K.T. Castle's Blog, page 21

Book Blast

A few weeks ago I ran several giveaways in social media. It was very exciting to send prizes and make people happy all over the place. I just can’t seem to stop so the prizes will continue, and to make it more exciting I’ll do it through a tour.

My first tour ever!!

There’s many things to prepare for this tour. I have Marianne and Judy, owners of Goddess Fish Promotions, preparing everything there is to prepare about it. I was actually told I should only wait and relax until the tour starts on October 24. But you know me and I can’t keep still until the time arrives.

This tour is a virtual Book Blast Tour. It’s meant some exposure will be given to the book in different blogs. As a way of saying, “Hey, if you haven’t heard yet, there’s this book and it’s a good read.”

There are over 30 blogs that will be making this tour happen and I really want to thank them all for giving #BCL a space to shine under the stars.

If you have a blog, or know someone that does, they can be part of the tour. Use this link to join. Keep in mind the blog’s audience and if the content of my book might fit their expectations.

What’s most exciting about this tour is that The Bridesmaid’s Checklist is going to be FREE from October 24 to 26 while the blast lasts.

I also want to thank everyone that has given my book a review.
I am truly thankful for the amount of downloads the book has had, and I am also really lucky to have very good reviews. My book review rate is 4.4. Amazing!

If you haven’t read the book, what are you waiting for? Read a sneak peak and download it on Kindle. It’s going to be on promotion from the 24 to the 26.

Regards,

K.T.

Riveted

Jay Crownover’s RIVETED (Saints of Denver #3) is coming February 14, 2017! Check out the amazing cover and preorder your copy today! #YallNeedChurch #LoveIsStrongerThanFear #Riveted

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes the next installment in the Saints of Denver series.

Everyone else in Dixie Carmichael’s life has made falling in love look easy, and now she is ready for her own chance at some of that happily ever after. Which means she’s done pining for the moody, silent former soldier who works with her at the bar that’s become her home away from home. Nope. No more chasing the hot as heck thundercloud of a man and no more waiting for Mr. Right to find her; she’s going hunting for him…even if she knows her heart is stuck on its stupid infatuation with Dash Churchill.

Denver has always been just a pit stop for Church on his way back to rural Mississippi. It was supposed to be simple, uneventful, but nothing could have prepared him for the bubbly, bouncy redhead with doe eyes and endless curves. Now he knows it’s time to get out of Denver, fast. For a man used to living in the shadows, the idea of spending his days in the sun is nothing short of terrifying.

When Dixie and Church find themselves caught up in a homecoming overshadowed with lies and danger, Dixie realizes that while falling in love is easy, loving takes a whole lot more work…especially when Mr. Right thinks he’s all wrong for you.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2da9hlV

iBooks: http://apple.co/2d76qOu

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2dDic1L

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2drRVAe

Google: tinyurl.com/hd2jzvf

ADD RIVETED TO YOUR GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29992024-riveted

About Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover

Giveaways

Hi, everyone

Time sure flies!

The Bridesmaid’s Checklist: Laura’s Wedding was released two months ago. It was exciting, all that energy and adrenaline rushing everywhere. I’m ready to do it again. The second book of the series will be released soon. I’ll cover up social media with the date so you don’t miss out. I have the best group of beta readers ever so that I can create the best product ever. I can only say that this new story is much better than the first. If you liked Laura’s wedding, wait until you hear about the next.

In the mid time, I’ve had some exciting giveaways during September to spice things up a bit. I had a couple on my Facebook page and I somehow ended up with several winners. I had another one with in of my favorites reading groups, Romance Readers Retreat, and gave away two books. For the final giveaway I wanted to make something special for my readers, so I decided to choose (with the help of random.org) a person out of my mailing list to get this awesome prices:

If you aren’t part of my subscribers yet, there’s no better time to join.

Here are the details for the #giveaway. I appreciate social media share of this information.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️GIVEAWAY❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This #giveaway is exclusive for my list! If your name isn’t  there yet, there’s still time to join. Click here to do it.

Fourth #Giveaway of September

* Digital copy of The Bridesmaid’s Checklist #BCL

* #BCL t-shirt

* #BCL thermos

* #BCL bookmark

* #BCL small pin

* Digital ARC of The Bridesmaid’s Checklist 2 #BCL2
To enter simply join my list and #subscribe to my newsletter.

#LIKE s, #TAG s, and #SHARE s are always welcome.

One winner will be selected on Monday evening using random.org.

Please take a look at the giveaway rules.

Thanks for all your help!

Kind regards,

K.T. Castle

Exciting things happening in September

First of all, I want to thank everyone that gave me a hand with the publishing of The Bridesmaid’s Checklist. It is the first book I’ve ever published. I’m very thankful for all the support I received and it gave me the encouragement I needed to continue with the next book.

Isn’t this exciting? I made it high in Amazon’s Best Sellers for the first few days. 

If you haven’t read it, I have an excerpt for you here on WordPress. If you’re feeling like reading it all, don’t forget to look for it in Amazon. You can get it on digital or printed form. There’s one of the reviews the book has so far:

Not the genre I usually read, but I actually enjoy it, when I began reading it, it quickly drew me in. The author did a good job keeping the flow of the story, the characters were all exceptionally described and have their fair share of good and evil, which I appreciate, you really get a lot of insight into their world and feelings and it feels less like reading a book and more like watching a movie.

Overall a great short read that I would happily rate with a solid 5!

─Sam

Thank you so much, Sam! I’m happy people are enjoying my writing.

Soon I’ll have many giveaways to thank my readers. It’ll all be happening on social media, so don’t be shy. Please, write down your name, tag and share. Follow me on social media to find out everything about them.

The second part of The Bridesmaid’s Checklist, Marisol’s Wedding, is soon getting in the hands of my beta readers. This is a part of the writing process that I love and get so very nervous about. Having feedback of what you write is always exciting and gets anyone to think the many ways your work can improve.

I have a small group of people that I trust with this important task, and for BCL2 I invited some of my subscribers to join the adventure. If you’re interested in the gig, I’m interested in knowing you. Please suscribe to my mailing list and you’ll get all the information you need. You could also contact me and we’ll take it from there.

Don’t be a stranger,

K.T. Castle

Twisted

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Twisted

SERIES (& Book #) – Book 1 in the Twisted Series

AUTHOR – Christa Simpson

GENRE – New Adult Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – February 27, 2013

LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 314 pages / 99,000 words

PUBLISHER – Black Widow Publishing

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Can a man and woman be “just friends?”

After graduating from law school with honours, Edwin Santora, Abigail’s occasional ex and handsome housemate, could get a job anywhere he wants. Of all the places to land, why does he take a position with her small firm? As if sharing a house with her irresistible ex isn’t bad enough, it quickly becomes the least of her concerns. When Edwin’s macho arrogance begins to seriously affect her dating life, Abigail starts to reconsider their friendship; not that Edwin believes a man and woman can be “just friends” anyway.

With Edwin’s swoon-worthy stunts and fierce persistence, Abigail finds herself catching feelings. When Edwin makes a friendly proposal, no-strings-attached, Abigail can’t resist.

After some sexy role playing, she finds herself dangerously in love and wrapped back up in Edwin’s powerful grip. When Abigail risks everything, revealing a treacherous little secret, will their friendship pass the test? Or will they give in to the mysterious forces trying to drive them apart?

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA

AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK

BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK

SMASHWORDS – IBOOKS

GOODREADS – KOBO

EXCERPT

Edwin Santora’s eyes were on me the second our solid wood door clunked shut. After kicking off my shoes and giving a silent wave to my brooding, shirtless roommate, I rushed directly upstairs taking two steps at a time.

Within seconds, Edwin was flying up the stairs behind me, all brawn and pride. He stalked me down the hall, his large agile physique a shadow of stealth.

No matter how smooth Edwin thought he was, I could always sense when he was lurking around.

I disappeared into the bathroom, ignoring his approach, heart still racing, cheeks flushed with a healthy glow. It had been way too long and it was time for me to move on with my life. The days of Edwin and I were over and I had finally faced that fact. For that reason, I trusted my matchmaking to an eager co-worker. What else could I do? I didn’t seem to have any luck finding myself a man.

Edwin filled the doorframe with his imposing shoulders. “Where are you going all dolled up like that?”

I should have slammed the door shut behind me while I had the chance. The last thing I needed now was Edwin giving me a hard time. It had been months since my last date and let’s just say that it’s not possible for this one to go any worse than that one had.

After carefully touching up my mascara in the mirror, I twirled around to face him, my glossy, brown hair fanning out behind me. “I got a date!” I smiled from honest excitement, but I really didn’t have time to chat about it.

“Who is he?” Edwin pried.

“You don’t know him.”

Edwin’s chest flexed under my warm gaze, his abs held tight, sculpted from stone. Oh, I love watching him sweat. He narrowed his aqua eyes in response to my devious smile. Then, as if on cue, the doorbell rang.

I made my way to the bathroom door, but Edwin boxed me out with his hip and took off ahead of me. He hurried down the hall with swift, powerful strides, every muscle in his body twitching with adrenaline. There was no point in trying to fight him for the front door. He had me beat.

“Do you think you could put on a shirt, Eddie? Please?”

Edwin shuffled down the stairs and ignored my request. “I’ll get it,” he hollered. He was all too eager to answer the door and his mischievous grin gave away his greedy intentions.

“Edwin, be good!” I warned, stopping at the top of the open staircase.

“What? I’m always good.” He flashed me a sly smile and raised his dark arched eyebrows.

I knew it meant trouble, as the butterflies danced nervously in my tummy. Edwin had better not blow this one too. He had a tendency of scaring away my dates. It was getting old. I clung to the wooden post, hoping the poor guy would pass the test.

Edwin opened the front door ever so slightly and started in on his usual act, deliberately blocking my view. Bastard. Then he cracked the door open a little farther, teasing, his generous back still in the way.

He folded his bulging arms over his impressive chest and stared down at my date with eyes dark and voice low. “Can I help you?” he asked firmly, acting all macho.

I nearly burst out laughing and had to hide the smile on my face to show that I was not amused. Even if I was.

“Is this the home of Abigail Jenkins?” the poor guy asked, hesitantly.

“Yes,” Edwin answered, but he didn’t invite him in.

“Edwin!” I warned, scowling at his back. I’d had enough. As I started down the stairs to intervene, I struggled to interpret their mumbling. It was time that I took things into my own hands.

AUTHOR BIO

Christa Simpson is a small town Canadian girl who enjoys beaches, dancing and dirt track car races. She lives in Tilbury, Ontario, with her husband and two beautiful daughters. On an ideal day you’ll find her relaxing on the beach, reading by the poolside or getting into trouble with her girls. You’re more likely to find her procrastinating with her bestie, working her butt off or chauffeuring her active family around.

Christa delivers in modern day fantasies with the most captivating alpha men and her breezy, entertaining writing style. She’s an all or nothing kind of girl whose mission in life is to prove that women do it better. Her romance novels are loaded with passion, suspense and sarcasm, much like her life. Pick up the first books in her Twisted and Destiny Series for free—no strings attached!

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG

FACEBOOK – TWITTER

GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST

GOODREADS – INSTAGRAM

VINE

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Twisted Swag Pack (Bookmark, keychain, magnet & more!)

1 e-copy of The Twisted Trilogy (3 books direct to kindle)

3 e-copies of Twisted Desire (direct to kindle)

Enter The Authors Amazing Giveaway – Click Here

 

Letting the World Know

The Bridesmaid’s Checklist will be released soon! 

I’m really grateful for the people who help me out selecting a cover for my book. It was a very difficult decision I couldn’t make on my own. Thanks to you, my designer and I will work with the cover you chose to make it even more awesome.

This is the winning cover. The designer might make some minor changes to make it even more perfect

Choosing the correct cover

Creating the perfect cover for your book is a big challenge. There’s just so many options out there, so many things to consider. Since I studied design I though it would be an easy task. I was so wrong.

The first problem I encountered was that I wanted to design my own cover. I have the knowledge, I have the tools, I have the ideas… but I don’t have the time. There’s so much to do before launching a book and every minute I have to make it happen is precious. Thankfully, I have lots of designer friends to help me out on the cover project… Which became my second problem. If they’re all my friends, who should I ask to help me out?Making that decision was hard, but I had to make it and I know all my friends understand I admire them all equally.

Then I had to do a lot of research to have an idea of the kind of cover I wanted. That was a little easier. Until I realized that the artwork I created for the cover wasn’t what I wanted in it.

I had beautiful artwork that had nothing to do with the ideas I had for the cover. The majority of the covers I found in my genre had sexy and beautiful pictures, and I had none of that. My designer recommended several sites where I could buy stock-pictures from. Which eventually would fall into every writer’s problem: budget. There’s many options out there to choose from, I personally like Shutterstock, but if free images is what you need Pexels is the best option out there for struggling authors like me. Then again, do I want to have a cover that can be easily reproduced by someone else? No. I wanted original pictures with beautiful models. Which came back around to budgeting. But I am lucky and very blessed.

I have wonderful people who is willing to help me out whenever I need them. And no, they didn’t help me by creating a fund. Even better. They allowed me to use them as models. How wonderful is that? They’ve given me permission to use their pictures and image for my book. I can’t thank them enough.

All of this summed up in my last set of problems. What images should I use? What’s the best cover I could have? Will I be able to attract readers of my genre? And many other questions that hover inside my head. But then I realized I don’t have to do this alone, there’s people around me that can help me. So, please, help me out!

I created a small poll to see what images appeal readers the most.

Please take a look at it. Your feedback is very valuable for me.

Take Our Poll

Thanks a bunch!

K.T.

Publishing News

There so many things happening right now that I don’t know where to start.

The launching of The Bridesmaid’s Checklist is getting closer and closer. The release day will be July 19.

Am I ready for it to happen? No.
Does it feel like I’m going to publish? No.
Do I have great expectations for the launch?  Some. I do expect people to download it and enjoy it.

Farther from that I don’t expect much else.

So, what is happening in #BCL world?
First of: The Cover

I sent a creative brief to a wonderful designer. He’ll help me create an amazing cover. I initially wanted to do it by myself, but then I decided that even if I’m a good artist I needed a pro at it. It might display some of my artwork, but a digital expert will be doing some serious magic. Expect a beautiful cover design.

There will be a cover contest, too! As soon as the cover proposals are ready, I want to know what cover you like the most. So keep an eye on social media to see the possible covers for BCL and vote for your favorite.

Second: Pitching BCL to Influencers.

I have a huge list of people I admire and I’m going to reach out and try to get them to read (even if a little part of) my book. Send me as much positive vibe that you can, because I need it.

Do you have someone in mind that I could try and reach? Give me those names, please. I need all the help I can get.

Third: BCL2 for Betas.

Very very soon, like in a couple of weeks, The Bridesmaid’s Checklist 2 is going to be sent to my list of beta readers. Book number two of the series will be out in hands other than mine. OMG!

Which makes me wonder, are you interested in becoming a beta reader? Send me an email if you are.

Fourth: Prewriting BCL3.

Yes! There’s a third book… or there’s gonna be. I have to start brainstorming for the third book since I’ll dedicate the month of July to writing it. What new troubles can my girls have? You’ll have to wait to find out.

Other stories
#FirstLove

I’ve been publishing weekly chapters in #wattpad for a couple of months now. If you follow me on social media,  and I hope you do, you’ve seen my posts about it.

First Love is a story about a couple, Kylie and Jason, who met and dated in high school. Due to a misunderstanding, the relationship couldn’t advance further. Ten years later, the couple is reunited in their professional lives. The love they felt for each other is reborn even if one of them isn’t ready to accept it.

What’s more exciting about this story, and my experience in wattpad, is that there’s people actually reading it. So if you have a wattpad account and like romance please check it out, comment and vote. Eventually this story will end in hands of my editor and be published, so take advantage of the opportunity to read it there.

There’s a lot of other stories I want to write about and not enough time, but they will get written and everyone will have the chance to read them all.

Thanks for your support.

Feel free to share the love and invite your friends to check out my work. I’d really appreciate it!

Laters,

K.T. Castle

 

Destiny

Destiny has its singular way of building up a life.

I remember how when I was younger everyone said that it was up to me to create my own future, to build the life I wanted. Life taught me differently.

I went through many stages as I grew up. I wanted to be an singer/actress/model and win Miss Universe. Later on, I wanted to be an accountant (yep , I did. As it turned out I’m good with numbers and I got a degree as a accountant auxiliar). Then, I wanted to be some sort of engineer, specially when I discovered about Disney’s Imagineers. I even went to talk to artists that worked at Disney and showed them some of my artwork. So, according to my younger self, I was going to be a successful single woman with a BMW and an apartment in California.

I’m way too far from what my younger self envisioned. At some point during my life, I decided getting dirty (as an imagineer/engineer would) was not my thing and it wasn’t worth spending that kind of money in my education. I also decided I wanted to be close to my family. I’ve been blessed with traveling around the world and was lucky enough to live in different counties and continents. I could’ve chosen one of them to continued my life. But after spending close to three years living far from my family, I decided I wanted to be close to them and build my life in my hometown. So I returned and studied graphical design.

Art has always being a passion of mine. Drawing, sketching, painting are activities that fill me with life. I can work on a piece for days, even weeks. So studying design was natural.  Something I enjoyed and I was good at. Something that made me feel fulfilled and complete, until a handsome rock ‘n’ roll guy came back into my life.

Why is it always love influencing our desicions?

I met him before I did my traveling around the world, before I decided what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be. We met in high school and had a brief romance but a true friendship was born from it. He’s been a part of my life ever since. And when we were in college our romance restated, more deeply and serious. Needless’s to say that my life changed in ways I didn’t expect. What I envisioned as a teenager changed, morphed into something in which “we” was more important than “I.”

Summing up, I’m not living in California or close to my family. My closest relatives live six hours away from me (driving) and I would have to drive for three days straight to get to California. I don’t have an apartment but a beautiful home. I don’t have a BMW, we have a Honda and a VW. I’m not a singer/actress/model imagineer, not even close to any of them. But I have a beautiful life. I’m blessed in ways I never thought I would. I have things I never imagined for myself and an incredible family that supports me blindly.

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

─ William Shakespeare

Destiny didn’t agree with the life I envisioned for myself, circumstances had a lot to do with the direction my life took and the results weren’t what I had in mind. Regardless, I still have a clear picture of what I want out of my life, the steps I want to take, the results I want to get. Writing and painting are a solid constant I foresee in my future and now I know that in order to achieve everything that I want from life I have to be constant. Take all the circumstances, twists and consequences placed before me and create positive experiences and opportunities from them. Destiny has a plan for me. Life has a plan for me. But I have plans of my own. With consistency and tenacity I can design my own destiny and adapt to whatever plan it has for me. Destiny and I do not always agree, but I have to accept that sometimes (even if not as glamorous as I do) destiny has better plans for me than the ones I have for myself.

Follow your heart and build your own destiny.

To be part of my path in chasing happiness join my list.

Kind regards,

K.T. Castle

 

How It All Started

People often wonder how a person starts writing.

“Have you always done it?”

“Do you feel passionate about it?”

“Is it something you want to do for the rest of your life?”

Some people write since they were little. Some others have something to say and decide to find a way to express themselves. Some even do it to scratch “writing a book” from their to-do list. And some do it to become successful. There are many answers depending who you’re asking, but if you asked me, I can tell you how reading pushed me into writing.

When I was younger I read a lot. Classic books like Little Women and Treasure Island decorated my shelves, along with comic books like Archie and Japanese Manga. Sadly, little by little, I lost touch with reading when other interests were discovered, namely boys. Many things happened in my life and suddenly I was in my early twenties working with teenagers and without reading anything but things for school, work or from CosmoGirl. I hardly believe it myself.

Then rumors started with the teens around me. Rumors about a romantic paranormal movie that “everyone” talked about and wanted to see: Twilight. Adults were scandalized and concerned about the possible content of the plot, since some of the characters were vampires. I felt so bad for those girls. They were trying to convince every adult in their lives that there wasn’t anything wrong or “demonic” (as their school’s principal suggested) about the story. There was no surprise when I decided to see the movie and give them a break. I’ve always had a soft spot for misunderstood teenagers.

And so I did.

I saw the movie and informed all adults how I thought the movie was completely harmless for the youngsters. Soon, it wasn’t only about the movie. Adults wanted to know about the book. Maybe the movie adaptation was fine, but what if they wanted to read the book? Needless if to say I read the book… all the books.

I didn’t notice how happy I was from reading again until I started discussing the books with the people around me. It was after reading the saga that I started visiting Barnes and Noble again. The mother base was calling me back home. Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, New Adult, … so many different things appealed to me. Thanks to those teenagers I remembered what it was to read again and how much I truly enjoyed it.

I love to read. I could do it all day every day.

About a year after I got reunited with reading, I rediscovered another passion of mine: storytelling. When I was a teenager myself I entertained my friends with anecdotes, stories and even my crazy dreams. When I lived overseas and in other countries I used to write emails, letters and diaries to my family and friends of my adventures. That’s when it hit me. I have so much to say. I have so much to share. Now I know what the next step is.

 

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

─ Benjamin Franklin

My writing started from my love of reading.

Add your email to my list to get updates on my writing, art and some other exclusive material about the first book I’ll publish: The Bridesmaid Checklist.

Hope to hear from you,

K.T. Castle