True Shifter (Totem #9) plus 3 #free books and a big #giveaway!

Three sisters, seven totems, one chance to save the world.

Saskia Dorn can't bear to lose anyone else. But when the only man she's ever loved turns his back on her, she runs off to sacrifice herself to the totem quest.

With a disgusting kiss, a dying house spirit grants her the power to shift into any creature. Yet she has neither the time to train nor the imagination to utilize the gift to its fullest. How will she manage to defeat a villain who has mastered the ability and made her the person she is? Saskia only has a few freakin' hours to figure it out. After all, the fate of every shifter in the world depends on her victory.

Buy the book here.

Add the book to read on Goodreads.

Totem Tidbit: It's common knowledge that I'm a pantser. When I was writing this final book in the series, I didn't know how the heroes would manage to fight the villain in the final battle. I couldn't come up with any way for them to manage a victory. It wasn't until I arrived at the scene that I knew what was going to happen, and it was spectacular. While it does cause me stress at times, I do love being a pantser because of surprises like these.

I'm celebrating with free books and a big giveaway!

 For five days only, the first three books in the Totem series are free! Get hooked on the totem quest. Just click on the links below.

Dark Dawning (Totem #1)

Silent Whispers (Totem #2)

Cloak of Snow (Totem #3)

Enter the giveaway for a chance to win the entire Totem series and some really cool swag. I have these awesome little polar bear key chains that need homes! The giveaway is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out this awesome interview!

Today at 2:30 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later. The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.

Remember, too, if you have any news you'd like to share with your fellow IWSG members in the newsletter, please email me with a few lines and a link!

August is a month of #FREE ebooks!

I'm celebrating the release of the final book of my Totem series this month. It's only 12 days away! I've been eating way too many cookies, and I've set up a lot of a free promos for my books. I might be a little whacked out on sugar when I did that.

But you, my wonderful friends, get to benefit from my cookie binges!

Starting today, Loose Corset (Dice & Debauchery #1) is free for five days! This freebie lines up with GenCon celebrating its 50th year. Wish I could be there.

Have you had any adventures in the woods this summer? Maybe you caught a glimpse of Bigfoot or a couple in a romantic moment. Heh. Big Yearning (Sasquatch Susies #1) is free for two more days.

I'm ending the month with a big one. When True Shifter releases on August 29th, the first three books in the Totem series will be free for five days. Yes, three books. Mark your calendars and load up on cookies!

Dark Dawning (Totem #1)

Silent Whispers (Totem #2)

Cloak of Snow (Totem #3)

Having fun with author photos

You might have noticed that I changed my author photo recently. The old one was stale. I needed something fresh, with more color and a little more personality. Perhaps I should have included my cat, but I figured he's not the one writing my books.

General advice says to update your author photo about every four to five years. It's like getting a new driver's license. It's a little terrifying and a lot more frustrating, especially for those of us who don't like being on that side of the camera. No picture is ever good enough. But you have to pick one.

As a writer with a current budget of zero dollars to hire a professional photographer, I enlisted my husband's help first. The day was a bit too sunny, though.

 

Even standing in the shade, there was no spot that didn't have reflections on my glasses.

Then there were sunspots. Pink sunspots in that one. Maybe I could get away photoshopping those out, but there's still the reflection on my glasses.

Really, honey? Get down from that tree!

Unsatisfied with that round, I was sitting around with another mom the next day while our sons played. She's an art and Spanish teacher, and she has a good eye. When I suggested it, she was eager to help out.

Lovely bush in bloom in the background with an evergreen. Just enough cloud cover to eliminate the reflection on my glasses and still provide enough light. But...

It can't help the fact that I'm uncomfortable in front of a camera. It looks like I'm standing at attention, ready for duty!

Finally...

An author photo I'm satisfied with. Good lighting, no shadows or reflections, and my hair isn't totally flipping out. The art teacher did a great job!

 

Author photo tips:

- unless you can really pull off moody or quirky, don't do it.

- don't overly make yourself up. Look like how you would if someone saw you in public... without your kids or the white cat hair on your black shirt.

- be professional. No offensive t-shirts or political messages, unless that's what you write.

- look friendly. You want readers to like you, and an author photo is part of your brand.

- hire a professional, if you can. If not, art teachers are awesome!

Shout-out to Unconventional Princesses!

Deja was a happy, trouble-making troll, until she was exiled from her home under the mountains for her perilous pranks. Now she must serve a frilly human, Princess Calleah who's locked in a tall tower. The Two Princesses from opposite sides of the Valley become unlikely friends in their seclusion, but when the time comes for Calleah to leave the tower, their bond is put to the test by propriety, princes, and parents. Deja doesn't take any gruff and will give it right back to protect Calleah, no matter the cost.

Buy the ebook on Amazon

Buy the print book via Lulu

Keep up to date with Tara on her blog!

Descending Moon (Totem #8) release day

Some say the moon is for lovers, but wise folks know to fear it. 

Kinley Dorn must be strong for her family in these dark times. Sometimes she feels she’s all that’s holding them together. But when the frightening Moon Man attacks and bestows a burdensome gift upon her, Kinley might have to do more than simply help her family. She will have to battle a god, but which one? If it’s the sly man hunting her in the astral plane, Kinley might not make it out alive.

Buy the book!

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Totem Tidbit: This was a tough one to write because I had to make a character who wasn't a fighter into a warrior. Kinley is a peacemaker and uses her brains over her strength. So I had to find something that really motivated her to jump into battle!

The final book in the Totem series, True Shifter, will be available on August 29th. You can pre-order it on Amazon.

#IWSG for August 2017

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, LG Keltner, and me!

Before we get to this month's question and my insecurities, let me tell you about this super fun event!

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity! 

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us! 

On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBook of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers. 

We have some great IWSG swag – pens, mugs, magnets, erasers, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site. 

You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!

This month's IWSG question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing? 

I have a lot when reading. Bad grammar, huge plot holes, poor characterization, sloppy formatting, etc. Being a writer has made it more difficult to get past these things, but I do save myself time by putting down books I don't enjoy and moving on to something else.

When I'm writing, it's usually things in the environment that annoy me. Noise, people interrupting, cat interrupting, and if it's too hot.

My insecurities this month: I'm a new admin for the IWSG. I'm so excited about it. I've been a part of the group for a while. I've received such great advice, encouragement, and support, I'm happy to give back to the community. But, of course, I worry if I'll be good enough and be able to keep up with my responsibilities. What if I mess something up? I don't want to disappoint anyone. The admin team is incredibly organized, smart, and creative. I hope my contribution will continue to make the IWSG such an awesome group.

You all can help me with the newsletter. You can do this by sending me your news. I want to hear about new releases, events, and exciting news. Please send an email with "IWSG - news submission" in the subject line to christinerains (dot) writer @ gmail (dot) com. Thank you!

One more awesome announcement I want to share with you about the newsletter: On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later. The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.