Lauren Dawes's Blog, page 3

#NewBookSaturday: Double-Sided Magic (Legacy Series Book 1) by McKenzie Hunter

Happy New Book Saturday! I've found "Double-Sided Magic" by McKenzie Hunter for this week's book. I'm not going to lie - the cover got me on this one. It looks fantastic and the blurb sounds like something right up my alley! It's the first book in the Legacy Series, so if you like it, there are two more books to read after you finish.

I am Levy Michaels. Once my kind were the hunters—now we are the hunted.

Supernaturals are out of the closet but I have to stay hidden because of the type of magic I possess. I’m a Legacy. It sounds like the title should come with reverence, a trust fund, or at the very least a cool backstory—instead it comes with a death sentence.

I have to hide in plain sight and pretend to be just human. I’m pretty good at it. I live a simple and somewhat normal life, and I work in antique acquisitions. Everything’s going fine until a dangerous and enchanted dagger that was once in my possession is stolen. I didn’t think things could get any worse until I woke up next to a dead shifter, fae, and mage, without any memory of the past twenty-four hours.

Considered guilty of murder by most of the magical community and humans, I must work with Gareth, the sexy and dangerous leader of the Supernatural Guild. If he’s as good as rumored, it’s only a matter of time until he discovers the truth about me—then being found guilty of murder is the least of my worries.

Like what you've read? Get your own copy here:

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!

#NewBookSaturday: Beauty's Beasts (Poison Courts Book 1) by L.C. Hibbett

Happy New Book Saturday!

Today's pick is "Beauty's Beasts" by L.C. Hibbett. I've never heard of this author before, but as I did a little digging, I realized L.C Hibbett has written seven other books, and they all look fantastic. She has 2 best-selling titles out of the 7 and she has a great Amazon author rank (I honestly hadn't even noticed this little rank at the bottom of the author page). Here's L.C Hibbett's:

Amazon Author Rank #17 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror #44 in Books > Romance > Paranormal #50 in Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy #65 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy #76 in Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy  Pretty impressive, huh? I thought so too.   But enough about that; here's the blurb for "Beauty's Beasts"  Urban Fantasy. Paranormal Fairy Tale. Reverse Harem Romance.

Beauty is a beast.

Izzy doesn't suffer fools and she doesn't take prisoners, so when one of the local mobs takes her father captive, she'll stop at nothing to free him.
Even if that means taking on the mysterious men of Blackwood Forest herself.

But when Izzy enters the lair of the beasts, she discovers saving her father isn't as simple as it seemed, and saving herself from Alexander Blackwood and his pack is going to be even harder...

The Poison Court Saga is a collection of standalone fairy tale retellings with a paranormal reverse harem twist and a HEA. The novels are set in the Wicked Witch universe, so although each Poison Courts novel is a standalone story you might get to catch up with your favorite (or most hated) characters in the Wicked Witch series!

These stories are intended for a NA (new adult) and adult audience and are not YA or super-clean reads. The heroines are not shrinking violets or delicate flowers. There will be a touch of steam, a smattering of salty language, a heap of fast-paced action, and more hot males than the fairy godmother could handle. If you're looking for a Young Adult read, you might enjoy the Demon-Born Trilogy or L.C. Hibbett's upcoming Cursed Saga. Want to get your own copy?


Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!
 
 

#NewBookSaturday: Hoofin' It: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count) by RJ Blain

Happy New Book Saturday! I tell you, it seems like this year is just flying by. So let's get on with this week's book. 

What caught my attention about "Hoofin' It" (apart from the chuckle-worthy title) was:

a) The llama on the cover:

I don't think I've ever seen a camelid - Camelids are a group of even-toed ungulate mammals which form the family Camelidae...in case you didn't know!* - on the cover of a book before.

b) The warning at the end of the blurb:

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

Normally the warnings on urban fantasy books is about coarse language or sensitive themes, but we've got some humor here, which I like the sound of.

It's been out since the start of September, and so far, the reviews have been good.

Interest piqued? Then read on...   
 
 

Blurb:  
 
All Shane wanted was to get away from the wreckage of his career for a while. He picked New York City to provide him with a distraction from his early, unwanted retirement from the police force.

New York City delivered, distracting him with three corpses and a miniature llama with a spitting problem and an attitude. If he wants to return to a normal life, he’ll have to face off against a sex trafficking ring targeting the woman of his dreams, ancient vampires, murderous criminals, his parents, and an FBI agent with a hidden agenda.

Some days, it isn’t easy being an ex-cop.

Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

Want to get your own copy?

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!
 
* Thanks Wikipedia

#NewBookSaturday: Omega: An Urban Fantasy Novel (War of the Alphas Book 1) by SM Reine

Happy New Book Saturday! This week's book is a little different. Surprisingly, it is not a phenomenal five-star reader. It's had mixed reviews on Amazon and Goodreads (4.2 star average & 3.7 star average respectively), but what caught my attention was this:

"This book took me for a loop. The ending very surprising. I would have never through it ended like it did. You must read it because the end is not common." ~ Amazon Review 

"I like how the main character is undefined.. strong personality wise. The ending was a shocker, and a cliffhanger." ~ Amazon Review 

"Was very good. Did not expect the ending. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series." ~ Amazon Review 

"Why, oh why, did you have to end it that way? I was so distressed..." ~ Goodreads Review 

Sensing a theme yet? From all accounts, the ending has a MASSIVE cliffhanger. What I can't tell is whether people like this cliffhanger, or not. From some reviews, it's pretty obvious they don't like it, but other reviews hardly mention it, so I'm intrigued. 

If anyone has read this book, feel free to share your own thoughts on it in the comments below! 

Ten years ago, Deirdre Tombs died. When she was reborn the next day, Deirdre had become a shapeshifter who can’t shift shapes. Nobody knows what animal she’s supposed to be. She’s definitely not a werewolf. The Alpha, Rylie Gresham, can’t force her to transform like other members of her pack.

Now Deirdre is considered an omega, the weakest shapeshifter in the pack—a vulnerable position when Everton Stark demands tribute from Rylie. He wants to be the dominant Alpha. The only Alpha. And he plans to make her pack submit whether they want to or not. Stark can make every shapeshifter obey him by force of will alone.

Every shapeshifter except Deirdre.

The shifter who can’t shift is the only hope for Rylie to win the war against Stark. It will take everything Deirdre has to survive undercover in his den. But can an omega’s will be stronger than that of a charismatic, deadly Alpha like Everton Stark?





Curious? Get your own copy

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!

#WritingWednesday: My top 10 Survival Tips for a First-Time Exhibitor

I recently had a friend and fellow author ask me about how I prepare for a convention.I've attended both author signings (where the dominant genre was romance) and also pop culture/comic book conventions. My books are far better place at pop culture cons, but I think my tips can be used across all convention platforms.

If you've never been an exhibitor, it can be pretty daunting. Authors are natural introverts, so volunteering to put yourself out there and talk to <gasp!> real people, can be pretty overwhelming. But never fear! I have some advice to give. Here are my top ten tips for a first-time exhibitor:

1.  Have effective banners :
This is kind of a ‘duh’ point, but I’m going to make it anyway! I cannotstress this one enough. When I first started doing cons, I only had a couple of posters that went onto the board behind me. At the time, I was sharing my table with a fellow urban fantasy author, and I was struck by just how much more attention she received because she had larger posters with a more eye-catching design.
I’ve since refined the type of posters I use behind me, and instead of just using a regular A1-sized poster (23.4 × 33.1 inches), I began to use a pull-up (retractable) banner without the stand. Why, I hear you ask? Because they’re made of vinyl, and thatmeans it doesn’t fray and won’t break apart as easily as a regular poster. PLUS, the length of a pull-up banner (760x1830mm or 29x72 inches) makes a really striking first impression, people can see it from a distance and over the heads of people as they move through the room.

For my Australian readers, I use Vistaprintfor my banners. For my American readers, GotPrinthas got some great products too.
    2. Sewing pins and scissors:
It's probably not something you'd think to bring, but both are invaluable.
I use sewing pins to tack up my pull-up banners! A lot of people use Velcro dots, which are great, but I’ve had them fail on me a number of times. The sewing pins (inserted at an angle into the padded backboard) can hold the weight of the banner all day long.  
And the scissors will always come in handy. You never know when you might need them.
    3. Condense your blurb into two or three sentences you can tell people interested in your books
People at conventions go with a goal – whether it to see one of their favorite authors, to get a celebrity’s photograph or autograph, or to buy something very specific that’s exclusive to the event. Getting people to come to your table is easy; keeping them there is where it gets tricky.
I approach this in a couple of ways:
a) I ask them a question about their day, ask what genre they read or who their favorite author(s) is/are, orb) I ask them who they came to see at the event, orc) I tell them about my series as briefly as possible. My exact words are: “This series is about werewolves and vampires; this series is about Norse Gods. Both are dark urban fantasy with paranormal romance elements.”
If people are still hanging around after that, I can tell them more specifically about the first book in each series. This is where you need to condense your blurb down to 2 or 3 sentences. People will know whether it’s something they’d be interested in after that. If they move on, no problem. If they want to know more, they'll stay and ask you questions.
I also realize that trying to sell yourself and your books is a contradiction of terms for an author since they are, mostly, introverts who don’t like talking to people. It’s a sick joke that you have to talk and promote your books in person, but conventions really are a great way to meet new readers, connect with existing fans and network with other authors.
     4.  A good supply of snacks and water
If you’ve got a food allergy like me, or you want to save some money on the sometimes crazy prices at events (at least in Australia), you’ll want to bring a good supply of food that you don’t need to heat up, refrigerate or add hot water to. Getting access to a microwave or boiling water is impossible as an exhibitor, so take sandwiches, crackers, nuts, fruit and snack bars. Personally, I’m all about protein as it keeps me fuller for longer, so I’m snacking on almonds. Bananas fills up space in your stomach and muesli/fruit bars do in a pinch.
Fluids—especially water—are essential. The point of going to a convention is to sell your books. In order to do that, you need to talk. You’ll be repeating yourself all day long, so stay hydrated.
    5. Candy for the table
Perhaps a cheap ploy, but it works! Seriously, put a bowl of candy out on your table.
“If you place it, they will come.”
People love free stuff, and free candy? You’ll have them coming back for seconds. As a side-effect of bringing joy and making someone smile, a little sugar hit is sometimes just what someone might need. After all, conventions are a long day out.

If you're at a romance dominant event, can I suggest lots of swag also - bookmarks, buttons, key chains, jewelry, magnets, stickers, bracelets, pens etc. This website has a nice selection of sources. I also did a post on promotional material sources, too so please check that out for some additional companies and websites.
    6. Stock
Another ‘duh’ bullet point, I know, but there has been one occasion where I’ve been caught out with not enough stock. The worst part? It was book one in the most popular series. Trying to sell the other books in the same series was tough without the first one there.
So, make sure you have enough stock, especially of the first book in a series. As a general rule, I take 30 copies of the first book and 20 of the remaining titles. I probably sell about half of those figures over the duration of a convention, so my numbers are a bit of overkill, but I’d rather have too many than too little, and you can never predict what’s going to sell on the day.
    7. Have a flyer with the essential information
For the past three cons I’ve done, I’ve had two flyers that I’ve handed out. ‘Flyer’ is probably not the most accurate word as a flyer is a thin piece of paper with the information on it. I actually use A6 postcards (from Vistaprint). I haven’t been able to find a US equivalent for our A5, but in inches it measures 4.1 x 5.8.

The card stock is 265 gsm so it’s nice and thick. I get mine made double-sided with the book cover on the front and the blurb and my website on the back.
The theory behind these is simple – people are drawn to the cover but maybe don’t want to stand in front of your table to read the blurb on the back of the book. If you give them a flyer, they’ll go away and possibly read the info over lunch. Maybe they like what they read, so they come and find you again. By having the cover on the front, they’ll be able to recognize your books and by having a website or Facebook page on the back, people can also follow up when they get home. This could lead to some e-book sales, or maybe some social media interaction.
    8. Consider a mini-book with the first chapter or two to give out
A good author friend (Hi, Belinda Crawford!!) of mine started making mini-books of her own book to hand out at conventions. Inside was a couple of chapters from the book along with some social media links at the back. This idea was GENIUS! She gives away so many of these at conventions and they’re great because they give people a little sample of your writing style and of your book. They read it and often get people coming back the next day to buy the books as they’ve liked what they’ve read.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/minibooks...According the the mini-books Facebook page each mini-book:
“This Hero mini book is printed on a single A4 page (a US Letter version will be available soon) and features the first 1,500 words of Hero: The Hero Rebellion 1 as well as a review quote and links to sign up to my newsletter.”

       9. Make friends with your neighbors :
Network, network, network. I can’t say this enough. Make friends with your author neighbors; you’ll be spending a lot of time with them over the course of the weekend at your convention. Just remember, you’re all there trying to do the same thing – sell your books and meet new readers. This is a great opportunity to get new content for your blog (if you have one) by doing interviews, reviews or just spotlighting their books. Perhaps you could agree to do an even swap – a review for a review. Maybe set up a group giveaway, bundling the books in a specific genre together and running a competition post-convention. Another idea is to help out with each other’s new releases or blitzes.
    10. Make sure you set up with plenty of time to spare
I hate being late. I hate not being prepared even more. So, when it comes to conventions, I always do a little scout-out before to figure out where I need to go and how long it’s going to take to get there. This usually comes in the form of setting up the afternoon or evening before, if you have the opportunity to do it. If you’re driving yourself, make sure you pre-book your parking (if you can) since you will be in the same spot all day and the dollars can add up. If you happen to be staying in a hotel close by, even better, although sometimes that’s not always possible.
So there you have it: my top ten tips. I hope you've gotten something out of it, and with any luck you'll have a very successful convention.

#NewBookSaturday: Bound by Sorcery (The Half-Goddess Chronicles) Book 1 by Antara Mann

Happy New Book Saturday! Wow, where did that week go? Seriously? I guess I've been busy working away so it seemed to pass without me really noticing. 

Let's get down to business though - it is New Book Saturday after all! We've got witches, mythology and demons for this week's book. It's called Bound by Sorcery by Antara Mann. I've not heard of this author before, so it's always nice to find someone new.

The cover really caught my attention - the combination of red and blue are striking, and the female figure in the middle really drew my eye. The blurb sounds pretty good, too!

  A supernatural apocalypse is brewing. And only secret magic can defeat it.

Alexandra Shaw may be an elemental mage, but she prefers the quiet life, running her struggling occult bookshop. With secrets of her own and a magical lineage shrouded in mystery, she keeps a low profile. But when a New York banker is found gruesomely murdered with an ancient symbol carved into his chest — one representing a cult of demon hunters long thought extinct — the supernatural community, including the Magic Council, is stunned.

Alex reluctantly joins the investigation to keep her shop afloat, but tensions between gods and demons continue to rise and threaten to break into a devastating war. To diffuse the situation, the Council assigns a fiercely powerful and sexy fae to the case.

Ancient cults, demons, gods, ritualistic murders, a tempting fae — and as if all that weren't bad enough, now someone’s trying to kill her…

Bound By Sorcery is the first book in the Half-Goddess Chronicles urban fantasy series. It features a kick-ass heroine, a hot hero, mystery, and otherworldly adventures. Fans of Ilona Andrews, Ella Summers and Linsey Hall will enjoy this series.

 Get your own copy!   

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author, publisher or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!

Cover Reveal: Half Bound (A Helheim Wolf Pack Tale #5) by Lauren Dawes

Hello everyone! Today is the cover reveal for Half Bound by Lauren Dawes. This is the fifth and final book in the Helheim Wolf Pack Series.
 

BOOK DETAILS:

Half Bound by Lauren Dawes

Published by: Vixen
Publication date: November 30th, 2017
Genres: dark urban fantasy, paranormal romance

SYNOPSIS:

An accident. An abduction. A choice.

Casey is no stranger to double standards. Her whole life has been filled with them, and as the only daughter of a werewolf alpha she has been fighting an uphill battle since birth. She’s determined to become an enforcer—a soldier for the pack—and even more determined to prove to everyone that she is more than capable of looking after herself…that is until she takes a phone call that could end not just her dreams, but also her life. She is faced with a decision that will not only test her loyalties, but also her own inner-strength.

Crippled by obsession. Resuscitated by love.

Broken and barely healed, Andrea has finally escaped the man who instead of loving, honoring and obeying her, beat, tortured and terrorized her. Uninterested in anything other than finding herself again, she is blind-sided by Brax who holds the power to heal her shattered and distrusting heart. 

Half Bound is the electrifying conclusion to the Half Blood Series. 


Pre-order your copy today!
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A new and exciting adventure - PART 2: Findaway Voices Progress Report

If you're a regular on my blog, you'd know I've just started a new venture - audiobooks! I'm super excited about this since I've wanted to create audiobooks for my books for so long now. Being an Australian author, doing this has been very difficult. BUT my e-book distributor, Draft2Digital has come to rescue! In conjunction with Findaway Voices, I now have the option to create audiobooks.


I signed up and in my previous post (found here) I was asked a series of questions designed to narrow down the kind of narrator that would suit my book and then it was a waiting game.

So, what's happened since then? I had a few emails from Findaway Voices, all keeping me updated on the progress of my 'project'. I got an email about the narrator list, telling me it was coming soon. I even got an email 'just to check in' and see if I had any questions on the progress. 

https://www.digitaltrends.comWhen my narrator list finally arrived, I had to stop myself from doing a little happy dance. It was like Christmas. I had a list of eight narrators, each with no less than two samples of their work. Many narrators had between four and eight samples of their work, ranging from educational readings to romance to sci-fi and scientific works. Many also had samples of male and female voices (all of my narrators are male at my request) as well as different kinds of monologues like introspective and intrigue monologues.

After listening to all of them a number of times, I settled on two narrators. One had a price of $275 per finished hour and the other was $125 per finished hour. I had the option to either select the narrator outright, or request an audition. I requested auditions for both of them.

I received only one audition back, but it was AMAZING! It was such a thrill to hear my own words being read by someone else. The narrator really captured the tone and feeling of my characters and their voices. 





According to my word count, I've figured out an approximate overall cost to produce an audiobook version of Dark Deceit. Is it a risk? Yes, absolutely. I'd have to sell over 150 copies to break even. Is it worth it? I believe it is. I guess the only way to really know, is to try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

So what's my overall feeling towards Findaway Voices and this process? I love it. I'm being kept up-to-date on everything. The website is streamline and easy to use and navigate. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who wanted to investigate producing audiobooks for themselves. 


I will keep everyone up-to-date on the process, so stay tuned!

#NewBookSaturday: Slouch Witch (The Lazy Girl's Guide To Magic) Book 1 by Helen Harper

Happy New Book Saturday! I'm going down a different path today, and I've selected a book about witches. Witches are not a usual preference for books for me, but I was drawn to this book by the title. I mean, come on, "Slouch Witch - The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic" ~ who wouldn't want to read that? I feel like it could be a funny version of Harry Potter if Harry were a teenage girl and she enjoyed hanging out and watching Netflix rather than getting up to mischief under the guise of helping others and solving mysteries. 

So far, it's been doing well on the Amazon charts and already has over 300 reviews averaging 4.8 stars out of 5.

Anyway, I'll let you make your own mind up. Here it is, "Slouch Witch"...


Hard Work Will Pay Off Later. Laziness Pays Off Now.

Let's get one thing straight - Ivy Wilde is not a heroine. In fact, she's probably the last witch in the world who you'd call if you needed a magical helping hand. If it were down to Ivy, she'd spend all day every day on her sofa where she could watch TV, munch junk food and talk to her feline familiar to her heart's content.

However, when a bureaucratic disaster ends up with Ivy as the victim of a case of mistaken identity, she's yanked very unwillingly into Arcane Branch, the investigative department of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment. Her problems are quadrupled when a valuable object is stolen right from under the Order's noses.

It doesn't exactly help that she's been magically bound to Adeptus Exemptus Raphael Winter. He might have piercing sapphire eyes and a body which a cover model would be proud of but, as far as Ivy's concerned, he's a walking advertisement for the joyless perils of too much witch-work.

And if he makes her go to the gym again, she's definitely going to turn him into a frog.

Get your own copy!

Disclaimer: As always, I have no affiliation with this author or book. I simply chose it because I liked it. Happy reading!

Book Spotlight: Strange Practice (A Dr. Greta Helsing Novel) by Vivian Shaw

Happy New Book Saturday! Got a book hangover from your last read? I've got just the thing you need...


Meet Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead.

Dr. Greta Helsing has inherited the family's highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. She treats the undead for a host of ills - vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies.
It's a quiet, supernatural-adjacent life, until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.
What drew me to this one? THE COVER! It's amazing. It's done by illustrator Will Staehle. I really like the tri-color composition and the subject matter. Will creates a lot of really quirky images and you can see them all on his website. 

What else drew me to this title? The blurb certainly did it's job in this instance, but it was also what was being said about this book. Here are just a few things...



"A darkly delicious adventure featuring a quirky new heroine. Strange Practice breathes new life into the undead."―James Bennett, author of Chasing Embers

"Shaw's lively debut introduces a great cast of characters who should sustain this new series for many volumes to come.... Shaw brings her Victorian monsters into the modern age."―Library Journal

"Shaw balances an agile mystery with a pitch-perfect, droll narrative and cast of lovable misfit characters. These are not your mother's Dracula or demons ... Strange Practice is a super(natural) read."―Shelf Awareness

"An appropriately dark breath of fresh air."―Booklist 

Happy reading!