Christine Rains's Blog, page 20

Heads Up, #PNR and #Urbanfantasy Authors!

Attention to all paranormal romance and urban fantasy writers! This is a great promo offer, and it's free. It's a fantastic way to get your book in front of new readers and boost your sales.
This May promotion from Fantasy Book Giveaways is taking sign-ups right now. Click to read all the guidelines and get in before we fill up. It's a 99c and free promotion through newsletters and on Facebook. Plus, if you donate to the giveaway, all books are bundled into one huge prize. Readers just eat that up!
Have a wonderful weekend!

#IWSG for April 2017

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Chris @ Madness of a Modern Writer, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey!

The IWSG question of the month: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?

I haven't, but I should. The A to Z Challenge is spectacular. It's a challenge to yourself as a blogger, great for meeting new friends and getting to know old ones better, and it's tons of fun.

April is a super busy month for me with my husband's and son's birthdays and family visiting for a week. So I have declined to participate the last few years.

I've done the challenge as part of a group and on my own. Being part of a group really helps when you're limited for time. Plus, it's so much fun seeing what other members come up for the theme you've chosen.

The first year I participated in the challenge, I wrote a little story called "Fearless." It was so popular, I self-published it. It's still available for free and has had over 100,000 downloads over the past four and a half years. Readers pick up this freebie and then they buy my other books. It has drawn so many readers to me.

The A to Z Challenge and "Fearless" helped start me on the road to being an indie author.

Good luck to everyone participating in the challenge this year!

Sidney Valentine's Taming A Jackaroo

Author: Sidney ValentineTitle: Taming a JackarooGenre: Aussie Cowboy RomanceRelease Date: June 10, 2017Publisher: Hot Tree PublishingCover Designer: Claire Smith

 PREORDER NOW FOR HALF PRICE Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mU7AAD All other links: http://books2read.com/jackaroo


City girl and serial non-dater, Affrica Clarke travels to Boulia, Australia, to investigate the environmental impacts of the local mining company. Unless she proves herself and wins that promotion, she’ll lose so much more than a pay rise. Yet everything goes wrong the moment she lands in the outback. With no research equipment, only skimpy clothes packed by her best friend to help her score a date, and a tight deadline to submit her report, she’s screwed. So when a sexy cowboy offers to play chauffeur, she’s all over it. But she’s there to shut down the mining activities, not fawn over the guy who’s supporting them, no matter how sizzling the attraction between them.
Billionaire jackaroo, Sam Preston tempts fate as an adrenaline junkie, living each day as if it were his last. Angry and wounded, he’s in town to sell his cattle ranch to the local mining company and be done with his past—until he meets hapless city-chick Affrica, who has no clue about surviving in the desert. Sam doesn’t know how to stop being a daredevil even though Affrica reminds him of the happiness he once had.
Can Sam let go of the past before he loses the one person who's finally breathed new life into him, or is it not possible to truly tame a jackaroo?

 PREORDER NOW FOR HALF PRICE Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mU7AAD All other links: http://books2read.com/jackaroo

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter
Sidney Valentine is an Aussie girl who loves everything about traveling. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and spends her time exploring the wild outdoors. But she always carries with her a writing pad in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. While she works in marketing during the day, she never stops writing her romance stories set in Australia as a way to rejuvenate from the bustle of the real world. She is often found at local coffee shops with her laptop, writing about people falling in love.

Sidney Valentine's Tame A Jackaroo

Author: Sidney ValentineTitle: Taming a JackarooGenre: Aussie Cowboy RomanceRelease Date: June 10, 2017Publisher: Hot Tree PublishingCover Designer: Claire Smith

 PREORDER NOW FOR HALF PRICE Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mU7AAD All other links: http://books2read.com/jackaroo


City girl and serial non-dater, Affrica Clarke travels to Boulia, Australia, to investigate the environmental impacts of the local mining company. Unless she proves herself and wins that promotion, she’ll lose so much more than a pay rise. Yet everything goes wrong the moment she lands in the outback. With no research equipment, only skimpy clothes packed by her best friend to help her score a date, and a tight deadline to submit her report, she’s screwed. So when a sexy cowboy offers to play chauffeur, she’s all over it. But she’s there to shut down the mining activities, not fawn over the guy who’s supporting them, no matter how sizzling the attraction between them.
Billionaire jackaroo, Sam Preston tempts fate as an adrenaline junkie, living each day as if it were his last. Angry and wounded, he’s in town to sell his cattle ranch to the local mining company and be done with his past—until he meets hapless city-chick Affrica, who has no clue about surviving in the desert. Sam doesn’t know how to stop being a daredevil even though Affrica reminds him of the happiness he once had.
Can Sam let go of the past before he loses the one person who's finally breathed new life into him, or is it not possible to truly tame a jackaroo?

 PREORDER NOW FOR HALF PRICE Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2mU7AAD All other links: http://books2read.com/jackaroo

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter
Sidney Valentine is an Aussie girl who loves everything about traveling. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and spends her time exploring the wild outdoors. But she always carries with her a writing pad in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. While she works in marketing during the day, she never stops writing her romance stories set in Australia as a way to rejuvenate from the bustle of the real world. She is often found at local coffee shops with her laptop, writing about people falling in love.

Learn A Word In 100 Words & good luck to the A to Z Challenge bloggers!

Good luck to everyone participating in the A to Z Challenge!I won't be doing it this year, but I'm cheering you on. I can't wait to read all the awesome posts!
Here's some inspiration for the month!A cool little collection of drabbles.
A collection of flash fiction inspired by unusual words. Each tiny tale is crafted around a word that is unique or no longer in use. Read them while waiting in line or before bed. They range from sweet and lighthearted to dark and disturbing. Look out for the supernatural, but don’t turn your back on the average human. A killer might be lurking underneath. Expand your vocabulary, and get some inspiration of your own.
Buy links: B&N * Kobo * Smashwords
 
About the Author:
Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was more of an art and band geek. Some stories are meant to be told, and now she can't stop writing. She writes Young Adult under the name Patricia Lynne.
Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.
Links:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/plynne_writesGoogle+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/108938106639683446081Website: - http://www.patricialynne.comGoodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13460894.Patricia_JosephineAmazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00UH7GAK0Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/patriciajosephine

Monday Writing Update

The first draft of Totem #7 is done.The first draft of #8 is almost done.I have no idea where the story is going to take me in #9.
But then it will be done. I'm eager to move on to a new world.
And now I want to change all my covers to something like this!

I'm pushing to finish #8. I'll see you next Wednesday for the IWSG. Have a great week!

Word Witch Wednesday - the dreaded author photo

I hate having my picture taken. I prefer to be the photographer. I work alone, tucked away in my writing cave, with no care how I look most of the time. My typical uniform during the week is a geeky t-shirt or hoodie and flannel pajama bottoms.

Most writers tend to be the same way. We want to share our words with the world. Not our faces!

I've had the same author photo for a while now, and I'm bored of it. I no longer think it looks like me. Okay, it does, sorta. But I want something different.

Plus, I want to cut my hair very soon. It's long right now. Every time I get more than 12 inches past my shoulders, I cut it and donate it. (Here's a good article with the differences of donating to Pantene and Locks of Love.) I don't wear short hair well, so I want to get in a photo with my long hair.

I put a lot of thought into my author photo. It is a key factor in branding yourself as an author. I'm not going to take a selfie in my writer's uniform or have my kid take one of me folding laundry. I want it to represent me as confident and professional.

I have a plain background in the photo I have now, but I either want books or something outdoorsy in the new one. Do I smile or scowl at the camera look serious? Do I go with a traditional pose or try something different? Can I pull off quirky?

I also have the difficulty rating of being an author of multi-genres. Romance authors tend to go with sexier photos. Fantasy authors with something a little magical. Urban fantasy writers go dark. I'm an author of all these things.

I could photoshop something great, but it has to be realistic. It must represent me as a writer.

What author photos stand out to you? Any favorites? Is it acceptable to take a picture of my cat in front of the computer and go with that?

Get Lucky Sale & Giveaway, Plus 3 Freebies!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! While my little guy is making a trap to catch a leprechaun, I'll be filling my e-reader with all these awesome paranormal romance and urban fantasy books. These stories are on sale for a limited time, but if you have Kindle Unlimited (KU), you can read them any time for free! KU is as good as finding a pot of books at the end of the rainbow.
You can also enter to win a fantastic bundle of books. My urban fantasy, Of Blood and Sorrow, is included in the prize. Click on either of the images to take you to Fantasy Book Giveaways!

* * * * *
More good luck is coming your way! I'm offering three of my steamy novellas for free for the next five days. Three for free! If you have KU, you can read all three series for free. Just click on the images to get your free copies from Amazon.

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks cover reveal!

I'm excited to help reveal the cover for the Where Words Fail, Music Speaks Anthology, which is scheduled for release April 21, 2017.

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks is a collection of short stories and poetry by writers from all walks of life.

Each story is based on the titles of 90s Britpop songs, including Come Back To What You Know, Bittersweet Symphony, Animal Nitrate, Disco 2000, and more.

Our list of authors is: Kyra Lennon, Clare Dugmore, Annalisa Crawford, Wesley Copeland, Robb Turburville, D H Sidebottom, Audrina Lane, M.B. Feeney, Karen Frances, S.J Warner, Scout Dawson, Kimberly Morgan, Maddie Wade, Rebeccalou Heronpontin, Andrea Coventry
All proceeds from the sales of this anthology will go to Clusterbusters.


Add to your Goodreads to-be-read list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34409894-where-words-fail-music-speaks

Incense and Peppermints Blitz & #Giveaway

Incense and Peppermints
by Cathrina Constantine
Publication date: March 10th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:Peace demonstrations, sit-ins, and burning the U.S. flag following the escalation of the Vietnam War are leading to a catalyst known to the world as the Sixties, and a musical revolution, flower power, hippies, marijuana, and drugs are carrying the generations—young and old—into a new decade. All the while sixteen-year-old Mary Monroe is caught between being an innocent good girl and an autumn of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.

When her brother offers a solution to her dilemma in the form of a little pill, Mary ignores the rumba in her brain and takes a walk on the wild side. Plunged into popularity and a life she’s only imagined, she meets Michael Covington, the hot newcomer, and she’s instantly drawn in by his less than flawless exterior and bad boy sex appeal. Caught up in the danger and excitement as they drift from party to party, into underground fight clubs, and through a series of drug and alcohol fueled adventures, Mary follows her new crush into a world where young girls are never truly safe from the predators lurking in the shadows and young men are hiding from the harsh reality of war.

Feeling buzzed and as if her life is spinning out of control, Mary is assaulted by an unknown man at a party, and she’s left questioning if the enigmatic Michael is truly her hero or if he is the face behind the terrible attack. With every piece of information Mary learns about Michael, her doubts grow deeper, but with every minute she spends in his presence, so does her love.

With the war and her fear threatening to separate Mary and Michael forever, only the death of a friend, a crushing confession, and her own sensibilities can carry her over the threshold between adolescence and adulthood.

Purchase on Amazon on release day.
Add to read on Goodreads.

AUTHOR BIO:Cathrina Constantine is the Best Selling author of Don’t Forget To Breathe. Her book won Readers’ Favorite International Book Award for 2015 and The Literary Classics Seal of Approval and Literary Classics Gold Award. Her Paranormal Fantasy, Wickedly They Come has been awarded the 5 Star Seal from Reader’s Favorite. Tallas from her dystopian series received Literary Classics Silver Award and Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

Cathrina resides in Western New York with her husband, five children, two Labrador Retrievers and her cat, Bones. Author @chbbpublishing. Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly. When not attached to her computer, she likes to take long walks in the woods with her dogs, drink way too much coffee, and is an avid movie watcher. She loves music and doesn’t need a dance floor to shake a leg.

Author links: http://cathrinaconstantine.blogspot.ca/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7179953.Cathrina_Constantinehttps://www.facebook.com/wickedly333/https://twitter.com/cathconstantinehttps://www.amazon.com/Cathrina-Constantine/e/B00EPENYGE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
a Rafflecopter giveaway


* * * * *I can't wait to read Cathrina's new book! Maybe I'll get to this week. My little guy's on spring break. So I'll be absent from the digital world. Have a great week!