Cover Reveal - Friction (Frenzy #4)

Title: Friction (Frenzy, #4)

Author: Casey L. Bond

Genre: YA Paranormal

Cover Designer: Cover Me Darling

Model: Daniel Wells

Cover Photography: Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs

Expected Release Date: Early August 2016

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb: A cure has been found for both the Infection and Vampirism, and Porschia Grant must take this news out of the colony. Between her friends volunteering to go with her and a well-planned route, the first journey should be easy. But when they make it to Mountainside, things are strange. The people are frightened of female night-walkers and won’t say why.

When the excursion takes a wrong turn, Porschia’s friends make a decision that will impact the rest of their lives. They expect to save Porschia from the evil contained in The Manor; they don’t expect to have to save her from herself.

When everything goes wrong, who will be left to pick up the pieces and save Ford from a threat no one could have seen coming?

What will happen when they risk everything to save one?

Award-winning author Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction. You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links: 

Website: www.authorcaseybond.com 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybond 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorcaseybond 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_Bond 
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PmE0pg 
Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1032678336804562/

 Newsletter: http://authorcaseybond.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e812bbce406a10776c6a28162&id=79850847f2

Buy Links: #Free with #KindleUnlimited 
Frenzy: http://amzn.to/29P92Jg 
Frantic: http://amzn.to/29P9cGp 
Frequency: http://amzn.to/29VpTxG

Book Review - The Girl in 6E

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm giving you all a book review over on A Daily Cup of Jo! This time, it's for A. R. Torre's The Girl in 6E. My whole shebang about the characters and what I didn't like is available over on my radio show here.

Here's a little about the book up for review today:

Title: The Girl in 6E (Deanna Madden #1)
Author: A. R. Torre
Genre: Psychological Erotic Thriller
Length: 336 printed pages
Buy Link: Amazon Hardcover $4.99

Blurb:
I haven't touched a human in three years. That seems like it would be a difficult task, but it's not. Not anymore, thanks to the internet.
 
I am, quite possibly, the most popular recluse ever. Not many shut-ins have a 200-member fan club, a bank account in the seven-figure range, and hundreds of men lining up to pay for undivided attention.

They get satisfaction, I get a distraction. Their secret desires are nothing compared to why I hide... my lust for blood, my love of death.

Taking their money is easy. Keeping all these secrets... one is bound to escape.

 

What if you hid yourself away because all you could think of was killing? And what if one girl's life depending on you venturing into society?

 

Enter a world of lies, thrills, fears, and all desires, in this original thriller from A. R. Torre.

****Will not appear in review elsewhere. OMG at this cover! Hello! It totally speaks to the novel inside, and once you read it, you'll probably agree it's freaking perfect. So freaking perfect. I love the bright red, too. Perfect for murder.****

I grabbed this book at Utopia con in Nashville a couple weeks ago after having a little chat with the author over our favorite genres. She recommended The Girl in 6E, so I snapped it up and made her sign it. But that's how I came about owning a copy. Let's get to what I thought.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I was so in awe of the characters and how well they were developed. Torre did a fantastic job communicating the truly twisted nature of the main character, Deanna, that I was rooting for her at the same time I despised her. It takes some serious talent to make a reader both love and hate a character that way. There were a couple of other characters I liked, too, but those I discuss on my podcast review so I'm not going to repeat them here. Pacing was bang on. I think a book like this needs a quick pace to keep the tension amplified, and this one was beautifully done. Plot was twisted and perfect. Couldn't have happened any other way. World building... Well, there wasn't a ton because of the limited world of the MC, but what was done was described well without needling me to DEATH with unnecessary details. Loved it.

From an Editor's Perspective:
It was amazing. Seriously well done.

Rating:
1 Star for an excellent plot that kept me engaged
1 Star for pacing
1 Star for leaving some things to my imagination
1 Star for making me love and hate Deanna at the same time
1 Star for editing

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars. Thrilling to the last page. Recommended if you enjoy a good thriller where you're not sure what the MC will do next.

Other books in the Deanna Madden series are linked on the episode's page over on BTR.

Have you read it? Do you plan to? Did you enjoy the show?

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

Jo

New Release - Fortune's Favor

 Fortune’s Favor (HoA #2)

Heroes of Arcania Trilogy

RELEASE DAY BLITZ

July 14th, 2016

Nova will learn it takes more than sheer strength to be a superhero. Her world implodes when Fortune strikes back for all the trouble she's caused. His dangerous games put everyone around her at risk, especially when he decides to turn Arcania against its precious Heroes. Nova wants to protect Arcania, but how does she save a city that doesn't want her help?

Cole has no idea how to deal with his sister Penelope, especially now that she's learned the truth about their family secret. Thanks to Fortune, she's headed down a dark path, one with no return. Torn between helping Nova and protecting his sister, Cole will be forced to make a choice. Tensions rise as Cole and Nova discover war will come to Arcania if they don't get Fortune off the streets...or preferably six feet under.

Nova and Cole might have each other, but will they lose everything else in their mission to save Arcania?

BUY IT ON AMAZON

~*~ABOUT LIZ~*~

Liz Long is a proud graduate of Longwood University. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her day job includes writing for a magazine publisher in Roanoke, VA.

The Donovan Circus series has best been described as "X-Men meets the circus." Adult horror story Witch Hearts tells the tale of a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. New Adult PNR A Reaper Made is about a teen Reaper who gets caught between falling in love or saving her sister's soul. All titles are available for paperback or ebook on Amazon.

To learn more about Liz (including more information on her books, plus writing, marketing, and social media tips), visit her website: http://lizclong.com.

OH YEAH! You must check it out!

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

Jo

Book Review on the Air - Chasing Eternity - Plus, Publishing World Talk

Happy Thursday! Today, we're over on my radio show at 7AM EST. Here's a brief rundown:

LINK TO SHOW

Your host, Jo Michaels, of the Jo Michaels blog, dives into the number skewing happening in the book world by the big publishing houses, and she warns you why you shouldn't believe everything you read.

Prefacing all serious discussion is a book review of the fourth and final novel in the Award-Winning, YA, Tala Prophecy series by Tia Silverthorne Bach.

In the series are:
Chasing Memories (book one) FREE ON AMAZON
Chasing Shadows (book two)
Chasing Destiny (book three)
Chasing Eternity (book four)
Chasing Forgiveness (the companion novella)

I mention my reviews for the previous books during the show. You can find them on my here via the following links:

Chasing Memories
Chasing Shadows
Chasing Forgiveness

Did you listen? What did you think?

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

Jo

New from the Ferocious Five - Authors of Fractured Glass and 7

OMG it's hump-day! If you make it to lunch today, that means you'll have made it halfway through the workweek! Hang in there. I know you can do it.

Today, I'm telling you all a little about the Ferocious 5 (how we met, and how you may find our fan group on Facebook) and teasing you about our upcoming project. Ready? Let's get going!

As you all may know, I write with a group of four other women. I'll introduce you here really quickly, and then we'll move on to how we started writing together (clicking their names will take you to their Facebook pages).

Casey L. Bond - Our marketing, bad-ass trailer making, social media dominating sweetie.

Kelly Risser - Our romantic, motivating, killer swag master darling.

N. L. Greene - Our enthusiastic, party planning like a boss, keeping everyone on task sweetheart.

Tia Silverthorne Bach - Our no-nonsense editing, bad-ass accounting, pep-talking dearest.

Me? I do the art! Oh yeah, baby. Groovy. (That was to be read in an Austin Powers voice. Seriously, go back and read it again the right way.)

But the one thing ALL these ladies have in common is: They're all amazing writers. I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them. Each and every one brings something special to the table.

I found them by putting out a call for entries to an anthology. Itching to do something different, I proposed a collection of novellas (no one was doing anything of the sort back then) rather than short stories. They all sent me a writing sample, and it grew from there.

What we ended up with was far beyond anything I'd hoped for.

We met face-to-face for the first time at UtopYA (now Utopia--tickets for 2017 here) 2014 to brainstorm our first collaborative. Many of us had never seen one another, but that one meeting forged a bond that's lasted through two full-length novels, Fractured Glass and 7. For some reason, we just clicked.

We've won awards.

We've been there through ups and downs in life.

We've become very close friends.

We even went as far as to name ourselves, get a logo, and form a fan group over on Facebook. Join us!

When we wrote Fractured Glass, I wondered how in the hell we'd ever top that. Then we wrote 7, and I was positive we'd written the best thing ever (seriously, it's that good). Now, our new project, while fun, stands to be the most amazing thing we'll have accomplished as a team.

It's going to be a lot of work, but I promise you, it'll be FUN for you, as the reader, too!

I'm not going to reveal the title just yet, but I am going to tell you that you've never read anything like it. It's totally unique, but it's also reader interactive.

I can't wait to share the details with you.

For now, why not check out the trailer for 7 and listen to an interview we all did with the one and only Ethan Gregory! You'll hear more about us, and you'll get some insider scoop.

Are you excited? What are you hoping to see out of us this time?

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

Jo

Your Author Banner - One Time Investment, or Break the Bank Recurring Charge?

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm talking about author banners. You know, those things you put up behind your table at conferences. I get a lot of questions about mine when I put it up because of the way I created it. Because it's come to my attention that several authors might like to do something like this, I figured I'd share here. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

So, my author banner is 2.5' x 6' Vertical and looks like this:

I got it at VistaPrint for $100 with a stand. If you wait on a sale, you can get them cheaper (from what I hear), but I needed one in a hurry for RAI this past April.

I know what you're thinking: That's so plain! There are no book covers or anything on there!

You're right. There aren't. But keep reading!

So, $100 is a significant investment, right? I thought: How can I do this just one time, and NEVER have to do it again (unless my clumsy self damages the actual vinyl)?

I went to this site: MPIX and ordered all my covers (8 of them) at 8X12 on single weight matboard and E-surface paper for a little over $60 with shipping. They were around $7 each.

If you're keeping up, that's a $160 investment so far.

Well, I needed a way to make those images interchangeable on the banner (and a way to make them stick). I headed to Amazon and snagged a roll of 75 5/8" white Velcro dots for about $10.

Now comes the fun part!

I designed my layout on the banner with nothing sticky (this step is very important). Then, I flipped the prints over and put the dots on the four corners (the soft side, not the hook side), and then I stuck the hooked side to the soft and removed the covering from the adhesive.

Keep up, this is the MOST important part.

Very carefully, I flipped the first print over and stuck it to the banner where I wanted it.

Then, I detached the dots from one another and removed the image.

I then attached new hook dots to the soft dots ON THAT IMAGE and repeated the process twice, putting it where I had the other two laid out.

Now, my banner has dots that will hold that image in three places, but I want to be able to stick any of the images anywhere.

I then attached soft dots to ONE of the patterns on the banner and removed the adhesive cover. After lining up a new image and gently pressing it down, I had a second image that would fit ALL THREE places on my banner. I repeated this action until all my images had soft dots on the corners.

I used the soft dots on the images so I can stack them and not worry about them scratching one another.

*****IMPORTANT: I know it's time consuming to do it this way, but if you just stick dots on willy-nilly, there's a chance they won't line up with the ones on the banner. Take the time to do it right.

My banner can now display ANY of my covers, and I don't have to spend another $50 (banner with no stand) each time I want to update it, just $7. Here's a picture:

Total investment: $170

If I ever change my branding (colors or WriteJoMichaels), I'm screwed, but I like it enough that I plan to stick with it forever.

You can leave space at the top, bottom, or wherever! It's your design. Do with it what you will.

I'll get into those nifty little stands that are holding my books next week. They're my favorite EVER!

What do you think? Will you try it?

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

Jo

My Utopia Con 2016 Book Haul - On the Air with A Daily Cup of Jo

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm over on Blog Talk Radio with the blurbs of allllll the awesome books I picked up at Utopia this year. I know, it's SO exciting!

If you're ready, here's the link to the show that will go live at noon EST AND a summary of the description:

LINKY TO SHOW

My Utopia con 2016 book haul. Blurbs, authors, and all things bookish. Here are the books I'm talking about today:

• Myst by Stacie Wilson
• Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt
• The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre
• Dream Girls - Piper by Carrie Thomas
• Infallible by Bailey Quinn
• Unwilling by K. D. Wood
• Unloved by K. D. Wood
• Revolution Anthology by several authors
• Bean Counting for Authors - Helping Writers and Creative Business Owners Grasp Accounting and Taxes by Christina Mercer
• Hear the Crickets by B. J. Sheldon
• Abby and the Mystic Dancers by L. C. Miller
• Gilt: by Invitation Only by Geneva Lee

You'll hear the blurbs today, and I'll be doing a brief reading from each of these books at a later date on the show.

~~~~

You can also get access to my show via iTunes! Just search for A Daily Cup of Jo in the search function for PodCasts and subscribe. Your app icon looks like this:

I hope you all enjoy the heck out of the show today! Let me know what you think.

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

Jo