Writing Update: September Goals / Promotion Help / Cover Reveals for two Unrealmers

 

Happy Wednesday!

I must admit I'm so looking forward to September. It'll mean we go back to the regular schedule at the day job, which means more sleep! Yay!

Here are my September goals:

• Write "Mourner's Lament" from Neighbors of Foxwick. As I mentioned last week, I'm changing up the release date for Neighbors of Foxwick from October 2013 to February 2014. This way I'll have more time to make it the best collection I can.
• Create a map of Foxwick. I found some map-making software. I'm trying out the trial version to see if I like it.
• Write Part I and half of Part II of Reforged. I hope to be finished with this novel by the end of December.
• Finish editing Reborn, Book One in The Fate Challenges. I need to send this novel to my beta readers sometime in September, so they can get it back to me by December 1.
• Final edit, proofread, format, and publish of my prequel short story in The Fate Challenges titled Magna's Plea. This fantasy short story is the same one I've been giving to newsletter subscribers. I'd like to make it free, so I can draw more interest in the forthcoming Fate Challenges. This short story will also include a sneak peek of Reborn.

And that's it for September. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? What are your September goals?

2013 Stats

117,238 words

1681 pages edited

Stats taken from 1/1/2013 - 8/28/2013

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Also, like I did for the release of Men of Foxwick, I'd like to do a promo post for the free release of Magna's Plea during the week of October 21st. You'll have your selection of a short, medium, or long post or create something yourself from the information I'll provide you before the cover reveal/promo. If you're interested, please sign up on the link list below. Thank you!!

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It is with great pleasure and a thrill in our hearts that Gwen Gardner and I (Angela Brown *hugs*) reveal the covers for our follow up stories to our currently available novels: Givin' Up the Ghost (Gwen) and Neverlove (Angela)

*cue drumroll*
...
..
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A GUILTY GHOST SURPRISED by Gwen Gardner (Add to Goodreads)

An Angel Among Us

Paranormal happenings at the Eady household are the norm. Recently, things have become downright peculiar. Childish giggles at odd hours of the night lead Indigo Eady to her little cousin, Bryan, a guileless cherub spirit, complete with Spider Man pajamas and a set of faux angel wings. The problem is that Bryan died nearly three years ago in a hit and run that killed him and his mum. The driver was never found.  Now the gang must solve the mystery of his death in order to send him back to heaven.  But where to start when the trail is three years cold?

Indigo Eady

Indigo Eady is not clumsy. At least, that’s what she keeps telling everyone. Can she help that the overactive spirit community of Sabrina Shores causes her psychic abilities to short-circuit? It’s unfortunate that her cute friend Badger is often on the receiving end of her mishaps. At times, she is positively hazardous to his health. Even so, sparks fly in more than one direction.

THEY ALL FALL DOWN by Angela Brown (Add to Goodreads)

Abby and Basil: New love reaches new heights as they finally give in to their lust and desire for each other.

Q: Consumed by the Devourer within and his base need to claim Abby as his own.

The crave: What it all boils down to. A crave for souls. A crave to keep love intact beyond betrayals. A crave for a second chance. A crave for power and The Fall of mankind.

“Love can conquer all” is put to the test and salvation may be impossible when it’s “ashes, ashes…they all fall down.”

About Gwen

Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature. Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter.

Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face - but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does. Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate - not necessarily in that order.
Haunt at the following: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

About Angela

Angela is a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy and paranormal to contemporary - mostly young adult - fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Haunt at the following: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Indie Life: Formatting Ebooks and Angela Brown's Atone

The Indelibles will be hosting a monthly feature called INDIE LIFE. Modeled after Alex Cavanaugh's awesome Insecure Writer's Group, this will be a chance for indie authors to post about indie life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, helpful hints, and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier. 

What is Indie Life? How: Sign up on the Linky at the bottom of this page here. When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month. What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie. Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!

I'm one of these weird people because I enjoy formatting ebooks. There is something soothing in the process. Of course, this was formatting ebooks the easy way.

For Men of Foxwick, I wanted to format the hard way, i.e. create nice headings, a pretty title page, etc. I mainly used the instructions from the brilliant Susan Kaye Quinn as well as Sigil's guide/FAQ. Unfortunately, I got a little lost at some point with my html file. I think it had to do with the CSS style sheet for the ebook. But everything had messed up. *sighs*

Then, I figured out I could use an epub from an uploaded .doc to create the prettier epub. It worked much better and saved loads of time. I had a few things to tweak to make it look even better, but I'm pleased with the prettier epub and mobi files.

There is one thing I would still like to now how to do. How can you take a picture of a letter and use it as a drop down letter? Does anyone know?

Please check out the other Indie Life links:

And fellow Unrealmer Angela Brown has her newest release available. Check out her fabulous cover!

***What harm can come from a kiss?***

Caine Fordham knows the danger all too well.

As the Kill Circuit’s top lady-killer, business is good. Yet Caine knows the life of an assassin isn’t meant to last forever, just as love is impossible for him. Who could love a man with poison lacing his veins and a kiss that kills?

When Caine decides to take one last job, deal out one last kiss, he discovers there’s more to life than death, and more to love than pain.

Atone is the second in a series of Characters Revealed novellas/short stories for...

NEO – Network of Extraordinaires and Otherworldlies:

Those who answer the call from NEO play their part in maintaining balance in our ever-changing times. With power-hungry malcontents, jealous gods, and even those with misguided good intentions, the fate of our world has oft been held in the hands of unsung heroes such as those that are members of NEO.

But before NEO, these heroes and heroines had lives, loves, issues and interests that didn’t involve saving mankind.

Book Chat: Two Unrealms Authors and Two Books

 

It's time for another book chat, and today I have a book release announcement from M. Pax and a cover reveal of Angela Brown's newest book. Both authors are part of the group Untethered Realms.

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?

Boomtown Craze, Book 3 in the Backworlds series is here!

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

Available in ebook at:

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / Nook / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com

It will also be available in paperback from Amazon shortly.

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website / Blog

From March 4 to March 22, folks can enter to win the following:

1 set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze. Will only ship to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One of five free ebooks. All countries eligible. Enter the rafflecopter for a chance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweets: 

The new frontier #scifi Boom or dust? Boomtown Craze - Book 3 in the Bacworlds series #kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Miss Firefly? #scifi Try the Backworlds. Boomtown Craze - Book 3 - Book 1 is #FREE #kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Facebook:

Miss Firefly? Try the Backworlds. Book 1 is FREE for all ereaders. Life on the galactic frontier. Will it be boom or dust? Boomtown Craze, Book 3, is now out. WIN books. Paperbacks and ebooks up for giveaway http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

And now a message from Angela Brown: Revealing a new project is such a milestone in an author's pathway to publication. Many thanks to Heather McCorkle for the book cover design. Introducing the cover for...

FRAILTIES OF THE BOND (Add to Goodreads)

Description-

NEO – Network of Extraordinaires and Otherworldlies:

Those who answer the call from NEO play their part in maintaining balance in our ever-changing times. With power-hungry malcontents, jealous gods, and even those with misguided good intentions, the fate of our world has oft been held in the hands of unsung heroes such as those that are members of NEO.

But before NEO, these heroes and heroines had lives, loves, issues and interests that didn’t involve saving mankind.

In Frailties of the Bond, it only takes one bite to change a life…

After a hiking trip gone wrong, sixteen-year-old Luca should have been dead. Since then, he’s drifted from one school day to the next, annoyed by the looks of suspicion. When a vampire attack claimed his mother and forced his first shift into animal form, Luca set out for Texas, vengeance bound, only to discover so much more when Aimee crossed his path.

Flesh-born of vampire parents sixteen years ago, Aimee shouldn’t exist. Magic, though, made dreams come true for an undead couple desperate for a child all their own. But this magic came with a price, a cost Aimee discovered after one forbidden bite.

And now...to the cover:

Cover design by Heather McCorkle of CP Design

Xpresso Book Tours is handling the release blitz set for March 20th through March 31st. If you are interested in participating (YAY! and THANK YOU! if you are), click here to sign up.

Now, as tempting as it is to ask for a sound off of total love for this book cover, I'm curious about a few other things? How much does the book cover matter in choosing a book? Do you prefer symbolic covers, i.e., everything on the cover means something or directly relates to something in the book? Or just something that grabs your attention, no matter how it relates to the content within?

Congrats Angela on the fantastic book cover and congrats to Mary on her newest release!! 

Also, Untethered Realms is hosting a contest on Facebook, and you have a chance to win a copy of M. Pax's Boomtown Craze. Click here for more details.

Gifts Aren't Only From Santa Event

 

A word from the talented sponsors of this event...

Gifts Aren’t Only From Santa Event 

You are cordially invited to participate in our Gifts Aren’t Only From Santa Event. For two days only a group of young adult indie authors are offering our books for FREE. Mark your calendars for December 14th and 15th. In addition, some of the books will be steeply discounted, with 100% of the sales proceeds going to Children's Hospital.

So why not stock up for the upcoming holidays? 

Invite your friends too. We want to show our appreciation for the Young Adult genre readers and the support they have been giving us throughout the year. There will be something for everyone: our ebooks, autographed paperbacks, bookmarks, jewelry, Amazon gift cards, picture books, even a popular DVD!

Come meet these talented YA fiction authors:

Angela Orlowski-Peart

Diana Murdock

Julie Cassar

Angela Brown

Gwen Gardner

Fabio Bueno

Linda Leander

Amanda DeWeesJoin us for a three-hour Gifts Aren’t Only From Santa Event of games and giveaways of awesome prizes donated by our Young Adult fiction authors. Invite your friends, too. We want to show our appreciation for the young adult genre readers and the support they show us throughout the year. There will be something for everyone: ebooks, paperback books, bookmarks, jewelry, Amazon gift cards, picture books and even a popular DVD! 

Check out all these links: 
Gift’s Aren’t OnlyFrom Santa Facebook Event (Join in the games, prizes and giveaways on 12/14 from 9:00 12:00 PST) 
Gift’s Aren’t OnlyFrom Santa Amazon Listmania (all our FREE books in one place on 12/14 and 12/15) 

Come meet these talented YA fiction authors:
Gwen Gardner
Angela Brown
Angela Orlowski-Peart
Julie Cassar
Diana Murdock
Fabio Bueno
Linda Leander
Amanda DeWees

The links:

Facebook Event

Amazon Listmania

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlighting the Characters of NEVERLOVE by Angela Brown and GIVIN' UP THE GHOST by Gwen Gardner

What do a Cleanser, a Psychic, a Harvestor and a Ghost have in common? Besides having links to the paranormal, these are the women of Neverlove and Givin’ Up The Ghost.

Neverlove - For Abigail and Basil, there is a choice they both fear making. Duty or love? There can be only one.

Name: Abigail Bishop
Novel: Neverlove
Age: Seventeen
Occupation: Cleanser

After a failed suicide attempt, Abby gets a second chance at life by becoming a Cleanser, an agent of Heaven. Her purpose becomes to guide lost souls to the Gates of Judgment. There’s only one rule: love is forbidden. It’s doubly unfortunate, then, that Abby falls in love with a Harvestor.

Her fingers reached for her necklace. For once, she found little solace in holding the charm. There was no strength to draw, no battle to fight. She had a
decision to make, one she – and only she – could make. Which would she choose? Duty
or love? A pain niggled at her heart, aware there could be only one.

*****

Name: Pam
Novel: Neverlove
Age: Unknown
Occupation: Harvestor
A willing slave to her master, the Devourer, Pam likes nothing better than collecting souls. She’s sexy, deviant, and a little jealous of the new guy who she’s forced to train in the art of soul sucking.

Pam scoffed. “Don’t thank me. I didn’t do any of this for you. My master asked. That’s it. Look, something you better learn right now. We’re Harvestors. There are no friendships in hell, newbie. If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve joined the Kum ba yah club, not made a deal with the devil.”

Givin' Up The Ghost - Indigo Eady's life erupts into mischief and mayhem when a ghost enters her teen abnormal life demanding answers for his death.

Name: Indigo Eady
Novel: Givin’ Up The Ghost:
Age: Sixteen
Occupation: Psychic and Ghost Whisperer

A murder investigation is hard enough without the disruption of interfering ghosts and a mysterious soul collector with her name topping its list. But when Indigo’s psychic abilities short-circuit, the resulting mishaps compromise the success of the investigation and puts the budding but fragile relationship between Indigo and Badger at risk.

“No,” I said. “It’s all right...he’s right. I am a disaster. If you’ll all excuse me...” I ran for the back stairs before I made a further fool of myself by bursting into tears. Raised voices trailed behind me, but Badger’s words went with me, haunting me, a hurt that I couldn’t outrun. You’re a walking disaster.

*****

Name: Franny Bishop
Novel: Givin' Up The Ghost
Age: Indeterminate
Occupation: Ghost, Former Madam
Franny has no problems with being dead and no qualms about her former profession as a nineteenth century madam. She only wants to be a contributing member of current society, and that means eavesdropping on what the pellucid poltergeists upstairs are saying. Still, she worries about what the investigating teens are getting into.

“I mean murder and mayhem and kids who don’t know what they’re getting into!” She looked scared, her form fading in and out in distress. The effort to continue communicating while upset was draining her energy. “If you’re not careful, you could end up dead!”

Angela Brown’s Bio:

Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home. She's a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy and paranormal to contemporary - mostly young adult - fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Gwen Gardner Bio:

Running, writing and reading are my favorite things.

I am also a dreamer.

Have you ever told yourself that "someday" I'm going to travel or write or whatever it is that you are passionate about but can't do right now for whatever reason? You can go for years and years and keep telling yourself that "someday" you'll do it. Too often "someday" never comes. But mine did. I am a former Administrative Manager and Vice President of a successful swimming pool plastering company - until I woke up one day and realized that my "someday" had arrived. I quit my job, moved to the mountains and began to write. Crazy, I know. But even crazier? Is when you get to the end of your life and realize that your "someday" is too late. Life is much too short for that! So the adventure has begun.

Purchase Angela Brown’s Neverlove at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Amazon FR, and Amazon DE.

Purchase Gwen Gardner’s Givin’ Up The Ghost at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

And there are two giveaways! Visit Partners in ParanormYA for the Big Swag Giveaway and for the Week Three Giveaway