Category Archives: Books

Vanessa Barneveld Swims with the Mermaids

Books, mermaids, new release, Pintip Dunn,

lfdyblitzbanner

Release day for Vanessa Barneveld’s YA novella, LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG, is here! This quick read is full of heartbreak and hope. Vanessa will donate half of the profits from the sale of her novella to a charity that supports young people dealing with cancer. So make sure you pick up LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG. It’s only 99 cents at these e-tailers:

Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo

Add LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG to your Goodreads shelf

Read on for the summary and excerpt…

Summary

He has six months to live. She has six months to save him…

Molly Corbett can’t stand seeing her childhood pal Alex Gibson destroy himself. He’s gone from straight-A student to rebel without a cause. With so much at stake, some serious interference is called for—or at least Micromanaging Molly thinks so. Alex needs to get back on the path to the Ivy League. But the harder Molly pushes Alex, the harder he pushes back.

Alex has a secret.

Well, two secrets. Number one: He has terminal melanoma. With six months to live, Alex hasn’t got a second to waste. And hanging around hospitals when his friends think he’s cutting school definitely counts as wasted time. Instead, he’s going to drop out, surf, drive fast cars…and finally put secret number two out there. He’s in love with Molly and he’s going to tell her before it’s too late.

Edgy, and yet wonderfully tender, LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG sent me to reader heaven!

~ Tina Ferraro, author of THE ABCs OF KISSING BOYS

livefastdieyoung-cover-1600x2400
LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG Excerpt

Around six the next morning, I find Mom sitting at the island bench in the kitchen. She looks pretty chill for someone who just laid on a breakfast of fruit salad, yogurt, sautèed mushrooms and kale, unbuttered whole-wheat sourdough and two eggs, sunny-side up. A thick, football-field-green smoothie sits in a tall glass by the blender. Great. More kale.

“Hey, Alex!” She smiles over her coffee mug and pats the stool next to her. “Sleep well?”

I shuffle onto the seat and stare at the food. “Have I died and gone to buffet heaven?”

My mother winces at my choice of words, then makes a big effort to put on a happy face like she always does. “I want you to keep your strength up. You don’t have to eat all of it. Just most of it.”

“And you don’t have to go out of your way to make this for me. I mean, thanks. A lot. But I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Oh, I’m having some, too,” she says in an overly bright voice. With her fork, she scoops up a tiny portion of kale, hardly enough to fill a mouse’s belly.

Since my diagnosis a few months ago, Mom hasn’t been eating much either. This doesn’t stop her from testing all the “cancer-fighting” recipes she finds on Pinterest. Baking is therapy, she says. I call it a waste of food. Fortunately, the family next door is more than happy to take excess lentil loaf off our hands.

Every hour of every day, I wonder what will happen to Mom after I go. She’ll be all alone. Dad moved back to Australia after the divorce. He’s making custom surfboards, connecting with old friends, so I know he’ll be okay. Mom’s literally got no one. Except the perpetually hungry neighbors and her five employees. Yet another reason why I shouldn’t die so young.

It’s crazy. Why does it have to be like this? Maybe the doctors got it wrong. They’re not infallible. They’re not gods. They can’t predict the exact number of months, days, hours, and seconds a person has left on Earth.

Then again, I’ve peeked at my medical records. I know it doesn’t look good for me. With the help of a counselor I’ve gotten to the stage of mostly accepting that I’m headed for a dead end. I’ve even started giving some of my stuff away. The iPad Dad gave me is now Molly’s. Mom won’t have to go through boxes of my middle-school clothes after I’m gone because I’ve already dropped them off at Goodwill. The cobalt-blue board I learned to surf on? I’m giving that to a kid down the street whether he likes it or not.

Noticing I haven’t touched a single morsel, Mom says, “Will you at least have the kale, broccoli and goji berry smoothie? You don’t even have to chew. Close your eyes and drink it.”

Speaking of acceptance… Yeah, Mom’s adamant that five doctors on two continents are wrong and that I’ll make a miraculous recovery. All we need is faith and love and kale.

I would rather eat broken glass mixed with cyanide, but for Mom, I guess I can manage this. Forcing a smile, I sip chunks of raw broccoli that slipped by the blender’s blades. I’ll check over the blender later, make sure it’s working okay.

“After breakfast, I’m taking you to that appointment you missed yesterday,” she says quickly.

Feeling guilty, I look away. She didn’t hammer me for skipping out on seeing this “amazing herbalist-slash-psychic-healer.” Still, I know she was disappointed in me. “What about work? You’ve missed a lot of days because of me.”

“It’s fine. Things are slow anyway.” Her voice is two octaves higher than usual.

She’s lying. The real estate biz in this corner of SoCal is booming. Foreclosures have brought in the flippers—the people who swoop in on bank-owned properties and fix them up for a profit.

“But you need those commissions.” Silently I add, To pay my medical bills.

Another reason to feel guilty. I’m aware of how much my cancer is costing my parents. Flights to a melanoma specialist in Sydney and more hospital follow-ups here don’t come cheap. My folks tell me not to worry about that, but ironically I’m old enough to figure out that dying young is expensive.

And now Molly’s pushing me to apply to Yale.

I can’t blame her. She knows it’s been my dream since forever to go to Yale, get a medical degree, become a pediatrician. But it’d be a waste of time and money for me to even try to follow that dream.

I grimace at the olive oil oozing from the barely touched kale and mushroom thing.

Waste. Sure is the theme of the day. Of my life, even.

About Vanessavanessabarneveldauthor

Vanessa lives in Australia with her musician husband, a photogenic cat, and a ghost. In addition to writing, she works as a TV closed captioner for the deaf and audio describer for the blind. Her pastimes include baking, iPhonography, and traveling the world on a quest to find the world’s greatest fries.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads

For giveaway and book release news, sign up to Vanessa’s mailing list.

 

The Darkest Lie

Books, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, ,

The Darkest Lie Release Blitz | Pintip Dunn | JenHalliganPR.com

Yippee!!! It’s my book birthday! I am so excited for THE DARKEST LIE, and I hope you’ll love this book as much as I do. Check out the book’s details and teaser, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!

The Darkest LieThe Darkest Lie by Pintip Dunn | A Book and a Latte | bookandlatte.com

Publisher: Kensington YA

Publication: June 28, 2016

 

“The mother I knew would never do those things.

But maybe I never knew her after all.”

Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline—the same place her mother worked.

As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives—including CeCe’s own…

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt from The Darkest Lie

“I’ve been researching the story of her suicide,” Sam says. “And I came across something in my research that nobody could explain.”

“What is it?” I say dully, even though I can probably guess. I mean, there’s lots that’s inexplicable about my mom’s behavior. Tons.

Like: How could a grown woman be sexually attracted to a boy? Or more importantly: Why would she act on it? And my personal favorite: Did she have any kind of moral fiber—even a few lost threads—at all?

But Sam bypasses all the obvious questions and picks up a lock of my hair. I feel the slight tug all the way to my roots.

“Her hair.” He rubs my strands between his fingers, and I suppress a shiver. “It was chopped off, jagged. One article said it looked like it was lopped off with a butcher knife.”

I shrug, but even that simple movement is infused with the awareness of his touch. Still, he doesn’t let go.

“They said she was crazy,” I say. “Out of her mind. Maybe she was disfiguring herself as a sign of her shame. Who knows what motivated her actions?”

But even as I repeat the explanation the detectives gave for just about everything, my dad’s words echo in my mind: I knew your mother. She wasn’t capable of those things. I don’t believe she did any of it.

All of a sudden, my excuses sound exactly like what they are—easy, surface-level assumptions designed to make it easier for the detectives to close the case.

Sam frowns. “I guess I could buy that if I hadn’t seen the interview with her hair stylist in one of the local papers.”

Oh. One of those. Every newspaper in a fifty-mile radius went berserk when my mom committed suicide. Every day, there was a new article, featuring interviews with her fellow teachers, former students, even our lawn guy, for god’s sake. If there was a story on her hair salon, I must’ve missed it.

“The stylist kept saying your mom’s haircut was inconceivable, and I couldn’t understand why. So when I was scooting past Cut & Dry the other day, I stopped to talk to her.”

“Did she confirm my mom was a natural redhead?” I raise my eyebrows. “Reveal the exact color of dye she used to cover her silver sparkles?”

“Not at all,” he says, and something about his tone stops me. The chill begins at the base of my spine and crawls its way up, one long spider leg at a time. “The stylist said she’s been cutting your mom’s hair for two decades. And in all that time, your mother never let her cut more than half an inch. In fact, she came into the salon two days before she died, and they had the exact same argument. The stylist tried to talk her into a bob, and your mom adamantly refused.”

Abruptly, he lets go of my hair, and the strands swing back over my shoulder, loose, unencumbered, and very, very cold.

Sam’s eyes pierce right into me. “So what I want to know is: What could’ve happened in two days that made her change her mind? Unless . . . she didn’t.”

Pintip DunnAbout Pintip Dunn

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”

Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. Her debut novel, FORGET TOMORROW, is a finalist in the Best First Book category of RWA’s RITA® contest. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland. You can learn more about Pintip and her books at www.pintipdunn.com.

Giveaway

There are 2 prizes! One winner will win a signed copy of THE DARKEST LIE (US only), and another winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon or Book Depository (international)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Emma Adams Swims with the Mermaids: INDESTRUCTIBLE

Books, mermaids, new release,

It’s release week for Indestructible, the first in an exciting new YA post-apocalyptic trilogy.


Two years ago, the fiends invaded, with a devastating explosion that split the world in two. Even now, energy blasts strike without warning, destroying everything in their paths. The fiends hunt anyone unlucky enough to escape.

My name is Leah. An energy blast killed my group. It should have killed me, too. Instead, I woke up alone in the wilderness, stalked by the fiends.

My only hope is the red-cloaked strangers who call themselves the Pyros. They can do the impossible and make flames shoot from their hands. Right now, my one chance for safety — and revenge — is with them.

But they’re keeping secrets from me. Like those skeletons hidden under their base. And the reasons I developed a psychic link with someone who can’t stand the sight of me — after he saved my life.

If I don’t uncover the truth about why the world ended the first time, my new safe haven might go up in smoke…

Indestructible is the first in a YA post-apocalyptic superhero-fantasy trilogy.

Amazon   Add on Goodreads

Emma is the author of various fantasy novels, including the universe-hopping urban fantasy Alliance series and the YA paranormal Darkworld series.

Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing speculative fiction with magic and monsters. She lives in the middle of England, but dreams of exploring the Multiverse. When she’s not immersed in her own fictional worlds, Emma works as a freelance editor and proofreader and reads an improbable number of books.

Visit www.emmaladams.com to find out more about Emma’s books, or subscribe to her newsletter (smarturl.it/ELAnewsletter) to get a free Alliance short story and monthly updates on upcoming releases.

Website  Blog  Facebook  Twitter  Newsletter

Mermaid & Friends: E.E. Cooper

Books, mermaids, Mermaids & Friends,

Friends,
I am absolutely thrilled to welcome E.E. Cooper to the pond today. Her YA, VANISHED, released earlier this week, and it sounds 100% up my alley. In fact, I’ve decided to reward myself with this book as soon as I finish my revisions. Read on to find out more about this intriguing book!

1) Where did the idea for this story come from?

I’ve always been fascinated with friendships and how some are the best relationships in your life and others can be toxic. I wanted to write about a group of friends who are keeping secrets from each other and themselves. Once I knew the main secret the story Vanished coverstarted to spiral out from there. It was much more complicated than stories I’d written in the past so I was both excited to write it and also intimidated.

2) VANISHED is a very twisty mystery. Can you talk about the plotting of it a bit?

There were a few moments where I was pretty sure this story was going to drive me insane. Those who know me may argue that it didn’t have far to drive. I knew aspects of the story when I started and I spent a fair bit of time outlining it. I thought I had it all figured out. (feel free to laugh here) Then I started writing. This book went through several revisions and I was lucky enough to work with a great editor who kept pushing me to make it more complex and not go for an easy answer. My office started to look like a scene from A Beautiful Mind. There were index cards taped to the wall, various things highlighted, Post-it notes sprinkled around and I would pace back and forth waiting for “a-ha” moments.

 

3) Do you have a favorite character?

How does anyone pick a favorite? I love them all, but I will admit a soft spot for the main character Kalah. She’s fallen into a very difficult situation and has to push herself well beyond her comfort level to get out. Kalah is a complicated character. She has a mixed heritage, half Indian and half French. She is part of a clique- but with two very different best friends that she’s always trying to glue together. She has a boyfriend who she really cares for- but can’t hide from the fact that she has romantic feelings for a girl. She has a history of anxiety and is always struggling to figure out if she’s right to be upset- or if her anxiety is making the situation only seem out of control. I admired her all the more for all her flaws and complexities.

4) You’ve had some great reviews for this story. Care to share a favourite?

Thank you so much! Reviews are nerve wracking. I tell myself that I don’t care- but that’s a fat lie. The one that made me run around the house in circles (with my dog running after me wondering what the heck was going on) was the one by School Library Journal. They said: This novel tackles themes of friendship, deception, obsession, and love….With early hints of John Green’s Paper Towns that slowly morph into Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl​.” Any comparison to John Green and Gillian Flynn was enough to make me lose my mind.

5) So, what are YOU reading right now? Do you have a favourite genre to read?

I suspect it’s not a shock to discover that I am a huge reader. I love a bit of everything: Non-Fiction, YA, Contemporaries, Mysteries, you name I’ll try it – but psychological thrillers are a favorite. I find people fascinating and how they respond when situations turn dark is always something that will keep me reading just one more chapter. I recently finished Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn which has a great twist. In a totally different vein I plan to crack open Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu which just came out. I love her books- so am excited for this one.

6) What is up next for you?

I am working on the second book in the VANISHED series. I’ve got a draft done and am in the stage where I try and make things make sense on the page and not just in my head. It’s also a beautiful summer in Vancouver so there is a lot of walking the dog on the beach planned. The fresh air helps me get story ideas and my dog enjoys the chance to roll around in dead things he finds.

Thanks for having me!

* * * *
Thanks so much for joining us, E.E.! And wow! John Green and Gillian Flynn! I’d better finish these revisions quickly, ’cause I kinda want to read this book right now!

* * * *

Bio:
E. E. Cooper lives in Vancouver Canada with her husband and one very spoiled dog. You can reach her on Twitter (@eecooperbooks) where she spends entirely too much time. You can also visit her website at www.eecooper.com

Holly Bodger’s 5 TO 1 Releases Today!

Books, debut release, Kimberly MacCarron, mermaids, Publishing, , ,

Today is the debut release of a fabulous book—5 TO 1—by Holly Bodger.  I first met Holly when we became Golden Heart® finalists together in 2013. We were both in the YA (Young Adult) category, and all of us YA writers bonded quickly. We had our own little loop called the Savvy Sevens inside of our bigger GH loop—The Lucky 13s.

Many of us in our category exchanged work before we ever met at the national conference, but it was Holly’s critique that either made me want to laugh or cry. She wasn’t harsh as much as honest. But then again, it was in a harshly honest kind of way. She would write comments in the margins like, “Meh” or “Hallmark moment,” and instead of getting upset, I laughed.

In my recent WIP, I mentioned my main character was a senior. Then again. And again. She started pointing it out with sarcasm after a few mentions in the first chapter: “Wait! He’s a senior? I had no idea!” Granted, the sarcastic comments only surfaced after we’d become friends and were used to reading for each other.

I have three CPs. The first pass always goes to Vanessa because she’s sweet and will bolster my ego. The second one goes to Pintip. She tells me all the turning points I’ve missed or that my black moment isn’t black enough. After I fix everything, and I think it’s just about perfect, I send it on to Holly. Then she rips it apart. But by then, I’m ready for it. So, I asked Holly about the people who read her books.  Here’s her response:

Every book is different, but these are generally the people who read my manuscripts before they go to my agent.

1. The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper is scary. She has a whip and is not afraid to use it. I always send my books to her first because a) she knows she’s reading my crap and can read despite the complete lack of emotion, and b) she’s not afraid to tell me it’s crap. The Gatekeeper sends me lists of things that I need to fix before anyone else sees the book. Some of these lists are short. Some of them are long. Most of them have words in uppercase such as “WHAT IS SHE FEELING? IS SHE A ROBOT?” Oh, and yes, the Gatekeeper is Kim MacCarron and no, I don’t know (or want to know!) if she wears leather while reading.

2. The group

I have many other readers, some who have been around for a few books and some who are new. Each of these writers has a different perspective which helps me see different things. Some will tear apart the plot, while others will focus on setting or characterization. Some will just say nice things that make me feel better after the Gatekeeper’s exclamation marks. The group includes my wonderful friends Amy, McCall, Jill, Loretta, Monica, Marybeth, and Pintip.

3. The teen

Eventually, the book goes to Kaitlin, daughter of the Gatekeeper, because she can give me a true reader’s perspective. Plus she can tell me when I do stupid things that make my teen characters sound like they should be wearing mom jeans.

4. The expert

For 5 TO 1, I was very lucky to have the always awesome Sonali Dev to help me with cultural details. In addition to the random questions I asked her while editing, I sent her the book when it was completely done so she could see if I’d missed something or got something totally wrong (a couple times, I even ran copyedit Qs by her!) I have used different expert readers with other books in the past (for example, I have contacted doctors, police officers and teachers). These people are invaluable. Without them, I would make stupid mistakes.

5. The Gatekeeper, Part 2

Yeah, she usually reads it again, but she uses less exclamation marks the second time around and sometimes, she puts little smiley faces and hearts in the margin. That’s why she’s a keeper. So if you’re reading this thinking you need the Gatekeeper in your life, HANDS OFF! She’s mine. And don’t think I won’t open a can of whoop-ass if I need to fight for her. I know Kung Fu. Well, sorta. I’ve seen the movie with the panda at least three times…

About 5 TO 1

In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, Koyanagar–a country severed from India–now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, and women are an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of wedding their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife. But after fighting so hard for freedom against the old ways of gender selection, these women have become just as deluded as their male predecessors.

Sudasa Singh doesn’t want to be a wife and Kiran, a boy competing to be her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Kiran’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, each thwarts the other until they slowly realize that they might want the same thing.

You can visit Holly here or follow her on Twitter. About Holly Bodger

A long-time resident of Ottawa, Canada, Holly has been working in publishing since she graduated with an English degree from the University of Ottawa.

5 TO 1 is Holly’s debut novel. You can visit Holly here or follow her on Twitter

Mermaid & Friends: Jessica Ruddick’s LETTING GO cover reveal

Books, Cover Reveal, mermaids, , ,

Friends, I am thrilled to share the cover of Jessica Ruddick’s debut NA novel, LETTING GO! This wonderful novel is being released on May 26 from Entangled Embrace.

Check out this loveliness:

LettingGo_1600

Isn’t that a great cover? I love how the shape of her body forms the bottom of a heart!

 

Blurb:

How long do you hold on?

Cori Elliott likes order. Her schedule, her social life…even her GPA is perfect. Then she finds out her high school boyfriend’s death wasn’t an accident—it was suicide. The devastating revelation is enough to fracture her perfectly structured life, sending Cori in a downward spiral of self-doubt and impulsive decisions.

And right into the arms of Luke Evans.

But Cori’s life isn’t perfect anymore. In fact, it’s all coming apart. The only way she can save herself is to let go of everything—including the girl she used to be. Even if it means losing the one guy who might just be perfect for her in the process…

Jessica cropped

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23302058-letting-go?from_search=true

 

About the Author:

Jessica Ruddick is a 2014 Golden Heart finalist for her new adult novel, Letting Go, which was inspired by her own college experiences. She lives in Virginia and is married to her college sweetheart—their first date was a fraternity toga party (and nothing inspires love like a toga, right?). When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her hands on a keyboard, she can be found wrangling her two rambunctious sons, taming two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs, and battling the herd of dust bunnies that has taken up residence in her home. To learn more about Jessica, please visit her website at www.jessicaruddick.com.

 

Author Links:

Website │ Twitter │ Facebook │ Goodreads

 

Debut Author Siera London Swims with the Mermaids

Books, Denny S. Bryce, mermaids

Denny (PortRoyale)One of the fun things about being me is that I get to talk to authors about their work. And I enjoy sharing those conversations here at the Waterworld Mermaid blog. Today, I’m sharing some of my chat with Siera London. She has a new release coming out TODAY, March 31. So, please take a few minutes to read below and learn more about Siera (a member of the WRW-DC RWA Chapter) and her debut novel.

ABOUT Siera

Siera London, a former naval officer, is a writer of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. A native Floridian, her love of coastal towns and bustling cities shines through in her sassy and sexy storytelling. Currently she resides in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and a color patch tabby that has free reign of the house. 

Denny: Tell me about your book?

Siera: I’d love to! CHASING AVA is book one in the Bachelors of Shell Cove series. It’s a contemporary, multicultural romance set in the beautiful coastal city of Shell Cove, FL.

Ava Walters is an emotionally wounded nurse struggling to mend her shattered life. Logan Masters is a broken man pursing his future at any cost. They never expected to find redemption in each other’s arms, but one night changes both their lives, and there’s no undoing the chain reaction of their night together.

Purchase Link: Amazon.

Denny: What do you love about her hero?

Siera: Logan has the right balance of push and pull in his relationship with Ava. He doesn’t allow her to avoid making difficult decisions. His unwavering devotion to Ava compels her to make choices about her own destiny.

Denny: What about your hero makes you mad?

Siera: He wants everything now! Logan is an in your face kind of hero. He looks at life through a black and white lens. You are either with him or against him. 

Denny: How about your heroine?

033b24_46cb7408eaac4135a65d195e1c9b0d04.jpg_srz_p_298_446_75_22_0.50_1.20_0Siera: Ava is a passionate and loving woman, but she can’t see these qualities in herself. She doesn’t realize how accomplished she is, in spite of her hurtful past. 

Denny: What did your hero say or do that surprised you?

Siera: Logan’s actions surprised me when Ava came into his life. He surrenders to the fact that he loves her and it’s so out of character for him to surrender anything. He surprises her with a two-carat diamond heart pendant. Logan’s words to Ava:

“It’s my heart, Ava. I’m giving my heart to you because I’m yours and you’re mine.”

The whole scene blew my mind.

Denny: What’s coming up next for you?

Siera: I will be at Lady Jane’s Salon in Bethesda, MD on April 11, 2015 at 6 pm. I’ll be reading an excerpt from CHASING AVA.

Also, I’ll be at the Romantic Times Convention in Dallas, TX, May 12-17, 2015. Stop by and say hello at the Military SOS Tribute event or the Meet the Author sessions.

E-mail me at: [email protected]

Like me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorsieralondon

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/siera_london

Visit my website: www.sieralondon.com

 

 

 

 

Michelle Monkou Swims with the Mermaids: Aligning Passion, Career, and Job

Books, mermaids, Mermaids & Friends, ,

We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the uber-talented Michelle Monkou to the lagoon today! I have had the pleasure of knowing Michelle for the last year and a half, and I can honestly say she is one of the most hard working, dedicated, and inspirational people I’ve ever met. Her latest book, ONE TO LOVE, is being released on April 1 from Harlequin Kimani and she has graciously agreed to talk to us about aligning her passion, career, and job. Take it away, Michelle!

*****

I’m entering my 13th year in the business…wow, I can’t believe it. From the first day of publication, I had no idea what the future would hold. I was so focused on the fact that I had signed a contract and a publisher would take my contemporary romance, Open One To Love CoverYour Heart, out to the world.

That was the big dream.

So what came after the dream had been fulfilled?

• 20 titles with an additional 3 titles in the hopper with publishers.

• One publisher expanded to three publishers and my own indie platform.

• Contemporary romance now sharing space on the shelf with urban fantasy, and erotic romance.

Now what?

I hadn’t planned for Acts or Parts or Phases to my dream. Yet, a shift in priorities and vision made me take stock of where I was and where I wanted to go. The only direction to go is forward, upward, where the sky is only an artificial limit.

Passion for writing is there. Writing groups, networking events, goals keep the momentum going and the energy flowing.

This is my career. Thirteen years is not amateur night or a side gig. I’m creating a legacy. I’m building a fan base. I’m channeling that passion for the long haul.

At the end of the day, this is my job. I earn a living, want to continue earning a living and unapologetically expect to earn a living.

With these elements aligned, I’m free as I want to be, in order to create, to imagine, to continue fulfilling my dream—to be one helluva kick ass writer.

I hope your passion, career, and job are in alignment with your dream.

*****

Photo 2 (1)Michelle Monkou is a multi-published author with over 20 books in print and digital. She began her writing career in 2002 with Black Entertainment Television (BET) Books, Arabesque imprint. She writes contemporary romances, paranormal/urban fantasy and publishes her backlist and original stories on her independent digital platform, Stella Maris Publishing. Her stories speak to the heart and offer that happy ever after ending for the romance fiction reader.

Michelle is also an active participant with romance writers’ advocacy efforts. She served on the boards and as presidents of Washington Romance Writers, and the 10,000 membership Romance Writers of America. She’s a weekly contributor on USA TODAY’s Happy Ever Blog providing commentary on romance fiction.

She resides in Maryland writing many more stories to fill the hands and e-readers of romantic bookaholics. Michelle‘s One to Love is available for purchase this week. Preorder your copy now and catch Michelle‘s fabulous other titles.

Mermaids & Friends: Jennifer Fusco Swims with the Mermaids!

Books, Carlene Love Flores, Guest Post, Marketing, Mermaids & Friends,

Mermaid-Carlene-300x225Dearest Fishy Friends!

Today is a very special day in the pond because we have the lovely and talented author, Miss Jennifer Fusco, as our guest! She’s sharing a very poignant story about the importance of embracing all of your life’s experiences, whether you think they are relevant or not. Take it away, Jennifer…

A second career…

After college I joined one of Corporate America’s largest companies. I had a degree in English. I wasn’t an Engineer or a math nerd, so the places I could fit in the ginormous conglomerate were few. Luckily, I found myself stuck in the Marketing department.

I’d never taken a marketing class. Had no knowledge of what it was, exactly. You tell people why they should buy stuff, okay. I get it. And, a career was born. My day job educated me in all things marketing. They sent me to workshops, classes, industry meetings. It turned out that telling people why they should buy stuff was harder than it sounded. It wasn’t sales exactly, nor was it psychology either. It was both.

Market or Die - 600x900x300

I spent fifteen years in marketing. Learning, practicing, putting those learned techniques out into the market place and evaluating their results. I did well. I won the ANA’s Advertising award three years running. I knew stuff. Yay, for me. But, it was a far cry from the teacher I thought I’d be as a child or the writer I dreamed I’d be as an adult.

Was I happy? No.

Marketing is a discipline. Anyone can learn it. Anyone can convince people to buy stuff. There is a market for everything.  The challenge was over.

Then I discovered a writing group, CTRWA to be exact. In essence, we made a deal. You teach us how to market, we’ll teach you how to write romance. DONE!  A second career was born!!

I began teaching my fellow chaptermates about brand, and marketability. They joined with me and I took my workshop to RWA National. And, I was set. From there, I jenphoto2conducted more workshops, more classes, gave more speeches. Turned out, my chaptermates were right. Authors did need to learn marketing, and they needed to learn it the right way.

I opened at publicity services company Market or Die Author Services, LLC in 2012. Now, my partner and I maintain over 40 active clients. Shortly after I signed with an agent, I drafted a proposal for a marketing book for writers. We sold it to Belle. It releases today.

The point of this post is that in life there are things we’re going to learn, to embrace, whether we want to or not. I never intended on being a marketer. It happened, but it prepared me with the skills I need to teach you how to do your very best marketing work, and sell more books.

I encourage you to take a read through Market or Die. In the book you’ll find marketing lessons not only from me, but from some of the most successful names in romance, like Eloisa James, Loretta Chase and Kristan Higgins.

Please don’t think marketing is this force with which you must endure. I did for fifteen years, and it only makes it harder to understand. Learn, embrace and ask questions. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with your questions.

And who knows? You may like it so much you might want to start marketing as a second career for yourself.  🙂

 

Immortal Wounds–A Novella Idea

Books, Loni Lynne, mermaids, Writing

I have never been one to write ‘short’… that’s for sure. Just ask anyone who receives a letter or message from me, four page letters and full detail messages. I get irate when my children respond to my texts with ‘K’ and ‘Yes/No’.  I want details, people! I had a love/hate relationships with my English teachers in high school. Only 10 page report on the British Monarchy? *sigh* Yes, I was one of those, nerds/geeks.

So when an issue came up with my work in progress, Immortal Angel, in which I needed to introduce the couple’s situation before the actual story took place I came up with a ‘novella’ to do just that.

Some would say it’s more of a novelette since it’s roughly a 16,000 word little piece of work. But God, did I have a blast writing it!

Now I want to do more…but after I finish Immortal Angel, now.

So without further ado, I would like to present my little story which is now out on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and a few other sites provided by the wonderful people at Draft2Digital.

Cover4 fixed copy--smaller   Immortal Wounds

(A Guardians of Dacia Novella)

  Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone…

Vietnam never stopped for Mike Linder—and it never will. As an immortal being, Mike is    doomed to face his issues of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffered in combat for  eternity. The darkness in the seventy year old vampire is swept away by the sweet spirited  Christina Johnston who he is called upon by his boss to protect from clan enemies. But  keeping his sunshine around would only lead to extinguishing her light, permanently.

 His Sunshine…His Only Sunshine…

Tina Johnston always believes the glass is half full. The eternal optimist, she wants to help  Mike find the peace from his horrors of war and she believes she’s the one to give it to him.  Unfortunately, Mike won’t let her. Haunted by his past and suffering terrors mixed with his  present, is she strong enough to endure his tortured past? Can she heal his Immortal Wounds?

Rated R—Language, graphic combat scenes, spicy sex.

Available only on eBook format at these fine stores, for only .99:

  Amazon. Nook, Kobo, Scribd

I hope you enjoy!

Immortal Angel to be released, March 30, 2015

(God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise) 🙂

Hugs!