Mayandree Michel's Blog, page 3

Drumroll please... the long awaited book cover for Sacrifice

I debated over which important points of the story to show without giving too much away. The Gothic city is a key part of the story and so is the dress. I love the color which plays a very important part in the novel. You're probably wondering what the deal is with the color blue. Well you'll have to read Sacrifice to find out. I hope you all like it as much as I do. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of it.

Zac Browser - Skill Booster

I've been meaning to write a post about this for a while now. There aren't enough words to express how happy my family is to have discovered the Zac Browser.  
Most of us browse the web many times a day without giving it a second thought, but for people who suffer from disorders in the autistic spectrum, it becomes a much more difficult experience.
With autistic children, the challenge is twofold - protecting them from the dangers of the Internet, as well as providing them with an browsing experience that is in line with their needs. Zac Browser is a tool that aims to meet both requirements.
So now you're wondering what the Zac Browser is exactly.


The Zac Browser is the first Internet browser created specifically for children living with variants of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, PDD not otherwise specified and PDD-NOS - also called atypical autism.
The software is called Zac Browser in honor of Mr. John LeSieur's grandson, Zackary. Read their story.
Basically the Zac Browser reorganizes the most suitable websites and videos available on the Internet and delivers them within a unique and secure browser experience.
The software allows your child to access games, activities, and videos  (tons of games, activities, and videos) based on diverse interests and allows a stimulating experience and encourages children to talk. The browser is the best way to find and enjoy what the Internet has to offer with only a few clicks of the mouse.
My son is non-verbal with severe global delays and loves playing with the Zac Browser everyday. He finds it very easy to navigate around the site and it holds his attention while giving him the independence to do what he likes on the site. It also gives my husband and I peace of mind that we know that he is safe while playing and browsing. 

Oh, and Zac Browser is a totally free downloadable software package!

Screen Shots:



So if you think your child could benefit from Zac Browser download it here.

If you know of someone who can benefit from the Zac Browser or if you work in a school that has not yet incorporated the Zac Browser, spread the word.

Freebie!

Now that ereaders are more popular, tons of people bought / received ereaders / tablets over the holiday season. I even bought a couple tablets for my kids and they LOVE them. It's awesome to find free ebooks on Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com to download for them as well as games and apps.
I wanted to offer my book for free but found out that authors can't set prices for ebooks lower than the .99 price on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites. It's ridiculous. I saw so many books priced for free on both sites and found out that Amazon and Barnes and Noble will only lower the price when they see another competitor selling it for less.
Well I want to give everyone who is interested in reading my book a chance to read it for free.
So go to Smashwords.com / Betrayal  and download a correct and complete copy for free. I hope you enjoy it!

Full Access

I know that I haven't been the most accessible person as of late but I want to be. I really do.
I know I  haven't been very good at answering emails and messages in the past but I promise to try to answer you all this time. I literally answered twenty or so emails today. I hope I answered all your questions. I will go at it again tomorrow.  

And I know some of you may be reading my response and saying "I sent her this email months ago. Why is she just now answering me?" Well feel free to write me again and don't forget to tell me just how you feel about me being such an absentee author. I deserve it. I promise to do better. You have my written word.
I want to interact more with my readers. I know that I can learn a lot from you. So if want to send me a message about anything or chat about my book and upcoming books please email me.
mayandreem@hotmail.com

The truth is I love getting emails and I used to have time to read them but I think the only way I can keep up with it now and no go off track with my writing schedule is to designate a day in the week when I can devote a couple hours to reading and responding to them. As of now, that day will be today Thursday. So if you know you sent me a message during the week before Thursday morning than expect to have an answer by Friday (Saturday the latest... I have a regular 9 to 5 gig so cut me a little slack. ;) )

I'm also on Twitter (click the birdie on the right) I will try to tweet something informative or not everyday and facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayandree-Michel/186821878021025 ) so you can always send me a message there.

I plan to do a contest right around Betrayal's B-day (April 1st). Not sure yet what the contest or giveaway will be yet, but I plan to get all the details together soon and will post right here.

**Also a few local (New York) readers have contacted me about doing a signing and / or meet and greet at a fun bookstore in the city this spring. I've never done anything like this before and am not sure how many (those of you who are local of course. I don't expect anyone to be crossing state lines just to meet me) would be interested to come but let me know if you would and I'll see what I can set up. Once I have more input from you then I will get some info on setting something up and you all will be the first to know.

Oh and one more thing...drum roll please... the cover for Sacrifice will be revealed very soon right here!!!

Hi Everyone!I've been away for a while (too long), but I'...

Hi Everyone!

I've been away for a while (too long), but I'm back.
Thank you to everyone who purchased and gave Betrayal a try. I'm ecstatic to keep hearing how much everybody enjoys it.

I've had a few set backs that prevented me from releasing a couple novels, especially the long awaited sequel to Betrayal, Sacrifice -The Descendants #2. It's new release date is June 2012. I know, I know. Six whole months to wait? I know that you all had planned to read it over the holidays. I hope that you are all willing to wait and add it to your summer reading instead.

I don't want to give away the plot, but here are some beautiful pictures I found which I referred to often while writing Sacrifice.

 
A bit spooky, right? That's what I intended and what you should expect.

EPIC!!!

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I hardly ever review books that I love because it's really time consuming and time is something that I wish I could purchase at this point in my life lol. But I had to share my thoughts on this one.
It took a while to read, but it is by far the best fantasy book I've ever read, and probably the best ever written. Yes I said it! I'm still spinning from the rawness and full scope of fantasy at it's finest. George R.R. Martin is BRILLIANT.
I watched the HBO series and was hooked from the first episode. So when I decided to read the book I had really high hopes and I must say I wasn't disappointed in the least.

The book is quite frankly to be marveled at and better than the film adaption. It's an epic tale based on the battle between several kingdoms, politics, power and of course war. In addition, it was a compelling story of several families, incest, scandal, scheming, along with fantastical elements like dragons, knights, and demonic creatures. Oh JOY!


I loved that each chapter was in a different characters view and that they had real emotions, flaws and were dimensional. The plot is very complex, but engaging and satisfying. I was so immersed in the book (almost forgetting that I was supposed to be working on finishing my second book lol).

Summarizing this book is impossible and I'm not going to try. If you're not a lazy reader and can handle a chunky book, and enjoy fantasy I recommend picking up the Game of Thrones. I've already picked up the other books in the series. Now I'll just have to scheme to steal some time to read them.

On another note, as a self-published author, I'm still pretty shocked when readers buy and read my novel. Then I read your reviews, feel the whopping support, and it makes me want to write so much more and get Sacrifice out as early as possible.

I really love my stories and your support leaves me feeling giddy! My sincerest thanks to all of you who've tried my book, liked it, and took the precious time to write a review. I truly appreciate the kind words and I have a little place in my heart for each and every one of you!! Smooches!

I read and take note of all my reviews even the bad and sometimes quite scathing at times. Of course I've gotten a few as it's just the way of the game, I've been told, and not an epic fail. Writers just can't please every reader. But I try to pull what I can from those too, although some may not be as constructive in their critism as you'd expect.

And thanks to all who stop by here every now and then. I know that I haven't been around much lately. Summer is an awfully busy time for me and it really shows in the number of posts I've posted this month and the last. Believe me when I say I'm lucky to find the time to write, read, and answer emails with all the running around I'm doing, but duty calls and I hate to be indoors as much as my boys do. But I do feel disconnected :( and promise to keep in touch with everyone.
Also, Rie at the Mission to Read book review blog is having a really cool Mythological Summer Festival. I'm so excited to have had the opportunity to participate and do a guest blog and giveaway. You can read the post and enter to win a signed copy of Betrayal and ebooks here .

That's all for now.

Been a while

It's been a very sad and strange couple of weeks personally and it's been a while since I've blogged. I can only say that I'm happy to be back in the swing of things.

During my short time away (didn't really go anywhere, just got a visit from CHAOS) I've been trying to work consistently on Sacrifice and finishing it up. I really love the direction of the story. Lots of surprises and twists. After some editing on that, it should be ready for my beta readers to critique! I'm really anxious to hear their thoughts. December is still the release date.

I've also been working with a new editor (yes! another one) and the corrected version should read better. I must admit, in the past, I've made bad choices as far as picking editors. I've recently uploaded the cleaner and tighter version and books have finally gone out. If anyone still finds errors, please let me know. Just email me and let me know when you purchased a copy. It is a major concern of mine. Thanks :)

Also thank you to all those who enjoyed Betrayal and left messages on facebook & twitter. I really appreciate the love and back atcha <3. I'm sorry that I'm so late with sharing my gratitude. It seems I spend even less time there than I do here, but I'm working on that. I will be spending more time blogging so if you feel like it, you can always leave me a comment here :)

Special thanks & contest results (whooohooo)

I thought to do a blog tour because I heard that it could be a good way to spread the word about my book, but I wasn't sure what to expect.

Each book blogger who showed interest in reading Betrayal and participated in the tour had TBR piles towering taller than a skyscraper, yet managed to wedge my chunky novel into their reading schedule. For that alone I'm thankful and feel honored.

I've read their reviews as you have. I want to give a special thanks to them for being honest and dedicated to their followers who depend on them for an honest review.

I <3 each and everyone of you ladies for helping make my first tour a success, and everyone should check out their unique blogs and follow if you're looking for honest reviews and great book recommendations!

Tour Roster:

The Musings of ALMYBNENR    A Backwards Story Vy's Blog       Fragments of Life       A Simple Love of Reading Totally Obsessed        The Bookish Babes

Now for what you've all been waiting for... drum roll please... the winners of the Blog Tour Contest!!!


1st PRIZE WINNER of an Amazon.com $25 gift card & a signed paperback copy of Betrayal

 Zareen
(favorite goddess - Artemis) 

***************2nd PRIZE WINNERof a signed paperback of Betrayal
Aanchal (Book Flame Reviews)(favorite goddess - Nyx)


***************
3rd PRIZE WINNERof an eBook copy of Betrayal
Brodie(favorite goddess - Athena)


Congrats to all the winners!!!
You each have 72 hours to respond by email.Thank you to everyone who entered, and f you didn't win, don't fret. I love doing the contests and plan on doing more in the future.

Fun contest facts:
Here is a tally of the entries favorite characters from Betrayal:
Cordelia came in 1st - 11 votesNikolas came in 2nd - 9 votesEvan came in at 3rd - 7 votes
And since my book has only been out for a couple months, and most entries have not read my book yet ;) , I thought it would be fun to see who your favorite goddess / gods were:
Athena - 28 votesPoseidon -15 votesPersephone - 8 votesArtemis, Aphrodite, Hermes  -3 votes Dionysus, Zeus, Ares, Hades, Eros, Nyx, Isis, Hera, Hecate - all tied at 1
My personal favorite is Athena because she's smart and heroic, a real kick-ass chick.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Last call

Today is the last day to sign up for the Blog tour contest to win a $25 gift card from Amazon.com, a paperback copy of Betrayal, and ebook copies too. The winners will be selected by random.org and I will announce the winner tomorrow afternoon right here. Good luck everyone!

Tour Stop #8Andrea, one of the great gals and contribut...

Tour Stop #8



Andrea, one of the great gals and contributors of The Bookish Babes, is as awesome as the name of her blog. Her blog is the 8th and final stop on the tour. Here is a little of what she thought of Betrayal.



"The cover of Betrayal is what initially drew me to this book. Take a look. It is stunning. From the lush, gorgeous dress to the swirl of scenery surrounding Cordelia, the symbolism is prevalent. Once I started reading Betrayal and was able to tie different elements of the story to the visual elements of the cover, I loved it even more."



Read the full review here.



There is only (4) days left for the Blog Tour Contest to win a $25 Amazon gift card, a signed paperback of Betrayal, and ebook copies. The winners will be announced June 11th. For more details, click here.