Mar 20 2013

Guest Sharon Bayliss Shares Her Road to Publication!

Today I have the extreme honor of letting my publishing sister, Sharon Bayliss, take over my blog. A contest on her own blog this past May is what led my editor to 18 Things! Sharon, I’m forever in your debt, and you can stop by any time! Don’t forget, Sharon’s book, The Charge, and my book, 18 Things, are both on sale in the Kindle store for 99 cents until Saturday! Thanks to our publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, for running this wonderful promotion!

99 cent Lucky Book Sale

Take it away, Sharon . . . .

No one could call me an overnight success. I’ve been chasing my dream of publication for fifteen years. Granted, I have had a lot of distractions during that time, college, marriage, children…you know, life in general, but I always returned to work on my goal of publishing a novel.

I am proud to say that on March 2, 2013, my dream came true. I published my debut novel, The Charge, with Curiosity Quills Press.

So how did I finally get it done? 

In 2009 I started writing the novel that would eventually become The Charge. It went through so many drafts and total overhauls, early beta readers can only barely recognize the final published result. In the summer of 2011, I did my first round of serious querying. I went the “normal” route of querying agents. I had a few positive moments, some blog contest wins and an occasional positive query reply, but overall, the query process was soul-draining and ultimately unsuccessful.

Fortunately, I wasn’t thwarted. After rewriting my query almost fifty times (yes, I counted), I finally realized and accepted that the query wasn’t the problem. There were problems with the basic structure of the story.

So, I essentially started over. And this time, I write the query first. When I felt like I had an awesome query after only a few tries, I knew I had finally figured it out. 

I got to work re-writing the story and when I was done, it just felt different. I knew I had gotten it right. I had two amazing beta readers look over The Charge. They made some excellent suggestions and I went to work on yet another significant revision. 

One problem my beta readers pointed out was that The Charge didn’t fit well into the YA genre (which was where I had been querying it) because my main character was 18 and out on his own. I agreed, but aging him up or down proved difficult. Read more about my journey to discover the new adult category in the article, “18-Year-Old Characters are Strictly Prohibited.”

Despite the categorization problem, I felt excited and confident about The Charge, so I set out to query agents again and entered some contests. And…

Still nothing.

Although I felt like I had made significant strides and was very proud of The Charge, the general consensus from the agents was, “no.”

I didn’t want to shelve The Charge, but I was discouraged and decided to at least move on to something else for a while. So, I wrote a completely different novel (but that’s a whole other story). I was feeling very excited about this new novel and was about to start querying it, but then something unexpected happened.

The publishing industry moves slowly and I’m not very patient. So, I had moved on before The Charge had really gotten a chance. I hadn’t thought about The Charge in a while, and then I learned that it had made it through the first round of the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Competition. Then, a month later, The Charge became a quarterfinalist. I didn’t move to the semi-finalist round, but I did win a very positive Publishers Weekly review.

My success in the ABNA contest made me rethink everything. The expert judges and the Publishers Weekly reviewer thought it was great! The agents who read my query may not have fallen in love, or thought they would have trouble fitting it into the correct marketing box, but that didn’t mean the book wasn’t worth publishing. So, with my renewed confidence, I tried something new, I queried small publishers directly. And since small publishers were open to the “New Adult” category, I was able to query it in the category it really belonged in.

It didn’t take long at all for me to get some full requests, and in about a nanosecond in publishing time, Curiosity Quills Press made me an offer. I have to admit, I was thrilled but also discombobulated. Things had happened quickly and not the way I had expected. I had no agent to help me negotiate the contract. Even after lots of research and consulting with friends, there was no way to be 100% certain that I was doing the right thing. But my gut told me it was the right thing to do, and I know I made the right choice.

My journey to publication was long and often painful, but I believe it all happened for a reason. Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Jamie, and for all your support along the way!

*My pleasure, Sharon! I bet you’re wondering what The Charge is about after that post. Here’s the blurb:

The Charge Cover copy

When King of the Texas Empire kidnaps Warren’s brother, Warren embarks into a still Wild West to save him. On his journey, he makes a discovery that changes his life forever—he and his brother are long-lost members of the Texas royal family and the King wants them both dead. 

He gets help from an activist Texan named Lena, who’s itching to take on the King and happens to be a beautiful firecracker Warren can’t stay away from. Convincing her he’s not one of the bad guys becomes harder when a mysterious energy stirs in his body, turning his brain into a hive of emotions and memories—not all his own.

A legacy of violence is not all he inherited from the brutal Kings of Texas. The myth that the royal family possesses supernatural powers may not be myth at all.

Gone are the days when choosing a major was a big deal. Now Warren must save his brother and choose whether or not to be King, follow a King, or die before he can retire his fake ID. 

*You can visit Sharon’s blog to learn more about her, and to enter our $75 Amazon gift card giveaway 5 of us are doing to say thanks for spreading the word about the 99 cent sale, woot woot!!

So, have you had the chance to read The Charge yet, or adding it to your TBR list? Interested in the $75 gift card (well, duh, who wouldn’t be, right?!) Stop by tomorrow . . . I’ll be highlighting another wonderful book participating in the 99 cent promo!

❤ Jaim-O

Mar 17 2013

The Luck of the Irish Brings you 18 Things for 99 Cents (and much more!!!)

Not only does the Kindle e-book for 18 Things go on sale today for 99 cents, but it was just an overall AWESOME week to be an author! A new local bookstore opened up in my town, and I also got to participate in the Southwest Florida Reading Festival yesterday. I sat at a vendor’s table with my local Romance Writer’s group from 10-4pm and actually sold 17 books! I know that’s not breaking any records, but I’m always humbled anyone wants to read my book! Annnd, while I was there, I got invited by the Lee County Reading Council to be the guest author speaker at their End of Year banquet next month *squeeee*

Plus, people left me warm fuzzy messages this week after finishing 18 Things. On Twitter, Cheryl had this to say: “Just finished 18 Things. Way to reinforce my belief in God and life. It was much-needed. I feel whole again after reading your book.” Isn’t that the greatest DM ever?! Thanks for letting me share, Cheryl!

Also got this message on FB from a middle school Language Arts teacher: “I ordered one of your books from amazon and all my students want to read it at the same time. Just placed another order for several copies.” LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

And finally another FB message from a coworker: “Tomorrow we will be able to check off running a 5k – thank you Jamie Ayres for motivating me to finally do something about my bucket list!” WOW, can you see the HUGE smile on my face from where you are sitting?!?

If that doesn’t make you want to read 18 Things, then you just might be a broken person. Well, okay, I am too . . . that’s why I wrote 18 Things! So let’s get down to the Nitty-Gritty!

99 cent Lucky Book Sale

For the 99 cent sale, several of us at Curiosity Quills Press wanted to do some kind of shared giveaway on our blogs. The point of the giveaway is to call attention to the 99 cent sale and get people to spread the word (via rafflecopter). We figured it didn’t make much sense to give away our 99 cent ebooks, but we could all put in toward a Kindle Fire or Amazon gift card. Who wouldn’t be interested in that, right? WordPress doesn’t support rafflecopter *shakes fist in air* but you can enter the giveaway on Sharon Bayliss’s site! (The link should be live sometime soon–thanks for helping to spread the word!) Here’s the list of participating books:

18 Things by Jamie Ayres *Woot, wOOt!!*

Once Upon a Changeling by V.J. Chambers
Cappuccino Heaven by Michelle Wright
The Space Whiskey Death Chronicles by William Vtika
The Charge by Sharon Bayliss
Ever by Jessa Russo
Blow up the Roses by Randy Attwood
Theocracide by James Wymore
Fade by Ayden Morgan
The Green Man and Other Short Stories by Rand Lee
The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt
Sanity Vacuum by Thea Gregory
Legasea by Krystalyn Drown
The Devil You Know (Nick Englebrecht Trilogy Book 1) by K.H. Koehler
Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish by Andrew Buckley
Nefertiti’s Heart by AW Exley
Paradise Earth: Day Zero by Anthony Mathenia
Death by Chocolate by Johanna Pitcairn
Bone Wires by Michael Shean
Shadow of a Dead Star by Michael Shean
The Green Eyed Monster by Mike Robinson
The Prince of Earth by Mike Robinson
Danger in Cat World by Nina Post
One Ghost per Serving by Nina Post
The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse by Nina Post
The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse by Nina Post
Wilde’s Fire (Darkness Falls Series Book 1) by Krystal Wade
Wilde’s Army (Darkness Falls Series Book 2) by Krystal Wade
World’s Burn Through (Chronicles of Nowhere Book 1) by Vicki Keire
Shadowed Ground (Chronicles of Nowhere Book 2) by Vicki Keire
Wet Dream by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
The God Particle by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
Christmas in the Morgue by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
Family Cursemas (The Megamillionaire Murders, Vol 1) by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
Dinosaur Jazz (Jurassic Club) by Michael Panush
El Mosaico, Vol. 1: Scarred Souls by Michael Panush
The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 1: American Nightmares by Michael Panush
The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 2: Cold Wars by Michael Panush
The Stein & Candle Detective Agency, Vol. 3: Red Reunion by Michael Panush

That’s a whole enchilada of awesome books!!! I’m hoping to see 18 Things trend in the top 100 in a few categories again and create some much-needed buzz, and would really appreciate it if you helped spread the word in your realm of influence!

Here’s an easy Tweet you can copy: The Luck of the Irish brings you the YA coming of age love story, 18 Things, for 99 cents! Happy St. Patricks’ Day #99cents #Kindle

Okay, before I go I just have to share my 9yo daughter’s funny relationship with Siri. She saved and saved for an iPod Touch 5 and finally bought it on Thursday. My hubs and I don’t have Smart phones, so this was her first introduction to Siri.  On Friday morning, I got out of the shower and heard Ashley talking to somebody. Me: Who are you talking to? Ash: Siri! Can you believe she’s never had pizza? I told her to try CiCi’s. Me: Um, you do know Siri is a computer, right? hahahahahaha! Then this morning hubs and I are talking and Ashley goes, “Shhh, I just asked Siri a question and she needs to concentrate!” LOL. And if you haven’t asked Siri who let the dogs out, Ashley highly recommends it! I do love how Siri is helping my kid with her speech problems. She has to speak clearly in order for Siri to understand her, which leads me to wrap up my St. Patrick’s Day announcement with this:

Siri St. Patrick's Day

Mar 14 2013

Terrific Thursday Mash-up!

I know what you’re thinking . . . Wow, back-to-back posts!? No worries, I’m still keeping my once a week slacker blogger status. I haven’t made enough money yet to hire those angry clowns to chase me around the house until I get stuff done. I just make exceptions for Curiosity Quills Publishing sisters like Gerilyn. But while I have your attention (hopefully), I’d also like to mention I’m on J.Keller Ford’s blog today for a guest post about What Made Me Write 18 Things. So check it out!

And my hubs has been insane in the membrane for this Thrift Shop rap by Macklemore *warning: if you do have a listen, there is quite a bit of inappropriate language if your kiddos are in the room* Probably because the thrift shop is hubs favorite place to buy some goofy T-shirts. Then I heard this interesting convo on the radio station about how some people are afraid of thrift shop clothes because demons can attach themselves to them?! This was in response to a segment on the 700 Club when a viewer wrote in to Pat Robertson and asked him about it. I don’t agree with his response, but I thought I should mention it here because it might spark a cool paranormal book idea for one of you . . . and because it leads into Gerilyn’s guest post on her true paranormal experience. Take it away, friend!

blogtourbanner for Buried

Okay, this isn’t a scary or spooky story (though, I guess the latter depends on the reader’s perspective), but I think it’s good to remember that not all paranormal experiences are.

The backdrop needed to understand this is that I live in my great grandmother’s house- the top floor of a two family home (my grandmother lives in the first floor house).  Great gram’ma, Mary Zenzian (maiden name Capp), was psychic—incidents from predicting the year of my sister’s birth as my mother and father walked out of the church on their wedding day to go to the reception, to feeling it when her brother, a cook in the army during WWI had received a severe grease burn on the face.  I spent a lot of days, from infancy to the age of four (when she passed away) with her.  As you can imagine, I don’t remember much, but my mother says there was a connection between gram’ma and me, and seeing I’m the only one to inherit even a touch of Mary’s ‘gift’, I would say I’m inclined to believe mom.

Okay, enough background info.

About a month after we first moved in, my husband and I were tasked with spending a week house/pet sitting for my parents.  The day we’re supposed to leave I’m puttering back and forth across the house, making certain the everything is packed and ready to go for the excursion.  It was the first morning since moving in that I’d been forced to make instant coffee, ’cause we were out of ground.  I don’t even know what made me notice it, but I walked through the kitchen and noticed that the coffee maker had been switched on.  It wasn’t fully electric- one has to manually press the button to start the pot.  I don’t think much of it, I just switch it off and keep going about what I’m doing. 

Then it happens again, 4 or 5 times, again.  Now, my husband wouldn’t touch the coffee maker ’cause if our house has a barista, then it’s me, and he knows it, and our son, Alex, was only 1 at the time and not nearly tall enough to reach the counter the coffee maker was on.  I can’t figure out what’s happening, but I don’t want to leave the house with the thing plugged in, in case it keeps malfunctioning, which could possibly start an electrical fire.  I unplug it and we leave for the house sitting chore.

At the end of the week, my mother helps us bring all of our stuff (and Alex) back into the house and we cross through the kitchen.  I see the coffee maker (now, thankfully having ground coffee in my possession) and I—thinking I’m joking- quip to my mother, “Did gram’ma have a thing about coffee?”

My mother just looks at me for a moment and then says, “Yeah.  She would get up before anyone else in the morning and put a fresh pot of coffee on the stove—you could smell it throughout both floors.  Why?”

So, I tell her about what happened while we were packing.

Her Vulcan-plucked eyebrows shoot up.“Your great grandmother clearly doesn’t want you drinking instant coffee.”

Thirteen years later, I only ever drink instant coffee in extreme, caffeine-deprived emergency . . . and I apologize aloud for it every, single time.

Buried

Book One of The Paranormalville Trilogy

Fane’s Cove isn’t the average coastal town- not with wandering apparitions, disembodied voices and poltergeist activity occurring on a regular basis- but the residents are used to it.  As far as they know, it’s simply always been that way.  Somehow, Cadence McKenna can’t shake the feeling that normal-seeming new resident Grey Addison is hiding something stranger than all of the town’s odd happenings combined and she’s determined to find out what that is.

Buried is a YA paranormal / urban fantasy tale by Gerilyn Marin, serialized and published at Curiosity Quills, every Tuesday.

*Oh, I love a grandmother who doesn’t let her granddaughter drink instant coffee *gag*

One more cool thing I wanted to share. It’s something my fabulous editor and friend, Krystal Wade, emailed me this week. It’s a link to another post by Agent Rachelle Gardner, who talked about manuscript perfection. She also discussed author rights and responsibilities, and why thinking negative thoughts can be a good thing. I found it very insightful.

So was my Thursday post T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C?! Did you check out any of the links? Want to read Buried? Are you gonna pray first before you pop some tags;-)

Mar 13 2013

Getting Lucky in a Wormhole and then Fading Away

Happy Wednesday ladies and gents! I love Wednesdays because Friday is on the horizon, it’s my blogging day, and I get to help lead youth group at my wonderful awesome church!! Oh, did my blog title seem random today? Wellll, that’s because today’s post is full of random fun! I have three special announcements: ANNOUNCEMENT? ANNOUNCEMENT! What a horrible way to die, a horrible way to die, a horrible way to start the day, a horrible way to die. *sorry, can’t say ‘announcement’ without that Scout song popping into my head. My squirrel moment is over . . . for now*
 
Okay, first things first! My publisher, Curiosity Quills, will be running a 99 cent ebook sale starting St. Patrick’s Day!
 
99 cent Lucky Book Sale
 
Here’s a list of the participating books:
 
18 Things by Jamie Ayres *YAHOOOO!!!*
The Charge by Sharon Bayliss
Ever by Jessa Russo
Blow up the Roses by Randy Attwood
Theocracide by James Wymore
Fade by Ayden Morgan
The Green Man and Other Short Stories by Rand Lee
The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt
Sanity Vacuum by Thea Gregory
Legasea by Krystalyn Drown
The Devil You Know (Nick Englebrecht Trilogy Book 1) by K.H. Koehler
Death, the Devil, and the Goldfish by Andrew Buckley
Nefertiti’s Heart by AW Exley
Paradise Earth: Day Zero by Anthony Mathenia
Death by Chocolate by Johanna Pitcairn
Bone Wires by Michael Shean
Shadow of a Dead Star by Michael Shean
The Green Eyed Monster by Mike Robinson
The Prince of Earth by Mike Robinson
Danger in Cat World by Nina Post
One Ghost per Serving by Nina Post
The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse by Nina Post
The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse by Nina Post
Wilde’s Fire (Darkness Falls Series Book 1) by Krystal Wade
Wilde’s Army (Darkness Falls Series Book 2) by Krystal Wade
World’s Burn Through (Chronicles of Nowhere Book 1) by Vicki Keire
Shadowed Ground (Chronicles of Nowhere Book 2) by Vicki Keire
Wet Dream by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
The God Particle by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
Christmas in the Morgue by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
Family Cursemas (The Megamillionaire Murders, Vol 1) by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.
 
I’m pretty jacked up about this since sales for 18 Things have been down, and who couldn’t use some luck of the Irish, right?! I’ve read a number of the books on the list already, and one of them was Fade by A.K. Morgen. And she’s here today to interrupt my regular scheduled programming and give you a special message in honor of Fade‘s six month book birthday, so put on your party hats people, and give it up for my publishing sister!!
 

I don’t know about you, but I love birthdays, and not just because cake is involved (though cake is rather important). I love the companionship involved in birthdays. Friends and family gathering to celebrate one another is never a bad thing. And presents don’t suck either. 🙂 Some of my favorite people and I have put together a great big squishy collection of gifts just for you. Yes, you! Entering is easy as cake. All you have to do is pull up a chair, turn up the music, and click on that pretty little Rafflecopter on my blog. Winners will be announced on March 23rd. Don’t forget to spread the word so all of your friends can join the celebration, too.

Fade

YAY! Happy 6 month birthday to Fade! Now for Numero Tres.  

National Wormhole Day Blog Hop: March 14th Albert Einstein’s Birthday. Brought to you by Laura Eno and Luanne Smith at Bards and Prophets. And mucho thanks to author Stephen Tremp for posting it on his blog, and then sending me an email reminder (because if you don’t know me, I suck at remembering things).
 
National Wormhole Day
 
Here’s the question for the blog hop:
 
What would you do or where would you go if you could traverse a wormhole through space or time just once? One safe round trip passage.
 

I think I’d put on my foil hat and head over to the other side of the universe where the aliens hang out. I’d convince them to give me their super powers like superior intellect and the power to live a thousand years like humans did in Biblical times. How would I convince them? Not sure . . . I’m a writer, so hopefully I could make up some crap. Maybe I could agree to be their human minion. It’d be totally worth it because then I would be smart enough to find cures for all the incurable diseases and create world peace, ect . . .  and would have plenty of time to do it!

WHat*abOUt*You? What the heck would you do if you had a two-way ticket to traverse a wormhole and safely return?

Mar 6 2013

IWSG: Spread the Love

Did you know my debut novel, 18 Things, released on January 24th?! If you did, then my six-week blog tour was a success:-) If you missed my last post of the tour, you can check it out here. You know I LOVE lists, so it’s no surprise I wrapped things up with one! If you’re thinking about querying, you don’t want to miss it.

So what now? I probably should get to all that writing of an actual book that I neglected to write guest posts instead. But first, I want to share the love, baby! The heart of the IWSG is to share and encourage and I think these things fall under both, in addition to making you cry, but no worries . . . there’s a good laugh at the end if you stick around! *Thanks to Elodie for bringing Chad and Bridget to my attention*

Buccaneer Blogfest and IWSG

First: Chad Morris

Chad is in a hospital, being there for his nine-year-old daughter as she recovers from surgery to remove a brain tumor. As the mother of a nine-year-old daughter myself, I can’t even imagine this. Obviously, he can’t promote his book release, but we can! We can give him the book launch he deserves. If you feel inclined, please mention his book on Twitter, Facebook, on your blog, on Pinterest, ect . . . .

The Inventors Secret

Book Blurb for The Inventor’s Secret:

Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don’t read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn’t around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar.

Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world. Twin siblings Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather’s inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins begin following a trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall.

Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather’s greatest secret–a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.

Second: Bridget Zinn

Bridget’s debut novel, POISON, releases in a week. Sadly, Bridget died from cancer in May 2011. Being published was her dream, and her husband and friends would appreciate some love in helping her dream become reality. Her husband set up a website that talks about the ways you can help.

poison

Book Blurb for Poison:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Third: Krystal Wade

Krystal is the one who turned my dream of publishing a book into reality. She keeps insane hours and answers every email I have in record time. She’s not editing books anymore so she can devote her time to writing, and right now you can “buy” the first book in her trilogy for FREE!!! But today is the last day of this promotion, so HURRY!!!

Wilde's Fire

Book Blurb for Wilde’s Fire:

Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she’s ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she’s dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. Kate’s forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What’s worse, she has no control over her new future, and it’s full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made.

Will Kate discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

*I think all of these stories sound pretty awesome, don’t you?

I’m looking forward to reading them with my twelve-year-old daughter.

Speaking of my first-born, she started a new blog with her four best friends this past weekend while they were having a slumber party. If you write middle grade, you’d be wise to give them a follow, and they’d be forever grateful in return!! Kaylee even wrote the first post about tips for surviving middle school! That post is the first thing that will have you laughing, or at least it did for me!

Staying with the topic of daughters, I must share this Father of the Bride video Ellen posted yesterday. No, it’s not a clip from the movie . . . and even though that flick is one of my favorites, I must say that this video tops it for me! Get ready for your second laugh!

*So how’d I do? Did I make you laugh or cry or both?

 

Feb 27 2013

18 Things List for Clara from Champion in the Darkness!!

Hi,  ya’ll! And Happy Over-the-Hump Day! I have a very special treat for you! You may recall my cover reveal for Tyrean Martinson’s Champion In The Darkness a couple of weeks ago. I’m not exactly sure on what blog Tyrean and I first met, but I LOVE her! And today, she’s baaack, with a very creative list of 18 Things. Her tie-in made me smile . . . Enjoy!

*Thanks, Jamie*

Inspired by Jamie’s book 18 Things, I thought it would be fun to create an 18 Things list for my main character, Clara, from Champion In the Darkness. I imagine that these are Clara’s 18 Things from the beginning of her story. Unlike Olga, I think this is Clara’s lifetime list. She doesn’t necessarily get to fulfill all of them in the book, but she gets in a little less than half of them. (I won’t say which ones)

Clara’s 18 Things:

1. Enter the Chamber of Swords, and choose a blade of power, the kind only carried by Sword Masters in the land of Septily.

2. Become a Sword Guard like her mom, or a Sword Scout like her unofficial mentor, Stelia.

3. Sneak into the castle and gather information about the King’s Shadow Guards, a mercenary group he hired to replace his Sword Guards.

4. Spar with her friend Salene nearly every day of her life.

5. Be the best Sword Master she can be.

6. Learn how to play an instrument like her dad.

7. Find out about her mom’s secretive past.

8. Protect her country from any outside attack, especially from the Drinaii army and the Dark Sisterhood led by Kalidess.

9. Travel to all seven districts of Septily to complete her training.

10. Go sailing.

11. Travel to the Far Isles, to Destiny Island, and the Trader’s Cove.

12. Swim in the ocean by the Far Isles.

13. Visit Aerland, the country of the griffins and the griffin riders.

14. Fly on a griffin.

15. Haggle with a Trader from Trader’s Cove.

16. Go on a quest.

17. Play the most memorable prank in Septily, ever, but not something that would get her in trouble or cause any damage.

18. Fall in love.

If you want to know more about Clara and which of these 18 things she gets to do, check out Champion In the Darkness.

And I highly encourage you to read Jamie Ayres’ 18 Things. It’s an inspiring book!

*Awww, thanks girlfriend!! And I highly encourage YOU to read Champion In the Darkness!! Can I just say that my favorites from Clara’s list were: #18, #17, #16, and #10! Thanks for sharing, Clara!*

Champion in the Darkness Cover

The Blurb:

Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master’s blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness.

*Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy, and is the first book in the Champion Trilogy*

Tyrean Martinson

Tyrean Martinson lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest, encouraged by her multi-talented husband and daughters. She likes to write, read, teach, ski, bicycle, walk, and sometimes she likes to sing and dance in the rain.

Using her degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English, Tyrean homeschools her two daughters and teaches writing and literature classes at a homeschool co-op.

Tyrean has been published in e-zines like Every Day Poets, Every Day Fiction and Mindflights, and a few print anthologies like The Best of Every Day Poets and Sunday Snaps: The Stories. Champion in the Darkness is her first book, but she plans to write many more.

Champion in the Darkness can be found at these links:

Amazon for paperback and kindle  

Nook

Kobo

Smashwords

Goodreads

Tyrean Martinson can be found at these links:

 Blog  

Twitter

Facebook

Thanks so much, Tyrean! And now, completely off subject . . . I know this video has been going around the web for the past month, but I just got the chance to watch it today and wanted to share the Pep Talk from Kid President (AKA Soulpancake).

Feb 25 2013

HELP! Our Neumarian Uprising Has Begun!!!

To my regular readers, I must interrupt my 18 Things blog tour to bring you this special message:

Neumarian Uprising

We need your help! Thanks to our spy, Ciara Knight, we are able to communicate with you today via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

The Neumarian uprising has begun. We are fighting for freedom and equality for all, but we need your help. Ciara informed us that you might want to know more about the uprising and why we ask you to risk your lives for our cause. To answer these questions I’ve agreed to let Ciara tell my sister’s, Raeth’s, story about her captivity. It will be free for you on a site called Amazon until March 1, 2013.

Our spies have told us this will help spread the word and find more recruits for our rebellion against the tyrannical queen. You can help by simply downloading a free copy of Weighted, a prequel to the Neumarian Chronicles. If you are intrigued and wish to follow our uprising, Escapement, book I of The Neumarian Chronicles, will be available for only $2.99 until March 1, 2013.

Escapement is told by Princess Semara. Don’t hold the fact Semara is a princess against her like I did, there is more to her than you can possibly imagine.

Here is a brief explanation of her telling of our uprising:

Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

What people are saying about Escapement:

“A heady mix of action adventure and steampunk — leavened with a dash of romance — ESCAPEMENT offers up its fair share of thrills, horrors and heart-pounding moments. A strong start to a captivating new series.”

— Jana Oliver, author of The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

“A riveting tale of justice, mercy, honor and love. Take a deep breath and hold on, because you’ll be turning the pages of Escapement quickly. Three unlikely comrades, Princess Semara, Ryder, and his sister Raeth, embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever. The beautiful love story nestled into these action-packed scenes will make you sigh and remember why you love to love. After reading the prequel Weighted, I knew this story would be amazing, and it was. Ciara Knight truly has a gift for creating awesome worlds and characters you won’t forget.”

–Lindi Peterson–Award winning author of Summer’s Song.

“Betrayal, secrets, and a rebellion send readers on a grand adventure, caught in the plight to discover Semara’s gifts and purpose.”

–Alex J Cavanaugh, author of Amazon best sellers CassaStar and CassaFire

“The most unmissable series ever! I couldn’t stop reading, the action and romance too breathtaking to break the spell!”

–ARC review by Sudah on Goodreads

“A courageous heart-stopping journey by young people to save their kind.”

–Hildie McQueen, bestselling author of Where the Four Winds Collide

If you’d like to see a peak into our world, please view this short clip on You Tube.

If you are now ready to join our fight, please add Escapement to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here. Shout out on all your social media sites, and tell everyone you know to stand up and fight.

Be Bold.

Be Brave.

Be Free.

In the name of the rebellion,
Ryder Arteres

Escapement can be found at Amazon.

Escapement_NumerianChronicles_frontcover

Wonderful cover, right?! I know we all have a rebellion to join, but you’ll want to keep querying those agents and editors in the meantime if you’re a writer like me! So stop by Pk Hrezo’s blog today for the tidbits of wisdom I learned from my local RWA writer’s conference this past weekend! Just two more stops of the 18 Things blog tour this week before it’s all finished *phew, wipes forehead*

But tell me before you hop over, are you gonna join the Neumarian Uprising?!

Feb 22 2013

Ninja Captain’s Cover Reveal and the REAL Olga Worontzoff

When our head ninja captain of the IWSG asked his army of minions to reveal his latest cover, of course I jumped at the chance! Alex does sooo much for everyone in the writing community, and I’ll  never be able to do enough to pay it forward! But here is a small token of my appreciation for everything Alex . . . .

CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

CassaStorm by Alex J Cavanaugh

Release date: September 17, 2013

Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure

Print ISBN 9781939844002

E-book ISBN 9781939844019

*Isn’t it super cool! I can’t WAIT to get my copy this September:-)

And now,  I have another special Friday treat for you. If you’ve read my bio, you might recall that like my main character in 18 Things, I have grandmothers named Gay and another named Olga Worontzoff. Thankfully, I’m not named after them like my MC, lol! Anywho, my mom visited my GG (A.K.A. Olga Worontzoff) this past week in New Jersey and delivered my signed copy to her!

Olga with my book

She’s a youthful ninety-five year old, and she phoned me to say I added years to her life with this honor & she’s gonna be on the Smuckers Jar at 100 for sure (that’s my daughters’ goal for her, HA!). Isn’t that great?! She’s inspired me so much . . . I’ll have to share her real life romance story on my blog some day, but for now I’m just gonna frame this picture and keep it on my desk:-)

Enjoy your weekend!! Any special plans? I’m off to my annual local Southwest Florida Romance Writers conference. I’ll blog about what I learned on Pk Hrezo’s blog on Monday! In the meantime, if you’re on Facebook this weekend, I’d really appreciate a ‘Like‘ on my Author Page! Thanks peeps<3

Feb 20 2013

Wacky Wednesday’s Miscellaneous Thoughts

I decided to have some more direction on my blog this year. Here’s what I’m thinking:

1st Wednesday of the month: IWSG

2nd Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday, where I post my miscellaneous thoughts (will probably focus more on faith and family, movies and music)

3rd Wednesday: Mash-up of Awesomeness (guest posts, interviews, cover reveals, blogfests announcements, etc . . . )

4th Wednesday: YA/NA Book Club–a review of the books I’ve read in the past month *anyone interested in reading the same book for March and posting about it? I’m thinking of Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans, but I’m open to suggestions!

Of course, I’ll always make an exception for my blogger buddies and post whenever they need me to do a cover reveal, ect . . . when it’s not a Wednesday. For instance, I’m revealing Alex Cavanaugh’s cover on Friday and Ciara Knight’s Escapement cover on Monday, so be sure to check back then. But I figured with this schedule, I’m fitting in a little bit of everything:-)

And just in case you missed it, here are the links for my 18 Things blog tour since the last time I posted:

Michelle Ziegler’s blog, where I shared about the time I almost drowned in a septic tank, and I’m not even shitting you right now!

Lindsey Loucks blog, where she asked me 18 fun questions, and I tried to give equally fun answers!

Jessa Russo’s blog, where I shared a deleted scene *paperback and ebook giveaway still up for grabs here!!*

And now for my random thoughts segment . . . .

On Valentine’s Day, my 9yo daughter gave me a list of “18 Things I Love About You.” She’s wanted her own blog for about a year now, but I told her she has to wait until she’s in middle school like her sister . . . so I thought she’d get a kick out of me publishing her list on here. And let’s face it, I only have 4 more years of her saying nice things about me, so I have to document this while I still can! Here’s her cute list (and I kept her spelling the same):

1. Nice

2. Funny

3. acts like a 9 year old kid *coincidentally, this is often my 12yo biggest complaint about me*

4. FUN

5. cool

6. everydays funier with you

7. good cook (hey, I never said all of this was true)

8. shouting out squril

9. prettey

10. sweet like candy

11. kindhearted

12. good friend

13. awesome

14. brave enough to kill spiders

15. careful, except when driving like Jeff Gordon *hindsight is 20/20–probably not a good idea to have my h.s. boyfriend teach me how to drive*

16. nice, small eyes *both my daughters have their dad’s eyes, which people are forever commenting on how big they are. You can watch this video to see for yourself–my daughters would be forever grateful since they really want to become YouTube sensations since their mean parents won’t let them become child actors*

17. great writer

18. And the last thing I love about you is that it wasn’t even hard to think of 18 Things that I love about you

*Awww! Did you have any sweet surprises this past week? What do you think about joining my YA/NA Monthly Online Book Club? Any book suggestions for me?!?

Feb 13 2013

A Valentine Treat with Marisa Cleveland and the 18 Things Tour Continues to Sweep the Blog Nation;-)

HaPPy*Valentine’s* Eve!!! And oooh boy, do I have the perfect gift for you!!! A book, of course . . . would you expect anything different from me?
 
Today marks the release of the Debut Novella for Marisa Cleveland, a very sweet kindred spirit who I met through my Southwest Florida Romance Writer’s Group. She is now a recovering high school teacher turned writer and agent extraordinaire, and she was kind enough to read my manuscript for 18 Things soooo many times that it made her head spin faster than if she’d starred in The Exorcist.  
 
Here’s the scoop:
 
Marisa Cleveland’s novella, The Valentine Challenge, debuted from Entangled Publishing! Join the celebration by visiting participating blogs and commenting the answer to this question: In your opinion, what’s the sexiest part of a man?
 
Between now and February 28th, Marisa’s super secret judges will browse the blogs and choose up to three winners to receive Valentine goodies!
 
No purchase necessary, but a Like on Amazon is always appreciated!
 
Title: The Valentine Challenge
Author: Marisa Cleveland
Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Flirt)
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
 
Valentine Challenge
 
Book Description:
When Stacey Bradford’s hot boss convinces his company’s board to close her best friend’s flower shop – days before Valentine’s Day! – Stacey declares war.
 
Intrigued by Stacey’s devotion to her friend, the hearts and flowers holiday, and belief in true love, Marsh issues a challenge – prove love exists or deliver the closing documents to her friend herself.
 
Stacey never could resist a challenge, but when Marsh makes Valentine’s Day the deadline for their deal, Stacey must decide how far she’s willing to go…for love.
 
Author Bio
Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and does both often. As a writer, she writes. Every day. Perhaps because she married her best friend, her adult romance novels focus on playfully naughty relationships developed through friendship and family-oriented values. She loves to connect with writers and readers.
 
Author Links
Website and blog: www.marisacleveland.com
 
Super Amazing Participating Blogs:
 
*WHat R U wAItiNG fOR?! What do you find sexiest in a man? *cough cough, please keep it PG-13 since I write for young adults*
 
Oh, and incase you missed it, here’s my guest post on Talynn’s Ink in the Book blog about my sweet first kiss and my inspiration for writing love stories.
 
And today, I’m visiting England on Rebecca Bradley’s blog, where she asks me this question: How Do I Fit It All In? You can comment on either blog through Friday for a chance to win a copy of 18 Things:-)
 
Well, I’m off to help lead Youth Group. Hope you had a very happy Over-the-Hump Day! Mine was full of many firsts: TV interview on The Morning Blend, Library Event, then my first Author School visit with some 8th graders who were one HUGE batch of Awesomesauce. I’ll tell ya allll about it later.
 
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY<3