It’s been too long since I wrote on this blog. Let me give you a short summary of what’s been happening in my little corner of the world since last year.
I’ve been learning how to be an indie author!
A lot goes into being an indie author. You don’t just write the story and then upload it to Amazon (although some do with disastrous results). You write the story, revise it ad nauseum, hire a cover designer, hire a professional editor, make the edits, hire a formatter, and then learn — about marketing, about Amazon and Kindle Direct Publishing, about advertising, as well as numerous other facets of publishing.
In the last year, I’ve received an education (even on things I didn’t know I needed to know–lol!). On April 29th, I’ll be releasing the beginning of a new series called the Stardust Hearts series. The stories are futuristic fantasy fairytale retellings (reminiscent of the Lunar Chronicles). Book one, a novella, is titled All the Wild Hearts: A Red Riding Hood Retelling.
I’m so excited to get this story out into the world, but first, I’m looking for eARC readers (eARC: ebook Advance Reader Copy). If you’re not familiar with what this is, an eARC reader reads an early copy of the ebook and agrees to review it on Amazon, Goodreads, or B&N on release day. They can also talk about it on any social media channel they like, share about it on their blog, or share it in the newsletter.
The market is saturated with books; in the United States last year, there were 500,00 self-published books released. This doesn’t even take into account the books released by the bigger publishing houses or books released in other countries. It’s hard to get noticed with that many books available. Reviews on Amazon are one of the small ways a book can get noticed, so eARC readers/reviewers are a big help.
Anyway, I digress. If being an eARC reader/reviewer sounds like something you’d like to be involved in, here’s a beautiful view of the cover, a little bit about the book, and a link you can click on to sign up.
Who’s afraid of the big bad businessman? Everyone.
On the snowy planet of Amaris, Avarill Engle makes deliveries for her grandmother and the residents of Skift, while avoiding unwanted advances from the gray tycoon Wolfgang Vujic. When the crooked CEO buys the mortgage to her grandmother’s neo-res, the only way to keep their home is to go to work—for him.
With every passing day, Avarill feels more desperate and afraid. Blaiz Weylin, her new friend and expert codestitcher, creates a plan to destroy Vujic, and Avarill eagerly joins the sting operation. But Blaiz’s past entwines with Vujic in ways he can’t confess, even as his feelings for Avarill deepen. When his secret comes to light, Avarill must make a choice: trust in the man who could break her heart or fight to free herself from Vujic’s iron grasp. With one wrong move, her freedom will become a distant memory. Time is running out, and the wolf is closing in.
For fans of The Lunar Chronicles, this futuristic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood blends swoony romance, creative technology, and high stakes adventure into an engaging tale of hope and redemption.
Sign up here to be put on the eARC reader/reviewer list!
I’m only leaving this link available for five more days–on March 15th, it’s coming down. But if you sign up, you’ll get bookish swag/goodies below and my eternal gratitude for your help!
I hope we can celebrate this release together!
Drop a comment to let me know what you think about this new series!
ome to #WritingWednesday. Last week we talked about a few ways to avoid boring writing. This week, I have a few more tips for you to keep your story interesting and your readers engaged!
4. “…and everyone lived happily ever after, forever and ever, with a big, red bow.” Hmm, maybe not. I NEED a happy ending. (I was very cross with Veronica Roth after reading the Divergent series. Just sayin’…) But that’s just me. You must decide how happy your ending’s going to be. Somewhat bittersweet? Tragic, like Romeo and Juliet? Or do we get the true HEA (Happily Ever After)? Even with an HEA, not every character is happy—not the villain and perhaps not some secondary characters. There may be unpleasant circumstances due to bad decisions. That’s okay. Just remember the expectations of your genre (romance readers expect an HEA or an HFN–Happy For Now). A spark of hope on the last page will satisfy your readers.