Your Entertainment Until 6/15

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna tell you all about the entertainment you'll be enjoying on the blog over the next two weeks. I'll be out of town for a few days, but I'm putting you in the capable hands of some fellow authors for the duration. Not tomorrow! Tomorrow is all about tips and tricks for utopYA con (my official post for the month). This is basically the schedule from now until I leave for the conference. Ready? Grab that coffee and let's get going!

6/5 (tomorrow) - UtopYA Con 2015 survival tips and tricks and pre-order awesomeness - What to bring, pack, and avoid, and what I really want from those pre-order lists (and where you can find them).
6/8 - Sheena Hutchinson takes over
6/9 - Tricia Zoeller is your hostess
6/10 - Elizabeth Kirke wows you
6/11 - Stormy Smith brings the rain
6/12 - Shawn McGuire will be guest posting
6/15 - An author interview with myself - no, I asked other folks for the questions (some of them).
6/16 - Time Traveling to utopYA 2014 - A look at last year
6/17 - My Travel to the con! Yes, I'll be putting up a blog post the day I arrive in Nashville.
6/18-6/21 - Be ready for utopYA stuff! Blog posts, maybe a video or two with interviews!

So, get yourselves ready! It's coming SOON!

Are you coming to the con? Looking forward to my takeovers?

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

Jo

Types of Blog Posts for Authors and Book Bloggers

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna talk about alllll those different kinds of blog posts authors and book bloggers create. If you missed the fun yesterday, be sure and check it out here. That's a Cover Reveal post; one of the post types I'll be talking about here in a second. Please, keep in mind these are general posts and not every single one on the planet. Ready? Grab that pen and notebook and let's get going!

Blog Post Types for Authors:

• Excerpt - A little snippet of your current work
• Coming Soon - Title teasers that can contain snippets or other fun things (like the general idea behind the new work)
• Opinion - Something you feel bloggy/passionate about
• How-to - All about the sharing of techniques used to write a novel
• Cover Reveal - Exactly what it says
• Tour/Info Post - Sharing information about a title (yours or another author's) either in a blog tour or not
• Giveaway - Yeah, you know this one, too
• Interview - You talking with another author and them talking back
• Research - Stuff you looked up and found interesting
• Resources - Places readers can look stuff up
• Release Day Post - Yet another one that needs no introduction

Now, that's not all the post types for authors, but it's enough to help you understand some of the options out there. Let's get into the next topic!

Blog Post Types for Book Bloggers (reviewers):

• Excerpt - A snippet of an author's work
• TBR - A reviewer's list of books to be reviewed
• Book Review - Yeah, I don't think this one needs explanation, either
• How-to - Sharing where you got your books and where others can find them or how to write a review
• Tour/Info Post - Either part of a blog tour or not, putting out information about a title
• Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul - What books you added to your shelf over a week
• Giveaway - Again, you can glean the meaning here from the title
• Cover Reveal - Revealing the cover of an author's book
• Roundup - Some bloggers you love and recommend your readers follow
• Interview - An interview with an author or other book blogger
• Vlog - A video of your book review
• Photo - A picture of your books or shelves

Again, these aren't all the post options. I'm just giving you something to brainstorm over. *grin*

If you ever find yourself stuck without an idea (you're making a schedule, right?), I hope this kicks your brain into overdrive.

Any questions?

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

Jo

New Release - Crown of Smoke

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Yes, it's the second post for today! Woot!

Please enjoy absorbing the deets for this awesome new release by Snowa Fox.

Title: Crown of Smoke (Angel Marked Book One)

Author: Snowa Fox
Genre: YA Paranormal
Length (print): 416 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $3.99  ~  Paperback $14.99

Blurb:
A Life Bound
A Destiny Revealed
A Vengeance Unleashed

Dream Guardian Vaughn Khale is on the brink of gaining his redemption to claim the demon crown of Lucidity when his world is set ablaze.

Deception fractures his life of duty and honor, altering his younger brother’s fate forever.

Pragmatic. Archeology student. Angel Marked.

Lila Vanderhook leads a normal 22 year old life, until her nightmares attack her in the flesh.

Her brush with an ancient relic has ancient demons hunting her and she must flee to save herself.

The decision has grave consequences for her guardian, revealing a destiny neither of them are prepared for.

Will betrayal bury them or will they save each other?

Join in the Facebook party for the book's release, and follow Snowa on social media!

Facebook personal page: www.facebook.com/authorsnowa.fox

Facebook Author page for fans: www.facebook.com/snowa.foxauthor

Website: http://snowafox.wix.com/snowafoxauthor

Twitter: Https://mobile.twitter.com/snowa_fox

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/40213744-snowa-fox

What do you think? Gonna check it out?

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - M

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, it's all about the cover for my new novel titled M. What's the book about? Well, keep reading!

Title: M
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal/Urban Fiction
Publication Date: June 17, 2015
Length: 55k words
Blurb:
In 2026, it finally arrives, the drug promising to make life easier for the masses. One dose of M and anyone can gain an ability. There are no promises made as to what the power could manifest as, but people are crawling over one another to take a chance.

There's a problem: One pill costs a million dollars. Only those with extraordinary wealth are afforded the luxury of cleaning house with a click of their diamond-adorned fingers or solving a puzzle by talking to it.

A knockoff begins circulating in 2038 that does the same thing as M. Hundreds of thousands of people have mutated for a mere one hundred dollars.

Enter the year 2042.

Seventeen-year-old Griffin is a normal kid, who has a regular job, and dreams of going to college someday. When his girlfriend of three years succumbs to peer pressure, they break up. He believes the body is a temple not to be messed with outside of nature, and she wants to fit in. Once he meets the supplier, things take a turn for the worse.

He's left with nothing but pain in his heart and the desire to make them suffer when his plans for payback blow up in his face.

Thirst for revenge consumes him, and he finds himself locked in a battle he never anticipated with a merciless kingpin as they struggle to gain the advantage.

How far is too far?

***This book is a standalone novel, suitable for those over the age of thirteen. There is some violence that may not be appropriate for younger children.***

Ready for that cover? Wellp, here it is!

Now, it's time for the full wrap! Oooooooh yeahhhhhh baby!

Isn't it lovely?

Release date is set for June 17, 2015. That's right, you can pick up a copy at utopYA con or online at Amazon.com in June.

For now, you can keep an eye on its page on Jo's site!

What do you think? Like it? Interested in reading it?

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

Jo

Publication Spotlight - Erin Hayes

Happy Monday, everyone! Wow, I can't believe I've done a whole round/year of author interviews already. This is the last one for now (not sure if I'll bring it back after utopYA 2015 or not). I hope you've all had a ton of fun getting to know the authors attending utopYA this month. I can't believe it's only sixteen days away. Posts between now and then should be super fun. If you didn't get tickets, you're out of luck for this year, but you can still attend the Saturday signing event! Information here. Let's get to the spotlight fun, shall we?

I present to you, the bibliography of my featured author, Erin Hayes!

Her Wolf is a paranormal series that shows that lives of women in different packs who have to navigate the dangers and rules of being a werewolf, including who they choose to love. 

Title: Embracing Her Wolf
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 67 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Blurb: Not everyone wants to be a leader.

So when werewolf Gemma Branford is expected to act as one for her pack, she wants nothing to do with the leadership and societal rules involved with being a werewolf. As a purebred Alpha female, her refusal to mate with any wolf in the pack has caused a stir, as this allows for any werewolf she chooses to become an Alpha male.

When a rogue Beta wolf tries to take advantage of this, she realizes she has to stand and fight back for her right to choose a mate. Suddenly, it looks like her chance meeting with Adam, the lowly Omega wolf from a nearby pack, is her best chance of saving both her pack and herself.

This is a paranormal romance novella with language, violence, and sexual content. Not recommended for readers under the age of 18.


Title: Rockin' Her Wolf
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 103 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Blurb: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

When rockstar Huck answers his phone, he's shocked to hear from his long-lost childhood sweetheart. Anxious to see her after all this time, he agrees to meet her and gets swept up in her crazy world, changing his life forever.

Annie's been on the run for a long time, and she's determined to protect her friend's son from the vicious werewolves of their own pack. Her hunt to find safety unexpectedly leads her to Huck. And he won't let her go until she's safe.

This paranormal romance novella is the sequel to Embracing Her Wolf. It has language, violence, and sexual content. Not recommended for readers under the age of 18.


Title: Becoming Her Wolf
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 98 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Blurb: When hope is lost, the one thing you can trust is love.

Beta wolf Jon is dragged to Las Vegas to protect Gemma and Adam as they finally tie the knot. Yet when the wedding is sabotaged and one of their own is taken hostage, it looks like his only hope for answers is a human woman who was left behind as warning to the newlyweds.

Waking up in the hospital, Eva doesn’t believe Jon when he tells her about the world of werewolves. But when she turns into a werewolf herself and the attraction between them grows, she’ll find that her life has been changed more than they ever could have imagined.

This paranormal romance novella is the third book in the Her Wolf series. It has language, violence, and sexual content. Not recommended for readers under the age of 18.

Title: Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Length (print): 228 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Blurb: Jacob Smith is an average thirteen-year-old boy.

He’s of average height, average intelligence, average looks. He even has a normal family, like an over-achieving brother, a rebellious sister, a kooky grandfather, and one or two family secrets. Maybe he was living too normal of a life.

When his mother announces she’s expecting another baby, Jake starts noticing that he’s being followed by strange beings. They want Jake because he is the most normal, average person on Earth. And they need him so they can take over the planet.

Can a boy like Jake save the world?


Title: Death is but a Dream
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Mystery/Thriller
Length (print): 310 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Blurb: Caught between life and death, all Callie wants is to live again.

Homicide detective Callie Saunders knows that death isn’t all pearly gates and angels. After being hit by a bus, she finds that it's the ancient gods and goddesses of Greek mythology who are in charge of everything.

So when Hades offers her a deal, she accepts. If she wants to be brought back to life, she’ll have to figure out who is trying to kill his son. But if she fails, both her soul and the world will be destroyed.

With the odds mounting against her, it’ll take everything she has within her to wake up from death. But the rules are constantly changing. And someone wants her to stay dead.


Title: Fractured
Genre: Horror
Length (print): 234 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Blurb: Blinded by a mysterious seizure when she was three years old, Bash Martin has managed to carve out a normal life for herself as an adult. Yet she still yearns for a deeper connection with her twin sister Lily, who has always been jealous of the attention their parents bestowed upon Bash due to her disability.

A dream vacation seems like the perfect chance to heal their relationship, but Bash soon realizes there is something terribly wrong with Lily and that her sister is hiding a dark secret. And when a supernatural fire engulfs their hotel and corpses come back to life, the sisters are plunged into a nightmarish world that threatens not only their lives, but their very souls.


Title: Bedtime at the Zoo: An Illustrated Children's Picture Book
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Length (print): 32 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $1.49

Blurb: During the day, the zoo is busy and alive.
But you only see the animals 9:30 to 5.
The zookeepers lock up and turn off the lights.
But do you know what the animals do every night?

This is an illustrated children's bedtime story, perfect for the Kindle Fire and Kindle Apps. Recommended for children of all ages.



What do you think? Gonna check any of them out?

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

Jo

One More Chapter - Indie Author Haven Page Spotlight

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm here to talk with you about a page over on Facebook you should maybe give another (or a first) look at. Grab those steamy cups of coffee and let's get going!

There's this little page on Facebook rocking the Indie world with support and mad love for all things books. At the helm is Tawnya Peltonen. You should also check her out on Goodreads.

She's a serious reader and has given 676 ratings since 2011. That screams book lover to me.

But, not only does she love books, she's also a huge advocate of Indie authors. Tawnya reads and reviews Indie books often, and shares a bunch of our giveaways on her page on Facebook known as One More Chapter.

Support people who support Indies!

This link will take you to her page.

Once you're there, check out her newsfeed; you'll be astonished at the number of promo posts there with Indies at the core.

Maybe you already love OMC. Perhaps you gave it a like way back when and forgot about it. Interaction is a great way to get pages you love back in your newsfeed. 

As an alternative, you can also use the dropdown under the like button to get notifications or add the page to an interest list (don't worry, Facebook will walk you through the process of creating an interest list if you don't have one already).

Either way, go show this page some love, and enter to win one of the amazing giveaways running. There are always a ton!

What did you think? Did you check it out?

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

Jo

Have You Seen a Scene Around Here? Scene Writing 101

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, we're gonna talk about scene writing. Every book is a collection of scenes, so getting this part right is kind of a must. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First off, understand that every scene has three basic parts: An opener, a middle, and a conclusion.

A chapter, while still made up of those same parts, usually doesn't contain just one scene.

Let me break a scene down for you. We'll use a tidbit from my section of Fractured Glass with Elba and Diego.

Color coding is as follows: Green = Scene Open, Red = Scene Middle, Blue = Scene End

As he walked down the hall, he pondered how she got in without setting off the alarm, and wondered if she was dangerous. Logically, he’d rather have her in the foyer than his room. After shuffling some things around, he grabbed the book, spun around, and walked right into her. “How—”

She grabbed his hand and took two steps backward.

Air like an arctic blast hit him in the face. He shivered and his teeth chattered even as his eyes scanned the area. “Whoa. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

Walls that were once a dark blue had become rough rock. To the left, where the door used to be, there was an opening with jagged protrusions all around. He felt his jaw drop as he took in the landscape. Purple skies, bright yellow mountains, and green clouds greeted his eyes.

She snatched the journal out of his hand. “You don’t even have the beginnings of a grasp on the amount of danger those girls are in.”

“Where are we? How’d we get here? How do you know what happened? And what do you mean by ‘danger’?”

Her eyes widened, and she stuck out her hand. “I’ll show you. If you’re brave enough to come with me.”

Diego put a clammy hand in hers. “Brave? Lady, I’m like a lion. Are we going back to my house now?”

Super white teeth flashed from between her lips. “Not yet. There’s something you need to see.” She took another two steps backward.

They were in a cave—much like the previous one—only the air was warm.

He jerked his hand away, and the crazy woman disappeared. Fear clawed at his throat when a deep rumble echoed in the small space. “Hello? Where’d you go?” A scaly blue tentacle slithered from the shadows and moved over the floor in a sweeping motion. Dust and debris kicked up, forming a small cloud of particles.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he backed toward the cave’s entrance. “Um, hello? Crazy lady? A little help here?”

Inch by agonizing inch, the thing connected to the leg came into view. It seemed to have no skeleton, rather like an octopus, but it was flat as a pancake. Once it fully emerged, he saw the teeth. He looked back and considered jumping to his death rather than being torn apart by the razor sharp incisors grinding together less than twelve feet from his position. Choices raced through his brain, and he wiped his palms on his jeans.

A sheer drop was on one side, the monster, slowly oozing its way across the floor, was on the other.

“Help!” he yelled.

Quick as a flash, the thing searching for him launched itself across the cave.

He put his hands over his head and prepared for the impact.

There was a pulling sensation on his arm, and the scene changed again. This time, he found himself waist-deep in a pond with the woman’s hand around his bicep.

For the water, he was grateful; it washed away the evidence of his fear. Anger replaced the cloying feeling present a moment before. His face was cold, and he knew he was as white as his skin could turn. Gesturing at the sky, he let his rage take over. “Where the hell did you go? That thing almost ate me!”

“I didn’t realize you’d pulled away from me. We have to keep touching or you can’t traverse the fractals with me.”

“Fractals? Lady, you’ve lost your mind! How do I get home?” Again, his teeth were chattering, but it wasn’t cold.

“Oh my. You seem to be in shock. Okay, I’ll take you home. But we can’t go back the way we came. Thanks to you, that thing in the next world over will be waiting for us. My name is Elba, by the way. You can stop calling me lady, crazy lady, and creepy lady now.”

Diego felt his face get warm. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been called worse.”

Something slithered along his leg under the murk. “Um, whatever we’re gonna do, can we do it fast?” Images of the same creature he’d just encountered being able to swim gripped him in a fist of iron. His whole body shook harder.

She smiled. “I’m working on it.” Her journal was in her hand, and she was turning it this way and that.

Another creature touched his calf, sending tingles up his leg. “I don’t mean to interrupt again, but I think something just stung me.”

“I doubt it. These are glooshna eels. They’re only put into a feeding frenzy by urine. You’ll be fine.”

“Actually…”

Her hand collided with her forehead before she slammed the book closed, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along after her.

They turned left, climbed the embankment, and ran ten steps, then right for two steps, before the scenery changed again.

She pointed to the left. “That’s the cave you were just in.”

High up on the side of an electric green mountain, the squishy creature could be seen dangling from the hole where Diego almost met his demise. He squinted at it. “What’s it doing?”

“Shh! We certainly don’t want it to know we’re down here. Those things are fast.”

He rubbed his hand on the back of his jean shorts. “Tell me about it.”

Again, they moved forward. But this time they went fifteen steps before the scene changed. Purple skies and yellow mountains greeted them.

“This is way weird.” All the hair on his neck stood up. “Is there anything here that can eat us?”

Elba grinned. “Always assume there’s something that wants to eat you. It’s the only way you and your little friends will survive.”

He gulped.

“Now, we have to climb up to that cave so I can guarantee we end up back in your room.” She stuffed the book in her knapsack and began the ascent. By the time they reached the top, he was panting.

Grabbing his hand, she pulled him two steps forward.

They were back in his bedroom.

Diego collapsed and kissed the carpet. “So good to be back home.”

“All right, kid. Go clean up, change, and meet me in the kitchen. We need to talk.” Laughing, she strode from the room, pivoted in the hallway, and disappeared.

Rolling over, Diego lay on the soft floor, allowing himself a moment. “We need to talk.” He mimicked her gravelly voice. “You bet we do. But, this time, you’re giving me answers.”

No, this isn't the whole chapter; it's actually the second scene from the beginning of section 2 (my section of the book).

I used the five W's: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

This scene serves a huge purpose in introducing the reader to the fractals. Without this adventure, the story would be beyond confusing from here out as the characters traverse the parallel worlds.

Your beginning should set up for the action.
Then, you have the exciting part, where you get to kill people or heighten tension.
At the end, you should be preparing the reader for a transition to the next scene and leave a question or two open that needs to be answered (why should I keep reading?).

So, I answered the most basic question: Is it necessary?

Always ask yourself that when you're doing your edit. A lot of times, a scene can be cut and it not impact the overall story. Talking about what the character is seeing every other scene gets boring. Seek and destroy those dragging visuals when necessary.

When it doubt, cut it out.

Once you've identified the scenes, you can use this post to measure the pace of your entire novel. Pretty cool, huh?

This section gets a score of: Beginning = 72.6, Middle = 86.9, End = 87.5. Not bad pacing. Nice high there at the end.

What do you think? Have you ever broken down a scene like this?

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

Jo