Michael War's Blog, page 6

Cover Reveal: Pharaoh’s Kiss (Timeless #2)

So here we are again, another exciting cover reveal for one of my republished shorts. Pharaoh’s Kiss is the second in my Timeless series, this time focusing on Marcus’s ex Daniel as he finds himself trapped in Ancient Egypt. Though he finds passion that he never thought possible, he also unearths some truths that affect him in ways he never expected. Intrigued? Well here is the cover:

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Nothing like a hot guy wrapped up in chains, am I right? If you are wondering why, you’ll just have to wait until August 4th when Pharaoh’s Kiss is scheduled to be released. I will post links as soon as I have them. If you would like to get up to speed on what is going on, Timeless #1 is available for purchase via Amazon, JMS Books, Bookstrand and other outlets.

What do you think of the cover?

Announcement: Vote for Under Five in AllAuthors Cover of the Month Contest

If you liked the cover of my book,

Under Five, please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!

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Release Date Announcement: Pharaoh’s Kiss

If you read my last post, then you know that I have a re-release of Pharaoh’s Kiss coming up in August. Well, I just got an email today and it looks like that the tentative date is August 2nd. Pharaoh’s Kiss is the second of my Timeless series, and continues the time traveling saga in a way that hopefully sheds more light on the cliffhanger faced in Timeless #1.

I actually self-published this in 2014, but unpublished it after realizing that perhaps I wasn’t ready to release my work into the world. After writing a few more books, I decided to revisit this series, and hope to finish the third one in time for late December/early January release. Pharaoh’s Kiss will be sold via JMS Books. Timeless #1 is available via JMS Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other outlets.

Hopefully I’ll have a cover reveal to show very soon!

Current Updates: Marketing My Book, Upcoming Releases, and WIP’s

So if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you know that earlier this month I had two releases: Under Five and Timeless. Unfortunately, I only had the budget to market just one, so I went with Under Five, since it is in both print and ebook. While I’ve tried some new stuff in regards to marketing, I also have another release, Pharaoh’s Kiss, which is the second book in the Timeless series set for August. Plus I’m trying to finish a paranormal WIP which I hope to have released just in time for Halloween. As you can see, I’ve been a rather busy bee.

My New Book Marketing Strategy

I’ve always been a fan of using social media when it comes to book marketing. Unfortunately, that’s not always enough. I have been reluctant in the past to use my own money for marketing, but this time I decided to give it a go. The first thing I did was hire Gay Book Promotions to handle my cover reveal and blog tour. That was by far one of the best decisions I have made. Interest in Under Five really seemed to take shape, and while it’s not flying off the shelf, I think it’s probably done better than my past releases. I won’t know for sure until the actual reports come in though.

I also decided to pay for Under Five to be featured on Allauthor.com. This has opened up a variety of new tools for me to utilize, such as their review gif maker. I think I went a little gif crazy, but I have to admit, it’s been a handy way to showcase the kind things reviewers have said about Under Five. Here’s a sample of one:

Pretty neat, right. I can’t wait to try some of the other features available to me. If all works out, I may upgrade to a pro account.

Upcoming Release

While I don’t have an exact date yet, Pharaoh’s Kiss is set to come out in August. This is a release of the second short I self-pubbed a few years ago. It will be available through JMS Books, which is home to the first Timeless and Reaching Nerdvana. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the first Timeless, I recommend it, especially if you love time travel romances. I’ll provide more details the closer we get to the release date.

Current WIP’s

As part of JMS Books “It was a Dark Stormy Night” submission call, I am trying to finish a paranormal ghost story/romance before the July 31st submission deadline. This will be my first attempt at a Halloween related release, and my second at a paranormal themed story. The difference is that Under Five was a bit playful with the paranormal elements, while this one will be slightly darker.

At the end of May, I submitted my first holiday submission for Dreamspinner’s Advent Calendar call. Hopefully I hear something soon on that one. If accepted, this will also be my first Christmas story, one that is close to my heart. As I spoke about a few times with Under Five, I’ve been trying to delve more into my Mexican heritage as inspiration for my writing. This one dove a bit deeper, and I hope that I get to share it with you all.

That’s all for now! What exciting stuff do you all have coming up?

Blog Tour Reflection: Under Five

Now that I have have had time to process everything that has happened the past three weeks, I think that I’m ready to reflect on my first ever blog tour and how I think it went.

To be honest, I feel it went really well. I had fun creating the guest posts and answering interview questions, and was extremely pleased at the majority of reviews that I received for Under Five. While it’s not flying off of the shelves just yet, there seems to be an uptick in sales and interest in my work.

I had quite a few reservations going into this, and wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend the money. But now I’m really glad I did, and will definitely use Gay Book Promotions again for future releases.

I’m honestly not sure what I would do different next time. I would still do a cover reveal, and naturally go with the tour with review options. The one change I might make is to go with the longest tour. Perhaps I still need to reflect a bit more on that.

To all those who participated, I give my sincerest thanks.

If you are an author, have you ever done a blog tour or used a promotional company. If so, what was your experience like?

Blog Tour Dates and Giveaway Information!!!

Hey everyone, the time for the my first ever Blog Tour is near. I’m so excited that I couldn’t wait to post the schedule up as soon as I got it. Be sure to check out some of the sites for reviews of Under Five, as well as guest posts and interviews.

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You can visit the Gay Book Promotions Blog for more information and to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card or a copy of Roommate Adventures. Hope to see you on one of the stops!

Big, Big Things…..

Wow, so many big things happening, my head is spinning from all the excitement. First off, my first 40+ thousand word novella, Under Five, is going to be released tomorrow, May 30th via Less Than Three Press. The cover design is amazing, and the early reviews are looking good. I’m hopeful that readers will enjoy the story, though I must admit this one took me a while to get right. I kept going back and forth on ideas, but in the end, I am proud of what I wrote. I’m also happy that it will be the my first print book. It’s been a dream come true this last year writing-wise, and I look forward to how things develop over time. If you want to purchase a copy, you can visit my books page for buy links.

I’ll also be going on my first ever blog tour, thanks to Gay Book Promotions. They have been so great during this whole process. Their professionalism is superb, and most important, all my questions always get answered with a quick response. It starts on the 4th, and once I have the final schedule, I’ll post it here.

Last but not least, Timeless is being re-released thanks to JMS Books, LLC (buy links also on the books page). This was my first ever short to be published years ago, and I am beyond happy how JMS has helped me improve on it. The second story in the series is also due for re-release later this summer.

That’s all for now. Happy reading, and if you want to get a hold of me for any of these titles or to just say hi, you can send me messages on Twitter, Facebook, or through the contact form.

Cover Reveal: Timeless

Right after my first full-length print book, Under Five, is released, is the re-release of the first ever short I wrote named Timeless. I’m so happy to have finally revisited the original story and expand it by a few thousand words, thus, fleshing out the plot and characters. Looking back, I can’t believe that I self-published it without really editing it. But I’ve learned a lot over the years, and am happy that I was able to apply those lessons to it. Anyways, that’s not what you came here for. So without anymore blabbering, here’s the cover:

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More details to come soon….

Cover Reveal: Under Five

It’s cover reveal day! But before we get to it, I want to thank Gay Book Promotions for arranging the reveal on a good number of blogs. Lily did an amazing job and I was very pleased with the results. I also want to thank the following blogs/pages for participating:

https://lilygblunt.wordpress.com/…/cover-reveal-under-five…/

https://gaybookpromotions.wordpress.com/…/cover-reveal-und…/

https://gaybook.reviews/…/04/16/lilygblunts-review-under-f…/

https://lillianfrancis.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-reveal-under-…

https://smokinhotreadsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-revea…

https://dtorini.wordpress.com/…/under-five-by-michael-war-…/

http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-reveal-under-…

https://padmeslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-reveal-under-f…

https://mirrigold.com/…/cover-reveal-under-five-by-michael…/

https://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-r…

https://mjbookblogandreviews.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-reveal-…

https://man2mantastic.blogspot.co.uk/…/cover-reveal-under-f…

https://www.facebook.com/tangentsandtissues2/posts/570052250044699

http://www.valerieullmer.com/…/cover-reveal-under-five-by-…/

https://www.facebook.com/bookreviewvirginialee

http://blazingzanebookblog.blogspot.com/

https://loveunchainedreviews.com/…/cover-reveal-under-five…/

Now for the cover you have all been waiting for:

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I absolutely love it. I think it perfectly captures the essence of the book. There’s more to come, but if you want to pre-order Under Five, you can find the buy link here.

Book Title: Under Five

Author: Michael War

Publisher: Less Than Three Press

Cover Artist: Aisha Akeju

Genre/s: Gay, Contemporary, Urban Fantasy

Release Date: May 30, 2018

Blurb

Mike is good looking, charming, and has no trouble attracting men—as long as his clothes stay on. But the moment they come off, something always seems to go terribly wrong. When his sister takes him to a faith healer to fix the problem, he is provided with a spell—and left with a lot of doubts.

But after meeting Kevin, Mike decides to give the spell a try…

New Release Date Announcement: Under Five and the re-release of Timeless!

While checking my email tonight, I received some exciting news from Less Than Three Press: Under Five has a release date. So mark your calendars for May 30th, because that is when my first full–length novel will hit your favorite sites. The blurb has also been sent, and once that has been finalized, I will share it on a later post.

In other news, the re-release of Timeless: A Sensual Time Travel Adventure will be sometime in June. Timeless is the first in a three part short series that I wrote a long time ago (well, the first two), but pulled off the shelves when I realized I still had a lot of growing to do as an author. I can’t wait for you to see the changes that were made. As soon as I get more info, I’ll be sure to let you know.

That’s it for now. Till next time!