UtopYA Saturday Signing : Indie News & Highlights

Happy Monday!

If you live near Nashville, or fancy a trip there, and would love to meet some awesome authors and find some great new reads, then I have wonderful news for you...

Here's your chance, and you get to do it for a great cause! Meet bestselling authors like Denise Grover Swank, Lauren Miller, Kim Holden and Rysa Walker (and many, many more!) at Authors R My Idols (ARMI), sponsored by Indie-Visibles and presented by UtopYA Con. 

On Saturday, June 20, an open-to-the-public book signing will be held at Nashville’s Millennium Maxwell House Hotel. The book signing benefits local non-profit group Book 'Em. 

The signing is free for fans who donate a book, or only $5 without a book. Two signings will be held from 10A-12P and 1-3PM to insure readers get plenty of time to find their next pile of books to read! 

All donated books and admission fees go directly to Book ‘Em to help them with their two-part mission: to get books to children and teens in lower-income families who might not otherwise have books of their own; and providing volunteer readers to local pre- and elementary schools. Book’em creates a more literate Nashville by helping economically disadvantaged children, from birth through high school, discover the joy and value of reading through book ownership and enthusiastic volunteers. 

UtopYA Con is a proud supporter of this organization and looks forward to connecting authors and readers for such a great cause. For more information such as exhibitors, conference tickets, and more, visit utopyacon.com or you can purchase tickets (or save your signing space) here.

Voting is Live!

Happy Friday!

In June, I'll be attending my favorite conference, UtopYA. From their website:

An uplifting, collaborative and educational conference for those who love supernatural and contemporary young adult and new adult fiction!

This year I'm an award-nominee. I still can't believe it!

Chasing Forgiveness is up for Best Companion Novella.

I'm thrilled to be nominated along with some amazing authors and bloggers.

Voting is LIVE until May 21 at midnight, and each person can vote only once. You can vote here:

http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/pgd137pk1w7lpve651688

Although I'd love it if you'd vote for my novella, please go vote your heart and support your favorite authors.

And if you haven't gotten your tickets yet, you can get them on the website. I hope to see everyone there!

What If Nobody Shows : #IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (or IWSG) is a wonderful group put together by the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh (which now has an equally cool Facebook group). 

The first Wednesday of each month is the perfect opportunity to share my insecurities on the #IWSG therapy couch, get encouragement and support about such insecurities, and to read how other writers are faring.

I am attending a book conference, where I will have an exhibitor table for two days and a signing table for one, and a strictly author signing event this summer.

My biggest fear... what if nobody stops by to talk to me? What if they walk by, and as soon as I smile, they look down and run away?

Even more daunting... they stop to talk, but veer away from any attempts to talk about the book?

I love people and interacting with them. I can talk all day and enjoy it. But, in all honesty, my job there is to get the word out about my book. I've thought about swag, but I notice a lot of people pick it up and keep going. Swag often is treated like McDonalds toys -- Moms, you know what I mean here -- it's a new, shiny object for a day, and then it gets tossed.

Any advice?

Indigo, Secrets & an Anniversary : Indie News & Highlights

Happy Monday!

On Mondays, I like to share Indie News and Highlights, and today there's a lot of great stuff.

*****

First up is a great series by Jacinda Bachmann.

In celebration of the two-year anniversary of Indigo Incite, the Indigo trilogy is on sale for the entire month of May!

Get Book 1, Indigo Incite, for FREE, and then continue the adventure with Indigo Instinct and Indigo Infinity for 99 cents each!!!
‪

About Indigo Incite

There are no secrets.

Sixteen-year-old Tyler believed that his extra-sensory powers were a secret, but when his twin brother, Toby, is kidnapped by a covert government agency, he realizes that he has no secrets, and he has nowhere to hide.

He’s not alone.

Now, to save himself and rescue his brother, Tyler must call upon the help of four strangers. Unknown to each other, Eddie, Liliana, Grace, and Sarah share a common bond. They are Indigo Children. With extrasensory powers of their own, they must unite with Tyler to maintain their freedom. 

Unexpected romance.

They’re on the run. They’re on a mission. Romance is a distraction that Tyler can’t afford. But sometimes, the heart has a mind of its own.

Time is running out.

Will they find Toby before the agency finds them first?

Amazon Links

Book 1 -- Free

Book 2 -- 99 cents

Book 3 -- 99 cents

*****

Secrets Revealed, Book 3 in the MysticSeeker series, by NL Greene is finally here.

About Secrets Revealed

In the final book of The MysticSeeker Series, Katherine Rebecca will have some hard decisions to make that will forever alter her life. Lance finally showed his true colors when he attacked and nearly raped her, but amid all the turmoil and confusion new secrets were exposed. Shocking revelations that had her spinning and questioning everything and everyone in her life. 

Sam is a magic user like Blaine and although she saved Becky, Becky's smart enough to know that her 'friends' sudden appearance in her life isn't a coincidence. What does Sam really want with Becky? And was she pretending to be her friend to get it? Ethan, Becky's best friend and knight in shining armor has been there for her, proving to be a loyal and trustworthy friend. She hasn't been blind to his true feelings for her though. Having fallen for Blaine so quickly, she pushed Ethan away keeping him solidly in the friend zone. But when Ethan shows up distraught and worried after Lance's attack, she wonders if she'd made a mistake. 

Until Blaine Winters knocked on her door again. 

Can Becky handle Blaine's disappearing and reappearing acts while dealing with Ethan's feelings, Sam's deception, and the things that are still going bump in the night?

Amazon Link

I really enjoyed the first two books, and I can't wait to read this one. See my reviews here. The first book, Illusions Begin, is only 99 cents right now.

*****

Fun fact: Today marks the first anniversary of Chasing Shadows, Tala Prophecy Book 2.

What a year's it's been. If you haven't read it, please pick up a copy. Chasing Destiny will be available soon, so make sure you're all caught up.

Speaking of the Tala Prophecy series, the Goodreads giveaway (8 copies up for grabs) for Chasing Forgiveness is still going strong. If you haven't entered to win a signed paperback, please do.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Chasing Forgiveness

by Tia Silverthorne Bach

Giveaway ends May 20, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Harvest Saga Trilogy by Casey L. Bond New Cover Reveal

Thanks so much for checking out the blog today! Casey L. Bond is revealing brand new covers for her Harvest Saga trilogy! Check these bad boys out. 

The covers were designed by Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs. 

Cover photography by Mandy Hollis of MHPhotography. 

Cover models are Mandy Hollis and Amee Thompson. 

If you're interested in reading Reap, here are the links:

REAP

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Nook

iBooks

Kobo

Goodreads

If you're interested in reading Resist, here are the links:

RESIST

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Nook

iBooks

Kobo

Goodreads

Reclaim is currently being edited. A release date will be announced very soon.

 When Reclaim is released, the boxed set will also be released! Isn't it pretty?

Thank you so much for checking out the blog today! If you want to go stalker on Casey, just follow her at the links below!

Casey L. Bond resides in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links:

Website

Newsletter

Facebook

Twitter: @authorcaseybond                

Goodreads

Pinterest

Connect on tsu, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn!

Available or Soon-To-Be Released Books:

Winter Shadows

Pariah, Book 1 in The New Covenant Series

Paradox, Book 2, The New Covenant Series

Devil Creek

Shady Bay

Reap, Book 1 in The Harvest Saga

Resist, Book 2 in The Harvest Saga

Reclaim, Book 3 in The Harvest Saga

Sin (Serial Series)

Light in the Darkness (YA Anthology)

Fractured Glass (Novel Anthology)

Crazy Love

Dark Bishop (Serial Series)

Prep For Doom (Dystopian Anthology)

Catalyst 

Temptation (Serial Series)

Water Witch

Bear and Bare : Grammar & Editing Tips

A few weeks ago, I posted about Homophones and Contractions. Homophones are words that sound alike (can be spelled alike or not) but have different meanings. 

As an editor, I fix tons of homophones in manuscripts. From time to time, I thought I'd feature some commonly misused homophones. 

Today, I'll discuss bear and bare. At first glance, these might seem easy.

Source

Bear

An animal. Easy. Right?

Well, as a noun, yes.

Verb variations (past tense = bore, past participle = borne):

1. To hold up, support (bear weight)

2. To give birth (bear a child)

3. To produce by natural growth (bear fruit)

4. To hold up under / be capable of (bear close examination)

Also bear down on something and bear in mind.

Bare

Some good adjectives for this one.

1. Without covering or clothing / naked

2. Without the usual coverings or contents (bare walls)

3. Open to view / unconcealed (bare dislike)

4. Unadorned (bare facts)

5. Just sufficient (bare necessities of life)

Verb (past tense: bared)

1. To reveal / uncover / expose (bare all in an interview, bare one's teeth)

Is there an editing/grammar issue that's always caused you trouble? If so, share it in the comments so I can feature it in a future post. 

Definitions from Dictionary.com

Discovering April by Sheena Hutchinson Release Day

Title: Discovering April

Author: Sheena Hutchinson

Publisher: SL Hutchinson Publishing

Release Date: 4/27/2015

Genre: New Adult Romance
ASIN: B00V46MYJ4

ISBN: 1508642222

Word Count: 86,000 apx

Pages: 355

Cover Art: Cover Me Darling

Blurb:

April Landau thinks she has everything she’s ever wanted. Her high school sweetheart, a house she can’t afford, her bipolar tabby cat, and she’s all set to begin her Junior year of college. Just when she least expects it, her life gets thrown for a loop. When things between her and her long time boyfriend unravel, she becomes stuck in a downward spiral of emotion. Finally, opening her eyes to the fact that she may have given up more than she ever could have imagined in this relationship. She finds herself struggling to keep her head above water.

Enter April’s next door neighbor— Jared Hoffman. He’s her complete opposite. A high school drop out who was forced to take over his parent’s business after their untimely death. It’s no surprise this tragedy affected him greatly, causing him to recede almost completely from society.

But he has one secret. A secret he’s been carrying around for years.

What happens when their worlds collide? Can an old friendship be the one thing that brings these two back to life?

A new adult love story filled with drama, sex, death, and the complications of all of the above. 

Purchase your copy today!!!

Book Links:

Amazon ~ GoodReads

SALE ALERT:

Discovering April will be on Pre-Order sale for $0.99 until 5/1/2015!

Starting 4/27/2015 The Seraphina Series will also be on sale until 5/1 in honor of April’s release!

Amazon

Starting 5/1 Discovering April will be enrolled in Kindle Unlimited

About the Author:

Sheena is a born and raised New Yorker, even her writing can’t hide her hard sarcasm. She claims destiny lead her to writing again. She constantly strives to be a positive role model and write stories that empower and inspire.

Sheena always roots for the underdog, believes in love at first sight, and that everyone should have their happily ever after. While God is currently writing her love story she continues to put all her time into her writing as she is constantly getting new inspiration.

For more on Sheena and her books visit her website.

Author Pages:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Instagram ~ Email

~
Organized and Hosted by Dowie's Place Events