Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Rogue Agent Release Blitz by Kellie Wallace

Release Party





Release Blitz
Rogue Agent
by
Kellie Wallace
 
Cover


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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
12705709_1037567842977084_6837062830780131789_n

12507698_1019881524745716_4995254438903520489_nBorn 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 sass gif 

What do you think? Pretty awesome, huh?

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

Jo

Monday, March 14, 2016

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

Friday, March 11, 2016

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

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Hell School: Fresh Meat - Blog Tour - Character Spotlight: Wes Johnson

Happy Thursday, everyone! I have an awesome blog tour stop for you all today. Get comfy, get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Character Spotlight: Wes Johnson
Book: Hell School: Fresh Meat


Age: 18 years old
Wes is the captain of the football team, and every girl’s dream crush, but he just wants to be a regular guy. Despite his popularity, he is a shy guy, but as the oldest child feels the need to step up and fulfill the role expected of him. His popularity makes him uncomfortable, and he likes that Sam doesn’t treat him like an object, but like a regular person.

Who I see playing Wes? I searched and searched for a modern day teen to play Wes, but from the beginning I saw him as Michael Schoeffling and despite my hours of research, I just couldn’t find a better modern actor so since this is just for our entertainment, I stand by my choice!

Now, some information about the book Wes is in:

Author: Heidi Angell
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 224 pages
Buy Links: Amazon $4.99  ~   Smashwords $4.99

Blurb:
High school is hard, especially when you're a freshman in a new town, surrounded by people you don't understand and who don't understand you. Sam was overwhelmed just trying to fit in. Then she is singled out with the first letter.

While some girls envy the “romantics” of this unknown admirer, Sam can tell something isn't right. Sam wanted to just blend in, but someone's eye is fixated on her. As the letters and bad poetry continue, so does the nagging in Sam's stomach telling her this is not normal.

When things escalate from strange to creepy, Sam's world becomes a nightmare. Twisted admiration is stalking her around every corner in the high school from hell…

Join the Geek Street Squad to help promote the book!

Heidi Angell is a bibliophile, lexicomaniac and wordsmith! She is the author of The Hunters Series, The Clear Angel Chronicles, and The Hell School Series. She also created Royal Prince Vince, and Creative Exercises to Inspire.

When she is not reading and writing, she can be found spending quality time with her lovely family camping, hiking, swimming, or watching movies. Learn more about her and her books at HeidiAngell.com

Heidi's social media links:
Facebook
@HeidiAngell
Heidi’s Blog
Google +
Pinterest
Linkedin
YouTube

Join the Thunderclap campaign to promote the book tour automatically to your fans: Share with your fans and ask them to join as well. We need 100 supporters to get the message sent out on the day of the tour starting.

Hell School: Fresh Meat Tour - Schedule
February 21st- March 31st

February 21st – Heidi Angell’s Blog, tour announcement.
February 22nd – Book review by Amanda Lim on MyBooksOpinion
February 23rd – Character Spotlight for Clint Glover
February 24th – Sample Chapter on figment
February 26th – Poetry on stalking
February 27th – Hell School: Fresh Meat Facebook Party
February 28th – Ama Bemma interview
February 29th – Book review by Justin Schiavone on Jersey Guys Can Read
March 2nd – Top 3 interview with Kai Strand on Strands of Thought
March 3rd – Character Spotlight of Sam Havre and book review by Kala Hammer Reading Like A Fool
March 6th – Guest post on Stalking with Mary Okeke
March 7th – 1st in a four part interview series with Nancy Christie, one on one
March 7th – Guest post on Stalking for Abiola Olatunde’s Biola-epesus
March 8th – Top Ten on Krystal Larson’s Live to Read
March 10th – Wes Johnson Spotlight on Jo Michaels Blog (You're there now)
March 14th – Nancy Christie second interview
March 15th – Character Spotlight for Mike Wells Reviews by Page Turners
March 16th – Character Spotlight for Jill on I Heart Reading
March 18th – Author interview on Jersey Guys Can Read
March 21st – Nancy Christie part 3
March 22nd – Book review by Shelea at That Bookshelf Bitch
March 23rd – Book review on 5 Girls Book reviews
March 24th – Author interview with Courtney Wendleton on Books and More
March 28th – Last of Nancy Christie's 4 part series 

There will be a live panel toward the end of March with several YA authors talking about writing. Stay tuned for more information. 

For information on live events, check in often at Heidi Angell’s website.

What do you think? If you have questions or comments for Heidi, drop them down below. She'll be by to chat you up!

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

Jo

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Once Upon an Alpha - $400 a Kindle and 40 Books for Two Lucky Winners

Happy Wednesday! Today, I have a super special giveaway to announce to you all. Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Once Upon an Alpha Facebook page is sponsoring a huge, muli-author giveaway.

TWO (yes, that's right, TWO) lucky people will BOTH win $400 Amazon cash, a brand new Kindle Fire, and 40 books.


I know, right?

So, here's the link!

http://bit.ly/21yYbfz

And here are the authors:



What are you waiting for?? Go enter!

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

Jo

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

From Old Hands to New Mouths - Authors Helping Authors - Publishing Helping Hands

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I had a typesetting job I needed to work on today, and I've been hemming and hawing about how to approach this topic. I'm gonna warn you now, my opinions are strong, and they're about to be vomited all over my blog. If you're not sure you can handle it, I suggest you get on outta here now. However, if you think maybe, just maybe, you'll be interested in hearing what I have to say, grab a cup of Jo, get comfy, and read on.

*rubs hands together*

Here we go!

I was interacting with a few authors a little while back, and one of them said something that made me pause and think.

Here's what was said (no, you don't need to know who said it): "I usually see big time authors only helping other big time authors. It could be because they have been friends since the beginning, who knows. But I rarely see a best selling author promoting someone new."

How true.

My immediate response was anger, and then I thought about it. Now, I'm beyond pissed.

Why?

Well, once upon a time, we were ALL brand new authors. Yeah, we kicked and clawed our way up the ranks, writing and fighting, promoting and extending hands to help those in the same boat we were in. Ergo, people rose up together. When one person got a piece, they shared it with those who've been by their side from the beginning.

Nothing wrong with that.

Until...

Once you get a big name (or even a semi-big name) and you start to crap on the little guys because they're all "nobodys" or you snub new folks at signings because you can't be bothered. Better yet, you're rude or just don't bother to respond when someone approaches you or asks you a question.

Yeah, those folks are all new to this publishing and marketing stuff, and you know what? They could use a friggin hand. Even if you just take five minutes to share your process or give a tiny piece of advice that isn't "keep writing." Everyone knows they have to keep writing. Duh. That's like telling a painter they need to keep painting or a bricklayer to keep building. That's not the advice they're looking for.

What is there to lose, really? An hour or two of your writing time?

Really?

But stopping to give someone advice isn't all there is. Nope. You can share a Facebook post (or two—gasp!), swap backmatter, or even—dare I say it?—read or buy their book. Holy crap! Now there's a new idea! Actually buying the books of your fellow authors. Who would've thought?

Next time you're on Facebook, head over to a book page and like and share a couple of their posts on your page. Even if you don't know the author. No, especially if you don't know the author.

Because, believe it or not, those new authors of today will be where you are tomorrow, and some of them will rocket past you to the top. How silly will you look when they recall your reaction to their query or request for a handshake when you step up to get your copy of their book signed?

Truth be told, you never know who'll make it in this industry, so be kind to everyone while you can. If all the people you know stay on the bottom rungs forever, that's okay, too.

Know why?

Because you've made new friendships that'll be there forever. And those, folks, are worth more than gold.

So, my call to everyone who's up there now: Get a kid sister or brother author. Help them out when you can. Offer to put a snippet of their book in the back of yours. Put out a call. I guarantee someone will answer.

Be kind. 

Lift as you climb.

Be a mentor.

You can't write enough books to fill all the hungry brains out there. These authors aren't your competition, they're your partners.

Think about this:

What if you offered to swap backmatter with a new author and their book takes off, hitting the top twenty? Guess what? Part of your book is in there! What if your book rockets up the charts? Well, that's a win for them, too!

It WILL work if you work together, but a house divided against itself cannot stand (thank you, Abe, for that sage advice).

Tell me in the comments what you plan to do. Then, go out and do it. Come on back and tell me how it went or how it's going.

Help one another, because there isn't another magic formula that'll do it all for you.

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

Jo

Monday, March 7, 2016

Cover Reveal - Damaged Pieces

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, you get a cover reveal from Allie Able! Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!


Cover Reveal

Damaged Pieces (Cape Isle, #2)

by

Allie Able



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Blurb
“When something is damaged or broken, the pieces can be put back together, but they will never be the same.”   KATIE: When I was left to raise my daughter alone, I decided dating just wasn't worth it. I never wanted my daughter to experience the kind of heartbreak only a man can give you and I didn't have the time, until Nicholas Sinclaire came walking into my life with his charming smile and his mischievous eyes. I just wish I would have known how it was going to end.   NICK: I knew she was it for me the moment I met her, but I had to leave. I had one more tour to do overseas and then I could come home to her for good. Little did we know, I wouldn't come back the same man. I was damaged beyond repair, so I pushed them away and hurt them. It didn't take me long to realize the mistake I had made. Now, I will stop at nothing to get them back in my life, but will Katie want my Damaged Pieces?   *This book can be read as a standalone.*

Book 1 of This Series Scattered Pieces is now available.

Free on Kindle Unlimited until March 11th. Get yours now.

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Meet the Author
12540960_1653348714919829_621753495829902206_n

Allie Able is a romance author who tries to juggle her time between being a mother, wife and writer. Allie was raised in a small town in Mississippi and now resides in Georgia. Reading and writing romance has always been her first love. She decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer full­time, when the characters dancing around in her head wouldn't stop demanding her attention. Now she can be found sitting at her desk, feeding her coffee addiction, as she creates her love stories, that are sweet with a touch of spice.
 
Author Links:
 
Hosted by:


What do you think? Nice cover, huh?

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

Jo