This quarter's Indie Ignites releases

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.

July

Endre (Sweet NA) -- July 16th

(The Elsker Saga, #2)

Blurb: Sometimes, finding your destiny means doing the exact opposite of what The Fates have planned.

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.

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The Horde Without End (NA) -- July 24th

(The World Without End, #2)

Blurb: It was supposed to be over…

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?

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.

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August

A Sliver of Hope (YA) -- August 5th

(Angel Sight, #2)

Blurb: 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.

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.

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.

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Enter Goodreads giveaway


September

Tro (sweet NA) -- September 4th

by S.T. Bende

(The Elsker Saga, #3)

Blurb: 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?

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Open Thy Heart (YA) -- September 15th

(Flora, #2)

Blurb: The secrets just keep coming.

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.

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.

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.

Crazy thing is, she had no idea about any of it. And it changes everything she’s ever known.

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Enter the cover reveal giveaway

Carrots, Sugar, and the Holidays (plus a giveaway)

Christmas is almost here! In light of that, I wanted to share with you guys something really special. I mean really, really special. (I know the pictures are enticing, but stick around because at the end of the post I have a giveaway for you guys!)

In my family, as long as I can remember, my family has baked one thing during every holiday, carrot cakes. These little loaves of deliciousness were given out as gifts, brought to parties, and shared for breakfasts and deserts. On my father's side, this family recipe is the only one that has been passed down several generations. The cakes are moist and packed with flavor. Even the recipe card is written in my late Grandmother's handwriting (which I'm going to have framed one day soon).

Now here's where I break your heart. I can't share it! I know, I know. I'm sorry for the buildup. It's the only recipe passed down from several generations of Italians (not pasta, gravy, or biscotti, but carrot cake). It's special and will either go to the grave with me or be passed down to my (future) kids.

What I can give you is the next best thing another carrot cake recipe I found years ago--and let me tell you it is just as amazing.

First, a story (it is my trade after all).

I'm a baker at heart. I'm not sure when exactly it started since I don't remember doing an abnormal amount of baking as child, but some time in my teens I realized the cookie dough rolled up in the tubes at the grocery store wasn't as good as the one I could make from fresh ingredients. Yes, cookies are my drug of choice, but I've nothing against a great cake either. I baked long before I learned how to cook anything other than packaged mac and cheese and romin, so I feel like more of a baker than a cook.

Keeping with that, here is the recipe for my

Almost As Good As Grandma Basso’s Carrot Cake 

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon all spice
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil (I know how it sounds, just trust me.)
1 pound carrots (about 2 cups) peeled and grated
Optional ingredients:
1 ½ cups toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 cup of raisins

Now, before we get any further I have two things to say. One: When baking, always use fresh ingredients. Baking powder that’s more than a year old isn’t going to rise right, and old spices are bland. Two: Grate the carrots yourself or with a food processor, don’t go out and buy those pre-shredded carrots, they don’t have the texture or moisture you’ll need.

Putting these bad boys together:

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch cake pan (or two small rounds which will cook for 25-30 minutes) with vegetable oil spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugars together in a large bowl until frothy and the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly add the oil until the mixture is combined and emulsified, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in carrots (and nuts and raisins, if you’re choosing to use them).

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached (this part is important, don’t over bake), 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

4. Let the cake cool before applying the awe-mazing cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting, you say? Why yes! Did I forget to mention the preverbial cherry on top?

Here’s what you’ll need for the frosting:

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (but I always add a little more, about a teaspoon. Not into vanilla? Substitute the sour cream for orange juice and the vanilla for a teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest)
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

(Hey, this is a cake recipe for the holidays, not a quick guide for losing weight)

Stir together the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to stir until smooth.

And boom. The yummiest (though maybe not the prettiest, sorry guys) carrot cake you’ve ever had!

Now I couldn’t think of a descent segue to get us from carrot cake to the rafflecopter, so I’ve done it the lazy man’s way. Look here! There’s a giveaway!
~Lisa
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Debutantes Reflect

While we didn't actually get to dress like this and practice our curtsies, some of the ladies of Indie Ignites became Author Debutantes in 2013. We published our first books and for the first time could call ourselves AUTHORS. So as this auspicious year comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to ask some of my fellow Indie Debs to talk about the experience of launching yourself into the world as a writer. Here's what they had to say, below, but, first, MEET OUR DEBS

JC EMERY released her first novel,

 which is also the first in a series (MEN WITH BADGES). She self-published this as well as her debut novels in the BAYONET SCARS series. It's been a very productive year for JC!

LISA BASSO also debuted with the first in a series; the novel

 kicks off the trilogy THE ANGEL SIGHT SERIES. She's published with Swoon Romance.

I, STEPHANIE WARDROP, brought out the first three in a series of YA e-novellas based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The first installment was 

published by Swoon. The last installment releases in January of 2014.

RELEASE WEEK AND BEYOND

I spent so much time worrying about the writing that I didn't really put much thought into what it would be like when the book actually came out (I was just so relieved that it did!). Lisa Basso and I both had blog tours, so we were in the enviable but chaotic position of having to write twenty-plus completely fabulous blog posts in a few weeks. "It was crazy," Lisa says. "I didn't have much time to celebrate [that first week, but after that], man was that sweet."  JC had to figure out how to market her book on her own (and let me tell you, she has gotten very good at it), so her release week was "quiet." 

But once the book was out and people were actually reading it (squeeeee!), things started to happen. For me, people I hadn't been in contact with for years looked me up on Facebook and everyone was amazingly proud of me and very sweet about congratulating me.  Publishing a book is a big deal to people and it's really gratifying to have had so many people happy for me.  I also suddenly got to meet (virtually) a whole group of other writers and wonderful bloggers.  Lisa agrees, saying. "I've gotten to know so many amazing bloggers, authors, and book lovers I never would have had the pleasure of meeting otherwise. Including the amazing ladies of Indie Ignites." Right back at ya, Lisa! 

JC had a few more twists and turns in her year-long journey. I'll let her tell it to you straight, but if you go to Amazon or any other site selling books, you'll see it has a happy ending: Through a strange twist of events, my first book ended up being free for five

months (which I talk about here). It was (in my opinion) a really good thing 

for my career. It let people know that I’m here, but it also meant that I was 

giving away my work for several months. Because of a shoestring budget, I 

wasn’t able to do certain things until my fourth book (Ride, which debuted 

October 25th

months for me to consider myself a published author. I kept making excuses 

for how it wasn’t really real yet. I even made my mom wait until I was 

enough of a success to tell my family. I just didn’t want to fail in front of them, 

and since I had very low expectations, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with 

what I’ve been able to do.

) like a formal blog tour, cover reveal, etc. It actually took several

BEST PART OF BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR FOR THE FIRST TIME

JC said "I felt brave. A lot of people thought I shouldn't publish at all, let alone self-publish . . . I've always wanted to be my own boss, and I didn't know that I'd ever be able to make enough money off of a business to truly work for myself . . . but for now I can say that I made my dreams come true in 2013."

For Lisa, the best part was, "hands down, being contacted by a reader who loved my book. There's nothing like it."

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY NOW IF YOU COULD?

It seems that we'd do it all over again if we had the chance.  JC said "Were there things I could have done better? Absolutely. I made mistakes—

big mistakes—but I wouldn’t want to have done a single thing differently. For 

the first time in my life I showed myself how truly capable I am. I’ve worked 

harder, taken more risks, and have ventured into areas I didn’t know possible 

this year. 2013 has been the best year ever and I wouldn’t change a single 

thing."

Lisa had some good advice for newbie authors that I'll share verbatim: "If I could do anything differently, I would keep a journal of the things that came up after I signed 

my contract. I'd log how many hours I wrote, edited, and promoted each day." Especially if you are trying to figure out if you can really "afford" to do this, even if you are not planning on quitting your day job any time soon, it's probably a good idea to keep track of all the hours you put into everything in addition to the writing, the marketing, blogging, interviewing, and, with a little luck, red carpet-walking when you sell your book to Hollywood. Hey, 'tis the season to dream big! And this past year, many of our dreams have already come true.

Buy Marital Bitch at  http://www.amazon.com/Marital-Bitch-Men-Badges-ebook/dp/B00B687AX0/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371196872&sr=1-2, A Shimmer of Angels at http://www.amazon.com/Shimmer-Angels-Angel-Sight-Series/dp/0985029439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386208596&sr=8-1&keywords=a+shimmer+of+angels, and the Snark and Circumstance series at  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=snark+and+circumstance&sprefix=snark+and+cir%2Caps%2C245  . They make excellent holiday gifts :).

Write for Boston (sending writerly love--please bid for Boston!)

Hey guys, Indie Ignites has a few items up for bid to benefit Boston, including two query critiques by ST Bende (author of Nor & Elsker), the opportunity to be a character in Stephanie Wardrop's third novella (of the Snark and Circumstance series) and two enovellas, and a bundle of books (paperback and ebooks) and swag by five of us Indie Igniters. (If you haven't heard about Write for Boston, click here.)

Please help us send writerly love to Boston by bidding and/or spreading the word!

Here's the links and info to all three items up for bid:

1) Stephanie Wardrop's package (link): 

   

 E-novellas of SNARK AND CIRCUMSTANCE and CHARM AND CONSEQUENCE and name a character in the third installment PRIDE AND PREP SCHOOL from Author Stephanie Wardrop

2) ST Bende's package (link):

·         1 query letter critique (2 available-one each to the two highest bidders)

3) Indie Ignites group package featuring books by Nazarea Andrews, Adrianne James, Jessica L. Brooks, Lisa M. Basso and JC Emery (link):

·         Life on Loan by Adrianne James*

·         Overexposed by Adrianne James*

·         Edge of the Falls by Nazarea Andrews*

·         ARC of This Love by Nazarea Andrews

·         Autographed paper back of A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

·         Autographed paperback of Pity Isn't an Option by Jessica L. Brooks

·         The Switch by JC Emery*

·         Marital Bitch by JC Emery*

·         Anomaly by JC Emery*

·         Assorted swag

* = ebooks

You can also repin the bid info to help spread the word (or click each pin to bid on a package) on Pinterest, HERE 

or simply tweet this: 

@IndieIgnites is sending writerly love to Boston! Bid on books, query critiques & more! Info here: http://indieignites.blogspot.com/2013/05/write-for-boston-sending-writerly-love.html #WriteforBoston 

Thank you for helping us share the writerly love with Boston! (Bids end Tuesday, May 7th!) 

My Path So Far

In this strange, amazing world of writing and publishing, everyone has a journey, and each story is different. This is mine...so far.

Like most authors, when I decided writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, my first goal was to publish a book. The problem was when I first started writing I knew nothing. After I finished writing my first book, an adult Urban Fantasy, I took to the internet for advice on what to do next. After reading several (hundred) posts on editing, I went back to work.

Arguably, my first book wasn't that good--truth time: my first book was awful. It needed work. A lot of it, and I needed more experience. So I wrote another book, a sequel to the first. It was so much better, but, of course, I couldn't submit a sequel when the first book still wasn't up to par.

After pulling out my hair for nearly a month, I did what any sensible writer would do. I moved on, started plotting another book. After reading many in the young adult genre, I decided to try my hand at writing it. At first, I struggled with voice, going from adult to young adult was different, to say the least, but I fudged my way through a first draft. After several rounds of edits my angel book was ready for another set of eyes. Off it went to my critique partner. While it was gone, I read as many YA books as I could get my hands on, and researched agents. When CP notes returned I did several more rounds of edits, and wrote about ten query letters.

Finally, my young adult angel book was ready for the world. The problem now? So was everyone else's. I sent out a small round of queries and watched agent blogs and twitter accounts. The one thing agents were seeing a lot of was exactly what I was sending out. Angel books were going to be the death of me. I'd waited too long, spent too much time perfecting it. *cue more hair-pulling*

The inevitable rejections stated rolling in. Those were tough to get through, heartbreaking. In the end I must have sent out over 60 query letters. I did gain some interest, some partials and even a few fulls, but ultimately, more rejection.

It was time to move on, to go back to what I really loved, write. So, I started on another story. While I wrote, I also entered a few contests with my previous novel, hoping to gain the feedback I might need to help better it. In one of those contests, Sourbooks Fire YALitChat Writing Contest, I actually made it through semi-finals, then the finals, and was chosen as one of the winners! Which was a huge surprise. I now had feedback from several contests and a credit to add to my query. I pushed the other manuscript aside and revised my angel book again, then queried another set of agents. To no avail. I still didn't have what they were looking for.

In the meantime, I wrote two more books and revised them. One I had worked on enough to finally send out to critique partners. So I did. While I waited, I took one more look at my angel book. I had so much love for the story, and I now had more experience, so I revised one more time, polished up a snappier query, and when the other book's notes came back, I sent out what I swore was my last round of queries for my angel book before I would put it in a drawer for good. This time I subbed through YALitChat's Submission Mailbox and got two requests. Both from publishers. Publishing with a smaller press had never been in my "ultimate plan," but no one would read it if it sat in a drawer. So, I submitted and waited. Not long after one publisher requested the full. Less than two weeks later, I had an offer in my inbox and tears in my eyes.

Suddenly it didn't matter that I was working directly with a small press publisher instead of an agent. Month9Books, a brand new publishing company wanted my angel book to be their first young adult release title! Georgia McBride, the founder of YALitChat and creator of Month9Books, admitted she loved my story when I subbed it for the writing contest, she loved it as a new publisher, and she loved it as a reader. The moment we spoke and I heard her passion for my characters and my story, I knew I'd found an amazing home for ASHIMMER OF ANGELS, which recently released on January 29th (and is available now *winkwink*).

I might still be looking for an agent, but if I never found one, that would be just fine with me, as long as I could continue to work with people who get my stories and want to share them with others as much as I do.