Sarra Cannon's Blog, page 31
December 11, 2011
More Updates!
Hi everyone! I think I have finally hit a much better place in my pregnancy. My energy is coming back, and so is my motivation with writing. Whew, that was certainly a tough first few months! A lot of people told me that I would start to feel better in the second trimester, and now that I've hit the 13 week mark, I really am feeling so much better. I hate to think about the fact that I've left so many of my fans waiting for the next book. I never intended to take so long to get Book 5 out, and I'm so sorry if I've disappointed you guys.
On a happy note, though, for the past week I've been working on the book as if it were old times. 3,000-5,000 words a day of revisions and new scenes, which is super exciting. And I know the question on everyone's mind is: When is the book coming out??
I figured after all this waiting, you deserved to be kept in the loop about how things are progressing and when the book should be coming out. Also, I think it will help keep me motivated if I keep running updates going here on my blog. So here's what is next for Rival Demons:
First, I need to finish all of the revisions and rewrites. I already have an expected timeline on this, but am not quite ready to share yet.Once the book is finished, I will pass it off to my critique group. Because of things going on in their lives, along with the holidays coming up and family time, I am expecting it to take them about 2 weeks to read through the entire book and write out their comments.After the critique group goes through the book, we will schedule a long meeting to go through the book page-by-page, talking about any errors, any problems with the plot or things that don't make sense. My critique group is possibly the most amazing group in the world. They are very thorough and help me so much, so this is one of the most important steps.As long as there are no major problems with the book, I usually just take about three or four days to go through everyone's comments and make all the changes I agree with. Then, I read through the book a few more times, putting the final touches in.Once the book is completely done, then comes the formatting. This also takes a couple of days.Finally, release day!!While there are still a lot of steps left in the process before we get to release day, the biggest obstacle is really just finishing the book. Of course, that always sounds easier than it really is. :P But with my energy coming back, I think this will go quickly. The rough draft was completed several months ago, so it's the revisions and rewrites I am working on now, and I'm very happy with how the story is coming together. My truest hope is that when the book finally comes out, all of you will be happy with the results too!
On Friday, I am planning to officially announce the release date for Rival Demons, so I hope you'll come back to the blog this week to check up on the progress and see when you can expect Rival Demons to (finally) be released!!
On a happy note, though, for the past week I've been working on the book as if it were old times. 3,000-5,000 words a day of revisions and new scenes, which is super exciting. And I know the question on everyone's mind is: When is the book coming out??
I figured after all this waiting, you deserved to be kept in the loop about how things are progressing and when the book should be coming out. Also, I think it will help keep me motivated if I keep running updates going here on my blog. So here's what is next for Rival Demons:
First, I need to finish all of the revisions and rewrites. I already have an expected timeline on this, but am not quite ready to share yet.Once the book is finished, I will pass it off to my critique group. Because of things going on in their lives, along with the holidays coming up and family time, I am expecting it to take them about 2 weeks to read through the entire book and write out their comments.After the critique group goes through the book, we will schedule a long meeting to go through the book page-by-page, talking about any errors, any problems with the plot or things that don't make sense. My critique group is possibly the most amazing group in the world. They are very thorough and help me so much, so this is one of the most important steps.As long as there are no major problems with the book, I usually just take about three or four days to go through everyone's comments and make all the changes I agree with. Then, I read through the book a few more times, putting the final touches in.Once the book is completely done, then comes the formatting. This also takes a couple of days.Finally, release day!!While there are still a lot of steps left in the process before we get to release day, the biggest obstacle is really just finishing the book. Of course, that always sounds easier than it really is. :P But with my energy coming back, I think this will go quickly. The rough draft was completed several months ago, so it's the revisions and rewrites I am working on now, and I'm very happy with how the story is coming together. My truest hope is that when the book finally comes out, all of you will be happy with the results too!
On Friday, I am planning to officially announce the release date for Rival Demons, so I hope you'll come back to the blog this week to check up on the progress and see when you can expect Rival Demons to (finally) be released!!
December 2, 2011
Cover Reveal!! RIVAL DEMONS
While I still don't know a final release date for the book, I did want to go ahead and give you a look at the cover for Book 5 of the Peachville High Demons series. I have to tell you, this is one of my favorite covers of the series because it's the first one where the girl is looking straight on to the camera. To me, it fits this book perfectly because as you'll see, in a lot of ways, Harper's eyes are being opened to the ways of the Order and to her own destiny.
I hope you like the cover as much as I do!! Thanks for all the messages over the past few days about your excitement for book 5 to come out. I really can't believe it's December already, but time is flying by as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Have a great weekend everyone. More updates and blog posts to come next week.
I hope you like the cover as much as I do!! Thanks for all the messages over the past few days about your excitement for book 5 to come out. I really can't believe it's December already, but time is flying by as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Have a great weekend everyone. More updates and blog posts to come next week.
December 1, 2011
Book Review: Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
I know I already try to keep track of the books I'm reading through Goodreads, but I thought I would also put some thoughts on these books up on my blog. Especially when what I read is mostly Young Adult fiction anyway. Since I've been feeling a bit less than ideal lately, my husband suggested I spend more time reading. His goal, of course, is to try to get rid of some of the mountain of YA books I have stacked around the house, haha! Our rule is that when I finish a book, I have to give it away or sell it at the used bookstore unless it's one of my favorites, in which case I get to keep it. With that said, I'm hoping to be reading more in the upcoming months.
My latest pick from my shelves was "Once Dead, Twice Shy" by Kim Harrison. This is a relatively short YA and is Kim Harrison's debut YA book.
I originally picked up this book because I was really drawn to the cover. It's got a punk kind of look to it, so I thought the heroine might be kind of bad-ass. Plus, this is another example of a NYT bestselling author throwing her hat into the ring of YA, so I figured it would be worth checking out.
I will do my best to keep the spoilers out of this, but still let you know what I thought of the book. I did finish the book, which is saying something for me lately. It seems like I'm constantly in search of the type of book that will draw me in from the start and just not let go. For me, those types of books are few and far between, and unfortunately, Once Dead was not one of those grabber kind of books.
Here's the blurb from the inside cover jacket:
Madison's prom was killer - literally. For some reason, she's been targeted by a dark reaper - yeah, that kind of reaper - intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.
Now she's stuck on Earth - dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.
With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe...), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.
Well, if she believed in that stuff.
Great premise, right? I mean, angels, reapers, a hint of some kind of magic. Sounds great. Unfortunately, the beginning was super slow for me. It wasn't quite slow enough to make me put it down and stop reading, but then again, it was probably not until after page 100 of an only 232 page book that I started getting interested enough to want to stay up past my bedtime to read. Part of it for me was that the beginning was confusing. Wait, she's dead? And what exactly is Barnabas, this light-reaper, trying to teach her to do? I didn't get it at first and had to do a lot of re-reading to figure it out.
Also, I think sometimes the fact that Kim Harrison is used to writing adult novels showed itself pretty glaringly. The language these teens use in a lot of the dialogue (especially for a teen like Madison who is supposed to be kind of punk and off-beat) is very stilted. Other times, she uses teen-speak like freaking, which does sound punk, but then also phrases like 'puppy presents', which sounds more like it belongs on the mouth of a do-gooder Christian girl who couldn't bear to swear. I guess for me, it just seemed inconsistent at times. Sometimes, though, the writing was so beautiful. "Looking up, I was blinded by the sun reflecting upon a moving blade, and I gasped as it sliced cleanly through me with the sensation of dry feathers against my soul." (p. 17 in the hardcover) Beautiful writing, right? Yes, but since it's supposed to be Madison's voice here, why does she use the word 'upon'? That doesn't sound very naturally teen to me. It sounds like the author's voice instead. See what I mean?
Or am I being super picky? Lol. Probabaly too picky, I know, but sometimes that's the problem with adult authors writing YA - I'm not sure I believe the voice. And little words like 'upon' instead of just 'on' throw me out of the teen's head just a little bit.
But like I said, somewhere after about page 100, I started really getting into the story. The conflict suddenly seemed real and I was rooting for Madison to figure it all out and learn to use the amulet she'd stolen from the dark reaper. The last few chapters were by far the best part of the book and kept me reading late into the night. Bottom line? If you can make it through the slower first part of the book, I think you'll really enjoy this read. This is also just the first book in a series. I recently purchased book 2, "Early to Death, Early to Rise", and plan to start it right away. There is third book also, titled "Something Deadly This Way Comes".
Have you read this book? Have you read any of Kim Harrison's adult novels? How do they compare? What did you think of 'Once Dead'?
My latest pick from my shelves was "Once Dead, Twice Shy" by Kim Harrison. This is a relatively short YA and is Kim Harrison's debut YA book.
I originally picked up this book because I was really drawn to the cover. It's got a punk kind of look to it, so I thought the heroine might be kind of bad-ass. Plus, this is another example of a NYT bestselling author throwing her hat into the ring of YA, so I figured it would be worth checking out.
I will do my best to keep the spoilers out of this, but still let you know what I thought of the book. I did finish the book, which is saying something for me lately. It seems like I'm constantly in search of the type of book that will draw me in from the start and just not let go. For me, those types of books are few and far between, and unfortunately, Once Dead was not one of those grabber kind of books.
Here's the blurb from the inside cover jacket:
Madison's prom was killer - literally. For some reason, she's been targeted by a dark reaper - yeah, that kind of reaper - intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.
Now she's stuck on Earth - dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.
With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe...), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.
Well, if she believed in that stuff.
Great premise, right? I mean, angels, reapers, a hint of some kind of magic. Sounds great. Unfortunately, the beginning was super slow for me. It wasn't quite slow enough to make me put it down and stop reading, but then again, it was probably not until after page 100 of an only 232 page book that I started getting interested enough to want to stay up past my bedtime to read. Part of it for me was that the beginning was confusing. Wait, she's dead? And what exactly is Barnabas, this light-reaper, trying to teach her to do? I didn't get it at first and had to do a lot of re-reading to figure it out.
Also, I think sometimes the fact that Kim Harrison is used to writing adult novels showed itself pretty glaringly. The language these teens use in a lot of the dialogue (especially for a teen like Madison who is supposed to be kind of punk and off-beat) is very stilted. Other times, she uses teen-speak like freaking, which does sound punk, but then also phrases like 'puppy presents', which sounds more like it belongs on the mouth of a do-gooder Christian girl who couldn't bear to swear. I guess for me, it just seemed inconsistent at times. Sometimes, though, the writing was so beautiful. "Looking up, I was blinded by the sun reflecting upon a moving blade, and I gasped as it sliced cleanly through me with the sensation of dry feathers against my soul." (p. 17 in the hardcover) Beautiful writing, right? Yes, but since it's supposed to be Madison's voice here, why does she use the word 'upon'? That doesn't sound very naturally teen to me. It sounds like the author's voice instead. See what I mean?
Or am I being super picky? Lol. Probabaly too picky, I know, but sometimes that's the problem with adult authors writing YA - I'm not sure I believe the voice. And little words like 'upon' instead of just 'on' throw me out of the teen's head just a little bit.
But like I said, somewhere after about page 100, I started really getting into the story. The conflict suddenly seemed real and I was rooting for Madison to figure it all out and learn to use the amulet she'd stolen from the dark reaper. The last few chapters were by far the best part of the book and kept me reading late into the night. Bottom line? If you can make it through the slower first part of the book, I think you'll really enjoy this read. This is also just the first book in a series. I recently purchased book 2, "Early to Death, Early to Rise", and plan to start it right away. There is third book also, titled "Something Deadly This Way Comes".
Have you read this book? Have you read any of Kim Harrison's adult novels? How do they compare? What did you think of 'Once Dead'?
November 29, 2011
Slacking
I have seriously been slacking when it comes to blogging and social networking. I've barely been posting on twitter or facebook recently. Bad Sarra. I promise it hasn't been all happiness and roses here, though. I've been having some major morning sickness (something I have learned is grossly misnamed since it lasts 24/7), which is making it difficult to get a lot of work done. I have never been one to handle nausea well. I'm a wimp about it actually. And my life has been nausea city these days, haha.
Yes, I know, excuses excuses. Where's the next book? LOL. I know a lot of you are waiting for news on RIVAL DEMONS. I get messages every day asking about the book to see how it's coming. I can't tell you how much it means to me to get so many messages of support and so much interest about Book 5. And I know so many of you have been waiting patiently for more news, so here is the latest update:
Book 5 is so close to being done! I have been working as hard as I can to finish the book and get it out to my critique group. I get so hesitant to announce specific release dates, because I've had so many delays lately. The last thing I want to do is disappoint anyone. On the other hand, I feel confident enough that RIVAL DEMONS will be out in December. I'm hoping for a pre-Christmas release, but I will try my best to keep updating you here and on FB and twitter as we get closer to a release.
I know I also said I would show you guys the new book cover for RIVAL DEMONS! I promise I haven't forgotten. I will be revealing the cover art for Book 5 this Friday here on my blog, so stay tuned! I really hope you'll like it! I'm excited to show it to you and excited to get RIVAL DEMONS up on the virtual bookshelves.
Yes, I know, excuses excuses. Where's the next book? LOL. I know a lot of you are waiting for news on RIVAL DEMONS. I get messages every day asking about the book to see how it's coming. I can't tell you how much it means to me to get so many messages of support and so much interest about Book 5. And I know so many of you have been waiting patiently for more news, so here is the latest update:
Book 5 is so close to being done! I have been working as hard as I can to finish the book and get it out to my critique group. I get so hesitant to announce specific release dates, because I've had so many delays lately. The last thing I want to do is disappoint anyone. On the other hand, I feel confident enough that RIVAL DEMONS will be out in December. I'm hoping for a pre-Christmas release, but I will try my best to keep updating you here and on FB and twitter as we get closer to a release.
I know I also said I would show you guys the new book cover for RIVAL DEMONS! I promise I haven't forgotten. I will be revealing the cover art for Book 5 this Friday here on my blog, so stay tuned! I really hope you'll like it! I'm excited to show it to you and excited to get RIVAL DEMONS up on the virtual bookshelves.
November 4, 2011
The Newest News from Amazon - Kindle Owner's Lending Library
I got an interesting email today from Amazon. They announced that Amazon Prime members, in addition to already receiving free shipping and getting some streaming media, will now also be able to borrow books for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. There are limits, of course. You can only check out one book a month. There are no late fees or anything like that, but you do have to return your previous book in order to get a new book. Also, there are a limited number of books currently available in the lending library. From what I've heard, it's somewhere around 5000 books to choose from.I think it's an exciting development. Actually, it kind of makes me want to sign up for Amazon Prime, haha. I used to have a membership several years back, but back then, all that the membership gave you was free shipping. I didn't order enough merchandise to make it worth it. Now, however, there are a lot of perks that come along with an Amazon Prime membership. Free two-day shipping. Unlimited streaming of TV shows, movies, etc, similar to Netflix. And now a free book a month. Considering that some of these NYT bestseller books are $10.00 or more each, it's really a good deal. The Amazon Prime Membership is only $79 a year.
I have a feeling this new announcement will actually spur some people who are already members of Prime to go ahead and spring for a new Kindle. I mean, with the low price point now of only $79 for a brand new Kindle, why not? Especially when you have access to so many free books?
It's interesting to me that some authors already have their defenses up about this lending library. They are worried that they will not get paid for books that are lent through this new library. But to me, that's really narrow thinking. Free books have always been available, whether through borrowing from friends or borrowing from a physical library or from stealing or whatever. Authors still have always been able to make a living writing books. Readers still buy books, even when there are free ones to be had. I personally think it's a great announcement. I don't think it will have a huge impact on books sales except that it will be another way to connect readers with books and authors they love.
My only question is how do I get Beautiful Demons into the lending library? So far, I don't think they are letting a lot of Indie authors into the lending library. All I know is that if given a chance, I would definitely put the Peachville High Demons books into the lending library. Any chance I have of introducing my series to more readers is a huge opportunity. I have a feeling that right now, Amazon is sort of hand-picking books and authors, which currently doesn't include that many Indie authors (if any), but I would be incredibly excited if my books were to be included in any way.
What do you think of the new Kindle Owner's Lending Library? Are you an Amazon Prime Member? Would this new perk make you want to sign up for Amazon Prime? I'm interested to hear what you think.
November 2, 2011
My BIG Personal News!
This is going to be another personal post, along with a brief update on RIVAL DEMONS. First of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who left comments and sent me messages when I opened up in this post about my personal journey with PCOS and infertility. As I said before, I have wanted to have a baby for a very long time and even though my husband and I had been trying for quite a while, we had not been successful. I told you that we were preparing for our first round of IVF (in vitro fertilization) in October. I know many of you have been checking up on me to see how everything was going, and I appreciate the support with all of my heart.
Today, I have some very happy news to share with you! My husband and I are expecting our first baby on June 16th, 2012!!!!!!!! No, there are not enough exclamation marks in the world to express how excited and happy I am about this baby. And part of the true miracle of it all is that we found out I was pregnant just two days before we were supposed to begin IVF. How amazing is that?? Our baby was conceived naturally, and I am so grateful to have been able to bypass all of the medicine and shots and emotions involved with such an intense procedure. Believe me, I completely know how incredibly lucky we are.
On Saturday, we were blessed to be able to see our little one on an ultrasound for the first time. The baby's heartbeat fluttering on the screen was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life! I am almost 8 weeks along, so it is still early, but I was never one for keeping secrets, haha. And since so many of you continue to send me encouraging messages, I wanted to share this amazing news with you all.
Now, for the RIVAL DEMONS update! Since it's NaNo WriMo, I am back on track working on Book 5. I know the technical rules are that you are supposed to write a brand new novel during NaNo, but I'm breaking the rules a bit to work on my revisions for this book that I know so many of you are patiently waiting to read. I won't lie to you - I'm struggling a lot with morning sickness and fatigue during this first trimester. It's been extremely difficult to focus when I'm not feeling well, but I'm doing the best I can! My hope at this point is to finish the revisions by the middle of November, then pass the book off to my critique group as soon as possible. What this means for you is another slight delay in the release. However, I can promise you this - RIVAL DEMONS will be out in December. I am going to make it happen no matter what! I'm pushing myself for a very early December release, but things are slightly unpredictable right now, so I don't have a date set yet.
IF (and that's a really BIG IF), everything goes well with the revisions, I am hoping to actually pass the book off to my critique group by the middle of the month and then start working on Book 6's rough draft right away. After such a long break between books 4 and 5, I think it would be awesome if I could get Books 5 and 6 out one right after the other in December and January. I'll keep you updated!! Meanwhile, I'm going to be making a brand new word count meter for the sidebar here on the right so you can follow my progress with the revisions. Hopefully, the count will fly!!
So that's my BIG news!! Thank you so much again to everyone for all the support and advice and encouragement throughout this process. It truly means the world to me.
Today, I have some very happy news to share with you! My husband and I are expecting our first baby on June 16th, 2012!!!!!!!! No, there are not enough exclamation marks in the world to express how excited and happy I am about this baby. And part of the true miracle of it all is that we found out I was pregnant just two days before we were supposed to begin IVF. How amazing is that?? Our baby was conceived naturally, and I am so grateful to have been able to bypass all of the medicine and shots and emotions involved with such an intense procedure. Believe me, I completely know how incredibly lucky we are.
On Saturday, we were blessed to be able to see our little one on an ultrasound for the first time. The baby's heartbeat fluttering on the screen was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life! I am almost 8 weeks along, so it is still early, but I was never one for keeping secrets, haha. And since so many of you continue to send me encouraging messages, I wanted to share this amazing news with you all.
Now, for the RIVAL DEMONS update! Since it's NaNo WriMo, I am back on track working on Book 5. I know the technical rules are that you are supposed to write a brand new novel during NaNo, but I'm breaking the rules a bit to work on my revisions for this book that I know so many of you are patiently waiting to read. I won't lie to you - I'm struggling a lot with morning sickness and fatigue during this first trimester. It's been extremely difficult to focus when I'm not feeling well, but I'm doing the best I can! My hope at this point is to finish the revisions by the middle of November, then pass the book off to my critique group as soon as possible. What this means for you is another slight delay in the release. However, I can promise you this - RIVAL DEMONS will be out in December. I am going to make it happen no matter what! I'm pushing myself for a very early December release, but things are slightly unpredictable right now, so I don't have a date set yet.
IF (and that's a really BIG IF), everything goes well with the revisions, I am hoping to actually pass the book off to my critique group by the middle of the month and then start working on Book 6's rough draft right away. After such a long break between books 4 and 5, I think it would be awesome if I could get Books 5 and 6 out one right after the other in December and January. I'll keep you updated!! Meanwhile, I'm going to be making a brand new word count meter for the sidebar here on the right so you can follow my progress with the revisions. Hopefully, the count will fly!!
So that's my BIG news!! Thank you so much again to everyone for all the support and advice and encouragement throughout this process. It truly means the world to me.
November 1, 2011
Happy One Year Anniversary, Beautiful Demons!!
I'm a little late with this happy birthday celebration, but as of October 29th, it's been exactly one year since I first published BEAUTIFUL DEMONS!!! The decision to become an Indie author and self-publish my books in ebook format was a huge decision for me. Like most writers, I had always wanted the validation of seeing my book in a physical bookstore and having an agent or editor tell me they loved and believed in my work. It took a lot of time and hair-pulling to finally move beyond that false idea of validation and realize that my future was staring me right in the face.When I first self-published Beautiful Demons, I was scared, but excited. I had no idea if anyone would want to read it. The idea of bad reviews made me insane, haha. Luckily, a year later, the results are way beyond what I ever expected. Since last year, I have published the first four novels in my Peachville High Demons series and have sold a total of 45,641 copies between them. Beautiful Demons leads the group with 16,404 copies sold so far, and I couldn't be happier or more grateful.
I honestly feel that my decision to become an Indie author and take my career into my own hands was one of the best decisions I could have made. I love the creative freedom I have. I love feeling closer to my readers. I love being able to make the final decisions about the plot and characters without someone in New York telling me what I have to cut. Now, I'm not saying my books are the most amazing in the world or that I couldn't benefit from an editor or agent in some way, but in the end, I know this was the best route for me. I'm loving every minute of being an Indie author, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has supported the Peachville High Demons series, either by writing reviews, buying the books, or telling a friend about the series. I appreciate you all so much. It's been an amazing year, and I'm looking forward to hopefully many more years of success!
October 17, 2011
Catching Up
Wow, I'm so sorry I've been annoyingly absent from the interwebs for a few weeks. If you read my earlier post, Pouring My Heart Out, you know I've been taking some time to deal with a very personal issue. After some self-reflection, I feel that I am ready to rejoin the writing world and start blogging again! For anyone who is interested, I will hopefully have an update about my personal life and my journey toward having a baby sometime in early November.
In the meantime, I thought I would post a few updates about what's been going on with my books. I'll make it in bullet points, because hey, bullet points are fun.
First of all, I'm working on RIVAL DEMONS again. I had a flash of a new idea and I think I've figured out something that was missing from the rough draft that will pull this whole thing together. I've been feeling much more creative lately and excited about the series. Even though the book was slightly delayed, I am still hoping to have it out by mid-November!!! So only about 1 month left!I have book covers for both RIVAL DEMONS and DEMONS FOREVER!!!! Robin Ludwig did an amazing job on the covers and I can't wait to show them to you. You'll have to wait until December for the reveal of Demons Forever, but I am planning to reveal the cover for Rival Demons next Friday. I might do a fun giveaway in honor of the new cover. I have to say, it's one of my favorite so far, and I hope you'll like it!Today, BEAUTIFUL DEMONS hit its highest ever sales rank for the Amazon UK store. It jumped all the way up to 626. Even though my sales have sadly been slipping in the US store lately, it's exciting to see my books taking off in the UK.I am currently working on a complete revamp of my main website. Right now, my site is completely designed by my husband from scratch, using HTML 5. I like it, but to me, it does look a little bit homemade. I am working with my cover designer to put together a cool banner that will match my PHD series. I'm going to be converting both my site and my blog to wordpress, but it's taking me some time to learn how to do it. Hoping to have a new site up and running by the time Rival Demons is released!
That's most of the news I have right now. Oh, wait! An excerpt of Beautiful Demons is in the back of J.L. Bryan's newest book, Fairy Metal Thunder. I was so excited that he wanted to include me in his book!! In return, there will also be an excerpt of Fairy Metal Thunder in the back of Rival Demons if you're interested in checking it out for a free preview! The book is really well done and a lot of fun. I think most of my readers would really enjoy it, and at only $0.99, it's hard to resist!!! I highly recommend it.
In other news, I know I am late in posting my sales for September. Believe me when I say they are nothing to get excited about. For some reason, I've seen a terrible slump in my sales all the way across the board both in September and October. I know that it's just part of the process of publishing, so I'm not worried about it, just anxious to get Rival Demons out. For anyone interested, I will hopefully post Sept. sales sometime later this week.
In the meantime, I thought I would post a few updates about what's been going on with my books. I'll make it in bullet points, because hey, bullet points are fun.
First of all, I'm working on RIVAL DEMONS again. I had a flash of a new idea and I think I've figured out something that was missing from the rough draft that will pull this whole thing together. I've been feeling much more creative lately and excited about the series. Even though the book was slightly delayed, I am still hoping to have it out by mid-November!!! So only about 1 month left!I have book covers for both RIVAL DEMONS and DEMONS FOREVER!!!! Robin Ludwig did an amazing job on the covers and I can't wait to show them to you. You'll have to wait until December for the reveal of Demons Forever, but I am planning to reveal the cover for Rival Demons next Friday. I might do a fun giveaway in honor of the new cover. I have to say, it's one of my favorite so far, and I hope you'll like it!Today, BEAUTIFUL DEMONS hit its highest ever sales rank for the Amazon UK store. It jumped all the way up to 626. Even though my sales have sadly been slipping in the US store lately, it's exciting to see my books taking off in the UK.I am currently working on a complete revamp of my main website. Right now, my site is completely designed by my husband from scratch, using HTML 5. I like it, but to me, it does look a little bit homemade. I am working with my cover designer to put together a cool banner that will match my PHD series. I'm going to be converting both my site and my blog to wordpress, but it's taking me some time to learn how to do it. Hoping to have a new site up and running by the time Rival Demons is released!
That's most of the news I have right now. Oh, wait! An excerpt of Beautiful Demons is in the back of J.L. Bryan's newest book, Fairy Metal Thunder. I was so excited that he wanted to include me in his book!! In return, there will also be an excerpt of Fairy Metal Thunder in the back of Rival Demons if you're interested in checking it out for a free preview! The book is really well done and a lot of fun. I think most of my readers would really enjoy it, and at only $0.99, it's hard to resist!!! I highly recommend it.In other news, I know I am late in posting my sales for September. Believe me when I say they are nothing to get excited about. For some reason, I've seen a terrible slump in my sales all the way across the board both in September and October. I know that it's just part of the process of publishing, so I'm not worried about it, just anxious to get Rival Demons out. For anyone interested, I will hopefully post Sept. sales sometime later this week.
September 28, 2011
Amazon's Big News!
If any of you have been on the fence about whether to buy an ereader or a new tablet, now is the best time ever to jump into the ebook revolution. Amazon announced a while back that they were going to do a press conference this morning and everyone was anticipating their unveiling of a new tablet, but Amazon actually announced 3 new offerings today.
An ad-supported Kindle at only $79. What?! Yes, I'm serious about this. For less than eighty bucks, you can have a Kindle. And don't worry, the ads aren't scrolling while you read your books or anything. The ads are just the screensavers when your Kindle goes to sleep. Trust me when I say the cheesy pictures of dead authors they use for the regular Kindle screensavers aren't all that exciting, haha. I might actually prefer the ads! New Kindle Touch! This touch-screen ereader is only going to be $99, with a 3G version at just $149. (Just to compare, the Barnes & Noble touch is $139 just for the wi-fi version, so that's a huge $40 price difference.) The Kindle Touch is going to be much slimmer and will have no external controls - only touch screen controls.Kindle Fire Tablet - Cnet calls it a "color ereader on steroids". Lol. It looks similar to the Nook Color and will retail at only $199! (Again the nook color is currently $249, which is showing how much Amazon wants to be on top of the ereader market.) You can play games on it, watch movies, read books, nearly everything you can do on an ipad. The tablet also comes with a 30 day Amazon Prime membership, and with Prime adding tons of streaming video this fall, I think this will be a huge advantage to the Fire Tablet. Exciting news! Now I want one!So if you've been thinking of asking for an ereader or a tablet for Christmas, or thinking of getting one for yourself or someone special, the time has never been better. I think it's going to be a very exciting time for those of us who love to read and love to buy ebooks. I'm thinking the Fire Tablet just jumped to my new #1 must-have for Christmas!
September 25, 2011
Pick Your Purse!
Sorry for the delay in blogging. I've been taking some time off to focus on my family and getting ready for IVF. First off, I want to just say thank you to everyone who read my previous post and has supported me. I got such an outpouring of love and hugs from comments, email, twitter, facebook, everywhere. Thank you so much everyone, you have no idea how much that means to me!
I have been taking the time I need to just relax and de-stress, so I've been staying away from my blog and from my novel for a bit. However, I just couldn't resist talking about the G105 Pick Your Purse! I feel like I have been waiting for them to do this again forever! This is definitely something that makes me very happy, so it's awesome that they are doing it starting October 3rd. I've blogged about this before, but the way the contest works is that they have 20 designer purses up for grabs. Every day at 7:50 am and 5:40 pm, they will announce that it's time to call. The 105th caller gets to pick any purse from the list that hasn't already been taken. The contest lasts M-F for 2 weeks.
I have lived here in the Raleigh area for four years now, and every single time G105 does Pick Your Purse, I am like a calling-in maniac. I want one of those purses so bad! We're talking Prada, Gucci, Chloe, Jimmy Choo, Valentino, all the most beautiful bags. And I'm such a purse person. I have never had a designer purse, but I love them. I love to look at them and drool over them. When we were Vegas earlier this summer, I think I spent more than three or four hours perusing the designer stores looking for the perfect bag. Unfortunately, most of the ones I fell in love with cost over $1000, lol. So no bag for Sarra.
Anyway, it feels like forever since the radio station did this contest, so I couldn't be happier that they are running this during one of these very tough times in my life when I'm super stressed and emotional. It would be AMAZING if I got to pick a purse!
Here's the grid of 20 purses from the G105 website:
If you follow the link above, they have a printable PDF version if you live in the Raleigh area and want to call in. My top 5 choices, in order, are:#2 - Chloe - I love this bag! It's big and beautiful and very me. I like to carry bigger bags because I've always got a ton of stuff with me. This is definitely my first choice.#8 - Valentino - Their patent bags with the bows are so beautiful. Valentino has this same bag in red, but I actually like the black even better. I looked at this bag when we were in Vegas and it's to die for!#6 - Jimmy Choo - Even though I love big bags, this small Jimmy Choo clutch would be perfect for a night out. #12 - Rebecca Minkoff - I'm actually not familiar with this designer, but I love this blue leather bag. I like the tassle and the chain and the zippers. It's modern and perfect for fall.#11 - Diane Von Furstenberg - This bag is called the Harper. How could it not be on my list?Truthfully, I would gladly choose ANY of the bags on their list. I always get so excited when they do Pick Your Purse, but so sad as the bags disappear. Maybe this time will be different!
Thanks for letting me indulge by talking a bit about G105's Pick Your Purse. I think this is by far the single best radio station giveaway in the history of radio. :P. Now, if I could just figure out a way to get past the busy signals...
I have been taking the time I need to just relax and de-stress, so I've been staying away from my blog and from my novel for a bit. However, I just couldn't resist talking about the G105 Pick Your Purse! I feel like I have been waiting for them to do this again forever! This is definitely something that makes me very happy, so it's awesome that they are doing it starting October 3rd. I've blogged about this before, but the way the contest works is that they have 20 designer purses up for grabs. Every day at 7:50 am and 5:40 pm, they will announce that it's time to call. The 105th caller gets to pick any purse from the list that hasn't already been taken. The contest lasts M-F for 2 weeks.
I have lived here in the Raleigh area for four years now, and every single time G105 does Pick Your Purse, I am like a calling-in maniac. I want one of those purses so bad! We're talking Prada, Gucci, Chloe, Jimmy Choo, Valentino, all the most beautiful bags. And I'm such a purse person. I have never had a designer purse, but I love them. I love to look at them and drool over them. When we were Vegas earlier this summer, I think I spent more than three or four hours perusing the designer stores looking for the perfect bag. Unfortunately, most of the ones I fell in love with cost over $1000, lol. So no bag for Sarra.
Anyway, it feels like forever since the radio station did this contest, so I couldn't be happier that they are running this during one of these very tough times in my life when I'm super stressed and emotional. It would be AMAZING if I got to pick a purse!
Here's the grid of 20 purses from the G105 website:
If you follow the link above, they have a printable PDF version if you live in the Raleigh area and want to call in. My top 5 choices, in order, are:#2 - Chloe - I love this bag! It's big and beautiful and very me. I like to carry bigger bags because I've always got a ton of stuff with me. This is definitely my first choice.#8 - Valentino - Their patent bags with the bows are so beautiful. Valentino has this same bag in red, but I actually like the black even better. I looked at this bag when we were in Vegas and it's to die for!#6 - Jimmy Choo - Even though I love big bags, this small Jimmy Choo clutch would be perfect for a night out. #12 - Rebecca Minkoff - I'm actually not familiar with this designer, but I love this blue leather bag. I like the tassle and the chain and the zippers. It's modern and perfect for fall.#11 - Diane Von Furstenberg - This bag is called the Harper. How could it not be on my list?Truthfully, I would gladly choose ANY of the bags on their list. I always get so excited when they do Pick Your Purse, but so sad as the bags disappear. Maybe this time will be different!
Thanks for letting me indulge by talking a bit about G105's Pick Your Purse. I think this is by far the single best radio station giveaway in the history of radio. :P. Now, if I could just figure out a way to get past the busy signals...
