Mandy Colton's Blog, page 2
May 20, 2015
Fans & Interviews!
Hello everyone! I just wanted to share my first author interview with you. It was with a book blogger in the U.K. A very sweet lady, named Fiona. The full interview is located here:
A true fan and a great lady wanted to share a special photo with me. This is Maggie M., also known to the Plum fiction fans as Vulcan Rider. Another sweet lady with heart. She sent this cute pic to show me that she had just received my book. I absolutely loved it and asked if I could share it. Isn’t she so darn cute!
In other news, Way to Roll is finished. The tentative release will be January 2016. Will keep you updated on that.
May 6, 2015
Thank you! Now it’s time for a vacation…
Thanks to everyone that stopped by on blog tour day. Thank you for the reviews, books purchased and most of all, for your support. Those that write, know how good it feels just to sit down and wiggle your fingers, and start pounding on those mostly blank keys. At least mine are. The thing that I didn’t realize after the elation of a book deal, the adrenalin of the crunch time writing and editing rush to deliver on time, then everything else that comes with releasing your first book; In the end, even doing what you love, is stressful and exhausting.
Now I’m tired and my bare keyboard is starting to get dusty. So, I’m ready for a little R&R and then I’ll clean my writing room and maybe buy a new keyboard. Get back to the fun part.
FYI – Funny phenomenon. I created a Pinterest board for my book with Veronica’s destinations that she traveled, the food she ate, etc. And with a map. So many people have loved that. So, if you want something that is interactive, check it out.
May 3, 2015
Virtual Book Blog Tour May 4 for Way to Go
A book blog tour is scheduled for May 4 through https://www.facebook.com/GoddessFishPromotions
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GoddessFishPromotions
There will 49 blog sites included as hosts during the tour and there will be Giveaways! So if you have time, check these guys out! Check my Facebook and Twitter page throughout the day for updates. Here is the list of blog sites.
1: Books & Other Spells
2: jbiggarblog
3: Coffee Books & Art
4: Harps Romance Book Review
5: Unabridged Andra
6: Queen of All She Reads
7: Booklover Sue
8: The Avid Reader
9: Romorror Fan Girl
10: Dena Garson – Real… Hot… Romance
11: Lilac Reviews
12: Aly’s Miscellany
13: Romance Novel Giveaways
14: Reviews by Crystal
15: Tina Donahue
16: Raine Delight’s World
17: Writer Wonderland
18: BooksDirect
19: The Avid Book Collector
20: StarAngels Reviews
21: Books N Pearls
22: A Writer’s Life
23: 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!
24: CBY Book Club
25: Hope. Dreams. Life… Love
26: The Blog of C.R. Moss
27: Wake Up Your Wild Side
28: Romance Under the Moonlight
29: Room With Books
30: BookSkater
31: Literary Lunes
32: Dawn’s Reading Nook
33: Carpe_Diem
34: Undercover Book Reviews REVIEW
35: Linda Nightingale…Wordsmith
36: Punya Reviews…
37: Wickedly Wanton Tales
38: Wendi Zwaduk ~ Romance to Make Your Heart Race
39: The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
40: Long and Short Reviews
41: Straight from the Library
42: It’s Raining Books
43: Welcome to My World of Dreams
44: Underneath the Covers
45: Christine Young
46: A Book Addict’s Delight
47: A Novel Kind of Bliss
48: Erotic Author Nancy Adams
49: bookschatter
A reminder – Way to Go is available now for Kindle and in paperback on Amazon. In 90 days, it will be available in epub form for Nook on Barnes & Noble and will be available on Books-A-Million. I have been asked about Kobo and I have forwarded that question to my publisher.
May 1, 2015
First Review of Way to Go is Fantastic!
I blogged this on my author site and repeating it here for you girls.
It is hard to describe the vast number of feelings I’m sure any creative person experiences on their very first project. There is excitement, nerves, even doubts when you feel that you did your very best. So, at three in the morning I was sitting at the computer with bated breath, knee bouncing, a foot tapping, waiting for my book to go live on Amazon. After hitting the refresh button numerous times, I could clearly hear the anti-climatic scratching sound that a needle makes on a vinyl record in my head. Then I went to bed.
When I rose mid-morning, I had my ta-da moment. There it was, and not only that, I had a single review. Not from a friend, not from family, but from a book blogger. Someone that reads a LOT of books. It blew me away and made my eyes water a little. Thank you Karen at Karen’s Book Haven for taking the time to not only review on your blog site, but to also take the time to do it on Amazon. Everybody check Karen out here:
http://www.karensbookhaven.com/
And here is the link now to Amazon:
Way to Go (Way to Go Series Book 1)
April 17, 2015
Update for e-book users!
I just found out that my publisher utilizes a program with Amazon. Only the kindle e-book will be available for the first 90 days after book release. If you have a Nook or Kobo device, let me know. Email me at mandycoltonfiction@gmail.com
It’s locked and loaded!
Hello friends! I know it has been a long time since I have posted news. I am aware that some of you are waiting for me to finish fanfiction stories. All I can say is, once this original story train got rolling, it hasn’t slowed down. Had some bumps to deal with along the way and when you have a publisher, you are expected to write real books.
It has been one heck of a journey and a pain in the keister trying to get this first book out too. Boy, have I learned a lot! Two months late, but I think the publisher change will be a good thing. When my publisher, Howl, informed me this week that my book was loaded on the book sites and ready for release day, I wanted to barf. Still do. LOL
Official Book Release
Way to Go
May 1, 2015
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million
It will be available in e-book form for the kindle and Nook and in paperback.
FYI- On May 4, my book will be participating on a book blog tour and will be on sale for a week. So, you can take advantage of that for a savings.
In other news, I will likely be removing my stories and disassociating myself with fanfiction.net. They are now allowing anonymous guest reviews without authorization. I checked and for a while they could not even be removed. That feature is now working again, but since they are so lax in their policy, and don’t seem to care or be aware that this opens a huge window for abuse to the writers on that site, I’m saying adios for good. I care about that issue because that is where I learned to write and honed my skills. As a former fanfiction reader, I hate that a few ruin the enjoyment for many. When you know someone who is abusing, speak up, report them, or stay away from them!
The good news is that I decided to separate my fanfiction and my original fiction so that you will still have a place to read my fanfiction stories. Your favorite stories will remain here at http://mandycoltonfiction.com/. This site is for basketcse fans.
Last, come check out my author site at http://www.mandycolton.com/
I didn’t want to be presumptuous and add my old followers, so please sign up for blog and book updates with my monkey man, Mr. Mailchimp!
I still plan to get to the unfinished stories. Bear with me!
Love you guys…
February 21, 2015
Finally! A book release update…
Hello, and how is everyone doing? It has been a while since I posted. Someone is going to be working on the web/blog site in the next two weeks and I wanted to give you guys an update in case any information was accidentally lost during the overhaul. I have an update for you on the book release.
There were some technical difficulties and issues between myself and my publisher at crunch time. In the end, we amicably parted ways and it was the best thing for all. I did come out pretty well acquiring two of their best people as part of my personal team and the book release will only be delayed a month.
If everything goes as planned, Way to Go will be released the first week in April. Yeah!
I am very happy to finally have a book cover to show you. Yeah, again! In a perfect world, this would have been finished no later than December. However, if done at that time, I wouldn’t have had any input on the finished cover. And I really do love this cover.
The second book in the series, Way to Roll, is almost finished except for the final edits and we’ll have a book cover reveal by the time Way to Go releases.
While waiting on this whole book publishing process, I did stay busy. I have written a group of four romance novellas that I planned to release in e-book form. If you guys want those in paperbacks as well, give me your feedback. They won’t be ready until summer, but they will give you a little sumpin’, sumpin’ steamy to read until Way to Roll releases later in the Fall/Winter.
Let me hear from you. What about other news? Anybody seen the the Fifty Shades movie and want to leave a spoiler free comment?
December 31, 2014
Happy New Year!
I just wanted to acknowledge all you gals that have talked to me and sent me messages periodically. I miss you guys a lot! I would have posted sooner, but we had a temporary crisis with the book and then I had a health issue and a health scare to deal with.
My publisher is behind for a good reason, they partnered with Simon & Shuester, a publishing powerhouse in July. We had a little squabble when a newly assigned editor wanted to push my publishing deadline. However, it was quickly resolved when my fave editor with Omnific, (also recently published) came to my rescue. We worked together very well on the re-write and edits and the book is looking so darn good, if I say so myself. Even looks likes it will be making it in time for the original March release. Yeah!
The second book, Way to Roll is written and we’re now working on fine tuning it. It’s even a little better. More like me, edgier and steamier. That’s why we had to spend a little more time with book one. Fine tuning and making it better.
I’m still waiting on cover art and then this website will be transformed as I mentioned before. I’ll post as soon as it’s done.
Anyway, I wish for you all a very happy and healthy New Year!
Mandy aka basketcse aka GoVordo
October 27, 2014
Regretful Ending
Yesterday was my last day as a writer on fanfiction.net. Writing on the site was a life changing experience for me. I wrote for a short two years, honed my skill, wrote a book, and got a publishing contract. The realization of a surreal and amazing dream come true for me. Still can’t believe it. I just wish that my departure had been a more pleasant one.
Most of my readers were aware that I had been fielding quite a bit of abuse for over a year. There were times when it was really hard to write, but I tried to use those times when I pushed back my chair to take the breaks to do something constructive. That’s how Way to Go happened. I certainly never expected my blog to be used for the purpose it has for these last months. A blogger guy in England contacted me one time, and told me he enjoyed my blog rant. Like, nice cat-fight lady. How embarrassing. LOL
I got some good advice last night from a stranger and this person didn’t hold back. I have been busy having battles with just a few nasty individuals, and I let it change me over time. That’s not the tough skin that I was trying to build. I don’t know exactly how I’m going to handle the nasty reviews on my book when they come, but this person told me that I better get ready. Don’t think that I don’t know that some of the recent nastiness will follow me too. This person told me that I was in the adult world as a real writer now, and stop being a baby. That made me snicker.
Regarding fanfiction, I do believe a site that allows guest reviews is like allowing a virus to spread. Budding writers are abused anonymously, and it frequently ends with abandoned stories, and departures like mine, and others I know. Less entertainment, and fresh ideas for readers. We can push a button and delete them, but we still see them and they effect the writer. I have gotten messages, and invitations from friends telling me about new sites that are adopting safeguards for the writers by disallowing anonymous reviews. Readers can’t so easily, or viciously attack writers when a story doesn’t go their way. Big problems, and drama eliminated, and more entertainment and fun for everyone.
Here is an article I found about this topic where writers are almost being physically threatened by crazy people. It’s not just readers who attack, it is everyone, including other writers. There are many across the site, but the culprits are usually just a few bad eggs per fandom. I call them stalkers, I’ve seen them referred to as flamers, and trollers as well. Some people even do it for entertainment. Big issue that fanfiction.net is ignoring. This was written this summer:
Unless fanfiction.net changes their policy on guest reviewing, I won’t be going back, it is not a healthy environment for me personally.
My blog will soon be transformed for the purpose it was intended. Thank you to the fans, and friends that stayed with me for so long. I appreciate all of you, and you know where to find me.
Mandy Colton
Stay tuned for more information on my new book series!
Book one in the series, Way to Go, will be released in March 2015.
Book two, Way to Roll, release date is still pending. TBA
September 18, 2014
The Absolution. Chapter 14 You Bad, Bad, Ranger…
I can almost hear a bunch of you readers growling across the net. So, after reading the end of chapter 14, I’m sure that many of you have thoughts. Ranger goes back to the mistress at the end of the chapter for some stress relief. I made a note at the end, saying that it looks like a cat really can’t change his spots. You might consider this move of his kind of a real revelation about the man. Do you think he’s capable of real commitment? What about his dark side? The jaded side?
His actions would really make me wonder about his true intentions where Stephanie and Angel are concerned. Are they really sincere, or is he used to just getting his way and determined for that reason? He strikes me as a man that prefers ownership over a real partnership. Is this someone that you would trust in a marriage? Just curious about your thoughts on the subject.
You can rant, curse and spit here. Have fun!
