Beck Michaels's Blog, page 8

Special Announcement!

The Nerdy Book Box will feature a Limited Edition paperback of Divine Blood in their September box! The book will come with an exclusive cover and bonus content you won’t find anywhere else! Plus loads of bookish goodies. Only 65 boxes will be sold so this truly is a LIMITED edition.

Join the mailing list in order to be informed when it goes live. Nerdy Book Box subscribers will get a chance to snag a box as early as August 9th! It goes on sale to the public on the 10th so join now!

www.nerdybookbox.com

Newsletter & Freebie

I have been so holed up in my writing cave that I did not notice it was August now! Time certainly likes to fly by without a notice. My days are blurring together. But let’s get on with the monthly news. I have so much to share with you!

“The ending had me howling like a grieving werewolf! SEQUEL NOW PLEASE!
I definitely recommend this book. READ IT! READ IT NOW! It's a growing fandom that you NEED to be part of. Just know that you will be clawing at the door for book 2...”

— Darby Cupid, author of Crystal. 

If you missed the announcement on my Instagram page, the synopsis to Bonded Fate is now up on my website! It will give you a mini teaser on what the sequel to The Guardians of the Maiden series is about. More big news! King’s Oath now on Goodreads and it has a release date! I plan to release it in June of next year a bit after the release of book three.

*whispers* I know the title to book three, guys! But I will hold on to that secret for a bit longer. I can’t get too far ahead of myself. No release date for Bonded Fate yet. I have narrowed it down to end of December or early January. It all depends on how fast I can get this book together. I’m working diligently and it is slowly starting to take form.

Update for those who have placed a hardback pre-order: distribution is still delayed but I expect to receive them by the end of this month. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you so much for bearing with me. I have only FOUR Special Editions left. They come with gold sprayed edges, an art print, and a bookmark. Snag your copy before they are gone because I will not be offering these again.

Divine Blood’s first book tour launched today. It’s hosted by Literary Bound Tours. Follow along on the ten tour stops as it makes it’s way through Instagram.

Back in May I announced Divine Blood was picked up as the ebook inclusion for FaeCrate’s June box. Those have gone out and unboxings have started popping on Instagram and YouTube! Super exciting to see. But guess what? Divine Blood was selected for another book subscription! It will be the first to launch with The NerdyBook Box coming this September! The box comes with a paperback copy of Divine Blood and loads of book merch goodies. You can join the pre-order mailing list HERE.

The Nerdy Book Box

Here is a little teaser for what to expect in September’s box!

I just realized something. My book is two months old today! It also has over 236 ratings on Goodreads. Wow! That’s so incredible to me! To celebrate, I want to run a little freebie promotion for you guys.

If you read Divine Blood, leave a review on Amazon.com and you will have a choice of one bookmark below. Respond to this email with a link for verification.

***BONUS*** Share your review on Goodreads too and you’ll get both bookmarks! Even if you have not read the book yet, this offer is good for the whole month and won’t expire until August 31st. So everyone has a chance to win this freebie.

 












































 












































 

That’s it for this month’s news. As always, stay happy, healthy, and read good books!

News & Book Merch!

Release month has come to a close. Wow, June was a wild ride!

It’s an incredible feeling to at last publish Divine Blood. I had no idea what would result when I first wrote the story 15 years ago. It went through many changes and grew with me as a writer. It’s a dream come true have such amazing fans who have fallen in love with my characters. It still feels surreal to me.

I did not expect to have so many check in during the Book Release Party in the Divine Blood Facebook Group. There were games and prizes for everyone. I had a lot of fun with all of you!

Many have asked me how to they could help support me as an author. The absolute best thing is to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Simply getting the word out has such a big impact, and it means a lot. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has done so already. Thank you!

Launch Party Games

What is your royal Celestial name?

Share your answer in the DB Facebook Group!

 
































Exclusive Interview

I had the opportunity to interview with Tarina Anthology on YouTube about my debut novel and the Land of Urn in which it takes place. You can watch it here!

Good news! International shipping is officially open. Orders are now accepted for the UK, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland & Mexico. If you would like to add your country to the list, contact me to see if it can be made available. Divine Blood can also be found on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Per request, I have been busy working to bring you more book merch. I mentioned in my last email that I was collaborating with AdorablyGeekish on a set of character magnetic bookmarks, and those have at last come in!

Aren’t they so cute? Cassiel is my favorite, of course. They captured his grumpy expression perfectly, and those wings! If you look close you can see Dyna is holding the enchanted journal, and Zev is sporting his wolf eyes! These are now available to purchase in my store.

I shared a HUGE announcement on Instagram today. I collaborated with Alice Maria Power for artwork of Divine Blood. She drew the night flight scene of Chapter 23 and it came out beautifully. She managed to capture the essence of Cassiel and Dyna so well. The detail in amazing! I love it so much! 

I have decided to add 5x7 prints to every Exclusive and Special Edition order as a gift! Including for standard hardback pre-orders placed before June 30th. The prints will also be sold separately in my store. I still have a few Special Edition left, get your copy before they sell out. Use code JULY4 for 10% off your order this month!

If you did not get the notice, all hardback copies have been delayed until August 1st. I am working with my distributor to get those out as soon as possible. I am very sorry for the delay. Hopefully turn around times will go back to normal by the time book two is out.

Speaking of which, June 1st is here and that means I will begin drafting Bonded Fate, book two of The Guardians of the Maiden series! I don’t have an official release date yet, but I am aiming for the last week of December 2020.

My editor has me on a strict schedule so I can meet my deadline. Honestly, I am not a fast writer. These epic novels are pushing 400 pages and there are so many details woven in that it takes a while to get everything down. Rushing means plot holes and poor story structure. Don’t want that. Worse case scenario, the latest release date would be February 2021.

I won’t be as present on social media so I can focus on writing for the time being. I will still check in and respond to all your messages, though. So if anyone needs me, I will be in my cave (aka office) for the next few months.

Stay happy, healthy, and safe.

Divine Blood Is Live!

Even as I write this, I cannot believe it is real. Divine Blood is officially published and out into the world. Some have already received your paperback early. I loved seeing your stories and posts. The hardbacks are on the way to my house to sign for those of you who ordered Exclusive & Special Editions through my website.⁣ Many were saddened that they sold out so quickly, and that international shipping was not offered. Well, I am happy to announce that I plan to add more Gold Special Editions into stock and international shipping to the store possibly by next month!

If you’re a fan of fantasy, brooding angels, magic, and a sprinkle of romance, please include Divine Blood to your TBR list. Now available on Amazon. Come join the launch party on Divine Blood’s Facebook Group today! It will run from 1 PM - 9 PM EST. Interact with other fans, and play games for a chance to win bookish merch and your own copy of my debut novel!

As always, I have some fun stuff to share with you guys! I was interviewed by the lovely Lev Lyonne on her blog, The Queen of Rambling Thoughts. We discussed everything from my journey as an author to my debut novel. Check it out!

Needing to Know the Ending

Today's interview features Beck Michaels, whose debut novel Divine Blood will be out on June 3rd. Beck is a true inspiration, who has been working on her series for fifteen years and has managed to create a world (and story) that sounds utterly amazing. She is following in the footsteps of Neil Gaiman, Sarah J. Maas, and the exquisite Holly Black, with a novel that has everything a fantasy lover could want. Read More

I am super excited to share that my store will soon offer character magnetic bookmarks made by Adorably Geekish. I commissioned them to make the main three characters of Divine Blood for me: Dyna, Cassiel, and Zev. I have received the first sketches and they are soooo cute. They did so well to get every detail right, from Dyna’s journal, Cassiel’s wings and sour puss expression, and the little details of Zev’s shirt. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

 
































Adorably Geekish

Owned by a Mom and Daughter team who love making bookmarks & candles from our favorite books and everything geekish! Check out their adorable bookmarks on Instagram!

If you missed it on my Instagram account this week, a book trailer for DB was released.

Created by OSP Production .

Doesn’t that just give you chills? I love it!⁣

Thank you everyone who read the advance copy of Divine Blood and posted their review on Goodreads and Amazon. I enjoyed seeing what you had to say and being contacted directly by fans who just needed to tell me how much they adored the book. Your reviews have been so nice, and I am speechless by all the love you have had for my characters. It means so much to me, truly.

“Beck freaking Michaels you better pull up a throne because QUEEN you have arrived.”

—Goodreads Review

“Ohmigodicantbreathe because I love this book so much!
Watch out bibliophiles. For among us we have the next Holly Black!” —Goodreads Review

“It is a journey through the worlds. Get it, read it, and then get her other books and read those. Truly blown away…” —Goodreads review

I still can't believe I'm here. A lot of hours, tears, and sleepless nights went into this book. Real talk. I made a lot of mistakes and I constantly second-guessed myself, but I'm taking them as lessons for the future. I'll hopefully make fewer mistakes with my next book.⁣
For those of you who don't know, book two of The Guardians of the Maiden series will be titled Bonded Fate! I had previously said it would come out in December but I'm leaving it TBD. I want to give myself more time to get this one right. But it won’t be too far off, I am thinking either late winter or early spring of 2021.

Now that my book launch is over, I'm gonna step away from writing for the month and spend time with my family. I've been swamped with work these past two months and my kids are over it. I plan to get a lot of reading done too. I miss losing myself in a book, and my TBR needs getting through.

This year has had a tough start all around, and the last few days have been heartbreaking. Please stay safe and healthy! I am wishing you all the best.

Divine Blood Buzz

Less than three weeks until Divine Blood is published! I have been amazed by the positive reviews on Goodreads. Divine Blood is averaging at 4.5 stars and is currently #25 in the Goodreads list: Ya Releases of June! Help DB climb the list by voting here.

Thank you for everyone who joined the ARC Team and took the time to tell me how much they enjoyed the book. I admit when I first started my author journey, I didn’t think I would get to this point, let alone have a growing fan base. I want to do something for you guys as a thank you. So please come join the Divine Blood Facebook Group for a book launch party! There will be a meet & greet with me and fun bookish giveaways! Held June 3rd on release day from 1PM-9PM EST.

“I blew through this book. Could not put it down. It had everything. Magic. Angels. Werewolves. Demons. Mages. All sorts of fantastical beasts and a fantastic plot. I’m super annoyed that I don’t have the rest of the series, because I need more.”

— Alexa Abee, Writing the Universe

MONTHLY NEWS:

I had the honor of interviewing with Severely Bookish on their podcast! It was a lot of fun, and I laughed way too much.

Join Hina and Sophie as they introduce themselves and open up their friendship and love of books for the world to see. In this episode, they talk about #IndieApril and supporting Indie Authors. Check out the episode on Spotify. My interview starts halfway through at the 36 minute mark. Listen in as we have a girl-chat about self-publishing and my debut novel.

If you missed the HUGE announcement on my Instagram yesterday, Divine Blood was picked up by Fae Crate to be in the ebook inclusion in their June box! I am super excited and I still can’t believe my book was chosen out of hundreds of entries!

FAE CRATE JUNE THEME: AGAINST ALL ODDS



It’s time to rally together Fae Peoples because “Against All Odds” June crates are going to blow your minds.  This crate is dedicated to the characters that face impossible odds and don’t back down. For the characters that say enough is enough. And the characters that are willing to go against impossible risks to protect those that they love. Read More

Impossible odds. One of the recurring themes of Divine Blood. The protagonist has much to lose but she is willing to risk everything and go against all odds to save her village against the impending shadows.

Dyna has a mission: destroy the demon that destroyed her life. But first, she must find a magical weapon hidden in a place of dark legend, a place of wonder and treasure, a place from which no one returns. Unfortunately, she is not the only one searching for it.

Described as an “epic adventure a la Tolkien”, this dark fantasy is perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings and Throne of Glass. Pre-order your copy now!

Prefer to have a physical copy? Signed paperbacks and hardbacks will soon be available on my website for pre-order. Including beautiful bookmarks with fan-favorite quotes from the book, and exclusive limited edition feather bookmarks.

 

























































































  

I received the first proof of Divine Bloods paperback in the mail yesterday and it is gorgeous! I cannot wait for you guys to see it. I apologize to all book blogger who signed up for a paperback ARC. There has been a delay but I am working on getting those out to you ASAP. I still plan to hold print giveaways if not by the end of this month then in June.

For May’s Giveaway, instead of a book, I have a little magical gift for Harry Potter fans.

One lucky winner will win a six-piece set of set of sterling silver charms! The giveaway will be announced on May 27th on my Instagram and will run until 30th. Make sure to follow me on Instagram to join!

As always, good luck and happy reading!

Cover Reveals & Arc Release

Its been a tough few weeks dealing with current world issues and getting my book ready for launch. The only good thing about the Covid-19 pandemic is that I am staying indoors and getting a lot of work done. Praying it’s all over soon. That’s all I’ll say about that subject.

On to the fun stuff. Got quite a bit to update! If you missed the Instagram announcement, Divine Blood, my debut fantasy novel is now up on Amazon for pre-order in both ebook and paperback! It is ahead of schedule so the release date has changed from August 7th to June 3rd. Two whole months early. *crazy happy dance*

And super duper excited to reveal new book covers for Divine Blood and King’s Oath! What do you think? Aren’t they beautiful? I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Stephanie Saw from Seventhstar Art. She is amazingly talented and designed the book cover for Divine Blood. That meant that King’s Oath needed a makeover too. So I whipped up a new design myself to match the series. I think they both turned out beautifully.

ARCs for Divine Blood went out April 1st and the reviews are beginning to trickle in. I am so happy the response is positive, and I am crossing my fingers hoping it stays that way. I am still accepting new ARC Team members so if you are interested, click on the ARC tab in the navigation window to apply.

For anyone interested in hardback copies, I am planning to have those available on my website real soon. These will be special edition prints that will come with bookish items like exclusive bookmarks made just for Divine Blood! I also plan on ordering a box of paperback copies to hand out for giveaways! Very excited about that. Keep an eye on my Instagram page for the announcement.

Divine Blood Updates

The last of winter is fading away so that means Spring is coming ... and unfortunately, that means another time jump. Do you have daylight savings in your part of the world is it just a weird US custom? I am still getting used to waking up at 7am and finding it dark outside. Other than that, Spring is one of my favorite seasons because it represents new beginnings, and I have a lot of new things to share with you guys today.

This month’s giveaway prize is a hard copy of Crescent City: House of Earth & Blood by Sarah J. Mass and launches March 25th. It will be open to both US and international residents. This is my birthday month so to celebrate, I will be choosing two winners! If you’re not already doing so, follow me on Instagram for daily updates on my books, excerpts of Divine Blood and monthly giveaways.

First amazing news, I have registered my publishing company with the state and Pluma Press LLC is legit. I am an official boss lady! Registering your own business is not as hard as I thought it would be, but running it, however, is another thing entirely. I may need a PA soon so I can go back to having more time to write.

On to the next bit of news, I am so excited to announce that Divine Blood is now up for Pre-Order on Amazon!

I am channeling Jonathan Van Ness when I say, “Can you believe!?”

This book has been a long time coming so it’s very surreal for me. I am so happy (and secretly freaking out) that DB will be published in less than five months. *Insert screaming here*

I turned in my manuscript to my editor on Monday for a pre-final round of proofreading, then Divine Blood will be ready for ARCs. My ARC Team is growing daily, another thing that I never thought would happen. It means so much that people are interested in my book baby. I can only hope you will love it as much as I do.

I still have space on my team. If you would like to receive a an early advance copy in exchange for an honest review, go here to apply. ARCs go out April 1st and will be available in ebook format. Print copies are reserved for select book bloggers and professional reviewers. If you’d like a print copy, contact me with your information.

And finally, my last announcement for the month: Divine Blood is having a little makeover. The cover is being redesigned and will hopefully be available in time for ARCs.

I can’t wait to share it you.

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Special Announcement

I have great news! The year has kicked off with so many exciting new ventures. The cover for King’s Oath has been revealed and the release date has been set. I originally planned to release the book in December, but since it is a novella, and it takes place 20 years prior to the events of Divine Blood, I decided to release it first.

Did you think that was the special announcement? Oh, but wait, there is more.

Can I get a drumroll please?

King’s Oath will be available July 31st as a FREE EBOOK DOWNLOAD for a limited time. What? Free book? Yes, please!

Keep in mind, there is a limited amount of copies so be sure to subscribe to my Newsletter where I will email the link to download on release day.

If you love free stuff, follow my Instagram where I hold monthly giveaways for awesome things like gift cards, merch, and books. January’s giveaway is going on now so be sure to check that out!

Book cover design by Whimsy Book Cover Graphics

Published by Pluma Press

To the Future

The year 2019 is days within ending, and with it the end of a decade.

This was a year of learning, growth, spreading my wings and reaching for my dreams. I went through many changes as a writer and a person. My biggest accomplishment this year was at last finishing my first book! It was a year for firsts. Sharing my manuscript with critique partners, designing cover art for my book, hiring an editor, creating my first website and simply going after something I have dreamed about since I was kid. 2019 was the stepping stone to my self-publishing journey, and 2020 will pave the way for many more exciting things to come.

I don’t really believe in resolutions because I tend not to keep them. I do, however, know where I can improve so I came up with three writing goals and three non-writing goals.

 Writing Goals

WRITE EVERY DAY. Even if it’s just one sentence, even if I write paragraphs I will delete later, even if what I write has nothing to do with fiction. Writing great takes practice and I have to put the work in if I want to achieve that.

OUTLINE. I am a pantser, I prefer to type and let the story magically flow out of my fingers. It’s awesome when it happens, not so awesome when it dosen’t. I struggled with writers-block the first and last months of the year, and it took me a bit to admit the root problem came with not having a plan in my story. Writing without a rough outline often leaves me veering off in pointless plots, missing details that make for a lot of rewrites later, or simply not knowing what to write next. So lesson learned!

MAKE A WRITING SCHEDULE. Divine Blood is the first in a projected seven book fantasy series—The Guardians of the Maiden—so unless I get my above two goals in order, they won’t be published anytime soon. With that comes making a writing schedule and sticking with it. Organization is key. Writing was once my hobby, but now that I have taken it seriously and turned it into a career, it’s time that I make the time to treat it as such. For me that means writing a minimum of 3,000 words per week. By the end of the year that will amount to 156,000 words. That is a whole book and then some!

Other Goals:

READ MORE. When I get into a really good book, I can devour it within a day. But then there are times when I don’t touch a book for weeks, and often those weeks I find myself feeling mentally sluggish. Reading has many benefits like vocabulary expansion, stronger analytical thinking skills, and it improves writing structure. So in short, read more for myself and read more to my kids.

FAMILY TIME. It’s easy to get sucked in my own world and put everything else on pause. That’s not good, especially when my family should come first. So when kids and husband come home from work and school, I will put down the writing, book, phone, daily errand, whatever is taking my attention in the moment, and clock out. This will tie in with my writing schedule so that when it’s the end of the day, I “go home” too.

MY HEALTH. Pretty self explanatory. Get up from my desk, take a walk and eat more veggies.

Divine Blood will be released August 7th 2020



It will be available in book ebook, paperback and hardcover formats.

I have so many plans for 2020. Once the revisions for Divine Blood are complete, the next major event is setting up the option to pre-order and sending out ARC’s in March. Only a handful of digital downloads will be available and I’ll be holding a giveaway for one print copy on my Instagram account so stay turned for that. Above is the ARC cover but the official cover has yet to be decided.

I have also began working on Bonded, book two in the Guardians of the Maiden series, which I project to be released November 2020. Plus a novella, King’s Oath in December 2020, a prequel to the series. Three books in one year! That is an intimidating goal, but with hard work, and the support of my critique circle, I know I can do it.

So here’s to the future and everything it will bring. Thank you so much for sticking this far with me.

I’ll see you next year!

Release Date News

It’s here!

If you missed it, I have announced the release date for Divine Blood, the first book in The Guardians of the Maiden series! DB is going through final revisions now. Soon it will be ready for ARC readers before it hits the market. Come August 7th, 2020 it will be available on Amazon, Nook, Kobo and iBooks, in ebook, paperback and hard book format.

How do I feel about this? I am freaking out! I have been working on this book for long, I can hardly believe my story will soon go out into the world.

It seems just like yesterday when I first began writing Divine Blood. I was fifteen years old and the story had a different title. The characters have grown and changed with me over the years but the story is relatively the same. An epic tale of love, loss and adventure.

This is my book baby, I can only hope you will love it as much as I do.