Dangerous Depths by Karen Amanda Hooper

Oh, fun book release! And a giveaway!

DANGEROUS DEPTHS, book 2 of The Sea Monster Memoirs 
by Karen Amanda Hooper, has washed ashore. 
The sequel to TANGLED TIDES is now available, and the underwater cast of merfolk, selkies, sirens, gorgons, and even water sprites are in for some very turbulent waters.
Check out the book info then enter to win a prize pack including signed books, yummy treats, and sparkling beach-worthy nail polish!
Hell hath no fury like a selkie separated from his true love.

The gate to the sea creature realm is finally open. Yara wants to bask in the glow of her budding relationship with Treygan and explore Medusa’s world, but as the new leader of Rathe her powers are needed to save a sea creature she’s never met.

Rownan assumes the worst is behind him when he returns home to be reunited with his wife, Vienna, only to discover she’s gone. She traveled to the evil realm of Harte to find another gateway to Earth and was never heard from again. Rownan claimed he would go through hell to be with her, and now he must prove it.

Rownan, Yara, and Treygan will put their lives and souls at risk by traveling to the most dangerous realm of all. Love is supposed to conquer all, but no one has ever conquered Harte.


(eBook or paperback)

Buy on Barnes & Noble
(eBook or paperback)

Karen, along with Jennifer & Ena at Enticing Journey Book Promotions  
are giving away a prize pack to one lucky winner. 
 Prize pack includes:

~ Signed paperback of Tangled Tides & Dangerous Depths 

~ Two Beautifully Disney nail polishes 
(Ocean Mist--sparkly green, and Diva of the Deep--sparkly purple.)

~ A box of assorted yummy "sprite" treats from Fairy Tale Brownies 
(in honor of the new sprite characters who star in Dangerous Depths.) 
Enter here:

East of Eden by Lee Strauss

Lee Strauss is taking over my blog today to share some exciting news! And you can win a copy! Enter below.

Super excited to launch my first Women's fiction/New Adult  Contemporary Romance
EAST OF EDEN!!

  
Regret is a formidable foe.

Eden Kelley is the primary caregiver for her mother who’s in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and she’s only twenty-four. Not what she planned to do when she left her husband for a new start with her four-year-old daughter in tow. She’d hoped for free babysitting, but instead she found a mystery. The discovery of an erroneous marriage document leads to more questions, and unfortunately Eden can’t ask her mother for answers because she doesn’t remember.

Her mother’s antics drive her crazy, but Eden’s determined to make the best of it. That includes finding the exciting romantic adventure she’d dreamed about. But when trouble knocks, it’s her husband Cade who arrives to help. It’s awkward and tense. And Eden comes to one sure conclusion: leaving her handsome, caring husband was a huge mistake.

Her parents had a second chance at love? Would she and Cade get one, too?


Amazon | Kobo | Smashwords
Coming soon to Barnes & Nobles and itunes

"I was enamored with the mystery surrounding her [Eden's] mom and dad. I eagerly read wanting to unearth their secrets. I was thoroughly pleased with what I found and how the whole story pieced together. ...And how her parent's story related to what Eden and Cade were going through...A perfect read if you are seeking a read that is light and mysterious." - Mandy Anderson from I Read Indies

The Story Behind the Story
East of Eden is my one and only backlist book, meaning it was once published traditionally (2000) and is now out of print. The publishing house is in Germany and it was only available in the German language (even though it was written originally in English). For thirteen years none of my English speaking friends or family could read it - until now! Yay for Indie Publishing!
Of course, my writing style has changed a lot over thirteen years so I took the opportunity to revise the original manuscript extensively which included title and name changes, new and deleted scenes and some reshuffling of scenes. I really love this new and improved version.
Even though I revised it, I  left it set in the 1990s instead of updating it to current times. The reason for this is the mystery involved. It needs the time frame it's in to work, plus, you can be assured the setting is authentic :)
What Inspired the Story?
I was driving through a suburb of Vancouver, BC on day in the mid 1990s and spotted an elderly woman rocking in a chair on a front porch of one of the homes. I was a young woman and I had a flash forward of myself in that older woman's place. What would it feel like to have your whole life behind you?
And what if you couldn't remember it?
My grandmother had recently passed away from complications due to Alzheimer's disease, so this was a matter of personal concern to me. I remember the moment she no longer remembered who I was and it was heart breaking.
My muse picked up on the theme and added the mystery. A self-centered daughter who stumbles across a clue to something hidden in her mother's past. Something her mother could no longer remember and so couldn't answer her many questions. 

And...

Sample pages of the first book in my upcoming Minstrel Series, Sun & Moon are included!
She has a past. He has a secret.
Katja’s a risk-taking singer-songwriter hoping to make it in the indie music scene in Dresden, Germany. Micah’s a brooding uptown banker on a quest.
There’s an undeniable attraction between them, a gravitational pull they both struggle to resist. Katja knows she mustn’t fall in love with this handsome enigma. There’s something dark lurking beneath the surface. He could be dangerous.
And even if her life isn’t on the line,
her heart most definitely is.

Includes MP3 links to original music performed by Canadian Folk artist Kim McMechan.
Pre- orders now available!

itunes | kobo | Barnes & Noble

Lee Strauss writes mixed genre romance for upper YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun stuff under the name Elle Strauss. To find out more about Lee and her books check out her author facebook page. You can also follow her on twitter @elle_strauss and on Pinterest. To find out about new releases sign up for her newsletter at www.ellestraussbooks.com


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eternal Echoes by Angela Corbett

Book nerd tours is taking over my blog today.  And there's a giveaway. Enter. Enter.




She thought she stopped the evil.

She thought she was safe.

Everything she thought was wrong.

Almost four months have passed since Evie Starling learned she was a Tracker and helped defeat a Daevos Clan that was taking others like heróbut that wasnít the end of the abductions. As an unknown evil emerges, Evie vows to help solve the mystery of the missing Trackers, regardless of the risk.

With new powers she doesnít understand and canít control, she turns to Alex and Emil, her two soul mates, for help. But her feelings for them both are tearing her apart.

As the world around her is thrown into chaos, Evie is confronted with what could be a destiny-altering truth. Will she accept her history, her memories, and her role in this life, or choose to ignore the echoes of her past?

Purchase Eternal Echoes


Giveaway


About Angela

Angela Corbett graduated from Westminster College with a double major in communication and sociology. She started working as a reporter for her local newspaper when she was sixteen and won awards for feature, news, and editorial writing. She has also done freelance writing. In addition to writing, she works as a director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, and listening to U2. She lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieberís.

Angela writes under two names. Young Adult and New Adult titles are written as Angela Corbett. Adult titles are written as Destiny Ford.

Find Angela


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deciding Your Genre- Middle Grade

Welcome Dorine White! 
I asked her to write a post about what makes a book a 
middle grade book. 
Here is her answer. Enjoy!





Hi, my name is Dorine White and I am the author of Cleopatra's Legacy- The Emerald Ring, a middle grade fantasy. Sometimes people ask me- What is middle grade? It's a very good question, because if you aren't in the writing business, you would not know.

Middle grade books are books geared for kids between the ages of 8-12 years. It has nothing to do with middle school.  The manuscripts run between 100-150 typed pages and can run between 20,000- 50,000 words. At this age children are ready for more complex stories, subplots and secondary characters. Middle grade books often come in series because children at this age get hooked on characters. A great example of MG is Holes by Sachar.

MG is a step up from chapter books. These books are for the next level of readers, ages 7-10. They fall into two categories- early chapter books and regular chapter books. Early chapter books have manuscripts that are up to 30 pages long and are broken into 2-3 page chapters. For example, Nate The Great books by Sharmat. Regular chapter books run 45-60 pages and are broken up into 3 or 4 page chapters. These books usually are full of action and have more complex sentence structures, but still have short paragraphs. Check out the Ramona books by Cleary.

My book follows the adventures of Sara Bogus, an eleven-year old girl who discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. She is unable to get the ring off her finger, and soon magical things begin happening. At first it is only visions, but the it is understanding animals and later shape shifting into a cat. At first it is fun and adventurous, but a cat burglar shows up in town intent on stealing the ring that is stuck to her finger. Sara has the adventure of a lifetime as she protects her friends and family and learns ancient secrets.

The second book in the series, The Ruby Pendant, has a release date of April 2014. In this sequel, we follow thirteen-year-old Melanie Belaforte from New Orleans. The ruby pendant was hidden by her Aunt, and Melanie is determined to find it. However, finding the ruby will also reveal it's powers.

I hope you will come along on this adventure with me!

Do you write or read middle grade books?

Wastelands Cover Reveal

Yep! Yep! Yep! There's a revealing going on.

If you have an insatiable appetite for PIRATES and romance with MYSTERY thrown in, than you are in for a great ride with the BANDITS series.

Book 2 in the series WASTELANDS by LM Preston comes out Spring 2014 (May).

However, she couldn't wait to share the details of her smokin' hot cover!


Take a moment to add it to your GOODREADS reading list!
Here's the ISBN # 9780985025

And enjoy a FREE read of the 1st book in the series, BANDITS! here.


Places to find LM PRESTON
Website: Blog: http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/
Tweet Me: http://twitter.com/LM_Preston
Facebook:http://tinyurl.com/2fev6qc

Managing your Time as a Writer

My Blog is being commendeered by Author Stacy Lynn Carroll today!

I think it can be hard to manage your time as an author.
Stacy Lynn shares her thoughts on how to rock writing while keeping your mind.


How do I Manage My Writing Time?

First I’d like to thank Cindy for having me on her blog today! It’s always fun to visit! Let me start by introducing myself. I’m Stacy Lynn Carroll. I write Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, with a hint of romance. By day, I am a Mommy to three monkeys under the age of four. Yes, you read that right. And yes, I am crazy. But I love it! My talents include: turning absolutely anything into a song, master hide-and-seeker, and quoting the entire movie: “While You Were Sleeping” verbatim.


My debut novel: The Princess Sisters came out three years ago. I know what you may be thinking. Three years ago?! And you’re just barely releasing the sequel?! My answer is yes. The next thing you may be wondering is why then am I writing a post about time management? My answer is…I don’t know. But here it is anyway.



I learned very quickly from my experience as a nanny that I wanted to be a stay at home mom. It’s not for everyone, I realize and respect that. But for me, it became a goal from a pretty young age. I also realized that I wanted to be a writer. Before my oldest was born, I thought these two careers would mesh perfectly together. I just knew that my beautiful little angels would all take perfect naps at the same time every day and I would be able to get several hours of writing done each afternoon. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

When my oldest was a baby, I was indeed able to finish my first book. Just a couple months after the release of The Princess Sisters, number two came along. And then number three. My time for writing went from three hours a day plus a couple hours at night, to completely nonexistent! Between the three of them, any moment I had to myself was spent sleeping. Oh, precious sleep! Once my youngest was sleeping more consistently through the night, I knew it was time to go back. I missed writing! I realized how calming writing is for me and I needed to find a way to make time for my outlet.


I interrupt this guest post with a teaser for Frogs and Toads…
One kiss can change the future...for better or for worse.
Belle and her cousins have conquered their fears. Now as they navigate their way through the dating world, they start to see a "happily ever after" on the horizon. But when an unexpected school assignment forces them to examine their past, the Princess sisters realize they have a lot of questions about the fathers they've never met. Secrets are revealed, long lost family members are discovered, and now the girls must decide who belongs in their future and who should be kept in the past.  
Buy now here

Now back to the guest post…


So I write at night. I had to give up on the idea of writing during the day, at least until my kidlets are all in school. Trying to squeeze in a few minutes in the afternoon was causing too much stress. I decided instead to create an alter-ego. By day, I am Mommy. My kids get 100% of my attention and we are all happier because of it. By night, I am writer-woman! (Insert theme music here). My children go to bed at 9:00PM, leaving me with three hours to write before I burn out and fall asleep. I don’t always get the full three hours in. Sometimes my husband needs attention, sometimes dishes need to be done, and sometimes someone has a bad dream. But a wise author once told me that if you write something every single day, no matter how much or how little, you will someday finish a book. For me, that someday was about three years. But I did it! I finished my second book, and my family did not suffer because of it.



I hope to have the third and final book in the series out by the end of next year. I will continue to plug along every night until I reach this goal. Whether I write a sentence or four chapters during my three hour writing time, I know there will always be progress. And I will continue to write until my next book is complete. For anyone out there who has dreams of being an author but is afraid they don’t have the time, I say Bah Humbug! You don’t need to write fast, and you don’t need to write a lot. You just need to write every day. And your someday will come too!


Want more about Stacy Lynn?

Stacy Lynn Carroll has always loved telling stories.  She started out at Utah State University where she pursued a degree in English, learned how to western swing, and watched as many of her fellow students became ‘True Aggies’.  She then finished her BA at the University of Utah where she got an emphasis in creative writing.  After college she worked as an administrative assistant, where she continued to write stories for the amusement of her co-workers.  When her first daughter was born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her job and became a full-time mommy and writer.  She and her husband have three children, two Corgis, and a fish named Don





Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)