Cover Reveal - Always Remembered

ALWAYS REMEMBERED

(The final Never Forgotten Novel.)

The third and final installment of the Never Forgotten Series by Kelly Risser will release in digital format on May 19, 2015. We have the official cover reveal here for you. Don't forget to flip over to the book page to pre-order your copy today.

ALWAYS REMEMBERED:

One clue… what does it mean?

Ken, the leader of the Blue Men of the Minch, has kidnapped Evan. Before they left, Evan was able to leave a package for Meara—her grandfather’s necklace wrapped in a cloth napkin with one word written in blood. Azuria. Unfortunately, Meara doesn’t understand it and neither does her dad or Kieran.

When Dad and Aunt Brigid attempt to rescue Evan, Meara and Kieran begin to train the clan on how to fight and defend their home. A war is brewing, and Meara is determined their people must prepare for the battle. The training sessions are long and arduous, but the Selkies work hard to learn.

Meanwhile, Evan wakes and finds himself in Belle Tresor, the home of sirens. He’s bound to his blue form, unable to transform to human, and Ken has plans to use Evan’s powers to destroy the Selkies. Thankfully, he’s not alone. He befriends a siren named Deanna and several Blue Men. Can he trust them to help him escape or do they have ulterior motives?

As both sides prepare for an ultimate confrontation, the stakes are high and friendships are tested. Some will rise to be victorious. Some will be destroyed. But love and loyalty will be always remembered in this exciting conclusion to the Never Forgotten series.

Pre-Order Your Copy Today Here.

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If you haven't started reading this series, we recommend you read the first novel today because it's amazing and it's free! Check out Never Forgotten by Kelly Risser.

What do you think? Are you gonna check it out? You should!!

If you recall, Kelly is one of the authors of Fractured Glass. What's better than a free read by an author you already love?

Go get it!

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - Ask Me About My Unicorn

A special thank you to Emily at Timeless Key Photography for making my beautiful banner. They are two awesome teens starting out their adventures in photography and are doing some amazing things. I have the best fans. -Delphina

Coming April 2015

Loving a unicorn is easy. Yourself?... not so much. 

Cover By Mae I Design

Read Where It All Began

Always be yourself That was the last advice Scout's Grandma Nora gave her before she died. Scout has spent her life trying to be anything but, but she has a chance to start anew as she moves several states away to college. She had always thought the glowing aura she saw around some people was a childhood fancy, but when it starts coming back just as she's starting her new life, she learns there was much hidden about who she truly is. Thankfully, she has a motley crew to help her along the way: a spunky bookseller, a trustworthy pub owner, a commanding grandmother, a possible best friend, and a hot rocker boy who only has eyes for her. Bonus: “Witches, and Werewolves, and Unicorns, Oh My!” By Elizabeth Kirke: A More than Magic Series Short Story— Exclusively written for Unless You Can Be a Unicorn

Amazon B&N Apple Kobo

A Book Vacation - utopYA Con 2015 Interview with Victoria Faye

Happy Friday! Eep! It's time for the weekend, and Shana over at A Book Vacation has something special for you all. As you know, Friday is the day for utopYA Con 2015 posts here on the blog, and I love to give you guys peeks at what the other bloggers are doing. This week, it's all about Branding (heck yeah!) and the special workshop Victoria Faye of Whit and Ware is giving at the con. If you don't have tickets to the con yet, get them here. It's gonna be four days of fun and learning!

Don't forget to collect all four pieces of the special phrase the bloggers will have on their posts. The whole phrase will be needed when you enter to win Saturday signing space!

Want another beautiful infobit? You'll also find out the details of Whit and Ware's giveaway: Dream Like a Boss during the interview. GOGOGOGO!

Here's the schedule:
Week 1 – Jo Michaels hosts C. J. Redwine's discussion on her workshop - Query Letter
Week 2 – A Book Vacation hosts Victoria Faye's discussion on her workshop - Book Branding Blueprint
Week 3 – The Paisley Reader hosts Regina Wamba's discussion on her workshop for graphic designers and photographers
Week 4 – Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous  will be talking about the special Friday night event, will have a list of Saturday signing authors, and will be giving away a spot at the signing

Why are you still here? Get over to A Book Vacation and find out more! Don't forget to snag the partial phrase while you're there!

Are you excited about this workshop? Tell me why.

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

Jo

Synopsis vs Blurb

Happy Thursday, beautiful readers of my blog! Today we're gonna go over a couple of words and what they mean. I'll be focusing on the words synopsis and blurb and what each means. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

The definitions!

Synopsis:
A brief summary or general survey of something.
An outline of the plot of a book, play, movie, or episode of a television show. 

Blurb:
A short description of a book, movie, or other product written for promotional purposes and appearing on the cover of a book or in an advertisement.

When you write your query letters, most agents want a summary or synopsis that includes spoilers (the whole plot in a few lines).

However, you don't want those spoilers in the promotional material, so you use the synopsis to create a compelling blurb (which appears on the back cover of your novel), leaving out the sensitive parts.

In addition, a blurb can be a short snippet from a review that entices readers to pick up your work.

So, to break it down in layman's terms:

• A synopsis is a summary that can contain spoilers.
• A blurb is any promotional copy that hooks readers.

Does that make it easier to understand?

When you attend something like C. J. Redwine's Query Letter workshop, you'll learn to craft a compelling synopsis of your novel for your query letters. From there, your blurbs will grow wings. If you want to know a little more about the workshop, I discuss the finer points with C. J. here.

Yes, she'll have a workshop at utopYA Con 2015, but she also offers them online.

It's worth looking into for the blurb writing ability it'll surely give you. Even if you don't want an agent, selling your book is important, right?

What do you think? Were you aware of these differences?

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

Hootsuite vs. Buffer

Happy Technology Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! As promised, today I'm talking about digital stuff that'll help you on your way to awesome. It's all about Hootsuite and Buffer, and the pros and cons of using each. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

As you all may know, I wrote a post a while back on the benefits of using Buffer to schedule updates to social media. I love this feature! Sadly, I left Buffer for Hootsuite about a year ago. Let me tell you why, and what brought me back to the Buffer family as a paid subscriber. Let me start with links to the services:

BUFFER  ~  HOOTSUITE

When I first began using Buffer, it was still in its infancy. While on the free version, you can connect up to four accounts and schedule something like twelve updates. That worked well for me for a little while, and it was great for someone with a blog in the beginning stages. One of my biggest issues was not being able to choose which image appeared with my posts.

So, I left Buffer for Hootsuite.

Here was this new interface that it took me a minute to learn how to use, but I felt the time spent was well worth it. Hootsuite's free account will allow you to pull feeds from your favorite social media outlets, connect up to three accounts, and schedule your stuff a few days in advance on any timeline you wish. Your number of posts are still limited, but it's comparable to Buffer's. Here's a link to their plan comparison chart.

All good, right?

Everything was perfect until...

My posts refused to go and there was nothing notifying me stuff was down. I struggled with it for over a week. Page views hit rock bottom, less than 200 per day, and I tried to be patient while wondering in the back of my head if it was only my account having issues.

So, I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited.

Then, I pulled my head out of my rear and hit up those social media platforms to ask if I was the only one experiencing issues.

Guess what? You got it. I wasn't the only one! Relief flooded me at the same time panic set in.

What was I going to do?

A moment of clarity hit me between the eyes like a glass brick.

Why don't I see if Buffer will post my updates?

So, I cruised on back to my old friend. What I found there is nothing short of astounding. Not only could I pay a nominal fee (Buffer charges $10 a month for an upgraded account called the Awesome Plan), but that small amount gave me access to: Connecting up to twelve social media accounts (do you really have more than that?), scheduling up to 200 posts in advance, setting up a custom posting schedule for each day, adding a team member who can also schedule posts and stuff, and pulling RSS feeds.

But that's not the best part! In addition to all of the above, I also have access to a world of easy to understand analytic data.

Hootsuite gives you that, too, but it's only available to paid subscribers, whereas Buffer's is free, and Hootsuite's fee is more than I'm willing to put out of my pocket each month. Plus, their data breakdown just isn't this slick.

Take a look at what I'm talking about:

That's just a shot of how my posts performed. But, at the top of the page, there's a little box with a dropdown menu you simply must check out:

Yeah, that's about as easy as it gets! I know exactly which posts are doing well; thereby letting me know what content my readers and followers may want more of.

Quickly! Scroll back up to the top of my blog and look on the right hand side. See that little Buffer button? Yeah, that makes it super easy for my visitors to share my content on their own Buffer. One little click.

How does this save me time?

Glad you asked! When I publish a new blog post, or want to fill my Buffer with posts I've already created, I just navigate to the page and click the share button.

I don't even have to go to the Buffer main page if I don't want to. It's the same for people visiting my blog.

By the way, both of these services have an app you can download from the app store.

Now for a couple of numbers!

With Hootsuite, I got around 1k hits on my blog per day. Not too bad...

With Buffer, I've nearly doubled that number.

You tell me which one you'd rather have.

Now, there are "purists" out there who believe if you're tweeting or posting to Facebook, you should be present. But what author do you know that has the time to devote to being online as often as it takes to be able to do things like that? You can still be personable with an auto update. Plus, you can't really get all that analytic data without something backing you up.

Do you use either of these methods? Let's discuss!

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

Jo

Author Interview - K. C. Neal

Happy Monday, you beautiful blogospherians! Today, you have the honor of meeting Ms. K. C. Neal. I know you're all over the moon about it (as am I). It's not often I get to interview someone who's been with the con from the first, but they do pop in now and again. So excited! If you don't have your tickets yet, it's not too late! You can grab one here. Sadly, earlybird prices have expired, but that doesn't mean you can't join up. Nothing's worse than being left out of the fun, so be sure and grab yours now! With that said, let's get rolling!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, K. C. It’s so amazing to have a veteran utopYAn with me I can barely breathe. Are you ready to get going?

K. C.: Haha, you make me feel like such a celebrity. : ) Yes, let’s dive in!

Jo: That's because you are! Perfect. Let's do it. I read somewhere that you meditate every day. What got you started, and what do you feel it’s done for you over the long-term?

K. C.: I was going through a challenging time, and I really needed a tool to help me process things emotionally. I stumbled on iRest Yoga Nidra online and asked on Facebook if any of my friends had done this type of meditation before. A couple of people replied and basically said it was amazing, so I decided to give it a try. That was nearly two years ago, and I haven’t stopped since. I attend a weekly class and also practice on my own, and it has changed my life. iRest is really hard to explain, and it’s also kind of difficult to describe what it does for me. The best way I can put it is that it helps me process the ups and downs of life in a way that gives me so much more peace than I had before.


Jo: I'm a huge advocate of yoga and taking the time to center yourself and just friggin' relax for a little while each day. I understand exactly what it does for you. Tell me, how long have you been with StoneHouse Ink, how did you get in, and what are the three best things about them?

K. C.: StoneHouse published my first book, Pyxis (YA fantasy), back in 2011, and the sequel, Arise, in 2013. I became friends with the owner of StoneHouse and that’s how that happened. Up to that point, I’d been planning to self-publish. Three great things about StoneHouse: large royalties, author input into all stages of the publishing process, and the best thing of all – I left my corporate job three years ago to become the Publishing Director at StoneHouse. It’s a great job, and I absolutely LOVE the flexibility and working from home!

Jo: I totally feel you about the ability to work from home. Congrats on landing the job. That's amazing! I found out you’re a NaNoWriMoer. Such a wonderful thing to have so many words produced in a month by people around the world, huh? How many years have you participated, and what novel(s) have you written? What was the most difficult thing about writing a novel in a month?

K. C.: It is quite the event! During the most recent NaNo, think I worked on a couple of things at once and the total added up to enough words to “win.” It probably seems strange that I can’t remember for sure what I was working on—it was only four months ago!—but I’ve been writing like a maniac since last spring and things run together in my mind! I’ve actually completed a few of my own private NaNos (written 50,000 words in a month) I guess you could say, but they happened to occur during months other than November, which is the official NaNo month.

In general, I’d say the most difficult thing about writing that many words in a month is developing the writing habit in the first place. Actually, the writing habit is going to be the topic of my UtopYA 2015 Idea Exchange talk. I went from writing a book every two years to writing five books in one year (and that’s around a full-time job). I want to share how I did this because it’s NOT about “having enough time,” like we often think. It’s all about mindset, and every writer has the power to change her own mindset. The right mindset leads to the right habit. Then you can optimize your writing habit, and watch your word counts take off! But like so many things in life, it starts with what’s going on in your head.

Jo: *high fives* YES! Developing the writing habit is number ONE! I can't wait to hear your talk. How exciting! So, you’re a utopYA Con veteran—there in 2012—and saw the launch of the amazingness. What was that first year like, and what’s changed about your experience(s) since then?

K. C.: That first year was one of the best experiences of my life. Before the first UtopYA I knew a lot of the attending authors online, but had never met any of them in person. It was like meeting a bunch of famous people! It was a profound experience. My roomies that year—Angeline Kace, Heather Hildenbrand, and Chelsea Fine—remain some of my favorite people and greatest friends. Most of us at the conference were fairly new authors, and it was just so wonderful to connect with everyone. That first year was really kind of intimate. It was a small enough group that we could really get to know each other. That’s probably the thing I miss most—though I’m totally THRILLED that UtopYA has flourished, don’t get me wrong!—last year I didn’t know many of the attending authors.

Jo: I was so scared about going, I developed this interview process to get to know people. *grin* It's worked wonders. I met Ms. Fine last year (she's sweet as pie!), and I'm excited to know more faces this year. Because of my stalking of you research, I can feel it in my bones… You seem like the kind of author that has an unhealthy obsession with office supplies (I can totally identify). How many post-it pads and colored pens do you own? What started your love?

K. C.: OMG I do have a serious obsession! I have Post-It pads in pretty much every room of the house. And probably at least two dozen colored pens. I’ve always liked to make lists and to color-code things, so I think that’s how the Post-It and pen obsession came about. But as far back as I can remember I’ve always loved binders, folders, index cards, pens, pencils . . . there’s nothing like the feel of a fresh notebook in my hands! I know, weird, right? But I figure there are much worse obsessions to have, haha.

Jo: Birds of a feather... Yeah, I totally don't have a billion office supplies *hides hundreds of journals and grins* Rapid fire questions! Chocolate or caramel?

K. C.: Caramel, mmm!

Jo: Computers or paper notebooks?

K. C.: Notebooks—of course!

Jo: Popcorn or peanuts?

K. C.: POPCORN POPCORN POPCOOORN (one of my other obsessions lol).

Jo: I knew that, too. Just wanted to see how many times you'd type it! haha! *wink* Let’s move on to the time travel question. Since you’re such a lover of science fiction, this one should be right up your alley. *grin* If you went to the future, what turn do you see books and publishing taking, and what one thing would you bring back to the modern day with you?

K. C.: I really wish I knew where books and publishing were going! I think as the younger generations—kids who have never known life without iPads and smartphones—grow into adults, paper books will become novelties. And I think books (eBooks) will start to overlap with other media and become more interactive.

I’d probably want to bring back whatever the hot gadget of the moment is.

Jo: Yup. Gadgets will make you billions. haha! Your novel, Helia’s Shadow Part One, has amazing reviews. Kudos to you! What was your favorite part of writing it, and which character do you identify with most? Why?

K. C.: Thank you! The middle part of Helia’s story, where she’s imprisoned on the moon with cannibal prison guards, was actually the first part that I wrote originally, and probably my favorite part. And actually, that’s the first half of Helia’s Shadow Part Two, the sequel. I love writing about aliens and futuristic technology, and imaging life on an earth that’s been destroyed by war and waste. And in general, I just absolutely love writing in the world of this series (The Starlight Age Series). It was a world that developed in over several years, and it’s extremely vivid and rich in my mind. There are SO many stories I could tell in this world. I have about half a dozen ideas for more prequel novellas.

I probably identify with Helia the most, in that she’s analytical and into science and technology. My background is in science (I have degrees in Chemistry and Health Science Research). I love female characters with real smarts, and I’m really proud of Helia as a character!

Jo: You're the second science fiend I've had on the blog in as many weeks! I love you ladies! I'm such a total nerd over science. *blushes* Seems I've found a couple of like-minded people. Since we just talked about part one of your series, let’s discuss your new release! How long did it take you to write Helia’s Shadow Part Two, and how many more novels will be in the series?

K. C.: I actually wrote the entire story—Parts One and Two—before I published the first book. The first draft of the entire story probably took a few months. Then it went through a major, major rewrite—like 90% of it was rewritten. And after beta feedback I probably rewrote about 20% of it yet again. It was quite a process! In addition to the two novels (Helia’s Shadow Part One and Helia’s Shadow Part Two), I’ve also finished a prequel novella called Arrival Day. I consider the series “complete” at this point, but probably will write more stories in this world—I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully ready to leave the world of this series behind. Like I mentioned before, there are tons of fun possibilities for prequel stories. Some of my beta and ARC readers have actually given me some great ideas for alternate point of view stories and prequels!

Jo: I'm so picking this novel up. Die hard reader over here. I adore an excellent sci-fi story, and I love a clean read! Well, I’ve taken up a ton of your time. Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers that I didn’t ask?

K. C.: Thanks so much for interviewing me, Jo! I’m so looking forward to seeing you at UtopYA!!

Jo: I’m stoked to meet you in June, too, K. C.! EEP! Thanks so much for giving us some of your time.

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Helia’s Shadow Part One
Author: K.C. Neal
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Length (print): 300 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99 ~ Google Play FREE ~ iBooks FREE ~ B&N FREE ~ Kobo FREE

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Helia wants two things in life: to step out of her over-protective mother's shadow and become an engineer, and to stop hiding her relationship with alien boy Kalo. But the world definitely isn't ready for a human-alien romance. And worse, the human-alien partnership is crumbling. Humans are arrested without explanation. Some of them are never seen again.

When the alien leader imprisons her mother on a false charge, Helia discovers the aliens never intended to help humans at all. Now, she must join forces with alien rebels. If she succeeds, humans have a chance at survival and she has a chance at love. If she fails, the dwindling human race dies out in slavery.

When the aliens arrived, they were hailed as the saviors of a dying Earth and dwindling human race. But the aliens didn't come to help. Now, one human girl's ingenious invention and one alien boy's awakened heart are humanity's last hope...

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give K. C. a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Pinterest: KCNeal
Blog: K. C. Neal's Blog

Facebook: K.C. Neal Fan Page
Twitter: @kcnealtweets
Goodreads: K. C. Neal
Website: Author K. C. Neal
Amazon Author Page: K. C. Neal

Tsu: K. C. Neal


If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. My lovely guest will be around to answer and/or respond!

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

Jo