tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37079273550282822422024-03-12T18:31:57.648-07:00Indie Ignitessmall press and self-published authors navigating the trenches togetherIndie Igniteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04214622238789420922noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-24380053516550086022014-07-15T03:00:00.000-07:002014-07-23T11:56:14.886-07:00This quarter's Indie Ignites releases<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Welcome to the third installment of 2014's Indie Ignites quarterly releases! Things have slowed down on the publication front which means... a whole lot of us are writing our tails off!!! Yay! Check out our upcoming releases, below.</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>July</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Endre </b>(Sweet NA) -- July 16th</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<i>The Elsker Saga</i>, #2)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Blurb:</i></b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Sometimes, finding your destiny means doing the exact opposite
of what The Fates have planned.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Winning the heart of an immortal assassin was a dream
come true for Kristia Tostenson. Now she’s knee deep in wedding plans, goddess
lessons, and stolen kisses. But her decision to become immortal could end in
heartbreak -- not only for Kristia, but for the god who loves her. Because
while Ull would do anything to protect his bride, even the God of Winter is powerless against the Norse apocalypse. Ragnarok is coming. And the gods aren’t
even close to ready.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Add to <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21874627-endre?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Horde Without End</b> (NA) -- July 24th</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<i>The World Without End</i>, #2)</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aYmZYz8x2sAKRuhJzbVS2f3V4nyNI-qJNOr12j_t4AKPxRaR8ctKXS8_u2hzwVfLHwU7NQk6Ibkepo25tq8BgxVfet9_ri2PAswp-RKvCoJ9QMidOI312o5xJ4KjpQ3XaeOGmS93HT0/s1600/Picture+33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aYmZYz8x2sAKRuhJzbVS2f3V4nyNI-qJNOr12j_t4AKPxRaR8ctKXS8_u2hzwVfLHwU7NQk6Ibkepo25tq8BgxVfet9_ri2PAswp-RKvCoJ9QMidOI312o5xJ4KjpQ3XaeOGmS93HT0/s1600/Picture+33.png" height="400" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Blurb: </b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">It was supposed to be over…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Returning from Haven 18
was supposed to be the end. But nothing is ever easy—and in a world full of
zombies, finding the missing is next to impossible. There are breadcrumbs. Tiny
clues. But what are a few tiny clues in a world of the dead? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nurrin is desperate to find her brother, but that will mean trusting
Finn O’Malley. A man shrouded in secrets, who kills as easily as breathing. And
the more she learns about him, the more questions she has. But she has learned
one thing—the zombies are changing. Adapting. And this time, the Haven walls
won’t keep them out.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add to <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22292967-the-horde-without-end?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>August</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A Sliver of Hope</b> (YA) -- August 5th</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(Angel Sight, #2)</i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA9FmTrPaKyXBJ4ujx0oxXD8Foj3XOPmJ1IFBkQeysosZArGZgdQuN18UWLn9KOML-4ya0zNOIjrXcauZoLOF5crAi6LbwnUhdVAnu5-CL7aIommPr5ucmguT7v-QVqHF2fPsUKzjrrU/s1600/Picture+24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA9FmTrPaKyXBJ4ujx0oxXD8Foj3XOPmJ1IFBkQeysosZArGZgdQuN18UWLn9KOML-4ya0zNOIjrXcauZoLOF5crAi6LbwnUhdVAnu5-CL7aIommPr5ucmguT7v-QVqHF2fPsUKzjrrU/s1600/Picture+24.png" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Blurb:</i></b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the events in A
SHIMMER OF ANGELS, Rayna struggles to piece her life back together, but hiding
in plain sight from the police, the SS Crazy, and the Fallen isn't a foolproof
plan. Something Kade, the World's Worst Roommate, reminds her of everyday.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The late nights of trying—and
failing—to teach Ray how to protect herself against the Fallen are getting to
Kade, changing him in ways he doesn't like, and after a family emergency sends
Ray back into Cam’s arms, Kade decides he's had enough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The news of Rayna's
resurfacing brings angels and Fallen to San Francisco by the dozens, all eyes
scouring the city for the girl with the gray wings. Rayna will need both Kade
and Cam's help to ensure her family's safety, navigate the new dangers—and
enemies—springing up all over the city, and managing the surprises that arise
with her new set of wings.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add to <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15774298-a-slither-of-hope" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter <b>Goodreads <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/100303-a-slither-of-hope" target="_blank">giveaway</a></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>September</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tro </b>(sweet NA) -- September 4th</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by S.T. Bende</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<i>The Elsker Saga, #3</i>)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><img alt="Tro" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406091405l/17185981.jpg" width="266" /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Blurb:</i></b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Finding her destiny nearly cost her everything. Kristia
knows she can handle whatever The Fates throw at her next--including her
long-awaited honeymoon with the God of Winter. But as things heat up between
Kristia and Ull, a frost settles over Asgard. An unexpected death marks the
beginning of the end, much earlier than anyone expected. Kristia’s barely begun
to understand what she’s capable of, and controlling her powers seems
completely out of her grasp. With her new family fighting for their lives, and
Ull fighting for their future, Kristia has to make a devastating choice:
preserve the life she loves, or protect the god she can’t live without?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Add to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17185981-tro?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Open Thy Heart </b>(YA) -- September 15th</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<i>Flora</i>, #2)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqaz0TdXZxo5HwwfarsSMSr-ZUufpRzUYDN_nARRuiNeaGwQCgsV81k-9LHwPBtNjVUV75xm7gEBGMdJhYUzH6V6gFvPbhQGddh-FtQvyXLARqTmHlg3QCWnP8BI0WUWGgSKp85Wmm1E/s1600/OPEN+THY+HEART+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqaz0TdXZxo5HwwfarsSMSr-ZUufpRzUYDN_nARRuiNeaGwQCgsV81k-9LHwPBtNjVUV75xm7gEBGMdJhYUzH6V6gFvPbhQGddh-FtQvyXLARqTmHlg3QCWnP8BI0WUWGgSKp85Wmm1E/s1600/OPEN+THY+HEART+COVER.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Blurb: </i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 25px;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">The secrets just keep coming.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">It’s summer in Shaver and, frankly, Dahlia Kennedy is bored.
Even though she and Eva are throwing a party for David and she gets to visit
Rowan in Ambrosia easier on account of summer hours, it seems like senior year
is never going to come. Worse yet, it’s looking like the one thing she’s
planned on doing for forever isn’t going to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Cue Dahlia’s Embarrassing Incident: the tipping point that seems
to shift everything into a new direction. David’s acting weird. Something
happens to Rowan. Dahlia’s forced to ask the least likely person ever for help.
A secret is blown wide open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Conflict between the Lennox Rochforts and the Townsends grows
more and more out of control until so much is going on in Ambrosia, Dahlia can
barely keep up with life at home. Frustrated with trying to keep track of who
knows what, Dahlia continues fighting to help the people she loves, and slowly,
the truth is exposed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial;">Crazy thing is, she had no idea about any of it. And it
changes everything she’s ever known.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add to <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21854134-open-thy-heart" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter the <a href="http://iceybooks.com/blog/2014/07/open-thy-heart-cover-reveal.html" target="_blank"><b>cover reveal giveaway</b></a></span></div>
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-80981827043814268612014-07-08T22:42:00.000-07:002014-07-08T22:42:06.793-07:00The Future of New AdultHei hei, y'all. It's ST. And I want to talk about New Adult. Specifically, I want to know where you think it's heading. Because it feels like things are changing these days, and I'd love to hear what you have to say about it.<br />
<br />
We all know NA has the corner on steamy contemporary romances. We adore these stories. A good chunk of the #NALitChat crew and half of the Igniteers write these stories, and they rock at it! Even the publishing industry, who warmed fairly slowly to NA as a category, has embraced the steamy contemps. One agent recently told me that she didn't know if she could sell an NA that <i>wasn't</i> a contemporary romance. It seems New Adult has carved out a little niche and happily set up camp. And in a lot of ways, that's awesome! We have a camp!! And don't you worry, I've got s'mores for everybody!!<br />
<br />
But I've been hearing a LOT of talk from readers and bloggers lately, and they want more. NA readers are starting to want the same diversity in genres as their YA and Adult counterparts. They love their contemporary romance, and they love their sexy time, but they want more options in their NA buffet. Chelsea Fine just penned an amazing <a href="http://chelseafinebooks.com/the-giant-sexball/">blog post</a> about "The Giant Sexball", and Addison Moore wrote a phenomenal piece for <a href="http://delphinareadstoomuch.com/2014/07/great-sexpectations-special-guest-post-by-addison-moore.html">Delphina Reads</a> talking about Great Sexpectations in NA. And between those remarkable articles, and the comments I've heard in the last few weeks, readers are ready for a little something extra.<br />
<br />So what's it going to be?<br />
<br />
Tonight, Kristie Cook's NA hero Tristan Knight won his match in NA Alley's #NACrushTourney14. He's the ONLY paranormal hero left standing in the tourney -- the ONE other non-contemporary hero of the thirty entrants was eliminated last week. (That other hero was our little old Ull! *beams*) Tristan's win was a massive victory for New Adult as a category, because it showed that that readers are excited to embrace something outside the box. Tristan's supernatural in all the best ways -- he's the hero of Kristie's otherworldly paranormal romance that has completely sucked in yours truly, along with over 200,000 other readers. And more and more outside-the-box NA stories are coming out every day. #pnrNA like Kristie's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Soul-Savers-Book-1-ebook/dp/B005GGMC1I/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404884241&sr=1-3&keywords=kristie+cook">Soul Savers Series</a>; #sweetNA like Amy Evans' <a href="http://www.amazon.com/JELLYBEAN-KISSES-Prequel-sweet-romance-ebook/dp/B00IGB0Y60/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404884213&sr=1-3&keywords=amy+evans">Jellybean Kisses</a>; #scifiNA like SJ Pajonas' <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Removed-Nogiku-Book-S-Pajonas-ebook/dp/B00F4IE978/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404884181&sr=1-1&keywords=sj+pajonas">Nojiku Series</a>; and #specficNA like PK Hrezo's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Butterman-Time-Travel-Inc-Book-ebook/dp/B00G9ADV2O">Butterman (Time) Travel Series</a>. As an author who writes outside the box, I'm super excited when I see readers responding so favorably to these kinds of books! New Adult is so new, and we're so lucky to be writing in a category that's just beginning to define itself. So long as authors are supportive of one another, and so long as readers keep asking for more, there's no limit to where we can take this category. Time travel? Sci fi? Sweet romances? Paranormal? Fantasy? Absolutely!! At least, I really, really, really hope so. Because I want more too -- I love my steamy contemps, but I also love my angel/demon/warrior prince. And my Norse gods. And my time traveling boy banders. And if that makes me greedy, I'm totally cool with that. Because I brought enough s'mores for everybody. :)<br />
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Tell me -- what do YOU want to see more of in New Adult books? Do you think there's room to grow?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-62659515163034662562014-06-30T12:24:00.001-07:002014-06-30T12:24:29.975-07:00Sometimes, It just doesn't flow.Hey all, <a href="http://www.adriannejames.com/" target="_blank">Adrianne</a> here. I have five novels published. Three are stand alones and two are part of a series. I am currently working on the final book in that series. <br />
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Or shall I say, I should be working on it.<br />
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I have been writing <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21953922-the-uprising" target="_blank">THE UPRISING</a></span> for going on five months now. Aside from my first novel, <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Loan-Adrianne-James-ebook/dp/B00BG9EZQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404156196&sr=8-1&keywords=Life+on+Loan+by+Adrianne+James" target="_blank">LIFE ON LOAN</a></span>, no book has taken me more than two months to write the first draft. I'm not even close to being done. I *might* be half way. Maybe. <br />
<br />
So what's the problem? I have an outline. I know where the story is supposed to go and I know how I want the pieces to connect. I love my story and I love my characters. So why do they fight me so? It could be the fact that this is the final book in the series and I want it to be JUST RIGHT. I want THE UPRISING to answer all the questions that The Mackenzie Duncan Series has introduced. I want my readers to love it as much as the first two books. I want to leave the series knowing I gave it everything I had and that it is the perfect conclusion to this story. I am so worried that it won't be good enough that I can't even get words on the page without second guessing every little letter. I am filled with doubt in my story, in my characters, in myself. <br />
<br />
So what do I do? Do I push through and force it? Do I worry about every word that hits the page? I had thought that I had to finish Mackenzie before even considering writing anything else. I mean, I am already so far behind on my schedule, writing something else would just push that even farther behind. <br />
<br />
But no matter what I am writing, I always have ideas brewing for future books. There is this one, I shall call it the Sekret project for now, that wouldn't leave me alone. Not a ton of details to it yet, just a basic idea, but I couldn't ignore it. So I sat down and said, I will write out the little blurb that's in my head and go right back to Mackenzie. So I opened Word and started writing. That little blurb turned into an prologue. In five minutes. <br />
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Holy crap, my flow was back. The words flew from my fingertips like they haven't in months. The story played out before my eyes and made me smile while writing again instead of constantly scrutinizing everything. I haven't even gone back to edit it. I just hit save and moved on. <br />
It felt <em>so </em>good to write. And I got a new idea for Mackenzie. So I guess what I am saying is, if it doesn't flow, write was does and come back. A little mental vacation from one story may actually help. It did for me :DAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06259417705696804049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-85629226665814561832014-06-19T06:29:00.000-07:002014-06-19T06:29:00.035-07:00Where the grass is greener: Writing full time versus squeezing it in with a day job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello again, Igniteers. It's Stephanie, and today I am going to talk about writing full-time versus juggling writing with another job (or two).</div>
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Everyone has heard the expression <b>"the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."</b> And everyone knows that this isn't necessarily true - the people on the other side of the fence envy your grass, too. Nonetheless, it's hard, sometimes, not to look across that fence with longing. Cliches become cliches sometimes because they bear a kernel of truth.<br />
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And this particular cliche may have unique meaning for writers. <b>Those of us who work full time at other demanding jobs imagine it must be quite the life to be able to <i>devote oneself to writing all the time </i></b>(at least all the time that we're not chasing kids or running errands or working on promoting/selling books). I know that most of the time when I get the rare half hour to sit down to my work-not-much-in-progress, I have to remind myself what the hell it was I was writing weeks or sometimes a month ago. I know I should write something everyday but that's just not always possible. So after an unintended break, going back to writing can be kind of like going to a family reunion when you have amnesia. I look at the pages I've written and ask myself about the characters <i>Who are these people?</i> <i>What am I supposed to be doing with them? </i>When I am knee deep in my "day job", I'll write down plot points and ideas on scraps of paper, but often when I go back to the notes they might as well be written in Sanskrit for all the sense they make to me. Sometimes, I confess, I get so frustrated, so defeated, I just give up trying to write and read a book. And then the book makes me wish I were writing. <span id="goog_647102570"></span><span id="goog_647102571"></span><br />
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<br />
This summer, for the first time in years, I have a month off before I have to get back to teaching again and before my kids get out of school, and to a very large extent, I have dwelt in the writers's paradise I imagined full-time writing would be. I get up, check my email, take the kids to school, work on the blog or more email, then go for a four-mile walk during which I come up with tons of ideas. And then I write until I have to stop. <b>Now that my brain is free to focus on one "job", writing, </b> I have even come up with ideas for all of the other stuck plots from old works in progress that I let die on the vine because I didn't have time to focus on them.<br />
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<b>I won't lie. It feels really good.</b><br />
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But I'm not sure it would feel so good if writing really were the only job I had to focus on. I know that it would at least feel different.<br />
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<b>There are some advantages to being a "part-time" or squeeze-it-in writer, </b>not the least of which is that if I am feeling really exhausted or overwhelmed, <b>I can take a day off </b>and watch bad movies on TV. I try not to do it, but unless I have a deadline with my publisher, the only one who suffers from my retreat form work is me. And I don't have to worry a lot of about profit from the books, and if my family were relying on my writing income to pay the mortgage and eat more than a can of beans at mealtimes, we'd all be in need of some charity. The checks that come with the sales, admittedly, have only bought me some copies of my books to give away in contests and a couple of shirts from this amazing consignment shop in East Windsor, Connecticut. <b>I can't quit my day job. But I can write more or less what I want and that is a blessing</b>. I cringe every time a full-time writer tweets their word count for the day, but I don't have to worry as much about establishing and maintaining a brand or writing what people expect me to write. Sometimes lower (or no) expectations are a good thing.<br />
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Among the Indie Ignites ladies, <a href="http://stbende.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">ST Bende</a> and <a href="http://adriannejames.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Adrianne James </a>are "squeezers" like me - we squeeze in writing at night and on weekends. <b>As Adrianne puts it, "I had planned on being a full time writer, but life happens, ya know? I wish I had more writing time, but I just don't. Bills are important and if the books aren't making enough to cover them something has to."</b> Our full- timers include <a href="http://jcemery.com/" target="_blank">JC Emery</a> and <a href="http://nazarea-andrews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Nazarea Andrews</a> and I asked then: Is the grass any greener on their side?<br />
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<b>Nazarea</b> says that she's always wanted to be a writer but now that she is, she doesn't always want to get to work any more than anyone else does with any other job. She <b>"schedules" laziness, you guys. </b><br />
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More importantly, she feels <b>the pressure to write for her audience. </b>She says, "I don't always write what I WANT to write but I do write what I think will sell because this is my profession and I need to make money, so what sells matters more than I want [it to]. I'm happy that sometimes the two line up. But it isn't all coffee shops and lazy glasses of wine waiting for inspiration. If I did that, I would never publish."I empathize with the first concern - much as I would like to have a market or a readership to claim as my own, without one I can write what I want (as long as someone is willing to represent or publish it). And that second concern - <b>it's not all wine and inspiration</b> - is the reality for any writer. Sometimes you have to write even if you don't feel like it, and for the squeezer, sometimes that feels like "Okay, this is my forty minutes to write for the week so make it count. Go!!!"<br />
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<b>JC admits that the pressure of being a full-time writer can take the "passion" out of writing. </b>She says the "biggest difference" between writing full time and "squirreling away" the hours to write between work and life is the "change in mentality." "Now it's a job," she says. "Now it comes down to . . .[the fact that] financially this has to be a profitable business. It almost takes the fun out of it." She's quick to add that it is "wonderful to be a full-time writer" but writing used to be something she did for "fun", "specifically for" her. When she told me that she misses the fact that she "got to take [her] time with it" before writing was her day job, that really resonated for me. <b>Sometimes I look at output like JC's and other full-timers I know and feel like the biggest sloth in the world</b>. It takes me literally years to write a book, in part because I'm not writing everyday but also because I think that that is how my brain works, like one of those old-fashioned coffee percolators. <b>the pressure they're under to get that manuscript pub-ready yesterday.</b></div>
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When I'm finally writing it seems sometimes like the ideas just pop up unbidden but they don't, really; the ideas have been percolating for years sometimes and rise to the surface when ready. Full-timers don't have that luxury. I have <b>the advantage of percolation time</b>. For example, last month I contacted my editor and asked for another month to keep working on a book the publisher had already accepted. If I had a stricter publishing schedule, I wouldn't have been able to do that - and I would have given them a book I didn't feel was ready. I'm not saying that any of my full-time writers friends would ever do that, but I can appreciate the pressure they're under to get writing done quickly.<br />
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So, if you are in the position to have your choice of the writing life, full-timer or squeezer, which would you choose? What would be your dream scenario of the writing life? Let us know in a comment below.</div>
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Happy reading and writing!</div>
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<br />Indie Igniteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04214622238789420922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-64870645497352884742014-06-16T14:08:00.000-07:002014-06-16T14:08:59.883-07:00Indie/Self-Publishing and Copyrights<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a day late on my post, but I have a genuinely good excuse... I thought today was the 15th! ;) Whoops.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago, I did a <a href="http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/2014/01/copyright-laws-and-writing-not-best.html" target="_blank"><b>post at Operation Awesome</b></a> regarding copyright issues for authors. We all know what <i>copyright </i>means, but how does it specifically apply to books and covers? BookWorks explains it pretty well on Publishers Weekly (see <i>BookWorks: Understanding Copyright: What Every Indie Author Needs to Know</i> below for the full article): </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><i><b>...it is important to understand how copyright works, and what can be copyrighted and what can’t. Copyright protects “original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form. This includes literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, motion pictures, sound recordings, and architectural works. As you probably know a copyright notice looks like this: Copyright © (year of creation) (your name).</b></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few posts I've come across regarding copyrights recently. (If you have come across any other informative posts, feel free to add them in the comments!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/58599-bookworks-understanding-copyright-what-every-indie-author-needs-to-know.html" target="_blank">BookWorks: Understanding Copyright: What Every Indie Author Needs to Know </a></span></b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>* <a href="http://janefriedman.com/2012/08/17/copyright-is-not-a-verb/" target="_blank">Copyright Is Not A Verb</a> </b>via <a href="http://janefriedman.com/author/brad-frazer/" target="_blank">Brad Frazer</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* <a href="http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2014/06/05/5-copyright-terms-need-stop-using-incorrectly/" target="_blank"><b>5 Copyright Terms We Need to Stop Using Incorrectly</b></a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/plagiarismtoday" target="_blank">@plagiarismtoday</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* <a href="http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/06/cover-copying-flattery-copyright-infringement/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Book Cover Copycats: Is it Flattery or Copyright Infringement? </a>via <a href="https://twitter.com/AngelaAckerman" target="_blank">Anglea Ackerman</a> at <b>Writers Helping Writers</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>* <a href="http://carterlawaz.com/2014/02/highlights-on-copyright-publishing-from-the-indie-author-conference/" target="_blank">Highlights on Copyright & Publishing from the Indie Author Conference</a> </b>via Ruth Carter </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there are many other articles regarding copyrights that you can find with a bit of searching, but these were the ones I found most interesting. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Monday! </span>Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-86906850815985676912014-06-08T21:43:00.000-07:002014-06-08T21:43:42.796-07:00Facebook Takeovers: A Techno-Dolt TalksHei hei, y'all! ST, here. A few weeks ago I got to take over <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vernalovesbooks">Verna Loves Books</a>' Facebook page with fellow Igniteer Laura Howard. I'm an admitted techno-dolt, who still uses a flip phone (#Truth) so this was a massive jump for me. It was all kinds of terrifying, but also all kinds of fun. And you know what? I ended up meeting some of the nicest, most supportive fellow book lovers! I'm so glad I stepped waaaaay outside my comfort zone. It was totally worth it.<br />
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I openly admit to having no prior experience in takeovers, and in general no idea what I'm doing on the interwebs, but here are a few FB takeover tips that worked for Laura and me:<br />
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(1) PLAN. Things fly fast and furious come takeover time, so the more pre-packaged posts you can plan out, the easier your time will be. We pre-wrote a slew of posts, about five for each hour of our takeover time, and ended up using nearly all of them. It freed up the rest of our time to interact with readers on the various comment threads. Who wants to be planning their next post when they could be socializing instead? Not moi. :)<br />
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(2) GIVE THINGS AWAY. Laura and I corralled a slew of our writer friends and asked if they'd be willing to donate an e-book. It gave readers a reason to comment on the posts (because commenting was a requisite to enter the giveaways), and it gave us something fun to talk about. Readers love getting books. And writers are generally happy to donate an e-book in exchange for some exposure. It's a win-win.<br />
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(3) PLUG YOUR FRIENDS. Those authors who donated books during our takeover? You better believe plugged the dickens out of their books and looped them into their threads, so they could interact too. Laura and I are lovely and all, but I seriously doubt a lot of people would want to talk to just the two of us for three hours. However, people <i>did</i> want to talk to the seven additional authors we brought along with us. Because the more authors, the merrier!!<br />
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(4) HAVE FUN. So often we're locked away in our writing/editing caves, all by ourselves. It was a blast to get to go onto a page and actually chat with readers! Laura and I both write NA Paranormal Romance, and we probably wouldn't have met most of Verna's more contemporary oriented readers in our normal FB circles. We made new friends, got to talk book boyfriends (because no FB takeover is complete without talking book boyfriends), and spent a few hours hanging out together on a Saturday afternoon. What's not to love about that?<br />
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What about you? What kinds of things have YOU done to connect with readers?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-90565432300918747612014-06-03T03:00:00.000-07:002014-06-03T03:00:04.125-07:00Ugly Realities <em>We own a small business. A little bowling pro shop. Sells some bowling balls, shoes, bags. The this and that of bowlers who make it a serious hobby. It's a cute little shop, with a funky smell of plastic and the fruity scent of new bowling balls. </em><br />
<em>People come in and buy stuff and talk to my husband about which ball is best for which oil patterns. (Seriously. I had no idea there was so many intricacies to bowling until I married my husband.)</em><br />
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<em>Every once in a while, people come by and grab a towel and don't pay. </em><br />
<em>It's becoming a bit of a habit, but you know. It's part of owning a buisness. Mike works hard, and he doesn't have time to track down every unpaid for towel. Not if his other customers want their bowling balls drilled. </em><br />
<em>Last week, a guy came in and grabbed a few bowling balls. Then he went into the lanes, and sold them. For half price. </em><br />
<em>And when we said something--polite, legal letter delivered to him--he ignored us.</em><br />
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<em>And because we're just talking bowling balls, I mean. Mike LIKES his job, and bowling is just for fun. So why not? People can use the lane balls for free, so what's the big deal??</em><br />
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So this all sounds completely ridiculous right? I mean--shopplifting is a crime. Stealing a bowling ball is a crime. If this were to happen in my husband's shop (no that part isn't made up) we'd call the cops. Immediately. Because even though Mike DOES love his job, it's how we pay our bills. And letting people steal from us is stupid. <br />
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So why am I talking about this here? <br />
Piracy. You guys. You guys. <br />
I write books for a living. I make calculated decisions, weight the cost and how much I need to sell to break even, and how much time a book will take to produce. I work literally ALL THE TIME. (My kids are having a balloon party outside as I write this. Because summer break is for them, not me.) What I earn from my book sales pay our bills--it goes to rent, and keeping our kids in a school that fits their individual needs. It puts gas in my car and food on my table. <br />
Piracy is a thing. It happens and I send my DCMA take downs and I move on. Because thinking about it kind of infuriates me. It's not ok. Just like it's not okay to steal from a buisness, it's not okay to steal books. I know the arguments, ok? <br />
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<em>Libraries don't charge anything</em>--that's great and you are welcome to visit one. Libraries pay for their copies, by the way. <br />
<em>It's too expensive--</em>um. I have nothing that is fit for polite conversation but--just no. <br />
<em>You enjoy writing, so you should be okay with this. At least I'm reading.--</em>by that logic, we shouldn't pay football players. Cuz. You know, they enjoy it. Yes. I do enjoy my job. But I still pay good money to make it a quality product and there is a time commitment to it and frankly, I shouldn't have to justify why you should pay for a service. <br />
<em>Pirates wouldn't buy it anyway--</em>So freaking what?? I wouldn't buy a shirt at Walmart, but I highly doubt they'd be okay with that logic if I walked out of the store with it. <br />
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Stealing is exactly that--stealing. Don't pirate. Support an author and drink coffee at home while you read their book. And remember it's good for you as well--you buying that book means there will be more books. more giveaways. more events. Book sales support that. <3Nazarea Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09644521286572844909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-14344427599320025072014-06-01T09:51:00.002-07:002014-06-01T09:51:54.458-07:00May's tweets from Indie Ignites: #indie business advice As some of you know, Indie Ignites also has a <a href="https://twitter.com/IndieIgnites" target="_blank"><b>Twitter account</b></a>. Though we do tweet a lot of our bookish news and events via Twitter, we also share quite a bit of indie and self-pub advice, articles, and statistics. Here are seven selected tweets shared in May that might be useful to fellow indie authors:<br />
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<b>How to Make the Bestseller Lists: Why Categories and Keywords Matter</b><br />
via <a href="http://annerallen.blogspot.ca/2014/04/how-to-make-bestseller-lists-why.html" target="_blank"><b>Anne R. Allen</b></a> and <b><a href="https://twitter.com/writerplatform" target="_blank">@writerplatform</a></b> (<a href="http://ow.ly/wAD23" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<b>Facebook Ads: Should #Indie authors Buy Them?</b><br />
by <b><a href="https://twitter.com/CaballoFrances" target="_blank">@caballofrances</a> </b>via <a href="https://twitter.com/JFbookman" target="_blank"><b>@JFbookman</b></a> (<a href="http://t.co/BaZSSowQwF" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<b>How to Be a Good Critique Partner</b><br />
via <a href="https://twitter.com/Wiseink" target="_blank"><b>@Wiseink</b></a> (<b><a href="http://t.co/H8YChnOiyS" target="_blank">link</a></b>)<br />
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<b>Publisher's Weekly to Launch New Site Focused on News and Info for Self-Published Authors</b><br />
via <a href="https://twitter.com/thDigitalReader" target="_blank"><b>@thDigitalReader</b></a> (<a href="http://t.co/FsIsa8vkI5" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<b>How to Create a Google+ Community to Grow Your Business</b><br />
via <a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/create-google-community/" target="_blank"><b>Social Media Examiner</b></a> /<a href="https://twitter.com/writerplatform" target="_blank"><b>@writerplatform</b></a> (<a href="http://ow.ly/wXCBw" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<b>The Vin Diesel School of Facebook</b><br />
via <a href="https://twitter.com/duolit" target="_blank"><b>@duolit</b></a> (<a href="http://t.co/5YxjLIV5xE" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<b>Business Plan Basics for Authors and Bloggers</b><br />
via <a href="https://twitter.com/mollygreene" target="_blank"><b>@MollyGreene</b></a> (<a href="http://t.co/B4PGW4NAf9" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)<br />
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<i>Not following </i><a href="https://twitter.com/IndieIgnites" target="_blank"><b>@IndieIgnites</b></a> <i>yet? We'd love to connect with you! (Click <a href="https://twitter.com/IndieIgnites/indie-ignites-members/members" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> to find us individually on Twitter!) </i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-43639245810388356862014-05-19T05:28:00.000-07:002014-05-19T05:28:53.224-07:00BUILD A BETTER BLOG WITH ME, PART TWO: when your is blog out of focus<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm blogging about blogging again!</h2>
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Hey there, hi there, ho there, Igniteers! It's Stephanie again, back with part two of the Build a Better Blog set of posts. Last month, I got some great advice from the other Indie ladies, walked through changes to my blog's layout, and discussed <a href="http://ignites.blogspot.com/2014/04/build-better-blog-with-me.html" target="_blank">how to make your blog look snazzier</a>. But no matter how pretty your blog is, <b>no one is going to take more than a quick look at it if you don't have the content your potential readers are looking for</b>. <br />
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After sprucing up the look of my blog with a better layout and catchier fonts and widgets, I had to take a look at the material I was offering. Being a teacher of writing really helped me with this. One of my students' biggest issues as writers is maintaining a consistent <b>focus </b>in their writing. It's not that they don't have great ideas. They do. But they often try to shove them all into one essay (sometimes one paragraph!) and end up with the equivalent of an assignment that reads like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowNA4HDevVCeEJchyphenhyphenOJSkJRlEkgFWODXduo-YmJReUS3qa0qNiUNvDpBFBz69ibgm_P31b01ubogd8V0puQqbZyCyzqoj7kaBLjpnVLdpLBGGAgJ7FQG9XpcKyiog4zqw2o5k1aNAyBA/s1600/giphy-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowNA4HDevVCeEJchyphenhyphenOJSkJRlEkgFWODXduo-YmJReUS3qa0qNiUNvDpBFBz69ibgm_P31b01ubogd8V0puQqbZyCyzqoj7kaBLjpnVLdpLBGGAgJ7FQG9XpcKyiog4zqw2o5k1aNAyBA/s1600/giphy-1.gif" height="135" width="320" /></a></div>
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It doesn't work in a student essay and it doesn't work on a blog. I had to <b>rethink my focus</b>. Which meant I also had to rethink my <b>audience</b>. When I started the blog, I had an idea whom I imagined would be reading it. But I thought it was a good idea to check in on <b>who actually <i>is</i> reading it </b>and adjust the focus accordingly.<br />
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When I first started the blog as a way to promote myself as a YA writer, I imagined that I would be writing for YA readers (either actual "YA"s - young adults- or adults). What I found was that <b>I seem to be writing for other writers, </b>a conclusion drawn<b> </b>based on comments on the blog, "favorites" and retweets on Twitter, and the fact that some of my posts about writing and writing platforms have been picked up by content-aggregating blogs. I concluded that <b>since my most popular posts were about writing, I should write about writing</b> to and for other writers, especially aspiring ones.<b> </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1nOZwGH6d7su9bDay9SpMCevDuEg6AX_xnnBy9YlaIA8fbaSpg5jUhFHi4hAeCGCcHodLMbzNiU5i8veFVGynFdfGSN5bGrzdP1fQV4Pk4FfrQ5FhPUy76tR3dh1xIAAlWmjdnpukIY/s1600/mind-blown.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1nOZwGH6d7su9bDay9SpMCevDuEg6AX_xnnBy9YlaIA8fbaSpg5jUhFHi4hAeCGCcHodLMbzNiU5i8veFVGynFdfGSN5bGrzdP1fQV4Pk4FfrQ5FhPUy76tR3dh1xIAAlWmjdnpukIY/s1600/mind-blown.gif" /></a></div>
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I'm not going to argue that I took an exhaustive and full-proof survey in order to determine this. There are plenty of other variables that could determine the popularity of posts, like the time of day I tweet about them or how effectively I tag<b> </b>them so that someone casually trawling the web can find them.<a href="http://indieignites.blogspot.com/2014/05/all-aboard-edits-and-procrastination.html" target="_blank"> (See Jessica L. Brooks' wonderful entry here about timing and positing)</a><a href="http://indieignites.blogspot.com/2014/05/all-aboard-edits-and-procrastination.html" target="_blank">.</a> But for the most part, this assessment seems pretty solid.<br />
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After assessing my audience, I knew how to focus and narrow the scope of the blog now.<br />
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But <b>narrowing your focus always means that you have to cut something</b>, and in this case, I have to cut out something that I <i>really</i> like writing about, possibly more than anything else: popular culture. I love analyzing the ways that pop culture reflects (and affects) our values about class and race and gender. But much as I love the posts that I wrote about things like t<a href="http://stephaniewardrop.com/?p=76" target="_blank">he portrayal of adolescent female desire on <i>Bob's Burgers</i>,</a> no one else did, as far as I can tell. So I'm going to focus on writing about writing and do more reviews of YA books and focus exclusively on YA stuff. This means that I will have to make two changes to the blog. First, I won't be able to review and feature books by friends who write NA and more adult fiction and that saddens me. But I can help them elsewhere by being better at promoting their work on Twitter and Facebook and posting reviews to Goodreads and Amazon. Second, as for my beloved pop culture analysis? I can still write it of course. It just needs a new forum (so I may resurrect my first blog about tween pop culture, <a href="https://smellsliketweenspirit.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/marketing-period/" target="_blank">Smells Like T(w)een Spirit</a>).<br />
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So <b>my advice to anyone starting a blog or working to improve the appearance and reach of a blog they already write is to think about your content</b> - what is it exactly that you want to put out there into the ether? And then think about your audience and how a focused and consistent presentation of topics can reach a focused and consistent audience.<br />
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If you've thought about these issues and have any suggestions, please leave a comment here.<br />
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Until I'm back next month - Happy reading and writing!Indie Igniteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04214622238789420922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-3766321144140918942014-05-16T10:44:00.002-07:002014-05-16T10:46:04.300-07:00The editing/revising process (a gif post)Hey guys! I'm a day late (but not a gif short... ha ha... um, <i>ahem</i>) for my post, so I thought I'd just throw out some inspiration for ya'll before the weekend gets officially started. Today's topic? Revisions.<br />
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By the time we've peeled away the icky-ness of a MS (polishing it until it shines, deleting words, adding the important details), we feel pretty confident in where our work has ended up. This is us: <br />
<br /><center><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/1JennyFan/Glee/Animated%20GIFs/tumblr_lsm2f1Lhj51qa2gl7o1_500.gif" border="0" alt="sugar motta awesome gif Pictures, Images and Photos">
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We send it off to betas or CPs or editors, et cetera, and they read it, and--thankfully--this is what we get <i>most</i> of the time... <center>
<img id="irc_mi" src="http://blog.chron.com/tubular/files/2012/12/highfive.gif" width="300" height="300" style="margin-top: 47px; "></center>
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but, sometimes... it's more like this:
<br /><center><img id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 62px; " src="http://media0.giphy.com/media/GgSlRWjU3NjSU/giphy.gif" width="500" height="270"></center>
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Which makes us go:<br />
<center><img id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 97px; " src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/422a5f0ac31ece0c18c9e34a275e5d27/tumblr_mz7d71qXI21rmvfheo1_500.gif" width="500" height="200"></center>
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<br />Enter panic mode, avoidance mode, "I suck at life; time to eat all the ice cream" mode. (Some of ya'll don't get that way and tackle it head on, and to you I say, you have problems! Just kidding. Actually, I applaud you. But this post isn't for you, so...)
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This is the point in the process where we have to remember the GOOD NEWS. That's what I'm here to do. Are you ready to be reminded?
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1) The fact that you sent that MS off to be edited, or read by betas, or whatever, means you <i>got</i> to this point. You <i>finished</i> your MS!!! Do you know that this means? It means you are THIS MUCH closer to getting your book out into the world! (So much closer than ever before!) Hooray!
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2) Finishing an MS is not a reason to cringe! (We tend to forget this when those revision suggestions come in!) It's a reason to celebrate!
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So. Before you decide to quit and become a hermit surrounded by cats who use your favorite books as scratching posts and cover you in ten layers of fur while you blather about who you "coulda" been, I'm here to remind you that this--yes, even the revising and the editing and the notes that, at times, are overwhelming--is all GOOD. You're in the homestretch, my writerly friend. THE. HOMESTRETCH.
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And to celebrate, we are throwing you a party. SO
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You're almost there. You can do this! Time to celebrate your success!
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<img id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyBSZxfykSHjoCbD3BLUUzE31ZjNDvEvVb7tGrhKOYtOQfwQNV0ywk1N5UjiWQ1Wc9uBV0WPn8swBkmxAwg44BAwzaSscQE-xoyEMKuqG2SovRKC3mmjdeawqlItwmiKOvejbEhdZjmUE/s1600/Elaine.gif" width="500" height="225" style="margin-top: 84px; ">
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<img style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: -webkit-zoom-in; " src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/37b239113f13112bb1a342708ab0b420/tumblr_inline_n0hgdgTuYP1rcr8m6.gif" width="434" height="244">
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-55690865906232971742014-05-09T21:32:00.000-07:002014-05-09T21:32:10.358-07:00When You Just Need Some Fun...Sometimes a writer just needs to have a little fun. Am I right, y'all?<br />
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You know those fabulous memes you always see promoting upcoming releases, with an image representative of the book's genre, a super cool quote, and some impressive photoshopping that adds elements of whimsy or darkness or whatever emotion the artist wants you to feel?<br />
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Yeah. I could never make those. I'm a total technophobe. I still own a flip phone. #TrueStory<br />
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But a few weeks back, the Igniteers introduced me to a little website called <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">Picmonkey</a>. You upload your image, and a minimal number of super easy steps, you and manipulate it to add words, bleed out color, or even add little quote bubbles or banners. It's so easy even a technophobe could work it.<br />
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And I did. :)<br />
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Now when I need a break from drafting/editing/plotting/writerly things, I head to Picmonkey and have a little fun. The Igniteers tell me there are more sites like it that are equally easy to use, but I'm a creature of habit and I sort of figured this one out. So here I stay.<br />
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Here are a few of the fun promo images the girls and I have made for ourselves -- some on Picmonkey, some in more advanced editing programs. You'll be able to tell which of us are graphic whizzes (Adrianne) and which of us are NOT (me).<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21874581-elsker"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQRoJ1OFLZcgjYY130ON1D6n2WGi58K58guldV5Iip8ut0pUITkQPfUmKUcewbAO-09ciPQ17uOQ0xDGAZZxzDHx-_SHBH5suneNl4bMy1mcqLnb8iOMIzDY2VVRZUCWFGPEam5Snlsus/s1600/ElskerPromo1.jpg.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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(my homemade image, for Elsker - look y'all, I figured out the computer!!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4V7yuTbuuJwgxqVw1YrfWie-gSSs7124p92AmelWzYb7AyDxTxKCNDhTr7W5wXrCeU7uThCd0hHNGGKEQCKRPuLuQn67AjSBvTCqgDNSrv0WMR2uItH4v_qWrLMdHlIniHcspDgXK3A1/s1600/WH+smoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4V7yuTbuuJwgxqVw1YrfWie-gSSs7124p92AmelWzYb7AyDxTxKCNDhTr7W5wXrCeU7uThCd0hHNGGKEQCKRPuLuQn67AjSBvTCqgDNSrv0WMR2uItH4v_qWrLMdHlIniHcspDgXK3A1/s1600/WH+smoke.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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(From Nicole Zoltack's White Helleborne)</div>
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What do you think? Link us to some of YOUR fun promo images in the comments!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-38175379215864489232014-05-01T19:34:00.002-07:002014-05-01T19:36:45.271-07:00All Aboard! Edits + procrastination = social media<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm about to dive in to edits for <b>By Sun and Candlelight</b>, so naturally, I'm finding anything (and everything) not edit-ish to be super fun and intriguing (yes... even laundry). My <i>biggest</i> crutch in the distraction/procrastination aspect, however, is social media. And boy does it do a great job of sucking time away!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So join me at the procrastination station while we waste a few more productive minutes doing things we don't really need to do. (The best part of procrastinating is when you're actually learning something <i>while</i> procrastinating, so it doesn't <i>feel</i> like you're procrastinating; just taking a different approach to er... approaching that train. Which is what we're about to do.) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are a few <b>infographics </b>regarding <b>social media</b>. They'll help 1) waste time and 2) highlight what works best regarding networking. (Killing two birds with one stone!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up: <b>The Best and Worst Times to Post on Social Networks</b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Best and Worst Times to Post on Social Networks" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5939" src="http://lorirtaylor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/best-and-worst-times-to-post-on-social-networks.png" height="1846" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="600" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Lori R. Taylor at <a href="http://lorirtaylor.com/the-best-and-worst-times-to-post-on-social-networks-infographic/" target="_blank"><b>Social Caffeine</b></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, 'ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3', 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro', メイリオ, Meiryo, 'MS Pゴシック', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whew! Worn out yet? Wanting to do what needs to be done? No? Well check out this second interesting tidbit, then: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Info regarding best day to post on Facebook:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="When is the best time to tweet, best time to post to Facebook or the best time to send emails or best time to publish blogposts?" src="http://bufferblog.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Screen-Shot-2013-07-23-at-6.47.02-PM.png" height="490" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="577" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Belle Beth Cooper on <a href="http://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page" target="_blank"><b>buffer</b></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting to note that Facebook seems to have changed their algorithms again since this graphic was made, so though the graphic itself is probably still current, some of the info listed in the source link above are probably no longer as dependable as they were. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Third: <b>How to Get More Clicks on Twitter</b>... Regarding branding on Twitter, there are quite a few things that make tweets stand out (this is serious analyzation, here):</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://danzarrella.com/ctr_infographic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of <a href="http://danzarrella.com/infographic-how-to-get-more-clicks-on-twitter.html#" target="_blank"><b>Dan Zarrella</b></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, if that info wasn't enough and you're <i>still</i> trying to procrastinate, check out the Indie Ignites </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/indieignites/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> </b>and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/IndieIgnites" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Twitter</a> accounts... We would love to connect with you (and, therefore, procrastinate! YAY! Oh, wait. Then we'd be producing less books. Boo.)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You can also connect via our individual social media sites by clicking the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>About Us</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> tab above!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for the ride, guys! Now I'm off to see if I can find a recipe for peanut butter waffles...</span></div>
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-33275608414660520442014-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:002014-04-30T09:00:05.485-07:00So You Want To Do A Signing....
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So the 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> of every month you will be seeing (or
rather reading) me, <strong><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.adriannejames.com/" target="_blank"><em>Adrianne James</em></a></span></strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have been with the Indie Ignites since the beginning but have been lacking in
the posting department. So, from this day forward, at least once a month you
all will get to know a little more about me and my experiences as an indie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For today’s post, I thought I would go into a little about
signings. How to prepare for them, how to behave at them, and how to make the
most of the readers that are there. I have only been to a few, but I have definitely
seen an improvement in not only sales but online followers and fans in general
after each one. I am sure there are other methods of preparing for a signing,
but this is what I have done and what has worked well for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First thing’s first, you need to either organize a solo
signing or find a big author signing to be part of. There are a few Facebook
groups dedicated solely to author events around the country and some even have
lists of worldwide signings.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here are two that I belong to: <br />
</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/235803099902893/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Events, Inc: Author Signing
and Events Listing for Authors</span></a></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/authoreventsaroundtheus/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Author Events
Around The US</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for local signings, find anywhere and everywhere that
will have you. I have been to my local book store that is supportive of indie
authors (that also has my paperbacks on their shelves), I am doing a local car
show and swap meet that is a staple in my town every year, and I will be doing
another local event that celebrates the founding of our town and the small
businesses in it. Next week I will be going back to the book store to set up
yet another signing and heading to the library to see about a signing there.
The more people see you, the better. And I have found that when a reader meets
you in person, when you are someone they can say lives near them/in their
town/they went to high school with/however else they know you, they tend to
promote you even more if they enjoyed your books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, so now you are all set to do a signing. WOOHOO! Now
what? Do you need a ton of stuff to give away? How many books should you have
printed up to sign? OMG ALL THE MONIES YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE!!??! </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yeah, let’s take this step by step. First, pat yourself on
the back for having the courage to do a signing. Dude, the first one is super
nerve racking. Will they like me? Will I sell anything? Will I make a giant ass
out of myself? What if I spill my lunch down my top and have to sign books with
spaghetti sauce all over my boobs? If you can sign up for a signing despite the
fears, you my friend, are kick ass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For your first signing, I wouldn’t go overboard with swag
(the term given to goodies authors hand out for free). Keep in mind that
besides bookmarks, most paper products end up on the floor or in the trash.
Unless you put a code for a free or discounted book on it. Readers love those.
Seriously, they are like gold at signings. Readers tend to like swag that they
can actually use. Pens, note pads, hand sanitizer, chapstick, shot glasses. But
don’t think this means a ton of money. Some swag can cost you, others don’t add
up to much when you think of it as advertising. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can get good quality bookmarks and other printed
materials from GotPrint.com,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>OvernightPrints.com, Vistaprint.com, and many many others. For smaller
giveaways I use orientaltrading.com, discountmugs.com, DollarDays.com, or a few others. There
are a ton of companies out there for you to choose from. Google is your friend
in finding the coolest things to give away with your NAME and your BOOK on it.
Do not forget that these nifty giveaways aren’t just because you are freaking
awesome and love gifting people with cool stuff, but because you want them to
remember you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A banner is also a good idea. Especially one large enough
for people to see from far away. It can be for you as an author or for a book
or series specifically. You don’t have to have one, but they are a nice addition
to any signing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Books. You want to know how many books to bring right? Well,
first things first, WHERE are you signing? Is it a small event or a large
event? Do you have a huge following that knows you will be there and will want
signed books, or was this an impromptu signing that you had little to no time
to promote for? All of these matter in the amount of books you bring. But
realistically, you will only need between 5 and 10 of any title unless it’s a
brand new title, then I would go up to twenty for a large signing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So now you have your signing set up, your books and your
swag. Now it’s time to PROMOTE yourself and the signing! Let people know you
will be there. If the signing is a larger event being run with other authors,
there may be graphics already designed that you can post. You can chat with
other authors going and set up a cross promotion. But most importantly, don’t
forget to let your readers know you will be there. If it’s a local signing,
tell anyone and everyone you talk to about it. Seriously. If you are going out
to dinner, tell the server. At the gas station filling up? Ask the attendant if
they love to read. You can even print off a few flyers for the small event and
hand them out around town. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay, time to take a breath. Are you ready to head to your
signing?! IT’s TIME! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Always arrive early. Not too early that you are an inconvenience
to the host of the signing, but never and I mean never arrive late unless there
was some serious life or death situation going on. If you happen to get caught
in traffic or whatever other reason could hold you back, make sure you have
contact information for the person in charge to let them know what is going on.
There is nothing that will turn readers off more than an author they have been
waiting on to show up late without a solid reason. Some readers will drive
hours to see you, at least make sure you tell them you care about them by being
there on time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tgzcejF5mLZ7eKtVm3ErDE_zvK0k5X6itNT_DIIQzM0b-uSPGjB5khUy40tySS-znRAASlQayhyh_abRFasNba4cbLAnOpnNYwHzvv1pbPTxAi87VH0dHYq3TbUS0qtNpyA2xvZLFL7N/s1600/Edit6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tgzcejF5mLZ7eKtVm3ErDE_zvK0k5X6itNT_DIIQzM0b-uSPGjB5khUy40tySS-znRAASlQayhyh_abRFasNba4cbLAnOpnNYwHzvv1pbPTxAi87VH0dHYq3TbUS0qtNpyA2xvZLFL7N/s1600/Edit6.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So there you are, sitting behind your table with your books
proudly on display, your swag out for readers to take and a gazillion (seriously,
bring a ton) of pens at the ready to sign some books! But person after person
just walks by. How do you get them to come talk to you? SAY HI! Talk to them
first! Wave and engage them. Be proactive. Put a smile on your face. Be
welcoming and inviting. Introduce yourself, ask them questions, be friendly.
Not everyone will read what you write, but they just might remember you later
when they are talking to someone who does.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, be able to explain your books with a single sentence
or two each. You will only hold their attention for so long. Prepare this ahead
of time. It is NOT as easy as it sounds. It took me days to figure out my single
sentence pitch for each book but it is doable. If that sentence intrigues them,
they will ask for more. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPlfVZSeADsVCkosIA7jp43kQyRZnDQzkevuGo8G63JK6-5xN6Kn-NoqVnxJuqctLudiBNLan3yEE0YjNEMLwicnqdzp46gBKZYmmRwvlyuq4fnKAp3Sg8S-xXuTL1h9L8Pg9e0U4L1se/s1600/20131207_114713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPlfVZSeADsVCkosIA7jp43kQyRZnDQzkevuGo8G63JK6-5xN6Kn-NoqVnxJuqctLudiBNLan3yEE0YjNEMLwicnqdzp46gBKZYmmRwvlyuq4fnKAp3Sg8S-xXuTL1h9L8Pg9e0U4L1se/s1600/20131207_114713.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most importantly, make sure they leave with a smile, even if
they don’t leave with a book. Making an impression is so important. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More important than the actual sale in my
opinion. Signings are about more than selling books. They are about getting
yourself out there. You want people to hear your name and say, ‘Oh I’ve heard
of them’. You will gain more online followers, who will then hopefully comment
and share your posts and their friends will see them, thus introducing you to
even more of a readership. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most of all, have fun and be yourself. Every signing after
the first one is a cake walk :D</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06259417705696804049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-44716593636996170072014-04-24T14:33:00.000-07:002014-04-24T15:23:15.459-07:00Behind the Scenes of Publishing with JC: On Stress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOTBPwXTRrtEZhsYErp5kUnlWsA-k9_bSdxaAgyFIMBAvacg4e_sXZXsqEDQbu43j-VUIBDW5JNZyqO1BMgO0zzP1RvwD_ilMv99zVHbjQutnmPsDnXS60469XD61H5FplQeW5iAwRvg/s1600/Publishing+w-JC+Post+Header+%25283-24-14%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOTBPwXTRrtEZhsYErp5kUnlWsA-k9_bSdxaAgyFIMBAvacg4e_sXZXsqEDQbu43j-VUIBDW5JNZyqO1BMgO0zzP1RvwD_ilMv99zVHbjQutnmPsDnXS60469XD61H5FplQeW5iAwRvg/s1600/Publishing+w-JC+Post+Header+%25283-24-14%2529.png" height="299" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
Welcome to the second edition of a new monthly feature here on Indie
Ignites: Behind the Scenes of Publishing with JC. Expect to see some
more cool stuff from our awesome contributors in the coming months.
We're working on revamping the blog in ways that encourage us to get you
better content more often.</span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
This feature is where <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jcemeryauthor" target="_blank">JC</a>
talks about her experiences in publishing and all that entails.
Everything from writing to becoming a full-time author, you'll get an
exclusive peek into JC's adventures, and hopefully, you'll learn
something along the way. Or at the very least, you might find yourself
laughing at her ridiculousness. Because with JC, that's kind of a given.
And now that you've listened to <strike>JC</strike> me talk about <strike>herself</strike> myself in the third person long enough-- here it is.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><b>I debated whether or not to talk about this</b></i></span></span> because it’s a little more personal than I like to get. I want to keep my posts relevant to what’s going on in my life as well as informative and potentially helpful for writers who have found themselves in a similar situation.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Those closest to me are aware that I’ve been under a massive amount of stress the last few months. Everything from travel to moving to starting back with classes to dropping classes to quitting a job to dealing with the repercussions of quitting said job to classroom issues to book issues to… everything.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And… I haven’t always handled it so well. I have probably been more frustrated, more upset, and more determined to get something done in the last month than I have in my entire life. And still, most days it seems like nothing is getting done. New issues are constantly popping up, and I’m being sent on another wild goose chase, and next thing I know it’s two hours later. And that’s two hours of my day that could have gone to doing what was actually on my to-do list instead of whatever the latest emergency is that’s cropped up. But it doesn’t matter because it’s already happened and I just need to move forward, right?</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Only, that’s not what’s been happening half the time.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t deal well with certain stressors. My brain shuts down and I get to a point where I can’t even process what I’m doing in that moment let alone what I should be doing instead. When I reach that breaking point it’s usually after someone’s asked me, “How’s that book coming along?”</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Um. Would I have crazy-eyes if it was going well, Mom? Really, would I?</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t know how other indie authors or small business owners’ deal with the stress and expectations of running their own career, but I’d love some tips. Because right now, I’m in the trenches and I’m running out of supplies to keep me alive for the foreseeable future. Right now, I’m so far behind on my current project, that’s already past due, that I’m not even sure how much I care anymore. Emotionally, mentally, and almost physically, I’m giving up. I want to throw my hands in the air and say, “I give up!” to the entire world. But I won’t.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgL0V1jQrXs_Q3pSkZwyhiTHc-AF_1syEKJN4Afebmw8spZO5kL2qzaL0a2QE2QXyU2shL4ektBEM3JGkHxLpisVeKEhWGF5q4j6QCIYB29Cz2gcSOu7jDkBYap3IgH6ugL9mkX5HnVp0/s1600/Pub+w-JC+(Apr+23)-+Stress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgL0V1jQrXs_Q3pSkZwyhiTHc-AF_1syEKJN4Afebmw8spZO5kL2qzaL0a2QE2QXyU2shL4ektBEM3JGkHxLpisVeKEhWGF5q4j6QCIYB29Cz2gcSOu7jDkBYap3IgH6ugL9mkX5HnVp0/s1600/Pub+w-JC+(Apr+23)-+Stress.png" height="238" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t believe that it serves us in any way to give up. The greatest stories aren’t written about those who quit when the going gets too tough. It’s about the people who power through regardless of their obstacles. Classic adventure story structure calls for the hero to feel defeated at some point, but never to actually </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> defeated. The hero must rebound and realize that their journey is important and that the journey can’t be completed without them. Heck, even the sidekick doesn’t throw in the towel, and if Samwise Gamgee can accompany Frodo into the heart of Mount Doom and not ditch him, then I have zero excuse for admitting defeat.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While it feels like my life has been put into a blender that’s set to “crush”, I know that this will pass. Eventually, this class will end, the book will be finished, and every other petty issue will be resolved. What I try to remind myself every day is that I’m truly lucky to be blessed with these problems. I have a wonderful family, great friends, awesome career, killer sense of humor, adorable cats, a working Kindle, food on my table, and clothes on my back. I will work through this and I’ll figure out how to manage my stress better at some point. For now I’m giving myself permission to cry in the shower, eat too much candy, stay awake until 6 and then sleep until noon, and to be utterly selfish with my time. As fantastic as my support system is, none of them can take care of me as well as I can. If I’m not good to myself, then I can’t be good to anyone else—and this past month proves that. By allowing all of my stress to build up and to feel insurmountable, I’m telling myself that I’m not worth more respect.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Treating yourself well is respecting yourself. It sounds silly and simple, but it’s the truth. I’m going to be spending the next several days working as hard as I possibly can to finish this book and to keep up with my other commitments. But if something comes up and my efforts are suspended or delayed as they have been so many times these last few weeks, I’m going to try very hard to take a deep breath, tackle what I can, and let go of the guilt if I don’t finish it all.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If there’s one message I want my fellow authors and neurotics to take away from this post is this: you, and all that includes, is the most important project you’ll ever have to work on. There is only one deadline that is truly non-negotiable in life and that’s death. Everything else is subject to change. Don’t go making everything into something more important than it actually is. Love what you do and work hard at it, but recognize your own limitations. Accept that you’re not superhuman and during a breakdown you might end up watching a Duck Dynasty marathon unless your backside goes numb. Keep in mind that in the grand scheme of things, all of this stuff is petty and what really matters is how people remember you.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I try to live every day in a way that if it’s my last, then I’ll be okay with that because I enjoyed my life. Looking back on the past month, I don’t like what I see. I see a lot of misery, and anguish, and even some desperation over my life’s passion. And that is absolutely not okay. So something obviously needs to change over here, but it’s not an immediate fix to re-program your brain into not stressing about things that feel important. Evolution is a slow process, and that’s okay. Life will always throw us curveballs and we just have to do the best we can.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09214806867431172836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-54289560800648443862014-04-19T06:33:00.000-07:002014-04-19T06:33:32.144-07:00Build a Better Blog with Me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jjTWzjuISxD37UaCAsojStT9mxQEuhVxBDM2NSBX2uAko4bdpY8Yd3f-SvHb6yPv5jxNOW0r3KG8oeidI99z-9Pg5sPRHDn5yH9aFhQZg0vkmHyuXFqTE-5XNZNizulEtzWj53ACRos/s1600/tumblr_lxate8BTeA1ql4cruo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jjTWzjuISxD37UaCAsojStT9mxQEuhVxBDM2NSBX2uAko4bdpY8Yd3f-SvHb6yPv5jxNOW0r3KG8oeidI99z-9Pg5sPRHDn5yH9aFhQZg0vkmHyuXFqTE-5XNZNizulEtzWj53ACRos/s1600/tumblr_lxate8BTeA1ql4cruo1_500.gif" height="175" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In which I begin blogging about blogging </span></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Hi, Indie Igniteers, it's me, Stephanie! I'm
going to be posting here on the 19th of every month and my next few posts will
be about blogging. Mostly because my blog has been kind of </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">lately. So, in an effort to improve things, I asked the other ladies at Indie Ignites what they think makes a great blog. I'll pass that along to you guys here, and then next month I'll check back in and tell you about the changes I've made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'll start with the visuals:</span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyone agrees that <b>a blog should look good</b>. The font should be striking but readable, the colors engaging but not overwhelming, and you don't want it to be too busy. <b>Jessica L. Brooks </b>said her blog pet peeves include</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">1) anything that freezes up
my flashplayer and makes my internet crash (my Mac is only 5 years old but
thinks it's 20), so a bunch of countdown tickers and things like that, and 2)
font that is hard to read. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rachel Bateman </b>agrees and had so many great points on the subject that I'm quoting her verbatim here: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span data-reactid=".35.1:3:1:$comment601283243296821_602584289833383:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.0" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15.359999656677246px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">1)
Clean design: I think a website needs to be CLEAN. This means there aren't a
thousand things fighting to be seen at one time. Your colors work well
together, and your background isn't overwhelming. Sidebars are a great place to
display things you love, but don't put so much there that it will slow down
your load time. Nothing makes me leave a website faster than one that is so
cluttered it takes forever to load.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">2) Readability: You may love the fun font you chose for your blog posts, but
look at it objectively. Is it an easy-to-read font? In general, fun fonts
should be saved for Headers and emphasis text (links, block quotes, etc.). Your
primary text should be in a basic, easy on the eyes font. And while
white-on-black (or other light-on-dark) websites can look really neat, and have
the right feel for certain sites, if your blog is text-heavy, just don't do it.
It puts too much strain on the eyes. A crisp light background with dark text is
the best way to go. Finally, make sure your font is big enough to read without
eye strain.</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">
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<br /></div>
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3) Easy Navigation: Make sure your menu is easy to find and navigate. Don't let
your menu be a tiny list of links in the sidebar - it's too easily lost there.
(A sidebar menu is fine, just make sure it's styled to stand out.) You don't
need a hundred links in your menu; just keep it to the basics: About, Books,
Contact, Blog, etc. More specific things can be sorted by tags/labels and
categories - they don't have to go in your main menu. (Though it is perfectly
acceptable to put something that is special to you in the main menu, even if
it's not one of the basics - the idea is just to not clutter it with so much
stuff that the menu is hard to read or cumbersome.) (Also, in this easy
navigation category, what Jessica said about tags - USE them.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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4) Make sure there is an easy way for visitors to contact you. This is one of
the biggest problems I see on author websites. Likely, if a reader is checking
your site, it's not just to get info on your books. They are looking for a way
to interact with you. So make it easy. I suggest not putting your email address
on your website; instead, use a contact form that will feed to your email
instead. If you don't want email, that's fine as long as you leave another way
for readers to get to you - list and link your social media profiles. Make them
easy to find. Readers are used to being able to interact with their favorite
authors now.</div>
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<br /></div>
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5) Don't forget the "About Me" section! Why do people come to your website? To find out
about your books, sure, but also to learn about YOU. They can do this through
blog posts, sure, but we can't expect new readers to take the time to read
through your archives. They need a quick easy way to find out about you. A
short bio is fine, though I suggest if you put up your super professional bio,
you also have something more casual and fun. People don't come to your site to
read the same exact thing that's in the back of your book.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6) MAKE IT EASY TO BUY YOUR BOOKS. I know, we don't want to feel like we're
pushing ourselves on readers, but let's be honest: what's the entire point of a
website? To sell us in some way. So make it easy to sell. Have buy links up for
your books, for sure on the book page and in the sidebar as well if you want
(as long as it doesn't super clutter your sidebar to do so). If you make it
hard for people to buy your books, they won't buy them.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
7) Keep it updated. This is probably the hardest part, because even if you blog
regularly, sometimes it's easy to remember to change the other things on your
site, like the page that says your book is releasing three weeks ago (as an
example). I suggest clicking through your own site about once a month to see if
there's anything you need to update.</div>
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<br /></div>
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8) AND FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR VISITORS' SANITY, DON'T HAVE CRAZY POP-UPS OR
AUTOMATIC MUSIC PLAYERS. Ahem. Just don't. You aren't going to convert any
readers if they click away from your site immediately for something annoying.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You know how you want your blog to look. Now - how do you set it up? Do you go with a
free one or do you pay a host to allow you to customize it?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Last year, I had a free blog </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wordpress</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">for my
author pages with I but felt like I wanted to personalize more. Here are some screen shots of my old blog, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><a href="http://stephaniewardrop.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">World's Oldest Fledgling:</a></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">It was sort of pretty, but lacked pizzazz and any sense that
this was anything but a generic blog - i<b>t didn't look like<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>blog and its name didn't announce that
it was my blog. </b>(I went with the name "world's oldest fledgling" back
then because that's what I felt like, someone who was just jumping out of the
nest with no idea what she was doing). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">So I switched to a hosting service and more customizable blog structure, still going throughWordpress. <b>Choosing a theme </b>was tricky for me. I knew that I wanted it to
<b>reflect my voice or</b>, though I gag a bit to say it, <b>my "brand."</b> Right
now, based on my work that's out there, my brand would be light contemporary YA
romance, and I found some really cute blog themes that would reflect this
feeling perfectly, like "Pretty Young Thing." But the novel I'm
working on now is not a light comic romance, so I knew I had to come up with
something a little more flexible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I asked the ladies for their advice. <b>JC Emery</b> had some
great suggestions. She said, <span style="background-color: white;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I purchased Genesis by Studiopress as my
parent theme and Dynamik by CobaltApps as my child theme. t was $60 for Genesis
and $80 for Dynamik... but I now have the ability to make my site 100%
customized where I didn't before. And once I have a theme/style I like, I can
export/save it and keep it forever. That way I can go in and change the look
and feel of my site without ever spending another cent." She's working on
jazzing up her blog, too, and we''ll share those results soon.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I decided to go with Themify's Funki theme, though I wasn't able to customize
it as much as I had thought. I'm still playing with it, and below you'll find some screen shots of the new blog, though you won' be able to
enjoy the super snazzy slider that runs photos from each blog across the top of
the page. Here's a static image of it:</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnioPe_zL7qn9woHe-gtOE1o5wwacv37IAqJ7RMAZapd4b5e5a_eT2Mt_upFLhf9JyNaVeTaNtoyJUmM2oMLy_kXVwq4UH5nQ0Eyog6PegRnN_21Uw2yfZY8PXlCwYuls4qJZJS6m1ho/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-08+at+12.50.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnioPe_zL7qn9woHe-gtOE1o5wwacv37IAqJ7RMAZapd4b5e5a_eT2Mt_upFLhf9JyNaVeTaNtoyJUmM2oMLy_kXVwq4UH5nQ0Eyog6PegRnN_21Uw2yfZY8PXlCwYuls4qJZJS6m1ho/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-08+at+12.50.06+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large; line-height: 29px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 29px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 29px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You'll notice right off the bat that it has a blog name </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 29px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">that actually tells you whose
blog it is. Genius.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b9Fg7A-BrWYQH5Vr0GPX0NLhzq3kud_8VImziiazG0Fgdu6hS8iKBX6virM4fZpArBkYuQj9D-d2hNz72HSL37MMTim3_DrovILWwpj5cxrj5Uv3I0n4rR2W7UOSVmz0se-JV0UqjuM/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-08+at+12.50.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6b9Fg7A-BrWYQH5Vr0GPX0NLhzq3kud_8VImziiazG0Fgdu6hS8iKBX6virM4fZpArBkYuQj9D-d2hNz72HSL37MMTim3_DrovILWwpj5cxrj5Uv3I0n4rR2W7UOSVmz0se-JV0UqjuM/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-04-08+at+12.50.34+PM.png" height="400" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm still playing with layout, which I'll
talk more about that <b>next time, when I'll focus more on content.</b> Because no matter how good your blog looks, you have to
offer something people will actually want to read or they won't come back.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Until then, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia;">please share with us or your own tips on what makes a blog worth
reading. </b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We love to hear from you! </span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Visit my blog, too, and feel free to make suggestions at </span><u style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://stephaniewardrop.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Wardrop, YA Writer</a></u><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">. See you
in June!</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3e454c; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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Indie Igniteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04214622238789420922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-30763719431184483512014-04-17T00:00:00.000-07:002014-04-17T00:00:11.433-07:00Professional Etiquette I know this is ST's area of expertise--seriously, if you ever need the PERFECT appropriate outfit for any occasion, she's the Indie girl for you to ask--but I thought I'd take a minute to talk about etiquette.
We all know the basics. Don't feed the trolls. Don't respond to negative reviews. Don't over publicize. But let's talk a little in depth.
<br />
<br />
Reviews:
<br />
We're writers. For the vast majority, that means we're also readers. But these aren't just authors any more, they are our colleagues. So you read a book and you don't like it. Do NOT leave a lengthy review detailing why you don't like it. Just check it off your list and move on. I don't even give stars if I can't give 3 or more. Because frankly, I don't want drama that comes with hurt feelings or fans who LOVE the authors I don't. Every book isn't for everybody--that's true when you get reviews as much as it is when you give. But let's all play nice in the sand box, ok? <br />
<br />
Social Media Presence: <br />
SOOOOO. We all have one. And that's great. It can be a lot of fun to connect with other authors and fans. And I get it--its your social media. You should be able to post whatever.
But you can't. Can we just agree on that? I mean--you <i>can</i> but let's agree that it's a bad idea. Here's a few things I'd suggest you be aware of and avoid. <br />
<em>Politics:</em> Unless you are writing a book about politicians, probably stay away from them. It's a hot topic and quickly devolves into fighting. And it's just not worth it. <br />
<em>Public rants: </em>We all have bad days. We all have days where we want to curse and scream and flail like a five year old. But you are in a professional space here--and I promise that if you throw a public tantrum, people will remember. Your colleagues and peers, and readers. Don't be that girl. <br />
<em>Criticism: </em>We are mostly Indies (And if we're not, we should maybe rename the blog...). We fight an uphill battle. For review and recognition, to be taken seriously, to sell. What we don't need to also fight is each other. So you didn't do a cover reveal. Or pre-release buzz. I might have opinions about that, I'll keep them to myself or have a private conversation. But publicly criticizing the way other people do or don't do things is tacky. And its hurtful, even when you don't intend that. We don't need to do that to each other. <br />
<br />
<em>DON'T. BE A DIVA. </em><br />
No one wants to work with these people. The ones who think they're flawless and their words are amazing and that they can do no wrong. The ones who expect everything while giving nothing. They aren't fun--and they get a reputation for it. It's good to have confidence in yourself and your work. But do it with a dose of humility and the knowledge that you will never have it all down. There is always something more to learn. :) <br />
<br />
Basically, friends, it comes down to this. You are a professional. For readers, agents, and other authors to treat you as such, you need to act like it. All. The. Time. So before you drop a status filled with random cursing or post a review about how unstructurally sound a book is--before you post about everything a publisher did or didn't do wrong--stop and think about it. <br />
<br />
Keep it classy, y'all. <br />
<br />
N~Nazarea Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09644521286572844909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-36728440614420576862014-04-15T03:00:00.000-07:002014-04-15T15:10:04.804-07:00This Quarter's Indie Ignites Releases and #giveaways <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to our second installment of Indie Ignites' quarterly releases! We're pretty excited to share the array of books out in April, May and June. Check 'em out</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!</span></b></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><u><b>April</b></u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Prom and Prejudice</b> (YA)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Snark and Circumstance, #4)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Prom and Prejudice (Snark and Circumstance, #4)" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1394069522l/18459654.jpg" width="266" />
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Georgia Barrett is beginning to realize that her arch-preppie lab partner, Michael Endicott, is not at all the snob-hole she once thought. Too bad Georgia doesn’t see him for who he really is until he starts dating a poised and polished senior.<br /><br />Georgia knows she should settle for his friendship, especially since telling him how she really feels would mean risking losing him altogether. But her heart tells her a chance at love might just be worth dropping her trusty shield of snark. And Georgia’s determined to find out.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18459654-prom-and-prejudice?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J7YXH1O/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0545240786&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PG687P2319Q79WRMBMW" target="_blank"><b>Purchase on Amazon</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>The Billionaire and the Barfly </b>(NA)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="The Billionaire & The Barfly" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396484379l/21840120.jpg" width="300" />
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Henry Maximus is a super-hero-loving geek and proud of it. He’s also a genius when it comes to business. It’s how he earned the title of CEO of Maximus Gaming … not to mention the billions of dollars in his bank account. Henry’s tried living the life of a bachelor, but a different girl every night has left him wanting more. Needing more.<br /><br />Aubrey Vincent is in love with her job. She’ll love it even more if she lands the promotion that gets her out of her parent’s attic. She loves it so much that she has no time for relationships, not that she was ever very good at them to begin with. Aubrey is perfectly happy with the random, nameless men she picks up at the bar.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">After a brief encounter with Aubrey on a business trip, Henry packs his bags and moves back to the small town where he grew up. Aubrey’s town. Aubrey attempts to find her way into Henry’s bed, while he tries everything to get into her heart. Will Henry’s plan to break down the walls Aubrey has built around her heart work or will his unbelievable million dollar offer scare her away?</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20457062-the-billionaire-the-barfly?from_search=true" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Billionaire-Barfly-Coming-Home-ebook/dp/B00J9Z9JZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397231630&sr=8-1&keywords=the+billionaire+and+the+barfly" target="_blank"><b>Purchase on Amazon</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">April 21st: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>White Hellebore</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Heroes of Falledge Trilogy, #2)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><img alt="White Hellebore (Heroes of Falledge #2)" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1397502296l/21912639.jpg" width="266" />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">After destroying Skull Krusher, Nicholas Adams thinks Falledge is safe and becomes a security guard at the museum, watching a valuable statue. Unfortunately, the Egyptian statue houses the soul of a scorned witch, biding her time to have her revenge on the descendants of her cheating lover.<br /><br />Kiya the witch isn't the only new foe in town as the drug that created Skull Krusher has now transformed a scientist into yet another monster, forcing Nicholas to don his Black Hellebore mask again and save Falledge.<br /><br />Nicholas has no help this time as Kiya gains possession of his love Julianna's body and brings the soul of Justina, Nicholas's high school sweetheart and Julianna's twin, with her. Despite himself, Nicholas is torn between the sisters. If he can't stop the fiends from taking over the world and destroying humankind, he'd never be able to find lasting, true love.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21912639-white-hellebore" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">April 25th:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stone of Destiny</b> (NA)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(The Danaan Trilogy, #2)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<img alt="Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy, #2)" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1383723263l/18212395.jpg" width="266" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Allison thought it was crazy enough when she found out her father, Liam, wasn't entirely human. But now she has to join his magical allies to unravel his former mistress's plans. Aoife wants to keep Allison's parents apart forever.<br /><br />Despite Allison's efforts to keep Ethan, the only guy she's ever cared about, out of this supernatural mess, fate keeps throwing him back into the mix.<br /><br />Will Allison be able to find the amulet that holds the enchantment Aoife placed on Liam and destroy it? Are Ethan' s feelings for Allison strong enough to endure the magic of the Tuatha De Danaan?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18212395-stone-of-destiny" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>May</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">May 1st:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Girl Lost </b>(NA)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Girl Lost" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1395840687l/20648608.jpg" width="250" />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island, and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.<br /><br />He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.<br /><br />When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.<br /><br />Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20648608-girl-lost" target="_blank"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out a teaser, <a href="http://twimom101bookblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/teaser-girl-lost-by-nazarea-andrews.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">May 8th:</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rev </b>(Adult)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>(Bayonet Scars, #3)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZwRAOLbcjkg2c4RPq77hinwCPZG-Z0KjvBwrVGlHHvjW1aYvssHfuxj9h02SufyIjx7xOqEqR3IboJfvluwdy-YDz6SpBVh0ubFHT85iaTORp-oBujz3OXk2i_V2MXcAdposCbwhiGY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZwRAOLbcjkg2c4RPq77hinwCPZG-Z0KjvBwrVGlHHvjW1aYvssHfuxj9h02SufyIjx7xOqEqR3IboJfvluwdy-YDz6SpBVh0ubFHT85iaTORp-oBujz3OXk2i_V2MXcAdposCbwhiGY/s1600/image.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="s3"><br /></span></i></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="s3">We met him in </span><span class="s4">Ride</span><span class="s3"> as the no-nonsense Sergeant-at-Arms of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club who disapproved of Ryan's choice to be with Alex, and again in </span><span class="s4">Thrash</span><span class="s3"> as a man who few dare to challenge. Now, get to know Grady in his own words as he struggles to keep his club and his personal life from falling apart before his very eyes.</span></i></span></span></div>
<div class="s5" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="s5" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone belongs somewhere. Even the misfits.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="s5" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the looming threat from the Mancuso Crime Family, the Forsaken Motorcycle Club is preparing for a war that could destroy them. Grady, the club’s Sergeant-at-Arms, knows that love makes you weak, and he has zero interest in adding to his liabilities-- especially now. He's already got his teenage daughter who keeps him on his toes and a beef within the club that could fracture his relationship with a fellow brother for good.</span></span></div>
<div class="s5" style="line-height: 21px;">
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Holly Mercer, her life is finally getting on track and the last thing she wants is trouble from her hometown’s resident outlaws. Keeping her nose clean is easier said than done, when suddenly she finds herself embroiled in club business. Holly might like the idea of being with a real-life bad boy, but even being in the same room with tough-as-nails Grady flusters her.</span></span><br />
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21528220-rev?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tur</b> (NA)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(The Elsker Saga, #.5)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7T1bkLa9Kb8TweQSR-mBraf8XSdQXf6QawcoD4w5Ua4v68dvFbR0ehBTDsrrG18OlwAXZVWfjqT49mstDMzTomX7ufid_jFsU0zf-sDFJ2ecZ0ptMtcJDXpA8lT3Ivqt-BiaV_0Ebl4/s1600/TUR-Ebook-04-04-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7T1bkLa9Kb8TweQSR-mBraf8XSdQXf6QawcoD4w5Ua4v68dvFbR0ehBTDsrrG18OlwAXZVWfjqT49mstDMzTomX7ufid_jFsU0zf-sDFJ2ecZ0ptMtcJDXpA8lT3Ivqt-BiaV_0Ebl4/s1600/TUR-Ebook-04-04-14.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><span id="freeText10462084916138396311">Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all -- great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory. </span><br /><br /><span id="freeText10462084916138396311">Some things are worth fighting for.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21874620-tur?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">May 29th:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Elsker </b>(NA)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>(The Elsker Saga, #1)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rJwOolbkeJOysu-rM4wGQDXNKjkkBQ2GykWoXXBsXdCUvxC64k6KfAWYYGbJYDR2WDGXe8PZPq3gl0v57T1zCzLKpXfY80iRnDAHbeKZQD9hxGi1kbA-kscId86nXBv4vPX3jrtL1Os/s1600/ELSKER-Ebook-03-31-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rJwOolbkeJOysu-rM4wGQDXNKjkkBQ2GykWoXXBsXdCUvxC64k6KfAWYYGbJYDR2WDGXe8PZPq3gl0v57T1zCzLKpXfY80iRnDAHbeKZQD9hxGi1kbA-kscId86nXBv4vPX3jrtL1Os/s1600/ELSKER-Ebook-03-31-14.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span id="freeText15096784541976736882">You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way.<br /><br />Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21874581-elsker" target="_blank"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway, <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/316ed221/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>June</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>By Sun and Candlelight</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> (YA)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Flora, #1.5)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="By Sun and Candlelight (Flora, #1.5)" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396926528l/21520230.jpg" width="262" />
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Back in Ambrosia, Rowan and the Queen continue their efforts to thwart Oleander and Hawthorne’s attempts to take over the throne. Rowan sneaks meetings with Dahlia, his only light in a world of heartbreaking darkness and loss, with intent to inquire whether she plans to leave Shaver and make Ambrosia her permanent home. But when Hawthorne threatens upcoming contention and Rowan discovers the book of Jurisprudence (the Ambrosian book of the law), has gone missing, it’s evident there’s a traitor at Lennox. The more Rowan tries to keep Oleander’s men, the Townsends, under control and solve the mystery of the missing book, the more secrets he comes across. Until he wonders: Has his own personal need for Dahlia inhibited his ability to protect her? And what right does he have to ask her to choose anything other than what she feels true in her heart?<br /><br />Told in Rowan’s point of view, <em>By Sun and Candlelight</em> (Flora, 1.5) gives you a new view into the characters and daily happenings at Castle Lennox and bridges the gap between <em>If I Speak True</em> (Flora, 1) and <em>Open Thy Heart</em> (Flora 2 -- coming this fall)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21520230-by-sun-and-candlelight?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>Add to Goodreads</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://iceybooks.com/blog/2014/04/by-sun-and-candlelight-flora-1-5-by-jessica-brooks-cover-reveal-and-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><b>Enter the giveaway</b></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Crush </b>(NA)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Bayonet Scars, #3.5)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by JC Emery (cover/details to come)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's it for now! </span></div>
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-19436620322270336962014-04-08T23:59:00.000-07:002014-04-09T07:37:43.183-07:00You've got to have friends!!Hei hei, y'all. It's ST. And I'm here to talk about friends -- specifically, why they are absolutely, hands down, my favorite thing about the writing community.<br />
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My path to indie publishing wasn't the most conventional. Two of my books had a brief publication in 2013 with a now defunct small press. When I took back my rights, I had no idea how to go about publishing the books on my own. I was every single possible kind of terrified. So I turned to my writer-friends -- the ones here at Indie Ignites; the ones I met on the interwebs; the ones who were hiding in the foxhole with me, trying to figure out our next steps; and the ones who had successfully navigated the indie arena, and had scores of helpful nuggets to share. (Thank you Kristie Cook, for your <a href="http://www.kristiecook.com/2014/01/the-real-story-of-indies-income.html">amazing blog post</a> that finally convinced me to give this a go!) Those friends were beyond generous with me. I truly had zero idea what I was doing (I still don't, really), and they gave me great advice. Some of the most useful tidbits I gleaned were:<br />
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(1) Don't attempt to make your own covers if you're not great at all things computer. (I'm not. It took me a year to figure out The Twitter. Facebook still confuses me.) I scored big time when I met <a href="http://www.sterlingdesignstudios.com/">Rebecca K. Sterling</a>, and right here on Indie Ignites we've got <a href="http://gonetdesign.weebly.com/">Adrianne James</a> and <a href="http://jayceedelorenzo.com/sweetnspicy/">Jaycee Delorenzo</a>.<br />
Those ladies do what I never could!! <br />
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(2) Don't attempt to edit your own book if you're not great at all things big-picture, small-picture, and/or grammar. (Again, I'm not. Thankfully, my beyond generous, immeasurably loyal, spectacularly brilliant, once-and-future-editor <a href="http://www.edenplantz.com/">Eden Plantz</a> kindly agreed to re-edit my books after I re-wrote them for indie publication. God bless her from here to Asgard for everything she's done for me. She's not only one of the most honorable people I've met in this industry, she's one of the most brilliant editors around. At this point, I just nod and write what she says. I adore her.) II has editors in house too -- <a href="http://rachelbateman.com/">Rachel Bateman</a>, <a href="http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/p/my-editing-services.html">Nicole Zoltack</a> and <a href="http://anginicoleblack.virb.com/editorial-services">Angi Black</a>!<br />
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(3) Use super-simple-even-ST-could-figure-it-out sites like <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">Picmonkey</a> when trying to make promotional images. Work up to the harder stuff someday. (In my case there probably won't be a someday, but look -- I made this!!! Little ole technophobic me!!!) Then just try to walk away from Picmonkey and go back to writing, because that site is ridiculously addictive, and some days it's much more fun to play with images of cute boys than it is to try and hit your word count. Sorry, word count. I made another Ull.<br />
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(4) Read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18514505-indie-author-survival-guide">THIS</a> book. The <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18514505-indie-author-survival-guide">Indie Author Survival Guide</a>. It hasn't answered all of my questions, but it's tackled a good number of 'em.<br />
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My friends have helped me more than I'll ever be able to tell them. They gave me the guts to take the leap into self publishing. They showed me the steps I'd need to follow to bring a book through production. They answered my rudimentary questions over and over . . . and over. And they devoted countless hours from their own personal time to make my books shine (thank you Eden!!), teach me about marketing (tackle hugs, <a href="http://www.nazareaandrews.com/">Nazarea</a>!!), explain that excessively addictive Picmonkey (that one's on all y'all), and lift my spirits on the days it all seemed overwhelming (the absolutely incomparable <a href="http://www.stacey-nash.com/">Stacey Nash</a> and our fearless Team Elsker FTW!). The writing community is one of the most generous, thoughtful, supportive communities I've had the opportunity to be a part of. I only hope that someday I'll have the kind of knowledge that can help my fellow newbies out.<br />
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Now it's your turn -- what's the best piece of advice you've received about publishing?<br />
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Skal!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-85953711233537156212014-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:002014-04-01T10:10:02.363-07:00Choosing a book cover: relevance is a necessity<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a lot of perks to being a self-published author, including having the freedom to decide every single aspect of your book. Though that control can make an author feel overwhelmed at times during the publication process, I've yet to meet an author who, at the end of the day, didn't love having total and absolute control of their work. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem with all of that control, though, is that, sometimes we're so invested in the micro details, we aren't the best at stepping back and looking at it from a macro perspective. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last February, this arrived in my mailbox:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeing it small like this, the theme is probably a lot more obvious to you than it was to me as I walked back into my house; but for the sake of this example, take a gander at it for a moment, please. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What stands out? Is there an overall theme or idea you pick up on almost immediately? Does the cover excite you and make you want to open it up and experience what's inside?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the first things that went through <i>my</i> head (keep in mind I was holding the magazine with my left hand at the time):</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1)</b> This is a clothing magazine. M-o-o-c-h? What does that even mean?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2)</b> Is... are... what does this have to do with Valentine's Day?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3)</b> I don't understand the point of these mylar balloons...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4)</b> What does the random balloon at the top stand for, this is <i>delias</i>... oh... it's an <i>S</i>...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5)</b> S...mooch? Was this supposed to be Valentine-y? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6)</b> The backdrop is lavender. I don't get what's going on here. Is this for spring, then? What exactly are they trying to say?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe I'm overanalyzing this, but at first glance, this very well could have been a magazine selling party supplies, not clothes for teenaged girls. I mean... <i>delias</i> carries some really adorable stuff (even dresses) and out of everything in their inventory, they choose <i>those </i>outfits? If <i>I</i> didn't find them exciting, imagine how my teen daughters were going to feel when they saw the cover! It was like someone threw a few different elements onto the cover and had better things to do, so they were like, <i>Yeah okay</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... and called it a day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Self-publishers, this is so important to remember: Your writing could be </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>amazing</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, but the cover is THE first thing a potential reader sees. You need to make a good first impression and, not only that, but it's imperative that you draw on their curiosity to make them want to know what's beyond that cover picture. If done correctly, the title, readability of the font, focal point (the center, or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>mooch</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, for me on the magazine... though maybe some of you were first drawn to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>S</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that I noticed way later?) and even colors that are your cover's theme can entice not only readers who normally read that genre, but readers who want to check it out <i>simply because the cover has them intrigued.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You've spent a lot of time on that novel. It deserves a chance to be read. Do it justice by representing it properly. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a lot of posts regarding book covers in self-publishing, but here are four I found interesting:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.colourlovers.com/business/blog/2011/07/29/the-bestselling-colors-in-the-book-world" target="_blank">The Best Selling Covers in the Book World</a></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/inspiration/creative-book-cover-story/" target="_blank">23 Creative Book Cover Designs and Their Story</a></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://humblenations.com/2012/04/12/14-tips-for-good-kindle-cover-design/" target="_blank">14 Tips for Good Kindle Cover Design</a></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://99designs.com/customer-blog/9-book-cover-design-tips-from-authors/" target="_blank"><b>We've Got You Covered: 9 Authors' Tips for Brilliant Book Cover Design</b></a></span><br />
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-82426125475792380102014-03-24T15:41:00.001-07:002014-03-24T15:41:10.205-07:00Behind the Scenes of Publishing with JC: On Bravery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to the first edition of a new monthly feature here on Indie Ignites: Behind the Scenes of Publishing with JC. Expect to see some more cool stuff from our awesome contributors in the coming months. We're working on revamping the blog in ways that encourage us to get you better content more often.</div>
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This feature is where <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jcemeryauthor" target="_blank">JC</a> talks about her experiences in publishing and all that entails. Everything from writing to becoming a full-time author, you'll get an exclusive peek into JC's adventures, and hopefully, you'll learn something along the way. Or at the very least, you might find yourself laughing at her ridiculousness. Because with JC, that's kind of a given. And now that you've listened to <strike>JC</strike> me talk about <strike>herself</strike> myself in the third person long enough-- here it is.</div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Today is my first official day as a full-time author.</i></span> So far, it's simultaneously terrifying and wonderful. Last night, I set my alarm for a reasonable hour and read myself to sleep with the knowledge that I had nowhere to be today. Only, that's not exactly true. I had to be <i>here</i> today.</div>
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But it was glorious to wake up knowing that beginning with today, I don't <i>have</i> to be anywhere else but <i>here</i> on any given day if I don't want to be. For at least the next ten months. Today might just be another item for me to check-off on my long list of goals; but it's taken me years to get here. And now that I've realized this dream, I'm going to fight like hell so I don't have to figure out a Plan B.</div>
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's take a look back at how I got here. Years ago, I was a legal secretary, living in New Orleans, Louisiana. I had a great little rental house. I barbecued about twice a week (even in winter) and kept a decent stock of Corona on-hand at all times. I stretched my budget to pay my bills and have a little left over. I didn't take vacations, nor did I get to fly home to see my family very often. I had all the things that adults work hard for, and they should appreciate. But I hated every second of it-- the legal assisting, I mean.</div>
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I started writing and didn't stop. I learned some things about the craft (I'm still learning), and discovered that the times I was most happy was when I was in my own book or someone else's. So when the offer came, from my mother, to move back home (what can I say, she missed me) so I could finish my degree, I thought it over. For about five seconds.</div>
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And then I started packing for California.</div>
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Every move I've made since then has been geared towards becoming a published author. I rode the bus, lived very minimally, forewent dating, turned down job offers, sacrificed a social life, and figured out how to live with virtually zero safety net. Granted, I made the choice to focus on myself before I would even consider having a family, so I didn't have to worry about anyone else. I let people tell my mother that I needed to grow up and move out. I bit my tongue when my extended family wondered why I wasn't working a full-time job, and if I'd ever become a "real" adult. And I excused myself early from first dates when the man across from me expressed that they thought being a writer wasn't a career choice, but a stupid fantasy. This time next year my BtSoP post might be on my Plan B and standing up in the face of your own failures. But that's not what this post is about.</div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><i>This post is about bravery.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9YT8Y23y5HljUYSAdxE5qFp-wW4KvG8_Dfs_uhdsaxiChyeXEdEhe-CEs9NB1TjN5ZnXcqnYt52V2pFYyRLrPNYWf8mD0zElY9cMUfI5dKaJr85FWPz-kuItc5mCfmTnYh2STKN8BC0/s1600/Pub+w-JC+(Mar+23)-+Bravery.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9YT8Y23y5HljUYSAdxE5qFp-wW4KvG8_Dfs_uhdsaxiChyeXEdEhe-CEs9NB1TjN5ZnXcqnYt52V2pFYyRLrPNYWf8mD0zElY9cMUfI5dKaJr85FWPz-kuItc5mCfmTnYh2STKN8BC0/s1600/Pub+w-JC+(Mar+23)-+Bravery.png" height="190" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've had the incredible pleasure of meeting and befriending some great authors over the years, several of whom contribute to this blog. One thing I hear a lot is about how publishing is scary-- and no doubt, it really is-- and how they're not sure if they can do it. I hear everything from how getting an agent is too hard to how self-publishing is too terrifying to consider. But that's the fear talking. We writers make everything into a much bigger deal than it needs to be. It's probably the fact that we're trained to take a single idea and stretch it out into a full-length novel. We do the same thing with our fears of publishing-- we stretch them out until they appear to be a hill that's too steep to climb, but that's simply the drama queen coming out. [adjusts crown]</div>
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The best advice I can give anyone is this: list the top five things you fear, and then do them. Be brave. Expect more of yourself.</div>
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It all sounds so lofty, but it's really not. Start small by creating a checklist of the things you need to do to get your book from wherever it is to where you want it to be. Then tackle everything line by line. Don't even look at the item below the one you're working on. I can only talk about self-publishing, so of course, seeking traditional publication is a slightly different process. But my advice remains: be brave.</div>
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Whatever <i><span style="color: #134f5c;">being brave</span></i> means for you-- do it. For some it will mean being selfish enough to demand scheduled writing time, and for others it will mean writing the story they've always wanted to read, but were afraid to tell. Going through life giving yourself roadblocks to your dreams does not serve you in any way. Maybe your journey won't take you on such an extreme, focused path, and that's okay. Being brave isn't about following my path or anyone else's. It's about figuring out exactly what you want and forging your own path, and refusing to let your fear get the best of you. Fear can be exhilarating if you embrace it. Yeah, I'm channeling Thoreau with a splash of Veronica Roth.</div>
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And for a little inspiration, here's the song that got me thinking about bravery and what it means in my daily life.</div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QUQsqBqxoR4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<i><span style="color: #134f5c;">What does bravery mean to you and how can you be braver in your daily life?</span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09214806867431172836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-21037275311206598682014-02-13T08:46:00.000-08:002014-02-17T14:17:38.275-08:00Some of the Sweet Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5lL9XkOF0rBgpMD0h7cumCPGyFWzeL-9nMiPZcg7FU3nM-8jvvc_aeY6LBXKohlCavIDUMWYcNnbna1DwVU-WRhAi7N-nsrD2plC1X19kGCpHLbU6tZvvcnavU0cYaE8rxhCUj_1XcA/s1600/Box_of_Valentine_Chocolates.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5lL9XkOF0rBgpMD0h7cumCPGyFWzeL-9nMiPZcg7FU3nM-8jvvc_aeY6LBXKohlCavIDUMWYcNnbna1DwVU-WRhAi7N-nsrD2plC1X19kGCpHLbU6tZvvcnavU0cYaE8rxhCUj_1XcA/s1600/Box_of_Valentine_Chocolates.JPG" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">It's almost Valentine's Day and we've been celebrating all kinds of love all month long. Today, we're providing you with a sneak peel at some of the sweeter romances, one already available and two coming out in the next few months. Tomorrow things will get a little steamier, but for now, here are some tasty bits of three YA romances to get you ready for a day of hearts and flowers tomorrow.</span><br />
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<h2>
First up, Jessica Rodriguez Brooks' <i>Pity Isn't An Option</i>.</h2>
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Jessica says, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Jonas and Hattie don’t
exactly have a specific “romance” in Pity Isn’t An Option, mainly because Jonas
is still waiting for just the right moment to tell her how he feels and there
is so much going on in the lack-of-hope area that it’s just never the right
time. That doesn’t stop him from appreciating everything about her, however."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Here’s an excerpt from a scene where they’ve traveled far in search of her
father, Heath, in hopes they can convince the Union to let them bring him back
home:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #eeeeee; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sometimes I wonder how a dream can be
so real, that the deep, terribly panic-stricken sense of urgency is still there
when you wake. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hate when that happens. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hate it enough in real life—last
thing I need is to have the same problems in my sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So the kite, with its pointy wings and
red eyes, woke me up from outside. Probably telling its fowl friends where to
find mice—there’s a large clearing of grassland slightly west from the trees in
the backyard. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I could almost hear them as I lay,
sweating, on the floor. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Run away!</i> The
mice chattered. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A kite is near!</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEzwqcG8hxDDetoN6NkHrPNoQZw_LnOXkTy26tkKwCA_DwybAL9-Xw7MY8YIQI0ZlOdQ8irZWBV2X_zAStjsEGLInsF-3i7Cb5qbzLVL1MtnGhTQlMAubGTkU2q9G40MO8IXl9VBWHU0/s1600/Card;_valentine_card_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEzwqcG8hxDDetoN6NkHrPNoQZw_LnOXkTy26tkKwCA_DwybAL9-Xw7MY8YIQI0ZlOdQ8irZWBV2X_zAStjsEGLInsF-3i7Cb5qbzLVL1MtnGhTQlMAubGTkU2q9G40MO8IXl9VBWHU0/s1600/Card;_valentine_card_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" height="200" width="159" /></span></a><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I thought the sweat was from the
terrible dream of words that wouldn’t do what I tried, but when I opened my
eyes and looked down, Hattie was by my side. I was surprised to see her lying
so close to me—and pleasantly surprised by her skin on my skin, her warmth melting
into the space of my warmth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If we hadn’t been in an empty house on
a freezing cold November on the way to find her missing dad, I don’t know what
would have happened. I might have blurted out exactly how I feel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I lay there for a moment, breathing
softly, and soaked it all in. Her blonde eyelashes, her perfect complexion, the
trail of freckles across the bridge of her nose. I watched as the blanket rose
and fell with each breath she took and said a prayer over her—something I never
do, for anyone—that if there was a point in all of this and/or a solution to
what we were going through, it would make itself evident very soon.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">You can purchase the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pity-Isnt-Option-Jessica-Brooks/dp/1482685779" target="_blank">here now</a>. Why wait 'til Valentine's Day? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCscXYU_v47nosqAqb1O5vn64Cfpao8sE5BpAf-rpp15Sv1Gu3gkukoL99ScCEjTuk1ZVDAB9vZYL1M6uaVZiq_HrKUAlwGuC6bQ-VqIxJ5ncWxvj6H3n5BCP0hXPMo-vyRJKRZ_NFZIw/s1600/Cupid_psyche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCscXYU_v47nosqAqb1O5vn64Cfpao8sE5BpAf-rpp15Sv1Gu3gkukoL99ScCEjTuk1ZVDAB9vZYL1M6uaVZiq_HrKUAlwGuC6bQ-VqIxJ5ncWxvj6H3n5BCP0hXPMo-vyRJKRZ_NFZIw/s1600/Cupid_psyche.jpg" /></a> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.1875px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">From a Greek original of the 2nd century BC Marble, cm 125,4 From Aventine Hill, near the Church of S Balbina Capitoline Museum, Rome.}} |Source =http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemania/5384051808 |Author</span></h4>
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<h2>
Adrianne James' LIFE ON LOAN is about Paige, a homeless young woman struggling on her own to survive, until she meets Noah:</h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">As the sun started to set I was frantic with worry. My eyes stung from the traitorous tears that refused to stop when I realized Noah may have been identified and that I may have lost him too. I shivered when the wind blew past me and pulled out the warn blanket and wrapped it around myself. Then I just sat there and waited. The street lights clicked on and the sounds of families died down as everyone returned home for their holiday meals until it was just me, sitting there in the darkness.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> One of the other homeless men had walked up and sat down beside me. I had never talked to the man before, because frankly, he scared me. He was one of the men who gave us all a bad name. He was a drunk and was mean to everyone who walked by him. I glanced over at him and saw that he was staring at me. I could let him know how much he truly did frighten me, so I addressed him.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “Hello, Merry Christmas.” He simply looked at me some more. “Did you need something?” the sooner he got to the point of this little impromptu visit the better.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “I saw them take your boy this morning, Wasn’t too long ago they took Dani, too. You some kinda bad luck charm?” He had scooted closer to me while speaking and I hugged my bag to my chest and rested my head on top of it as if I wasn’t holding on for dear life, but simply using it as a resting place. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “Nah, She isn’t a bad luck charm. Paige is the best thing that has happened to me since I got to the street.” Noah’s voice came from behind us and I jumped up, letting the blanket fall and rushed to him. Wrapping my arms around him and held on tightly.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “They let you go! Oh I have never been so worried.” I said into his chest, which I am sure came out mumbled because I didn’t pull away at all before speaking. His arms just held me close. After a few minutes I pulled back and looked up into his brown eyes and smiled. My eyes began to scan his face, as if I were checking for any bruises or marks that weren’t there this morning. I couldn’t help it, I had heard horrible things about the local lock ups. When my eyes landed on his beautiful full lips, I just stared at them, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. His tongue darted out licking them and I raised my gaze back to his. His hand moved from my waist and brushed the hair that had fallen in my face back behind my ear. Only this time, he didn’t pull his hand back. He left it cupping my face and he leaned in slowly then I felt his lips brush mine. I was shocked and just stood there, trying to grasp the fact that Noah was kissing me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> He pulled away quickly, with an ashamed look on his face. But the minute his lips were gone, I felt the longing to reconnect with them. I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. My heart began to race as our lips melded together. It felt so right, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Noah wrapped his arms back around my waist and pulled me closer to him. We only pulled apart due to lack of breath.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “Do you know how long I have wanted to do that?” he asked, smiling down at me.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how much I wanted that until today.” I rested my head against his chest, feeling the warmth.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you want to feel more of that warmth (and who doesn't?) check out the book here on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Loan-Adrianne-James/dp/0615762077" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.234375px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> Allegorical figure of painting of wreathed cupid</span><a class="external free" href="http://collections.lacma.org/sites/default/files/remote_images/piction/ma-31729518-O3.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.234375px; orphans: auto; padding-right: 13px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">http://collections.lacma.org/sites/default/files/remote_images/piction/ma-31729518-O3.jpg</a></h4>
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And <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i>Prom and Prejudice,</i> the final installment of my YA spin on <i>Pride and Prejudice, </i>comes out in May.</span></h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"></span>I don't think I'll be giving away too much of a spoiler when I say that Georgia and Michael FINALLY figure out how they feel about each other, but since this is Georgia and Michael we're talking about, they don't do so easily. Here's a little tease (and my first attempt at making my own little promo blurb). When Georgia discovers that he's not dating someone else, she can't wait to find me, and tracks him down on a cross-country trail.</div>
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If you want to catch up on what leads a snarky vegan girl to chase an uptight preppie through the woods, check out <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snark-Circumstance-Novella-Stephanie-Wardrop-ebook/dp/B00BBD2DSM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391530701&sr=1-1&keywords=snark+and+circumstance" target="_blank">Snark and Circumstance</a> </i>(enovella #1 in the series), <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charm-Consequence-Circumstance-Stephanie-Wardrop-ebook/dp/B00D006IVC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391530764&sr=1-1&keywords=charm+and+consequence" target="_blank">Charm and Consequence</a></i> (#2), and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prep-School-Snark-Circumstance-ebook/dp/B00FV4J6MS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1391530795&sr=1-1&keywords=pride+and+prep+school" target="_blank">Pride and Prep School</a></i> (#3).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Happy Valentine's Day, everyone, and happy reading!</span></div>
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Robert Indiana sculpture photographed by Jean Gagnon, <ul style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(data:image/png; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; orphans: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="external text" href="http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/What-To-Do/Attractions/the-volumptuous-man-of-fernando-botero-and-love-of-robert-indiana" rel="nofollow" style="background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 100% 50%, 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #663366; padding-right: 13px; text-decoration: none;">tourisme-montreal.org</a></li>
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Indie Igniteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04214622238789420922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-47452022420039849322014-02-10T15:29:00.000-08:002014-02-10T15:30:13.604-08:00Love is love is love... but what about all of the other stuff?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So... we <i>all</i> know what love is. Or know what we <i>think/ feel/ have determined from our own experiences</i> that love is. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When it comes to writing this, however, lines can get blurred and, in trying to make so much work in a set amount of pages, sometimes explanations/feeling descriptors that help make the relationship work are sacrificed. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The problem with this is that understanding the differences/connections between stages of love and the feelings that comes with them enable us to help our characters and their relationships move and grow. If characters' feelings towards each other do not change in some way (not even always necessarily for the better, but at least feel something new, or different), readers get bored, annoyed, or complain the storyline doesn't "work" anymore. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm sure most of you have heard about the three basic types of love: agape, eros, and phileo: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Agape is an unconditional love; eros more lustful--or romantic, or both, and philio is one you would have for a best friend, sister or brother.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most long-term relationships sway/mix back and forth with agape and eros, as philio is affectionate and sentimental but not romantic at all. As I was trying to come up with a universal example of two characters feeing different "loves" for each other, I thought of Peeta ( from The <i>Hunger Games</i> series). He probably has more of an agape love for Katniss than she does; her feelings toward him is probably phileo bordering on eros for most of the series. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So... what is my point? Well, my point is that knowing the above info is nice... getting the whole "love" thing is nice... but one doesn't go from <i>hi, nice to meet you</i> to love in a few seconds. Which means there are feelings that either contribute TO falling in love, or KEEP us there, once we have. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Love is love is love... but what about that other stuff? No one says, <i>I love you a lot but not the love where I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you</i>, or, <i>I love you so much that I am fine with us being exclusive but this will probably only last a year </i>or,<i> I love you so much but yeah if you can't start paying for some of this stuff, that's the last straw. I'm outta here</i>. Yet in the English language, they all are said the same way: I love you.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There <i>are</i> different spectrums of feelings that are less general than love itself, however. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I was searching for a few different descriptions, I ended up on none other than Thesaurus.com, which is where that chart up at the top came from. And check it out... every single one of those words describes actions associated with some sort of love at times, with the dark words on the left being the closest to it, all the way to the right side with "iffy" ones listed. I appreciated some of those words in the second darkest column, because they are wonderful descriptors of what goes with love but isn't always spoken outright: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>allegiance</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>attachment</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>delight</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, even </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>enchantment</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. And yet, every single word in that box is an example of what we can have our characters show/feel to prove their love when we want to go beyond the usual, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I love you </i>that comes from their mouths.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last, in researching "love" words, I came across a great many sites regarding words <u><b>not</b></u> in the English language that have more specific meanings for precise descriptions. I leave you with two posts I found inspirational and intriguing, writing-wise (especially the latter--talk about a lot of work put into language and communication!): </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1)</b> <a href="http://bigthink.com/harpys-review/the-top-10-relationship-words-that-arent-translatable-into-english" target="_blank"><b>The Top Ten Relationship Words That Aren't Translatable Into English</b></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2)</b> <a href="http://uniquelang.peiyinglin.net/" target="_blank"><b><i>Unspeakableness</i>: </b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://uniquelang.peiyinglin.net/" target="_blank"><b>An Intervention of Language Evolution and Human Communication</b></a> (</span>A project by <a href="http://peiyinglin.net/" style="color: #8cc63f; text-decoration: none;">Pei-Ying Lin</a>--a four part series in which Pei-Ying explores untranslatable words, emotions, trans-language communication, and personalized langage)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well what are you waiting for? Go try some of this stuff out with your characters! ;)</span><br />
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-87243026989515758732014-01-29T03:00:00.000-08:002014-03-15T08:59:57.854-07:00This Quarter's Indie Ignites Releases (+ @Goodreads #giveaways, and more)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Welcome to the first ever <i>Indie Ignites Quarterly Report</i>! With so many members in <b>Indie Ignites</b>, there's always a steady stream of book releases (and giveaways, and blog tours, and... you get my point) so we figured it would be convenient to share a sort of "quarterly summary" every three months in order to share lots of links and info in one specific place! :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>January</u></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have <b>three</b> releases this month:</span><br />
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<img alt="Incubus (Episode #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1385737962l/19025571.jpg" width="212" /><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first installment in Rachel Bateman's (<a href="https://twitter.com/RachelBateman" target="_blank">@RachelBateman</a>) serial, <b>Incubus</b> (YA paranormal) came out <i>January 7th</i>. Expect <i>new </i>installments to be released <i>every first Tuesday of the month</i>, throughout the year!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 25px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">All Kyle Prideaux wants is a
normal life.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">But with a serial killer in
town, murdering women the same way her mother died seven years ago, and a
silent stalker watching her during the day and invading her dreams at night,
normal is impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">After she's attacked at work
one night, Kyle wakes in the hospital to discover things of nightmares exist
and walk among us every day.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And she's the only one who can stop
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>*</b>Purchase on Amazon (<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incubus-Episode-Kyle-Prideaux-Season-ebook/dp/B00HPZ9Y3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390848880&sr=8-1&keywords=Incubus+--+Rachel" target="_blank">link</a>)</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Add to Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19025571-incubus?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="If I Speak True (Flora, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384790502l/18755289.jpg" width="210" /><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jessica L. Brooks' (<a href="https://twitter.com/coffeelvnmom" target="_blank">@coffeelvnmom</a>) second book, <b>If I Speak True</b> (Flora, 1 -- YA magical realism) came out <i>January 27th</i>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>Dahlia Kennedy's sixteenth birthday
marks a decade of mysterious dahlias arriving and strange, lonely dreams of
being in a forest. The only difference this birthday, however, is that for the
first time, someone is there with her. And he's practically from a whole other
era.</i></span></span><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>The more often Dahlia visits Rowan
in his land of Ambrosia, the stronger their connection grows. But... is
Ambrosia real? Is he real? What is going on between the two of them,
exactly, and why does he insist that she keep it to herself?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>As secrets usually go, however, it's only a matter of
time before everything comes out. And when Dahlia finds out the truth of who
Rowan is, who she is, and how he really feels -- it’s beyond anything
she could have ever imagined.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Purchase on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-L.-Brooks/e/B00HY5LSWI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1390849602&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Add to Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18755289-if-i-speak-true?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Enter the Goodreads US giveaway (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/78343-if-i-speak-true" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Check out the blog tour & US/International giveaways (<a href="http://www.coffeelvnmom.blogspot.com/2014/01/if-i-speak-true-is-finally-here-blog.html" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Prince of Blood and Steel" height="320" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387395222l/19545870.jpg" width="196" /><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nazarea Andrews' (<a href="https://twitter.com/NazareaAndrews" target="_blank">@NazareaAndrews</a>) <b>Prince of Blood and Steel</b> (NA romantic suspense) comes out this Thursday, <i>January 30th</i> (co-written with A.J. Elmore -- <a href="https://twitter.com/MissVish" target="_blank">@MissVish</a>).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Blurb: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>Seth Morgan has returned home after
two years spent building an alliance that will take his family's crime
syndicate to a new level in New York City's black collar society. He expects a
warm welcome as heir of the Morgan empire. He hopes to finally marry Nicolette,
the woman he's loved his whole life.</i></span></span><br />
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<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>What he finds is a different world,
one where his family's legacy is in ruins. His big brother, Caleb, has changed
into someone cold and bitter, plotting to overthrow their patriarch. And
Nicolette, daughter of the criminal banking industry, has left the family
entirely.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>When a vicious misunderstanding
leaves Caleb dead, Seth is left reeling. Desperate for truth, Seth is forced to
turn to his only remaining cousin, Emma, for support. As he tries to mend his
relationship with Nicolette, he begins a search for answers that will take him
from the dirty streets to the highest reaches of their illicit empire.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white;">Torn between the desire to protect those who mean the
most to him, and a need to learn more about Caleb's death, he grows distant to
protect them. As each secret surfaces, he realizes that the only way to restore
his family is to take his place at its head, and fully embrace the brutal way
they live.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Purchase on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Blood-Steel-Morgan-Syndicate-ebook/dp/B00I3LTWFW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390945849&sr=8-2&keywords=Prince+of+Blood+and+Steel" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Add to Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19545870-prince-of-blood-and-steel" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Enter Goodreads giveaway (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/78867-prince-of-blood-and-steel" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>February</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<center>
<img alt="Bloodlust" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1392836460l/20872373.jpg" width="240" /></center>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On February 24th, Nicole Zoltack's (<a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleZoltack" target="_blank">@NicoleZoltack</a>) <b>Bloodlust</b> (NA epic fantasy romance) will be released. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blurb: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>In a world torn by
prejudice and hatred, six races struggled for supremacy. Ivy, the barbarian
princess, is unwilling to allow her father to provoke the other races into war
and forms an unlikely alliance with Lukor the orc to save her people from utter
destruction. Unbeknownst to her, Lukor blames the barbarians for murdering his
sister and plans on sabotaging her goal. </i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><i>Almost despite each other, they grow
to respect each other on their journey to decode secret messages from the
trolls. Nothing Ivy can do will stop the war as her father is blinded by
bloodlust and incites it himself. Not even killing him and becoming queen can
stop the tide. And when bloodlust claims Ivy, forcing her to kill everyone in
her path, she must make a choice to destroy even Lukor, whom she may have
started to fall for.</i></span></span><br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Purchase on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bloodlust-Nicole-Zoltack-ebook/dp/B00ILWAKPO" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add to Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20872373-bloodlust" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>March</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Billionaire and the Barfly (NA romance) by Adrianne James (<a href="https://twitter.com/Adrianne_James" target="_blank">@Adrianne_James</a>) releases March 29th. Cover coming soon, but check out this teaser in the meantime!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://s268.photobucket.com/user/coffeelovinmom/media/Book%20stuffs/6f2487f6-5de5-4b10-ad83-7284c2d790a5.png.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 6f2487f6-5de5-4b10-ad83-7284c2d790a5.png" border="0" src="http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj31/coffeelovinmom/Book%20stuffs/6f2487f6-5de5-4b10-ad83-7284c2d790a5.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Blurb: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Henry Maximus is a
super-hero-loving geek and proud of it. He’s also a genius when it comes to
business. It’s how he earned the title of CEO of Maximus Gaming … not to
mention the billions of dollars in his bank account. Henry’s tried living the
life of a bachelor, but a different girl every night has left him wanting more.
Needing more.</i></span></span><br />
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<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Aubrey Vincent is in love with her
job. She’ll love it even more if she lands the promotion that gets her out of
her parent’s attic. She loves it so much that she has no time for
relationships, not that she was ever very good at them to begin with. Aubrey is
perfectly happy with the random, nameless men she picks up at the bar. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>After a brief encounter with Aubrey
on a business trip, Henry packs his bags and moves back to the small town where
he grew up. Aubrey’s town. Aubrey attempts to find her way into Henry’s bed,
while he tries everything to get into her heart. Will Henry’s plan to break
down the walls Aubrey has built around her heart work or will his unbelievable
million dollar offer scare her away?</i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>*</b>Add to Goodreads (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20457062-the-billionaire-the-barfly?from_search=true" target="_blank"><b>link</b></a>)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And there you have it! Indie Ignites' releases for the first quarter! Now go forth, enter giveaways, add stuff to Goodreads! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy reading and writing! :) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17524862571932528710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-51695870064055445952014-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-23T05:00:10.509-08:00The Waiting Game--Excerpt Today we've got an excerpt from <em>The Waiting Game </em>by JL Fynn! Check below for more about the book and links! :) <br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few minutes later, the organist started playing, and Jim
and his brother walked down the aisle, taking their place in front of the
alter. Next came Pop Reilly, the only other member of Jim’s immediate family.
Pop wore a crisp three-piece suit with a gold watch chain polished to a
blinding sheen. Next would’ve come Maggie’s family, but she had none here, so
Bridget Sheedy, who was acting as Maggie’s matron-of-honor, rounded out the
procession. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I caught sight of her walking down the aisle, I was
stunned. Traveler dresses were known for being loud, but this went far beyond
anything I’d seen before. The base of her dress was a bright blue tube
dress—strapless on top and only coming down to her mid-thigh. Appliquéd on the
front was fabric in the shape of an enormous sequined pineapple. Sewn around
the bottom of the skirt was a ruffled, neon-yellow fabric that reached the
floor, but with a huge slit up the front, so her legs poked through when she
walked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How did she have that thing made so quickly? Or did she have
it sitting around, waiting for a special occasion? You never knew with Bridget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No wonder Maggie had put up a fight about her dress. Any
wedding dress that would coordinate with this monstrosity was something I’d
have a problem with too. I mean, sure you wanted to look grand on your wedding
day, but not like some ungodly cross between Carmen Miranda and Carmen Electra.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or at least, that was my opinion. I looked around to catch
the reactions of the women around me, and nearly every one of them stared at
Bridget with unconcealed envy. Incredible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bridget made her way down the aisle walking as slowly as
possible to give everyone the opportunity to fully admire her dress, but
finally she made it to her spot in the front of the church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The music changed, and we all stood, waiting for the bride.
The bridal march went on for more than a few notes, and I looked back at Jim,
wondering how he must be feeling at this moment. His eyes looked a little
glassy, but otherwise he didn’t look unhappy. The room erupted in startled
gasps, and I turned back around to see what everyone was reacting to. When I
did, I found Maggie wearing something so shocking I immediately understood the
clan’s reaction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No wonder Bridget was horrified. What was Maggie thinking
with this dress? Most Traveler women wouldn’t be caught dead cleaning house in
such a thing, let alone getting married in it. The Village would be talking
about this for months. Years even. Maggie’s name might even be dragged,
although this wasn’t enough of a violation to bring on full censure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She wore a simple white dress that fell to the floor and
only had the smallest of trains, half a foot at most. Lace covered her
shoulders and her arms, but other than that, the dress was completely
unadorned. No sequins. No feathers. No corset. Nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was modest and restrained, two words that never applied
to Traveler wedding dresses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When I took Maggie in, I gasped too, but my
outburst was for a completely different reason than the rest of the clan. I
didn’t care that Maggie didn’t have a single sequin on her bodice or ruffled
fabric in her train or giant feathers in her hair. She was perfect. Absolutely
perfect. And all of that nonsense only would’ve distracted from her perfection.
I couldn’t imagine her looking more </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><em>Sounds great, right?? Here's the info on the book! :) </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNpkKLSpbcEjhohNuHjokqNgLJdS9_ym_mlMRQCcDHdddiuyksW9SB7wR0XoxiBC0rQoyhBUO-aLrSAyuqnba0ya33b_S6d8YARZfrNKCelM5VLh7R2tX3mYI0l-sm_d1tDhw8NMYAXG3/s1600/TWG+Ebook+Cover+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNpkKLSpbcEjhohNuHjokqNgLJdS9_ym_mlMRQCcDHdddiuyksW9SB7wR0XoxiBC0rQoyhBUO-aLrSAyuqnba0ya33b_S6d8YARZfrNKCelM5VLh7R2tX3mYI0l-sm_d1tDhw8NMYAXG3/s1600/TWG+Ebook+Cover+(1).jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Synopsis: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Twenty-five-year-old Tommy Costello has been going out on the road with his best friend Jim Reilly since they were kids. They’ve pulled cons together, picked up dates together, and have always had each other’s backs. They’re as close as brothers, and Tommy’s sure their bond will never be broken. </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">That is, until Maggie Downey shows up. She’s an enigma: smart, bold, and charming. From the moment they meet, sparks fly. But there’s a huge problem. She’s arranged to be married to Jim.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Tommy tries to keep his feelings for Maggie in check, but it’s not easy, especially when he’s also hiding a dark secret for Jim—both from Maggie and the rest of their Irish-American Gypsy clan. A secret that not only affects his friend, but that could mean a life of misery for Maggie as well. Tommy does his best to protect both his friendship and his own heart, but it’s soon clear that falling in love with his best friend’s girl is the least dangerous thing happening in the Village that year. </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">The <span class="il">Waiting</span> <span class="il">Game</span> is a prequel to The Long <span class="il">Game</span>, and the second book in J.L. Fynn’s American Gypsy series.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"></span></b> </div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">JL Fynn Bio:</span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">J.L. Fynn is the public face of the writing collaboration between Katherine Ernst and Chelle Bruhn. Katherine and Chelle disagree on most everything (music, food, need for punctuality), except for what's really important, which is why they've been best friends for seventeen years and writing together for three.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Rafflecopter Embed Code:</span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span> </span><a id="rc-4cf78a32" class="rafl" href="<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78a32/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.rafflecopter.<wbr></wbr></span>com/rafl/display/4cf78a32/</a>" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><script src="//<a href="http://d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">d12vno17mo87cx.<wbr></wbr></span>cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/<wbr></wbr>cptr.js</a>"></script></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Links:</span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jlfynnauthor" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.twitter.com/jlfynnauthor</span></a> </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jlfynnauthor" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.facebook.com/jlfynnauthor</span></a> </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Tumblr: <a href="http://jlfynn.tumblr.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">jlfynn.tumblr.com</span></a> <span> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7173188.J_L_Fynn" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.goodreads.com/author/show/<wbr></wbr>7173188.J_L_Fynn</span></a> </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Website: <a href="http://www.jlfynn.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.jlfynn.com</span></a> </span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">The <span class="il">Waiting</span> <span class="il">Game</span> Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18586633-the-waiting-game?from_search=true" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>book/show/18586633-the-<wbr></wbr><span class="il">waiting</span>-<span class="il">game</span>?from_search=true</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
</span>Nazarea Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09644521286572844909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3707927355028282242.post-55419714150039203262014-01-19T17:32:00.000-08:002014-01-19T17:32:58.754-08:00The Post Where I Tell The Truth
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We all know we support and love indie publishing--small press and
self pub. And I want to be super clear before we get started: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><u><em>I love my job. Writing is what I've always wanted to do and I get
to and there is, in my opinion, NOTHING better than that.</em></u> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But let's look at something we don't always consider: the
unfortunate downsides of self publishing/small press. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><strong><em>-You are your own boss. And the job never ends.</em></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I have been on deadline since March of last year. With one month
off for major holidays--and I mentored in a contest and prepared a book for
release the next month--I haven't had a deadline break in almost a year. I love
deadlines--I work incredibly well under them. But the fact is, eventually they
get exhausting. And even when you don't have a deadline, as a indie author, you
always have something to do: emails to answer, a book to edit, expenses to
track, social media, teasers--it's a never ending cycle. You are, essentially
your own boss and that means you will always have something to do. If that
isn't incredibly appealing? Not the job for you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><em><strong>-This is not a get rich quick scheme.</strong></em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Publishing well takes
money--I spend between 850-1500 per book. That is an initial investment and
doesn't include mailing prizes, or events. When you think about each book
making me just over two dollars a copy--do the math. Yes, you can make a steady
income, but the fact is you don't go into publishing for money. Small press
royalties are usually a lower percentage without the attractive high price
point of you get with traditional. So the initial payout isn't a deterrent, but
you still won't be making a ridiculous amount of money. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><em><strong>-Everyone is doing it.</strong></em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So they are. But there is still a stigma attached to
self-publishing and standing out in the ever crowded indie pond is becoming
more difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><strong><em>-Trends do matter.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So you don't have to have the approval of an editor to gamble.
But when *you* gamble, it's with your money. Sometimes, the book you adore is
not what the market demands and that, my friends, is a slightly heartbreaking
choice to make. Because it isn't about what you love--not entirely. It's also a
business decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><em><strong>-It's all on you.</strong></em> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Wild success. Crushing failure. The somewhat disconcerting mid
list--whatever you do, the results are on you--especially true for
self-publishers--because you don't have anyone BUT you making these decisions.
That is at times exhilarating, and other times infuriating and daunting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">There are a lot of ways to spin self publishing to make it sound
attractive and clearly, I like it. But these are some points bear considering.
One last thought:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><u><em>It is terrifying and thrilling and one of the most rewarding
things I've ever done. I am exhausted and work constantly--even at family
birthday parties--but I wouldn't change a second of it. <3</em></u> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Nazarea Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09644521286572844909noreply@blogger.com2