about an awesome service INDIE Books Gone Wild offers their clients and give you a link where you can join in the fun. Get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going!

PROMOTION

Why is that such a scary word? Because Indies promote tirelessly. It's really quite a big job to promote one book, let alone two, ten, or fifteen. For that reason, writers rely on having fans; people who know and love the books these Indies write, and folks who'll seek out more once they've tasted something awesome.

(Sign up for IBGW's newsletter here.)

Think about it: Who are your favorite authors?

Betcha have a list of well-known writers alongside those Indies you love, right?

How'd you find them?

Was it through a friend's recommendation, or were you browsing a bookstore one day and happened upon a novel that captured you?

What if you could've tried that new author you grew to love with zero risk?

That's what we're offering you!

Here's the skinny:

IBGW edits and proofreads a book (or a series). Once that book (or books--if we do them all at once) gets published, we set up and run a Rafflecopter giveaway. Entry options are always to give our author a follow on some kind of social media and give IBGW a follow somewhere, somehow. IBGW purchases the books and ships or gifts them to the winner(s).

This accomplishes two things:

1. You get the chance to follow an author you might like
2. Our authors get a little publicity as we build our own audience

We only send out e-mails when one of our authors publishes a new title we've worked on in some way, and an e-mail once a year (in January) as a recap/roundup. While we can't guarantee you'll love every genre and want to enter, or even that you'll love every story our authors produce, we can guarantee you'll find a well-edited (or well formatted, depending on the service we provided) novel. We embed the giveaway form in the e-mail, so all you have to do is click and enter!

When we edit and proofread a book, we give away two digital copies. When we format a print book, we give away one.

So, head on over to our signup form here:

MAILCHIMP

and let the delivery of awesome begin!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Did you sign up? What kind of genres do you prefer to read?

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

Jo

Paisley Reader - utopYA Con Book Match Scavenger Hunt Game

Week THREE! Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! As usual, on Friday you get a utopYA post. Today, you'll be heading over to The Paisley Reader to enter the "guess the book" contest. Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

From The Paisley Reader:

Now, let’s get to the book hunt! Here’s what you have to do to win:

• Read the synopsis below.
• Guess which book from my short list the synopsis belongs to.
• Type your answer in the Rafflecopter entry form.
• Enter every day throughout the month of February for a shot at the prize!

Each blogger will list one synopsis and five possible titles for you to choose from. It’ll be a different title each week (this is week three).

This form will stay up on my blog for one week. Then, I’ll change the entry form to a link for the new hunt over on Book Junkie: Not-So-Anonymous. And so on, and so forth. At the end of the game, all incorrect entries will be removed before the winner is chosen.

What’s the prize? Well…

You have a shot at winning a pack of three e-books–one from EACH of our keynote speakers:
Denise Grover Swank, Kim Holden, and Lauren Miller

These prizes are being donated by the official bloggers. We wanted to do something awesome for you guys. What’s better than books written by awesome women you’re going to meet?

Go to The Paisley Reader now to read the synopsis and titles and enter!

Don't forget to visit the other official bloggers this month:
Week 1 – Jo Michaels
Week 2 – A Book Vacation
Week 4 – Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous

Well? Did you enter? What book do you think Maria chose?

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

Jo

Giveaways You Must Enter - Some Ending Soon!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Well, today is gonna be lighthearted and fun. Here are a couple of giveaways that are ending soon. If you haven't entered to win, you should. Be sure and check out the giveaway of exhibitor space for UtopYA Con 2015, too! Get your clicking finger ready and let's get going!

Ending in two days: Renaria - Into the Adyton by J. L. Wilson

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Ending in nine days: Crewel by Gennifer Albin 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


This is awesome! Our Goodreads giveaway for Fractured Glass was approved and will run through December 31, 2014. It's international! Here's the widget:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Fractured Glass

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends December 31, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

And here are a couple of teasers! *grin*

For this one, you gotta head over to A Book Vacation to enter. This is the one with the exhibitor space! Go, go, go!

CLICK HERE!

If you still haven't had enough, check out the huge giveaway running over on Facebook. You could win one of 7 $100 Amazon Gift Cards. WOW. Click here to join the party!

So? Did you enter? What prize are you most looking forward to?

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

Jo