Maria Savva's Blog, page 63
November 19, 2010
'No Hope For Gomez' by Graham Parke
Graham Parke, author of No Hope for Gomez! is holding an international party to celebrate the anniversary of the release of the book! He would love you all to attend. There are some great prizes on offer. Here's what the author has to say about the event:
"No Hope for Gomez!" Birthday Party. Win kindles, iPods, and get free books!
“It's the age-old tale:
Boy meets girl.
Boy stalks girl.
Girl already has a stalker.
Boy becomes her stalker-stalker.”
It's hard to believe, but it's been a year since I handed in the final proofs for my weird little book ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ To celebrate this, and the fact that it just became a finalist in 2010's Best Book Awards, I decided to throw an international party. As I’ve had a debilitating fear of throwing parties and no-one showing up since early childhood, I’d be more than delighted if you’d come!
Of course, with every cool, international party comes a gift bag. Here's just some of the stuff attendants will get:
‘Unspent Time’ exclusive short story collection
No Hope for Gomez: The Lost Chapters Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
Signed hi-res poster + bookplate
(These are all exclusive items and will not be available again.)
Additionally, several lucky attendants will win a Kindle or an iPod!
Oh yeah, you can bring as many friends as you like, just don't bring your crazy uncle who drinks too much and then tries to get me to go to the attic with him to see something wonderful. I've fallen for that before and I don't mind telling you, I came away very disappointed!
Find out how to attend HERE.
"No Hope for Gomez!" Birthday Party. Win kindles, iPods, and get free books!
“It's the age-old tale:
Boy meets girl.
Boy stalks girl.
Girl already has a stalker.
Boy becomes her stalker-stalker.”
It's hard to believe, but it's been a year since I handed in the final proofs for my weird little book ‘No Hope for Gomez!’ To celebrate this, and the fact that it just became a finalist in 2010's Best Book Awards, I decided to throw an international party. As I’ve had a debilitating fear of throwing parties and no-one showing up since early childhood, I’d be more than delighted if you’d come!
Of course, with every cool, international party comes a gift bag. Here's just some of the stuff attendants will get:
‘Unspent Time’ exclusive short story collection
No Hope for Gomez: The Lost Chapters Making of Gomez: behind the scenes eBook
Signed hi-res poster + bookplate
(These are all exclusive items and will not be available again.)
Additionally, several lucky attendants will win a Kindle or an iPod!
Oh yeah, you can bring as many friends as you like, just don't bring your crazy uncle who drinks too much and then tries to get me to go to the attic with him to see something wonderful. I've fallen for that before and I don't mind telling you, I came away very disappointed!
Find out how to attend HERE.
November 18, 2010
Hit List by Darcia Helle
My good friend and fellow author, Darcia Helle, has just released a new fully revised edition of her novel Hit List. This new edition contains bonus material, including an excerpt from Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba, and Chapter 2 of my latest novelSecond Chances.
As many of you are already aware, you can read the first chapter of Second Chances right here on Goodreads, if you look under the 'Maria's Writing' section of my profile page, or by going to my website The Official Maria Savva Website
You can purchase Hit List by Darcia Helle from Smashwords, here:
Hit List
The new edition will also soon be available on Kindle on Amazon.
Darcia has recently had success on Kindle, with a phenomenal 30,000 copies of her book Enemies and Playmates being downloaded as a free ebook, and it is currently in the top 100 downloads on Kindle books. She is also heading our BestsellerBound Cutting Edge Campaign on Facebook, which I posted about on my blog a couple of weeks ago. If you're on Facebook, please click on the badge below and 'Like' the page.
BestsellerBound: 'The Cutting Edge' Campaign
Promote Your Page Too
As many of you are already aware, you can read the first chapter of Second Chances right here on Goodreads, if you look under the 'Maria's Writing' section of my profile page, or by going to my website The Official Maria Savva Website
You can purchase Hit List by Darcia Helle from Smashwords, here:
Hit List
The new edition will also soon be available on Kindle on Amazon.
Darcia has recently had success on Kindle, with a phenomenal 30,000 copies of her book Enemies and Playmates being downloaded as a free ebook, and it is currently in the top 100 downloads on Kindle books. She is also heading our BestsellerBound Cutting Edge Campaign on Facebook, which I posted about on my blog a couple of weeks ago. If you're on Facebook, please click on the badge below and 'Like' the page.
BestsellerBound: 'The Cutting Edge' Campaign
Promote Your Page Too
November 3, 2010
Evil reviewers, indie writers, murder, mystery, and a bit of fun...
As many of you know, I am a resident author at BestsellerBound
For the past couple of weeks I have been involved in a fun writing exercise with a fellow writer on the site, Jason McIntyre author of, 'Shed', and 'On the Gathering Storm'.
We are effectively writing a joint novel/story.
Jason has blogged about it on his blog, click here to read more:
Jason McIntyre's Blog
To read the story so far go here: The online novel
For the past couple of weeks I have been involved in a fun writing exercise with a fellow writer on the site, Jason McIntyre author of, 'Shed', and 'On the Gathering Storm'.
We are effectively writing a joint novel/story.
Jason has blogged about it on his blog, click here to read more:
Jason McIntyre's Blog
To read the story so far go here: The online novel
Second Chances
I am delighted to announce that the Bloggers Unite group here on Goodreads have chosen my latest novel, 'Second Chances', for the November book club read.
Bloggers Unite
I have arranged a couple of special promotions on the price of the novel to coincide with this event.
If you buy the paperback book direct from Lulu you get 40% off the price:
Or for those of you who prefer ebooks, I have reduced the price of the kindle version to $1.99 in the US and £1.45 in the UK
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Bloggers Unite
I have arranged a couple of special promotions on the price of the novel to coincide with this event.
If you buy the paperback book direct from Lulu you get 40% off the price:
Or for those of you who prefer ebooks, I have reduced the price of the kindle version to $1.99 in the US and £1.45 in the UK
Amazon UK
Amazon US
October 31, 2010
BestsellerBound: The Cutting Edge Campaign
Many of you will already know that I am a resident author on BestsellerBound.com, a message board dedicated to indie/small press authors and their readers.
BestsellerBound was created by Darcia Helle to give a voice to indie authors and to help readers find new and exciting books to read.
Indie authors are some of the most dedicated and passionate people when it comes to writing. We are often belittled by the literary press. The truth is that the publishing world is changing. Traditional publishing is no longer seen as the best way to enter into a writing career. With the launch of ebooks the indie author is now finding that they are able to compete with the bestselling authors. Overpricing of ebooks by the large publishing houses has caused outrage amongst readers lately. Some bestselling authors have chosen to self-publish their own books. People are starting to look for alternatives to the mainstream. This is an exciting time to be a self-published author and we want to celebrate that.
At BestsellerBound we would like to propel an indie author to the top of the Amazon kindle charts. We want to show that indie authors are commercially viable. We have started up a Facebook page. Please show your support for indie authors by 'liking' our page and recommending it to your friends.
We have chosen Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge as the book we would like to use to front our campaign.
Darcia Helle is a very talented writer who has self-published no less than 7 books. Here's the blurb from "The Cutting Edge"
My name is Skye Summers. I'm a hairstylist and I can't stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I'm being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They're bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband's ex-girlfriend. She's not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
The idea of the campaign is that when we have enough followers on our campaign page we will announce a date for the download of the kindle book on Amazon. Darcia has kindly agreed to reduce the price of the ebook to 99c on the day of the download. If enough people download the book it should go to No.1. Hopefully on the US and UK Amazon kindle lists.
This campaign has been set up because we as indie authors feel passionately that all books, irrespective of how they were published, should have an equal chance to be read and enjoyed.
I hope you'll join us!
The Cutting Edge Campaign
BestsellerBound was created by Darcia Helle to give a voice to indie authors and to help readers find new and exciting books to read.
Indie authors are some of the most dedicated and passionate people when it comes to writing. We are often belittled by the literary press. The truth is that the publishing world is changing. Traditional publishing is no longer seen as the best way to enter into a writing career. With the launch of ebooks the indie author is now finding that they are able to compete with the bestselling authors. Overpricing of ebooks by the large publishing houses has caused outrage amongst readers lately. Some bestselling authors have chosen to self-publish their own books. People are starting to look for alternatives to the mainstream. This is an exciting time to be a self-published author and we want to celebrate that.
At BestsellerBound we would like to propel an indie author to the top of the Amazon kindle charts. We want to show that indie authors are commercially viable. We have started up a Facebook page. Please show your support for indie authors by 'liking' our page and recommending it to your friends.
We have chosen Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge as the book we would like to use to front our campaign.
Darcia Helle is a very talented writer who has self-published no less than 7 books. Here's the blurb from "The Cutting Edge"
My name is Skye Summers. I'm a hairstylist and I can't stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I'm being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They're bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband's ex-girlfriend. She's not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.
The idea of the campaign is that when we have enough followers on our campaign page we will announce a date for the download of the kindle book on Amazon. Darcia has kindly agreed to reduce the price of the ebook to 99c on the day of the download. If enough people download the book it should go to No.1. Hopefully on the US and UK Amazon kindle lists.
This campaign has been set up because we as indie authors feel passionately that all books, irrespective of how they were published, should have an equal chance to be read and enjoyed.
I hope you'll join us!
The Cutting Edge Campaign
October 29, 2010
The Conjure Man by Peter Damian Bellis - writing competition for readers!
I wanted to let you all know about a contest being run by a good friend and fellow author, Peter Damian Bellis, author of The Conjure Man
Any of you who follow my reviews will know that I really enjoyed this novel. Peter is offering a free pdf copy of the book to anyone who registers for this competition. Really a chance not to be missed!
All you have to do is read the book and write a personal reaction to it and you'll be in with the chance to win a great prize. See Peters website for details. Here's the blurb with all the information you'll need. Good luck!
One Million Dollar Writing Contest for Readers
Why let the writers get all the awards? We thought it was about time someone gave the READERS some awards. After all, without readers, there wouldn't be any awards! So here's your chance to win a prize for reading a book.
STEP ONE: Read The Conjure Man, a mythic novel set in South Carolina. (We'll send you a FREE pdf copy of the novel to read - all you need to do is REGISTER!). Go to www.riverboatbooks.com/page9 to REGISTER!
STEP TWO: Write a personal reaction to the novel - this can be anything from what the novel means to you, how it speaks to you, what it reveals to you, how it changed the way you thought about something, anything, spiritual things, love, sex, death, whatever you like. You can write a personal reflection essay, compare the book to other books, movies, your experiences, art, - what you write about is wide open.
STEP THREE: SUBMIT your essay. Go to www.riverboatbooks.com/page9 for details.
Any of you who follow my reviews will know that I really enjoyed this novel. Peter is offering a free pdf copy of the book to anyone who registers for this competition. Really a chance not to be missed!
All you have to do is read the book and write a personal reaction to it and you'll be in with the chance to win a great prize. See Peters website for details. Here's the blurb with all the information you'll need. Good luck!
One Million Dollar Writing Contest for Readers
Why let the writers get all the awards? We thought it was about time someone gave the READERS some awards. After all, without readers, there wouldn't be any awards! So here's your chance to win a prize for reading a book.
STEP ONE: Read The Conjure Man, a mythic novel set in South Carolina. (We'll send you a FREE pdf copy of the novel to read - all you need to do is REGISTER!). Go to www.riverboatbooks.com/page9 to REGISTER!
STEP TWO: Write a personal reaction to the novel - this can be anything from what the novel means to you, how it speaks to you, what it reveals to you, how it changed the way you thought about something, anything, spiritual things, love, sex, death, whatever you like. You can write a personal reflection essay, compare the book to other books, movies, your experiences, art, - what you write about is wide open.
STEP THREE: SUBMIT your essay. Go to www.riverboatbooks.com/page9 for details.
October 25, 2010
Read 'Second Chances'
Just a reminder that the group Bloggers Unite here on Goodreads is about to start reading my latest novelSecond Chances
Head over there on 1st November to read along with the group and join in the discussions. I'll be stopping by to check out the comments and to answer any questions you might have.
Bloggers Unite
You can purchase Second Chances at most online booksellers. It's also on kindle at Amazon. Or you can order it from your local library.
Head over there on 1st November to read along with the group and join in the discussions. I'll be stopping by to check out the comments and to answer any questions you might have.
Bloggers Unite
You can purchase Second Chances at most online booksellers. It's also on kindle at Amazon. Or you can order it from your local library.
October 21, 2010
The One Lovely Blog Award
I was very happy to discover this week that my Goodreads blog has been honoured with the One Lovely Blog Award.
I was granted the award by Sandra Yuen MacKay author of My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery from Mental Illness
Thank you, Sandra!
The way the award works is that you accept the award, post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
Pass it to 15 other blogs you've recently discovered, and contact the bloggers to let them know they've been chosen.
It's a great way to introduce people to new blogs which they may find interesting.
My chosen 15 (in no particular order) are as follows:
Quentin R Bufogle
Jen Knox
Stuart Ross McCallum
Darcia Helle
Simon Royle
Stacy Juba
Jess C Scott
TheSecret Writer
Beth Hoffman
Old Fools Blog
the Farthest Reaches
Julie Elizabeth Powell
Laura Schultz
Jerry Schwartz
Joyce Rothman
I was granted the award by Sandra Yuen MacKay author of My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery from Mental Illness
Thank you, Sandra!
The way the award works is that you accept the award, post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
Pass it to 15 other blogs you've recently discovered, and contact the bloggers to let them know they've been chosen.
It's a great way to introduce people to new blogs which they may find interesting.
My chosen 15 (in no particular order) are as follows:
Quentin R Bufogle
Jen Knox
Stuart Ross McCallum
Darcia Helle
Simon Royle
Stacy Juba
Jess C Scott
TheSecret Writer
Beth Hoffman
Old Fools Blog
the Farthest Reaches
Julie Elizabeth Powell
Laura Schultz
Jerry Schwartz
Joyce Rothman
October 16, 2010
Read the first chapter free
I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a button on the physical book page for Amazon kindle books which you can click to read the first chapter of a book for free!
Go to the physical book page and you'll see a green button about a third of the way down the right hand side of the page. Click on that and read the first chapter of the book. This is available for all books that are also in kindle format.
Authors, you can embed the code for these chapters in your website or other blog. There is an embed button which you can click at the top right hand side of the page when you have clicked the 'Read First Chapter free' button.
Go to the physical book page and you'll see a green button about a third of the way down the right hand side of the page. Click on that and read the first chapter of the book. This is available for all books that are also in kindle format.
Authors, you can embed the code for these chapters in your website or other blog. There is an embed button which you can click at the top right hand side of the page when you have clicked the 'Read First Chapter free' button.
October 15, 2010
Special promotion at Amazon for my kindle short story collections!
To celebrate getting all my books on kindle (well, most of them -- I still have to figure out a way of getting 'Coincidences' on kindle as I don't have a copy of the manuscript on my computer...), I'm offering my two short story collections at a special promotional price for a short time. At Amazon.com you can download 'Pieces of a Rainbow', and 'Love and Loyalty (and Other Tales)', for just $0.99! and at Amazon.co.uk for just £0.71!
Here are the links!
Amazon US: Pieces of a Rainbow
Love and Loyalty
Amazon UK: Love and Loyalty
Pieces of a Rainbow
Remember, you don't need to own a kindle ereader to read kindle ebooks. You can read them on your pc or mac, iphone, ipad, Android or Blackberry... just download the free kindle app from Amazon.
Enjoy!
Also, a reminder that 'Pieces of a Rainbow' is still the current book group read over in the Green Group here on Goodreads, so when you've downloaded your copy, why not head over to that group and join in the discussions.
Green Group
Here are the links!
Amazon US: Pieces of a Rainbow
Love and Loyalty
Amazon UK: Love and Loyalty
Pieces of a Rainbow
Remember, you don't need to own a kindle ereader to read kindle ebooks. You can read them on your pc or mac, iphone, ipad, Android or Blackberry... just download the free kindle app from Amazon.
Enjoy!
Also, a reminder that 'Pieces of a Rainbow' is still the current book group read over in the Green Group here on Goodreads, so when you've downloaded your copy, why not head over to that group and join in the discussions.
Green Group
