Lauryn April's Blog: April Books, page 18

Books on Sale! $7.99 Paperbacks.

Paperback Sale!

I've run a number of e-book sales over the last year with Into the Deep, and I realized that I've ignored the paperback readers. I've all but shunned those who are addicted to the feel of paper beneath their fingertips and the sound of a new spine cracking. I've forgotten about those who take in the smell of printed words and the sounds of turning a page as part of their overall reading experience. Well, I've decided to rectify that. Not only am I offering a sale on my paperbacks, but I'm allowing lovers of physical books everywhere to buy my newest novel, Hidden Beneath, days before it's available for e-readers.

Get both Into the Deep and Hidden Beneath for only $7.99 a piece on Createspace today! Yes, Hidden Beneath doesn't officially come out until Tuesday, but you can order your copy today and save $2.00! Just use the discount code 2QQWLYJX.

Discount will only be available for a limited time!


Into the Deep: https://www.createspace.com/3807938

Hidden Beneath: https://www.createspace.com/4396555


Happy Reading Everyone!

Hidden Beneath Giveaway!

Hidden Beneath will be available in 5 days!
Buy it August 20th or...
Enter now to win a free signed copy!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway Hidden Beneath by Lauryn April Giveaway ends September 05, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Release Date for Hidden Beneath August 20th!

"Thoughts shimmered through his head like fireflies lighting up in the night then disappearing back into the darkness." - Hidden Beneath

Hidden Beneath will be available for purchase on Amazon August 20th!

Copes will be available at Barnes and Noble and Kobo for a limited time, and Hidden Beneath will return to all outlets in November.

Both Paperback and E-book editions will contain BONUS MATERIAL, including chapters written from Brant's POV, and a sneak peak at Jen Naumann's Mind Static.

Summary:

Just when Ivy Daniels thought her life was going exactly how she wanted it, a surprise visitor arrives to shake up her world. Two years after an accident left Ivy with the ability to read minds she’s finally put her past behind her. Now, the summer after her senior year of high school Ivy is looking forward to going away to college and enjoying the rest of her vacation with her best friend Charlie and boyfriend Aden. The life altering events of her junior year of high school, that made her realize things aren’t always as they appear, have been pushed to the back of Ivy’s mind, and so has the memory of the one person who helped her though them – that is until he shows up on her door step a month before she leaves for L.A. asking for her help.

Where has Ivy’s ex-boyfriend, Brant, been, and why did he leave? Find out in this sequel to Into the Deep that will lead take you on an adventure filled with secrets, lost love, and forgiveness.
 
Read all the teasers I've released so far...

Teaser 1
Teaser 2
Teaser 3

TEASER: (Brant's POV)

It didn’t feel like home anymore. At a glance the house I’d grown up in was exactly the same, but it no longer felt familiar, no longer felt welcoming. I’d been gone a long time, over a year, and even though my father still left the sliding door unlocked and my room sat untouched, exactly as I had left it – it felt empty now.

I dropped my bag to the floor and sat down on the couch. I didn’t turn the TV on, didn’t even think about playing my PlayStation or listening to music so loud my stereo shook the walls. Instead I sat in silence and looked around the room. My bed still sat with my comforter half on the floor, the Black Keys concert poster above my desk was still curling at the corners where the tape had lifted, threatening to pop off the wall completely, and on the corkboard on the far wall, between concert tickets and movie stubs, was a picture of Ivy and me.

I walked across the room to stare at the photo. It’d been taken at this party we’d gone to at the beach over the summer. The image was dark, but we were lit by the flames of a nearby bonfire. Ivy was smiling, and I had my arms wrapped around her. That day felt so long ago.

I continued to wander around my room. On my desk was a green notebook, and inside were letters I’d written to Ivy. Shaky words I’d jotted down, scribbled out, and re-wrote in an attempt to find the right way to tell her that I was leaving. In the end I realized there was nothing I could say to her, not in words or in writing, to explain what I was doing. And so when I left, I said nothing.

“I really am an asshole,” I said aloud, thinking about all the time that had passed since I’d written in that book. I had never expected to be gone this long.

“And a coward,” someone said.

I turned around to see my father standing at the end of the stairs. He was wearing a business suit, his hands thrust into his pockets. He looked the same as before I’d left, though his hair was colored by a few more greys now.

My father cleared his throat. “So you’re back? Done gallivanting around, accomplishing nothing, or did you just run out of money?”

“I’m not staying; there was just something in town I needed.”

Dad nodded. “I know we didn’t always get along, but I never thought you’d up and leave like she did.”

Fire burned in my belly hearing him talk about her like that. “Mom didn’t leave us.”

“No? Then what happened to her, Brant? Was she kidnapped? That’s what your little road trip was about right, to find her?”

I clenched my jaw, wanting to tell him everything I knew, and yet still not wanting to hurt him. “I’ve been looking.”

He gave a humorless bark of laughter, and his stare was cold and heavy. “I’ll assume if you’re here that means you didn’t find her. I’m sorry that your search ended in vain. She’s not coming home, son.”

I shook my head. “You don’t even believe that. Since the day she left you’ve been waiting for her to come home. I’ve seen you sit in your office staring out the window as if she’ll suddenly be walking up the driveway.” I took a breath. “You’re right though, she’s not coming home, but it isn’t because she left us. She loved us.”

I stormed past my father, my shoulder barely grazing his, and I went upstairs, pulling a half-empty pack of Marbs from my pocket. I lit a cigarette as I stepped outside and sat on the back porch, where I could see the rose bushes my mother had once taken such pride in.

Review for Dead Girls Dance (Morganville Vampires Book 2) by Rachel Caine

Fast Paced and Entertaining.

 4 Stars. This book starts right where Glass Houses ends and once I finished it, it felt like these two books could easily be read as one story. I enjoyed the first book more, but was still happy to read this one.

I couldn’t put this down. It’s fast paced and sucks you in, but I didn’t really like how so much happens in so few days. It seems like the characters never have much rest. Also this ends with yet another cliffhanger. I’m really not a fan of cliffhangers. As a piece of the entire Morganville series Dead Girls Dance was great, but as its own standalone novel it felt a little lacking. I think what disappointed me about this book is that it really just felt like a bridge between books 1 and 3. That said as soon as I set this one down I picked up the next one.

We find out that Shane has a really complicated past, but it makes sense as to why he’s so moody sometimes. His story is tragic and really explains why he hates the vampires so much. I enjoyed the complexity of his character and seeing him struggle with his beliefs. Claire has grown up a lot by this book as well. She’s a lot less timid. She’s more confidant, but also more risky.

I liked that this book looked how the world isn’t just black and white. The vampires can be really evil, but so could some of the humans. Some of the things Monica does seem more evil than the things the vampires do, like when she sets Claire up to be taken advantage of.

Now that I’m on the third book I see all the little things the first two have included to set things up for the plot in later books. There are a lot of little details that I’m still discovering the meaning behind, and I enjoy that.

A smaller annoyance I have with this series is that I’m confused as to what Claire looks like. In the first book they say her hair is black and in a short pixie cut, but in this book it’s at least long enough to put in pig tails and not black. I’m hoping the next book with provide a clearer picture of her.

Overall I'm really enjoying this series, and plan to continue with it.

Read my review of Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires Book 1)

Cover Reveal: Mind Static by Jen Naumann

I have something brand new to share with everyone. Fellow author and friend, Jen Naumann has a new book coming out this month called Mind Static, and I'm lucky enough to be able to share with all of you the cover which she's just released today. So read on for info about this book and check out that awesome cover!  Synopsis:

Although life has been pretty good to Keyanna Sanders, the day she turns eighteen she’s about to get everything she could ever wish for—a hot guy who’s really into her, a sporty car she’s always dreamed of owning, and the party of a lifetime that no one will forget any time soon.

But before long, she’ll understand these wishes are more than a coincidence, and that they come at a steep price. Keyanna is more than just an average high school senior, her best friend is more than the innocent boy next door, and her sudden good fortune isn’t just by chance. When her estranged father suddenly re-enters her life, she’ll have to decide who to trust, and whether or not the man she loves has suddenly become the enemy.

Coming August 2013

Jen NaumannAuthor of Young Adult and New Adult Fictionwebsite | goodreads | amazon | twitter | facebook

Loyal Reader Award

I want to thank the wonderful Lucinda Elliot, fellow indie author and friend for nominating me for the Loyal Reader Award. Please visit her at her blog Sophie de Courcy and check out the awesome blogs of my nominees below.

As this award is called "The Loyal Reader Award" I wanted to take a minute to thank some of the bloggers who have read my debut novel, Into the Deep.

All of your reviews have inspired me to keep writing, so thank you!



My Nominees:

Jen Naumann at Jen Naumann
Lily at Bookluvrs Haven
Dejana at Poisonage
Carrie Penney at I Can Has Books
Sabrii at Fantasy Books
Bianca Calin at Bianca2b

Dear nominees the rules are simple. Answer a rhetorical question of the author’s choosing and nominate people you consider deserve the award.

Lucinda's Question was: "Would you rather be world famous after your death for writing something worthwhile, or rich in this for writing something you knew to be of no literary merit at all?"

Obviously I would prefer to be rich now for writing something worthwhile, but as that's not an option I have to say I'd rather my writing make me famous after my death than to write something my heart wasn't in just to make money. At the end of the day, even when I'm eating Mac N' Cheese for dinner and counting pennies to make rent, writing just isn't worth it if I don't love what I write.

So here's my question: "If you could have any superpower what would it be?"

Personally I think I would very much enjoy being able to read people's thoughts like Ivy in Into the Deep, but being able to fly would be good too.

If anyone else would like to share their opinions on the questions above please feel free to comment.

Review for Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Morganville is a Strangely Fascinating Town with Unique and Colorful Characters

4.5 stars. I am hooked on this series. Glass Houses was filled with lots of fun imagery, interesting characters, and twists I didn’t see coming. Rachel Caine does a wonderful job making Morganville feel like a real place, freaky happenings and all.A lot of this book felt like it was setting the scene for the entire series. There were a lot of people to meet and places to get to know. It wasn’t until I was about half way through that the plot for this book got interesting, but I was sucked in from the beginning just the same.

Morganville is a small college town run by vampires. I enjoyed reading about vampires that were truly scary, but at the same time there were enough interesting twists in their mythology to make them feel original.

The main character Claire is brave and smart. She’s an advanced placement student so she’s a college freshman but she’s only sixteen. Even though she was incredibly smart she didn’t come across as shy or nerdy, maybe  a little naive at times, but also gutsy. There are times when you notice how young she is and others when you can see that she’s really mature for her age. I liked seeing the give and take of everyone around her thinking of her as a kid, and then later thinking of her as an equal but still knowing that she’s only sixteen.

Claire’s roommates were fun characters as well. Eve was spunky and fun. She’s goth, and I loved that she rocked her own style. Eve is her own person and despite the black and skulls she has a bright and cheerful personality. Shane felt like your typical college guy, but he had layers as well. There were moments when he got a little intense, like when he did things to try and look out for Michael or eve, but he was also funny. And Michael is thoughtful and calm. He’s not really any older than Shane or Eve, but he’s the one looking out for them, and he’s the one they look up to. Michael is really the grown up of the group.Claire crushing on the guys in the house was cute and completely believable. Also, I was glad that while she noticed the attractiveness of both Shane and Michael that Caine didn’t go the love triangle route with this story. By the end of the book it was clear where all the relationships fell and who liked who. The kiss scene between Claire and Shane literally gave me butterflies. It was cute and sweet, and just perfect.

Monica, however, bothered me. I felt she was portrayed a little too stupid, and her interactions with Claire in general felt too immature for her age. I believed that she was the kind of girl that got by on her looks, but there is an evil streak to her that I didn’t quite understand. It was more than just doing bad things because she could. I feel like there had to be a reason why she was so cold and it bothered me we weren’t ever told why exactly.There were a few other small things that bothered me as well. For example, many characters had black hair? This is a silly detail, but it bothered me. Monica, Claire, Eve and Miranda are all described as having black hair. Couldn’t someone have dark brown hair? But, I did like the contrast between Eve, a human who dresses Goth, and one of the vampires who was blond and wearing pink, in essence dressing like a preppy human girl.

Also, I had a hard time believing that Shane and Michael were so closed minded about Miranda being psychic. After all, they grew up in Morganville with vampires and freaky stuff happening all the time. I could understand Claire being skeptical, she was still new. I just don’t get why they had such a hard time believing that maybe Miranda had a gift, even if she was nuts.Be warned that the  end is a huge cliffhanger. There was resolution with the main plot, and then pow – Caine makes it impossible not to pick up the second book, Dead Girls’ Dance, immediately. Which is exactly what I did. If you're looking for a series to suck you in pick up Glass Houses.

For Limited Time, ONLY 99cents!

Hidden Beneath will be coming out next month! So for any of you who haven't had a chance to read Into the Deep , you can pick it up now for only .99 cents until the end of July at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Kobo. And, if you have read Into the Deep, please share this post and scroll down for teasers from Hidden Beneath.
 
5 Stars “Well-written and emotionally charged, I found this book to be a total gem.” – Jen Naumann, author of Shymers
5 Stars “This starts off as interesting, and gets more and more so.” – Lucinda Elliot, author of That Scoundrel Emile Dubois
4 Stars “…an interesting storyline, an original spin on the paranormal, and well-written.” – Jen Minkman author of Shadows of TimeAbout Into the Deep:Ivy Daniels is a high school junior still learning who she is. After an accident, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out who has this dark secret, or will she fail to find him in time?

Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart. Get your copy:Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo Hidden Beneath Teasers:1.It wasn’t until I realized that I was walking in the direction of the gym that I stopped. The lights above flickered, dark, then light, on and off as if they were beating along with some uneven tempo. One bulb on, another off, like some malfunctioning strobe light, they set the hallway in eerie moving shadows. I took one step backward. Then I turned around and began to run back the way I came.  It was then that I ran into something, into someone.2.I sniffled and nodded. Then as he turned to walk off a sob broke free of my lips and it felt like my heart was breaking all over again as I watched him walk away. He was just going for a walk, I reminded myself, but it hurt so bad to know that I’d hurt him and felt unable to fix it.3. For a moment I didn’t breathe and I felt him freeze as well. In that moment we were both perfectly still, the only movement I felt between us was from the pounding of my heart. He was so close. Then I heard just a wisp of a thought enter his mind, like a distant echo caught in the wind.Kiss her, he thought, and he took a deep breath.     
 

10 Tips to Writing an Excellent Book Review

Reviewing books is a wonderful way to share your reading experience with others, but if you’ve ever read reviews to help you buy a book you’ll know some are more helpful than others. Here’s my advice to writing an excellent book review.

First I think reviewers should understand what the point of writing a review is. Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Goodreads, ect… allow readers to write reviews to help other readers decide whether or not they will like that book. Above all else your review should provide helpful information to other readers about the content and feel of the book.

Here are ten tips to being a good reviewer…

1. Finish the book – Many people write reviews for books they don’t finish reading. Personally I have a problem with this. Book ratings and reviews should be based on the entire book. Reading only part of a book and writing a review would be like watching only part of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and telling all your friends that it’s a horribly depressing movie. If you’re going to comment on a book, comment on the entire book. (And if you absolutely cannot make it to the end, at very least make it clear in beginning of your review that you did not finish reading.)

2. Don’t just give a summary – Readers can read the back blurb to know roughly what a book is about. Give information about the storyline but make sure you’re also sharing your opinion. Did you like the plot, characters, setting, writing style? Overall how did the book make you feel?

 3. Read other reviews – See how other people organize their thoughts to help you find your review writing style. What did they do that you liked, were they funny, straightforward, well-organized? And, what did they do that you didn’t like?

4. Use proper English – Write in full sentences and use real words. This is a book review, not a text message. Remember, you’re writing this for other readers to use as a source of information in their purchasing decision. If it’s not worth your time to write something legible, it’s simply not worth your time to write it. Spell-check and re-read your review before you post it.

5. Double check names – I see reviews all the time where the reviewer spelled the author’s name wrong, or a character’s name wrong, or even misspelled the title of the book. Spelling mistakes like this stand out, and can even be confusing to those reading your review. This can also be embarrassing, so do yourself a favor and take a few seconds to make sure you spelled all names correctly.

6. Explain what you liked AND what you didn’t – This may seem obvious, but often reviewers will only state one or the other. Sometimes they love a book so much they have nothing bad to say. And if you’re writing a review for your all-time favorite book you may not have anything negative to say, but for every other book other than that one - or those few - favorites, you will have things you liked and things you didn’t. If you give a book four stars tells us about all the good things about it, but then also tell us why it didn’t get five stars. On the flip side if you write a negative review, don’t forget to mention things you were happy about with the book just because your overall opinion of it was that you didn’t like it.

7. Be professional – As I mentioned above a review is for the next potential reader. It’s not a way for you to send the author a note, or to bash a piece of work. Just because you have a certain opinion about a book doesn’t mean other readers will agree with you. For example don’t say a book is terrible because it has a love triangle and you hate love triangles, and you think all books with love triangles are cliché and not worth reading. Say that that was something you didn’t like about the book and that love triangles aren’t your cup of tea, but be respectful of the fact that some people love love triangles. Even if you gave a book, say 2 stars because it had a love triangle, that may actually be a review that encourages someone who enjoys love triangles to buy it. (Check out The Positives about a Negative Review)

8. Take notes as you go – I read on my kindle and will often highlight and type a note in when I come across something I love, hate, don’t understand, ect…. If you read paperbacks maybe try buying post-it’s and writing yourself notes as you go. Once you’re done reading being able to go back and be reminded of those little moments that made you think, or favorite lines can help you write a more in-depth review.

9. Don’t spoil the story – Sometimes it’s impossible not to comment on a part of the story that happens to spoil, or give away, part of the plot. Sharing spoiling information is fine so long as you put a warning. Maybe try and save spoilers for the end of your review and clearly mark them so those who want to be surprised when reading can be. Goodreads lets you hide your spoilers behind a clickable link simply by putting these html tags around the spoiling information <spoiler> Spoiling info here </spoiler>.

10. Be honest! – No one really has a hard time being honest about a good review, but it can be hard to write bad reviews, and if you find yourself unable to write an honest review, don’t write one at all. Remember, reviews are to inform potential readers about a book. Reviews are not a place for you to rave about a friend’s novel to help them sell more copies. Support friends by giving them honest feedback to help them improve their skills.

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Help Make Morganville Vampires a Web-TV Series!

I recently read Glass Houses, the first book in the Morganville Vampires Series, and am now reading book two, The Dead Girls' Dance. I've found myself sucked into this series and wanted to take a moment to share with everyone about the Kickstarter Project to turn this wonderful series into a Web-TV Series.

Glass Houses is a  YA vampire novel that is nothing like the Twilight-esque romances we see so often. It has spunky, well rounded, and interesting characters; scary vampires, and a heroine that is brave as well as smart.

I'm now a fan of this series as well as a backer of this project on Kickstarter. You can find me listed on the Residents page of the Morganville Vampires Website. And you can become a backer yourself (and in turn receive some awesome prizes for your contribution) on their Kickstarter Page. Check it out ASAP! There are only 3 days left for this project to acquire the funds it needs.

I hope anyone out there who enjoys paranormal fiction will check out the Morganville Vampires series, and if you are able to, contribute to making this a Web-TV series. We're so close to our $75,000 goal, and it would be a shame for this to fall through.