Pride and Prep School scavenger hunt Amazon #giveaway

In honor of Pride and Prep School’s 

book birthday tomorrow, 

Indie Ignites is hosting 

a scavenger hunt!
(Winner will receive a
$20 Amazon gift card!)

When: Wednesday, October 16th

through

Sunday, October 20th.

The deets:

On Wednesday, October 16th, Stephanie Wardrop, author of the Snark and Circumstance enovella series (a modern, YA snarky retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice), will feature a set of questions. Each question will pertain to a certain scene in either Snark and Circumstance, Charm and Consequence, or the newest enovella, Pride and Prep School. Earn one entry every time you match a question (featured on Stephanie's blog) to the correct photo (photos will be featured on participating authors' blogs). Then, come back and post your answers beneath Stephanie's questions.* 

The more items you find on the scavenger hunt, the more entries into the contest. If you're unsure of an answer and want all ten entries to be correct,

Buy on Amazon

and

Buy on Amazon 

are currently only 99 cents on Amazon! (You can always read them now to get a head start!) 

So keep your eyes peeled for Stephanie's post on Wednesday HERE; then hit up these ten blogs to find your photo answers and share them back in the comments section on Stephanie's blog!

Adrianne James (link)

Rachel Bateman (link) 

Nazarea Andrews (link)
Jessica L. Brooks (link)
JC Emery (link) 

Monica B. Sanz (link) 

ST Bende (link) 

Nicole Zoltack (link) 

Jaycee DeLorenzo (link) 

Louise D. Gornall (link) 

P.S. Don't forget to wish Stephanie a happy book birthday when Pride and Prep School debuts tomorrow!!! :) 

* Winner will be chosen by Random.org. and will be posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, October 22nd

Pride and Prep School by Stephanie Wardrop

It's here! It's finally here! 
We're so excited to share the cover for the third installment in the Snark and Circumstance e-serial series,  Pride and Prep School: 


Isn't it great? If you haven't checked this fun series out, you should! Stephanie's modern retelling of Jane Austen will crack you up! (Georgiana's snark is the best!) You can find the first two in the series, Snark and Circumstance and Charm and Consequence, on Amazon HERE. 

Check out quotes from the enovellas on Goodreads HERE 

Add them to your TBR shelf on Goodreads

Congrats, Stephanie!

On Naming Characters

A couple months ago, I went on a road trip with a good friend. She had a fun idea for a book and wanted to brainstorm and outline as I was driving. It was great fun bouncing our ideas around the car as it cruised through the mountains of western Idaho. 

And then we got to character names. 

My friend wanted names that reflected her characters - the wild child needed a wild name, the sheltered girl needed a sheltered name, the mean secondary characters needed mean names, and the douchebag boyfriend needed a douchy name. 

I had a horrible time coming up with names, because I can't name characters that way.

When parents name a new kid, with few exceptions, they don't know what that baby is going to be like when he grows up. They don't sit and think "Hmmmm...I think he'll be a popular football player, maybe even Homecoming King. What's a good Homecoming King name?" Two stuffy accountants aren't likely to name their baby girl Starshine Rose, even if that name will work wonderfully with the quirky teenager she'll grow up to be.

Our characters are full people with lives outside the pages we write them into. Their names should reflect less who they are and more who their parents were when they named their baby. After all, your characters didn't just get named when the story you're telling starts; they've had their names for their whole lives before page one.

But what if your character has boring parents, but a boring name just won't work for her? A quick way to get around this is by using nicknames. When I lived in Montana last, I was part of a YA Book Club. One of the members was a girl about my age, maybe a year or two younger, named Finn.

Except her name was actually Linda.

She grew up thinking her parents had given her the most boring, old-lady name in the world, so when she went to college, she told people to call her Finn, and it stuck. 

(Apparently Linda really is a boring, old-lady name, because it's also my step-mom's name, but she's always gone by Cathie.) 

Now, you don't have to name characters this way. Authors give characters names with meaning all the time, and it works. (And, really, who is going to argue with Queen Rowling?) I'm just giving you something to think about next time you are trying to come up with the perfect name that will, in one word, encompass everything your character is. 

Your turn! How do you name your characters? Sound off in the comments. :)

Interview with Laura Elliott

Laura release The Storytellers last week. Here's a bit about the book, and then you can check out her interview!!

Four storytellers
One ancient demon
No way out…
Four women who call themselves The Storytellers have gathered one hot August evening to tell tales, as they have for years. But on this night, they unknowingly evoke the powers of an ancient Mayan idol that breathes real life into their stories. The Mayan idol isn’t the only ancient being awakened. A power-hungry demon is determined to see the women fail and become enslaved to him forever.
Now the women’s lives depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating the demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.
If they survive until The End untold wealth is theirs. But some stories have a life of their own…

Interview:

 

What’s a typical writer’s day for you?

 

I don’t think I’ve had a typical writer’s day for years. I’m on the road a lot and so I’ve had to develop ways to “plug-in” to projects in any kind of situation––busy cafes, construction sites, random hotels, out in the middle of nowhere. What puts me in tune to my muse is music. I have a pair of noise-canceling headphones and lots of playlists. I usually make a playlist for every book I’m working on. So, I’ll turn on my imagination and tune out my surroundings and type away just about anywhere, whenever I get some time. Lately I’ve been gesture sketching the people and places around me too. To listen to the music that inspired the The Storytellers you can click here http://grooveshark.com/playlist/The+Storytellers/88804120

 

What’s your favorite thing about writing paranormal?

 

Like most readers, I see myself in the stories that speak to me. These stories are a kind of mirror of my hopes, dreams, all that I hold dear and all that I fear. They settle into my core and make me laugh, think, cry, sigh or act. For me, this is paranormal romance.

 

Paranormal romance lives within my heart and mind at the sandy shores of my relationship with myself, and others––what it means to love and to be loved in return. It asks questions about what I’m willing or able to give in love and what I take from it. The stories that hit home with me usually shine a light on the costs and great gifts of true love. These stories show us what love could be, and so seldom is. They show us what love should never be and call into question the things we might be settling for, and those situations or relationships we might need to break away from or reexamine. These stories can clarify our passions and be a call to action in defense of them.

 

What’s the hardest thing about being self-published?

 

I think it would be that I have to be a jack of all trades. But IMHO increasingly these days even traditionally published authors have to know more about promotion and marketing. But I love wearing lots of different hats. It suits me. Before I was published I had no idea how I would have to fight for my writing time because all of a sudden there’s all this marketing and promotion that needs to happen after I published. 

 

What is the best part of being a self-published author?

 

I’m a technogeek. I’ve always been an early adapter of technology. I was working in the dot-com world during the Internet boom of the 90s, programming and designing for a company that came up with proprietary software for online banking for credit unions. There’s just something really cool about technology. It intrigues me. I love the way it can be used to tell stories. I guess I’ve been telling digital stories for a dozen years or so. I love designing book covers and producing book trailers. These were all things I had been doing in the news and entertainment industries and now I’m producing them for my stories.

 

The classic design problem of articulating a story through a single image fascinates me. That’s why I love designing book covers. I also enjoy engaging my other senses through music and video in ways that put me in touch with the story in deeper ways. I always learn a lot about what I’ve written when I produce a book trailer. The process seems to open up more interpretations and meaning behind my books.

 

Beyond all that, the indie author community is so generous and helpful and friendly. I’m truly honored to be a part of it and have made amazing friends here.

 

What one piece of advice would you give writers?

 

Never. Give. Up. Follow your gut and write your heart out. READ.

 

Tell us a little about The Storytellers?

 

The Storytellers is a Thelma and Louise meets Raiders of the Lost Arc story about four writers whose stories all come true for each other.

 

Four women who call themselves The Storytellers have gathered one hot August evening to tell tales, as they have for years. But on this night, they unknowingly evoke the powers of an ancient Mayan idol that breathes real life into their stories. The Mayan idol isn’t the only ancient being awakened. A power-hungry demon is determined to see the women fail and become enslaved to him forever.
 Now the women’s lives and loves depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating the demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.
 If they survive until The End untold wealth is theirs. But some stories have a life of their own…

 

you can buy The Storytellers here http://www.amazon.com/The-Storytellers-ebook/dp/B00F1LJL12

 

What was your favorite part of The Storytellers, when you were writing?

 

One of my favorite, but hardest parts of the novel for me to write concerned the naming and powers of the four idols at the heart of the story: Escrito holds the power of the writer, which we know as the power of the truth; Bailador, the power of the dancer, which holds the power of falling in love; Pintador, the power of the painter, which embodies the power of perception; and lastly Músico, the power of music, which transcends time and space and holds the power of emotion.

 

Tell us something most people don’t know about you?

 

In the 80s, I won tickets to a Phil Collins concert by singing “Against All Odds” on KLOS in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

Happy book birthday to ST Bende and Adrianne James!

We're so excited over here at Indie Ignites because we've had TWO #NA book birthdays this week !!!!
Book birthday number one was ST Bende's second installment in The Elsker Saga, Endre! Here's the blurb from Amazon: 
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 with her fiance. But her decision to become immortal could end in heartbreak — not only for Kristia, but for the god who loves her. 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. Ack! If you're looking for a fun getaway this weekend with the likes of Thor (technically his stepson, Ull), check out Elsker and Endre!
Buy Endre on Amazon (link) Add Endre to Goodreads (link) Start at the beginning with Elsker (link) Visit ST's blog and enter to win an Amazon gift card, Endre ebook and swag (link)


Our second book birthday goes to Adrianne James -- The Tempering's birthday is today! Woo hoo!
Blurb from Amazon:
The Mythology department at prestigious Harvard University is tiny—and Mackenzie Duncan has just been selected as one of the lucky few. Her love for myths and legends is strong, but she never thought any of it could be real.

After being attacked by a large wolf while walking home alone, Mackenzie realizes something is not right. She heals quickly, is suddenly super strong, and is experiencing mood swings that can't possibly be normal. The myths she's studying aren't myths at all. Werewolves are real and she's one of them. Fear of what she is, and who she might hurt sends Mackenzie running from the life she’s worked hard to build–and straight into the arms of a handsome Were named Geoff and into the home of his pack. Living with her new pack takes the edge off her confusion and self-loathing, but the arrival of new pack members changes the dynamic, and tests Geoff and Mackenzie’s growing relationship.

The hardest part of being a werewolf is having no control and no memory of her time as a blood thirsty beast. When a moon cycle passes and she actually remembers bits and pieces of the night, she starts to ask questions, and the more questions she asks, the more she realizes she doesn't like the answers. Can she set aside her own sense of morals to belong to a pack that is like a family or will she leave everything behind yet again in search of a life she can be proud of?
If you're looking for a romantic read featuring paranormal mythology (or simply a new Were book) this weekend, check out The Tempering!
Buy The Tempering on Amazon (link) Add The Tempering to Goodreads and enter to win a copy (link)
Congrats guys, from your fellow Indie Ignites ladies!!! <3

Why I went Hybrid--Self-publishing with an agent.

Earlier this week, my counterparts posted about being a small press author and self pub author. Today, I'm gonna talk a little about being a hybrid. It's a catch phrase that I've been seeing around the Internet a lot--I'm sure you have too--an honestly, it makes me feel a bit like a mutant. Like, Storm from XMen, but not as sexy.

 

Anyway. Here's a bit about what it means to me and why I chose it.

 

What it is:

A hybrid-author is someone who takes more than one path to publication. They self-pub and small pub and sometimes, traditionally pub. They often times have an agent. I would take it a step farther and include that I have an amazing publicist on my team as well. She does for my indie titles what my agent does for my traditional titles (or what she will do--it's still very new and squee worthy).

Both my agent and my indie team are people that help direct my career, who make informed decisions to help me place myself and my books at the best place and time to succeed. Michelle places me in front of the editors at houses and imprints I can't reach alone. Jessica (publicist) advises me what bloggers and readers are looking for and when is best to release a story, and follows it up with amazing help getting the word out about it.

 

Why I chose it:

I'm a control freak, you guys. I'm a workaholic control freak who doesn't sleep. I am also  prolific--I average three books a year. And I write a lot of genres. Dystopian, retellings, zombies, paranormal, space opera, contemporary romance, mafia thrillers, historical. I would be a traditional house marketing nightmare. And with as many books as I write a year, I'd go crazy on their slow schedule.

Self-publishing gives me the freedom and speed to put out all my various stories however quickly/slowly I want.

On the flip side, traditional takes stories that won't do well in an indie market and puts them in a traditional arena. (Sci-fi and retellings, you guys)

 

Really, guys, what it came down to for me was what was best for THIS story. Sometimes the answer is indie and I throw myself into that with both feet and gleeful abandon. Sometimes, the answer is traditional publishing because they reach the audience I want. And with an agent, I am poised to do both.

Always--ALWAYS-- it comes down to one thing. Do your homework. Make an informed decision. Then be ready to work your butt off because whatever you chose? It's hard and takes a lot of work and is so so worth it.

<3

N~

Publishing Choices - Why I made the choice to self-publish when I had an agent interested.

To continue our series on publishing, I’m going throw in my two cents of why I chose self-publishing over going traditional route. 

Two days before I was about to announce the release date of THE TRUTHS ABOUT DATING AND MATING, I received an email from one of the agents I’d had it on submission with, informing me that she wanted to discuss my book.  I was so stunned that I couldn’t even answer for a day.  To be honest, I stepped away from the computer because it seemed too freaky that this was happening the exact week I had planned to make the announcement.  This was after a couple of months of hearing nothing.  (I know, a couple of months is nothing, but I’ve never been good at the waiting game.)

So, once I got my thoughts together, I decided I'd be crazy not to at least listen to what she had to say.  After a Skype call – which was very interesting and I’m sure I acted like a total dork on – I heard some ideas I liked...and some I wasn’t too fond of.  There was a lot of information to ponder.  I discussed everything with my husband ad nauseum, weighing the pros of signing with an agent, as well as the cons.  I received  a lot of advice from friends and family, who generally don’t know much about how publishing works and why I was struggling with this so much.  What it really came down to was this:  Did I really want to make a lot of changes to my storyline that I wasn’t comfortable with for a book that may or may not ever sell, or did I want to go forward with my plan of self-publishing, and for better or worse, keep my book the way I wanted it?

I didn’t have a lot of time to decide, but I used every second I had to try to figure out what I wanted to do.  

I’ve always wanted to be published, but I also had the story written the way I wanted it, and every part is in there for a reason.  I laid a lot of groundwork in Truths.  Cutting some major scenes and characters would feel like selling out and sacrificing my story to possibly get a deal.  And what if I did all that work, and the agent still wasn’t happy with it?

What do I do?

After about a week, I finally came to a decision:  I was going to pass on going that route, and move forward with my original plan of self-publishing.  I’ve heard various reactions from people close to me, such as why are you settling for self-publishing?  What if you never get a chance like that again?  I thought that’s what you always wanted! 

With the new shift in the publishing world, self-publishing didn’t feel like settling.  It may not have been the deal I had always been dreaming about, but the idea of taking charge of the entire process myself – while scary – was also really exciting. 

I knew it was going to take a lot of work, but I was willing to put the time in.  I ran a blog tour by myself.  I bought an advertisement spot.  I sent out some review copies.  I ran some contests.  Oh, and I did a few strategic $.99 cent sales. 

In return, I’ve sold ten times the number of books I ever expected to.  I invested a fair amount of money in getting the book ready, and I made it all back in the first month, three times over.  My overall rating on most sites is pretty dang good.  From that, I’ve also learned that bad ratings don’t really bother me anymore.  

There are plenty of books people loved to death that I thought were horrible.  Different strokes, right? I remind myself of how many people have told me they enjoyed my book.  They far outweigh those who hated it.  I’ve built an audience and still have days where a simple tweet or email from someone who loved my book brightens my day and makes me feel like I’m walking on air.  

The simple fact is, I did it!  I put a book out there by myself, the way I wanted it to be, and not only did people buy it and read it, but plenty have enjoyed it and taken time of their busy days to let me know that.  And ten months after my release, people are still buying my book, they're still reading my book, and many are still letting me know how much they enjoyed it.  That right there is how I know I made the right choice in self-publishing, and why I consider myself successful from having done it!

This doesn't mean I won't ever consider traditional publishing again.  There will always be a part of me seeking that bit of validation, but I don't feel it as much I used to.  I got what I wanted the first time out without a publishing deal.  That may be all the validation I'll ever need.