Double the Reviews - Freefall and Incense & Peppermints #amreading

I'm proud to be a part of the fantastic group of authors at Untethered Realms. We have such talented writers among us, and I'm excited to share my reviews of two of their books today.

Freefall (The Backworlds #7) by M. Pax

The Backworlds and Foreworlds have banned together with the hope of defeating a terrifying enemy, the Quassers. Craze gave up his friends and livelihood to become the envoy for the Backworlds. All he'd rather be doing is brewing some malt and tending his bar, but there is much more than his pride at stake here. The alliance is shaky, and Craze can't afford to let it fall apart. They have one more chance at survival, and it's all or nothing.

I loved delving back into the rich universe of this space opera series. The settings, characters, and storylines are all marvelously varied, but twine together so very well. I'm often reminded of Firefly with Craze and his friends out to save the universe armed with their good hearts and sometimes good luck. But things don't go their way all the time.

The cast in this series is large, but none of them suffer from lack of depth. Each of them have their own tales, but a powerful love of friends holds them together. The twists in the plot had me shouting "Oh my God!" out loud, and several times, it tugged hard at my heart. Plus there were some clever bits in there like the crusties and the tendrils. This is an immensely heavy book, and I didn't want it to end. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Backworlds.

Buy links:

Amazon / AmazonUK / AmazonDE / AmazonAU / AmazonCA / B&N / Kobo / iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords

Incense and Peppermints by Cathrina Constantine

Sixteen-year-old Mary Monroe is an innocent girl in the years of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. She has new friends in her older brother's girlfriend and her group. They take Mary out of her reserved shell where she meets a handsome new student, Michael Covington. He's got bad boy appeal, but there's something more to him. Mary is assaulted at a wild party, and Michael rescues her. At least, she's pretty certain he did. Or was he the one who attacked her? What's even more, the more she gets to know him, the more she's falling for him.

This YA read takes place in the late 1960s, but the story is easily mirrored in life nowadays. It's colorful and light, and intense and emotional. The crazy days of trying to figure out who you are when you're a teenager. Mary is immediately likable. She's a good student, a little geeky, and takes care of her family even when they aren't the best. Yet she tumbles into hanging out with the popular party girls and doesn't want to admit it's more than she can handle. Plus the hot Michael is at all the parties, and she wants to follow where he goes. It pulls at your heartstrings a lot.

Buy link: Amazon

Doubling the Reviews, Doubling the Awesome Reads!

These two books are from the Fated & Forbidden series. A group of authors wrote stories which all took place in the same universe and share one amazing hook!

Dark Burn by Decadent Kane

Blurb: The challenge wasn't meant to be easy. They were set up to fail from the beginning.

Priya's the last of her kind...
After death takes the only family Priya has ever known, she ventures out to find others like her, those who catch fire and fly. But shadow hunters prowl the night ready to kill firebirds like her, and one has found her trail. After a narrow escape she runs into the kind of man she shouldn't want...a man with silver eyes as if the very moon has been trapped inside his gaze.
His help won't be enough when Nicholas finds her.

Doulzen is a shade by birth, shadow hunter by rite...
When an extinct white firebird flies through the night sky, fire blazing behind the creature, he knows he has to have it. Pulling the shadows in, he notches his arrow and downs his prey, but when he arrives to catch it, he finds a female running from someone instead. He promised himself he wouldn't be her protector, he'd get her where she needed to go, but when Nicholas shows up and takes Priya from him, Doulzen finds the mark that tells him she is his fated mate. With darkness at his heels, he will stop at nothing to get her back as his very existence relies on it.

When Priya and Doulzen find out each other's secrets, it will take a lot more than fate to bring them back together.

My review: Priya believes she's the last of her kind. A race of beautiful shifters called firebirds. When her Gran dies, she plans to visit family she never met in another city, but a man who is stalking her chases her away too quickly, and she is injured by a hunter. Doulzen is that shadow hunter, but he has no idea the mystery behind the creature he hunts. When he comes across Priya instead of his prey, he vows to help her in exchange for firebird feathers, but he might find more than he bargained for when her stalker steals her away. In that moment, Doulzen discovers she is his intended mate, and he'll stop at nothing to get her back.

A compelling paranormal romance that hooked me from the beginning and wouldn't let go. My heart went out to Priya immediately at not only the loss of her grandmother, but not knowing the anything about what she is and her past. Sheltered as she is, she's a strong and admirable woman. Doulzen is a sinuous hunter who must deal with finding out everything he knows may be a lie. The tension between him and Priya is sizzling. Nicholas is a detestable villain and puts the heroes in what seems like an impossible situation. Fast action, great tension, and oh-my-god twists.

Buy Dark Burn here.

Find Decadent Kane on her blog.

Fallen Ashes by T.F. Walsh

Blurb: As the last of her kind, Fallen awakes in a holding cell, but being locked up is the least of her problems.

She's been magically bound to a cocky Queen's Guardian named Saber. Because Fallen is the last dragon shifter in Tapestry, she's on everyone's hit list... especially his... but she doesn't have time to die by his hand. Fallen has to find her life mate in four weeks or else all of creation in her world will be destroyed.

Saber never asked to be brought to life. He certainly never wanted to be hexed and forced to transform into a mindless shadow assassin. Exiled from the Kingdom, he must rescue his stepfather from the Collector to prove his innocence. Otherwise he'll be hunted and killed. But his plans are temporarily put on hold when he's captured, imprisoned, and bound to a mysterious blond-haired vixen with a major fire addiction.

With time ticking away for Saber and Fallen, will the two be able to come together to defeat the Collector and save themselves, along with the rest of the world?

My review: Fallen is the last of her kind and trapped in a holding cell. Bound by some frustrating spell to a gorgeous Queen's Guardian named Saber, they escape and flee. Their captors hunt them relentlessly as they try to learn to work together. Fallen has no time for the chase. She must find her life mate within four weeks or her world will be extinguished. Saber doesn't believe in her dreams and is determined to prove himself innocent of being exiled by saving his stepfather from the same villain that captured him. They must hurry or all could be lost for both of them.

This is one of my favorite books from T.F. Walsh. It's a unique premise of two parallel worlds; one our modern day society and the other, a magical fantasy land filled with both darkness and beautiful wonders. Walsh's lush descriptions of places and the monsters really bring the story to life. I especially loved she included the Hoia Baciu Forest. It's a haunting and fascinating place in Romania.

Fallen is a heroine that kicks butt. She's immediately sympathetic, and I rooted for her from the first scene. Paired with Saber, she's fiery in so many ways! I do love the story behind Saber and what motivates him. The tension between the two of them is hot, and I loved seeing how they worked with the chaos of their emotions with the conflicts going on. Noah is a villain you'll love to hate, and you'll wonder often if he's more than a match for Fallen and Saber. Tons of action and mystery. I couldn't get enough of this story. I ate it up as fast as I could!

Buy Fallen Ashes here.

Find T.F. Walsh on her website.

Word Witch Wednesday - 2017 writing goals

It's a brand new shiny year. Time to start things off with a cheer. This begins by reviewing last year's goals.

2016 GOALS

1. Write the rest of the Totem books and start to publish them. Well, I wrote six of them and started on the seventh. Two things got in the way of this goal: my health and marketing. I'm telling myself to be satisfied that four are out and two are coming, and I haven't set a deadline to stress myself with for the last three.

2. Revise and submit the Sasquatch Susies series to my publisher. Done. They were published. My publisher closed. So I have no idea how the books did.

3. Read and review 100 books. Done! I did include books I read with my son. I believe children's books need love on Goodreads too.

4. Write and submit six short stories. Done. I was short-listed three times for pro markets, but I didn't make it.

5. Blogging. Finding a balance between writing and blogging. I still haven't found it.

2017 GOALS

1. Write the final three Totem novellas and publish them.

2. Write the second two books in the Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy. I'd like to say I'll publish them by the end of the year, but they will be two full sized novels, and I will not publish one until the other is done.

3. Self-publish the books I had with my publisher. I'm allowed to keep the covers at least!

4. Read and review 100 books. I hope to keep this up for the rest of my life!

5. Write and submit six short stories. I can't say I have time to write one every month, but sometimes a great idea for a flash piece hits me, and I have to scribble it down. I'm still aiming at the pro markets.

6. Continue to study and try out different marketing techniques. Slowly but surely, I'm learning. I'm trying to figure out what works for me. And I will definitely share with you what I've learned.

7. Improve my writing speed and focus. Last month, I used writing sprints, and they've been working for me. It silences my inner editor and the words flow. I don't know if I could ever get to 5000 words an hour, but that much a day would be amazing.

What are your goals for the year?

A reminder from your friendly neighborhood polar bear:

For the first time ever: Of Blood and Sorrow is on sale!

Buy links:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

 
When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Reviews:

"Rains just might make me a fan of paranormal urban fantasy – as long as she's the one writing it... Plenty of humor, plenty of action, plenty of romance, and plenty of F-bombs—Of Blood and Sorrow ends with a satisfying finish. Sure, there's a lot of blood and sorrow leading up to it, but what do you expect?" - 5 stars from H.G. Estok

"Of Blood and Sorrow is an interesting twist on some of paranormal's favorite characters. It constructs an intriguing dynamic and hierarchy of demons and vampires and is a swift-moving read that carries the reader along in its current." - 5 stars from M. Pepper Langlinais

"I am a true fan – great writing – intriguing plot – carefully crafted characters – brilliant!" 5 stars from Yolanda Renee

"Great action. Great emotion! It’s well-written books like this that are luring me into the urban fantasy genre." - 5 stars from Graeme Ing

"It is an easy and engrossing read, and provides an unexpected twist to a story which is rapidly becoming almost mainstream and consequently often predictable." - 4 stars from Elephant's Child

Goals for 2016

As much as that nagging voice in my head says I should have done more, I had a productive year in 2015. I published one novel and six novellas plus a handful of short stories. I met all but two of my goals. One was a novel I put aside because I wasn't ready to write it yet. In its place, I wrote and published The Paramours and started on my biggest project yet, Totem. I read over 100 books and wrote reviews for them, but I could not find a way to coax more readers to write reviews for me. I also did not manage to find the balance between writing and blogging. I did better than 2014 with that, but I have to learn to be more strict with myself and stick with my schedule.

Here are my goals for 2016:

1. Revise and submit the Sasquatch Susies to my publisher. The first drafts are done. Not too much I have to do story-wise in the revision phase.

2. Write the rest of the Totem books and start to publish them. The first two novellas out of nine are done, but not revised. I'm trying very hard not to rush myself with these. I learned some valuable lessons in publishing the 13th Floor series. I will be much kinder to myself and my CPs/editor with this one. Tentatively, I'd like to say I'll start putting them out by early summer, but I'm not putting any definite deadline down on paper yet.

3. Read and review 100 books. I did it last year and the year before. I'd love to continue it for the rest of my life.

4. Write and submit six short stories. I managed to do this last year. I was short-listed on pro venues five times. I'm so close to my goal of being accepted by one.

5. Blogging. Once again, I'm going to attempt to find a balance between writing and blogging. The writing of my blog posts doesn't take too long, but keeping up with everyone's blogs and returning comments does sometimes. I will not give up the latter. So I will schedule a certain amount of time each weekday for returning comments, and if I have time left, I will make some visits. I must decide what is the appropriate amount of time for that, though. How much time do you spend a week returning comments and visiting blogs?

What are your goals for 2016?

Friday Five for July 24, 2015

1. A few more short story rejections came my way this week, but one with an offer to send something else. My local critique group liked my horror flash piece. I'll be sending that out today. This year has been a much better one for me writing and submitting short stories. I'm still working on longer tales, but I feel good that I'm practicing the craft and getting myself out there.

2. This week was rough in some aspects, and I settled my soul by watching a bunch of B rated movies. Zombeavers gave me exactly what I expected from a low budget horror flick about zombie beavers. Sharknado 3, well, I watched the whole thing, but it's my least favorite of that series. I laughed, but I groaned far more. The top one which I highly recommend to B movie fans is Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead. It's a ridiculous idea (zombie Nazis) taken over the top and done incredibly well. Much better than the first film. I also saw Inside Out with my son this week. Thumbs up!

3. Two reviewers responded to my queries. There are a lot more that I haven't heard from, but two is far more than the zero I had in response to my queries last December. It's like pulling teeth trying to get stories reviewed.

4. I was over at the Untethered Realms blog this week talking about the joy of listening to stories. Click on over and tell us about listening to your favorite storyteller.

5. As I'm sitting here, the light keeps flickering. Just now, accompanied by absolute silence, it went out. Only the lights. Not the computer. I know it's probably just the light bulb, but what a great ambiance for the ghost story I'm working on!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Five for May 16, 2014

1. I've been working hard on more revisions for WIP #1. I might have it done in time to query before the end of the month. My goal day to send out queries is the 28th. It's my son's last day of school. If I don't make the deadline, I'm going to attempt not to be too hard on myself. It's important to send out the best story I can, so if it takes a little more time ... I'll likely scream a bit and pout. Maybe eat chocolate and pout some more. Then I'll get right back to work and finish it.

2. I have a busy weekend ahead. A local writer's group meeting, a 5 year old's birthday party, and a school board end of the year party that involves wine and salad. Neither of which I like. I will go and smile and try not to look too awkward.

3. I've gotten a few great reviews these past few weeks for The 13th Floor Complete Collection and FEARLESS. It's wonderful to hear from my readers, and reviews like those can make a crappy day into a good one. A big thank you to everyone who has left me a review and who reviews other books. You are awesome!

4. Still waiting to hear back on some short stories and my geeky novella submissions. Waiting never gets easier, no matter how many years you've been writing.

5. Finally, here are the winners from my giveaway from the My Book Boyfriend Blog Hop! Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who entered. Have a great weekend!

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They All Fall Down blog tour - reviews plus a giveaway

For seventeen-year-old Abigail, one rash decision leads to an unexpected chance for redemption. At V'Salicus Academy, a unique institute where she trains to become an agent of heaven, she struggles with the pain of her past, the changes of the present and accepts a loveless future until her path – and heart – crosses with Basil’s.

Basil's off-chance slip of the tongue binds him to a life of servitude to the Devourer, the master of hell. His existence has no upside until a chance meeting with Abigail brings new perspective.

Keeping the truth of their present lives from each other brings disaster when secrets are brought to light and the life of Abigail’s mentor is put on the line.

Can Abigail and Basil save her mentor and salvage their love amid the chaos? Or will they lose it all, destined forever to NEVERLOVE?

My review:
Abigail's future had never looked more bleak. So when she tries to end her life, she receives one thing she never expected: a chance at a good future. At V'Salicus Academy, she trains to be a servant of Heaven to help escort souls to Judgement. She still must deal with the pain of her past, but she meets a cute boy named Basil in a coffee shop and he makes her feel good again. The secrets keep building, and when everything explodes, Abigail must decide between duty and love.

Angela Brown hooks the reader with a powerful beginning and doesn't disappoint with several shocks at the end. It's a dark and emotional tale that makes your stomach twist and your heart hammer in your chest. Abagail begins at the bottom in the darkest depths of her own nightmares and claws her way back up. She's real, lovable, and admirable. I'm an even bigger fan of Basil. Smart, compassionate, and a bit of a geek. I love he's not the bad boy we typically see in YA books.

The plot takes the reader on several twists and turns. To dark places and sweet moments. The imagery is astounding. I could picture even the most horrific things in my head like a certain throne!

I can't wait to read more in this series and to learn more about the fascinating mythos.

Buy NEVERLOVE here: Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk, Kobo, B&N

Abby and Basil: New love reaches new heights as they finally give in to their lust and desire for each other.

Q: Consumed by the Devourer within and his base need to claim Abby as his own.

The crave: What it all boils down to. A crave for souls. A crave to keep love intact beyond betrayals. A crave for a second chance. A crave for power and The Fall of mankind.

“Love can conquer all” is put to the test and salvation may be impossible when they all fall down.

 My review:
A normal life with the man she loves seems like too much for Abby to hope for. The past still haunts Basil and Abby. With Q still yearning to possess Abby, his dark tendrils reach out to destroy them. Their struggle just to be together stretches further to saving mankind as well. Can there be love and trust in a world sinking to the depths of dark desires?

An excellent second book in the Shadow Jumpers series. The characters and conflict have already been established, but the reader is taken to deeper and darker levels. Abby and Basil have grown as individuals and together. Yet their relationship is tested, twisted, and trampled upon. Your heart will feel like that going through the intense emotional journey with them.

My favorite bits were with the villain, Q. He's one of those bad guys you love to hate! Plus he kept the throne.

A fast moving plot with amazing imagery and a whirlwind of emotions. Angela Brown has taken us on another thrilling ride through a demented House of Horrors, and I'm left craving more.

Buy THEY ALL FALL DOWN on Amazon & B&N

Mark it to read on Goodreads 

Author Bio: Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home.

Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to follow her dreams if she hadn’t tried herself?
As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life…even harbors a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

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The 13th Floor Collection blog tour is nearly at an end!

I can't believe we've only a few days left of the tour! What a month it's been. I hope you've had a chance to enter at least one giveaway to win a copy of the collection. If not, there's still a couple more days!

Today I'm talking about something important to every writer: reviews. Why are reviews so important? And how do you write one?

Head on over to the wonderful Lynda R. Young's blog to find out.

In the back of the Collection, I ask readers to leave a review. I'm curious as to how many other authors do the same thing. Please let me know your feelings about this.

Taking the World by Storm - Alex J. Cavanaugh's Cassa Trilogy

CassaStorm

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

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

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

“Cavanaugh has created wonderfully moving moments of great poignancy… CassaStorm could have been a dark story full of hardship and angst, but instead it's a cleverly balanced story about hope and triumph.”
- Lynda R. Young, author of Make Believe

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

Goodreads

Book trailer

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Stalk Alex here: Website * Twitter * Goodreads

My question to Alex: What does literary science fiction do best compared to other media forms of science fiction?

Alex's response: In books, it’s all open to our imagination and we can put ourselves into the story. That’s not so easy with movies or television. 
  

Congratulations to Alex! His books are phenomenal. Check out my reviews for CassaStar HERE and CassaFire HERE. I can't wait to read the final book in his series.

Join me tomorrow when I announce the winners of The 13th Floor Complete Collection cover reveal giveaway AND the winners of the MORE THAN JUST A KISS blogfest!

Also, make sure you pop on over to visit Heather Musk to read her thoughts on 1305 & 1306 - THE ORACLE & THE VAMPIRE.

Friday Five for July 12, 2013

1. ONE day until THE GHOST blog tour begins. I'm so excited! The final book in the 13th Floor series is already available on all the purchase sites. ( Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords ) There will be a huge giveaway on the final day. You can enter for a chance to win the entire series.

2. Don't forget to have your say on what short story should be included in the 13th Floor collection. So far, it looks like the majority of people want to see someone new moving in. Oh the possibilities! I have lots of ideas, but none specific yet. The pantser in me loves it!

3. I received three amazing reviews this week from Night Owl Reviews for THE DRAGONSLAYER, THE HARBINGER, and THE ORACLE AND THE VAMPIRE. All of them received 4.5 stars. They're top picks! THE MARQUIS was also one of their top picks. The reviewer compared me to Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan. Whoa. I'm still blushing. I sent them THE GHOST for review. Hopefully they'll love it just as much.

4. I survived the first week of parent and tot swim lessons. It's amazing to see how much a child can improve in just four days. My son has gained a lot of confidence, and getting splashed in the face isn't the end of the world for him any more. My top goal for the lessons is to get him to dunk his head. We're a few steps closer.

5. I have a question for all the parents out there. Have you ever taken your children to a sensory sensitive showing at the cinema? I knew they existed, but I recently learned our town has an AMC theater that participates in it. There's a showing this Saturday morning. I don't know if my son would sit through a whole movie, but just the experience might be fun. He definitely does not like loud noises, and the theaters have gotten too loud for me over the years too. I'm happy to just watch movies at home. (Did you see Sharknado last night?!) The TVs these days are big enough! Yet I have very good memories of going to the theater as a kid. I'd like him to have them too.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back tomorrow to start THE GHOST tour. Woot!

Wicked Wednesday - encouraging reviews

This Wicked Wednesday post isn't just for paranormal romance writers. It's for every writer. I would love to hear your opinions and ideas on this topic. Let's brainstorm together.

Reviews are vital to getting your books noticed. I read a lot of frustrations and cries for help in terms of reviews. How do I get reviews? How do I get more than just my friends and family to review my work? How do I do it without having to pay people?

The advice I've been reading hasn't helped me very much. Here are a few things I do to try to encourage readers to write reviews:

- Give your book away for free. People love free stuff. THE MARQUIS and FEARLESS are available for free. Less than one percent of readers who downloaded the books have reviewed them.
- Send your books to review sites. I've sent mine to several review sites. They get a lot of submissions. Maybe they'll get to yours, but most likely they won't.
- Ask your blog followers and have giveaways. Done and done.
- Review other writers' books. Yes! I try to write a paragraph or two, but if I don't have time, I at least rate it and say a couple of things.

I've read many articles that say reviews are the one thing out of an author's control. For the most part, I agree with it, but there has to be a way to encourage more of them.

What do you do to encourage readers to review your books? Do you think there's anything we can do to get more reviews?

Friday Five for June 14, 2013

1. My WIP is coming along. Not quite as fast as I need it to, but it's been a busy week. Maybe I can convince my husband to take our boy out for a few hours so I can write. If I get five good days in a row, I can finish it. I'm a fast writer if I have the time and inspiration.

2. I've been catching up on some reading on my Kindle this week too. It's nice the boy is loving his new bigger pool and is happy to splash around while I sit in the shade reading. I've a lot of indie books on the Kindle. Only a few of them have more than a couple of reviews. I make sure to review books after I read them now, but I wonder how to get people motivated to write more reviews. (Oh! I shall write a post about that!)

3. I had a wonderful visit with my family last week in Canada. It was a little rough not sleeping in my own bed and sharing a room with a toddler that talks very loudly in his sleep. We stopped at a hotel with a water park on our way back home thinking the boy would love it, but nope. My husband enjoyed it far more than any of us! My son loves the water. The spouts, slides, and splashing. These hotel water parks are geared more to older kids, though. He doesn't like to get water in his face nor did he like all the noise. If anyone wants to start a business, here's an idea for you: build a hotel for families with toddlers with toddler-friendly attractions. There are only a few places made for the little kids. Sometimes it's difficult to find things to do for a special trip.

4. I took my son to a local event called Touch A Truck on Wednesday. It gives kids a chance to explore all different sorts of trucks like fire engines, ambulances, tow trucks, etc. I like the idea, but there were long lines in near record-breaking heat. We didn't stay too long. My boy's favorite thing was the helicopter. My favorite thing he said was when he walked into the local library's Bookmobile: "This looks like our house!" Yes, we do have a lot of books!

5. Don't forget that Monday is the June W4WS event! Help your fellow writers with just a tweet. It's fast and easy.

Have a great weekend!

Wicked Wednesday - promoting tips and one day until The Marquis

One more day until the first book of the 13th Floor series is officially released. I'm hyperventilating a little bit and eating too much chocolate. I worry about whether I'm doing enough to promote the series. So I've been reading articles about self-promotion. When I'm anxious about something, research does help. Or it's enough to distract me from my worries!

Here are a few things I've learned about promoting your books:
1. Word-of-mouth is extremely important. When people get talking about your book, it can snowball. Especially on sites like Twitter.
2. Reviews are also very important. Encourage readers to leave reviews on their blogs and from wherever they purchased your book. Send your book to review sites.
3. Samples and excerpts will let readers who are unfamiliar with your work get a peek. Pick something that will hook them.
4. Have an awesome cover and blurb. These will attract readers who randomly come across your book.
5. If you can afford it, use paid advertising.

Tomorrow I begin my eight day blog tour for The Marquis. My first stop is at Cherie Reich's blog. We'll be starting the excitement right off with a giveaway. Every day during the tour, I'll be posting a tidbit about The Marquis or the 13th Floor series. On the 21st, I'll be revealing the cover to the second book in the series, The Alpha.

And then I'll be taking a little Christmas break to catch up on my sleep!