Wednesday, July 31, 2013

News, updates, and random stuff!

News:  I am super, uper, duper close to 2,000 likes on Facebook! You can "LIKE" the page HERE! And guess what?! There are perks! :) I am constantly doing giveaways, promotions, updates, and lots and lots of teasers for my books!

On top of that, if I can get to 2,000 likes BY August 1st, I am giving away these two beautiful dragons (sorry for the poor pictures), a TY Beanie Wolf, a TY Beanie Owl, and a journal from Ashen Fires Originals!




So if you have even just a second, please LIKE my page and if you have two seconds, please share? 

Speaking of sharing! Guess what?!?! 

I already have the party set up! You can join the 2,000 likes Giveaway party HERE!  Pinned to the top of the event is a poll. Go add your name to the poll and get all your friends to join the event and simply click on your name! Person who invites and gets the most friends to come to the party is getting a very special prize!!!!!!!!! 

See? Perks! *Big smile* 


Updates: 

I have banned myself from Facebook until Only Half Alive is edited and with my editor. The book should be on it's way to her by August first but I might have to beg her to give me a couple extra days to finish. Eeep! BUT it is getting done and I am very happy with the way it is shaping up. I do however understand that know for a fact that it needs some work. Hence, the editor. :) 

And Random Stuff: 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE BBC's Merlin! It is a very epic show and I love it! I also love ABC's Once Upon a Time! Dying for the second season to become available on DVD. Do you watch either or both of these shows? What do you think?? *NO SPOILERS PLEASE* 

And that's all folks! I am off to edit some more! :) <3 I hope you have a very fantastic day!!!!!!!!!!! 




Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Feudlings in Sight ~ Cover Reveal

Astraea Press is celebrating their first cover reveal; Wendy Knight's Fate on Fire novella, Feudlings in Sight! Available Thursday on Astraea Press, Amazon, and all other major ebook retailers!


Blurb: Boys of war suck at romance. Charity Delyle has lived in the shadow of her Prodigy cousin and his powerful Guard since the day she was born. And she doesn’t mind—really. Except that being in Hunter’s shadow means that he can’t see her. And she’d like that to change. Hunter has one purpose in life: Protect the Prodigy, or die trying. That means a social life, school, and even Charity come last until the war is over. For the most part, he’s okay with that—he can lose everything if he has to…except his seer. Starting at a new school should be much safer than living in a war-ravaged Carules headquarters. But this new school is different than the others. Friendships are forged and destinies are questioned, and Hunter’s decision could cost them all everything they’ve been hoping for.

  Excerpt:

“Okay, do you want to practice the ones we learned last week or just start new ones?” She had carefully color-coded the spell book with sticky tabs — spells they had mastered, spells they had practiced, spells that would come in handy one day — she was very organized. And if the Council ever found out she put sticky tabs in a book that was over three hundred years old, they would kill her completely dead. “Learn as much as you can, Shane. Gonna be hard to find a place to practice in the mountains of Utah, surrounded by Normals.” Hunter idly traced spells in the air, letting them fizzle and die without igniting them. “Well, alright.” Charity flipped to the red section — spells that would come in handy one day. She started at the top. “This one is called an Al-able.” The odd word rolled awkwardly off her tongue. “It’s like… it looks like it’s sort of a flat triangle of flames.” Hunter and Shane both walked over, studying the spell in the book before tracing it slowly into the air. The spell wouldn’t actually ignite until they lit it with the flames roiling through their blood, but they both wanted to make sure they could do it correctly so as not to explode them all to pieces or something. “No, no, Hunter. Less harsh lines. Softer.” Charity glanced down at the page and then up at Hunter’s disaster of an attempt. Sighing she laid the book on the metal next to her and pushed herself to her feet. She took Hunter’s hand, trying hard to ignore the way her own blood seemed to explode into flames. There’s no magic there, she told herself harshly. “Like this.” She led his hand through the spell until the air smoked and the image burned in front of them. She looked up, got caught in his gold eyes. He watched her, an unreadable look on his face. It made her heart stutter in her chest. Before he could say anything she dropped his hand. “Now try it on your own. I can’t do everything for you, you know.” Charity grinned playfully, dodging out of the way as he tried to push her over. She rescued the book from the twisted metal and perched, watching them expectantly. “Go. Do something.” Shane rolled his eyes. “Give the girl a book and she’s suddenly the boss.” He moved away several feet so he wouldn’t accidentally ignite her. He’d done it before, and Charity didn’t relish the idea of it happening again.


BIO: Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S. You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.

 Twitter: @wjk8099 ~  Facebook ~  Blog  ~ Goodreads

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, July 29, 2013

Dreams do come true! I know, because mine just did!

April 11th . . . just days after announcing I would be self-publishing my first book I got an e-mail from an old friend. A friend who happened to be one of the very women who got me started in writing. I thought perhaps she was going to congratulate me. Perhaps give me advice. Maybe even ask me how I got to the point I was at.

That's not what she was e-mailing me about at all. No, she had a much more life-altering question for me. She decided to start a publishing company. And she wanted me to be one of her first authors. It took me all of 10 minutes to form a reply and hit send. The answer? Was yes.

We discussed details, made arrangements, and left it at that. I set a date for my book to come out and our goal was to get the company up and running the month before Only Half Alive was scheduled to publish. I was to keep the information to myself until the company was ready to launch.

Jump forward to July 16th. 

The book is almost finished and will be going to my editor on August 1st. I had just gotten the cover. Everything was going according to plan. Not a worry in the world. (Okay, that's a lie. I was stressed about editing). And then I check my e-mail. 

The company won't be up in time. In fact, it will be at least another six months before it is up and running. And . . . Shanna want's to know if I will wait to publish. It was truly a battle I fought for hours. I didn't even reply until the next day. 

I prayed, I thoughts of all the pros and cons of waiting. And even though I wasn't supposed to be telling anyone about the publishing company until it was ready, I knew I had to talk to someone. Stressed, worried, and now in tears, I got on Facebook and sent C Michelle Jeffieres a message. I needed help deciding what to do. 

I lightly explained the situation, not giving out to much information, just wanting advice. She helped me make a list of pros and cons and we discussed each item on the list. And then she told me that I needed to choose. I set my laptop aside for a minute, tears pouring down my cheeks. 

I said out loud, to myself, "I have to wait, don't I?" And in that moment, I knew. Goosebumps covered my arms, tears covered my cheeks, and the feeling that waiting was the answer filled my heart. There was no denying my prayers were being answered. So waiting I am. 

InkDust Publications is the name. Publishing book for teens by teens is the game! 

So, now you know why publication on Only Half Alive as well as Missing Royal has been pushed back six months. And in the meantime? I will continue writing and editing. In six months I should have a total of 6 novels completely ready for publication! 

Thank you for your continued support of my writing career! It means so much to me. This has been my dream since I was 13. Since Shanna, C Michelle Jefferies, and Karen Hoover got me into writing. 

Dreams do come true! 

Friday, July 26, 2013

The Big Announcement!

**The big announcement** 

About a week ago I announced that publication on all of my 


books is being pushed back 6 months. And I am blown away at 

how supportive and understanding you all have been even when  

I couldn't tell you why. 

I am proud to tell you that not only will I have a publisher, I am 


actually helping the company get started! *Does happy dance*


More details coming soon! 

Want to win a Dragon, $50 Amazon Gift card, and a GORGEOUS hand made journal?? Here's your chance!

My dear friends, I love you and you are all amazing! And I am going to give you an awesome challenge. 

If you can share my page and help me get to 2,000 likes BY August 1st, I will give away a dragon! Yes, like one of mine. A gorgeous, beautiful dragon! And that is on top of all the other prizes I have to give away! PLUS, a $50 Amazon gift card! On top of THAT, I will be giving away a journal made by AshenFire Originals!  Oh yeah, and I will share a teaser of the cover for Only Half Alive with you! 

I wouldn't even think it possible except for less than a month ago I had just barely hit 1,000! I am blown away by how fast the page is growing. Are you up for the challenge? Can we do it? Only 320 likes to go.

Facebook page -----> HERE

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

It only takes a minute!

Reading a novel can take anywhere from an hour to three hours. Running errands can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 5 hours. Writing a blog post can take anywhere from 1 minute to ten hours! Drinking a cup of your favorite drink can take anywhere from one swig (which takes 30 seconds) up to 24 hours or more!

Making someone's day? All it takes is one second. One click, one like, one smile. 

Let me explain. You see, talking to my lovely friends on Facebook, I asked if anyone wanted to see a picture of my violins. And of course, being the supportive, amazing friends that they/you are, the answer was yes! I posted the following picture. 


With this caption: 

The electric/white violin is Sharp. Named after Steven Sharp Nelson. (The Piano Guys)The brown/traditional is Silendra! Named BY Steven Sharp Nelson!



The picture got many likes and comments. So I posted it to my personal page as well. And the most amazing thing ever happened. 

. . . 


In case you can't see it, that is Steven Sharp Nelson himself, liking my picture! Oh my freaking goodness, yes I fangirled FOR HOURS!!!!!

And how long did it take for him to like that picture? A second. One second. He took one extra second out of his busy life, to like MY PICTURE! Is it the best thing that will ever happen in my life? No. Is it the most important? Probably not. Did it mean the world to me? YES! 

Take an extra second, even a minute, to make someone else's day! A smile, a kind word, a helping hand. A letter, a phone call, a little extra something to bring a smile to someone's face! 



Also, if you don't know who The Piano Guys are, you are missing out! Go like their Facebook page HERE! And check out their music on Youtube HERE!!! 

P.s. Yes, Steven Sharp Nelson REALLY did name my violin! :) 


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Don't be afraid of the editor!

Today I am here to tell you there is no need to be afraid of your editor. Don't fear sending your book to one. Let me start with a story . . .

Once upon a time I wrote a book. And I thought this book was going to be the most fair in all of bookland. I wrote and I wrote, late into the night. Knowing that one day this story would see the light. And I knew one day a publisher would want it. But it wouldn't matter because I decided I would self-publish it.

I wrote, revised, edited, sent it to beta readers, and edited some more. And finally after grueling hours of work, I was one more edit away from sending it to my editor. The one who would perfect this little story of mine. I began editing the same as last time only to realize that I was only going to see the same mistakes.

So instead I decided to read the story, as a reader would. And not like the author would. I lay in bed, reading this story. And I realized, this tale was more like the dark, scary forest than fair and beautiful. Full of mistakes, plot holes, and sentences that would make any editor cry.

I set the book aside and I wept. Big, fat, tears that soaked my pillow. I vowed to never write again. Even if I worked on this book non-stop for weeks, I would never have it perfect enough to send to my editor.

I let a week go by before telling anyone the issue. But  finally I told two of my closest friends. One, who had read the book, assured me that the book wasn't nearly as bad as I said. It made me feel better, but I still refused to work on it.

The second person responded with words that made me cry, laugh, and then smack myself for being so stupid.

You see, I was scared to send my book to my editor because it wasn't perfect. It wasn't ready. And you know what my friend said to me?  


"If you're supposed to have it perfect before sending, what's the 

point of an editor! I bet just sending it will help ya."

I quite literally felt like an idiot. Seriously, why had I not come to that conclusion myself? Well because I am 

an author who fears her work isn't good enough. And for some reason I believed I had to make my book 

perfect before the editor looked at it.

Do not fear the editor! The book does NOT have to be 

perfect before your editor works her/his magical powers on it! 

They will help you fix the mistakes.



And now, I am gonna go edit Only Half Alive!


Friday, July 19, 2013

Book Tour: Empyreal Illusions by Jake Bonsignore

Title: Empyreal Illusions ~ Author: Jake Bonsignore ~ Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Thriller
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours




Fourteen-year-old Breena Taljain’s dreary existence in the slums of Purgaire comes to a sudden end when a chance encounter with a criminal mastermind known as the Patriarch goes horridly wrong. His assault on her for refusing to pay for her mother’s addiction leaves her comatose and teetering on the edge of life and death.

Galbrecht Atalir is a washed-up doctor struggling to overcome his inner demons through alcohol and aggression. He never quite recovered from the unsolved murder of his family seven years prior. When he discovers Breena as his newest patient, he knows at once that the Patriarch is the one who eluded him for almost a decade.

The medicine Galbrecht gives Breena draws her into a heavenly paradise. When it ebbs away, though, the recurring trauma plunges her into treacherous hinterlands. There, Breena must learn to find power in courage, hope, and love to overcome fiends of hatred bent on permanently ending her existence.

With justice burning in his heart, Galbrecht begins a race against time to seek out the Patriarch in the underworld before Breena loses her struggle against the ever-darkening terrors of her mind….









Jake Bonsignore is the author of Descendant of Strife, Empyreal Illusions, and Awakening the Fire. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida with magna cum laude honors. Outside of his literary pursuits, he enjoys playing sports and is a fitness enthusiast. He is currently working on his next novel.



Social Media Connection:





 ~ Amazon ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~ Goodreads ~ 




Empyreal Illusions is currently on sale for .99cents! 







Excerpt:

Breena tilted her head upwards and glared at him as best as she could. How had she ever been scared of him? She understood him perfectly. Everything made sense now. She had found strength in her weaknesses. The compassion that had made her vulnerable in her former life was now invaluable.

“You’re wrong, Mulciber. I’m only fourteen years old. I’m not as strong as you…but at least…at least I can admit my faults. That takes true power. I know I can’t…I can’t do everything alone.” She coughed again and whimpered from the dull throbbing in her abdomen. “Life is all about g-give and take. I need others to catch me when I fall. There’s nothing…nothing wrong with that. I need my friends and they…they need me.” She huffed and wiped the sweat from her brows. “There’s more to strength than…than raw might. You just don’t want to accept the…the truth. You’re too scared. That’s…that’s why….” She hacked up spittle and heaved wildly. She could no longer make out anything but blurs of incandescent light. “That’s why I’m stronger than you, Mulciber.”

What? That…that doesn’t…that doesn’t…!

“It’s your turn to prove your strength to me. Break…break free of Izanami and join me. You need me and I…and I need you. Don’t…don’t be a coward.”

No more…no more, human!

Mulciber let out his fiercest shriek yet. One curt glance to his left halted Veku and Lilim in their tracks. Even Leinth stopped her relentless advance.You…Mulciber hissed. 

You would call me a…a coward? Me? You are wrong! How…how dare you underestimate me? I am Mulciber, King of the Ifrits!

“Then…then show me the worth of a king’s pride.”

Thursday, July 18, 2013

So caught up in other things, and now I find that truthfully, I miss blogging!

I feel since I announced that I would be self-publishing, I have neglected my blog almost entirely. I mean, yes I have posted on here and I reply to comments and I do giveaways still but I just don't give this space enough attention anymore.

And to be honest, I miss blogging. I miss visiting a hundred new blogs each day. I miss commenting and meeting new people. I miss the excitement of going through blog after blog looking for something new. And I miss having a place to truly pour out my thoughts.

Facebook is fantastic for small snippets at a time. And a couple of times now I have posted long stories on how I am feeling. But truly, I missing using my blog for those sorts of things.

Finding a balance between all the social media sites on top of working a regular job on top of writing and self-publishing books? Yeah, not easy. But I will find the perfect balance again soon. I always do. It just takes a matter of time.

But for now, today, just for the blog, I am giving an update on how the writing is going. I realize that I never truly used this blog to talk about me and my writing. I mean, I mentioned it here and there. I gave updates sometimes. But truly, I wish I had better documented my journey.

Updates: 

The publication date for Only Half Alive and Missing Royal are being pushed back. I don't have set dates, I don't know when these books will be published other than sometime next year.

I promise to post an entire update with details as to why they are being pushed back but please know I am truly sorry for the even longer wait! It will be worth it, I promise! 


I will finish my last round of sole edits of Only Half Alive within in the month. On August 1st the book will be going to my editor, Tristi Pinkston. She will help me make it the best it can be before it publishes on September 27th.

On July 29th the cover for Only Half Alive will be revealed! And I can't even tell you how excited I am for it. I get the cover later this week. And I mean, come on, I am DYING to see it!

Missing Royal . . . you know that book that I spent 7 years writing? The book I've been working on almost the entire time I have had this blog? Yes? You do? If you do, I am impressed, and highly complimented! <3 Well Missing Royal has a cover . . . and is going through heavy revisions. It comes out December 3rd 2013.



And that for now, is all I have to update on! Thank you for reading! <3

And now I want to know how you're doing! 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Summer Kindle Fire Giveaway

Kindle Summer

  This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".
Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway
The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)
  Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
  Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)
 

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

  1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
  2. Feed Your Reader
  3. New Adult Addiction
  4. Jessabella Reads
  5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Somthing Year Old Girl
  6. Books Unhinged by StacyHgg
  7. S.A. Larsen - Writer's Ally
  8. Author Inger Iverson
  9. The Geeky Gamers
  10. annakyss
  11. Everyday Word Magic
  12. Candance's Book Blog
  13. Page Flipperz
  14. SMI Book Club
  15. Laurie Here
  16. Feed Your Fiction Addiction
  17. Phantasmic Reads
  18. The Book Bellas
  19. Please Don't Remove MarGreat's Glasses
  20. Author Jennifer Laurens
  21. J.C. Valentine
  22. Holly Hood
  23. Young Adult Novel Reader
  24. Author Heather Bixler
  25. Literary Meanderings
  26. Suspense Author Kim Cresswell
  27. Mother Daughter & Son Book Review
  28. Meredith's Musings
  29. Auggie Talk
  30. Author Camelia Miron Skiba
  31. Author Lena Sledge
  32. LoriTheAuthor
  33. Author Dianne Venetta
  34. Curling Up with A Good Book
  35. MyLadyWeb
  36. Fae Books
  37. Bea's Book Nook
  38. Girls with Books
  39. Ketch's Book Nook
  40. Turning Pages
  41. Bookhounds
  42. Karey White
  43. My Devotional Thoughts
  44. Author Talia Jager
  45. Author Helen Smith
  46. Sher A Hart: Written Art
  47. Author MK McClintock
  48. Word to Dreams
  49. Buku-Buku Didi
  50. Tasty Book Tours
  51. Readerlicious
  52. Romance Bookworm's Reviews
  Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Operation Nominate an Author!

For those who don't know, I love doing giveaways. I also love helping authors! And you know what I love even more than both of those? Helping other authors out without them even knowing while doing a giveaway!

Recently I did a blog post titled Operation Help that Author! and the entire thing was just helping giving an author some attention all the while doing a giveaway for her book!

I've only done this sort of thing twice now. And both times the results have been fantastic! So I want to make it a monthly event! Operation help that author!

How it works: 

One author is featured the entire month on my blog. I will run a giveaway over the course of that month that will help bring attention to the author and their book.

What I need your help with: 

I know LOTS of authors. But I think it would be more special if you helped me pick which one is featured each month. So I need you to nominate an author. Just fill out the form below.

Also, please note that this is done without the author's knowledge. So nominate an author, participate each month in the giveaway, but DO NOT TELL THE AUTHOR! This is a gift that should be kept secret. This is something I do as a way to help out, not something I do for recognition.

Nominate, and share:

Nominate your favorite author, share this post, and get your friends to nominate as well! And guess what, no worries if I don't pick the other you nominated because I am going to do this once a month! So eventually I WILL feature all the authors that are nominated.



Monday, July 15, 2013

We got a whole lot of smiles out of it!

Just for the fun of it, and because I am editing like crazy this week, I thought I would share a fun little story! :)

My dearest bestest friend in the whole world decided to start a writing race. We were going to head to head, a full battle. Fingers typing at the speed of light, words flying across the screen. The battle was coming to an end and when it was over, I slumped over victorious!

But then came time for edits. I ripped the novel to shreds, making sure every bit of it was in perfect condition. No words out of place, no typos, not a single mistake. Only . . . there were mistakes. A lot of them.

Giggles ensued as I read over a page. It felt as if every other word was smile. No joke. I did a search for the word. In a 40,000 word manuscript the word smile was found over 200 times. That's a lot for one word to be repeated.

I then struck up a conversation with this wonderful friend and told her the hilarious mistake. She informed me that in her edits, her manuscript ALSO had an over abundance of the word smile. More giggles ensued.

And then inspiration struck!

What if we replaced the word smile with something . . . less happy? Just to see how it changed sentences, to see how many of those we could remove without breaking the story.

Our smiles were turned to death. Quite literally. We did Find and Replace, changing every smile into death. Sentences that once went something like "He gave her a coy smile." became "He gave her a coy death."

Changing one word, changed the entire novel indeed. Eventually we changed all deaths back to smiles and then proceeded to fully edit. It was a lot of work, but we got a whole lot of smiles out of it!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Book tour: Forged by Magic


Forged by Magic. Origins is a collection of short stories, featuring the characters from the  Forged series. This is the first out of two prequels to the series. Each story is told from a different character point-of-view. 
Find out the details about how the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir have been created, and how the powers of the Universe opened the gates to other dimensions, letting some terrifying supernatural creatures into the Human World.





Angela Orlowski-Peart was born and raised in Poland. She describes herself as European born, American by choice. She was just seven-years-old when she decided to learn English and translate her favorite Polish fairytales. 

Angela is the author of the Young Adult and New Adult fiction novels, including YA paranormal/urban fantasy series, The Forged. First book in series, Forged by Greed, was published on September 20, 2012. There are two anthologies of short stories, serving as the prequels to the series. First of them, Forged by Magic. Origins is scheduled for publishing on May 31st, 2013. The second anthology (still untitled) will be out at the end of June 2013. Next three full size novels, including Forged by Coalescence, will be released in 2013 and 2014.

Angela writes in multiple genres, including paranormal, fantasy, urban fiction, scifi, and short stories. She loves reading good books almost as much as writing them. She speaks with Polish accent, but loves listening to the Southern drawl. 

She is passionate about watercolor painting, fashion—especially stilettos, rock climbing, environment, and organic food and gardening. She lives in the Seattle area with her family and a chronically curious cat.



 ~ Twitter handle @Angela_Peart ~ Pinterest

Friday, July 12, 2013

Book Tour: The Tyrant King by Cheri Chesley ~ Interview

Title: The Tyrant King (The Peasant Queen 2) ~ Author: Cherie Chesley ~ Genre: Fantasy
Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours




Krystal's peaceful life as queen of Fayterra is shattered when a stranger arrives with a connection to Jareth that threatens to change everything. Soon her loved ones are threatened, her people are under attack, and Krystal must face a devastating loss. As the future becomes bleaker and the mystery continues to unravel, Krystal's enemies will learn just how far she will go to defend the people she loves.





Currently blissful working mother of 5. Married to a fantastic, amazing, supportive man. I love to read, I love to write and I love taking pictures (though my skill is debatable lol).



Stalk Cheri:  Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Blog



Purchase your copy now: Amazon ~ Smashwords ~ B&N

Interview: 

If you could be any character in your book, which character would you be?

 For decades it was Krystal, but now I'm thinking more along the lines of Alana. Or Jessenia. But you haven't met her yet.

What is your favorite time period and why? 

I love the Middle Ages, even though I know I would never have survived lol.

Who is your greatest hero? 

It changes as I grow, but right now it would be my mother in law. She taught me so much. I really miss her.

What is the craziest most random fact you know? 

Wow, um...I have no idea lol. I used to have a cat addicted to nicotine. It was her catnip. So weird.

If you could have any creature for a pet (real, mythical, it doesn't matter) what would it be and what would you name him/her? 

Easy. A black panther named Banshee. 

What is your favorite quote from one of your novels? 

Donovan gets some pretty sly digs in in The Tyrant King. But I think one of my favorites is near the end. "While I readily admit women are the fairer sex, we are hardly the weaker sex. Try to pass me, Donovan, and you will know peril."

What are your top five favorite books? 

Guinevere by Sharan Newman. Harry Potter and the (fill in the blank--the whole dang series) by JK Rowling. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Anything by Sarah M. Eden. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson, The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal, Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George--oh, that's more than 5. sorry.

Haha, no problem! Thank you, Cheri! For letting me interview you and stopping by! 



Thursday, July 11, 2013

A Four-Author Book Signing!



A Four-Author Book Signing!

Juli Caldwell, Wendy Knight, Shantal Hiatt Session, and Mercedes M. Yardley will be signing their books!




Eccles Community Art Center
Saturday, July 13
2580 Jefferson Avenue
Ogden, UT 84401
3:30-5:30

Come and meet the authors! There will be treats and prizes. 


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Only Half Alive COVER REVEAL sign-ups!

*Clears throat* Ladies and Gentleman, Unicorns and Dragons, creatures of all ages, may I have your attention? 

I am pleased to announce that the cover reveal for Only Half Alive is scheduled for July 29th!!!!! 

If you would like to participate please send me message or e-mail me (nothought2small(at)gmail(dot)com) with a link to where you plan on posting it and your e-mail address! 


Thank you!


And if you are interested in participating in the blog tour, here is the information for that. :) 

You can now sign up for The Only Half Alive book tour! 

When: 9/25 to 10/25.

What kind of posts: Reviews, Interviews, Promo's, Book Highlights, This or That's, Giveaways, Excerpt, and/or bio. (Or if you have a suggestion for another kind of post, please feel free!) 

How to sign up: Go to LadyAmber's page (here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lady-Ambers-Tours/199400433532754?fref=ts ) and send her a message letting her know you would like be a part of the book tour, what date you would like to post on, and what kind of post you would like to do! 


Thank you!

When did we become so greedy?

A friend asked a question. Should authors be allowed to be reviewers as well? At the time, I didn't think much on it. I shrugged and thought to myself. "Of course. Why wouldn't we be able  to?" And then another friend was inspired to write a blog post on it.

Well that sparked me to want to write about it. But before I go into my thoughts on the matter, I am posting this DISCLAIMER: I am not bashing anyone. I am in no way trying to offend anyone. If your views are different, if your thoughts are different, that is OKAY. I respect that. I really do. And I would LOVE if you commented your thoughts on the matter. I would love to discuss the pros and cons. I would love to talk about it. Please, please, please, do not take offense. Do not think I am trying to bash your opinion. 

The story behind the opinion: 

Seven years ago in August, a very wonderful friend invited me to an author group. A group of woman decided to create a workshop for young girls (I was 13) to go and learn how to write stories. I LOVED the idea. But with being home-schooled and working for my family owned business an hour away, there wasn't anyway it would work with my families schedule. So I didn't bother asking for permission to go. 

My friend told one of the woman that I would ask my parents but didn't think it would work out. That woman was Karen Hoover. She didn't shrug it off, she didn't wait to hear back from me. She didn't say "That's okay, we have plenty of other girls who plan on coming!" She didn't take no for an answer. Instead, she took matters into her own hands. She called my mom without me knowing and arranged for me to come to those meetings, for me to be a part of that group. 

I had never written anything, I was terrified. I didn't know what to expect. We had our meetings every Tuesday at the library. After the first meeting, I counted down the hours until I could go again. C Michelle Jefferies also helped start and teach that group. On days I couldn't find a ride or it was too hot to walk, she was right there, ready to drive me to those meetings. And always willing to give me a ride home. 

Shanna Westover was the third woman I befriended. She helped start and teach the group. She knew what she was doing, as did Karen and Michelle. And she was one of my biggest cheer leaders. She would answer my questions no matter how annoying or obvious they were. She tutored me, guided me, and sent me on my way. 

The day we had our last class, I cried. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this amazing group. To the amazing woman who taught us how to be authors. How to create worlds. That last day they each gave us a copy of their books on a disc. We got to read those books long before they were published. Our parting was done with a gift. 

How much did going cost me? How much did the woman ask to be paid in trade for their knowledge? Nothing more than we use what we learned. Nothing more than to keep at it and live our dreams. Not a penny was spent on my part. And these beautiful woman never complained. 

Jump two years from that moment and I was staring down the Wilkinson Center at BYU. I was about to go to a real writer's conference. A place the professionals go. A place the published authors go. I didn't feel like I belonged. I was scared, alone, young, and had no idea what I was doing. But I knew that writing was my dream.  

Two panels in and I ran into . . . Shanna. She was ecstatic to see me. She gave me a hug and asked me a hundred questions  . . ."How's the conference? Who have you met? How many people have you introduced yourself to?" I was baffled. Introduce myself to published authors? Yeah right! 

My reply to that question went something like "Ummm . . . no one." I will never forget her reaction. She leaned over, her face right in front of mine. With a finger pointed in the general direction of authors she said something like "You get out, you introduce yourself. You talk to authors, you get your name out there." The look on her face told me I had better listen. So I did. 

I walked right in to a class, waited for the panel to end and with shaking hands, wobbly knees, and sweat beading on my forehead I introduced myself to the authors. I had no idea what I was doing. None. I was so scared. So nervous. So clueless. But I did as told. I went out there, I talked to authors, I told them my name. How much did introducing myself cost? Not a penny. 

On to the next panel and I found myself trapped in the wrong room. I didn't know what to do, I was in the corner and people were in my way so I sat and I stayed. And I got to learn some amazing things from one of the coolest guys I know . . . Paul Genesse.  He said something that kinda hit me that day. He said (and again, I paraphrase) "Authors help authors. The author up here, the published author helps the author below him. And that author in turn helps the author under him. And it goes on and on so that no matter what stage you're in, an author above you is helping you and you are helping the author below you." I will never forget that. I will never let that go. I believe that is how it should work in everything! Not just writing. 

So, why do I tell you this very long story when we're supposed to be talking about reviews? Because from the very moment I began working my way into the author world, I have learned that AUTHORS HELP AUTHORS. 

This isn't a competition. This isn't a race. This isn't a game of which author can make it big while another equally awesome author gets pushed to the sidelines. AUTHORS HELP AUTHORS.

So how does this relate to writing reviews for other books? Let me explain. 

When you write a review and are honest in everything you say AND you do not bash, be harsh, or rude in anyway no matter how much you liked or disliked the book, you have told the world how you feel about that book. You have explained why you loved the book or disliked the book. And in turn, that helps someone else determine whether or not the book is for them. 

You being an author, shouldn't make a difference in what you say in that review. 

If you love the book, and people love your book, they are going to look into the book you just reviewed because CLEARLY you have the same taste. If you dislike a book, and make it clear as to WHY as well as post something to the affect of "It wasn't the book for me" then people know whether it sounds like they will like it or not. How does this help? Because say that person buys the book and you DIDN'T review it. And they hate it. And they're not an author. In most cases, they are going to go and shred that book to pieces in their review. They will be harsh, they will be mean, they will lower the books ranking. When in turn, you could have just reviewed it and helped everyone all around. 

Now, I am not saying this is what everyone reviewer/reader is going to do. It is more of a worst case scenario. But my point still stands. 

I will be a published author in September. And I have decided to continue reviewing books. If I can't give it 3 stars or more, I won't review it. 3 stars, IS a good review. And this is where the title of my post comes in. 

Since when is 3 stars not good enough? That means that people liked the book! It's good! It means that it wasn't their favorite, it isn't their exact cup of hot chocolate. It means they enjoyed it and most likely plan on reading your next book. So why isn't 3 good enough for a book tour? Why aren't we happy with 3 stars when another author rates it that? 

Four and Five stars ARE FANTASTIC! But so are 3 stars. 

And to tie in the ratings with the decision to continue reviewing as an author, since when have authors become so greedy that they aren't willing to help another author? THIS ISN'T A COMPETITION. If it has become one, it shouldn't be! Making money is good, making a living from writing is amazing and my dream goal. But I don't want to make that dream come true only to find that I am alone at that end of the road because I couldn't stop and help other authors along the way. And that is exactly what a good review does. 

I am an author. I support authors. I will review books for authors. If I don't enjoy the book, I will NOT post my review. If I do enjoy the book, there is no need to not share it with others. Reviewing books, sharing other books, advertising for other authors, doesn't damage my sales. It doesn't damage my ability to be successful. 

One more thing. I do NOT believe in exchanging review for review. That is where the line ends. I think the idea is great, and can work if both authors write the same genres. But I think it really is a request for disaster! 

So now I want to know what you think. What are you thoughts? Do you think Authors should be allowed to be Reviewers as well? 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Operation Help that author! (Giveaway - INT)

If you haven't noticed, I LOVE helping authors. There is only one thing I love doing more. Helping authors when they don't know I'm doing it. So without further ado, I give you Operation Help that author, episode: Michelle. 


 ~ Meet Michelle  ~ 



C. Michelle Jefferies writes Technical Suspense, a stark contrast to her rural life in South Eastern 

Utah with seven kids, house, husband, and nine chickens. Although her heart resides in the future, 

she has been known to be distracted by Urban Fantasy.




 ~ Meet Michelle's current published work - Emergence ~ 


Assassin Antony Danic has never killed an innocent man. At least, the corporation he works for has never given him a reason to think otherwise--until now. Reeling from a series of demanding assignments, Antony is desperate for some downtime. As he sits on a beach in Tahiti watching his wife play in the ocean, a messenger delivers a death threat. In a matter of seconds, the hunter has become the hunted. While Antony scrambles to find a way out of his "till death do us part" contract, he's faced with the decision of a lifetime: kill another innocent man, or do what's right--even if it puts his family in jeopardy.


 ~ Meet your mission - should you choose to accept it ~ 


*Help spread the word about Michelle and her book, Emergence! That's it! I just want you to spread 

the word! Tweet, Facebook, Google+, Blog, it doesn't matter. 

Let's just get the word out about this amazing book! Oh yeah, and her second book is coming out 

in a couple months so it's just in time too! 

*You can spread the word using the Rafflecopter below. 

 ~ The Rules ~ 

1. Do NOT tell Michelle about this mission under any circumstances.
2. If you are caught, you either don't speak English or are mute. (Waiving your hand and declaring you are not the droids being looked for works as well). 


 ~ The Prize ~ 

US - One Signed * Personalized copy of Emergence. 
(Michelle DOESN'T have anything to do with this. I will be purchasing a copy 
and having her sign it.) 

INT- One E-copy of Emergence

a Rafflecopter giveaway