H.M. Ward's Blog, page 23
August 28, 2013
FREE STRIPPED Bookmarks! They Shimmer! Oooh! Ahhh!
FREE STRIPPED bookmarks with hottie Jonathan Ferro! They shimmer! Ooh! Aaah! How to get one?
EASY! Mail a self-addressed STAMPED envelope to:
HM Ward
Stripped Bookmark
PO Box 3621
Abilene, TX 79604
*Remember that the bookmark needs to fit in the envelope so don’t send a tiny one.* The bookmark is 8″ on the longest side. The normal letter-sized business envelopes work great. Expect to see it in your mailbox in 1-3 weeks.
Preorder STRIPPED on Kindle: http://www.amzn.to/168d7oO
STRIPPED Paperback Preorder is up too (9/8 release):http://amzn.to/13p15kl
Kobo and Nook will have the book on release day, which is SEPT. 2nd!
Share this post:
August 26, 2013
REVEALED – THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT #5 Was Released Today!
REVEALED – THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT #5 was released! Wahoo!!!
Description:
BY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR H.M. WARD
The final volume in the Trystan Scott Serials
Fame has a price and Trystan doesn’t want to pay it. Everything he worked so hard to hide is about to be revealed. Nothing he can do will stop it. Within a few short hours everyone will know about his father and the sordid details of his past. Brie is by his side, sputtering things that she shouldn’t know. Did Mari stab him in the back? After everything they’ve been through, he can’t believe it, but where is she?
There are four words Trystan’s father said that haunt him–four words that he ignored–never fall in love.
COMING THIS WINTER:
A TRYSTAN SCOTT NOVEL – BROKEN PROMISES
It’s 3 years later and Trystan’s life has changed. The Secret Life serials are how Trystan became a rock star, the novel is what happens after his rise to fame, and his brush with the Ferro family.
Can’t wait for more Trystan Scott? Be sure to pick up STRIPPED. This is the 1st glimpse of Trystan 3 years after the Secret Life of TS serials.
GRAB TRYSTAN SCOTT #5 NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:
iBookstore and Paperback coming soon!
Thank you to everyone who loves Trystan! You guys are awesome. My inbox is overflowing with fan mail gushing about this new release. I’m thrilled that you guys love him as much as I do! Thank you so much!!!!
Share this post:
August 25, 2013
SALE! DEMON KISSED is Only 99 Cents Today!
DEMON KISSED IS 99 CENTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS ONLY! Go get it!
A hot guy, lots of tension, and a kick butt heroine. The trifecta of awesomesauce, baby! 
Description:
“Books like this are a rare find, especially when not that many people know about them. So I’m spreading the word! Read this book! You won’t regret it!” -Amy
“This is one of the rare finds where the story draws you in and refuses to let go.” -Allie B
BY NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR H.M. WARD
BOOK #1 IN THE BESTSELLING DEMON KISSED SERIES
Seventeenth birthdays aren’t supposed to suck, but mine does. Literally. Before I know what’s happened a guy knocks me to the ground and tries to suck out my soul. With a kiss. That’s all it takes with his kind. This next part is embarrassing–I thought this guy was my boyfriend. Screw that, I thought he was human, but those creepy, blood red eyes suggest I was mistaken.
This is it, the end of my sucktacularly short life–killed by a creature that’s half vampire, half demon, and smokin’ hot. Killed by a kiss. It sounds poetic until it happens to you.
The world fades to black, but just as I accept my fate, someone saves me. At least I think he saved me, because I’m still alive. It isn’t until much later that I learn what really happened and exactly what it cost me.
496 Pages, 3rd Edition. Young Adult Paranormal Romance.
GRAB DEMON KISSED FOR 99 CENTS AT THESE RETAILERS:
This was the first book that I published. It begins squarely in the Young Adult genre and shifts to New Adult by the end of the series. It has the same dark, evocative feel that my other novels have, plus lots of sexual tension.
DEMON KISSED SERIES ORDER:
#1. Demon Kissed
#2. Cursed
#3. Torn
#4. Satan’s Stone
#5. The 13th Prophecy
ADDITIONAL DEMON KISSED BOOKS:
VALEFAR VOLUMES (Demon Kissed Novellas)
#1. Valefar Vol. 1
#2. Valefar Vol. 2
Share this post:
August 19, 2013
ARRANGEMENT 1-9 Signed Book Giveaway!
Enter for a change to win THE ARRANGEMENT VOL. 1-9! They are paperbacks that are signed by the author! Wahoo!!!!
Share this post:
August 18, 2013
Sale! TRYSTAN SCOTT Vol. 1-4 Are 99¢ Each!
THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT VOL. 1 -4 are on sale TODAY ONLY for 99¢ each!
Why? Because the final volume in this series is due out next week AND because Trystan is in STRIPPED: A FERRO FAMILY NOVEL.
These serials are his backstory and take place about 3 years before his apperance in STRIPPED.
And, there will be a follow up TRYSTAN SCOTT novel this winter. So for the masses that love Trystan, get ready for more hottness. I seriously cannot wait for that book!
More info to come. Eeep!
GRAB THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT VOL. 1 -4 for 99¢ each!
Happy Reading!!!
Share this post:
August 3, 2013
Novel Peeps and Serial Peeps, Check This Out!
Hey Guys! Since THE ARRANGEMENT series has a truckload of new fans, I wanted to post a reminder that I write books for people who novels, and for people who serials. Both groups have gravitated toward the ARRANGEMENT series, which is incredible.
Novel peeps, your books are coming but they obviously take longer. STRIPPED, DAMAGED, DAMAGED 2, SCANDALOUS, and SCANDALOUS 2 were all written for the novel lovers.
TRYSTAN SCOTT, SECRETS, and ARRANGEMENT were written for the serial peeps. Just pointing out that there are two groups of fans that want different things.
And since the novel lovers have been asking for more Ferro family novels, there will be more. In the mean time, try not to eat the serial people for loving short books.
I posted this in facebook yesterday and here are some of the replies:
“Love.. love… love …. totally loved them..they are my favs .. And pls keep them
coming” -Sharifa Jan-Silva
“I’m a fan of both! Everything you write rocks!” -Kelly Gunter Atlas
“Love them all absolute fav characters are Sean & Trystan.” -Samantha P.
“As I have read all your ferro brother books that are out I have to say don’t listen to the people saying to end the arrangement. I love it and I’m more of a novel reader but I like the serials simply because they come out faster and they are awesome. You’re an amazing writer. Till your next novel/serial comes out ill be waiting patiently and can’t wait.” -Kristalynn Jarvi
“I’m a novel lover, I hate when the serials stop suddenly, with that said, I love all your books. Once I stop, I can’t put them down.” -Sarah Mcmillan Dozor
Sean and Trystan, you say? Hmmmm. Should I mention that both men are in STRIPPED? 
No, you don’t have to read the serials to know what’s going on. Each series is stand alone, which means they can be read independently of one another. So novel peeps can stick to their novels, or not. Totally up to you. And serial peeps, don’t freak out. I’ll keep writing your serials with kickass cliffhangers.
Share this post:
August 2, 2013
H.M. Ward’s Hot N’ Steamy Romances on GoodReads
Check this out Goodreads peeps! A fan put together a HUGE fan page with tons of stuff on it! She did a stellar job. I can’t tell you how excited I am that she did it and chose me! This chick has one of the most active groups on Goodreads, and she made another one–just for me!
Go join when you get a second. It’s going to be stellar!
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/110068
Thank you Izzy!!! You rock!!! :)
Share this post:
July 29, 2013
THE ARRANGEMENT 9 Was Released Today!
THE ARRANGEMENT 9 was released today! Wahoo! More Avery, more Sean, and cowboy Marty! Hee Haw!
Volume 9 in the New York Times Bestselling Arrangement Serials
When Avery finds out that the cowboy who requested her services for the night is Marty, things take an unexpected turn. If Avery declines her friend, she’ll be in trouble with Miss Black, but if she accepts–this could mean a new, normal relationship and saying farewell to Sean forever.
Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 20,000 words each.
~The Arrangement Vol 1-9 are on sale now.~
FERRO family novels: DAMAGED & STRIPPED
GRAB THE ARRANGEMENT 9 NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:
This is not the final volume. ARRANGEMENT 10 will be released in 3-4 weeks. Keeping them coming fast, and be prepared for the series to tangle with the other FERRO FAMILY novels (DAMAGED, STRIPPED, etc.)
Share this post:
July 23, 2013
Cover Suckage, Bad Branding, & Other Indie Marketing Oopsies I’ve Made on My Way to Selling 1.5 Million Books (A Post for Self Published Authors)
Was that blog title long enough? So, some of you know that I make my own covers. I even shoot some of the YA one’s myself. Anyway, I posted the info below for people who ask what were some of the major factors in my recent accomplishments, which include 6 New York Times bestsellers since January, TWO #1 Amazon bestsellers, and over 1.5 million books sold.
I’m 100% Indie and never went the traditional publication route (my control freak article in FORBES sheds a little light on why I self-published), and the stuff below played a huge factor in my success.
Thought I’d share for all my author friends out there.
***
Okay, my all time fav covers are YA PNR. Angel wings, demon eyes, and fluffy skirts on kick ass young women. *swoon* So, when I go to make an NA cover, my brain is like, “But it needs a dragon…” Technically, dragons make it fantasy, but dude – dragons are awesome! What romance cover wouldn’t look awesome with a dragon in the background with its wings sprawled?
So as you can see, my creative self is conflicted when I make new covers. I’ve posted some of these before, but I wanted to do it again, and include a final cover that had a branding issue. This kind of stuff is visual and I don’t know about you guys, but it helps me to actually see the difference, which usually results in a face palm.
SECRETS was the second book I wrote in the romance genre.
ORIGINAL COVER:
NEW COVER:
This one was the biggest oops: I wanted the cover to reflect the artistic stuff in the book. Problem: No one could identify the genre of this book based on the original cover art. Someone mentioned they thought it was going to be a thriller when it first came out. I was like, you’re cray cray, dude. And I was totally wrong.
What I learned: COVERS ARE STOP SIGNS. They should quickly reveal as much info about your book to the reader as possible and this did not. As soon as I changed the covers to the current version, sales shot up. By Christmas 2012 (book 1 in this series appeared last summer) the series was selling better than I’d ever hoped.
You’ll also notice that I had a pen name, which I stopped using late last year. Even though the pen name wasn’t a secret, people didn’t buy the books. It could have been the covers, or it could have been a lack of fans for Ella. By last summer, I had a small, loyal fan base for HM Ward. Ella had around 5. I could have branded both names, but time is an issue so I didn’t go that route. I used the name that already had the following – mine.
Here’s another example of stupid cover mistakes–SCANDALOUS. This book was my debut romance novel, and it was a sleeper. It did nothing for 9 months and then shot up and landed on the NYT bestseller list. In Jan of this year, I changed the cover and pulled it back under my name just before running an ad. People saw it, could tell what it was, and tried it. Plus, the ppl who read it when it first came out really liked it, so they pimped me out – all 5 of them! Seriously, those people are awesome and I can’t thank them enough. Don’t be stupid like I was. I had a serious cover crush on the old version and did NOT want to change it. The painting on the cover is IN the book. Short version: I was really stupid. Don’t wait 9 months to change covers or descriptions on books that aren’t preforming.
OLD COVER:
NEW COVER:
Okay, and here’s the last cover screw up I’ll show you for today–STRIPPED. This is my next novel (no dragons 
) and it needed to be tied to the DAMAGED series. I did something stupid, in terms of branding. I have a series within a series. People weren’t getting it, so I’m trying to go back and brand the covers better.
This book was giving me all sorts of grief. The tone was a little off and the type-font was bugging me. Yes, I made it, but sometime I don’t see the issues until later. I think the mismatched branding was bugging me. I changed the cover last night and by this morning, the preorder ranking shot up quite a bit.
OLD COVER:
NEW COVER:
The new cover has that somber thing that DAMAGED has, plus matching fonts which should help connect the series. Now, instead, of comments like ‘LOOK! ITS SUPERMAN!’ the fans are saying ‘Awh, what’s the matter with Peter’s brother?’ which is way closer to the reaction I want.
Making my name legible was also a face palm. Ah dher.
Anyway, I have more examples of me being stupid, but the point of this post is to actually see the issues and not be afraid to change them and try something new. If you have a solid story and it isn’t selling, go back to the trifecta of awesomeness: COVER, TITLE, BLURB. Those things combined make a little stool, and all three legs need to be functioning to get ppl to look at your sample. If one is off, it knocks over your whole thingamadobie. Mine have been off and that’s okay. We’re not locked into keeping a crappy cover (meaning it doesn’t sell) b/c we’re indie. Change it as many times as it takes.
Examine what works and what doesn’t. Change things one at a time to see what the issue is. I totally thought it was my books last year. I was slamming my head into the wall b/c I wrote SEVEN new romance titles, all of which were sucking up the charts and doing nothing. It’s amazing how tweaking a few things can change EVERYTHING. Since Jan of this year, I’ve had 6 titles on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s like, SHUT UP! I know! And if I kept my artsy covers it would have never happened.
I’m supposed to be in the writing cave… gots to go. Hope this helps someone see the things that took me nearly a year to figure out.
*Update: My numbers jumped from 1.3 million to 1.5 million. Forgot to add this months sales. Told you that I’m a dork.
Share this post:
July 15, 2013
$75 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
Apparently, it’s giveaway month. Christmas in July! Wahoo. And who doesn’t like winning stuff? Come on, you know you want it!
Enter to win a $75 AMAZON gift card!
May the force be with you!
-Nerd out.
Share this post:
