Cover Reveal - Fractured Glass

Hello all! Welcome to the cover reveal for Fractured Glass! Before we get into the covers, how about a little information on the book?

Expected Release Date: Late December, 2014
Pre-orders: Late November, 2014
Title: Fractured Glass
Author(s): Tia Silverthorne Bach, Jo Michaels, Casey L. Bond, Kelly Risser, and N. L. Greene
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction with five sub-genres (paranormal, horror, fantasy, magic, and romance)
Length: ~100k words
Synopsis:
What if other worlds existed alongside your own? What if you could travel through them and truly escape reality?

Sloan and Harley Glass were born moments apart; but, despite their differences, the sixteen-year-old twins couldn’t be closer. They’ve held their tongues each and every time their mother has uprooted them—often moving across the country with little notice. They’ve learned to accept change. But what is Mom running from?

They discover they’re travelers—half-descendants of those who can traverse an entire universe of parallel worlds known as fractals. When the past catches up, Harley is kidnapped and taken to one of those distant worlds. Now, Sloan must garner her courage and find a way to rescue her sister. Traversing the worlds isn’t the hard part; it’s surviving the elements and the creatures lying in wait to destroy everything in their path.

Will the Glass sisters be able to save the fractal worlds from the kidnapper, or will everything fracture and crumble around them?

*****

Sounds good, eh?

Why is this novel different? Well, because it's a novel anthology. Each of the authors endeavored to use the same characters, and to guide those characters through five sub-genres of 20k words each in the same storyline. You've never read anything quite like it, and we do hope you enjoy the Glass sisters' adventures.

Now we'll get to the good stuff! First, the digital cover:

Now, for the full wrap:

We can't wait to release this puppy out into the world for all to read and be entertained. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our cover. We'll have some giveaways when the book goes live, so be looking for that post, too!

If you'd like to visit the authors, you may do so via the links below:
Tia Silverthorne Bach
Jo Michaels
Casey L. Bond
Kelly Risser
N. L. Greene

What do you think? Pretty? Interesting? Leave a comment and let us know.

Official UtopYA 2015 Poster Vote is Here!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I had a book review for you all today, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, I'm over the moon about bringing you the official UtopYA 2015 poster voting! Give a huge shout out to Janet Wallace, UtopYA Con creator, for starting all this in the first place. Wow, could I be any more excited? I don't think so. Let me give you a couple of details, then we'll move into the posters and the voting. I'll keep it up until told otherwise. Grab your coffee and let's get going.

Awesome designs are by Whit & Ware. Check them out at the link!

**IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE VOTING**

You'll see two posters below. There will only be one poster that'll serve for both the con and the awards.

Got it? Awesome. Let's do this.

How sexy are these designs? I can't wait to see the winning one in person. EEP! **CLICK TO ENLARGE**

Top Centered Clock (#1)

Top Centered Name (#2)

Time for the voting!

Ready?

Set?

Go!

Vote for your favorite UtopYA 2015 Poster Design!

---

Which poster is your favorite?

Top Centered Clock (#1) Top Centered Name (#2)

Did you ever attend UtopYA Con or do you plan to?

Yes No

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

Jo

Down for the Count

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Well, I'm out of commission for a couple of days because of an elbow injury. Doc said take it easy on the computer for now so I'll be able to delve in and give my 30 days of crazy writing in November for NaNoWriMo.

Fingers crossed it'll be 100% working by then. Just one week to go.

This year, I plan to write through every day, even if I finish my NaNo novel. Markaza and M both need to be finished, too.

So, we shall see.

Anyway, I invite you to check out some of my archived posts during my couple of days out!

Here are some of the most popular ones according to my stat meter:

Dialogue Exercises - A short series with fifteen dialogue exercises to flex your muscles. Three on each link.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5

Punctuation Series - All about how to use various punctuation, according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition.
Dashing Dashes and How to Use Them
The Period
Comma Part 1
Comma Part 2
Comma Part 3
Parentheses, Brackets, Braces, and Slashes

Choosing a Viewpoint - Pros and Cons of different viewpoints.

lOOk at YoUr xXx series - How to maintain a cohesive online presence.
bLog
wEbSitE
fAceBoOk
tWitTeR
bUsiNeSS CaRd - This one also has a link to a handy PDF you can download and keep.

Your First 100 Words

Enjoy picking through the fun :)

Which ones do you like best?

I'll be back to give you some more tomorrow. Unless some of those authors impacted by the blogger blackout decide to take me up on my offer :)

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

Jo

Radio Interview

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Wednesday, I was interviewed on the World of Ink's radio show by Marsha Casper Cook and Willow Cross. I invite you all to listen to our discussion on writing, marketing, and other writerly things.

Here's the link!

Jo Michaels on World of Ink

Hope you enjoy it :)

Did you listen? What did you think?

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

Jo

Crypt Keeper by K. A. Young - Blog Tour

Crypt Keeper by K.A. Young Molly Maddison #1 Publication Date: October 21, 2014 Genres: Dark, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Book 1 in the Molly Maddison series

Molly Maddison grew up in a funeral home that unfortunately backed up to the largest Insane Asylum in the state. Very few understand what happens after death, Molly does. While other children were playing in the park with their living friends, Molly was in the cemetery playing with the dead. To say she is troubled is an understatement. Now Molly has a new plan, to attempt to lead a normal life, and ban the contact with any of the dead. Realizing that she is madly in love with one of them was never part of that plan. However neither life or death ever go as planned and Molly is called upon to perform her role as the family Crypt Keeper… Is she up for the task? Only time will tell.

B&N

About the Author

K.A. Young is a paranormal/fantasy romance author that lives with her family in the South. She began writing because her mind was swimming with incredible stories that were begging to be told. Her love for reading began as a small child when she realized that a good book was an instant escape to a mystical land that could be reached anytime and from anyplace.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pretty gnarly, eh? What do you think? Will you check it out?

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

Jo

Book Review - The Fly House

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Squee! Boy, do I have a book review for you today. I found myself guffawing over this one, and I'm excited to introduce you to this awesome Indie author. This title will go into my Indie Fever Reading Challenge list, because I've never read a book by Misty before, and am thrilled to now say I have. Anyway, before I get to it, here's my review recap (notice changes to the list):

Misty Provencher The Fly House  REVIEW BELOW
Elle Todd The Elect REVIEW HERE
Molly Taggart Off Target REVIEW HERE
Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest REVIEW HERE
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh REVIEW HERE
Tamar Hela Feast Island REVIEW HERE
Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter REVIEW HERE
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements REVIEW HERE
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 REVIEW HERE
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf REVIEW HERE
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters REVIEW HERE
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum REVIEW HERE
Thaddeus White Sir Edric's Temple REVIEW HERE
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch REVIEW HERE
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin REVIEW HERE
J. A. Huss Tragic REVIEW HERE
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary REVIEW HERE
Casey Bond Reap REVIEW HERE 
Casey Bond Devil Creek REVIEW HERE
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway REVIEW HERE
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman WILL NOT REVIEW
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.99
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE** ~
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $0.99 ~
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $2.99

A little about the book up for review today:

Title: The Fly House
Author: Misty Provencher
Genre: NA Science Fiction
Length (print): 472 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $3.99

Synopsis:
The Earth’s atmosphere is swiss cheese. To avoid the oncoming oxygen crisis, black-sheep heiress, Maeve Aypotu, has been chemically suspended in one of the Archive’s plush, underground, multi-million dollar chambers. Scientists claim they can patch everything up in about 15 years, so, just to be safe, the Archive programmed the chambers to open in 17 years.

And then, everything on Earth went wrong.

Up on the surface, Pluto has taken control of the planet, scorching away all signs of human civilization and reconstructing the environment to suit the Plutian’s lucrative dragon trade. Humans are now laborers, using survival and repopulation as currency among their Houses.

The Archivers, finally emerging from their chambers, are entering into a whole new world. Learning to trust this new community of humans may need to start small—with the fusion of one powerful Rha and one bad ass black sheep—if a damaged race ever hopes to regain control of their alien Earth. 

***Contains adult material***

Now that you know what the book is about, let me get into a few things.

*Will not appear in review elsewhere. Before I read the book, I was completely enchanted with the cover. Dragons? Yes, please! But, once I'd completed the novel, the cover made a lot more sense. I won't go into that here, but you'll love the subtleties once you're done and take another look.*

Time to get into my review!

I snagged this book during a Facebook party where the author was doing some insane promotion. Sad to say, I have a huge TBR list because of my one-click finger obsession. But, I was making a review list, tossed this title into the hat, and was thrilled when it ended up clutched between my fingers. I dove in with gusto and consumed the book in a little over 24 hours. Let's move on to why.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I'm always honest in my reviews, and I have to say, the first chapter of this novel had me wondering how I was going to comprehend what I was about to read. It was difficult to understand without the new language on Earth, and there were few definitions of terms. Needless to say, I was worried the whole book would be written in the same style.

Not so.

After that first chapter, the story really took hold and the language/writing became smoother. Pacing was off the charts perfect, because I had a hard time putting the book down. There aren't long passages of world description, it comes out organically, so I didn't find myself skimming. Score one for the author. But, I got enough to really picture the future Earth I was reading about, with many things being left to my own imagination (which I love).

Character development also is done over the course of the novel, and I was delighted to find I'd want to be BFFs with the main character, Maeve. She's tough, damaged, and demands a man win the right to be with her (much like the dragons). It's probably why Diem, the love interest, was so drawn to her in the first place. He trains dragons. Enough said. One of my favorite characters was the Plutian overseer of the Fly House. His references to human body parts left me with tears leaking from my eyes. I will forever after use the term: pain berries.

Once you read it, you'll understand.

I was able to go back and read chapter one again (and understand it) after I finished the book. So, there's that!

From an Editor's Perspective:
Commas! Eep! I found a bunch of places where commas should've been and weren't, or shouldn't have been and were. It caused me to stumble more than once. Word confusions: metal vs. meddle, seating vs. sitting, woman vs. women, etc... And one big confusion in the story where Diem has been off flying for a while, then returns and wonders why his dragon didn't detect Maeve earlier.

Rating:
1 Star for characters I loved and were complex
1 Star for world building without infodumping
1 Star for pacing and plot
1 Star for making me laugh out loud more than once
-1 Star for editing
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars! Recommended for those over 18 years of age, who love a good sci-fi novel.

Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan to?

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

Jo

Your First 100 Words

Good Tuesday to you all! Today, we're gonna talk about the first 100 words of your novel, why they matter, and what you can do to help them out. No jabbering today on my part; grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I know you've heard it a million (billion?) times: Your first 100 words are everything.

No, they aren't, but they're a crucial part of the whole.

Think about it. When a reader picks up your book on the shelf, the first thing they read is the back, right? Before they pick up a sample digitally, your synopsis is what they read. Once they're past that hurdle, they'll flip the book over, open the front flap, and read a couple of paragraphs. Or, in the case of a digital book, they'll download the sample, open it, and read the first couple of paragraphs.

If they enjoy it, they'll buy. Look at caviar. People like it, they pay a LOT for it.

So, your first 100 words are important, yes, because they're what will get you the sale.

I guess you could say they're one third of your most important elements. Yeah, the other two are your synopsis and last 1k words (I'll go into the last 1k sometime soon).

So how do you beef up those first few paragraphs to make them something readers are dying to get more of?

Move the reader. Give them a wow moment.

Engage the five senses, and use powerful words.

Let's try a little exercise. In this, I'll try to set the tone, hint at the genre, give a great example of my writing style, set the POV, and give a bit of a setting.

My eyes opened to find total darkness.
All my limbs began to tingle, and my breath came in ragged gasps. There was no light for my pupils to adjust to.
Not one tiny speck of illumination.
Those nightmares I had when I was younger were in my face; all too suddenly a grim reality.
I tried to sit up, to get away from the oppressive inkiness, but my head hit something that felt like wood.
Automatically, my hand moved to touch the spot, and I scraped my knuckles across the timber, making them itch with a thousand splinters.

~98 words~

Okay, now we'll have to edit this to read a little more powerfully. Ready?

My eyelids lifted, and darkness assaulted me. Oppressive, thick, suffocating. Even after a moment of lying still, not one speck of illumination could be harvested to penetrate my pupils and assist my sight.
Nightmares I'd had slammed into me full force, and I tried to rise. Something wooden smacked my head, forcing me to remain supine. My hand moved to comfort my battered forehead, only to end up itching with a thousand splinters as my knuckles scraped the timber.
I shook, wondering what I'd done to deserve my mother's punishment again, aware of the tears that were ruining my mascara.

~100 words~

Notice I got more description and feeling into the second pass. If I went over it again, it would probably remain pretty close to what I have here.

Things you know or can safely assume:

• This is a young person in a dark place (some kind of box?), with at least a piece of wood that's so close she can't sit up.
• She's lying on her back.
• This isn't the first time she's been there.
• She's afraid of creatures from nightmares or total darkness.
• First person, past tense.
• There is zero light to be had, which conveys the person is buried somehow, and it leaves the reader wondering.
• This is a punishment for misbehavior - But what?
• She's old enough to wear makeup.
• She's crying
• Probably a contemporary thriller or horror story.

From the first attempt to the second, I condensed passages, used better (stronger) words, and gave you more lead-in.

Read them again and see if you can pick up on the things I changed while conveying the same tale.

Flow wasn't sacrificed, and the sentences are more varied in the second part.

Would you want to read more?

That's the idea. You must convey to the reader many things, but it has to sound natural and leave them wanting to turn the page for more.

So, your first 100 words aren't everything, but they're crucial.

Try this exercise on your own, then go here and copy/paste your text to see if your word count hits the mark.

Post your results below! I'd love to see what you come up with.

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

Jo