Micalea Smeltzer's Blog, page 8

Broken Hearts Cover Reveal!

 

Cover and photography by Regina Wamba/ Mae I Design and Photography

BLURB

After everything we’ve been through, I thought we could weather any storm.

But this is one thing neither of us ever saw coming.

Jace and Nova have learned to roll with the punches—they’ve had to. The last few years have been bliss-filled and better than they imagined, but they’re ready to take the next step.

The problem?

Life apparently has other plans.

Sometimes you have to fight for what you want, and for Jace and Nova they’ll have to battle this war together, or lose it all in the process.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33928683-broken-hearts

PRE-ORDER LINK

iBooks: http://apple.co/2utE193

Please note that the date on the pre-order is NOT the actual release date

TRAILER

Direct link: https://youtu.be/KqQUEnEfHdk

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE LIGHT IN THE DARK SERIES

#1 Rae of Sunshine – FREE

US: http://amzn.to/21bdYPb

UK: http://amzn.to/1Ltvjr0

CA: http://amzn.to/2iVN5xj

AU: http://amzn.to/2jxdoKU

B&N: http://bit.ly/24ommwd

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2asig1u

iBooks: http://apple.co/2ahSE4k

#2 When Stars Collide

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UK: http://amzn.to/2aQ5iwd

CA: http://amzn.to/2aVYUyP

AU: http://amzn.to/2bdU3di

B&N: http://bit.ly/2bJtDAb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2bwxO3a

iBooks: http://apple.co/2aZs1BF

#3 Dark Hearts – 99c for a limited time

US: http://amzn.to/2uNPz6E

UK: http://amzn.to/2uOaFlh

CA: http://amzn.to/2tUt2sh

AU: http://amzn.to/2tM2xVi

Free in Kindle Unlimited for a limited time

#4 When Constellations Form

US: http://amzn.to/2nlLRxL

UK: http://amzn.to/2nlVkFa

CA: http://amzn.to/2nOuatH

AU: http://amzn.to/2nOqoAq

B&N: http://bit.ly/2stahYH

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2sQjXfa

iBooks: http://apple.co/2tM0CQJ

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Last To Know is FREEEEEEE!

Yep, you read that right. Last To Know is FREE. If you haven’t read my Willow Creek series now is your chance. This book is honestly probably my favorite I’ve ever written. I love all the characters and their relationships with each other. Plus, Maddox is HILARIOUS and has a pet hedgehog. I also love that it’s more on the YA side (who doesn’t love young love?) and it’s just a feel good book. Feel free to share the link with your friends if you’ve already read and loved it. Everyone needs to meet Maddox and Emma.

Updates

If you’re friends with me on Facebook or in my group then you already know all this but I wanted to share it everywhere so that more of you will know.

As I’ve said previously I haven’t been feeling very good. I thought it was just allergies but when it got to the point that I was unable to keep down most meals I knew something more was going on. I don’t have a primary care doctor since our insurance changed and no one is covered where I live. So I went to the emergency room. I was thinking based on my symptoms that it was my gallbladder. That’s what the urgent care I went to thought too, but the ultrasound they sent me for showed nothing wrong.

So to the emergency room I went.

When the emergency room doctor looked at my ultrasounds it became obvious something was wrong with my kidneys. (The Urgent Care did an ultrasound on my kidneys, gallbladder, liver, and something else I can’t remember)

The ER doctor ordered blood work for me.

It came back and he came flying into the room, pale with this horrified look on his face. “How can you be talking to me?” he asked. I looked at him blankly. “With numbers like this you should be on the floor. You shouldn’t be able to do anything. I’m redoing the blood work to make sure this is right.”

So they redid it. It was the same.

He came into the room with this sad look, head lowered. I knew in my gut I wasn’t going to like what he said.

“Your kidneys are failing. Both of them. The kidney specialist will be by to see you soon.” And then he was gone after dropping this bomb on me.

He came back a little while later and asked me more questions and said the kidney doctor would look over everything and confirm whether or not he was right. That gave me a little hope that maybe, just maybe he was wrong, but I knew in my gut that this was really happening.

Sure enough, the kidney doctor/specialist came in and confirmed that I have end stage kidney disease.

I asked her what would’ve happened if I hadn’t come in that day.

She gave me a sad look, “Well, a few more days and you would’ve dropped dead. You would’ve had a heart attack most likely.”

I asked her how she knew this was what it was and not something else.

“Based on your numbers that shows us this has been happening for a while. That’s how we know it’s chronic. Once you start dialysis and have a transplant you’re going to feel like a whole new person. You’re going to realize this has been affecting you for years.”

You’re probably asking how someone at 23 years old has end stage kidney disease with kidney failure. Well, as a child I had bladder infection after bladder infection. Seriously, I’d get one, get rid of it, and have one a week later. It was constant. I spent most of my childhood sick. And the problem was I didn’t get the normal symptoms. So by the time we knew I had one I was SICK with super high fevers. I met with a kidney specialist (a different one from now) when I was about 16 and he said one of my kidneys didn’t even function and the other was small, both riddled with scar tissue. He told me to take care of my good kidney and I tried, but apparently I didn’t do a good enough job. Something tells me this was inevitable though.

I have a long road ahead of me. I’ll be on dialysis for a few months to get the toxins out of my system. When my kidney doctor (who is amazing by the way) says my numbers are good, she’ll send me to UVA to be tested for a transplant. At that time they’ll ask if I have any living donors and my parents will be tested. Hopefully one of them will be a match and if all goes well this will be over in a few months. It’s going to be rough and I have my good moments and bad moments about this whole thing. It still feels like a really bad dream. Unfortunately I’ve had to cancel my two upcoming signings (Royal Book Bash in the DMV and Indies in Indy) I’m very sorry to do this to you guys but I know you’ll understand. I might have to cancel Glass City Author Event as well, but I’m hoping the transplant will happen this summer and I’ll be healed by then but if it ends up being later I’ll have to reconsider. For all of you that have already reached out to me, thank you so much. Your kind words have meant more to me during this time than you’ll ever know. I love you all and I hope to finally get to work on Broken Hearts and get that to you soon. Writing is my happy place so I don’t plan on letting this stop me.

The post Updates appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.

LIVE ON AMAZON!

First came marriage…

Then came love…

Now comes baby in a baby carriage.

So, at least we did one thing in order, right?

It’s been three years since Xander and Thea’s impromptu Vegas wedding. Since then, they’ve dealt with family drama, his grueling NFL schedule, and her college classes. Now that Thea’s graduated from college, it’s finally time for them to move out and start their life together.

Things couldn’t be any more perfect.

And then a curveball is thrown their way.

Midnight feedings and a screaming infant wasn’t a part of Thea’s five-year plan, but, suddenly, it’s very much her soon-to-be reality. Xander is thrilled at the prospect of parenthood while Thea can’t wrap her head around it.

But, ready or not, here comes baby.

 

I am sooooo excited for you guys to read this book! I love Xander and Thea so much, and their journey into parenthood was HILARIOUS and so fun to write. You can now purchase for Kindle here: hyperurl.co/9f1noa

The post LIVE ON AMAZON! appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.

NEW LINKS!

When Constellations Form has new preorder links! Smashwords delayed the preorder so in order for me to fix it I had to republish. The good news is it now releases Monday for you guys.

When Constellations Form Trailer Reveal

First came marriage…

Then came love…

Now comes baby in a baby carriage.

So, at least we did one thing in order, right?

 

It’s been three years since Xander and Thea’s impromptu Vegas wedding. Since then, they’ve dealt with family drama, his grueling NFL schedule, and her college classes. Now that Thea’s graduated from college, it’s finally time for them to move out and start their life together.

Things couldn’t be any more perfect.

And then a curveball is thrown their way.

Midnight feedings and a screaming infant wasn’t a part of Thea’s five-year plan, but, suddenly, it’s very much her soon-to-be reality. Xander is thrilled at the prospect of parenthood while Thea can’t wrap her head around it.

But, ready or not, here comes baby.

When Constellations Form is releasing EARLY to these retailers and being pulled to release straight into Kindle Unlimited on the 31st of March. If it comes down quickly from these retailers it could release early to Amazon. 

iBooks: hyperurl.co/x2debz

Kobo: hyperurl.co/y9k0db

Nook: hyperurl.co/fxqd4q

The post When Constellations Form Trailer Reveal appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.

I’m breaking up with Facebook and we will NOT be getting back together

Facebook deleted my page today.

My author page.

The one I spent YEARS building up.

The one that was nearing 14,000 followers.

All. Gone.

Every last one of them. And I have no way to tell those people my page is gone. It’s just vanished. When they search it no longer shows up, and I worry they might think I decided to walk away from publishing. I didn’t. I’m still here. I’ll be here, on instagram, twitter, snapchat (@micaleasmeltzer), and my mailing list) There’s also still my friend page on Facebook–I’m trying to figure out how I add the feature for you to follow me there, but you can send me a friend request–I get A LOT and they keep disappearing for some reason so if you really want to be friends with me and I don’t accept right away, send it again please.

I could make a new page, but frankly I don’t want to.

My facebook page, while having nearly 14,000 followers, reaches on average 200 people. If a post does well I might get 1,300 views. Unless I pay to boost a post.

So I’ve decided to “break up” with facebook…though, I guess technically they broke up with me. Though, this is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a couple months now. I was planning to stop using it, but make an announcement on that page that I’d no longer be posting and where to find me. Now, I have no way to do that. I’m not going to cry over it, though. Facebook isn’t worth that to me. If you like me and my books, I know you’ll find me eventually through some sort of social media.

I love you all–and now I’m off, I have a book to write.

Author Interview with Regina Bartley!

Yay! My bestest author friend has a new release today! So I asked her if she’d do an interview for me and she said yes!

How gorgeous is that cover?

Get it now for .99 cents!

Amazon: https://goo.gl/410otS

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1207720266

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/do-you-love-me-2

1. Tell us a little bit about your new release Do You Love Me? 

Do You Love Me is the first book in my new series that introduces you to the students at the University of Trinity Northwest. It’s about Paislee & Josh & Jude

SURPRISE COVER REVEAL!

First came marriage…

Then came love…

Now comes baby in a baby carriage.

So, at least we did one thing in order, right?

 

It’s been three years since Xander and Thea’s impromptu Vegas wedding. Since then, they’ve dealt with family drama, his grueling NFL schedule, and her college classes. Now that Thea’s graduated from college, it’s finally time for them to move out and start their life together.

Things couldn’t be any more perfect.

And then a curveball is thrown their way.

Midnight feedings and a screaming infant wasn’t a part of Thea’s five-year plan, but, suddenly, it’s very much her soon-to-be reality. Xander is thrilled at the prospect of parenthood while Thea can’t wrap her head around it.

But, ready or not, here comes baby.

 

 

Can we talk about how cute this cover is?! I mean, REALLY?! There’s a baby on my cover! Ahhhh! Look how adorable! That little yawn, come onnnnn. As always, Hannah and Anthony killed it, and baby Zara rounds out the show. *claps* Thank you to an AMAZING team for creating this awesomeness and a special thanks to Tessa (Hannah’s sister) for letting us borrow her baby, haha. 

 

Let’s get down to what you really want to know…when is it releasing…well this is about to get really confusing, lol!

Amazon release: March 31st

IF you read on iBooks, Kobo, or Nook–you’re getting it early! Before you rejoice too much, you have a limited amount of time to get it. You can preorder now and it releases the 27th. I’m pulling it on the 28th so I can release straight into Kindle Unlimited on the 31st. NOW, if it comes down quickly from the other retailers there’s a chance I’ll release early! SO STALK ME! The best place to stalk me is the Micalea’s Minions facebook group. I usually always post there first.

The Series That Almost Never Was

With Dark Hearts having just released I can’t help but be blown away by the love this series is receiving and I find myself thinking about how this series almost didn’t happen.

In fact, I almost didn’t release Rae of Sunshine.

Authors rarely talk about the drama and stress that goes on behind the scenes, but a book is rarely smooth sailing. Rae of Sunshine was one of my toughest releases ever. I’m going to start at the beginning though, back to when I first started writing it.

One of my first hiccups when writing Rae of Sunshine was I couldn’t SEE Rae. Normally, I always get a feel for what a character looks like, how they dress, act, etc. All I knew was she was into photography and starting college (I also knew the BIG thing that happened in her past but I don’t want to say that here and spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it)

Anyway, I started writing.

I wrote about 10,000 words. It wasn’t right.

I started over.

I’m someone that rarely “starts over”. If I have to change something it’s usually minor and doesn’t affect me in a way that I have to rewrite so much. So I was frustrated. But I knew it needed to be done.

Rewrote the 10,000 words and got to around 12,000 words this time before I again decided it wasn’t right.

So I started over…AGAIN.

I started over a total of three times. By that point I was questioning if I should keep going. Also, I had this guy popping up in my head. He played drums and had a pet hedgehog and he was telling me it was finally time to tell his story. >.< Last To Know began to eat at me as I wrote Rae of Sunshine. To the point where I couldn’t focus because ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS LAST TO KNOW. It was hard. But I pushed through, because I knew if I didn’t finish Rae’s story then I probably never would and I felt it was too important of a story to scrap.

While I was writing Rae of Sunshine I had a plan to do a book for Xander and Thea and Jace and Nova, so I dropped hints and set up their story.

At the time I was planning to finish Rae of Sunshine and go straight into Xander and Thea’s book–When Stars Collide. But again, Maddox and…at the time she had no name, but she became Emma, wouldn’t leave me alone and I began to feel miserable and depressed at the thought of having to write two more books before I could get to theirs.

In the midst of all this we had the photo shoot for Rae of Sunshine.

I hated the photos.

I have never, in all of my photo shoots I’ve done for my books, HATED one of them before. But I hated this one. At this point, I was feeling like I was cursed. Regina went ahead and did some covers with those photos, in case ONE of them would work and I could get a refund on the shoot. I hated all the covers too, even though she tried so hard.

I spent the whole day crying over the photos and covers. I’m not a crier at all, but I was already so distraught over how HARD the book was to write, still wasn’t quite happy with it at that point as I was writing, and here I was needing a cover to reveal and I had NOTHING. Every time someone looked at me that day I burst into spontaneous tears. It was bad.

But Regina is a saint and told me not to stress about it.

We scheduled a reshoot.

This time?

It was perfect. I absolutely LOVE the photos. It was a weight off my shoulders when I finally saw them.

….But then the cover was taking forever again. I hated everything she did. Nothing was right. Poor Regina. We went through over forty drafts. I’m not even kidding. Some weren’t bad, of course, but it wasn’t right. This was a VERY hard book to get the feel right for. A cover is your first impression so it has to be perfect.

Regina sent a concept that was very close to the what became the final and I finally KNEW we were on the right track. It just needed some small tweaks. I’d told her that morning that I needed it done that day, so we worked the whole evening to get it perfect. At that point, since we’d had to reshoot and the cover took so long, I didn’t have a reveal with bloggers. Well, I’d had one but I had to cancel it after everything that happened. Regina finished the cover and sent me the final files and I revealed IMMEDIATELY. I was releasing in like a week or two, I can’t quite remember, so I wanted it out there.

Thankfully, you guys shared that cover everywhere. It was amazing. I’m always blown away by the power YOU guys have. I think as readers we (I say we because I’m a reader too, lol) feel insignificant, but you guys do more than anyone else. Your reviews, your shares, your word of mouth praise is what helps a book be successful.

Anyway, I had a release date set for Rae of Sunshine and then I got sick with the flu or something. I can’t really remember. I was sick, but still reading through the book again because I wanted to get it out to you guys on time regardless. But as I was reading it I still wasn’t quite happy. It was missing something. I knew I needed to add some scenes. So I took the time and I did it–but it meant postponing it. I announced a new release date that I knew I could meet, and went to work adding these scenes. I added over 10,000 words. When I read it this time I was FINALLY happy with the book. I finally felt like the story had the emotional impact I wanted. I felt good about it. When it was ready I released it early, before the new date, and I honestly thought the book was going to flop. My last six or so releases hadn’t done very well, so I was expecting the worst.

I got the best.

Rae of Sunshine went on to be one of my bestsellers.

That book was my hardest book, all the way around, from writing it, to the cover, to the shoot, to trying to get it out to you. Everything that could go wrong did. And then a miracle happened.

I was blown away by the love it received. I was especially worried, since while it is a romance, it’s not heavy on the romance, it’s more about the plot. I thought that would hurt me, but if anything I think people loved that about it. It was different.

Before releasing it, I’d already made up my mind not to write Xander and Thea’s book next. Rae of Sunshine was too hard, I was exhausted and needed a break from that world, and Last to Know wouldn’t shut up. I knew if I tried to write Xander and Thea’s book then I’d be miserable and it’d be forced and I never want to force a book. So I chose instead to market Rae of Sunshine as a standalone. I knew that if I ever wanted to go back to those characters I could, but I honestly didn’t think I would.

I went on to write all four of the Willow Creek books, then started a series for the kids. While I was writing The Road That Leads To Us I started thinking about writing a bonus scene for Rae and Cade to celebrate the one-year release of Rae of Sunshine. “I’ll write their wedding” I thought to myself. Well, Xander and Thea didn’t take too kindly to that. “Do that and we’ll never get our book,” they said. So I chose not to do a scene and instead just did a sale. More time passed. I wrote The Lies That Define Us and Bring Me Back.

And then Xander and Thea’s voices started to get louder and louder.

Then Regina posted a photo of a guy and I just about fell out of my chair, lol. I was like, “It’s Xander! OMG!”

I started writing The Game That Breaks Us, but Thea and Xander’s voices grew louder and louder–much the way Maddox and Emma had while I was writing Rae of Sunshine. In the midst of writing Game, I stopped and had to write the first page of When Stars Collide. I had to get it out of my head before I went crazy. That first page hooked me. I couldn’t wait to get back to it and finish it.

I scheduled a shoot with Regina for When Stars Collide.

In my mind, I couldn’t believe this was happening all this time later. Almost two years after Rae of Sunshine first released. The craziest part was I still got asked at least once a month if Xander and Thea were getting a book.

I was ecstatic to finally be able to say yes.

I finished The Game That Breaks Us and immediately started writing When Stars Collide. I couldn’t wait. Seriously, I think I started it the same day I finished Game, lol. I absolutely loved writing When Stars Collide. It was so fun and easy. If you’ve read it it’s a lot funnier and lighter than Rae of Sunshine. It was a breath of fresh air to write. And I LOVE Xander and Thea. Their dynamic is fun to write. Plus, Thea is my favorite female character of mine. She says what she wants and it’s awesome. I also have to take a moment to thank Hannah and Anthony (the cover models) for embracing the characters and being so awesome. I can’t imagine anyone else as Thea and Xander. (And yes, Anthony is the guy I saw Regina post and was like, “OMG! It’s Xander!”)

So it’s pretty crazy to me, that a series that I originally planned to write three books for, went down to one, and now there are going to be FIVE. Five books in this series, guys. Like, WHAAAAT?! (Xander and Thea are getting a second book and Jace and Nova are getting a second book)

It’s also turned into one of my favorite series of mine. And despite all the craziness and heartache that happened behind the scenes I wouldn’t change a thing. If I’d written When Stars Collide and Dark Hearts immediately after finishing Rae of Sunshine they would’ve been completely different stories and on the creative end, it would be totally different cover models, and the models for both those books are perfect. In the end, everything happens for a reason. And I’m thrilled that the series is continuing with Xander and Thea’s second book (When Constellations Form) and Jace and Nova’s second book. Even though Rae and Cade aren’t getting a second book you’ll be seeing a lot more of them and their story too.