Ann Christy's Blog, page 10

It’s Alive! The In-Betweener is on Amazon.

I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas! Seriously.

Releasing a new book is hair-raising for sure, but I really like this book (all three in the series actually) and so far, the wonderful beta readers and ARC readers like it, too. That’s good news!

This morning I logged onto Amazon and uploaded a new file because…oh, yes…there was a random + sign in the text of the file that was up for pre-order. LOL…it doesn’t matter how many editors or proof-readers an author has, there will always be something.

But while I was doing that (and  muttering at the computer because of the + sign) I realized there were already reviews…and they were great ones. And then I did the happy dance around my living room. Charlie (the half basset/half beagle old man doggy of the house) actually woke up from his post-breakfast coma and made a rude noise at me. So, I stopped dancing and decided to post instead. So, this is my web-based happy dance.

Have a great Saturday everyone and happy reading!

The In-Betweener is on Goodreads

 

At last, The In-Betweener finally has a page at Goodreads! It’s here.

Since the print edition isn’t yet ready, that only goes to the Kindle edition, but that means you can add it to your shelf, review it and all the other Goodreads type stuff.

Yippee! Just a few more days of pre-order and then it will be live. So far, the Advanced Review Copy readers are saying good things, so I’m very encouraged. I sure hope people will like it.

 

The In-Betweener is here!

A new series by Ann Christy!

 

 Meet Emily.

At eighteen, she should be dating, going to college…maybe causing her mother a little worry. Instead, she wakes up each morning and smashes heads. It’s not the life she imagined.

Two years ago, a medical nanite advance was supposed to make human life healthier and longer. Instead, it divided us into three types: humans, deaders, and the frightening in-betweeners, who crave human flesh. Emily is now alone. Her home is a warehouse complex and her days have grown quiet and ordered. As mayhem beyond her gates emptied the world, she put her talents for survival to good use. Each day she wakes to kill the deaders at her fences and each night she barricades herself into a tiny, windowless office and hopes for morning.

One day, everything changes when one of the deaders at her gate isn’t a deader at all. He’s an in-betweener different from any she has seen or heard of before…and he has a message.

Meet Sam.

At 24, Sam is one of the good guys. He loves his mom, apple pie, and Sunday sports. When the world around him went crazy, his first year as a special education teacher came to a tragic end. Since then, he has found himself with a brood of five found children, from baby Jon to the almost-grown Veronica. He has done his best, scavenging the city around them for food and keeping them alive and hidden. But resources have run dry and it’s time to move. Now that Jon is two years old, Sam thinks they can take the risk.

And Sam has just found what might be their salvation. A lone – and possibly crazy – girl at the edge of town, safe behind warehouse walls.

Find out what happens next in the first book of the Between Life and Death series, The In-Betweener, now available on Amazon. Forever Between, book two, is already available for pre-order.

Now, if you’ve made it this far, you deserve a little something. And here it is, an extended sneak peek far longer than anywhere else.

Vote for Strikers!

Strikers has made it to the final round of voting for Best Dystopian Novel of 2014!

You might say…meh, big deal…but for me, it’s huge. Huge, I tell ya! Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the nomination round, because it was you that put me there.

The TKH (The Kindle Hub) awards are won by vote, which means it’s a popularity contest. Those authors that have more readers are pretty much guaranteed the win. That is, they are unless an author with fewer readers…but very supportive ones…lets those readers know.

So, all previous votes are zeroed out, this is the final voting round and if you voted in the earlier round, your vote is gone. Please, go vote for me! I don’t think I have a chance in hades of winning, but I’d rather not be that pathetic last place where there’s like 9 votes (which is what I am now), while the others have 10 times that number.

It’s sort of embarrassing.

So go vote! And spread the word so others will to. Click the picture to get to the FB voting page. And thank you.

Lots of readers! ARC list expanding to keep up.

There’s been a great response to the announcement of the ARC list for The In-Betweener.

I confess that I’m usually super conservative with ARC lists. I keep the numbers super small and the distribution limited.

But the response has been so good that I’ve decided that it’s no fun to have a restricted list.

Why shouldn’t the readers who have stuck with me since leaving the Silo world get to read for free? Answer: you should!

So, I’m keeping the ARC list open for more folks. Just email me or use the contact form to get hold of me and get your name on the list. The more, the merrier!

Strikers is on Sale! $0.99 for a very limited time

Yep! For the first (and last) time, Strikers is doing a Kindle Countdown sale before my term of exclusivity with Amazon expires.

So…grab it if you haven’t for just $0.99 instead of the regular $4.99 price.

And share this wide if you will…the more the merrier!

Happy Reading all!

Strikers best Dystopian Book of 2014? Only if you vote!

Believe it or not, Strikers is up for voting to be Best Dystopian Book of 2014 at the TKH Awards. Yep…Strikers!

While that is exciting, it’s votes that count and most other authors have *huge* active “street teams” and such.

So…will you go vote?

It’s here! Thank you!

Oh, and before I forget. Lots of folks wrote and got on the ARC list for my next book, The In-Betweener. BUT, I’m making this a much bigger ARC list this time, so there’s plenty of room. If you’re looking for a unique zombie book to read in January, let me know!

ARC List for The In-Betweener is Open!

Yes, it’s that time already! Advanced Review Copies!

The In-Betweener is at the editor and I’m looking to publish in January…probably late in the month…so I’m opening the list for ARC readers.

Expect to see the book two weeks before publication and I’ll email everyone when the review capability is up, so you won’t have to stalk it.

This book isn’t huge, so you should have plenty of time to read.

Beta Readers loved it and after the editing is done, I think it’s something that I’ll be proud to put out there. (But that won’t stop me from muttering in a corner, convinced I’ll be slaughtered on reviews!)

As always, the deal with Advanced Review Copies is that I’ll send you the book (Kindle or Nook/Kobo) before it’s published and you put up a review for it on Amazon (and Goodreads if you’re feeling generous!) on release day or whenever the review capability is up.

If you want to get on the list, email me at ann.christyauthor (at)gmail (dot)com or by homing pigeon, courier or even smoke signals if you’re close enough.

If you’re curious about what it’s about, see my previous post. It’s a zombie book, but not like any other one you’ve read. I’m light on the head-bashing (though it is in there) and it is suitable for ages 14 and up in terms of language.

New Newsletter – 9 December 2014

My latest newsletter is out and it’s chockerblock filled with news. Including the opening of the ARC (Advanced Review Copy) lists for The Powers That Be, the new collection of stories by the same authors that brought you WOOL Gathering.

Here’s the cover…lovely, ain’t it? If you want an ARC, the spots are LIMITED but you’ll get a chance to read it free a month before anyone else.

Forever Between – First Chapter Sneak Peek of Book Two

Book one, The In-Betweener, isn’t even at the editor yet and I’m almost done with the first draft of book two!

The cover is right there–and isn’t is gorgeous!–and I’ve decided there needs to be some sneaky peekies of the first chapter.

Would you like that?

Today – The Girl in the Cage

Noise. Why was there always so much noise?

The girl turns in a slow half-circle, seeking the source of the noise, but everything seems hazy and disordered, as if nothing is in its proper place. The place is familiar, yet odd and somehow incorrect. And the noise! It makes her want to squeeze her fists into her ears. Or around the head of whoever is making the noise.

It’s silent again for a moment, then the harsh clanking returns as she moves toward the edge of her enclosure–though even the idea of the enclosure doesn’t quite sink all the way into her muddled thoughts, only the idea of being in some way restrained. Then a sharp tug brings her up short.

When she can’t lift her hands, she finally puts the noise and the chains around her wrists together, almost into their proper perspectives. Chains. Chains are for holding things down. These chains are holding me.

She lets her hands drop again and it’s a relief. One side of her feels almost too heavy to move and she’s listing toward the wall. A sound escapes her that doesn’t sound right and she lets herself lean against the cold wall. More relief. Less clanking.

A scent reaches her nostrils. It’s tantalizing and she wants it, wants to get near it. Wants to put it in her mouth. Her head follows the direction her nose instructs and even though her eyes don’t want to work properly, the flash of movement through a slit in a metal wall gives her a focal point. She can’t seem to stop herself and a snarl escapes her. The feeling of saliva filling her mouth is disturbing, the taste metallic.

People, there are people behind there. Why are they hiding?

The vagueness returns, which is in its way, a relief as well. No more confusion or muddled thoughts. Different sounds break through the haze. Groans and the snapping of teeth. In the next cage the girl sees the sources of these new and bothersome noises. All across the floor are men laid out on boards. They aren’t just chained, they are strapped down. Even their heads. But they must smell that delicious smell as well as she does.

Maybe they are as hungry as she is.

Movement draws her eyes again and this time, some quirk of physiology allows her to focus a little better on the slit. There are eyes there. Familiar eyes. The hunger is so strong the girl finds herself straining against the chains once more, the clanking paining her ears.

Then the eyes change somehow–some change in the way the light hits them or some subtle alteration in the muscles around them–and the girl recognizes the eyes, knows the face those eyes belong to. The name attached to the eyes appears in her mind in one brief burst of clarity.

Veronica.

The girls sees her hands finally as they truly appear, the bits of gore and the blackened lines of older filth under the nails, the dirt ground into her skin, the matted bits of feather clinging to her sleeves.

Oh no. No.

Behind the slit, the eyes disappear and through it, the girl can now see nothing but light.