L.M. Schukraft's Blog, page 6
July 7, 2018
Locked Out – Book Tour and Giveaway
Locked Out
Welcome To Rebuild Book 1
by L.M. Schukraft
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Emeline Watson hoped that by changing careers and going back to her home
town, Waverly, it would be a new beginning for her. She could forget
her horrible ex and the troubles he caused, move on from her father’s
passing away six months ago, and start over. She finds out quickly
enough that her past has followed her.
Amid overhearing clandestine conversations, her ex stalking her, and her
home town being plagued with recent break-ins, Emeline’s first week
at Rebuild, a local chain hardware store, is anything but easy. The
only bright spot is her gorgeous new co-worker, Ethan Walker. They’re
paired up together the first day, and the mutual attraction is
undeniable, but Emeline senses there’s more to Ethan than he’s
letting on.
Starting out a new job, in a new town, is never easy but Ethan Walker has
become a pro…
View original post 474 more words
July 4, 2018
Locked Out – Book Tour and Giveaway
Locked Out
Welcome To Rebuild Book 1
by L.M. Schukraft
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Emeline Watson hoped that by changing careers and going back to her home
town, Waverly, it would be a new beginning for her. She could forget
her horrible ex and the troubles he caused, move on from her father’s
passing away six months ago, and start over. She finds out quickly
enough that her past has followed her.
Amid overhearing clandestine conversations, her ex stalking her, and her
home town being plagued with recent break-ins, Emeline’s first week
at Rebuild, a local chain hardware store, is anything but easy. The
only bright spot is her gorgeous new co-worker, Ethan Walker. They’re
paired up together the first day, and the mutual attraction is
undeniable, but Emeline senses there’s more to Ethan than he’s
letting on.
Starting out a new job, in a new town, is never easy but Ethan Walker has
become a pro…
View original post 474 more words
June 27, 2018
Locked Out Book Tour Dates and Links for June 27th to July 27, 2018!!
Here are the Locked Out Book Tour Dates and Links for June 27th to July 27, 2018!!
June 27
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
Mythical Books
June 28
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Scrupulous Dreams
June 29
A Writer’s Life
Handcrafted Reviews
June 30
Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
July 1
Lori’s Reading Corner – GUEST POST
July 2
FUONLYKNEW
Readeropolis – GUEST POST
July 3
SJ’s Book Blog
A Mama’s Corner of the World
July 4
A Modern Day Fairy Tale
A Pinch of Bookdust
July 5
Bedazzled By Books
Luv Saving Money
July 6
Books all things paranormal and romance
books are love
July 7
Twisted Book Ramblings
July 9
Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Bound 2 Escape
July 10
C Exley Books
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
July 11
Book-Lover
Girl with Pen
July 12
Midnight Book Reader
My Chaotic Ramblings
July 13
Aconite Cafe
James Quinlan Meservy – Author
July 16
Maiden of the Pages– GUEST POST
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
July 17
nanasbookreviews
Rabid Readers Book Blog
July 18
Paranormal Palace of Pleasures
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews
July 19
eBook Addicts
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
July 20
Declarations of a Fangirl
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
July 21
United Indie Book Blog
July 22
Jazzy Book Reviews
July 23
All the Ups and Downs
Stacking My Book Shelves!
July 25
Eclectic Evelyn – REVIEW
Teatime and Books
July 26
Bayou Book Junkie – REVIEW
The Book Dragon
Locked Out Book Tour and Giveaway – June 27th to July 27th, 2018!
Locked Out
Welcome To Rebuild Book 1
by L.M. Schukraft
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Emeline Watson hoped that by changing careers and going back to her home town, Waverly, it would be a new beginning for her. She could forget her horrible ex and the troubles he caused, move on from her father’s passing away six months ago, and start over. She finds out quickly enough that her past has followed her.
Amid overhearing clandestine conversations, her ex stalking her, and her home town being plagued with recent break-ins, Emeline’s first week at Rebuild, a local chain hardware store, is anything but easy. The only bright spot is her gorgeous new co-worker, Ethan Walker. They’re paired up together the first day, and the mutual attraction is undeniable, but Emeline senses there’s more to Ethan than he’s letting on.
Starting out a new job, in a new town, is never easy but Ethan Walker has become a pro at blending in and adjusting to change. He figures this should be one of the easier changes he’s had to face in a while. Little did he know the trouble that was awaiting him when he first set eyes on Emeline Watson. Her girl next door blonde hair, curvy fit body, and stunning eyes catches his attention instantly. Time and again, he finds himself playing knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress.
Waverly is experiencing its first wave of crime in centuries and Emeline seems to be mixed up in the center of it. No matter how much she denies needing Ethan to rescue her, the two are thrown together after Emeline discovers the grizzly remains of a body.
Can Ethan and Emeline figure out who’s behind the crimes? Will their attraction, and Emeline, survive the sinister plot threatening the entire town? Or will their secrets keep them locked out of each other’s lives?
Time is running out and the stakes are getting higher with each passing day….the danger is real and it’s coming for Emeline.
L. M. Schukraft is a long time writer, a quirky novelist, and a semi-passive blogger.
With the release of her third novel, Locked Out, Ms. Schukraft is excited to share with you a cast of new characters in a mystery that keeps you guessing. She is currently writing her next adventure – a YA fairy tale retelling – that she anticipates releasing in 2018.
Ms. Schukraft graduated with a degree in English Creative Writing which she’s finally putting to good use. She loves reading but being a picky reader limited her choices. She found herself going long periods of time waiting for her favorite authors to release their next books. Using her inclination towards creativity, Ms. Schukraft started writing a few novels years ago. Life and circumstances, along with some writer’s block and doubt, delayed her finishing the first two books she started to write. Hop forward to a competition along with a butt-load of determination and Ms. Schukraft finished Even Halos Can Be Crooked. Her next release followed shortly after that, Castles in the Skies, a collection of poetry and short stories.
Ms. Schukraft has several ideas waiting to be written and looks forward to sharing each and every single one with you. Keep an eye out for her YA fairy tale retelling, a children’s picture book, the second book in both her series, and a stand-alone romantic suspense thriller.
Ms. Schukraft actively updates her blogs and Facebook pages with information on current releases, giveaways, promotions as well as what she’s writing at the time. Please follow, like, and share her blogs and Facebook pages to stay up-to-date and not miss any new releases!
Website * Facebook * Amazon * Goodreads
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I have absolutely no moles or beauty marks. I’ve got tons of freckles because I’m a natural red head but no moles. My doctors usually seem surprised that I don’t have at least one or two of those
June 20, 2018
Locked Out Is Going On a Book Tour in just ONE WEEK!!
Have a book blog? Would you like to be part of book blog tour for Locked Out? Sign up is going on right now with Silver Dagger Book Blog Tours!! It’s a quick form to fill out and join in with the tour! Have a friend with a blog? Feel free to share the sign up link below!
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Clink the link below to join the tour:
http://www.silverdaggertours.com/tour-sign-ups/locked-out-tour-sign-ups
May 31, 2018
Be careful, social media is watching…
We’ve all heard it before:
Be careful what you share.
Nothing is truly private.
Once it’s out there, it will never fully be deleted or gone.
Chat isn’t safe, instagram images can be saved by a screenshot, don’t send nudes, if you’re going to ignore that last one – don’t send nudes with your face in them.
Don’t drink and tweet.
And remember, at any given time now, some stranger may be taking your picture or a video of you and sharing it online.
Some things you think people have come to realize and understand with social media as more and more careers are being made and broken with just one tweet, post, or YouTube video.
Yet, people keep making similar mistakes.
I’ve seen how social media can be used to torment and torture young children as well as how it can be used to publically shame someone for their abhorrent behaviors.
I’m torn. While the first is definitely a growing concern what with how bullying is leading to an increase in violent and deadly reactions, how does that make publicly shaming someone any better?
I’m torn because staying silent is how abusers get away with bullying, raping, molesting, and/or using their power to abuse someone.
With high level leaders displaying an utter lack in the concept of discretion or understanding of decent human civility, we’re seeing a horrific trend where people feel safe displaying their hate, racism, and rage.
This is where social media is rising to the rescue and putting on display real consequences for this type of unacceptable behavior. People are relentlessly being trolled for their racist, homophobic, misogynistic agendas. They are losing their jobs, their sense of personal safety, and quickly finding out that free hate speech has consequences, despite how a certain leader hasn’t been held accountable yet.
I worry that this might get too extreme. And then I ask myself, should it get extreme? These thoughts that people are showing the public have very hidden trends of oppressing and suppressing people and victims.
Staying silent has allowed rapists to get away with it for years, for money and power to silence thousands.
When an author feels comfortable enough to message a fellow indie author with a ‘Buy, share, and like message’ seconds after their request was accepted and then flames them with hateful, nasty words for being called on it – that’s mind blowing!
This author didn’t hold back. He brought out that awful ‘c’ four letter word and just went off the handle to a simple response questioning their marketing strategy.
The utter ease with which he verbally abused this female author was telling. It was revealed when she shared screenshots of his messages, that he’s done this before to other authors. That he has a pattern of friend requesting female authors and then verbally harassing them. He did this without regard to the woman he verbally abused and with total lack of fear that he’d be called on it.
Her post sharing his vitoral went viral quickly. People started messaging his publishing house, sharing her post, and posting negative reviews on his books.
With one screenshot, this man’s ugly was revealed and his career possibly ruined.
And I have that little devil wondering, what’s to keep him from responding in kind and putting out a personal attack on her? Even if he’s in the wrong? Most people with that kind of arrogance have a hard time seeing where they are wrong.
Truthfully, I’d rather see their ugly so I can be warned what lies beneath that veneer they hide behind. I just worry if bullying the bully is the best way to go about it. Are we opening their eyes to what is wrong with how they behaved or are we creating uglier monsters?
Just remember folks, keep it classy, keep it professional, use etiquette when promoting your books. Do your research when requesting reviews. The indie book publishing world is a close knit group that tries to be as supportive as we possibly can.
I was happy to see the way our indie authors circled the wagons and supported this female author.
I just worry what monsters we’re creating when we call people on their shit. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. They absolutely should have consequences but I’m worried about how far the public shaming will go and what world we are setting up for our future…
May 11, 2018
I’ve Published Locked Out, What’s Next?
Good very early morning, all!
Last night, I published Locked Out! It’s available in both eBook and print format. The eBook format might be hiding for a hot minute or two since I tried to update my book blurb. I wanted the description on Amazon to not be one long paragraph but to match the back of the cover
May 10, 2018
Locked Out is published!!
It’s up! It’s live! The print book went live a tad earlier which means you can order your copy of Locked Out now!!!
The ebook should be available in just a bit too!!
Get your copy on Amazon today!! (click here)
It took awhile but I’m excited to share this cozy mystery that has kept readers guessing and created new fans over night.
Come meet Emeline, Ethan and his brothers and see if you can figure out who’s behind the break-ins and murder that rock their small town, Waverly!
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May 5, 2018
Movie Review – Truth or Dare – Watch It or Skip It?
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this movie or not and passed on watching it a couple of times. I was worried it was going to be cheesy or over the top gory.
I was surprised to find it was neither of those things.
Some of the supporting characters acting was a little flat but overall I was drawn into the movie. It thankfully wasn’t gory like Saw. It was more a type of shock value gore and implication of the violence. This movie focused on the suspense and what would you do mental torture aspect of the movie.
I’m not reviewing to share spoilers but for those looking to know what the movie is about:
A group of kids celebrate their senior college spring break in Mexico. On their last day there, they meet a guy who asks them to play a game of Truth or Dare, locking them in to a cycle of terror when they realize once asked, they have to play – no matter what. The truths get more revealing. The dares more deadly.
Was this a blockbuster hit? No. Did it hold my attention? Yes. I was creeped out by how the characters were asked Truth or Dare. I liked how Marki (?) was pretty tough regarding the reality of what they had been tricked in to. The female actresses dominated the movie and that was pretty cool to watch.
Conclusion: Watch it….if you dare….
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May 2, 2018
Why I Think Twice About Using Stock Images For My Book Covers…
As a fairly new author, I know how hard it is to create a cover or to afford to pay someone to create a cover.
Many self published authors use stock images from sites like Shutterstock and Pixabay.
When creating my book covers, I knew I had to be careful if I were to use any images to make sure they were free images where the artist released all copyrights to and to edit it so much no one could tell I was using a stock image.
That’s a large reason why I can’t publish the character sheets for Crooked Halo with the images I used for my personal references. I’m going to have to create my own images to publish a book with character sheets.
Here is a perfect example why an author should be careful of using stock images. If they do use an image through a publisher, I would expect the publisher to get all exclusive rights to the image so I wouldn’t be finding 2 other books using a similar image.
Artists should always disclose if an image is being used by others. There are people advertising cover designs for sale on a bunch of groups I’m in. I always wonder why someone would buy a stock cover image anyone else could use. I’m throwing out this little PSA as a cautionary tale.
One of these authors I know for sure is published through a publishing house, normally. I don’t know if this is a cover she created herself or paid someone for. I don’t even know if it would bother her to see the same image being used for another cover.
Personally, I strive for unique designs to help my books stand out. They are beautiful covers and yet, it bothers me, lol. I kind of look for uniqueness and if the artist didn’t tell these people they sold the image to others that is ethically wrong or if the authors used stock images, they might want to rethink continuing to do so in the future.
What do you think when you see something like this?
