Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm calling out some folks for some crazy stuff that happened back in October. If you all remember, there was a huge upset with Kobo taking down a bunch of self-pubbed titles when an outcry arose over a few books that were pointed out as being completely inappropriate. Remember, these are my opinions. You have a right to your own. But grab your fiery temper and read along. See if you agree with a lot of these points. Let's get going!
Now, from what I understand, a couple of books were called out as being inappropriate and this caused a ripple of fear to spread through the publishing world.
I'm not going to judge if any book is appropriate or not in this post, but I will say that anything involving child pornography in any form is not something that should be encouraged. On the same token, I'd rather have someone reading about committing those acts than actually taking part in them. But where's the line? I'm positive I'm not the right person to draw one. If we take the books away, do those people then seek to act on their desires in other ways? As a mother, that scares the ever-loving shit out of me.
For all else, to each his or her own. Judge not lest ye be judged is something I live by.
Those business had every right to pull whatever they felt they needed to in order to protect themselves. However, here in the good old U.S. of A, we have a little thing called freedom of speech. Many men and women of our armed forces have died to give us that right (and to maintain it) throughout the years. It's not something to be sneered at. A huge shoutout to those who protect my freedoms; without which I couldn't write this blog post.
While I understand the move on the part of the businesses involved in the massive removal of self-published books, I can't help but wonder at their thought process.
Why? Because, not only did they manage to remove the offending titles (which, again, I'm not 100% sure was right or wrong), they also removed books that were and are "safe" as far as the restrictions on age go. I hobnob with authors of children's books that were taken down. Those folks were outraged (and rightly so) because they felt the bond between them and their publisher was fractured.
Trust was lost.
Booksellers that are brick and mortar have long been in a precarious position where falling sales have caused the closing of a ton of bookstores. That's not an opinion; it's a fact.
An opportunity was lost by those bookstores by watching and not saying a word.
Truth be told, Indie authors are now nervous. If their books can be pulled down without rhyme or reason, how can they be expected to keep publishing with the same companies, never knowing if their revenue stream will be cut off tomorrow?
Why oh why didn't someone jump forward (even Mark Coker of Smashwords) and reassure Indies or give them something they can put their trust in? If a brick and mortar bookstore approached me tomorrow and told me they'd carry my books (even if just digitally) with a seal of approval that guaranteed I'd never be removed from their platform, I'd jump on it. Even if it meant removal of my titles everywhere else.
I'm human. I want security.
Now, it remains to be seen what titles will be banned from booksellers. In my opinion, Smashwords was so on top of it, it's crazy. They had a system to keep age 18+ books out of the hands of kids. But Smashwords also dropped the ball when it came time to offer reassurances to their authors. Get on it already!
But the biggest loss, in my opinion, is by the brick and mortar stores. They need a healthy author/reader/customer base that keeps growing.
What do you think of the recent actions by Kobo, Amazon, and some others? Were you one of the authors? How did it impact you?
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo and I'm off somewhere, hiding in a corner, whipping out a zombie novel! For the post today, I'm reminding you all of your chance to win copies of Mystic~Coralie and all the other great books from the Fall into UtopYA Party! These links will be here all weekend for your sharability and enjoyment. Good luck!
Mystic~Coralie by Jo Michaels
Synopsis:
Coralie Meyers is struggling to find her footing as an actress in New York. A malicious attempt to thwart another girl's career ends in catastrophe and Coralie soon finds herself in a precarious situation.
As the fifth and final member of Women Save the World, a company created by Markaza Turner, Coralie possesses all the cunning the young ladies will need to defeat the evil that's rising under Central Park. If the women fail to save her, evil will rise and destroy the world.
Now that Markaza has gathered four of her chicks: Bronya, Lily, Shelia, and Melody, all that's left to do is bring in Coralie, train her, and go to war. But the ladies are struggling with their powers and their personal demons. Will they find the power within themselves in time to destroy the monster and save the world? Only time will tell; and that's one thing they're short on.
This fifth installment of the Mystic series is a lesson in what lies, hate, and judgment can do to the world when left unchecked.
Dawning Apocalypse by Jill Cooper
Synopsis:
No one can know Natalie works for a supernatural protection agency and is charged with protecting Meadow’s Creek from vampires. But as their numbers swell, their presence doesn't go unnoticed throwing her town under the microscope from the local government and the FBI.
Natalie’s job is pushed even further into the shadows where she must dodge the police, concerned citizens and even her own parents.
Meanwhile a deadly plague grips the town and Natalie suspects it’s more than just a hacking cough. While the stress of working overtime erodes her relationships she will race against time, illness, to face a familiar enemy, save an old friend, and stop an undead seize that wants nothing more than to suck Meadow’s Creek dry.
Welcome to Sugartown by Carmen Jenner
Synopsis:
Ana Belle never wanted anything more than to hang up her apron, jump on her Vespa and ride off into the sunset, leaving Sugartown in the dust.
Elijah Cade never wanted anything more than a hot meal, a side of hot arse and a soft place to lay his head at night where he could forget about his past.
But you know what they say about wanting: you always want what you can’t have.
Nineteen year-old virgin Ana is about to discover that’s not quite true because a six foot three, hotter than hell, tattooed, Aussie sex god just rode into town. He’s had a taste of her pie and he wants more– no really, Ana bakes pies for a living, get your mind out of the gutter.
She’d be willing to hand over everything tied up in a big red bow, there’s just one problem; Elijah has secrets dirtier than last week’s underwear. Secrets that won’t just break Ana’s heart, but put her life at risk, too. When those secrets come to light, their relationship is pushed to breaking point.
Add to that a psychotic nympho best friend, an overbearing father, a cuter than humanly possible kid brother, a wanton womanizing cousin, the ex from hell and more pies than you could poke a ... err ... stick ... at.
And you thought small towns were boring.
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation by C.J. Pinard
Synopsis:
Supernatural creatures have roamed the Earth since the beginning of time. There was a time when humans would not tolerate having vampires and other creatures in their midst, stealing their young and killing their fellow human beings. These humans took care of business with pitchforks, sharpened stakes, and fires. As the centuries passed, the supernatural creatures learned that they needed to hide in order to survive. As they did, humans evolved, and after a few decades, humans no longer believed the tales from mythology and folklore. Then the creatures became more bold again, showing themselves when they should have stayed hidden.
In 1945, the assistant director of the FBI suffered a horrible tragedy, which he learned later was supernaturally related. He created a small branch of the Department of Justice called the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation – the BSI. Little did he know that there were already men and women policing the world of the supernatural – or the “Fae.” The only difference was that this other group had a huge advantage over the humans running the BSI; they were also immortal, just like the creatures they policed. Should the BSI and the Immortals work together to keep the peace?Follow agents and Immortals from the four supernaturally busiest places in the country – San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. and watch the BSI evolve.
Vampires, shapeshifters, succubae, and Immortals. What is the Justice Department hiding?
And, the Rafflecopter and Goodreads giveaway widgets:
Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I give you something to peruse over the weekend. Those lovely ladies from the Fall into UtopYA Party have, once again, brought you some awesome new releases you must check out and a great giveaway! Without further ado:
Twisted by N.L. Greene
***Attention***
This book is recommended for mature readers.
It contains underage drinking, drug use and sexual content.
Synopsis:
Growing up isn’t always easy. But for most teenage girls, they can rely on their best friend to help them get through the process. A BFF is something that is truly treasured and completely irreplaceable. You share all of your secrets, and are loyal and honest with each other, even when you’re acting just a little bit crazy. You have each other’s backs no matter what and you form a bond that is virtually unbreakable. At least that’s what normal teenage girls experience. Nat and Mel have been bestie’s since childhood and Nat has followed her blindly ever since. But as Nat’s friendship with Mel begins to lead her down the wrong path, she starts to question the sincerity of their relationship. Nat starts to see Mel’s manipulative, deceitful ways become more focused on her. Will Natalie hold on tight to the friendship she’s had her entire life, no matter what it cost her? Or will she let her heart lead her to a relationship that’s not so twisted.
N.L. Greene, who is 1/2 of the author duo Riana Lucas, has decided to venture outside of the Fantasy world that she and her best friend created with Poppy and The Deadly Flowers Series to write a few books on her own. While she loves working with her best friend, writing solo has allowed her to explore interest that had solely been her own. She spends a lot of time reading her favorite authors which range all over the place and in every genre, but spends just as much time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, shopping, and playing video games. Nichole was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Florida, where she and her high school sweetheart live with their two children.
On Cleo’s first day at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Academy, things get pretty weird pretty fast. After being confronted by a strangely hostile boy, she meets two girls and instantly bonds with them. Before long danger threatens the entire student body, in the form of a soul eating possessor fae. When her brother is savagely beaten and left in a coma, the girls decide to use their fae powers to become superheroes and stop the possessions.
They quickly learn things are a lot more complicated than they had ever imagined. A government plot that had begun when they were infants endangers them all, and a demented former soldier bent on revenge is after them. The line between friend and foe has become so blurry, Cleo has no idea who she can trust. Will their superhero plot help them save the day, or just get them killed?
Elizabeth has a near crippling Facebook addiction, dwarfed only by her need for Dr. Pepper. A self-proclaimed techno geek, she loves cell phones, computers, tablets and all things technological. The internet has to be the greatest invention since the wheel, in her opinion. She lives in a quiet subdivision with her husband, one-year-old son, three cats, and far too many electronics. It’s quite possible she has some raccoon in her DNA, because she loves glitter and anything that sparkles. She enjoys making jewelry and costumes. Halloween is her favorite holiday since it’s the one day of the year that you can be whatever you want. But her first love will always be writing. Otherwise, hearing voices in her head would make her feel schizophrenic.
The long-awaited second book of The PSS Chronicles is finally HERE! GHOST HOLD by Ripley Patton is now LIVE ON KINDLE, and will be coming out in paperback in late-October. If you've read GHOSTHAND, the first book in the series, you know why this is so exciting. If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for? Go grab it now (available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and in paperback), so you can dive right into the second book as soon as you're done.
Blurb:
Olivia Black is back.
Only this time she's not the one in need of rescue.
Samantha James, rich, popular, and an award-winning composer at age seventeen, is the next target on the CAMFers' list. In order to convince Samantha to come with them, Olivia and Passion must pose as cousins, blend into the most affluent high school in Indianapolis, and infiltrate a mysterious cult known as The Hold.
Olivia doesn't expect it to be easy, even with the PSS guys backing them up. But what she discovers over the course of the mission will call into question everything she ever believed about her ghost hand, her family, and especially about Marcus, the guy she is undoubtedly falling in love with.
Steamy Excerpt:
Marcus crossed back to the faucet of the now-full tub and turned it off. He bent over and turned on the jets, which kicked up a lot more steam and a lot more noise. I was starting to melt inside my own clothes, and he must have been too, because when he turned back to me he was slipping his t-shirt over his head.
"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice coming out a little strangled.
"You and I need to talk," he said, letting the shirt drop to the floor.
"Yes," I said, trying not to gawk at his chest and the way the steam swirled into it, his PSS shining back and coloring the mist a soft blue hue. "But can't we do that with our clothes on?"
"We need to talk where I'm sure no one can hear us," he said, his hands going to the snap of his jeans. "They don't put bugs in bathrooms because the moisture corrodes them." The snap was undone. The zipper was next. He had on red tartan boxers. "Plus, not many people plot and plan in the john." He slid the jeans down his legs, turned, slipped off the boxers, and stepped into the tub, sinking down into it with an audible moan.
I stood there stunned. I had just seen Marcus naked. He'd just stripped to his beautiful bare ass right in front of me as if it were nothing. Yes, we'd been sleeping in a tent together for weeks, and making out, but when one of us changed clothes, the other still looked away. Marcus and I had not gotten naked together. We hadn't even come close, because I always held back. I couldn’t even bring myself to reach my hands inside his shirt. What if my flesh hand accidentally went into his chest and disrupted his PSS? Even worse, what if my ghost hand reached into him and pulled something horrible out? I was pretty sure either of those scenarios would be a serious buzz kill to our intimacy.
"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had a bath?" he said, almost a purr, laying his head back on the edge of the tub and closing his eyes.
"I—no—I haven't had one for like a month," I stammered, looking down at the tile floor, completely flustered.
"Olivia," he said softly, and I looked up to find his eyes boring into me, dewy drops captured on those thick dark lashes. "Come here."
I crossed obediently to the side of the bath, both relieved and a bit disappointed to find that the burbling of the jets obscured most of what was in it. Except his PSS chest. It glowed and pulsed like some half-submerged, cerulean, underwater treasure.
Marcus put his hand out for mine. The invitation was obvious.
This was crazy. There was no way we were going to be able to talk, coherently, in a bathtub together.
"It's a big tub," he said, nodding at the other end, "and I promise to be good."
Yeah, but it wasn't just him I was worried about. If I got in the tub with Marcus, I would be in the tub with Marcus. "But I—" I looked down at myself. I had on my sleeping tank with no bra underneath, my sweatpants, and underwear.
"You have no idea how relaxing this is," he said, slipping his hand back into the water and closing his eyes. Either he was taunting me, or giving me a chance to undress without him watching. Probably both.
"You bastard," I muttered under my breath. I slipped off my shoes and sweatpants and padding barefoot to the far end of the tub. I was not going in completely naked. I wasn’t that much of a fool. I kept my tank and underwear on and stepped into the hot swirling water. As I slid down into it, jets pounding my butt and back, the wet heat rising up and swallowing all my aches and pains in its pure liquid magic, I couldn't keep the moan from escaping my lips either.
And I didn't miss the effect that sound had on my bath mate.
One of his lean, muscular legs brushed mine, trembling. And his eyes widened. And his breath came a little faster across the water, far less relaxed then it had been only a moment before.
What are people saying about Ghost Hold?
5 Luminous, Vibrant Stars! A Thrilling, Wild Adventure with Danger, Intrigue and Excitement. And A Chilling End Sure To Haunt You! - Hazel G fromCraves the Angst Reviews
I can promise you, I will read as many books in this series as Ripley can create because it truly is a stand out series with stand out characters. – Ghost Hand and Ghost both chosen as Indie Book of The Week by Ali at My Guilty Obsession.
Ripley Patton is a master storyteller! She creates a world that is not only harsh and unforgiving but most importantly, unforgettable. Jess from Inside the Pages of a Book
"BRAVO. A GREAT book! Better even than the first. I abso-fucking-lutely LOVED IT!" – Former librarian and bookseller extraordinaire, Angie Chute
To find out more about Ripley and The PSS Chronicles, be sure to check her out on
Synopsis: Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the descendants of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?
“You’re wet. You should take off your clothes.” What a way to avoid a question! Skylar blinked her eyes in disbelief. Did she hear him correctly? “Excuse me?” Not wanting to assume he was really asking her to strip off her clothes, she didn’t move a muscle, but the way his piercing eyes laid on her, she might as well have already been naked. Then she inwardly gasped when he started to unbutton his shirt. Her eyes shot to the floor, then back to him, and then to the floor, wondering what she was supposed to do in this awkward moment. “Here. Go change in the restroom. You don’t want to catch a cold.” He placed his shirt in front of her. She looked up to see him shirtless for the very first time. With all the right curves and tightness, he looked like a statue of a god. He was beautiful and perfectly toned, with satin-like skin, which looked like it would be smooth to the touch. And there was a small tattoo shaped like a lightning bolt on his upper right arm, toward his shoulder. Way too sexy! Aswarmth flushed her face, she tried not to stare, but there was no way around it. “Umm…you won’t have a shirt,” Skylar said, thinking that was the most idiotic thing she had said so far, but she couldn’t think when he was half-naked in front of her. “I’m not cold, but you will be.” Mason was right. Skylar didn’t realize she was shivering until she placed her hand out to take his shirt. The adrenaline from the initial shock had kept her warm, and now it was wearing away. The blasting air conditioner didn’t help either. “Thanks.” Just as she pivoted right toward the restroom, even though she was deathly scared to go back, Mason gripped her arm. “Wait. Don’t go in there without me.” His sudden protectiveness surprised Skylar, but then again, he had saved her.
Bio: Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.
Blurb: Photographer Sierra Stratton views the world through a lens all her own. She has an uncanny sense about people, something that often causes her trouble. When she meets the sexy and brooding Evan Dorsey, her intuition tells her he’s suffering, and she wants to be the one to help him. Evan isn’t open to help from anyone, however. His focus is on his Major League career and making himself as marketable as possible for his upcoming free agency. He plans to ride out the season in Atlanta and then sign with another team, away from the painful memories that haunt him. Someone’s eager to send him on his way, too. Between anonymous threats and equipment sabotage, it’s clear he’s earned himself an enemy along the way. To him, it’s one more sign that he’s right to move on. But Sierra threatens his conviction. Her contagious smile proves hard to resist, as does her kiss. She tempts him in ways he never anticipated, making him question his plans for the first time. If he’s not careful, she might just convince him that he’s meant for her.
About Raine Thomas: Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of best-selling YA and NA fiction. She followed her life-long passion for all things literary and earned her bachelor's degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing from Georgia State University, then her master's degree in Humanities from Central Michigan University. Having grown up in places such as Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando, much of her writing reflects these settings. Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning...two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create young protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn't writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida's beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
