Christa Simpson's Blog, page 27
November 9, 2013
November 1, 2013
A Twist of Fate – Book 3: The Twisted Trilogy
Silly me. I just realized that I’ve never actually posted my e-book cover for A Twist of Fate on here. Ta da!!! Here it is. What do you think? No naked men. Are you shocked? Upset? Relieved that I came out with something a little more sophisticated?
For those of you who might be a little disappointed, just a wee bit, I’ll make you feel better by giving you a taste of my synopsis. Mind you I just literally finished typing it, so it is most absolutely subject to change. 
SYNOPSIS:
Edwin Santora is the kind of man every woman wants to be “friends” with.
He was Abigail’s first love, the love of her life, but when the devastatingly handsome Edwin admitted he just wasn’t ready to settle down and have kids, Abigail was left back at ground zero surrounded by the remnants of her shattered heart. Convinced that he can win Abigail back, Edwin bides his time and waits for his chance to reclaim her body and her heart.
Cameron Clarke is what dreams are made of.
He was the man of Abigail’s dreams and she was smitten. She hadn’t actually expected that he would fall for her, but he did; which only makes the clean-up that much messier after he drops a bomb that shocks everyone. Lost without her, and with his motherless little girl’s broken heart on the line, Cameron’s determined to stop Edwin from stealing his future; but is it too late for him?
Torn between these two men who stand to give her everything she ever wanted, who will Abigail choose?
So, does it intrigue you? Maybe just a little bit? Fingers crossed that this baby will be ready for publication in December!!
October 30, 2013
JOIN MY STREET TEAM!!!
Join me and my Twisted Sisters on Facebook. Get exclusive sneak peeks at my writing, cover reveals, story ideas and other special author news. Get in on member only giveaways and come chat with other members of my street team about everything books!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/635167676517108/
October 29, 2013
Treasured Hearts Cover Reveal
I’m excited to share in Christy Newton’s cover reveal for her new book, Treasured Hearts. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18730395-treasured-hearts
Spies, weddings and new beginnings…
Ready to get back to work after a long leave from their PI business, Simon Fisher and Cammie Adams take the first case that comes their way. Someone is selling Mr. Wentworth’s company secrets and it’s up to them to find the spy. But when they get their answer, they uncover much more than company espionage….
After attending recent family weddings, Simon has become an expert at dodging Cammie’s hints about giving her a certain piece of jewelry he has always secretly feared. Simon doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to keep his girlfriend satisfied without giving her the one thing she still desires.
As they work their case, will Simon and Cammie discover another fortune or will they see that the greatest treasure of all is the one they already have…love?
You can visit Christy on her website or find her on Facebook!
www.christynewton.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christy-Newton/359791990763912
Related articles
Review: Stolen Hearts by Christy Newton (christasimpson.wordpress.com)
BOOK REVIEW – BEGIN AGAIN by Christy Newton (pageprincess.wordpress.com)
October 28, 2013
Nicole Colville Interview
If my review of Hidden Child caught your interest, maybe you’d be interested in reading the author’s most recent interview.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17791095-hidden-truths
October 19, 2013
October 18, 2013
Review: Stolen Hearts by Christy Newton
Here is my review of Stolen Hearts by Christy Newton, book one in the More Than Treasure series.
This was a very fast-paced story with a sweet romance and a perfect ending. 4.5 Stars. 
SYNOPSIS:
Jewels, deception and adventure…
_
Twenty-two year old Cammie Adams knows one thing for sure – life isn’t fair. She’s still an emotional wreck from the tragic loss of her parents seven years ago. Right after she gets her PI license she is not only robbed, but abducted, only to find her life was all a lie. When she finds her mother’s diary, she discovers she was only a pawn in her mother’s dangerous game. Now she must get back what is rightfully hers from the man that murdered her mother.
_
Hot and mysterious, Simon Fisher has really only loved one thing – jewels. This ex-jewel thief, now bodyguard, doesn’t even know what hits him when he rescues Cammie as a favor to her father. Simon must protect her, but soon finds out where there’s trouble, Cammie isn’t far behind. She will not only steal his prized jewel, but his heart.
MY REVIEW:
Cammie’s history is complicated and she quickly learns it was a total lie. She meets Simon, who has been appointed as her father’s hired bodyguard. He saves her ass and gives her the truths, whether she wants to hear them or not.
Simon didn’t strike me right away as being the man of her dreams, but I grew to like him. The romance was sweet, in that Cammie would take off whenever Simon would turn on the heat. I really wanted her to accept his advances sooner and I would have appreciated more descriptive intimate moments. I felt like I wasn’t allowed in their bedroom, but that’s how the author wanted it. I still enjoyed the chase and, by the end of the story, Simon had me swooning.
The pair of them seemed to have fun getting into trouble, though my first impression of Cammie was that she was a little on the prissy side. Before long, I realized that she wasn’t afraid to get a little dirty… especially when it involved Simon.
I’m very curious to know what adventures Ms. Newton will send Cammie and Simon on in the next installment of this series.
If you enjoy a fast-paced romantic suspense and/or a sweet romance, then maybe you’ll like Stolen Hearts.
FROM THE AUTHOR:
I’m a hopeless romantic writer, inspired by art, love and hope. I was lucky to have the support of my family and friends in my journey to publication. I’ve always been a creative person, but until I started writing, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Once my first novel was complete, it felt natural to continue writing. I just might be the only writer out there that doesn’t drink caffeine. Dark chocolate and warm cookies are my weaknesses. I love to read books that make me laugh out loud or make me want to live in the place they are set in. ~ AUTHOR CHRISTY NEWTON ~
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October 17, 2013
Review: I’m With You by Glenna Maynard
This is my 5 Star review of I’m With You by Glenna Maynard.
Gripping romance with a paranormal twist; my fav. Cutter is my man. He gives Bella exactly what she needs to help her cope with her depression after watching her sort-of boyfriend fall to his death. Add to that her boyfriend has a twin brother and you just know there is going to be trouble.
The emotions in this story go way beyond the mental anguish one suffers when dealing with a sudden death. It delves deeper into Bella’s mind, sharing her innermost fears and feelings, and exposing her tendencies to injure herself physically. She blames herself for the death of Harlan and cuts herself intentionally in an attempt to bleed out the guilt, release the poison surrounding her heart and to make her feel something for a change; anything.
Cutter makes her feel in a whole new way. I loved that.
If you can handle vulgar language and emotional torture from following Bella’s suicidal notions, then you should give this story a try. Be prepared for a twist that’ll rip out your heart; but Glenna will put it back together with duck tape, so it’s all good. 
_
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A mother by day and writer by night. When Glenna isn’t writing or spending time with family you can usually find her curled up reading a great book. She has a passion for romance and paranormal reads.
Glenna was born and raised in the beautiful hills of Eastern Ky where she still resides today. Her hobbies include reading, writing, scrap-booking, and cooking.
October 8, 2013
Dear IRS – Does applying for an ITIN really have to be this hard?
This is a Canadian Indie Author’s journey to getting an Individual Tax Identification Number (“ITIN”)… to stop the IRS from taking 30% of my book sales, when there’s a treaty that says they should get 0%!!
FIRST: I must tell you that if you’re planning on self-publishing soon, you should make your application to the IRS immediately!! I waited until after I hit the publish button with Amazon for my debut novel, Twisted, and quickly learned that, though an ITIN isn’t required, Amazon withholds 30% of your sales and remits it to the IRS.
I was surprised to sell 1,000 books within the first month of publishing, so needless to say I became more than a little disappointed to hand my money over to the IRS. There is a treaty between Canada and the United States that grants 0% withholding, but that isn’t effective and applied to your KDP account unless you file your W-8BEN with Amazon. You need an ITIN before you can file that form.
Here’s my gift to new self-published authors across Canada.
STEP ONE: You need a letter from Amazon for filing with your W7. You can get it HERE. Filling it out is self-explanatory.
SAMPLE W-7 Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
STEP TWO: You have to fill out a W-7 Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Here’s a link to the form that was current when I made my application in 2013. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf
Reason you are submitting: select h. ”Other” and insert, “To obtain a reduced rate of withholding in accordance with Article X11 of the treaty between Canada and the U.S.A.”, or something like that. I’ve attached a sample Application for your reference. Please note that Abigail Jenkins is a fictional character from The Twisted Trilogy and is used as an example only.
Here’s the kicker. You MUST send original identification or certified copies from the issuing agency. Note: The Ministry of Transportation refused to provide a certified copy of my Enhanced Driver’s Licence to me. What else could I do? I don’t have a passport. I tried sending notarial copies and they were rejected. In fact, the IRS gave me 30 days to send them originals of my ID or else they would reject the application and close my file.
I called every lawyer’s office specializing in tax law from here to Toronto. I contacted multiple Certified Acceptance Agents for the IRS located in Ontario. I’ve discussed this with every Ontario author I know. As far I am concerned, there is no way around it if you do not have certified copies from the issuing agency x2.
WARNING: If you plan to send your original passport or enhanced driver’s licence to the IRS, make sure you have no travel plans over the next 6 months. I’m not even joking. It took me 5 months to get my ITIN, after a lot of hassle and headache, and I JUST NOW (***note this is a revision*** :o ) received the originals of my ID back…over four months after submitting them. I am hard-pressed to call that PROMPT return, but whatever.
You heard right: Against my better judgment, I sent my original ID to the IRS by courier. I received a signature from Canada Post stating that the IRS received my courier package. The IRS denied ever having received it.
I didn’t know that they had lost such package, until I received my rejection notice, which says that they never received it. I use the term “says” lightly. After sending multiple correspondence to them (like 15 letters, no exaggerating), they finally issued me a ITIN. However not once did I receive a phone call or letter in response to my empty threats of lawsuit for fraud and identity theft and my other words of frustration from the convenience of them losing my originals.
You wonder why I didn’t call customer service. Oh, but I did. 31 minutes on hold (long distance on my cell phone) and a 1 minute telephone conversation with a heavily accented man who told me he was unable to help me, that I should try sending a letter by facsimile. Thanks for that number, by the way. It was useless. I did send the IRS letters by fax, as I said before, many, many times, to no avail.
Needless to say I’m not a friend of the IRS. Apparently I have to add the Canadian Postal Service to that list of unhelpful bastards now too. Rant over. Back to the point…
STEP THREE: Next you have to file the W-8BEN. Here’s a link to the form: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf
SAMPLE W-8BEN Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding
Check off a. and b. in Part II. Insert “Canada”; “0%”; Article “12″ and “I am a Canadian citizen and a non-resident of the USA.” I’ve attached a sample Certificate for your reference.
I understand, if you take the tax interview in your Amazon KDP account, that the W-8BEN can be filed electronically. As for submission to CreateSpace and Smashwords, the other distribution channels I use, I had to send originals.
THAT’S IT!! I only hope this will help to save you the trouble and aggravation I’ve suffered to get to this point today. GOOD LUCK!!
I’m not even going to pretend that I have any knowledge in this area, except that from my own horrific application experience.
***Please seek tax advice from a qualified tax advisor or lawyer familiar with U.S. and Canadian tax law for assistance particular to your own circumstances.***
Related articles
Some Things Canadian Writers Should Know About Selling Printed Books (droppedpebbles.wordpress.com)
Getting ITIN becomes even more difficult (expertotaxservice.wordpress.com)
Interim Changes to the ITIN Application Process (irsenrolledagent.wordpress.com)
October 6, 2013
Hidden Child by Nicole Colville – WARNING This story is very real.
Told from the child’s perspective, this story is guaranteed to tug at your heart strings. Add it to your Goodreads shelves now!!
Here’s my 5 star review for Nicole Colville’s Hidden Child:
This is a must read!! It touches on so many issues from the child’s perspective; child abuse, mental illness, a child’s struggle with loving a parent who continues to wrong him.I’ve never read anything quite like it, but it is so real.I wasn’t sure that I’d enjoy reading a story from a child’s perspective, especially since I mostly enjoy romance novels, but I found myself having to read this story to the end. It was all encompassing. In fact, there are a couple of vivid images that I would prefer to forget, but I can’t.
Terribly saddening, but very well written. Read it to see what I mean.
