Megan Haskell's Blog, page 4

Tell your friends, SANYARE's on sale!

This Wednesday, September 23rd, I'm throwing a one-day sale on Sanyare: The Last Descendant, reducing the price from $2.99 to just $0.99. That's right, for less than a dollar, you or your friends can buy hours of entertainment in the Universe of Sanyare.

So, if you haven't already purchased the book, now's your best chance! And if you have friends who you think might enjoy the story, make sure to tell them about the sale! Spread the love, spread the word, and help Rie make the top 20 in Amazon's genre lists. I'll owe you one...dollar! ;-) 

Latest Review on Amazon, 4 Stars from My Guilty Obsession

A few weeks ago I received a great review from Ali over at My Guilty Obsession book blog. She picked up Sanyare: The Last Descendant from a giveaway on another book blog. After reading Pixie Tamer, she was excited to read the novel, and I'm thrilled to say she enjoyed both stories, posting wonderful things on Amazon and Goodreads. 

“I honestly enjoyed this so much and I can’t wait for more. The author truly has created something unique and original while still holding true to familiar concepts and creatures. I have to applaud her on her ability to mix so many details together and create something fun and unputdownable.”

— Ali, My Guilty Obsession

Thanks Ali!

Outlines, Shmoutlines (or, The 100 Page Hurdle)

If you've been keeping up with my posts on Facebook, you'll know that I have been writing pretty consistently since Julia was born in April. I was actually getting nearly 1,000 words written every weekday in June and July! Until I hit the 100 page hurdle; the point for many authors (including me) when all of a sudden you figure out what your story is really about. 

So far I've written about 24,000 words toward the first draft of Sanyare Book 2, or approximately 100 paperback pages. Things were going great! That is, until Rie traveled to the Summer Realm. It was a turn I hadn't expected, a new twist that wasn't part of my outline. These things happen. No matter how much I plot and plan, my outlines are always flexible guides that only provide waypoints for the story. If the characters need to go somewhere new, I have no choice but to let them.

Unfortunately, while I'd done some basic world-building for the Summer Realm, I hadn't anticipated needing a full vision of the setting and the characters in the realm. As a result, I've had to go back and do more research and planning. A lot of this is happening on Pinterest, so if you're interested, you can take a look at my ideas and inspirations as I'm pulling everything together.

[Side note: Pinterest is really the perfect online tool for creating idea boards. I can only imagine sitting in my living room with magazines and scissors, gluing inspiration collages together! What a mess!]

As for the actual writing, I'm taking a short break from Book 2 and letting my ideas percolate for a bit. Once I have a better image in my head of the realm, I can go back and finish the story. At that point, the writing should pick up again and I'll hopefully be fast through the end of the novel. 

In the meantime, I'm working on another deleted scene for my newsletter subscribers. This one will be from Braegan's perspective and should reveal a lot more about his personality and the internal conflict that drives his actions in SANYARE: THE LAST DESCENDANT. I'll also be working on the outline for a novella that I've been contemplating for awhile. It's going to be set in the world of Sanyare, but Rie will not be a character! And that's all I'm going to say for now!! :)

One last reminder: if you haven't already, please consider reviewing SANYARE on the platform of your choice. Amazon and Goodreads are always good, but iBooks, B&N, Kobo, or RiffleBooks.com would also be much appreciated! 

And if you haven't already signed up for the newsletter, make sure you take care of that now! You'll get a free deleted scene from Daenor's perspective, as well as the upcoming scene from Braegan's perspective. 

Riffle: The New Goodreads?

This article was originally posted on Lit Central O.C., an online literary magazine for Orange Country, CA writers.

Some of you may have heard that Riffle is a great place to find and advertise book deals. If you’ve signed up for their newsletter, they’ll send you a customized daily email with discount book recommendations in your preferred genres. But did you know they’ve launched a Goodreads-style book review and recommendation site as well?

RiffleBooks.com is social media for book readers. Although it has similar functionality to the Amazon subsidiary, Riffle is visually beautiful, with a cleaner, less cluttered interface and increased focus on book covers as compared to Goodreads’ cramped screen filled with text. 

Type in a book title, and up comes a beautiful half-screen image of the cover with the book description and a link to buy to the right hand side. You can rate, review, mark as read, recommend, or add to your TBR list, all from the same screen. 

From a social perspective, following your friends or favorite authors will build a newsfeed similar to Facebook. All your friends’ activities will appear in the feed, where you can comment and start discussions about the books they’ve read. Readers can build book lists, adding notes and comments to explain their recommendations, or write book reviews to share with the community. There’s even a separate area with discussion boards for every major genre and a section just for authors. Currently, all discussions are open to everyone, so you can sort and filter to find just what you want to talk about without joining a special group. 

Although it’s lacking functionality designed specifically for authors — like author pages or the ability to edit the information on the book page — the site nonetheless provides a new opportunity for audience-building. 

First Adopter: the site is so new, there’s still time to be an early adopter, a good thing if you need to take some time getting comfortable with site functionality. Plus, new subscribers will almost certainly see your posts and profile if you’re active when they join.Book Lists: Readers and authors alike can create book lists to share with their friends and followers. For authors, this means you can create a list that showcases your books. Theoretically, this could generate interest in your work as you attract new followers and they check out the lists on your profile.Respectful Interaction: Active moderators can and will delete inappropriate content and users from the site. Amongst other common sense community rules, the discussion board FAQ states the following: “You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But, remember to criticize ideas, not people.” There are more specific guidelines for authors using the site, but really it amounts to don’t spam the forums, be a reader first and foremost, and don’t comment on the reviews of your books.Social Media Integration: Riffle directly interacts with Twitter and Facebook (G+ coming soon). Initially, this feature allows you to follow your friends from the other sites, but you can also choose to share updates on the other sites. Retail Independence: Unlike Goodreads, which is owned by Amazon, Riffle is independent of the book retailers, which means it’s neutral in the marketplace. This could be a huge benefit, especially for indie authors, because it provides marketing opportunities outside of the Amazon infrastructure.

While I am hopeful that Riffle will become a great new social media site, there are still some drawbacks. 

Limited Audience: I’ve been asking around, and most people still don’t realize that Riffle is a viable alternative to Goodreads. Only a handful of my friends from other sites are already on Riffle, which means I’m struggling to put together a decent newsfeed. Limited Activity: The functionality is in place, but until more people join, review, and socialize, activity will be limited. I’ve posted to a few discussions without any response, and I only have 5 followers so far. Then again, I’ve only been on the site for a couple of weeks. 

Despite its limitations, I have a feeling it won’t take long for RiffleBooks.com to catch on. In the meantime, I’m getting comfortable with the site and learning all the ins and outs. With a little luck as an early adopter, I’ll be able to grow an audience for my own books while making new online book friends. Care to join me?

Favorite Books Jan - June 2015

I'm a little late with this post, but I promised I would share my book recommendations about every six months, so here you go! In no particular order: My Favorite Books from January through June 2015. Not all are new, but all are new to me!

The Psy-Changeling Series is one of very few books I will preorder on Amazon. Basically, as soon as it's posted, I run out to click the buy link. SHARDS OF HOPE reinforces that decision. This is one of the best of the Psy-Changeling books, breaking into slightly new territory with two Arrows leaving the bonds of silence to fall in love with each other. I couldn't put it down! 

[NOTE: With Psy-Changeling, you really do need to start with Book 1: SLAVE TO SENSATION. While the books can be read independently, you'll miss a lot of critical subtext and history if you don't read them in order.]

The Jane Yellowrock series is another book that I will usually preorder, and I did for this one! These are dark books with just a little romance (but lots of sexual tension) and a kick-butt but flawed shapechanging protagonist in Jane Yellowrock. Dark Heir continues the story line involving the European Vamps impending visit and Jane's own growing powers. Loved it!

[NOTE: Also like the Psy-Changeling Series, you really do need to start with Book 1: SKINWALKER in the Jane Yellowrock series. The books can probably be read independently, but you'll miss a lot of critical subtext and history if you don't read them in order.]

ANGELFALL is the first book in the Penryn and the End of Days trilogy. I read the first two books in a matter of a few days, and only waited for the third because it wasn't available when I finished book 2. Although it's technically YA and involves angels, both of which I tend to shy away from as being a bit overdone, this was a fantastic trilogy. It was dark and twisted, and didn't get too "angsty". I highly recommend you pick up all three.

Nathan Lowell writes the Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series, which I devoured a couple of years ago. SOUTH COAST, though entirely independent of the Solar Clipper series, is nevertheless set within the same Universe. It takes place on an agricultural planet that supplies fish (and sheep, but the book doesn't really get into that) to the other planets in the system. Shamans exist on this planet as advisors and leaders who are connected to the communities they live in. They carve small figurines out of wood that magically protect and aid the individual they're given to. SOUTH COAST follows young Otto, heir to his father's post as Shaman, as he transforms from an average boy into a powerful shaman with extraordinary abilities. It's a nice cross between science fiction and fantasy. Highly recommended.

This is a great urban fantasy by author Ranae Glass (pen name for Sherry Ficklin). Like all of Sherry's books, I loved this one! Action packed and entertaining, it follows Private Investigator, Isabel Stone as she and her vampire partner investigate a series of murders. Though she would love a nice picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog, her life keeps getting in the way. Great characters and an exciting plot kept me thoroughly engaged! There's a second book out now, which I haven't yet read, but it's in my TBR pile!

I am a member of Amazon Associates. By clicking any of the links above, I will get a small commission from your purchase.

Night Owl Reviews Scavenger Hunt Winner and Author Chat!

Winner chat tonight, June 6th at 6pm Pacific!

Don't forget!

Tonight, July 6, at 6pm Pacific time, Night Owl Reviews will be hosting a chat to announce the winners of the Scavenger Hunt and talk with the authors.

Barring childcare issues, I'll be there, so don't miss it!

Here's the link. See you in the chat room!

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy 4th of July! Stay safe and enjoy those burgers, but don't forget to thank our military men and women for their service. Whether it's life, limb, or simply time away from home, each and every one of them is a hero for their sacrifice in serving our country. 

And for those outside the U.S., I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

New 5 Star Review from LadyTess on Amazon!

Thank you LadyTess! You made my day!!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been running a limited time promotion on Sanyare: The Last Descendant. The ebook is on sale for just $0.99 through July 6th, and I've been doing a little bit of advertising to help promote the title. So far, I've run one small promotion with a book deal newsletter called Booktastik. I had pretty decent sales that day, reaching #109 in Fairy Tales on Amazon, and it seems I may have managed to earn a new fan! 

I went on Amazon this morning to take a look at the page, and I'm thrilled to say I have a new 5 star review from LadyTess!

“I took a chance on a new author and scored big time!! This book at it all! Action, romance, mystery, suspense and of course amazing characters all set in my favorite genre Fantasy!! It is hard to find books where you can’t see the outcome coming but I never could see where this book was going. I was hooked from the first page and surprise at every turn. I am so glad I was long for the ride.

Not only can I not wait for the next book in the series but I am putting Megan Haskell on my list of authors to follow because I would hate to miss out on her next hidden gem. Well done Megan!!!!!”

— LadyTess "Theresa Davis"

I'll be running two more newsletter promotions via Riffle Books and Bargain Booksy on June 29th. These are much bigger newsletters, each with a fantasy audience of more than 75,000 readers. Needless to say, I'm super excited to see where they take me!

If you're interested in how things go, I'll be posting updates about sales and Amazon rank on my Facebook Author Page. If you haven't already 'liked' my page, head over there and check it out!

Win $250 Amazon Gift Card in the Night Owl Reviews Scavenger Hunt!

I'm participating in the Find Your Next Great Read Scavenger Hunt. It's a fun little contest, and you could win a $250 Grand Prize Amazon Gift Card, or one of 100 smaller value gift cards! 

Beginning tomorrow, June 12th, start reading through the descriptions of participating books on Night Owl Reviews. Fill in the blank from each entry in the Rafflecopter below, and you'll earn an entry into the final drawing. The contest closes on July 3rd.

Winners will be announced during a one hour author chat on July 6th at 6pm Pacific in the Night Owl Reviews Chat Room. Don't worry, I'll remind you!

In honor of the Scavenger Hunt, I'm running a limited time promotion on Sanyare, slashing the price from $2.99 to $0.99 for the duration of the event. If you haven't purchased a copy, now's your chance! Tell your friends! 

So go ahead and get started, and don't forget to let me know if you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Character Glossary: How to pronounce the elvish names

While writing Sanyare, I wanted to give an authentic feel to all of the character names. It was particularly important that the elvish characters sounded foreign -- even difficult to pronounce -- to add some legitimacy to the fantasy realms in Rie's travels. During the world building process, I found a great website -- Merin Essi ar Quenteli --  that provided translations for names in J.R.R. Tolkien's elvish languages. I thought you might find it interesting to learn what the names mean, and how to pronounce them, or at least how I pronounce them in my head!

Some characters do not have elvish names, like Ragnar and Othin (those actually come from Norse folklore). For those characters, I only listed the pronunciation.

Nuriel (NOO-ree-el): Servant-Daughter
Our protagonist, she prefers the nickname Rie (REE-ay, rhymes with hooray). Human.

Aradae (AIR-a-day): Royal-Shadow
King of the Shadow Realm. Dark elf.

Braegan (BRAY-gan)
The first person willing to help Rie navigate the Shadow Realm. Blood sidhe (pronounced shee).

Curuthannor (koo-ROO-than-or): Skilled-Shield
Rie's foster father (aka warden) and martial trainer. He's the head of King Othin's personal guard. High elf.

Daenor (DAY-nor): Shadow-Fire
Bastard son of King Aradae and a prince of the Shadow Realm. He's also the Commander of the Shadow Guard. Mixed dark elf and fire sidhe.

Faerleithril (fair-LEE-thrill): Spirit-Freer
Female heir to the Shadow Realm throne and Faernodir's twin. Dark elf.

Faernodir (fair-NOR-deer): Spirit-Binder
Male heir to the Shadow Realm throne and Faerleithril's twin. Dark elf.

Garamaen (gare-a-May-en): Clever Wolf (actually, wolf clever, but it sounds better switched around)
A powerful Lord of the elves living in the Human Realm. High elf.

Gikl (GI-kill)
One of the pixies who has attached to Rie.

Hiinto (HIN-toe)
One of the pixies who has attached to Rie.

Lhéwen (LAY-when): Thread-Maiden
Rie's foster mother, aka warden. She's the best seamstress in the Upper Realm. High elf.

Niinka (NIN-ka)
One of the pixies who has attached to Rie.

Othin (OH-thin)
King of the Upper Realm. High elf.

Possn (POSS-in)
One of the pixies who has attached to Rie.

Ragnar (RAG-nawr)
Prince Daenor's friend and executive assistant. Goblin.

Rolimdornoron (roll-im-DOOR-nor-on): Most Swift Realm Runner
Rie's boss in the High Court messenger service. High elf with questionable lineage.

Tharbatiron (thar-ba-TEER-on)
Proprietor of the renowned and extremely popular Crossroads Inn. Ancient dark elf.

Tiik (TEAK)
One of the pixies who has attached to Rie.

Tryg (TRIG, like in trigonometry)
Bartender and bodyguard for Tharbatiron

Whixle (WICK-sell)
Renowned Shadow Realm bladesmith. Gremlin.

Thank you so much to DreamingFifi and the website of Merin Essi ar Quenteli. I hope I haven't butchered the Sindarin too badly! Any and all mistakes in translation or pronunciation are completely, 100% my own.