Last Chance to Enter Giveaways - EMANCIPATION Releases Tomorrow

Happy Monday! Oh my goodness! I'm chewing my fingernails off over here. Emancipation, Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story One, releases tomorrow!

Use this link to the event on Goodreads to invite all your friends: GOODREADS EVENT

In celebration of this epic event, I'm going to give you all a recap of the awesome giveaways running right now (that end at midnight tonight), some inside information on this book, and a look at the next story in the series. Ready? Let's get going!

Giveaways running right now:

This one over on Goodreads (two copies up for grabs).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Emancipation

by Jo Michaels

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

Enter Giveaway

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

This one on the IBGW blog.

All the things end at midnight tonight or 11AM EST tomorrow!

Now, for the inside information. *grins*

In the back of the paperback AND hardcover version, you'll find the entire first part of Dark Bishop, titled Pawn, by Casey L. Bond and Rachel Brownell. See my review for the whole book here.

In the Kindle version, you not only get Pawn, but you also get a look inside Inger Iversen's Incarcerated.

That's TWO bonus reads, and I can't tell you how flipping excited I am about it.

Now, I have a surprise for you all! I have the next book in the Pen Pals and Serial Killers book all plotted out (and I'm a couple thousand words in). Ready for details? I bet you are! *grins*

Title: Provocation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story Two)
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Length: TBD
Expected Publication Date: Late 2016

Blurb:

Doctor Victoria Ward has been killing men for over thirty years. Her victims all have one thing in common: they’re abusive. Righteousness is a close companion—it helps her sleep at night—and she holds the virtue closely as she defends the innocent, upholding the law when it won’t rise to protect those who need it most. When she meets a young girl named Kelly, and follows her down a twisted path of deception, Doc Ward finds herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past. Never before has she wavered in her resolve—but can she defend another against someone she loves?

How excited are you for this book?

Keep your eyeballs peeled, and get ready for the most amazing release party of the year over on Facebook tomorrow! 

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

Jo

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

Cover Reveal - The Timekeeper's Daughter

The next Short Story in the Prequel series is finally here!!!

Delve into the realm of fairies as Mother Nature, Father Time and Death battle over the powers of a very special family. 

This story gives us a glimpse into Mala's life. 

Get to know her story before her important role in book 4 of The Geneva Project series.

Release Date - March 24, 2016  

Genre: Dystopian YA

She could see the future; he could control time. 

Their love was forbidden, seen as a crime. 

The lovers knew they could not outrace, 

Their future was doomed once Death gave chase. 

No matter how swift or how clever, 

The lovers knew happily ever after wouldn’t last forever. 

PRE ORDER- AMAZON

Christina Benjamin is the Award-Winning Author of the Young Adult series The Geneva Project.

Her debut novel, The Geneva Project - Truth, has won multiple awards, including the Gold Medal for YA fiction at the 2014 Florida Authors & Publishers Awards.

The Geneva Project offers fans of mega-hit YA fiction like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson a new series to obsess over. Christina paints a vivid world, where magic and imagination run wild in her epic tale of adventure, courage, friendship and self-discovery.

Christina lives in Florida with her husband, and her character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her book series and speaking at schools to inspiring creativity in young writers.

Awards:

FAPA President's Gold Medal (YA Fiction)

London Book Festival - Runner-Up (Young Adult Category)

"Top Choice" - www.litpik.com

Readers Favorite- Silver Medal(YA Fiction)

Bookie Award- Favorite New Author

Facebook     FB Book Series     Twitter     Instagram     Instagram Book Series    Tumblr   Google+     YouTube     LinkedIn     Website     Book Website      SquareUp    Amazon    Goodreads    Trivia Quiz on Goodreads

How pretty is this book? o.O

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

Jo

One Week Until Emancipation Releases

On your mark, get set, put a big X on your calendar for Tuesday, 3/22! Why? Because Emancipation is set to take the internet by storm!

A couple of early reviewers' thoughts (from Goodreads):

"WOW. By far one of the most edgy books I have ever read. Emancipation blew me out of the water. Jo Michaels hit the nail on the head with combining the perfect plot of a serial killer locked in prison and the perfect innocent lawyer." ~ Jaci

"Tobias is pure evil and to say I wanted him dead is an understatement. With each page my desire to wrap my fingers around this guys throat or be the one to push the button that ends his life on death row increased." ~ Tina

"I have had this on my kindle to read and kept putting it off. You know that saying never judge a book by its cover? Well don't! I sort of did with this one, to me it is a little creepy so I felt I really had to be in the mood to read it. Now I have read it I feel the cover is perfect! I certainly wasn't creeped out, I was glued to it!" ~ Book Lover's Emporium

"The story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering what would happen next. There is a lot of graphic violence in this book and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Some parts had me cringing in my seat" ~ Jade

There are only a few days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway, too.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Emancipation

by Jo Michaels

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

Enter Giveaway

And, you can enter to win a signed paperback over on the IBGW blog here.

Caption phrase for FB party:

KILLER RED

That's for the fun starting at the party on Facebook tomorrow! Come join us!

If you've missed out on any of the teasers, here they are again!

I can't wait for this party to kick off. We're gonna have a blast!

Are you feeling it? Which teaser is your favorite?

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

Jo

Rogue Agent Release Blitz by Kellie Wallace

Release Blitz
Rogue Agent
by
Kellie Wallace

 

GoodReads

Amazon

Blurb

Time and space won’t stop Seth Langdon from eliminating his target…

In the year 2040, futuristic hit man Seth Langdon travels the world by rifts in time, carving a successful career in murdering corrupt men and women. He’s the top assassin working for the elite underground agency, Haroun.

If you’ve killed one scumbag, you’ve killed them all…

During a routine assignment in Oklahoma, Seth carries out a hit on an arms smuggler, David Bloom. But after the job is done, Seth can’t shake the feeling something is very wrong. He’s left haunted by the memory, but what made Bloom so different than Seth’s other targets?

Then his next assignment rolls in…

After a coveted promotion, Seth becomes an Expult agent—an assassin with the freedom and rights to eliminate specific targets. For his first official hit with the new job title, he’s ordered to kill animal activist Terra Bloom, daughter of David Bloom. Regardless of Seth’s guilt over killing her father, she’s just another target…or is she?

Seth’s moral compass spins out of control as inner struggles clash with his dedication to the job. When his decisions leads to tragic consequences, Seth and Terra embark on a journey, fleeing from the very organisation Seth dedicated his life to.

When a trained killer falls for his mark, he’ll use every resource to protect her—even if he’s deemed a Rogue Agent.

Excerpt

Seth tore the hotel room apart looking for anything to numb the pain. The bottle of pills he found under the sink didn’t cut it; neither did the bottle of vodka he boosted from the bodega down the road. Despite the promise of a bone crunching headache in the morning, he tilted his head and tipped the liquid into his empty gut.

From his position on the bed, he sneered at the bible on the table, forcing a half-assed laugh. The book cruelly reminded him that he had no right to ask for retribution from anyone. He was the last man to redeem himself. Trix was dead because of him. Was this punishment for choosing Terra over her? Spencer did the one thing he’d vowed he would never do: kill an agent’s loved one. For his act of treason, Seth was expecting some sort of rebuttal, but not this. The hotel room door opened and Terra entered, cradling a paper bag of groceries against her chest.

“Are you still nursing that bottle? Why don’t you take a shower? It will make you feel better.”

He snorted a response.

“Come on,” she cajoled. “You’ve always told me to move on. I’ m sorry about Trix but maybe it was for the —”

He was out of the chair and in her face so fast the paper bag slipped from her fingers and spewed its contents onto the carpet.
“You don’t get to say shit about Trix!” he yelled, shoving a finger in her face. “You didn’t know her at all. If I never listened to the fucking voice in my head and saved you, she might be still alive.”

“You can’t blame me for that,” Terra shot back, gathering the fallen items back into the bag. “I’m sorry for her death, but you saved me for a reason. That little voice in your head decided to make a decision that ultimately changed your life. You’re a good man, Seth, and for what it’ s worth, I trust you. Somewhere deep inside me, I know I’m safe around you.”

He had no response.

“When I lost my father, I didn’t understand the pain I was feeling. He and I never got along when I was growing up, we were polar opposites. As a teenager, I made his life hell and my mother was at her wit’s end. When I turned sixteen, I moved out and never looked back. I did love him, of course, and it hurts that we never got to resolve our issues. I moved on.”

“Your father was a criminal,” he sneered.

Her lips formed a thin line and she turned her back on him. “You’ re hurting so I’ m going to let that one slide. I knew my dad. He was a good man, despite our history.”

“I knew who he was.”

Terra ripped the empty vodka bottle from his grip. “Shut up, Seth. You just want revenge.”

“Of course I do.”

She came up close, pressing her breasts against his chest, breathing hot air onto his neck.

“The best revenge is to live, Seth. Spencer hasn’t tracked us down yet. We left the park before his men could find us. Would Trix want you to cower in fear all your life?”

He gazed into her azure blue eyes and saw something he thought he’ d never find again: redemption. He wanted to kiss her, to taste her, but the memory of Trix’s head exploding into million pieces expelled the desire.

“Do you remember their faces?” Terra asked, unmoving, still close to him. “The men and women you killed over the years.”

“There’s too many of them.”

She drew lazy circles in his shirt, her eyes burrowing into his. “You need to relax and let loose. You’re too uptight. We sat in that stinky state train for two days to Richmond and you of all people need to unwind. I know a place.”

About the Author

Born in Sydney, author Kellie Wallace developed a love for the written word early in life, writing her first story at aged three. Her father used to read to her at bedtime, establishing a deep love and respect for books.
Kellie wrote her first fiction fantasy novel called Giblin the Conquer, an X Files fan fiction and a military fiction while in high school. After finishing school, Kellie moved to the sunny Northern Beaches and carved a successful career in the media/advertising industry writing for numerous Sydney based publications. But that didn’t stop Kellie’s love to write. An aspiring novelist, she fulfilled a dream in 2008 having her first book All She Ever Wanted published at the age of 22 years old.

Since 2013, Kellie has established herself as a hybrid author, writing a range of genres from historical fiction, fantasy, crime and new adult fiction. Her next release Rogue Agent will be published by Limitless Publishing in 2016.

She currently resides in Sydney with her husband. In her spare time, Kellie loves to write, game, draw, exercise, and binge on her favourite TV shows.

 
Author Links Facebook Website Amazon Twitter GoodReads Tumbler  

Hosted by SASS  

What do you think? Pretty awesome, huh?

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

Jo

HeadTalker - What it is, How to use it, and Why it's Awesome

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's post is going to be rather long-ish, but you'll want to read all the way to the end. We'll be getting into a new marketing tool called HeadTalker. I'll show you why it's awesome, how to use it, and go into how you can apply it to your current marketing strategy. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks, and let's get going!

As you're all aware, I'm never paid for anything I talk about here on my blog, and there are no affiliate links. This is why I'm free to speak my mind. I don't owe anyone anything, and no one owes me. Recommendations made here are 100% because I loved the product. Now that I've restated that, we can move on.

I'm gonna start with a big WHAT IS HEADTALKER? snippet.

HeadTalker works like Thunderclap, a social media blasting platform, with more options and more ways to get your message trending. Plus, HeadTalker has some REALLY cool features Thunderclap doesn't.

If you don't know what Thunderclap is, go check out this post.

Please understand, I'm not saying you should use one of these over the other, but HeadTalker is another platform to put firmly in your corner because of the features.

Speaking of, let's get rolling on those, shall we?

Social Media Platforms - There are Four

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• LinkedIN

Campaign Features (this is where it gets really cool)

• Video (book trailer!)
• Share Image (I'd love to see them add design specs to this and the next one)
• Background Image (see comment above)
• Media Embed (images, music, etc...)
• Set Supporter Goal (between 25 and 500 - ANY number)
• Include a Giveaway

I have to be honest, when I saw all the bonus features, I got really excited. I did run an experiment to see just how it worked, and I'll get to that after I show you all the "fill me out" things (which will happen now).

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

As you can see, you have a campaign title, message you want to go out, a URL, the place to embed your YouTube video, featured photo and background photo, a category, your story (which you can edit at any time without having to resubmit and will hold things like music and photos), your supporter goal, a start and end date with a time to go live, and a giveaway option.

Now, once approved, you can't change your URL or message. Those are fixed. You'd probably have to delete your campaign and start over.

Anyway, I did a little test to run through the functionality and check out all the features. Here's how I set mine up:

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

I also did a $20 giveaway (the minimum, to see just how it worked). One thing I didn't use was the background image option because I wasn't sure what it was and didn't want to muck up the look.

Once my campaign was live, I got a PayPal invoice for $22. HeadTalker takes 10% off the top for handling the giveaway for you. Not too shabby. I put it out there and don't have to worry about it again. For what it's worth, I love simple. *grin*

Now, here are the stats broken down by time:

15 min shot

30 min shot

45 min shot

1 hour shot - Notice I hit my goal of 35

6:56PM

At 10:27PM I got a message that said my HeadTalker was trending and was on the homepage. 

SCORE! After that, this happened!

1:01AM

8:36AM

10:45AM

4:22PM

Today at 11:33AM

As you can see, the numbers are astounding (I'll give a comparison to the other one on Thunderclap in a moment). Now, when I first got the message that my campaign was ready to start gaining supporters, there were a number of links included (this is also pretty fun, so stay with me).

There was a link to the HeadTalker Academy (I highly recommend going through this even if you think you know what you're doing - several tips and tricks there.

Another took me to FAQ (self explanatory, no?).

Still another took me to Success Stories (those were fun and interesting to look through - think of it as a "what works well" class).

But, by far, the most interesting one took me to the HeadTalker Market. This is the place where you can pay others to support your campaigns or have others pay you to support theirs. Now, I don't know about you, but I think this is flipping brilliant. If you can't get the support you need any other way, or if you're serious about making the biggest impression possible and have the cash to lay out there, I don't see limits on your potential reach. Might be better than doing a cash giveaway. Hell, it might be awesome as a passive kind of income, too, if you have a strong social media presence.

So, anyway, for a price (from $1 on up, depending on social reach ability), you can get limitless support for your campaign. I didn't do this, but the option is totally there.

Now for a comparison screenshot of my other campaign. We set this one to go at noon, and HeadTalker to fire at 5PM day of release. This was taken today at 11:33AM.

Is there even a comparison? It's literally crazy, right? Or am I missing something?

What do you think? Will you make the jump from one to the other? Use both? Do you see any downsides?

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

Jo

New Release - Frantic

Happy Friday! Well, you all know you need a new book to read this weekend, and if you've been hanging around the blog, you know Frenzy was a recent five star read of mine (check out my review here). Well, Frantic has hit virtual shelves everywhere, today!

If you haven't read the first one, I urge you to do so here. You won't be disappointed. Zombies and vampires in one novel? Yes, please! And it's just $0.99!

Let's get to the information!

Title: Frantic (Frenzy #2)
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: Dystopain
Length (print): 195 pages
Buy Links: Kindle $1.99 (KU readers get it FREE)

Blurb:
Porschia Grant is in Frenzy. The hunger is constant. It’s all-consuming, as is the pain and sickness. Something went wrong when she turned. Perhaps it was the fact that an infected bit her moments before, or maybe it’s something else entirely.

One thing is certain, if Porschia can’t learn to feed, she will die. If she can’t learn to control her extreme emotional swings, she will kill someone. And that would destroy her.

How long can the night-walkers keep her turning a secret from the Colony? Will Saul stand beside her now that she’s changed? And what will happen when she re-enters the forest?

~~

You know you need more! If that's not enough to convince you, check out this snippet from Ethan over on OGG2GR:

Here's the link to his whole review: READ ME

Or how about a teaser image?

What are you waiting for? You need this series in your life.

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

Jo