S.M. Boyce's Blog: My Journal, page 32

Easy Freebies and Awesome Prizes: Trick or Tweet!

It’s time to Trick or Tweet!

Enter to win one of 40 prizes donated by ten awesome authors! Trick-or-Tweet your way to a signed print book or e-book! Some mail-out prizes even include candy and swag! Winners are chosen on Halloween with the announcement made at noon on Kayla Curry’s blog Paranormal Lounge. E-mails will be sent to the winners and prizes will be given on a first come-first-serve basis.

Remember to tweet every day to up your chances of winning! In the meantime, go door-to-door and ring the bells on these blogs to read fun Halloween posts.

S. M. Boyce
Wynne Channing
Kayla Curry
Rebecca Hamilton
Nikki Jefford
Rachel McClellan
Jen McConnel
Christie Rich
A. D. Trosper
Thomas Winship
Riley J. Ford

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Awesome new blog find: Book and Blog Services

The rise of self and indie publishing has made a drastic need for book services. There are many out there, but unfortunately ignore the fact most new authors are working on a limited budget.

Book and Blog Services is a new website to help fill that gap. They offer affordable book tours, editing, and graphic design. Bloggers can get in on it by signing up as a tour host for a chance to win books and gift cards. There’s something for everybody and a lot more to come, so check it out!

http://www.bookandblogservices.com

Cover Reveal: A Prescription for Delirium by Noree Cosper

[image error] Blurb:

Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise.  She was too far away to stop the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns the devil has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the devil before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers.

However, madness is spreading through Hampton. She suspects the devil is using this madness to test a drug which has a side effect of demonic possession.  Gabby rushes to end the source of the madness only to fall victim to it. For a woman cursed with eternal life, dying is no threat. However, Gabby must stop the devil’s plot or risk losing her most precious possession: her mind.

A Prescription for Delirium will be released on December 1st, 2012.

 
 
About the Author

[image error]Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world.

She embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly.

Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.

Noree can be found stalking people on Twitter and Facebook.

Be sure to check out her website for news on her works and tidbits of information. She also likes to ramble about things magical and supernatural on her blog Trip the Eclipse.

 

 

 

A Quick Question: What’s your favorite place to read a book?

This is a series I run every Friday. It’s all about sharing those little moments that make life more fun. Each week, I’ll ask a question, answer it, and open the floor to you. You can answer in a blog post and link to it in the comments below, or simply answer below. I’ll update the post later on to feature the best responses—sometimes the funniest, or most original, or sweetest…you get the idea.

 

So what’s your favorite place to read a book? It can be anywhere. Park bench. Chair in your room. Toilet. It’s all good.

For me, my favorite place to read is curled up in the daybed in my office. You’ll recognize it if you’ve seen any of my recent video reviews or posts—it’s the fluffy blue thing in the background. It’s so comfortable!

The daybed was a gift from my aunt, and I’m so grateful for it. Newlyweds know how it is. You have to bum furniture from your family. We still don’t have a table. Oh well!

 

So clue the rest of us in. [Question]

Upload a picture (unless it’s the toilet) and link us if you can! If you want to blog your answer and link back, make sure you include the link in your comment below. Can’t wait to see your responses.

Cover Reveal for Treason (Grimoire Trilogy #2)

The Cover

Are you all ready to see the new cover for the second book in my Grimoire Trilogy? Here it is!

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Book One: Lichgates
Book Two: Treason



Book One: Lichgates
[image error]Lichgates

The Grimoire turns its own pages and can answer any question asked of it…and Kara Magari is its next target.

Kara has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she stumbles across the old book while hiking along a hidden trail. Once she opens it, she’s thrown into Ourea: a beautiful world full of terrifying beings that all want the Grimoire’s secrets. Everyone in this new world is trying to find her, but most just want to control the new-found power the Grimoire bestows upon her.

Braeden Drakonin grew up in Ourea, and all he’s ever known in life is lying. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. He has one question to ask the book—one question that can fix everything in his broken world—and he’s not letting Kara out of his sight until he gets an answer.

There’s no escaping Ourea.

Book Two: Treason
[image error] Treason

Ourea has always been a deadly place. The lichgates tying the hidden world to Earth keep its creatures at bay—for now.

Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.

To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.

Lichgates

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) |  Goodreads

Read the 1st Chapter FREE

Treason

VIP List | ARCs | Goodreads

Bonus Content

The Grimoire Trilogy Encyclopedia

Win a guest appearance in Heritage (The Grimoire Trilogy #3)

About the Author

S. M. Boyce writes fantasy and paranormal fiction. Boyce is a sarcastic twit, but she still has friends because some people seem to like that. Her Creative Writing degree qualifies her to sever you french fries.

She’s currently working on the YA epic fantasy series the Grimoire Trilogy. Lichgates, the first in the series, is already available. Treason (book 2) releases October 27. Feel free to connect with her online or check out her blog.

Connect with Boyce

Blog | Website | Store | Events

Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Youtube

Amazon Author Page | Goodreads Page

 

Why a Once-Agented Author Went Indie: Guest Post from Jen McConnel

I’m really glad that Boyce asked me to talk about my publishing journey today, because I’ve certainly had a long and curving road.  Like the industry, I’ve had to learn to adapt, and I’m still not sure how to classify myself as an author.

Let me explain.  I have always dreamed of being a published author, and that dream, until very recently, included one of the “Big Six” publishing houses, book tours, and, perhaps, a dream advance.  A year ago, I shifted my work so I could put writing at the center of my life.  I went from being a full-time middle school teacher who wrote in her free time to a full-time writer who taught part time at the community college.  It was a wonderful shift: I finished four novels from start to finish, and I immersed myself in my writing.

Last fall, I started querying the novel that I was sure would be “the one.”  It’s a YA fantasy novel, a genre I recently discovered that I love writing almost as much as I love reading.  I queried about fifty agents, and had five requests to read the full manuscript.  It was a heady experience, topped only by the fact that a wonderful agent offered to represent me.

We went on submission in January, and I sat back and waited for fame to come.  That was my first mistake: I didn’t stop writing (I don’t think I am physically capable of that, actually), but I got complacent.  Of course I would have a big book deal soon.  It was meant to be!  However, after months of submission, I felt stymied: the book wasn’t moving forward.  Maybe the timing wasn’t right, or maybe I needed an attitude adjustment.  In July, when my agent was offered an amazing (non-agenting) promotion, I had a choice: keep pursuing traditional publishing, or take some time to go off on my own.

I chose to do both, sort of: I’m still pursuing traditional publication for my YA fantasy novels, because I feel that any publisher, large or small, will have better access to the YA market: the sales numbers show that while adult novels are selling more and more in e-book form, teen fiction is still selling more in tangible form.  But I decided to split my focus: while I would continue pursuing traditional publication for my YA, I wanted to experiment with indie publishing for my adult fiction.  (I told you, I’d been writing A LOT in that year, and I even had a few manuscripts sitting around from before, just waiting).

So I plunged headfirst into the unknown.  I connected with other indie authors and started asking questions.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  I reviewed the instructions on formatting from Createspace and Amazon, and I hired a cover artist through Elance.  Then, when all the external wheels were turning, I revised the heck out of my novel.  I’m lucky enough to have a friend who freelances, and she was willing to turn her critical eye towards the editing of my novel.

Then I taught myself how to format.  And got my first migraine.

Somewhere along the way, I stepped into the identity of an indie author.

What I’ve learned is that no one publishing model fits all.  For me, it depends on the book: the story I tell in Isobel is a bit hard to classify: it doesn’t pack down into a nice pitch, and that means it doesn’t have a well-defined genre.  It’s contemporary with a dash of historical, new adult with a bit of romance, mystery with a side of occult.  This is the kind of book that lends itself really well to an indie model: as my own publisher, I can choose how to classify the book, and I can use multiple genres as identifiers.  A traditional publisher is likely to pass on a book that’s hard to classify; in the traditional model, sales and exposure are dependent on which shelf the book sits on.

So where does that leave me?  My debut novel, The Burning of Isobel Key, is indie published.  I still don’t know what will happen with my YA, but I’m keeping my options open.    And I think that’s the most wonderful thing about publishing today: the options are infinite.  There’s never been a better time to be a writer!

 
Book Extras

Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

Barnes & Noble | Createspace

Why an Agented Author Went Indie: Guest Post from Jen McConnel

I’m really glad that Boyce asked me to talk about my publishing journey today, because I’ve certainly had a long and curving road.  Like the industry, I’ve had to learn to adapt, and I’m still not sure how to classify myself as an author.

Let me explain.  I have always dreamed of being a published author, and that dream, until very recently, included one of the “Big Six” publishing houses, book tours, and, perhaps, a dream advance.  A year ago, I shifted my work so I could put writing at the center of my life.  I went from being a full-time middle school teacher who wrote in her free time to a full-time writer who taught part time at the community college.  It was a wonderful shift: I finished four novels from start to finish, and I immersed myself in my writing.

Last fall, I started querying the novel that I was sure would be “the one.”  It’s a YA fantasy novel, a genre I recently discovered that I love writing almost as much as I love reading.  I queried about fifty agents, and had five requests to read the full manuscript.  It was a heady experience, topped only by the fact that a wonderful agent offered to represent me.

We went on submission in January, and I sat back and waited for fame to come.  That was my first mistake: I didn’t stop writing (I don’t think I am physically capable of that, actually), but I got complacent.  Of course I would have a big book deal soon.  It was meant to be!  However, after months of submission, I felt stymied: the book wasn’t moving forward.  Maybe the timing wasn’t right, or maybe I needed an attitude adjustment.  In July, when my agent was offered an amazing (non-agenting) promotion, I had a choice: keep pursuing traditional publishing, or take some time to go off on my own.

I chose to do both, sort of: I’m still pursuing traditional publication for my YA fantasy novels, because I feel that any publisher, large or small, will have better access to the YA market: the sales numbers show that while adult novels are selling more and more in e-book form, teen fiction is still selling more in tangible form.  But I decided to split my focus: while I would continue pursuing traditional publication for my YA, I wanted to experiment with indie publishing for my adult fiction.  (I told you, I’d been writing A LOT in that year, and I even had a few manuscripts sitting around from before, just waiting).

So I plunged headfirst into the unknown.  I connected with other indie authors and started asking questions.  I read everything I could get my hands on.  I reviewed the instructions on formatting from Createspace and Amazon, and I hired a cover artist through Elance.  Then, when all the external wheels were turning, I revised the heck out of my novel.  I’m lucky enough to have a friend who freelances, and she was willing to turn her critical eye towards the editing of my novel.

Then I taught myself how to format.  And got my first migraine.

Somewhere along the way, I stepped into the identity of an indie author.

What I’ve learned is that no one publishing model fits all.  For me, it depends on the book: the story I tell in Isobel is a bit hard to classify: it doesn’t pack down into a nice pitch, and that means it doesn’t have a well-defined genre.  It’s contemporary with a dash of historical, new adult with a bit of romance, mystery with a side of occult.  This is the kind of book that lends itself really well to an indie model: as my own publisher, I can choose how to classify the book, and I can use multiple genres as identifiers.  A traditional publisher is likely to pass on a book that’s hard to classify; in the traditional model, sales and exposure are dependent on which shelf the book sits on.

So where does that leave me?  My debut novel, The Burning of Isobel Key, is indie published.  I still don’t know what will happen with my YA, but I’m keeping my options open.    And I think that’s the most wonderful thing about publishing today: the options are infinite.  There’s never been a better time to be a writer!

 
Book Extras

Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

Barnes & Noble | Createspace

Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1) Re-Release. Look at that cover!

It’s here! My new publisher Immortal Ink Publishing just re-released Lichgates, the bestselling first book in the Grimoire Trilogy. This new edition has a great cover, re-edited narrative, and fun bonus content hosted on the series’ bonus site—The Grimoire Online. Go grab your copy now!

Lichgates

The Grimoire turns its own pages and can answer any question asked of it…and Kara Magari is its next target.

Kara has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she stumbles across the old book while hiking along a hidden trail. Once she opens it, she’s thrown into Ourea: a beautiful world full of terrifying beings that all want the Grimoire’s secrets. Everyone in this new world is trying to find her, but most just want to control the new-found power the Grimoire bestows upon her.

Braeden Drakonin grew up in Ourea, and all he’s ever known in life is lying. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. He has one question to ask the book—one question that can fix everything in his broken world—and he’s not letting Kara out of his sight until he gets an answer.

There’s no escaping Ourea.

 

Re-Release Bonus Content

This re-release is exciting because I’m offering deleted chapters that never made the final edition. You can read more about key moments Like Kara’s training and Braeden’s sparring match with Gavin, all for free. Just head to the Grimoire Online—the series’ official bonus site. You can also read encyclopedia entries and see sketches from the Grimoire while you’re there!

 

Grab Your Copy of Lichgates

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)

Bonus Content

The Grimoire Trilogy Encyclopedia | Read the 1st Chapter FREE

Lichgates Extras

Lichgates’  on Goodreads | Book Trailer

 

The Sequel

[image error]

Treason (Grimoire Trilogy #2) will release on October 27. How do you like that COVER?

VIP List | ARCs | Goodreads

Win a guest appearance in Heritage (The Grimoire Trilogy #3)

About the Author

[image error]S. M. Boyce writes fantasy and paranormal fiction. Boyce is a sarcastic twit, but she still has friends because some people seem to like that. Her Creative Writing degree qualifies her to sever you french fries.

She’s currently working on the YA epic fantasy series the Grimoire Trilogy. Lichgates, the first in the series, is already available. Treason (book 2) releases October 27. Feel free to connect with her online or check out her blog.

Connect with Boyce

Blog | Website | Store | Events

Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Youtube

Amazon Author Page | Goodreads Page

 

Deleted Scene from Lichgates (Grimoire Trilogy #1): The Lost Prelude

The new edition of Lichgates releases Monday, October 1! In honor of the re-release, I’m publishing bonus content and deleted scenes on the Grimoire Online.

This is the deleted introduction to Lichgates. It gives you a bit of an insight into Kara’s life before she finds Ourea, and tells you more about the tragedy that changed everything for her.

Happy reading!

Read it now.

 

Join Boyce’s Street Team

 

You’re awesome. We both know that. So shouldn’t you be rewarded for awesomeness? I sure think so.

That’s why I’m doing something a little different. Now, fans can join my street team for a chance to win grab bag style prizes four times a year. So what’s the street team?

 

Step 1: Sign up

Click here to join the team. Get an email once a month (at most) that includes new ways to enter the never-ending giveaway.

 

Step 2: Enter

This page right here is your homepage for the street team entries. The entry options change each month, and some can be entered every day. There are tons of chances to win!

 

Step 3: Win

A drawing will happen four times a year: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. If your name is drawn, you’ll get to choose from a grab bag of prizes (see the prizes section of the giveaway). Some stay the same each time, and some change. You have to keep coming back to see! Have an idea for a prize? Let me know.

 

Next Drawing: January 1, 2013

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Grab the Code

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