Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Cover Reveal - Being Me




 “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.”
-The Great Gatsby

In attempt to manage her rage and shame after a violent assault, Amanda loses touch with reality. Her spiraling physical state forces her to act or die. But to face her demons, she must revisit the emotions she hid from in the first place. Still unsure of what life she wants, but determined to pick up the pieces, she seeks out the right path. Can she mend broken bonds with her friends and family? Will her epic love survive? Find out in this roller coaster finale of the Being Me series.























Tricia Copeland grew up in Georgia and now lives in Colorado with her husband, three kids, and multiple four legged and finned friends. Drops of Sunshine is her first young adult and paranormal work. First published in Spellbound, a YA paranormal novella collection, it has already received great reviews. Tricia’s clean new adult Being Me series includes the titles Is This Me?If I Could FlyThink You Know Me and Being Me. If not on the trail, you can find Tricia at triciacopeland.com or on many social media channels.













Friday, September 2, 2016

New Release - Origin - Othala Witch Collection Sector 1

Happy Friday, everyone! Today, I have some more awesome news for you all! If you remember, back in November of 2015, I posted about the Fallen Sorcery novels (if you don't recall, that's okay! Here's the post). Well, the first of the novels, Origin by Rebecca Hamilton, released yesterday, and I'm now allowed to share all the awesome details with you about the collection. Several are available for pre-order, too! Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Even though it's in the post I linked to above, it won't hurt to retype three things: Get the newsletter for all the Fallen Sorcery collection novels here. Follow FS on Twitter here. Like the page on Facebook here.

Follow the entire Othala Witch Collection on Amazon here, and get more awesome Fallen Sorcery release news by following that author page on Amazon here.

Now, on to the info!

About the Othala Witch Collection:


Many years ago, the Original Sixteen witches were able to contain an outbreak of demon-like creatures from overtaking the earth. But doing so came at a cost. For the human race to survive, the world had to be divided into sixteen sectors, trapping the Ravagers to the Outlands beyond, and trapping the humans in.

The Original Sixteen served as Regents over each of these sectors, and when they died, the strongest of witches took their place, using their own personal enchantment abilities to protect their sector. In the process, communication was lost. The only solace that remains is the knowledge that if another sector fails, their own may still survive.

But what happens when your sector is the one to fail? What happens when the world inside your walls is just as bad as the one outside them? In this collection of sixteen adult dystopian paranormal romance tales, each and every one of the sixteen sectors is about to find out.

Origin - Othala Witch Collection - Sector 1:
Author: Rebecca Hamilton
Genre: Adult Dystopian Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 390 pages

Blurb:
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Hamilton’s ORIGIN is the first in the dystopian paranormal romance collective, The Othala Witch Collection.

Don’t fall in love with the Doomed Queen.

ALEC KLADIVO: Soldier. Hunter. Fool.

When Alec was a boy, the border posts failed, and Ravagers infiltrated their sector. Through sacrificing his sister, he saved his city and gained the respect of Sector One’s Regent. Ever since that day, he has served his sector with unfailing loyalty and nobility. Until he met her.

ADIRA CHOVANEK: Thief. Witch. Doomed Queen.

In Sector One, there is no greater commodity than a witch. Which is exactly why each and every one of them are in hiding. Should they be discovered by the hunters, they will suffer one of two fates—both of which end in death—unless they can kill a Ravager and bring forth an heir for the sector’s Regent. The only problem is, the Regent is sterile, and would sooner exile a Doomed Queen than admit that to himself or anyone else. This is Adira's fate.

THIRTEEN: The number of days before Adira’s death.

Alec has given Adira just under two weeks to turn herself in and accept her role as the only person who might be able to save their failing sector from certain extinction. And he’s spent each and every one of those days trying to convince her it is the right thing to do. But what happens once he’s finally persuaded her, only to find out he’d been mistaken all along?

Read what fans of The 100, Under the Dome, and Wayward Pines are hoping will be the next hit television drama.

Winter Souls - Othala Witch Collection - Sector 10:
Author: Angela Fristoe
Genre: Adult Dystopian Paranormal Romance
Length (print)

Blurb:

To reclaim his soul, they will risk everything…

For six years, Elora has been confined to an island with the Ice Witch, Niobe. When her captor dies, Elora flees across the ice bridge back to Mason, the man she’s kept in her heart all these years. But Mason isn’t the same man she left behind. In his place is a cold and emotionless stranger.

Mason will never forget the day Elora disappeared over the ice bridge. It was the day the Ice Witch tore out his soul. He has settled into his life as a Tank Guard, protecting the small inlet at the northern edge of the sector from ravagers. But with Elora’s return, he has an opportunity to reclaim his soul and the life he thought lost forever.

It’s a dangerous task that will lead Mason and Elora to the depths of the Underworld. It’s a journey none has ever returned from.


Star Crossed - Othala Witch Collection - Sector 11:
Author: J. E. Taylor
Genre: Adult Dystopian Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 492 pages

Blurb:
No matter which side of the coin she’s on, Star is destined to lose everything she loves.

To keep Sector Eleven in his bloodline, Jaden has to marry a pure witch. Born into the Regency, his challenge is to find a wife who satisfies his mother’s criteria while also managing to love him. Easier said than done when ambition supersedes the connection of hearts in a love mandate.

When Jaden asks Star to help him find a suitable mate, she agrees, but her heart doesn’t want any part of it. Forced to serve the Regency since she was born, Star has been raised to hide her magical ability from Jaden and his mother, for fear the Regent would carry out her promise to destroy Star if she ever showed a propensity for magic.

Star is not sure which is worse, exposing her secrets to the man she loves which will have her exiled to the ravagers, and certain death, or playing matchmaker and losing Jaden to someone else. No matter which side of the coin she’s on, she’s destined to lose everything she cares about. 

Other books in the collection:

Sector 2: Mystic Storm by Bella Love-Wins
Sector 3: Hybrid by Apryl Baker
Sector 4: Immortal Winter by N. R. Larry and Rainy Kaye
Sector 5: Under by Conner Kressley and Rebecca Hamilton
Sector 6: Red Magic by A. C. Andrijeski
Sector 7: Savage by Conner Kressley
Sector 8: Dark Elements by L. J. Swallow
Sector 9: Alchemy by Noree Cosper
Sector 12: Forbidden by Shannon Eckrich
Sector 13: Sea Cursed by Amy Lee Burgess
Sector 14: Forgotten by Heather Marie Adkins
Sector 15: Wildfire by Jaret Martens
Sector 16: Faye Magic by Jo Michaels

If you'd like a peek at the other covers, visit the Othala Witch Collection page on the Fallen Sorcery website here.

What do you think? Gonna check them out?

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

Jo

Thursday, September 1, 2016

GLBB Tickets on Sale NOW! Plus, FREE Entry!

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have the AWESOME news for you! GLBB tickets are on sale NOW! Ready to grab yours? Get your clicking fingers ready and let's get going.


Get tickets HERE.

Here's the info, schedule, and available ticket packages:

A two-day event in 2017, Great Lakes Book Bash is going to be an epic experience that you won't want to miss. It's more than just a book signing. There will be informational panels geared towards authors, readers, and bloggers. Don't forget about the COSTUME Party on Saturday night celebrating that "Readers are our Rock Stars".
For more information about the event, please visit our website at www.greatlakesbookbash.com.

Thursday 10/26/2017
7pm - Registration will open to exhibitors and assistants
7-9pm - Exhibitor set-up

Friday 10/27/2017
9:30-10:30am - Opening announcements and keynote speech from M.R. Polish (everyone is welcome to come to the opening announcements and keynote speech - no ticket required)
10:30am - registration opens for ticket holders
11am-2pm - Author signing (bring your own books or buy them from the authors)
3pm-7pm - Informational panels
9pm - Exhibitor meet and greet (location TBD)

Saturday 10/28/2017
10:30am - registration opens for ticket holders
11am-2pm - Author signing
2pm-3pm - Exhibitor break-down
3pm-6pm - Informational panels
8pm-12am - Readers are our Rock Stars COSTUME Party

(The schedule of events is subject to change at any time. The most up to date version of the schedule can be found on our website at the address listed above.)

WHEN:
Friday, October 27, 2017 at 9:30 AM - Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 11:30 PM (EDT)

WHERE:
Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center - 100 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Available Ticket Packages:

  • Friday Signing ONLY ticket

    Free
  • Saturday Signing ONLY ticket

    Free 
  • Two-day Signing ticket

    $15.00 (+$1.37 fee
  • Rock Star Costume Party ONLY ticket

    $15.00 (+$1.37 fee
  • Rock Star Pass

    $20.00 (+$1.49 fee)
  • VIP Rock Star Pass

    $30.00 (+$1.74 fee)
What are you waiting for? Get on it RIGHT NOW!

Tickets HERE!

Well, what do you think? Are you coming?

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

Jo

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

New Release - Destiny




Can you survive your destiny?
Alone and imprisoned by the Ravinori, Geneva’s legendary power is tested as Malakai’s quest for supremacy threatens the people she loves. It’s do or die as she faces her overwhelming destiny head on. Despite the cost, Geneva will give everything she has to fulfill her mythical prophecy. She’s forged the strength and courage to face her fate, but can Geneva’s light surpass the darkness?






*PLEASE INSERT REVIEW HERE IF REVIEWING*



























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

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Guest Post - 5 Self-Editing Tips that Will Make Your Book 10 Times Better

Happy WHATEVER, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a super special guest post for you all on editing. The fabulous Alicia Rades is going to take you through a number of tips to make your book awesome. Don't forget to give Alicia a follow on all the social media things linked at the end of this post! Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!
 5 Self-Editing Tips that Will Make Your Book 10 Times Better

As authors, we go through a lot of stages of writing. There’s brainstorming, outlining, actually writing the first draft, self-editing, beta reading, more self-editing, repeat, repeat, sending to an actual editor, and so on. I don’t know about you, but for me, self-editing is one of the longest and most stressful stages.

It’s also one of the most satisfying. Seeing your story transform into something better than you imagined is a magical experience. What’s better is that you get the satisfaction of knowing you made that happen.

Self-editing should never be used to replace a professional editor. However, tweaking scenes, improving wording, and catching your own mistakes can all help you make your story better. Here are a couple of techniques I personally use when self-editing my novels.

Take a Breather

The first thing I do is set my manuscript aside. I recommend forgetting about it for at least two weeks. I know. It sounds like torture to not be working on your book. But this strategy allows you to approach your manuscript with a clear mind. Once you start to forget a little of what you wrote, it almost feels like you’re reading someone else’s writing. It makes it so much easier to spot your mistakes.

Focus on One Thing at a Time

Don’t go through your manuscript looking to fix everything at once. Instead, take it in stages. The first time back through it, you might read for plot holes or areas that need clarification. Next, identify unnecessary scenes. Then focus on characters actions and their development throughout the story. Do they act like themselves the whole time? Do they grow from beginning to end?

Once you have the bigger kinks worked out, you can move on to focus on your wording. Is there a better way to describe an action? Do you repeat the same words too often? Are there misspellings that spellcheck didn’t catch, such as “weather” versus “whether”?

That’s not to say you should ignore certain parts if you’re not explicitly looking for them. For example, if you are reading for plot holes but notice a misspelling, feel free to fix it. Just don’t try to fix everything at once or you’ll end up missing too much.

Search for Overused or Misused Words or Phrases

Once I get down to the nitty gritty and start looking for ways to clean up my phrasing, one of the most effective tactics I’ve found is to use the search function. In a Microsoft Word document, there’s a “find” button, or you can click CTRL + F. Then type in the word you know you want to clean up throughout the manuscript.

For example, like many authors, I’m a culprit of using the word “that” far too often. As a general rule, you should only use it provide clarification. Overusing it makes your writing seem somewhat amateurish, and it can pull readers out of the story. So by searching “that” in your document, you can identify areas where it’s needed and where it can be removed.

Don’t stop the search at phrases you tend to overuse. Also take a look at words you tend to misuse. Examples include:
  • good/well
  • affect/effect
  • their/they’re/there
  • your/you’re
  • lay/lie
  • that/which
  • further/farther
Read Your Manuscript Aloud

It’s a tedious task, but reading your manuscript aloud is worth it. Doing this makes it easier to catch strange phrasing or repeated information in the story. I personally read each of my books aloud to my husband like an audiobook when we’re in the car together. This gives me a chance to hear mistakes while my husband can give me feedback on the storyline. If you’re not comfortable reading aloud to someone else, it can be just as effective to do it in private.

Don’t Over Edit

As authors, we want the work we send out to the world to be perfect. The reality is that it isn’t going to be perfect because you’re always going to want to change something. And when you’re always changing something, you may end up working backward and hurting your manuscript.

The good news? You can get pretty darn close to perfection! To manage that, though, you eventually need to set down your manuscript and say, “I’m done!” Self-edits are an important part of creating a professional product. They work together with a professional editor to make your story the best it can be. Not only that, but working with an editor can help you become better at self-editing.

Do you have any personal strategies when it comes to self-editing? Tell us your secrets in the comments.

Would you like to follow Alicia? Here are all the stalk links!
Website: aliciaradesauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliciaradesauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliciarades
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/aliciarades
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alicia-Rades/e/B00F9ZFTE8/

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

Jo