Thursday, January 10, 2013

New YA Indie Author Club Format


It's a new year and a new format for YA Indie Author Club . We'll be rotating our weekly posts in order to spice it up at bit for our members/followers. With our new setup, we'll alternate biweekly between our Indie Author Series and our Indie Author Spotlight.  

With the biweekly Indie Author Series, we'll continue our current mission where we write topics geared toward helping other indie authors. In the spirit of paying it forward, we'll make a special effort to share/promote people, sites, software, etc. that make our jobs a little easier. Whenever possible, we'll provide coupon or referral codes for discounted services from the people we depend on to help us with our writing, editing, book covers, marketing, etc. 

With the Indie Author Spotlight, we'll be interviewing a new indie author every other week. You'll want to visit the YA Indie Author Club Sponsor's sites in order to participate in any potential giveaways. 

Below, you'll find the tentative schedule for 2013. We're looking forward to your visits, comments, and support.  

2013 Topics (subject to change):
January
1/4/1 3 - Resolutions
1/11/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Introduction To The New Indie Author Series
1/18/1 3 - Spot Light: Laura A. H. Elliott
1/25/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Kindle/Amazon (All In or Diversify)
February
2/1/1 3 - Spotlight: Bryna Butler
2/8/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Nook/Barnes & Noble (What's B&N Done For You Lately)
2/15/1 3 - Spotlight: Suzy Turner
2/22/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Smashwords/All Other E-book Sites (Are They Worth It)
March
3/1/1 3 - Spotlight: T. R. Graves
3/8/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Author Page (Basics and Bonuses)
3/15/1 3 - Spotlight: Rachel Coles
3/22/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Goodreads (What's Good & What's Not)
3/29/1 3 - Spotlight: K. C. Blake
April
4/5/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Formatting (Challenges & Achievements)
4/12/1 3 - Spotlight: Melissa Pearl
4/19/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Editing (Testimonials & Warnings)
4/26/1 3 - Spotlight: Terah Edun
May
5/3/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Keywords & Tags (Making them Work)
5/10/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
5/17/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Categorizing Your Book (Finding Your Audience)
5/24/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
5/31/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Book Length (How Many Pages)
June
6/7/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
6/14/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Pricing (How To Decide)
6/21/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
6/28/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Distribution Lists (Books/Blogs/Emails)
July
7/5/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
7/12/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Social Media (What Works)
7/19/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
7/26/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Blogging (Do's & Don'ts)
August
8/2/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
8/9/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Giveaways (Tricks and Techniques) + A Massive Indie Author Giveaway In Honor Of The Topic
8/16/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
8/23/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Facebook (Family Page or Fan Page)
8/30/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
September
9/6/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Twitter (Keep It Simple OR Get As Many Followers As You Can)
9/13/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
9/20/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Pinterest (Getting It To Work For You)
9/27/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
October
10/4/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Giving Books Away (To Free Or Not To Free)
10/11/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
10/18/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Reviews (Getting Them & What To Do With Them)
10/25/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
November
11/1/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Writing (Point Of View & Tense)
11/8/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
11/15/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Querying (Pitch & Summary)
11/22/1 3 - Spotlight Or Book Tour: (Looking for Author/Release/Book Tour)
11/29/1 3 - OFF
December
12/6/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Sagas (Series Or Not)
12/13/1 3 - Indie Author Series: Shelfari (Character Description Benefits)
12/20/1 3 - OFF
12/27/1 3 - OFF
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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Welcome Back: 2013 Resolution

It's that time of year again. The time when we make resolutions, ones that will allow us to hold our heads high and say we kept them or ones that will force us to hang our head in shame and admit defeat. The sponsors of the YA Indie Carnival are taking a few minutes to post theirs. Don't forget to click on the links below and find out what kinds of exciting endeavors they will be striving for. Keep reading to see what 2013 holds for me and my writing.
 
I have some aggressive goals when it comes to publishing books. I plan to release four books this year. This is saying a lot when you factor in my full-time job, my long commute, and my wife and mother roles. Even then, I'm confident I'm going to meet this goal. 
 
The first book will be Grave Bound (Secrets, #1), and it will be released within the next 6-8 weeks. I started this book as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge and successfully wrote its first 50,000 words in one month. I'm super excited about this book because it is not like anything I've ever written. Its a very different adult contemporary fiction, and (I'm cringing as I write these words) there will be sex. I'm proud of the fact that the sex in Grave Bound (Secrets, #1) is not gratuitous. It is a critical part of the story, and everything about it rounds this book out in a ways that could never have been achieved if I would have written this story as a young adult novel.
 
The second book I plan to release this year will be (You guessed it!) Dark Angels of the Cross (Warrior #4). I've already written at least half of it, and... oh my gosh! All I can say is that you don't see most of what happens coming. It's just as thrilling, suspenseful, and romantic as the first three. I don't believe fans will be disappointed. The latest book in the series is every bit as amazing as the book cover.
 
Finally, I'm going to write Worth Dying For (Underwater #1) and Worth Living For (Underwater #2). For fans of The Warrior Series, this series will help them know and understand Julia and James better. I love the Underwater World and wanted to explore it in a different way.

I've been doing this long enough to know my goals are challenging but achievable. I just have to stay focused, committed, and motivated which should not be a problem because writing is a passion for me. It keeps me going and gets me excited. I hope that all of my fans, friends, and followers follow my lead. Create resolutions you want to keep and HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Down to You by M. Leighton

Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1) by
 

Let me start this review by disclaiming that I consider to be an author friend of mine. I know from personal experience that she's an amazing mentor because she was one of the very first authors to reach out to me when I began this indie author journey. The fact that she does not embrace the 'eat your young mentality' instantly turned me into a life-long fan of hers. Despite her New York Times Bestselling Author status, she's not forgotten the people who helped her to achieve her goals. She works tirelessly (morning, noon, and night) promoting her fellow authors and bloggers while writing book after book. Everything she does is impressive and further proves she's the real deal.
 
Now, on to the review of Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1). This is a quick, fun read that will not leave you disappointed. It will, however, leave you craving Up to Me (The Bad Boys Series #2), which is due to be release January 6, 2013. After reading Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1), I'm confident in saying Olivia, Cash, and Nash will forever be engrained into reader's minds, and they will long be equated with the hot and sexy couples that readers never seem to get enough of. As important and exciting as the chemistry between Olivia, Cash, and Nash are the book's twists and turns and Down to You (The Bad Boys Series #1)'s unexpected ending... which of course I wouldn't think of spoiling in this review.

If you haven't already, make this one of your next reads... especially if you like to get into and out of a good book quickly. I read this in a matter of a few hours (after a tree fell on the powerlines by my house on Christmas, and my entire household was forced to slow down play board games and read). The only caution I'm going to give is related to the genre. It is an adult contemporary romance, and by NOT appropriate for younger readers.


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Monday, December 24, 2012

Giveaway Winner Announced

The Building a Following Giveaway winner is Cindy Perez. (Congrats, Cindy!) The contest was as fun as it was successful. There were 263 entries and a 10% increase in the number of people following my blog.
I'd like to thank everyone who participated and all of my fans, friends, and followers. Their support is critical to what I do. I'll be returning on 1/4/13 with Welcome Back: 2013 Resolution. Until then, Happy Holidays to you and yours.
 
 
 
 
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

The Secret of Ella and Micha (The Secret #1) by











 

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Friday, December 14, 2012

YA Indie Carnival - Givaway + Bonus


It's that time of year again, when the YA Author Sponsors host a giveaway meant to build a following. Anyone interested in participating will have from 12/14 to 12/21 to visit our blogs, read/respond to our questions, AND join any or all of our sites in order to be entered for the giveaway (see Rafflecopter below or on the individual sponsors' sites). The winner will receive seventeen wonderfully, exciting books (plus a few other prizes) by some amazing authors. The grand prize winner will be announced on December 24th right here on this blog. Don't delay, scroll down to the Rafflecopter, enter, and visits our blogs.

BONUS: Anyone responding to this question (pulled from a recent Time Magazine poll) is automatically entered to win a copy of The Warrior Trilogy Boxed Set (Warrior, #1, #2, & #3) [Kindle Edition]:
 
If by some slim chance the Maya Long Count calendar is accurate and the world ends on December 21st, which song (or book or movie or fictional man/woman) would you want to hear (or read, watch, or be with) during your final moments?  

Giveaway Package Includes:


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

YA Indie Carnival - Famous Character's Personal Ad


This week, the sponsors of the YA Author Club are having a little fun. We are creating the personal ad for a book's famous character. Below is my take on a personal ad as written by Kelsey Hayes from Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga, #1) by

Young orphaned college student seeking an older Indian prince who is willing to become Indiana Jones-like in order to hunt, find, and retrieve priceless trinkets. A tolerance for tigers, brothers, and goddesses required. The enjoyment of poetry--reading and writing--is preferred.

Next week, don't forget to join us when we have our 2nd Annual Christmas Giveaway. Stay tuned for more details on how to win the package.

Giveaway Package:

Black Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #2) by


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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck


Tiger's Destiny (The Tiger Saga #4) by
 

 

 

 

 




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Friday, November 9, 2012

YA Indie Carnival - Vote... Vote... Vote

This week, the YA Indie Carnival sponsors are posting topics on voting. For me, this is going to be short and sweet (NaNoWriMo waits for no man). In the spirit of elections, voting, and may the best man (ah-hum... woman) win mentality, I'm posting a link. With it, you can go and vote in Goodreads Choice Awards 2012.

Important Notes & Special Pleas:

In the Nominees for Best Romance and Nominees for Best Goodreads Author categories, you will find On Dublin Street by
 
In the Nominees forYoung Adult Fiction category, there are three nominations for authors who were at one time members of the YA Indie Carnival.  
 
 

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Friday, November 2, 2012

YA Indie Carnival - Work In Progress

This week, the YA Indie Carnival sponsors are sharing their current work in progress. This is an extremely timely topic for me because I'm taking on the NaNoWriMo challenge. I plan to write 50,000 words in November.

In order to keep myself excited about the project, I invested in a book cover (last week), formulated a story (last weekend), and began the story (yesterday). I'll be sharing all of that with you and asking for forgiveness because this is a draft so rough I would normally not share. I should also mention that this particular book will not be young adult. Instead, it will be a very dark and sexy mainstream fiction. I decided that if I was going to go out of my comfort zone (writing non-stop without editing), I would go all out. The verdict is still out, but you can take a few minutes reading the summary/excerpt, ogling the cover (courtesy of Phatpuppy Art), and letting me know your thoughts.


Introducing... Grave Bound (Secrets, #1)

SUMMARY:
For her entire life, eighteen-year-old Emily Riddles swore by her community's code of secrecy. It may have been simple, keep it in the family, but it wasn't always easy to follow. The one time she broke the rules with Levi, her summer fling and outsider boyfriend, she saw firsthand what happened to those who forgot the code. She may never know how Owen, her father, found out about her and Levi's late-night meetings or the details of their private conversations, but she would forever remember what happened when he did. Owen tied Levi to a tree and whipped him to death while making her watch. From that day forward, she knew the ramifications of sharing anything with anyone about The Community. She also knew she'd never make that mistake again.

Levi's murder did little to quench her father's fury. He hatefully taunted Emily by reminding her that he did not kill Levi... that she and her loose tongue had cost him his life. When Emily did nothing, said nothing, and conformed to Owen's demands just as she'd been taught her whole life to do, he knew he had his bluff in. He could do anything to her and in front of her. His secrets would forever be safe.

Owen had been right until Emily's world turned upside down. The commune was raided, and every woman and child was swooped away and sent to safe houses. Regardless of their label, Emily never felt safe. Owen and his gang of hellions had been arrested, and she would be blamed for everything. In retaliation, her father would beat her to death—most likely on the same tree Levi died—unless she could win back his trust.

Based on the special interest the young DA, Tope Bryson, paid her during interviews, Emily suspected the raid was as much about finding a star witness as it was about locating evidence. No matter how she felt about the compassion shown to her by Tope, Levi's death, and her fear that her own father wanted to end her life... the secrets she held, her father's secrets, were grave bound.
 

EXCERPT:

"happily ever after my ass!" Emily said, slamming her book closed. She looked around and realized everyone who'd accompanied her to the lake for the first swim of the summer had long since gone home. Emily's friends had learned years ago her love of books came before everything. Once started, she would keep reading until finished. Nothing short of a burning house could distract her.

For the millionth time, Emily wished she could be more like everyone else in the commune... wished she could conform... wished she didn't resent with every fiber in her being the fate in store for her. It was the destiny of every woman in her community on their twenty-first birthday.



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