H.M. Ward's Blog, page 24
July 15, 2013
NAmazing Adventure! Prizes, Gift Cards, Signed Books – Oh My!
Welcome to my stop on the NAmazing Adventure, a blog hop featuring over 60 New Adult authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, signed books, gift cards, swag, and more! If you’re not sure what the NAmazing Adventure is, please click here (this will link to NA Alley) to start from the beginning and read the complete rules on the NA Alley website. Now let’s get this journey on the road!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
FML is becoming Avery’s motto. Just when she doesn’t think things could get any worse, they do. When her car stalls out at a busy intersection and she gets out to check under the hood, a guy steals her car. Armed with a dress and a pair of Chucks, Avery runs after the thief. When a hot stranger offers to help, she can’t say no. That’s how Avery meets Sean Ferro, the totally sexy, totally damaged guy with more secrets than she has time for.
Avery doesn’t have time for anything anymore. Her is life falling apart and it’s not just the car. It’s everything, and it doesn’t matter how tightly she tries to hold on, there’s nothing left to hold on to. With the sudden death of her parents, it’s only a matter of months until Avery’s shot at college is gone, and she’s living in a cardboard box. Other students have their families to rely on when things get bad. Avery has no one. But there’s one option, one incredibly sexy, morally devoid, option. If Avery takes a job as a call girl, one guy could save her. One client. One time. She just has to say yes.
Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 20,000 words each or 125 pgs.
Got that jotted down in your quest scroll?
Great, because you’ll need it for the quiz at the end of this quest! And remember, you must complete ALL SIX quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.
But wait! You have a chance right here and now to win THE ARRANGEMENT VOL. 1-5
Thanks for stopping by. Ready to move on?
Click HERE to go to the next stop on your adventure!
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July 8, 2013
H.M. Ward’s Awesomesauce Summer Giveaway (1 Kindle, 29 books, value $260)
It’s totally time for a giveaway – and this time International peeps can enter! Wahoo!
ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL GET:
A Kindle Fire, Plus 29 of H.M. Ward’s hottest ebooks including: NYT Bestseller Damaged 1 & 2, NYT Bestseller Scandalous 1 & 2, NYT Bestselling Series Arrangement Vol 1-8 Secrets 1-5, The Secret Life of Trystan Scott1-4, and Christmas Kisses. Demon Kissed 1-5, Bane 1 & 2 (Value $260US)
Go enter to win!
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July 3, 2013
ARRANGEMENT 8 Released Today!
Guess what came out today??!?!?!?!
~Volume 8 in the New York Times Bestselling Arrangement Serials~
Nothing ever goes the way it should. Marty is barely a friend any more, and the roommate from hell is doing Naked Guy on my couch again. It’s bad enough that it feels like my life is coming apart at the seams.
There’s one man that has held it together for the past few weeks, but things change. All it takes is a few words and everything shatters.
Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes approx. 20,000 words each.
~The Arrangement Vol 1-8 are on sale now.~
GRAB IT NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:
People have been asking if they should read DAMAGED 2, before reading this book. You don’t have to, but if you want the most WOW factor, recommended reading order is ARRANGEMENT 1-6, DAMAGED 1, ARRANGEMENT 7, DAMAGED 2, ARRANGEMENT 8. These series twist together in parts, but you don’t have to read both to know what’s going on. Oh, and here is the link ARRANGEMENT 8 the Amazon UK site!!!
Happy reading! And Happy 4th of July!!!!
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June 24, 2013
DAMAGED 2 by H.M. Ward was Released Today
DAMAGED 2 WAS RELEASED!
The steamy conclusion to the New York Times bestselling New Adult novel DAMAGED by H.M. Ward.
Description: “Home isn’t supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It’s not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn’t believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It’s a chance to set things right.
What Sidney doesn’t realize is that she’s dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He’s willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn’t sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York.”
Genre: New Adult Romance
Length: Novel, 324 pgs
Conclusion to the NYT and USA Today Bestseller DAMAGED
“Sexy, suspenseful & hilarious all at the same time!” - Anne
“I love Peter. There are some serious sexual tension between him and Sidney.” -Spare Time Book Blog“Fabulous book, it had me laughing one moment then on the edge of complete suspense the next.” -Samantha
“Looking forward to the futures books of the Ferro brothers.” -Debbie M.
“Full of unexpected moments that will make you laugh out loud and smile all day” . -Crissy M.
“Totally recommended for readers that enjoy a thrilling book and a HOT romance!” -Gloria H.
“We got to see all three Ferro brothers together, Sean I have to say I was so disappointed in him, and Jonathon can’t wait to meet him in his book (STRIPPED).” -A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews
GET IT FROM THESE RETAILERS:
iTunes link will appear shortly.
I’ve seen a rumor floating around that you have to read THE ARRANGEMENT series and STRIPPED to make sense of DAMAGED 1 & 2 – that is not true. Each series is standalone. You do not have to read one to understand another. However, if you do, it creates more depth.
The world is FERRO BROTHERS, and it includes 3 separate series:
THE ARRANGEMENT (Sean)
DAMAGED (Peter)
STRIPPED (Jonathan)
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June 21, 2013
Milestone: Over 1 Million Books Sold!!!
Okay, a couple of weeks ago someone asked me how many books I’d sold in May. I don’t keep a close eye on the numbers. Anyway, I added everything up and my jaw hit the table. It was damn close to half a million books sold in one month, and when that’s added to the previous books sold that means…
Dut du-duh-duuuuuuuuuuuh! I’ve sold over a million books since she started self publishing in 2011!
It kind of snuck up on me. That’s an amazing number of books. When I started I thought I could sell 8,000 books total. That number seemed unattainable then, and I remember passing it. I can’t even picture a million books. Would that fill up my living room? My house? I have no idea.
My first month of publishing March 2011, I sold 20+ books
My second month 200+
In Jan 2013 I passed 100,000 books sold total
Total number of published works: 37 (about 1/2 novellas, 1/2 novels)
Main marketing tool: Facebook
I have to say a huge, ginormous thank you to all the fans that picked up my book in the very beginning, way back before anyone even knew who I was. You guys took a chance on me and I can’t thank you enough!
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June 2, 2013
BANE Gets A New Hot Cover
BANE got a brand new cover! This New Adult Paranormal Romance Dystopian trilogy will wrap up later this year and I was thinking that we needed Will on a cover. So how’s this?
BANE is on sale for a little bit longer due to a glitch. It’s still showing at the $2.99 sale price on Amazon and other sites. The links are below.
Genre: New Adult PNR Dystopian
Length: Novel 304 pgs
Series: Yes, trilogy with 2 of 3 books already released
Series order: BANE, CATALYST, DIVERGENT
GRAB BANE FROM THESE RETAILERS:
DIVERGENT, the final book in this trilogy will be out later this year. PS, this is one of my favorite series to write. A kick ass heroine, an evil hero, a pack of starving wolves, and a butt load of snow. Go get it!
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May 26, 2013
Cover Reveal DAMAGED 2 by H.M. Ward
DAMAGED 2 by New York Times Bestselling author H.M. Ward
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 24, 2013
The steamy sequel to the New York Times, USA Today, #1 DBW, and Wall Street Journal bestselling New Adult novel DAMAGED by H.M. Ward.
DESCRIPTION: “Home isn’t supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It’s not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn’t believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It’s a chance to set things right.
What Sidney doesn’t realize is that she’s dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He’s willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn’t sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York.”
Genre: New Adult Romance
Length: Novel, 325 pgs
Sequel to the NYT and USA Today Bestseller DAMAGED
PRE-ORDER DAMAGED 2 NOW ON AMAZON:
*Books that are pre-ordered will automatically be delivered to your Kindle at midnight on release day. Make sure your wi-fi is on. 
A few people asked how to tell if a novel is part of a series. There are a few ways to tell. Click the paperback edition on Amazon. If it says (Volume 1) next to the title, that means the book is not a stand alone and there will be more Volumes. Or you can scroll to the bottom of the description on the listing. On DAMAGED 2 is says it’s the sequel. There is no indication of another volume, because 2 is the final volume in this story. Amazon doesn’t have the series info listed in an easy to see place on Kindle books. 
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May 20, 2013
Serials, Series, Novels, and Cliff Hangers – Oh My!
There are some fans who wanted me to spell out the difference between novels, serials, novellas, etc. This post is for you guys.
First, I want to say thank you for reading my book. If you stumbled on THE ARRANGEMENT serials and are confused, here’s a good place to start.
I think there are a few things going on that are causing confusion. I’ll try to clarify, but I want to start off by saying that I write books with cliffhangers. If you hate cliffhangers, you should totally read books by another author because I’m not your girl. I’ll just piss you off. Seriously. A lot of people like the shock value and it drives other people nuts. Everything isn’t for everyone and that’s totally okay. There are lots of great books out there and lots of great authors.
I’m going to start at the beginning. There’s some confusion over general terms. Books come in different lengths and there are terms that identify what’s what. Since readers can’t pick up a book in the bookstore, a lot of the tactile part of the book purchasing experience is gone. For example, a mass paperback is a smaller book and they vary in length. You can tell what it is by looking at it. When buying an ebook, you’re stuck relying on word counts or terms and lots of people don’t know the specifics.
A novel is a book that contains over 50,000 words. There’s a range, but to be considered a ‘novel’ that’s a good starting point. Most of my novels are around 60,000 words or 325 pages (5×8 trade paperback size). A novel can be part of a series or a stand alone.
Stand alone books don’t have continuing story lines. They end and that’s it. Series can be done different ways, but the main thing is that the same characters appear from book to book.
A serial is a book that is typically shorter (anywhere from 5,000-30,000 words). My serials are sagas. SECRETS has 5 books total and is complete. I was asked to be part of a special New Adult Romance group that is publishing holiday stories this year. So, there will be an additional holiday edition of SECRETS. There is no cliffhanger at the end of 5 and there was no intention of writing a 6th book, although I have fans begging me for one.
THE ARRANGEMENT serials were originally written for die hard fans to have something to read between novel releases. So instead of waiting months for a novel by their favorite author, they get something every few weeks. Unlike SECRETS, THE ARRANGEMENT series is fan driven. The last three times I asked the fans if they wanted me to wrap things up or keep things going, they said keep going. THE ARRANGEMENT is an on-going saga. It does not have a set number of books at this time. That will drive a lot of people nuts, but even more people like it that way.
As for honesty, THE ARRANGEMENT serials are marked as serials with a word count on each listing. If you missed serial, it says how many words there are. If you missed how many words, then there’s a page count. There are ways to tell what it is. If I was given a clearer way to mark the serials, I would. Amazon and the rest don’t have a way to replace the tactile experience of buying a book, so it’s written into the listing as clearly as possible.
COMPLETED SERIES: (7 novels, 7 serials)
SCANDALOUS (novel, no cliffhanger, was originally a stand alone)
SCANDALOUS 2 (novel, no cliffhanger, was added b/c of fan demand)
SECRETS 1-5 (serials, cliff hangers, ea vol is ~20K-35K words)
CHRISTMAS KISSES (stand alone novella – approx 20K words or 100 pgs)
DEMON KISSED 1-5 (novels, length: 60K-100K words each, series, cliffhangers)
STONE PRISON (novella, 78pgs, stand alone)
SERIES IN PROGRESS:
DAMAGED (2 book series, novels, cliffhanger, book 1 is out, book 2 will be released in June with no cliffhanger and conclude the series)
THE ARRANGEMENT (serials, 20K words each or 100 pgs, cliff hangers, the # of volumes is fan driven)
TRYSTAN SCOTT (serials, 20K words each, cliff hangers, anticipated number of volumes: TBA)
BANE (novels, trilogy-3 books total, cliffhangers)
Series will start to criss-cross but readers do NOT have to read each series to understand what’s going on. Each series is “stand alone.” This makes it more exciting for fans who have read everything.
Serials are not for everyone and that’s okay. I tell readers to read what they like. I think that more authors will write serials over the next year, because there is a demand for shorter books and people want to get as many books as they can, as fast as they can, from their favorite author. My favorite authors have out books that are less than 100 pages and cost $5 each. House of Night novellas (short books) are $9.99 each. There are tons of other works that fall anywhere between there. I hope that Amazon will give us more tools to make it blatantly obvious which book is which type, but right now they do not.
If you want to know what THE ARRANGEMENT books would look like in person, there are book that are the same length as THE ARRANGEMENT on sale at WalMart or B&N for $4-$5 a pop. They’re the Harlequin titles that are mass paperback size and thinner.
I want to thank you guys for writing. It’s a shame I can’t participate in Amazon’s boards and answer questions directly as they come up, but it’s prohibited.
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May 12, 2013
New Release: THE ARRANGEMENT 7 Was Released Today! (NA Romance)
THE ARRANGEMENT 7 IS OUT!
DESCRIPTION:
“Volume 7 in the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Arrangement Serials
When Avery learns Sean’s dark secret, everything changes. His confession blindsides her. Sean has a shady past, she knew that from the beginning, but this is so much worse than she thought. There’s a dangerous side to Sean. It’s alluring and frightening at the same time. Avery has to decide if love can overcome anything or if she should protect her heart.
Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes of approx. 20,000 words each or 100 pgs.
~The Arrangement Vol 1 – 7 are on sale now.~
*Content warning: This volume is more graphic than the others and has parts that are unsuitable for younger readers.
Hint hint: If you can read DAMAGED before you read this volume, that would be good.
Reader Review:
“Captivating and intense. The Arrangement 7 goes beyond anything I expected! My heart was in my throat and I couldn’t read it fast enough to find out what happens to Avery and Sean” -Joanne
GET THE ARRANGEMENT 7 NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:
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May 11, 2013
2 Books on the New York Times Bestseller List This Week!
I nearly died when I saw this. I knew DAMAGED was there but I missed THE ARRANGEMENT 6. I’ve been jumping up and down for two hours. Okay, more like four hours. 
Having one book on the list is wicked cool. Having two books up there is so freaking nuts that I can’t process it, man!
Thank you to all the fans who love DAMAGED and THE ARRANGEMENT series. You guys are in for a nice surprise tomorrow when ARRANGEMENT 7 comes out. Make sure you read DAMAGED first. Hint hint.
If you haven’t read these yet, DAMAGED (novel) and THE ARRANGEMENT (serials) are both New Adult romances. DAMAGED 2 is up for preorder over here.
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