So Many Giveaways!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, we'll talk about some giveaways. If you're ready, get your clicking fingers warmed up, and let's get going!

If you didn't know, over on the IBGW blog, we do giveaways of the books we work on. Why? Good question! Well, we figured that you want quality reads, our work helps authors produce amazing books, and we have a chance to bring those to your door. So, the real question is: WHY NOT?

Am I right?

This week, you can win one of two ebooks:

OR a paperback:

If you'd like to join the mailing list (we only send out emails when we have a giveaway running), and you haven't already, click here.

To enter this week's giveaways, click here.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Did you enter? Didja?

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

Jo

Epic Kindle Giveaway & Battle of the First Pages

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).

Enter to win here!

You know you want to. What the hell are you waiting for? Go, go, go!

*grin*

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

Jo

Huge Multi-Author Giveaway!

Happy Tuesday! Holy moly, you guys! There's a TON of awesome prizes on this giveaway! Here's the list:

1. A signed poster of the EMANCIPATION cover - 19“x27”
2. Signed paperbacks of the Tala Prophecy series (Chasing Memories, Chasing Shadows, Chasing Forgiveness, Chasing Destiny) - (US only)
3. Ebook of Tainted Deception and Signed Swag (INTL)
4. Ebook of Opsona Journey boxset book 1-3 ny J.N. Sheats (INTL)
5. Ebook of More Than Words by Elle Henry (INTL)
6. Signed copy of The Geneva Project - Prequels (INTL)
7. Ebook of How to Save a Life by Emma Scott
8. Signed copy of Dreadlands by Jaimie Engle (US only)
9. Paperbacks by TK Carter: The Breakup Mix, Collapse, Three Meals to Anarchy and swag (US only)
10. Ebook of Dark Bishop by Casey Bond (INTL)
11. Five book ebook or audiobok box set of J.J. DiBenedetto´s Dream Series novels (INTL)   
12. One ebook of NA sports romance BLOCKED and one ebook of ACED (Blocked #2) (INTL)
13. 2 ebook of winners choice by carlyle labuschagne (INTL)
14. Ebook of Going Down In Flames by Chris Cannon (INTL)
15. Ebook of Obsession (Russian Tattoos) by Kat Shehata (US)   

I mean... HELLO! Enter, enter, enter!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which prize do you want to win most?

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

Jo 

Moon Crossed Season One Omnibus Giveaway

Happy Tuesday! I have an awesome announcement for you all today. Back in April of this year, I wrote a review for Moon Crossed - Crescent Hunter - Episode One by Bella Roccaforte. I gave it 4.5 rocking stars. You can read the review here. But that's not the point of this post.

Nope.

Not even close.

Today, I'm sharing with you all a giveaway from INDIE Books Gone Wild for a chance to win the complete first season of the Crescent Hunter series. So, without further ado, I give you the details:

Title: Moon Crossed - Crescent Hunter - The Complete First Season
Author: Bella Roccaforte
Genre: Upper Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 570 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $3.99

Blurb:
★★★★★ 6 Incredible stars!!! This werewolf hunter series has it all! Wolves, magic, dark twists, humor, love, hate.... This story is a crazy roller coaster with all the twists and turns to keep you hanging on until the end." K. Solomon

"For Though we dwell in the same darkness our song will forever be a discordant symphony, barely perceived."
The first six books in the Crescent Hunter Series!

Claire O'Conlan is a hunter, her kind were created to protect humans from feral werewolves. She's desperate to find a cure for the moon-touch. Until she does, the hunt won't stop.

Despite being raised among supernatural creatures, Claire is determined to make college as normal as possible. But childhood habits die hard. She can't seem to stay away from the wolf-borne, and worse, she's falling in love with Cole Jackson, the big bad wolf.

Claire can't resist the undeniable fire Cole ignites within her. They are falling headlong into a forbidden love affair. Hunter and wolf, a dangerous combination inciting war between factions, action from the council and the biggest risk of all, Claire fulfilling her duty and being the hunter that kills Cole.

Will Claire find the cure? Or will their love end in tragedy?

UtopYA 2015 Nominee for:
Best Kiss
Best Serial Series

***This book contains some adult language and violence and is PG13***

Ready for that giveaway widget? Here ya go!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Did you enter? How exciting is this?

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - In Too Deep - A #Hacker Novel

TROUBLE IS ONLY A KEYSTROKE AWAY...

I'm very excited to reveal the cover for book 2 in the #HACKER series,

IN TOO DEEP.

 

About the book:

One talented hacker.

One dead body.

One explosive secret.

When one reckless night leads Farris Barnett to the dead body of a classmate, she’s as willing as everyone else to write it off as a suicide. That is, until cryptic messages start coming in from someone who knows the truth, and they want Ferris on the case. Putting her hacker skills to work, she begins to unravel the life of a victim who might just have been the guiltiest of them all.

Her personal life in turmoil, Farris turns to the only person she can trust to help her get to the bottom of things—a friend on the verge of becoming much more. Together, they confront a killer with a secret not even she could have decoded.

The biggest bombs, the ones that do the most damage, are the ones you never see coming.

You can find the first chapter of IN TOO DEEP inside the first book of the #HACKER series, PLAYING WITH FIRE releasing October 27th!

Grab your copy of Playing With Fire HERE

About the author:

Sherry is a full time writer from Colorado and the author of over a dozen novels for teens and young adults including the best selling Stolen Empire series. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she's on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs. Sherry also writes New Adult fiction under the pen name Ranae Glass and is a contributing writer for fangirlish.com. You can find her at her official website, www.sherryficklin.com, or stalk her on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/sherry.ficklin.

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you all enjoyed that! What do you think? Is it super cool?

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

utopYA Con Book Match Scavenger Hunt Game

Happy, happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have some awesomeness from the utopYA Con official bloggers. We pulled together and are leading you on a scavenger hunt for our panelists' books. I'll get to the rules in a moment. First, let me tell you about the utopYA Con 2015 earlybird ticket prices! They're ending February 28th! Standard admission is $90 right now, and VIP is $115. On the 28th, those prices go up to $110 for standard admission and $135 for VIP. So, go get yours here. Right now. You've been warned.

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

1. Read the synopsis below.
2. Guess which book from my short list the synopsis belongs to.
3. Type your answer in the Rafflecopter entry form.
4. 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 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 A Book Vacation. 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?

This week is now closed. You must go to A Book Vacation to enter.

     What if you woke up in a book? A reader trapped in fiction. The sexy hero waiting for her. A harrowing journey home.
     For fans of "Labyrinth" and "The Neverending Story" comes an epic romantic adventure ...
     A reader gets sucked into the book she’s reading and is trapped, unless she convinces the hero of the story to send her home. Just her luck - the book is unfinished, and its sexy hero is far more alpha male than she’s prepared to handle.
     What Naia doesn’t know: the story – and its hero – have been expecting her for quite some time, even though she has no idea what she’s doing there.
     Naia must learn quickly how to navigate the dangerous, magical world of Black Moon Draw and find a way to complete her journey with the unlikely, uncooperative hero of the story, who holds the key to returning her home.

And the possible titles are:

 

Amy Bartol - Under Different Stars 

Lizzy Ford - Black Moon Draw 

 

T. A. Kunz - Witch Hunter Olivia 

Jessica Sorensen - Seth & Greyson (The Coincidence Book 8) 

Kallie Ross - Descent (A Lost Tribe Book 1)

Time to enter your guess! Remember, you can enter once every day.

Go to A Book Vacation now to read the synopsis and titles and enter!


Bet you're wondering where I got those specific books, huh? Check out the official utopYA Con Reading list here. Lots of awesome stuff. It's a giant list of books by authors sitting on panels in 2015, and where we'll be taking the titles we play the game with. We love our panelists!

Don't forget to visit the other official bloggers this month:
Week 2 – A Book Vacation
Week 3 – The Paisley Reader
Week 4 – Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous

What do you think of our little giveaway? Did you enter?

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

Jo

No Blog Left Behind Thanksgiving Giveaway Hop

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm so excited to bring you my post and giveaway for the No Blog Left Behind Thanksgiving Giveaway Hop, I have no words. First, I'll go into what I'm thankful for, then I'll post the giveaway. Easy to enter, easy to win! Let's get going.

To visit the other participants, head on over to the host's blog here!

What I'm thankful for:

• My husband. Without him, I shudder to think where I'd be today. He's super supportive and gives me great advice.
• My dearest and bestest friend. You know who you are. You make every day just a little bit brighter.
• Great followers on my blog. My readers are one of a kind.
• The ability to read. Thanks to school, I can read a book and get lost in another world.
• The ability to write. I love it. Life blood!
• Authors. All of them. What else would I have to read besides my own work if not for other authors?
• Art. Because it's inspiring and relaxing, all at the same time.
• UtopYA con. If not for that awesome conference, I'm not sure if I would've met my personal goals this year.
• Collaborative writing. Wow. I've been blessed with an opportunity to write with a handful of other women I shall be proud to call friends forever.

To show my thanks, I'm giving away some prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Big Thanksgiving hugs to all my readers. Thanks so much for following, subscribing, and trusting me to guide you in this crazy adventure called self-publishing.

Be sure and check out the other stops on the hop!

What are you thankful for?

Well, 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

My UtopYA2014 Experience Blog Hop

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm participating in a blog hop and huge book giveaway from the authors of UtopYA. No, this isn't official! It's just a bunch of us that got together and decided to talk about our experiences at the con, and reward readers/followers with some awesome books. If you'd like to, you can join the Facebook event for the hop here. Now, sit back, relax, and let's get going!

My UtopYA 2014 Experience

by Jo Michaels

I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs about attending UtopYA Con 2014. I did a couple of things along the way to ease those fears (like my author interview series), but I still felt my knees knocking when I walked through the doors of the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville, Tennessee, on the Thursday afternoon before the con began.

Those nervous moments didn't last long; there was too much to do/see. As soon as I walked in, I spotted the ever awesome Eva Pohler. Not long after, I spied Toni Lesatz, C. A. Kunz (both of them), and an hour or so later N. L. Greene, Kelly Risser, and Casey L. Bond arrived.

Then, I spied Carlyle Labuschagne. That's when the squeeing began.

There were many hugs, lots of "I know you! So good to put a face with the name." going around, and many, many business cards changing hands. This crazy (yes, I do mean bonkers) "moment" kept going all afternoon.

At six, Tia and I snuck out to the pool area with Kelly Risser, N. L. Greene, and Casey L. Bond. We worked from six until about nine on ideas we had for our YA anthology. There were lots of great things flying around that table, let me tell you. We'll be bringing you something never done before. Keep your eyes out for that.

Because I drove up to Nashville, I'd been up since around 5am. At this point, I was ready to pass out. After hauling our books down and setting up our table, Tia and I excused ourselves and ducked back to our room for some much needed sleep. We knew the next day would start earlier than we really wanted to get up.

At 6am, it began again. Breakfast took longer than it should've and we were late for the keynote speech. *facepalm* Yeah, next time, I get up at 5. After that, we literally talked non-stop, marketed our books, and met authors until 10pm. I also had the Friday night fan invasion to attend. With Sylvia Day there, the line was humongous. Moving books and swag off my regular table and out the door to another one (and back again later) was fun in a strange way. I chatted with the authors near me and made some new friends. Don't judge, I'm able to befriend darn near anyone. Yeah, we sang Baby Got Back in the hotel bar, but the networking never stopped. My face hurt from smiling so much. By 11, we were back in our room. Tia spent the nights working on an edit for a client of INDIE Books Gone Wild (now that's dedication), and I read a book in bed while decompressing from the day's craziness and trying not to have a nervous breakdown from being so on edge all day.

Saturday was just as nuts. I face-planted in bed after the awards and dance party. No, I only had one drink (it's good to be responsible) so that wasn't it. My throat was killing me, and I'd been running all day. If there was a moment to breathe in there, I missed it--or maybe I was moving so fast I got caught in a time-warp continuum and the moment came later than it should've.

By this point, I was missing my husband and my own bed fiercely. I left Sunday morning (early). While this guaranteed I missed out on some of the super fun stuff going on at the con, I couldn't help it. Remember, I had a pretty good drive ahead of me.

Was it worth it? YES. Will I do it again next year? YES. Why? Because, for the first time in my life, I felt normal. No one looked at me like I had ten heads when I talked about dragons, zombies, or mutated mushrooms that want to kill me. It was accepted, embraced, and even encouraged. Was it overload that'll wipe you out but leave you teeming with ideas? YES.

Do it. If you've been sitting on the fence about attending a writer's con, come to UtopYA in 2015. I can't speak for other cons; but this one treats every author (traditional or Indie) like a rock star. Get your tickets here.

Advice for newcomers:

• Sleep well before you come. You won't get much rest once the con begins.
• Bring cough drops or drink a lot of warm tea or coffee. Your voice will thank me later.
• Pack with intelligence. Remember! You need a dress or some nice clothes for the awards, and whatever clothes you're comfortable in for the other days. Trust me, sneakers are your friends.
• Don't drink so much you can't walk. I realize you're getting out of the house for the first time in forever, but be responsible; you never know who's watching you and noticing. This is a gathering of professionals. Be professional. Your career is in your hands here.
• Get to the con early (before Thursday). They'll let you set your stuff up the night before. You can thank me later.
• Find a friend with wheels. No, I don't mean a car. I'm talking about a wagon, cart, or something else that has wheels. Again, you can thank me later.
• Use the time every night after the con to decompress. You won't have time to hang out and relax during the day, so set aside some quiet reading time or something before you plan to sleep. Yes, this may mean you leave a gathering just a little early. But your body will be grateful, and you'll be happy you were responsible.
• Set an alarm. Don't be late for the prize giveaways every morning. If you aren't there, they give what you might have won to someone else. And they give fabulous prizes.
• Take the time to look at photos on Facebook and author websites or join me here for the author interview series I'm doing. You'll know at least a few people when you arrive if you bother to do this. It makes all the difference in the world.
• The Con will be here before you know it. Start prepping and buying swag and table decor now. That way, you aren't in a mad rush to get it all before the big day.
• Set aside boxes and label them UtopYA Con 2015. Put anything you buy for the con directly into the boxes so you don't forget to bring your goodies.

Well, that's all the nuggets of wisdom I have for you. I hope you enjoyed my little story!

~ The End

Now to tell you all about the blogs on the tour, the prizes up for grabs, and give you a Rafflecopter entry form!

Here's the hop list:
Christina Mercer - August 4th - Blog Link
Nichole Greene - August 5th - Blog Link
Delphina Henley - August 6th - Blog Link
Kelly A Risser - August 6th - Blog Link
Nanette Bradford - August 7th - Blog Link
Amy Evans - August 8th - Blog Link
Chelsea Starling - August 9th - Blog Link
Carlyle Labuschagne - August 12th - Blog Link
Anna Cruise - August 14th - Blog Link
Becca Vincenza - August 18th - Blog Link
Raine Thomas - August 19th - Blog Link
Casey L Bond - August 19th - Blog Link
Jo Michaels - August 21st - You're there now
Shelley Custer - August 26th - Blog Link
Nely Cab - August 27th - Blog Link
Chelsea Fine - August 28th - Blog Link
Rachel Harris - August 29th - Blog Link
Amber Garr - August 29th - Blog Link
Heather Hildenbrandt - August 30th - Blog Link
Susan Burdorf - August 30th - Blog Link

Now for the prize packs (there are FIVE!) and each has a Rafflecopter entry form that will follow the image:

Visit Delphinia's blog to enter to win the first prize pack.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you waiting for? Get on it!

How many of these great giveaways did you enter?

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

Jo 

Last Chance to Enter!

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm bringing you the Rafflecopter entry form for Finding Autumn, a Falling for Autumn companion novel. We began this giveaway over on the IBGW blog almost two weeks ago, and I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to win a copy of this great book!

Information and entry form:

Title: Finding Autumn - A Falling for Autumn companion novel
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: About 153 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:
***Not a standalone. Falling for Autumn from Blake's point of view. Includes bonus chapters set after the events of Falling for Autumn.***

Two years earlier, Blake Preston received a phone call that would change everything. His stepfather—a man he trusted and admired—had been accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. His stepfather declared his innocence and Blake chose to stay loyal to the man who had raised him as his own.

Cook University is the one place Blake can keep his anonymity. No one knows about the scandals surrounding his stepfather’s arrest and subsequent conviction. To his friends, he is merely the star running back for the college team and an NFL hopeful. But the life he has built at Cook is threatened when Autumn Dorey locks eyes with him at a campus party.

Getting entangled with Autumn is a mistake. Yet Autumn is the only person who can answer the one question that haunts him: is his stepfather a monster?

Blake conceals his identity and starts a friendship with Autumn under false pretenses. What begins as a way to uncover the truth about his stepfather changes as he grows close to Autumn. His relationship with her calls into question everything he thought he knew about his family. Against all odds, he falls in love with the one girl he’s forbidden to have feelings for. But can their love last once Autumn finds out who Blake Preston really is?

60,000 Words

Ages 17+ Due to Strong Language and Sexual Situations

Now for the entry form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Did you enter?

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

Jo

Winner Announced

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I have the winner of the book pack for you all today! I'm not gonna blab on and on, so here it is!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winner! You take home these books:

 

Check out the reviews for these books here on the blog:
Sanctuary
Falling for Autumn
Sir Edric's Temple
The Bestiarum Vocabulum
Chasing Shadows

I've contacted the winner already. I hope she's super happy about this great book pack.

Tomorrow, we're back to the grind!

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

Jo 

Last Chance to Enter!

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you all had a super awesome weekend. Just leaving you a quick note to remind you about the giveaways going on. I'll be back tomorrow with a book review of Unhinged by A. G. Howard. How exciting is that? Without further ado, here are the deets on those giveaways:

Giveaway #1:

Check out the reviews for these books here on the blog:
Sanctuary
Falling for Autumn
Sir Edric's Temple
The Bestiarum Vocabulum
Chasing Shadows

Giveaway #2:

Review here.

This is a companion novel for Falling for Autumn.



Now, for the Rafflecopter entry forms. Good luck to you all!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Jo

Paperback Giveaway - Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden, NC

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know you're all annoyed with me for missing posts lately. I promise, I'm working on getting my schedule in order. Kids go back to school at the beginning of August, and things will be a lot smoother around here. Not sure what I was thinking by moving, attending UtopYA Con 2014, and trying to keep my duties with IBGW up and running all at the same time, but I'll get there. Please bear with me through this difficult time.

Anywho, over on the IBGW blog, there's a giveaway going on for the book below:

Title: Not Born Here: Stories from Marsden, N.C.
Author: Dennis Sinar
Genre: Fiction/Short Stories
Length (print): 196 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $4.99  ~  Paperback $8.99

Synopsis:
A collection of short stories about a fictional Southern town, Marsden N.C. Humor, foibles and heartwarming stories make the town real and the inhabitants memorable characters. The characters move through their days in a small town a daughter learns a secret about her dead mother, women goes through the stages of love, hopeful, love found and just as quickly lost. Roger learns something new about his wife's Jimmylegs and offers fine points on judging a chili competition.

~

This giveaway is being sponsored by the fabulous Tia Silverthorne Bach of INDIE Books Gone Wild. If you want to enter to win a copy, do so here on the IBGW blog.

Sounds like a great collection. I'm off to grab a copy for myself!

If you haven't joined the IBGW mailing list, I urge you to do so. You'll get these great giveaways in your e-mail inbox. We don't spam, and you'll only be contacted by us when we have a promotion going on. Hey, you're guaranteed a well edited read if you win!

Sign up here.

What do you think? Did you enter?

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

Jo

Love Giveaways with a Guarantee of a Great Read?

Happy Friday, everyone! As you all know by now, I'm a member over at INDIE Books Gone Wild. Well, we've just had a brilliant idea to get the books by our authors into your hands with greater ease. As you know, we do a little promotion and giveaway of our authors' books (at no extra cost to them) at the end of every edit, formatting job, or proofread.

Well, here's how we're doubling the exposure for our authors, and providing great books to readers:

Every time we list a giveaway on the IBGW blog, we'll shoot our readers an e-mail with the rafflecopter link and details about the book. No more having to keep an eye on the blog to know when another great title has just hit the shelves!

Besides that one e-mail every now and again, you'll get a message every January that recaps the previous year's publications. We won't bug you about anything else, sell your e-mail address, or spam you. No crazy marketing stuff, just books by our authors we know you'll enjoy winning (and reading).

As you may be aware, we're planning to add six new editors to our amazing team! Details about those lovely ladies will come on the IBGW blog next week and the week after. Keep your eyes peeled! This is going to be amazing. I've searched the web to find editors who have a love for the finished product and adoration for their clients. I think you'll all be extremely pleased to get to know them, work with them, and add them to your "go to" editor list. Their way of thinking melds well with ours, and I think you'll all love them as much as we do.

Time to give you that link!

MailChimp signup for INDIE Books Gone Wild Publishing News

If you're one of our authors, signing up for that e-mail will let you know when your giveaway is live.

What do you think? Did you sign up?

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

Jo

Tia Silverthorne Bach - Guest Post

Happy, happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a super special guest post for you all from my sister from another mister, Tia Silverthorne Bach. She's got some awesome advice for you. At the end of this post, you'll find two things: A Rafflecopter entry form for a chance to win Tia's book, Chasing Shadows, and the winner(s) of my personal share contest for the author interview series I didn't tell anyone I was running. Sometimes, I like to surprise people by doing something they didn't know was planned. I kept a spreadsheet of each share, retweet, post, and comment on every interview I did. Only the people directly involved in the interviews were eligible to win a prize. I wanted them to be organic with their shares, and not be doing it with the hopes of winning anything. An unexpected prize is the best kind you can receive, in my humble opinion. Isn't that lovely? Anyway, kick back, relax, and get your read on! I now give the floor to Tia.

Squashing the Bugs

by Tia Silverthorne Bach

UtopYA is less than a week away!

Thanks to the alien theme this year, I’ve had all kinds of creatures on the brain: everything from the kind ET to the gross bug-alien from Men in Black.

Bugs gross me out. I could be having a perfect picnic on a beautiful summer day, but it’s over if I see a bug. That’s the same way I feel if I see constant errors in an otherwise amazing novel.

Yes, I managed to go from bugs (and an alien theme) to editing mistakes. It’s a gift.

So, what’s a writer to do?

Read Out Loud
Not only will you catch mistakes (left out words, poorly written sentences, misused words), but it’s also an excellent tool for discovering and fixing awkward dialog.

Simplify
Have you ever struggled with a long sentence that becomes a punctuation nightmare? It might be time to simplify. Either break the sentence into two shorter ones or write a tighter, less wordy, sentence.

Search & Find
Every writer has words they overuse. When you are done with your manuscript, do a search and find for your problems (e.g., just, that, all, and ly words). It’s also a great tool to make sure character names are spelled consistently. Then, as you edit, mark down overused words outside the initial search. Then, it’s time to hit the Thesaurus and make some changes. Which brings me to…

Internet
Don’t forget to use this valuable tool when editing. On the first read through, mark any issues which require an Internet search and then go back through and do them all at once. If you go to the Internet with each question, at least if you are like me, you’ll end up distracted. Use the Internet to check spellings, punctuation rules (Grammar Girl is a great source), and other references. Example: Is it Crock Pot or crock pot?

Hire a Professional
Yes, even after all of the suggestions above. You are too familiar with your own work to find everything. At the very least, please hire a proofreader. When I proofread, I will usually do a full edit of the first chapter or so many pages to show the author what it would look like. Whether you get a full edit or a proofread, you really need a trained pair of eyes on your hard work.

Now, go squash some bugs!

Can’t wait to see everyone at UtopYA.

*No bugs were harmed in the writing of this post. If squashing bothers you, feel free to imagine catching the bugs, putting them in a glass jar, and setting them free.*

~ Tia Silverthorne Bach

That was an awesome post. Guess what? It's gonna stay up as the top post until the end of the con. I'll be back next Monday with a goodies post about what I saw and learned at the con.

Why not give Tia a follow on these social media sites?
Pinterest: TiaSBach
Google+: Tia Bach
Goodreads: Tia Silverthorne Bach
Website: Tia Bach

As promised, here's the Rafflecopter entry form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for a very cool little add-on to my author interview series!

As I posted, tweeted, shared, and shouted about these authors from the rooftops, there were three people who helped me out at every turn. Because I'm a crazy author, I decided early on to award prizes for the person who shared the most. Well, turns out there were three people who really embraced the Indie author code and shared their butts off. Who are they and what did they win?

Well...

First prize (a $50 Amazon gift card): Casey L. Bond
I swear, every time I turned around, I was thanking her for retweeting, sharing on Facebook, or sharing on other media. She was really a force to be reckoned with. Thank you for all you do, Casey!

Second and Third prizes (a $25 Amazon gift card): Carlyle Labuschagne and N. L. Greene
These ladies did a ton of sharing. Not only of their own posts and interviews, but of other authors' as well. Thank you both so very much for spreading the Indie love!

I'll be handing out these fab prizes at UtopYA.

I can't wait to see you all!

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

Jo

Spring Book Fling - Huge Giveaway

Happy, happy Wednesday, everyone! Yay! Hump-day is here and we're speeding toward the weekend with the velocity of a train. I hope you're all doing well this morning, because your clicking finger is about to get a workout. *grin* Without further ado, I give you the Spring Book Fling!

Let's begin with an awesome graphic showing you the authors who are participating and the dates the giveaway is running.

Ms. Amy Evans will be on the blog in two weeks with an author interview, and Casey L. Bond, Bethany Lopez, and Carlyle Labuschagne have already graced us with their presence. Go find out about a couple of the books up for grabs by reading their interviews here.

Now, some eye candy (also known as book covers)!

How pretty are those? Imagine them on your Kindle, waiting to be plucked up and read! It'll make it pretty if nothing else, eh?

Are you foaming at the mouth for the rafflecopter entry widget yet? Okay, okay! Here you go:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll leave you all to it. Clicking finger ready? Up and down and enter!

Good luck.

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

Jo

Book Blitz - First Impression

First Impression 

A Shadow Maven Paranormal

by Pauline Creeden

Published on March 22, 2014

Goodreads | Amazon

Now on sale for only .99cents for a limited time! Pick up your copy now!

Chira Kelly thought she didn’t
need anyone…until she met Ben.


Because of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. When Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one, and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the truth. But can he protect her?

EXCERPT

 She rips my hall pass from her pad and points it toward the young man sitting across from her desk. “Chira Kelley, meet Ben Oscuro. He’s new here and needs someone to show him around. It just so happens he’s also a member of class 18B.”

I finally lay my eyes on the boy. He doesn’t look up at me, and his disheveled dark hair is just long enough that it hides his eyes. But he pushes himself up from his chair and his slim form towers over me. He’s at least six feet two and his uniform is almost as crumpled as his hair. He swings his backpack onto a strong, square shoulder and nibbles his full bottom lip. His smooth olive skin and dark hair make him look like a foreign rocker, and there’s something about him
that seems vaguely familiar.

“Here’s a copy of his class schedule. When you’re not in the same class, I want you to leave a few minutes early and help him find the next class room. That’s your job for today. Got it?”

I swallow back and resist sniffling again. Taking the hall pass and the copy of the schedule from her, I say, “Um…sure.”

“Excellent. Robin, you’re off the hook.”

The office aide pumps a fist in the air before returning to file more papers in the cabinet. The secretary’s chair squeals a dismissal, and Mrs. Campbell picks up her phone, returning to her duties without another word.

Ben pulls open the office door and stands to the side to allow me to go first. The hallway that was empty only a short while ago is now full of students and their incessant conversations. With a shrug, I eye his class schedule quickly. Except for second and sixth period, we have exactly the same schedule. He’s in all of the advanced classes, too. Only he has gym for second period and Latin for sixth – opposite of my schedule, except I take French.

Piece of cake.

I glance up at him again, and his eyes meet mine. My breath hitches. His intense gaze makes me feel like he’s measuring me. The dark pools of his eyes seem deep and bottomless, but there’s something strange about them. They’re brown, but he has colored contacts. Why would anyone color their eyes brown?

My heart flutters. A sniffle escapes me before I can stop it. Ugh. I clear my throat and start in the direction of first period. “Follow me.”

We elbow our way down the freshman hall toward the second floor, but before we start up I point down the way. “Do you know what your locker number is?”

Ben nods and pushes his backpack up on his shoulder further.

I wait for a second and then smile. “What is it?”

“706.” He has a slight accent and his voice is deeper than I expect. I suppress a shiver at the jolt that the musical timbre of his voice sends through my body. I’m resonating like a tuning fork. II really want him to speak again with every fiber of my being. What’s with me?

“Uh…okay.” I swallow, trying to regain composure. And take him to the general area of the locker. “Here it is.”

He looks at it, nods, and returns his hard gaze to me. Is he always so stiff? Probably just nerves from being new.

“I know you don’t have any books to put in it, but do you want to try out the combination?”

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug and spins the combo quickly through the three numbers. I purposefully avert my eyes so he knows I’m not peeking. He opens the locker wide, nods toward me and then closes it again.

“Great. We have first period over here.”

“You and I have the same first period?”

My body vibrates again, and I blink hard. So glad my back was to him so he couldn’t see the effect his voice has on me. I swallow and face him. “Actually, yeah. Our schedules are very similar. It’s a smallish school so there’re only a few tracks that juniors can be on.”

He nods, and his eyes are half lidded as if he’s bored already.

I lead him toward our class room. “We don’t really have assigned seats, so you can pretty much sit anywhere you want. I’ll show you to the gym at the end of class. I have French next, but it’s not too far from there.”

I lead him to the front of the class, and my friend, Tasha, gives me a wan smile and raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth between me and Ben. She mouths, Who’s that?

I roll my eyes and put up one finger toward her to let her know I’ll tell her in a minute. Then I turn to the teacher. I hand him the schedule from the office. “Hi, Mr. Scott, this is Ben Oscuro, a
transfer.”

Mr. Scott sets down the Mountain Dew he was drinking and offers Ben a wide grin. He puts a hand out for him to shake. Ben hesitates but takes the hand in what looks like a firm grip. Mr. Scott shakes his hand afterward. “That’s some grip you’ve got there.” He laughs and leans down to the bottom drawer of his desk and hands Ben a Geography text book.

With a nod, I return to Tasha and squeeze into the desk next to hers. Because I’m at Jackson Hall partially on scholarship and partially on my father’s insurance money, I’m somewhat of a social pariah. My only real friend is Tasha Brown, a pariah herself, being one of the few African-American kids in the school. Still she tends to be more popular than me, because at least her family has the money they’ve made in the night club and music business. But then there’s that rumor…

“So who is the new hottie?” Tasha hops up and down in her seat.

I shake my head at her. “You are one big hormone, you know that? Sure, he’s cute, but is there any guy in the room you don’t consider a hottie?”

Tasha scans the room, considering for a moment with her hand on her chin and a very serious expression on her face. Her hair is in the typical pigtail braids she usually uses to play up the uniform. She has on no sweater, and her shirt is one size too small, causing the buttons at the front to bow and expose part of her red bra. Finally she returns her gaze to me. “There’s only one guy in here that doesn’t rank hottie.”

“Really? Who?”

She leans in conspiratorially and whispers, “Mr. Scott.”

I nearly choke on a laugh as I eye the middle aged, balding teacher at the front of the room. But I have to admit, Jackson Hall is a prep school. And no one can afford to make their children look their best more than the wealthy. I guess if I take my father’s words to heart, it’s better to be the poor kid in the rich kids’ school…than the other way around. Right?

Tasha’s smile returns and I follow her gaze to figure out why. Ben Oscuro walks down the aisle between us and takes the desk right behind mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. He smells like pine and mint, and it reminds me of the outdoors. When I open them again, Tasha’s smile has grown impossibly wider. She leans towards me and whispers, “What was that you said about hormones again?”

I shove my elbow toward her but she dodges me with a giggle.

About the author

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. Her books have hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List and Armored Hearts won the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award in Historical Fiction. First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal is her first mystery. It’s a dark urban fantasy and will be released March 31, 2014.

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A Shadow Maven tin full of jellybeans!

a Rafflecopter giveaway