L.M. Preston's Blog, page 22

MEETING PRINCE CHARMING - Reality Show Of Love?

I have to cash in on this. Lately, my daughter has been addicted to 'Reality TV' shows that center on dating and competing for your 'man'.

I have to admit to being a bit seduced by it and yet appalled. Rather appalled.

THE SELECTION

First, I always thought the guy should 'work' for the woman. Let's face it, I've been married for 20 yrs now and I have to say that I enjoyed the lengths my husband went to in order to get my attention. He had my attention at his first, 'hello' but I didn't let him know it.

Besides, I'm a bit selfish and would like to think that the guy that's interested in me isn't going to be kissing the girl standing next to me in like 20 minutes after we chat. Because if he gets to do kissy face with somebody hot why can't I while I take my time to decide if he can even kiss well.

Then there is the 'Match Maker' who selects like subjects for the guys and get this 'coaches' the girls on how to land Mr. RICH Right.?! Now if this doesn't sound like a recipe of disaster I don't know what does. Teaching a person to accentuate their positives will only last a short time til their - NEGATIVES come out to play.

So, I personally have a problem with the 'selection' process for these shows.

THE DATING

No way would I call what they do on those shows dating. No. Kind. Of way! It's more like, can I act as freaky as possible to get and keep his attention since he's going to be able to rub it up with the girl next in line.

Also, these parts seem a bit scripted to me. What do you think?

THE PROPOSAL

Yes, this does come. The guy usually proposes marriage. Truthfully, it's beyond me how any of them could work. The couple usually 'really' gets to know each other off camera. Then he finds out that the girl is truly a 'gold digger' and she finds out the guy is truly a 'player' and that what they did on the 'show' was all...(hush your mouth) a fake.

SO WOULD YOU?

So, I ask would you do this? Go through great lengths like this to meet your Mr. RICH Right?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

TV Interview 4/23 on The Literati Scene!

I can't wait to go to Boston on Tuesday! Yes, I'm so excited to be flying in to meet with Smoki the host of The Literati Scene. With all the excitement dying down from the sad recent events, it'll be an honor to step foot in the city of Boston.

So check out the website below and look for my interview if you can :-D


The Literati Scene- BNN- TV Boston public television - 4/23/2013 (10:30am)

It's hosted by Smoki Bacon who I here is wonderfully charming, personable, warm and professional. Not to mention, and is well respected in Boston.



Website for show: http://literatiscene.orgLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

FLIGHT by Lindsay Leggett - THE PARTY!!

A devastated world living underground. Winged beasts who prey on the few humans left. A Hunter on the run from the only family she knows, the family who has betrayed her. A secret so deep it has the power to change everything.
Harpies. The Elder Corporation. Hunters. Deleted Scenes. Excerpts. Character Bios. Contests. Awesome Prizes.
This is Flight... on Fire. 
Stop by April 17th for bonus material, a live chat, excerpts from Flight, and awesome prizes.
What is Flight on Fire?
Flight on Fire is a massive online release party for my Sci-fi NA novel, Flight. I knew I wanted to do something special for my release party, and I ultimately decided that I wanted a massive, interactive party with special features, prizes, quizzes, vlogs, a live chat, and more. 
From 6:30pm through 10pm EST, Flight on Fire will be live. 
Those who pre-register will automatically be sent copies of Flight preludes, Huntrix and Case 501, and be entered into the draw for the ultimate prize pack filled with awesome ebooks, swag, and a $100 giftcard to the winner’s bookstore of choice. 
There will also be smaller prizes and contests, and a chance to get your Official Harpy Hunter Certification. 
Overall it’s going to be tons of fun, and I hope to see you there!
http://flightonfire.wordpress.com

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Writers Diversify!

As an author in today’s changing publishing industry, its time to up your game and diversify as the way of the future. In the past an author would go about getting a Literary Agent, then hope their agent can sell their one book to an editor at a large or small publishing house and then their book is birthed to the world. After that, they hoped to garner a contract for additional works through the same agent and publisher.

HOW TO DIVERSIFY

Consider what you plan to write. What genres you are writing? Can you create some short story fiction to keep your readers engaged? Then write to build your platform.

Plan for more than one release....mix these up

Series:
If you are working on a series, don’t finish the series until you sell book one in that series. Instead for your second book, start a new series or create some short stories that can be sold independently.

Stand Alone: 
Creation of a stand alone without having additional works in queu can mean that after your book’s initial launch and post promotion period, your readers zest for your work has grown cold. Consider having other works that can be coupled with your stand alone like bonus materials, follow-on stories, or other items that give you a reason to entice readers and keep your work alive.

Serialized Series: 
This is a great new emerging market now that ebooks are well accepted and purchased nowadays. Planning this within your scheduled yearly releases can also boost readers awareness of you as an author with little time invested in writing a nice short serial sideline story to your novel releases.

Short Stories: This is a great way to keep your releases going without writing longer novels. Also, this can be a way to gently break into a new genre you’ve been wanting to explore.

Examples of ways to keep the wheel turning:

Create 1 novel for the year and two short story fiction works you can get placement in anthologies, publishing as stand alone, or submit to magazines.

Create 2 novels for the year, one a series, the other a stand alone short novel.

Remember, the more product you are producing, the more opportunities you have to sell.

Pursue more than just the traditional route...

Nowadays authors can publishing through an agent, publisher and in addition, publish some works themselves. Evaluate your book and your abilities to see if you can do both, publishing traditionally and non-traditionally. You can fund your publishing using sites like Kickstarter, or publish in ebook only.

Mix Things Up To Stay In Your Readers Good Graces

In the emerging publishing market of today, authors that want to stay above water and keep their visibility to their readers consistent will benefit by offering a variety of works besides just a novel a year. Mixing things up with a short story release, a serialized release and an appearance in a new genre grows your audience and gives you a valid reason to say to your readers, ‘Hey! Remember Me!’LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

TSAVO PRIDE by Laura Diamond

TSAVO PRIDE RELEASE BLITZ
Please welcome Laura Diamond who I let take over my blog to share her gorgeous cover and new book:


On April 8, 2013, I’m announcing the release of my spin-off short story, TSAVO PRIDE, a young adult paranormal horror set in 1890’s Kenya. It’s based on the man-eating lions of Tsavo.

Author Laura Diamond had such a blast sharing her PRIDE series with you that she’s decided to self-publish a spin-off short story. Set in 1890’s Kenya and based on the man-eating lions of Tsavo, this young adult paranormal short has a decidedly horroresque bent to it.
Here’s a teaser trailer on YouTube:
 Trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV15P4JQ2Hk

Blurb:
Rogue shapeshifters, Santamo and Legeny, believe they are kings blessed with the power to shift into lions. Using that strength, they brutally defend their land from the British building the Ugandan Railroad that threatens their way of life. On a particularly ruthless raid, Santamo meets his match—Naserian. He spares the girl’s life, a move that fractures his relationship with Legeny and blurs his visions of cleansing his territory of invaders.
While the pile of bones in Santamo and Legeny’s cave grows, so does Santamo’s attraction to Naserian. When she challenges him to give up his murderous ways, will Santamo stay on the path of death he believes is his duty, or will he choose Naserian, and love?
TSAVO PRIDE is NOW AVAILABLE via Amazon for $0.99! Amazon Prime members can borrow it for free. ;)
Amazon.com purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Tsavo-Pride-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00BXF4OJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363990234&sr=8-1&keywords=tsavo+pride
About Laura Diamond:
Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. Her Young Adult Paranormal Romance novelette, NEW PRIDE, and novel, SHIFTING PRIDE, debuted late 2012 from Etopia Press. A spin off short story based on the lions of Tsavo, TSAVO PRIDE, is now available. A short story, CITY OF LIGHTS AND STONE, is in the DAY OF DEMONS Anthology by Anachron Press and another short, BEGGING DEATH, is in the CARNAGE: AFTER THE END Anthology Volume One by Sirens Call Publications. Forthcoming novels include a young adult adventure, ZODIAC COLLECTOR, and young adult dystopians, ENDURE and EVOKE. When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamerand renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion. She is also full-time staff member for her four cats and a Pembroke corgi named Katie.
Find Laura Diamond on the web:
Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/diamondlb Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laura.diamond.52 Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond Website: www.AuthorLauraDiamond.com Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1353277817&sr=1-2-ent Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=168059 Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815639.Laura_Diamond  Amazon link to NEW PRIDE: http://www.amazon.com/New-Pride-Shifting-ebook/dp/B009ZN1WYQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363387073&sr=1-1&keywords=new+pride
Amazon link to SHIFTING PRIDE: http://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Pride-ebook/dp/B00AJW1UQM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363386892&sr=8-1&keywords=shifting+pride
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The Truth About Letting Go? Author Leigh Talbert Moore

Readers are saying…
“If you’re a fan of Sarah Dessen novels, you should definitely pick this one up.” --Harley Bear Book Blog
  
“Rarely have I read a book like this one that felt so real it could be true.” --Steph’s Book Reviews

“You are drawn into the story straight away and begging for more and left in tears when it is all over.” --Totally Bookalicious reviews

"Honest and raw; filled with faith and heartache—and I loved every minute of it. I was reluctant to see it end and sad to say goodbye to such an amazing cast of characters." --5-star Goodreads Review
Whether you’ve read the bestselling companion novel The Truth About Faking or not,



Get me!




Get The Truth About Letting Go today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes
Leigh Talbert Moore is the author of the popular young adult romantic comedy The Truth About Faking , its companion The Truth About Letting Go , and the mature YA/new adult romantic suspense novel Rouge , a Quarter Finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
She is an award-winning journalist and editor, who has also worked in marketing and public relations for many years. Her writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the southeast and Midwest U.S., and she runs the popular writing-craft blog That’s Write.A southern ex-pat and beach bum, she currently lives with her husband, two young children, and one grumpy cat in the Midwest.
Connect online:Facebook | Amazon Author page | Twitter | Tumblr |  Goodreads Read excerpts of her books on Wattpad and Figment !* * *Enter to #WIN the set: The Truth About Letting Go AND The Truth About Faking!  a Rafflecopter giveaway LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Author K.C. Blake drops In!

Author Bio:   K.C. Blake is a ninja on the keyboard.  When she is locked away in her office, pounding out another story, no one dares disturb her.  She probably wouldn’t hear them anyway.  They don’t get it.  They think she’s in her office, but she’s lost in another world.  Sometimes she is fighting vampires or hunting ghosts.  Sometimes she is running with a werewolf pack or falling in love with a misunderstood creature.  Her books appeal to lovers of the paranormal.  Whether you are twelve or fifty, you will fall in love with her stories.


Website:http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.comTwitter:@kasiblakeVampires Rule Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vampire...K.C. Blake Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-C-Bla...Goodreads Page:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Interview:
1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?City of Bones.  I love the way Cassandra Clare writes, so visual that I can see it, and I love her awesome characters.
2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?I don’t think my characters are like any other characters I’ve read about.  My writing is my own.  I’ve been told I have a unique voice, a unique way of writing.  Some people love it and some of don’t.
3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?This is a hard one. I can’t think of one off the top of my head, so I will use one that people have put on Goodreads as their favorite.  It is from Vampires Rule.
“Stop!” she screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”“Back off!” Billy shouted.She yanked harder on Billy’s arm.“He isn’t a vampire anymore, idiot. Look! Do you see that big, yellow thing up in the sky? That’s called the sun. It’s shining down on him, and he isn’t exploding. His fangs are gone. He’s as human as we are. Case closed.”Billy stared up at the sky, his jaw slack. “Not possible.”Jack mumbled, “They don’t call me Jackpot for nothing.”“What?” Billy blinked at him.“Private joke.”
I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.  Jack was a vampire and now he’s not, and his brother just found out.
4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?There isn’t any certain thing that inspires me.  Once in a while a movie or book will speak to me.  Sometimes a person I know will say something that sends me into a ‘what if’ daydream.  As for music, I love listening to songs while I write.  What I listen to depends on what sort of scene I’m writing.  I need a song that captures the emotions of the scene.  Then I can picture it in my head, and I’ll listen to that song a hundred times if I have to in order to finish what I’m working on.
5) Describe your typical writing day or week.Within five minutes of waking I am thinking about whatever book I’m working on.  I might listen to music and daydream about it for a while, or I might jot down some notes.  Usually I spend time on-line before pulling my book up on the computer.  I check email, do some research, and play games (lol) before starting to work.  Then I work on and off all day until I get a chapter finished or am too tired to keep going.  I take breaks quite often.  If I don’t, my eyes and head hurt so bad the next day that I can’t work at all.
6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?No.  Eating and or drinking distracts me from the writing.  If anything, once in a while I will have some chocolate, something I can just pop into my mouth.  I’ll use it as a reward.  I get one after I finish a certain amount of pages.
7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?I am editing a book called Bait, the first in a new series.  Here is the blurb for it:
At sixteen, Bay-Lee Bishop is not your typical girl.  The last thing she wants is to be popular, but flying below the radar isn’t easy when you’re the tallest girl in the eleventh grade.  She works hard to keep a steady C point average, never raises her hand in class, and avoids extra-curricular activity of any kind.  The other students would be stunned to learn she’s living under an alias as she and her uncle move from town to town, just barely staying a step ahead of the monsters hunting her just because she’s Van Helsing’s daughter.
Life is weird.  Then it gets worse.  A reaper uses her closet to cross over with a dire warning the day before she’s whisked away to her new school.  This time it’s the school she was always meant to attend, a school that trains hunters.  
This is what she’s been waiting for her whole life, only it isn’t anything like she imagined. The other students hate her, something evil is killing hunters, and her mentor refuses to give her the slightest bit of help.  Determined to make her father proud, Bay-Lee focuses on her training.  Nothing is going to distract her.  Not border monsters or wraiths or the boy with jungle green eyes.
For Bay-Lee, love is not an option.  But try telling that to her heart.
Excerpt: (keep in mind this book is still being edited)At some point during the night a stranger crawled into Bay-Lee’s bed while she snored softly, unaware.  The mattress springs squeaked in complaint beneath the additional weight as he reclined on his side and stared down at her face in the moonlight.  It bothered him that she continued to sleep.  After all the stories he’d heard about this girl, exploited rumors verging on myth, he’d expected more from her.  Shouldn’t she be able to sense danger?This was Van Helsing’s daughter?  She looked insignificant, vulnerable beneath the green sheet.  He could snap her neck so easily—and maybe he should.  The world would continue on, undisturbed, but the dark cloud hanging over his head would finally dissipate.A fraction of moonlight filtered through partially open curtains, not enough to see clearly, but it didn’t matter because he’d seen pictures of this girl on Van Helsing’s desk.  Her features were burned into his retinas.  Every time he went into the office he tried not to look at the photographs, purposely pointing his gaze elsewhere.There was something about her, something unsettling which inevitably pulled him back to stare at her reproduced image.  She looked like an average girl at first glance.  A pretty face framed by dark hair that nearly reached her waist, parted in the middle and layered stared back at him.  Of Brazilian descent, her eyes were the darkest of browns, nearly black.  They hid a mountain of secrets.  She had attitude to spare and the camera caught it, recording it for future historians—if the prophecies were correct, they would want to study her.She possessed a ‘bite me’ expression that must drive vampires crazy.Fortunately, he was not a vampire.Her mouth bothered him the most. Full lips haunted his dreams with a secretive smile curving the ends and a bottom lip that begged to be nibbled on. Sometimes, when he wasn’t carefully controlling his thoughts, he wondered what she would taste like.  In his dreams, when he wasn’t fully in control of his mind, he kissed her without ceasing.  He wondered what would happen if he kissed her in real life.  Would it stir something deep in his soul?  Would the prophecy come true?Something hard lodged in his throat and he swallowed.  It was a near miss, so he swallowed again.  Kissing her shouldn’t even be a blip on the radar. This girl was the reason he didn’t have a home or a family.  It was her fault he’d grown up on the outside looking in, her fault people whispered behind his back, and her fault he was destined to die young.Bay-Lee stirred in her sleep.  Mumbling, she pushed against his chest with two fingers.  “Go ‘way.”Cute like a box of kittens, for a second he forgot to hate her.  His heart momentarily softened—not for long.  The unfamiliar sensation was enough to wipe the half-smile from his face.  Delivering a mental kick to his brain, he reminded himself this girl was the last person in the world he could let his guard down around.  She was worse than trouble.  If he wasn’t careful, this seemingly harmless meeting would lead to his total destruction.Ready to wake her, he leaned in close and whispered her (fake) name.  Like him, she was forced to live under an alias.  Michelle.Vampires Rule:  FREE
They don't call him Jackpot for nothing.
Jack has always beat the odds... until now. When a werewolf tried to kill him, vampires saved him. When he got tired of life as a vampire, another attack gave him back his mortality. Now Jack just wants to live a normal life, but what's normal about having a hunter for a girlfriend, a brother who wants to stake him to be on the safe side, and a werewolf building an army to rule the world?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Rule-S...
Smashwords:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...


Werewolves Rule: $2.99
The second book in the Rule Series
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Werewolves-Rule-The-Series-ebook/dp/B005IDV3OG/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Shifters Rule: $2.99
Third book in the Rule Series
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shifters-Rule-Series-ebook/dp/B009SFWWN6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Crushed: $2.99
The Noah sisters rule Titan High with their beauty, brains, and magical powers.
Each year they play a secret game: Crushed. The girls pick their targets carefully and blow enchanted dust into the boy’s faces, charming them, but this year Kristen makes a grave mistake. She chooses the wrong boy and almost dies that same day. Coincidence? Maybe.
But something isn’t quite right about Zach Bevian. He doesn’t behave like a boy who’s been Crushed. He goes from hot to cold, from looking at her with contempt to asking her out on a date. She doesn’t know what to think. Does he hate her or is he truly falling for her? Is he trying to kill her, or is he trying to save her?
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Crushed-The-Wit...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Witch Hunt: $2.99
A magical game of Hide n Seek begins.
Find the missing player and win.
The game resets, everyone forgets, and they start to play again.Starr Hughes hasn’t believed in magic since her mother died. As a reporter for the school paper she’s only interested in cold, hard facts. When she hears rumors that the mysterious It-Squad members are about to play a secret game, she is determined to learn all about it, especially since she’s been in love with one of the members half her life. Hiding under the headmaster’s desk, planting bugs, and breaking into a fellow student’s locker are all on her to-do list.
Starr is about to discover that witches not only exist, but they need her help. Someone is using the game to steal their memories, their powers, and maybe even their lives.
ATTENTION: Although this is the second book in the series, each book has its own set of characters and can be read as a stand-alone book.
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hunt-Witc...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Bait:  (coming Summer 2013)  FREE
If you don’t think monsters in the closet are real, ask Bay-Lee.
At sixteen, Bay-Lee Bishop is on her way to a new school, a training ground for hunters.  Before she leaves she gets an unexpected visitor, a reaper with a warning: It kills you on your birthday.  For years she’s dreamed of becoming a great hunter so she can avenge her mom… but school is nothing like she imagined.  The students resent her, a border monster is running loose, her mentor refuses to help her, and hunters are dying on their birthdays.  If she’s going to live long enough to reach her goal, she’ll have to solve this mystery before the day of her birth arrives.
The last thing she needs is to fall in love.  No problem.  Bay-Lee is focused and determined.  She barely notices boys.  Then she meets Nick Gallos, a gorgeous boy with jungle green eyes, a reckless heart, and a past darker than her own.
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Oz The Great and Powerful - Movie Review

Movie Blurb Fandango:

A mischievous magician gains the wisdom to become a powerful ruler after being swept away to a land of magic and mystery as director Sam Raimi and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) explore the genesis of author L. Frank Baum's enduring tales of Oz. Shady illusionist Oscar Diggs (James Franco) enchants curious audiences at a Kansas circus. A self-professed con man, he's a fast-talking performer who aspires to follow in the footsteps of inventors like Thomas Edison. Oscar is being chased across the circus grounds by the rampaging Strongman when a tornado blows in and everyone runs for cover. Seeing a hot-air balloon as his only chance for escape, the illusionist jumps in and cuts himself free. Magically transported to the wondrous world of Oz, he soon encounters Theodora (Mila Kunis), a temperamental witch who surmises that he is the wizard named after their land (Oscar's nickname is Oz), foretold to fall from the sky, defeat a nasty witch, and ascend to the throne. Theodora takes Oscar to the Emerald City to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz), a powerful witch who reveals that he cannot become the rightful ruler of Oz until he's accomplished his mission. Later, as Oscar and his new flying-monkey companion Finley (voice of Zach Braff) prepare to face their fearsome enemy, they're joined by the fragile but fearless China Girl (voice of Joey King) and benevolent witch Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams), who helps them prepare for the arduous battle ahead. Together with the brave people of Oz, Oscar draws up a plan to rid the land of evil once and for all, and become the great and powerful king who will rule from his throne in the Emerald City. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi





My Family's review:

I was skeptical of this one. Maybe I'm just cynical when it comes to my expectations of movies that try to connect to an all time great play and movie that I loved as a kid. I really didn't know how they were going to pull this off or if they were going to build a script true to the books on Oz. Let me tell you, I WAS IN LOVE with the imagery in this movie. It did start off rather slow. The black and white was expected but the story line built a less then stellar love of the main character, Mr. Oz. He was a womanizer, selfish, con man that just happened to know some magic tricks and yet, I still wanted to know more about him and how his character would evolve. Once he got to Oz the story picked up and his softer side started to peek through. By the end of the movie I wanted to stand up and clap at how well they stuck to the book's portrayal of the Wizard and I had fallen in love with this character, cheered for him and fell in love with the Wizard named Oz all over again. Bravo! So I give this a 4.5 wands out of 5. *Now my 9 year old told me he thought it was boring and only gave it a 3 but my girls and even my husband agreed with my 4.5.
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Why do You Purchase Short-Story ebooks?

If you haven't heard, I'm having another short story of mine coming out this summer. It was a easy way for me to explore writing contemporary YA Romances.

With the ebook revolution the short story is making a BIG comeback. And I love it, and purchase many of them.

THE COMPANION short story:

This type of short ebook read is a companion short tease that is connected to the plot line of a larger full book series.

I usually will pick one of these up if I want to see if I may be interested in a series.

SHORT STORY SERIES:

I love these. I read these when I'm going to be at the Doctors office, or want to read on a lunch break. If there is more than one book in a short story series, I'll by the first one and if I like it, I'll purchase all of the rest that are readily available.They are follow the typical series flair. Either they are all about the escapades of one character, a continuation of the first book, or contain similar theme or settings.

SERIAL SHORTS:

These are part of a serial or soap opera type book. It ends with some resolved issues but also with a cliff-hanger. I tend to try out the first 2 and only stick with it up to 5 then I want resolution. But that's just me. These tend to do really well if done correctly.

DO YOU ENJOY THE SHORT STORY ebook offerings?

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The CALL - Movie Review

Fandango Blurb:
An emergency operator receives a desperate call from a kidnapped teen, and races to locate the young victim while facing a terrifying killer from her own past in this thriller from director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Session 9). Abigail Breslin and Halle Berry star in a film penned by Richard D'Ovidio (Exit Wounds, Thir13en Ghosts). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

My Review:
Okay, my husband wanted to see this ONLY because Halle Berry was in it. I wanted to see it because...well I got a thing for Morris Chestnut. But what I didn't expect was how intense this movie would be. It started off with an hair raising beginning with a teen girl being abducted out of her home and the 911 operator (Halle) hearing his voice as he disconnected the call. It didn't stop after that. You had enough time to get attached to the characters - all of them. Halle gave the 2nd victum some great advice to try to save her life. It was seriously crazy and a nail biting experience. Let's just say the ending was just what I would've wanted it to be, but a bit of a nice surprise at the same time. We gave this movie a whopping 4 out of 5 fingernails.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS