Holly McCaghren's Blog, page 2

Long Lost Updates

Well things have certainly been busy!

First of all, my husband and I are now the parents of two precious children . However, we were all in for a surprise when we found out that our little girl was actually a little boy, and we had no name picked out!!  Just goes to show you that sometimes ultrasounds can be interpreted incorrectly, even by an “expert.” But we welcomed little Logan into the world on June 11th and couldn’t be happier.

Also after much consideration, I recently went back and released a second edition of “Mind Trace.”  As far as the plot, there are no changes, but I went back and had it professionally edited and released the new edition, handling a lot of the typos that had gone unnoticed prior to its publishing.  A free update was provided on the Kindle platform with these changes.  It has certainly been a learning experience, but I hope that my future books will reflect all these things I have learned.

To keep things organized, I created a new tab with some of the resources I found useful in this publishing business. I will be updating this as I have time, but it can be found here: http://hollymccaghren.com/resources/

Other exciting news! My second book is in the proofing stages and I expect it to be released within the next month. Look for it on Amazon and Kindle when it is released! More details to come on that in a future post.  Note: It is not a sequel to my first book, but I will be continuing Alice’s adventures in a future novel!

Stay posted for updates about book #2!

Facebook Offer for “Mind Trace”

Right now, you can claim an offer (Facebook exclusive only!) for a 40% off coupon code for the paperback version of “Mind Trace!” It is redeemable only through the Createspace store, at the following link:

https://www.createspace.com/3832724

That’s a savings of almost $5.00! Take advantage while the offer lasts. You can find the link for the offer on the Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MindTrace

It is good for the first 250 people! Please spread the word!

Another Successful Giveaway

My second giveaway on Goodreads has officially closed, and this time, two lucky readers will receive a copy of “Mind Trace.” (Congratulations to the winners!) Almost 700 people entered the giveaway!

Things have been slow on the public front as of late, but quite busy behind the scenes. I am trying to get things rolling on the second book, getting it published through a traditional publishing house this time. If you’ve had any experience with publishing novels, you know that everything takes a super LONG time. I will keep you updated as things progress, but there are no updates as of now.

I may have mentioned this before, but it is not a direct sequel to “Mind Trace,” (but that one is not far away!) Instead, this explores a new character within the same universe. It also takes a less technical track, and focuses more on fantasy elements. This book takes place deep in the heart of the Guatemalan jungles, and explores the secret things hidden there (including some Mayan mythology!)

I’ve also started briefly outlining the plot for my third novel, which remains largely undecided at the moment. It is starting out more like the second book, which was inspired largely around one idea. The plot just wound its way around that central idea. With “Mind Trace,” it was a lot different. I had thought about that story for a long time before I ever thought about writing anything down.

I will say that writing a novel in general is a much, much more difficult proposition than I had ever imagined. I enjoy it immensely, but it is like any other job, and requires a lot of hard work, especially trying to make your thoughts come out logically on paper You think it makes perfect sense, because you have the whole story in your head. It takes a while to figure out how to add in the right details and leave out the ones that don’t add to the story. I am still learning!

I digress. I will attempt to be more diligent in my updates, but chasing around a two year old can definitely be distracting! Expect delays around the end of May, as our second little one will be joining us! (It’s a girl!)

Birthday Celebration

Hi all,

In celebration of my upcoming birthday (on Saturday!) I am going to feature the Kindle version of Mind Trace with a free promotion on Amazon. So, if you have a Kindle, or know anyone who does, you can get Mind Trace on your Kindle for free, anytime during January 4th-5th.

In summary, I get older, and you get presents!   Works for me.

For those of you that don’t have a Kindle, you should also know you can download the Kindle app free on your iPhone or Android devices, or for your computer, and also read the book for free (during the promotional period!).

Hope you all had a great holiday! Happy New Year (and Birthday to me!)

Holiday Updates

Time is hard to come by during the holidays! Between food, family, and festivities, I have not had time to update this blog in a few weeks.

The giveaway on Goodreads has two more days until it ends. There’s still time to enter if you haven’t yet had a chance. So far, there are over two hundred entries (a much better turnout than my last giveaway)!

I’ve also been spending some time working on my second novel, which is now in the editing phases! There is no pending release date as of now, but I hope it will be completed sometime during the Spring of next year. It is not a direct sequel to “Mind Trace,” but it is in the same universe.  There are a few passing references to subject matter from “Mind Trace,” but nothing that would require you to have read that novel to understand this one. I have a title picked out, but I am keeping it under wraps for the time being. The new novel is more of a fantasy, and less science fiction, but still an exciting story! Expect action and suspense with a whole new set of characters!

If any of you have any questions or ideas for subjects you would like to see on this blog, please feel free to shoot me a message on Facebook, or leave a comment on here. I’m open to suggestions!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Goodreads and More

I recently discovered Goodreads.com and set up my author page there. I’m not sure where I’ve been the past few years, but this is an excellent website to find, review, and recommend books to fellow readers.

Because it will be December (tomorrow!) and I wanted to test out the cool features of Goodreads, I am having another contest on their website. It will start tomorrow (Dec. 1) and run through Dec. 20th.  This time, the prize is an autographed copy of “Mind Trace!” So, if you didn’t win last time, please enter again for another opportunity, and tell your friends!

You can enter to win here:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Good luck!

Contest Ended

The contest is officially over! Check back tonight or tomorrow to see the winner!

**EDIT: The winner has been chosen!

There were a total of 7 entries (including one that got lost on another post), and through random selection, Natalie Domanick was chosen as the winner!

Congratulations Natalie Domanick! Please send me a message through the Mind Trace page on Facebook with the address you would like the book to be shipped to.  Or, if you’d rather have the Kindle edition, please send me your email address.

**Note: If you do not respond in 72 hours, I will randomly select another winner! So please respond quickly!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and while I would have preferred a larger turnout, there’s always next time! Check back on the blog for more contests and updates!

Contest Ended!

The contest is officially over! Check back tonight or tomorrow to see the winner!

**EDIT: The winner has been chosen!

There were a total of 7 entries (including one that got lost on another post), and through random selection, Natalie Domanick was chosen as the winner!

Congratulations Natalie Domanick! Please send me a message through the Mind Trace page on Facebook with the address you would like the book to be shipped to.  Or, if you’d rather have the Kindle edition, please send me your email address.

**Note: If you do not respond in 72 hours, I will randomly select another winner! So please respond quickly!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and while I would have preferred a larger turnout, there’s always next time! Check back on the blog for more contests and updates!

Book Giveaway!

In order to get the word out there and generate some excitement, I decided to have a little contest.  The winner will receive a free copy of Mind Trace!

The rules are simple.  Leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered in the contest. I will select a random winner after the contest ends, and post the winner here, on my webpage. So check back on 11-28-2012 to see if you won!

Good luck!

TECHNICAL INFO:

One entry per user.
Contest will run from 11/20/2012 to 11/27/2012, 6:00PM CST.
One winner will be picked on or around 11/28/2012.
Prizing will be mailed out within 2 weeks of selecting a winner.

PRIZE:

One (1) winner will receive:

A copy of Mind Trace, by Holly McCaghren.

Some things to note:  If you are chosen as the winner, please send your contact information via a Facebook message to my “Mind Trace” page.  I will announce the winner here, on my website, so please check back here when the contest is over.

*If you do not respond within 72 hours,  you will forfeit your place, and I will select another winner. If that happens, I will post the new winner at that time.  

Amazon is Speedy

Well, it happened much faster than I expected, but you can now purchase both the Kindle and paperback editions of Mind Trace on Amazon now!

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Trace-eboo...

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Trace-Holl...

It will take a little while for Amazon to finish uploading the information, like the picture for the paperback edition, linking the Kindle version to the paperback version, and some other minor things. But you can begin purchasing now!

I’d like to thank my family and friends for being so supportive, and for patiently reading my manuscript and offering feedback, grammar corrections, and pointing out plot holes. It’s been an interesting journey, but all your patience and help has finally paid off!

Be sure to “like” my page on Facebook, and help spread the word!