LoveVickyHolt's Blog, page 2
August 20, 2015
Featuring a Beautiful Cover Reveal for Author Tamie Dearen
Thanks for stopping by! Please stay to comment after checking out this gorgeous book cover for Alora: The Portal !
Cover Reveal for Alora: The Portal The compelling story of the young soulmates, Alora and Kaevin, continues... The adventure begins with Alora: The Wander-Jewel.
Fifteen-year-old Alora has visions. 
Cover design by StunningBookCovers.com If one of them dies, they both die. Bound together as soulmates, something compels Alora and Kaevin to abandon the safety of their refuge for the dangers of Kaevin’s realm. The soulmates arrive in the midst of a raging battle as Stone Clan warriors defend their capital, an attack made more deadly by the pervasive evil of her father. Alora and Kaevin face mortal danger as they fight against man and magick to preserve Kaevin's home and heritage. For Alora's father will have her allegiance. Or her death. Praise for Alora "...I have to admit - I wish the book had not ended! ...The romance is sweet rather than steamy making this a clean read for young adults, but the action and adventure is thrilling enough to keep any age reader turning pages..." Today's Visions "I found Alora to be a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre! ... A YA fantasy with characters you will adore and cheer for, Alora is a book I would recommend to any of my friends!" Books Are Sanity Alora: The Portal is available on Amazon for the special pre-order price of 99¢ through the August 31 release date! As a bonus, Alora: The Wander-Jewel will be FREE on August 30 through August 31! Find Tamie Dearen on her website, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter. Excerpt from Alora: The Wander-Jewel Alora fought the urge to beat on the tile wall. He’d disappeared again. Who was this boy she kept seeing? Why did he only appear when she was in the shower? He seemed so real, and she could have sworn he looked as confused as she felt. As if he was trying to figure out who she was, as well. Was he a figment of her imagination? His eyes were so unusual. They were green. Not an ordinary green, but a deep, intense jade, the color of her aunt’s emerald ring. He was really cute, although he wore his wavy brown hair a little long for her taste. Yet she could only see his head—never his clothes or the background. Today he’d tied his hair back in a ponytail. Surely the fact he’d changed his hair was significant. Wouldn’t a figment of her imagination have his hair the same every time? She peeked around the shower curtain at the clock on the bathroom counter. It was five a.m. on a Saturday, and she had chores to do, feeding the horses and letting the chickens out. But it was winter, so she had plenty of time to spare before the rising sun tolled the beginning of her responsibilities. Living on a ranch in the backcountry of Montana meant cold winters, lots of work, and little time for leisure. It was the only life she’d ever known, and she usually enjoyed it, despite the heavy work involved. But right now, she wanted another stab at seeing that boy. The image was always so fuzzy. If only he wouldn’t disappear when she opened her eyes. She couldn’t summon his visage at will. He didn’t come every time she closed her eyes in the shower; it seemed to happen when she was relaxing and letting the water beat down on her head and shoulders. Maybe, if she were soaking in the tub, she might see his image again. She pushed the curtain back, put in the stopper, and turned the faucet on full blast. As an afterthought, she added bubble bath, filling the tub with fragrant suds. Soon the bath was full, with aromatic bubbles foaming on top. She eased into the soothing water, closing her eyes at the blissful caress of the heat on her tight muscles. And she waited. Anticipating. Would he come? She tried to stay alert, but the relaxing warmth seeped into her skin, lulling her to sleep. Awakening with a start in the cold water, disappointment formed a knot in her stomach—he’d never appeared. She released some water down the drain and added hot water, swirling it around until the temperature was comfortable again. She had five more minutes before she had to abandon her bath to start her workday. She lay back down, sinking below the water with her eyes closed, swishing the fresh water over her skin to remove the bubble bath film, her face floating above the surface to breathe. He appeared. She held her breath, clamping her eyes shut tight, trying to hold the image as long as possible. Though the apparition was still slightly blurry, she could see all of him, head to toe. She took advantage of her increased perception, thoroughly studying his image. She almost clapped her hands when her mental measurement estimated his height at over six feet. At five feet ten, she was taller than most boys her age. But she scolded herself for examining him as if he were a potential boyfriend. He wasn’t even real. His clothes were made of supple-looking brown leather. The attire was odd—held together with ties and toggles rather than buttons or zippers. The fit was close enough that his well-formed muscles were evident. She noted his long hair was tied back, as it had been earlier. She could only see the front of him as he stood frozen, stock-still, with his mouth agape, his jewel-green eyes wide and... moving. His eyes were moving, up and down, as if he were scanning her body as she had done. And it occurred to her if she could see all of him, he might be able to see all of her. She gasped, opening her eyes to dispense with the specter. But his image remained, now sharp and clear. And he seemed to be standing in her bathroom. She cowered under the water, attempting to hide under the few remaining bubbles. His eyes dropped down to her navel, and as they widened, he whispered, “Wendelle?” Lunging for her towel on the floor, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Hastily covering herself and preparing to leap from the tub, she looked up, only to discover the vision was gone—if indeed it had been a vision. Read the first two chapters of Alora: The Wander-Jewel here.
Cover Reveal for Alora: The Portal The compelling story of the young soulmates, Alora and Kaevin, continues... The adventure begins with Alora: The Wander-Jewel.
Fifteen-year-old Alora has visions. Only while in the shower. And only of one stranger: a handsome boy with long brown hair, intense green eyes, and the oddest clothes. A boy who vanishes whenever she opens her eyes.
And then one day, he doesn't…
Alora's safe world is soon turned upside-down as she's thrust into another realm where her soulmate waits, magic abounds, and unfathomable evil seeks to claim her.
The epic fantasy continues in Alora: The Portal .
Cover design by StunningBookCovers.com If one of them dies, they both die. Bound together as soulmates, something compels Alora and Kaevin to abandon the safety of their refuge for the dangers of Kaevin’s realm. The soulmates arrive in the midst of a raging battle as Stone Clan warriors defend their capital, an attack made more deadly by the pervasive evil of her father. Alora and Kaevin face mortal danger as they fight against man and magick to preserve Kaevin's home and heritage. For Alora's father will have her allegiance. Or her death. Praise for Alora "...I have to admit - I wish the book had not ended! ...The romance is sweet rather than steamy making this a clean read for young adults, but the action and adventure is thrilling enough to keep any age reader turning pages..." Today's Visions "I found Alora to be a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre! ... A YA fantasy with characters you will adore and cheer for, Alora is a book I would recommend to any of my friends!" Books Are Sanity Alora: The Portal is available on Amazon for the special pre-order price of 99¢ through the August 31 release date! As a bonus, Alora: The Wander-Jewel will be FREE on August 30 through August 31! Find Tamie Dearen on her website, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter. Excerpt from Alora: The Wander-Jewel Alora fought the urge to beat on the tile wall. He’d disappeared again. Who was this boy she kept seeing? Why did he only appear when she was in the shower? He seemed so real, and she could have sworn he looked as confused as she felt. As if he was trying to figure out who she was, as well. Was he a figment of her imagination? His eyes were so unusual. They were green. Not an ordinary green, but a deep, intense jade, the color of her aunt’s emerald ring. He was really cute, although he wore his wavy brown hair a little long for her taste. Yet she could only see his head—never his clothes or the background. Today he’d tied his hair back in a ponytail. Surely the fact he’d changed his hair was significant. Wouldn’t a figment of her imagination have his hair the same every time? She peeked around the shower curtain at the clock on the bathroom counter. It was five a.m. on a Saturday, and she had chores to do, feeding the horses and letting the chickens out. But it was winter, so she had plenty of time to spare before the rising sun tolled the beginning of her responsibilities. Living on a ranch in the backcountry of Montana meant cold winters, lots of work, and little time for leisure. It was the only life she’d ever known, and she usually enjoyed it, despite the heavy work involved. But right now, she wanted another stab at seeing that boy. The image was always so fuzzy. If only he wouldn’t disappear when she opened her eyes. She couldn’t summon his visage at will. He didn’t come every time she closed her eyes in the shower; it seemed to happen when she was relaxing and letting the water beat down on her head and shoulders. Maybe, if she were soaking in the tub, she might see his image again. She pushed the curtain back, put in the stopper, and turned the faucet on full blast. As an afterthought, she added bubble bath, filling the tub with fragrant suds. Soon the bath was full, with aromatic bubbles foaming on top. She eased into the soothing water, closing her eyes at the blissful caress of the heat on her tight muscles. And she waited. Anticipating. Would he come? She tried to stay alert, but the relaxing warmth seeped into her skin, lulling her to sleep. Awakening with a start in the cold water, disappointment formed a knot in her stomach—he’d never appeared. She released some water down the drain and added hot water, swirling it around until the temperature was comfortable again. She had five more minutes before she had to abandon her bath to start her workday. She lay back down, sinking below the water with her eyes closed, swishing the fresh water over her skin to remove the bubble bath film, her face floating above the surface to breathe. He appeared. She held her breath, clamping her eyes shut tight, trying to hold the image as long as possible. Though the apparition was still slightly blurry, she could see all of him, head to toe. She took advantage of her increased perception, thoroughly studying his image. She almost clapped her hands when her mental measurement estimated his height at over six feet. At five feet ten, she was taller than most boys her age. But she scolded herself for examining him as if he were a potential boyfriend. He wasn’t even real. His clothes were made of supple-looking brown leather. The attire was odd—held together with ties and toggles rather than buttons or zippers. The fit was close enough that his well-formed muscles were evident. She noted his long hair was tied back, as it had been earlier. She could only see the front of him as he stood frozen, stock-still, with his mouth agape, his jewel-green eyes wide and... moving. His eyes were moving, up and down, as if he were scanning her body as she had done. And it occurred to her if she could see all of him, he might be able to see all of her. She gasped, opening her eyes to dispense with the specter. But his image remained, now sharp and clear. And he seemed to be standing in her bathroom. She cowered under the water, attempting to hide under the few remaining bubbles. His eyes dropped down to her navel, and as they widened, he whispered, “Wendelle?” Lunging for her towel on the floor, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Hastily covering herself and preparing to leap from the tub, she looked up, only to discover the vision was gone—if indeed it had been a vision. Read the first two chapters of Alora: The Wander-Jewel here.
June 17, 2015
HI. My Name is J. L. Metcalf and I'm Addicted to Books
Please welcome my guest post writer, J. L. Metcalf as she bares her soul about a very dangerous addiction. Check out her deets below!
————————————————————————————————————
Buy Me: Confessions Of A Book Addict!
I’m a book addict. I admit it. I can never have enough books in my life and in fact, my “To Be Read” pile is reaching extraordinary levels these days. Dangerous levels even. But I’m smart; I don’t keep them all in one dangerous, teetery-tottery pile. I keep them scattered around the house, on various bookshelves. Luckily for me, I have a lot of bookshelves and they are all chock full of delicious readable goodness. Some I’ve read before (many times) and some I have had for years but haven’t gotten around to (but it comforts me that they are there just in case the mood strikes). The thing is, I keep buying more and more books, I cannot seem to stop! Lately, it’s gotten to crazy book lady (are there crazy book ladies?) proportions that I am helpless to stop. The truth is, I don’t want to stop, not really because honestly,
what is a life without books?
All of this leads to a good question, what makes me buy a particular book? Well, three things actually.
One, the story (I know, this is fairly obvious). Since I primarily buy my books online these days I do read the synopsis and I’ll decide if it sounds like a snoozer or a stay up all night and be exhausted the next day book. If it’s the second one, then you guessed it, I buy it! Two, the cover (hush up! I’ll explain!). I know we aren’t supposed to judge books by their covers but let’s be real here, I do and I bet you do too. When I used to spend hours in the local book store I would wander the aisles, looking for wayward books that needed comfy homes full of warm light and hot tea. How I would find these books would be by their covers. If it was bright, scary, interesting or anything of note that caught my eye, I would wander over, pick it up and read the synopsis on the back. Sometimes I would read the first page, then the second page, sometimes up to the 20th page because I’ve gotten so absorbed in the story. As an author myself, I know the value of a good cover. It has to be engaging enough that it makes someone pick it up. If the cover is generic or boring, no one is going to love the book and frankly, that makes me sad. Love the books!
All of the books!
Third, word of mouth. Some books people talk and talk and talk about and after awhile my curiosity gets the best of me and I have to see what they are all talking about. This is what happened to me with Fifty Shades of Grey. I kept hearing about how hot it was and how good it was and I thought, well, I have to read this and find out what the fuss is about. Personally, I found it to be a horrible book written in a horrible fashion about fairly idiotic people but I read it because my curiosity got the better of me. It happens to us all. Another example, that I hope will end better is The Martian. I just picked this bad boy up and I am PSYCHED to start reading it (but I must finish my other book first so patience little martian, patience) but the whole reason I got it? The trailer for the movie looked awesome AND a fellow reader recommended it. Once I read the synopsis I was sold.
It’s not a difficult process finding books to purchase, honestly, the hard part is NOT buying the books because almost every day I hear about, see or read about a book that I want to read right then and there but sadly, I can’t buy ALL the books…yet. The fact is, when I really start to think I get totally overwhelmed by all the books I haven’t read and all the books I probably will never get a chance to read. Frankly, that breaks my bookish heart a little bit but then I look around my home where books are practically scattered everywhere and I remind myself that for now, I have enough books to keep me busy for a couple years.
How about you dear reader? Are you a book addict like me? What makes you choose a story to delve into? Are you fussy or will you read anything? Tell me!
BUY ME: Confession Of A Book AddictBy J.L. Metcalf
Website: www.JuiceyCreativeWorks.webs.com
Buy My Books On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-L.-Metcalf/e/B00N83TNO0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434566846&sr=8-1
BIO: J.L. Metcalf lives in the Ocean State with her Artist Boyfriend and their very artistic cat. She one day hopes to live in a Hobbit Hole in the Shire so she can enjoy making jams, jellies and writing more books. She writes a weekly blog for Great Stories, Inc as “The Female Perspective”. She is the author of “The Last Daughter of Lilith” as well as "Coming Undone: Musings on Life, Love and Hobbits" that was released in February 2015. She is currently working on the sequel to "The Last Daughter of Lilith" amongst other projects and hopes to have her next book out on August 1st!
————————————————————————————————————
Buy Me: Confessions Of A Book Addict!
I’m a book addict. I admit it. I can never have enough books in my life and in fact, my “To Be Read” pile is reaching extraordinary levels these days. Dangerous levels even. But I’m smart; I don’t keep them all in one dangerous, teetery-tottery pile. I keep them scattered around the house, on various bookshelves. Luckily for me, I have a lot of bookshelves and they are all chock full of delicious readable goodness. Some I’ve read before (many times) and some I have had for years but haven’t gotten around to (but it comforts me that they are there just in case the mood strikes). The thing is, I keep buying more and more books, I cannot seem to stop! Lately, it’s gotten to crazy book lady (are there crazy book ladies?) proportions that I am helpless to stop. The truth is, I don’t want to stop, not really because honestly,
what is a life without books?
All of this leads to a good question, what makes me buy a particular book? Well, three things actually.
One, the story (I know, this is fairly obvious). Since I primarily buy my books online these days I do read the synopsis and I’ll decide if it sounds like a snoozer or a stay up all night and be exhausted the next day book. If it’s the second one, then you guessed it, I buy it! Two, the cover (hush up! I’ll explain!). I know we aren’t supposed to judge books by their covers but let’s be real here, I do and I bet you do too. When I used to spend hours in the local book store I would wander the aisles, looking for wayward books that needed comfy homes full of warm light and hot tea. How I would find these books would be by their covers. If it was bright, scary, interesting or anything of note that caught my eye, I would wander over, pick it up and read the synopsis on the back. Sometimes I would read the first page, then the second page, sometimes up to the 20th page because I’ve gotten so absorbed in the story. As an author myself, I know the value of a good cover. It has to be engaging enough that it makes someone pick it up. If the cover is generic or boring, no one is going to love the book and frankly, that makes me sad. Love the books!
All of the books!
Third, word of mouth. Some books people talk and talk and talk about and after awhile my curiosity gets the best of me and I have to see what they are all talking about. This is what happened to me with Fifty Shades of Grey. I kept hearing about how hot it was and how good it was and I thought, well, I have to read this and find out what the fuss is about. Personally, I found it to be a horrible book written in a horrible fashion about fairly idiotic people but I read it because my curiosity got the better of me. It happens to us all. Another example, that I hope will end better is The Martian. I just picked this bad boy up and I am PSYCHED to start reading it (but I must finish my other book first so patience little martian, patience) but the whole reason I got it? The trailer for the movie looked awesome AND a fellow reader recommended it. Once I read the synopsis I was sold. It’s not a difficult process finding books to purchase, honestly, the hard part is NOT buying the books because almost every day I hear about, see or read about a book that I want to read right then and there but sadly, I can’t buy ALL the books…yet. The fact is, when I really start to think I get totally overwhelmed by all the books I haven’t read and all the books I probably will never get a chance to read. Frankly, that breaks my bookish heart a little bit but then I look around my home where books are practically scattered everywhere and I remind myself that for now, I have enough books to keep me busy for a couple years.
How about you dear reader? Are you a book addict like me? What makes you choose a story to delve into? Are you fussy or will you read anything? Tell me!
BUY ME: Confession Of A Book AddictBy J.L. Metcalf
Website: www.JuiceyCreativeWorks.webs.com
Buy My Books On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-L.-Metcalf/e/B00N83TNO0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1434566846&sr=8-1
BIO: J.L. Metcalf lives in the Ocean State with her Artist Boyfriend and their very artistic cat. She one day hopes to live in a Hobbit Hole in the Shire so she can enjoy making jams, jellies and writing more books. She writes a weekly blog for Great Stories, Inc as “The Female Perspective”. She is the author of “The Last Daughter of Lilith” as well as "Coming Undone: Musings on Life, Love and Hobbits" that was released in February 2015. She is currently working on the sequel to "The Last Daughter of Lilith" amongst other projects and hopes to have her next book out on August 1st!
June 15, 2015
Buying a Book Unseen? One Author Spills the Beans on Cover Designs
Victoria Clapton, Yogini and Author of three paranormal books, agreed to share what makes her buy a book. Read on:
What inspires me to purchase a book?
I am almost ashamed to say that I am guilty of judging a book by its cover, but unfortunately I am. Unless I have heard about a book via a friend or some sort of social media, I almost always check out the cover before I read the descriptive blurb. A few times when the cover design caught my intrigue, I have bought the book without knowing what sort of story the book contained. Then again, I have bought many, many books with uninspiring covers that were still great reads.
Alas, I am a dichotomy. When an indie author has written a book, I approach it differently. In fact, I almost rarely look at the book cover at all and move on to the description. Sometimes it is a struggle to get a perfect eye-catching cover when one is an indie author, and a reader might miss a truly captivating tale if they passed over a novel simply because the cover lacked appeal. And occasionally, if I’ve related to some sort of quality of the indie author’s personality, I will buy the book sight unseen.
I have read Ms. Clapton's books, and they are filled with angst, the truest love, and adventure. Pick up your copies today!
Bio: Southern-born Victoria Clapton is no stranger to writing. She completed her first book of poetry at age eight and her first novel at age thirteen. Multilingual, friend to all creatures, (and in particular, especially a friend to cats in need of rescue), Victoria is a forever curious world traveler with a mysterious knowledge of things and places that encompass many lives ago, an avid collector of saga books, a practicing vegetarian and yogini with her feet well balanced in earth’s splendor. She and her cat companion, Oona, enjoy all things Viking, faery, vampire, new writing instruments, herbology and anime.
Awaken: http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Priestess-Warrior-Victoria-Clapton/dp/1503319040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-1&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
Dark Light:http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Light-Victoria-Clapton/dp/1484081528/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-3&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
Luminous Shadows: http://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Shadows-Dark-Light-Saga/dp/149590508X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-2&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
What inspires me to purchase a book?I am almost ashamed to say that I am guilty of judging a book by its cover, but unfortunately I am. Unless I have heard about a book via a friend or some sort of social media, I almost always check out the cover before I read the descriptive blurb. A few times when the cover design caught my intrigue, I have bought the book without knowing what sort of story the book contained. Then again, I have bought many, many books with uninspiring covers that were still great reads.
Alas, I am a dichotomy. When an indie author has written a book, I approach it differently. In fact, I almost rarely look at the book cover at all and move on to the description. Sometimes it is a struggle to get a perfect eye-catching cover when one is an indie author, and a reader might miss a truly captivating tale if they passed over a novel simply because the cover lacked appeal. And occasionally, if I’ve related to some sort of quality of the indie author’s personality, I will buy the book sight unseen.
I have read Ms. Clapton's books, and they are filled with angst, the truest love, and adventure. Pick up your copies today!Bio: Southern-born Victoria Clapton is no stranger to writing. She completed her first book of poetry at age eight and her first novel at age thirteen. Multilingual, friend to all creatures, (and in particular, especially a friend to cats in need of rescue), Victoria is a forever curious world traveler with a mysterious knowledge of things and places that encompass many lives ago, an avid collector of saga books, a practicing vegetarian and yogini with her feet well balanced in earth’s splendor. She and her cat companion, Oona, enjoy all things Viking, faery, vampire, new writing instruments, herbology and anime.
Awaken: http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Priestess-Warrior-Victoria-Clapton/dp/1503319040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-1&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
Dark Light:http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Light-Victoria-Clapton/dp/1484081528/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-3&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
Luminous Shadows: http://www.amazon.com/Luminous-Shadows-Dark-Light-Saga/dp/149590508X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434376513&sr=8-2&keywords=Victoria+Clapton
June 11, 2015
Your Summer Reading List Starts Here!
Would you die for a girl you just met?http://amzn.to/1yZP98vWas she worth it?http://bit.ly/98TheWitchsProphecy
May 11, 2015
The Art of Loving by S. H. Pratt Release Day!
Shoutout to Stefanie Pratt, Congrats on your book release! So fun to have your new baby out in the world! Here is all you need to know about The Art of Loving.
The Art of Loving (Picture of Love Series book 1) by S.H. Pratt
Purchase links:Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Art-Loving-Green-Brother-Picture-e…/…/
Kobo:https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-art-of-loving-2
Synopsis:Adam Green knew women. He knew them to be cold, cruel, and heartless… and he knew that he didn’t want that particular brand of misery. He scorned his twin brother, Austin, for yearning for the warmth of love and scoffed when Austin followed his girlfriend back to Montana. When Adam finds himself alone and fighting for life in the hospital, the only person who refuses to leave him is the one woman who makes him the most uncomfortable.Angie Hartman was a hopeless romantic wrapped in a pretty package, tied up with a ribbon of realism. She was thrilled for her best friend, Fiona, when Austin Green showed that love was something Fiona could have, but was terrified that he was pushing her back to Montana and the horror that lived there. When Austin’s brother, Adam, lands in the hospital, fighting to live, Angie’s past threatens to overwhelm her. Unable to bear the idea that Adam is alone, she ignores his obvious mistrust of women and resolutely stays by his side.As Adam and Angie build a tenuous friendship, Adam finds himself reassessing his belief that women were only there to serve as a one night stand and nothing more. Angie tempts him with her sugar spun kisses, quiet strength, and willingness to see past the growling, grizzly bear behavior that has kept women away in the past. In an unguarded moment, Angie sends Adam into a terrified panic while pushing her into a dangerous depression. Can Adam overcome his own past and repair his relationship with Angie before it’s too late?Where to stalk S.H. Pratt:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-H-PrattGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7161156.S_H_Pratt?from_search=trueTwitter: https://twitter.com/SHPratt701Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+StefaniePratt/postsPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/shprattauthor/tsu: https://www.tsu.co/SHPrattAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/S.H.-Pratt/e/B00KFO1FNW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1402935237&sr=8-1
The Art of Loving (Picture of Love Series book 1) by S.H. Pratt
Purchase links:Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Art-Loving-Green-Brother-Picture-e…/…/
Kobo:https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-art-of-loving-2
Synopsis:Adam Green knew women. He knew them to be cold, cruel, and heartless… and he knew that he didn’t want that particular brand of misery. He scorned his twin brother, Austin, for yearning for the warmth of love and scoffed when Austin followed his girlfriend back to Montana. When Adam finds himself alone and fighting for life in the hospital, the only person who refuses to leave him is the one woman who makes him the most uncomfortable.Angie Hartman was a hopeless romantic wrapped in a pretty package, tied up with a ribbon of realism. She was thrilled for her best friend, Fiona, when Austin Green showed that love was something Fiona could have, but was terrified that he was pushing her back to Montana and the horror that lived there. When Austin’s brother, Adam, lands in the hospital, fighting to live, Angie’s past threatens to overwhelm her. Unable to bear the idea that Adam is alone, she ignores his obvious mistrust of women and resolutely stays by his side.As Adam and Angie build a tenuous friendship, Adam finds himself reassessing his belief that women were only there to serve as a one night stand and nothing more. Angie tempts him with her sugar spun kisses, quiet strength, and willingness to see past the growling, grizzly bear behavior that has kept women away in the past. In an unguarded moment, Angie sends Adam into a terrified panic while pushing her into a dangerous depression. Can Adam overcome his own past and repair his relationship with Angie before it’s too late?Where to stalk S.H. Pratt:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-H-PrattGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7161156.S_H_Pratt?from_search=trueTwitter: https://twitter.com/SHPratt701Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+StefaniePratt/postsPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/shprattauthor/tsu: https://www.tsu.co/SHPrattAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/S.H.-Pratt/e/B00KFO1FNW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1402935237&sr=8-1
May 9, 2015
Getting Readers to Buy Your Book in One Click!
Thanks for stopping by! Today I'm excited to present a Q&A session with Lori Follett of WickedBookCovers.com on what makes her decide to spend money on a book.
Lori designs book covers for a living. Here's a sample of one of her favorites.
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Read on for golden tips that could help you get your book on someone's One Click list!
photo courtesy morguefile.com>
As a reader, your time is precious. What first catches your eye about a book's cover? (Especially considering you design covers!)
This is a tricky one for me because I do design covers for a living. If a book does not have a clean, professionally designed cover, as bad as it sounds, I won’t even read the blurb. In my mind, if the author believes in themselves enough to invest in professional services, then they deserve my time. Also, typically speaking, those without professionally designed covers are also not professionally edited, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. There’s not much worse than getting distracted from the story than glaring grammar and plot mistakes. >
photo courtesy morguefile.com >
Do you find yourself buying books that are similar to each other...I mean, is there a go-to formula that really works for you and that you enjoy reading again and again?
I do tend to read a lot of the same style books. I have a weakness for paranormal and romance novels, but I like to be open to other genres as much as possible. If a book is recommended by people I know (either in real life or through social media) time and time again, it will peak my interest and I may check it out if it sounds interesting and has good reviews. >
> How long does it take you to decide to buy a given book? If the book is by an author I have enjoyed before and it sounds good, I can be a bit of an impulse shopper. If the author is unknown to me, I do have a process. Typically, I come across the book because I have seen it posted a lot on my feed by readers. I tend to steer clear of those that I only see posted by the author repetitively in Facebook groups and the like. I find it annoying. Once something peaks my interest, I’ll skim through the Amazon reviews. Generally, I’ll read a couple 4 or 5 star reviews, a couple mid-range reviews and a couple 1 star reviews. Every book isn’t good to everyone, so I take both 5 star and 1 star reviews with a grain of salt. If the one star reviews complain about a lack of editing or poor formatting, I will generally move on. If the book still sounds like something I’d like, I’ll add the sample to my Kindle (sometimes to read later, sometimes I’ll read it right there in the browser). If I get through the sample and want to keep reading, I’ll buy it. If it was just okay, I might save the sample in my Kindle to check out again later. Sometimes I may have just not been in the mood for that particular book. Otherwise, I delete the sample and move on to something else. So sometimes, I’m impulsive. Other times, I’ll take 15 minutes or so to go through reviews and such and purchase. Sometimes, I will debated on it for a few days. Then, if I see people talking about it, I’ll generally go back and purchase it. If I am sucked into what I am currently reading or have an immediate plan to continue reading through a series before I start a new book, I’ll just download the sample to remind me to purchase it when I’m ready to buy and read it.>
photo courtesy morguefile.com >
On a scale of one to ten, how important is the cover in your decision process to buy?
As much as I don’t want to be that person, I am and it’s a 10. I just can’t bring myself to invest time/money in someone who won’t invest in themselves.
> On a scale of one to ten, how important is the blurb in your decision process to buy? The blurb, while it’s important, I know how difficult it is to write and I tend to put more stock in the reviews than the blurb, so I guess I’d give it a 6.
> On a scale of one to ten, how important is the sample? The sample is crucial. It’s an 11. I have to be hooked to be motivated to purchase the book. The only time I may not take this into consideration is if the book is free. Generally, if the reviews and blurb sound promising AND I’ve seen it come across my feed from readers/bloggers, I’ll buy it to check out later. >
> Can you sum up your thought process in deciding to buy a given book? If I could say anything to authors about my personal buying habits, it’s that the cover draws in readers. People are naturally visual and motivated by visual elements. Everyone these days has Photoshop, but not everyone can design a pleasing cover. Homemade covers look amateur and as an author, you are represented by your covers first. Because I am a designer, I also tend to skip past books that are generic looking. Next, edit, edit, edit and then proofread again . Everyone makes mistakes and a few here and there are to be expected (even in big publishing house books), but you cannot edit your own work and your friends and family, while helpful, cannot be your only source of editing and proofreading. Get beta readers, get a good editor and a different proofreader. Even the best editors miss things too! There is nothing worse than being dragged out of story by a 14-line rambling sentence or glaring grammar errors. Blasting your book daily to 50-someodd Facebook groups is not only annoying, but I don’t know a single person who has decided to buy a book based on a Facebook group ad. It seems to me that most authors don’t even go into the groups, but just share to the group from their fan page and the only other members in the group are authors now anyhow. Get your book out to bloggers, offer it to readers in exchange for honest reviews, get people talking about it. Those are the kinds of promotion I take stock in. I also think a social media presence is crucial . Represent yourself, be real, but also be somewhat professional.
photo courtesy dollarphotoclub.comIf an author does nothing but complain about other authors or bash negative reviews, I will remove them and their books from my lists. If they are open, real and supportive of their fellow authors/bloggers/book professionals, that shows a lot of themselves as a person and I can respect that. I’ll want them to succeed and will also support them in turn. I also find an author website (that doesn’t look like a throwback to the nineties lol) to be helpful in finding other work by an author I enjoyed reading or to figure out what’s the next book in a series if it isn’t well-labeled in the first book. And, although I know the sheer amount of time, energy and money that is put into a book, I have a hard time spending more than $4.99 on an ebook, whether it is independently published or through a big house publisher. I’d have to be seriously motivated to spend more than that. If it’s available in both paperback and ebook, I think the ebook should be about half as much as the printed version because of lessened costs. I’ve also learned that free books aren’t always great. Sometimes it feels like a ploy to get you to buy the rest of the series and sometimes it feels like it’s just not that great. There are exceptions to this, but I also tend to be wary of free ebooks. >
> Feel free to share any examples of recent book purchases! Recently, I read
Consequences by Aleatha Romig. I was growing tired of a series I had been reading and had tried several books that I just couldn’t get into (mostly because of poor editing) and wanted to take a break with something different. It was the first book in a box set I had won at an author Facebook event a long time ago and never got around to checking out. I read through the blurb and then went to Amazon and read a few reviews and decided to give it a try. About half way through the book (maybe sooner), I was ready to toss it aside. The writing was fantastic, I was invested in the characters, but I wasn’t happy where it was going. Then suddenly, I kept seeing it pop up on Facebook and people raving about how good the series was (at the time I wasn’t even aware it was a series). So I kept reading. And, I’m so glad I did. Personally, I reserve 5-star reviews for books that I absolutely loved (and in most cases would read again). This book got a 5 star from me. Had it not been for the people talking about it on Facebook, I would have really missed out. Even as tired as I was (it was well after midnight when I finished it), I immediately went to the Amazon store and downloaded the sample to the next one and read until I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. I know I won’t hesitate to "one-click" it as soon as I get to the end of the sample.
Lori designs book covers for a living. Here's a sample of one of her favorites.
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Read on for golden tips that could help you get your book on someone's One Click list!
photo courtesy morguefile.com>
As a reader, your time is precious. What first catches your eye about a book's cover? (Especially considering you design covers!)
This is a tricky one for me because I do design covers for a living. If a book does not have a clean, professionally designed cover, as bad as it sounds, I won’t even read the blurb. In my mind, if the author believes in themselves enough to invest in professional services, then they deserve my time. Also, typically speaking, those without professionally designed covers are also not professionally edited, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. There’s not much worse than getting distracted from the story than glaring grammar and plot mistakes. >
photo courtesy morguefile.com >
Do you find yourself buying books that are similar to each other...I mean, is there a go-to formula that really works for you and that you enjoy reading again and again?
I do tend to read a lot of the same style books. I have a weakness for paranormal and romance novels, but I like to be open to other genres as much as possible. If a book is recommended by people I know (either in real life or through social media) time and time again, it will peak my interest and I may check it out if it sounds interesting and has good reviews. >> How long does it take you to decide to buy a given book? If the book is by an author I have enjoyed before and it sounds good, I can be a bit of an impulse shopper. If the author is unknown to me, I do have a process. Typically, I come across the book because I have seen it posted a lot on my feed by readers. I tend to steer clear of those that I only see posted by the author repetitively in Facebook groups and the like. I find it annoying. Once something peaks my interest, I’ll skim through the Amazon reviews. Generally, I’ll read a couple 4 or 5 star reviews, a couple mid-range reviews and a couple 1 star reviews. Every book isn’t good to everyone, so I take both 5 star and 1 star reviews with a grain of salt. If the one star reviews complain about a lack of editing or poor formatting, I will generally move on. If the book still sounds like something I’d like, I’ll add the sample to my Kindle (sometimes to read later, sometimes I’ll read it right there in the browser). If I get through the sample and want to keep reading, I’ll buy it. If it was just okay, I might save the sample in my Kindle to check out again later. Sometimes I may have just not been in the mood for that particular book. Otherwise, I delete the sample and move on to something else. So sometimes, I’m impulsive. Other times, I’ll take 15 minutes or so to go through reviews and such and purchase. Sometimes, I will debated on it for a few days. Then, if I see people talking about it, I’ll generally go back and purchase it. If I am sucked into what I am currently reading or have an immediate plan to continue reading through a series before I start a new book, I’ll just download the sample to remind me to purchase it when I’m ready to buy and read it.>
photo courtesy morguefile.com >
On a scale of one to ten, how important is the cover in your decision process to buy?
As much as I don’t want to be that person, I am and it’s a 10. I just can’t bring myself to invest time/money in someone who won’t invest in themselves.> On a scale of one to ten, how important is the blurb in your decision process to buy? The blurb, while it’s important, I know how difficult it is to write and I tend to put more stock in the reviews than the blurb, so I guess I’d give it a 6.
> On a scale of one to ten, how important is the sample? The sample is crucial. It’s an 11. I have to be hooked to be motivated to purchase the book. The only time I may not take this into consideration is if the book is free. Generally, if the reviews and blurb sound promising AND I’ve seen it come across my feed from readers/bloggers, I’ll buy it to check out later. >
> Can you sum up your thought process in deciding to buy a given book? If I could say anything to authors about my personal buying habits, it’s that the cover draws in readers. People are naturally visual and motivated by visual elements. Everyone these days has Photoshop, but not everyone can design a pleasing cover. Homemade covers look amateur and as an author, you are represented by your covers first. Because I am a designer, I also tend to skip past books that are generic looking. Next, edit, edit, edit and then proofread again . Everyone makes mistakes and a few here and there are to be expected (even in big publishing house books), but you cannot edit your own work and your friends and family, while helpful, cannot be your only source of editing and proofreading. Get beta readers, get a good editor and a different proofreader. Even the best editors miss things too! There is nothing worse than being dragged out of story by a 14-line rambling sentence or glaring grammar errors. Blasting your book daily to 50-someodd Facebook groups is not only annoying, but I don’t know a single person who has decided to buy a book based on a Facebook group ad. It seems to me that most authors don’t even go into the groups, but just share to the group from their fan page and the only other members in the group are authors now anyhow. Get your book out to bloggers, offer it to readers in exchange for honest reviews, get people talking about it. Those are the kinds of promotion I take stock in. I also think a social media presence is crucial . Represent yourself, be real, but also be somewhat professional.
photo courtesy dollarphotoclub.comIf an author does nothing but complain about other authors or bash negative reviews, I will remove them and their books from my lists. If they are open, real and supportive of their fellow authors/bloggers/book professionals, that shows a lot of themselves as a person and I can respect that. I’ll want them to succeed and will also support them in turn. I also find an author website (that doesn’t look like a throwback to the nineties lol) to be helpful in finding other work by an author I enjoyed reading or to figure out what’s the next book in a series if it isn’t well-labeled in the first book. And, although I know the sheer amount of time, energy and money that is put into a book, I have a hard time spending more than $4.99 on an ebook, whether it is independently published or through a big house publisher. I’d have to be seriously motivated to spend more than that. If it’s available in both paperback and ebook, I think the ebook should be about half as much as the printed version because of lessened costs. I’ve also learned that free books aren’t always great. Sometimes it feels like a ploy to get you to buy the rest of the series and sometimes it feels like it’s just not that great. There are exceptions to this, but I also tend to be wary of free ebooks. >> Feel free to share any examples of recent book purchases! Recently, I read
Consequences by Aleatha Romig. I was growing tired of a series I had been reading and had tried several books that I just couldn’t get into (mostly because of poor editing) and wanted to take a break with something different. It was the first book in a box set I had won at an author Facebook event a long time ago and never got around to checking out. I read through the blurb and then went to Amazon and read a few reviews and decided to give it a try. About half way through the book (maybe sooner), I was ready to toss it aside. The writing was fantastic, I was invested in the characters, but I wasn’t happy where it was going. Then suddenly, I kept seeing it pop up on Facebook and people raving about how good the series was (at the time I wasn’t even aware it was a series). So I kept reading. And, I’m so glad I did. Personally, I reserve 5-star reviews for books that I absolutely loved (and in most cases would read again). This book got a 5 star from me. Had it not been for the people talking about it on Facebook, I would have really missed out. Even as tired as I was (it was well after midnight when I finished it), I immediately went to the Amazon store and downloaded the sample to the next one and read until I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. I know I won’t hesitate to "one-click" it as soon as I get to the end of the sample.
April 17, 2015
The Pathway to One-Clicking Your Book
I'm starting a series with my blog on exploring the whys and wherefores of buying a given book. I'd like to talk about thought processes I have gone through to buy a book, and maybe give myself some marketing tips as a result! What makes you buy a book? I'd like to invite some authors along on this journey too, so stay tuned.
The most recent book I purchased was as a result of attending a book release party. (For tips on hosting a fantastic Facebook book release party, read here.) I don't *always* purchase the books at a release party...oh wait. Yes, yes I do. Unless I win a book at the giveaway. I have hosted my own release parties, and have definitely reaped the rewards of such in sales. But we can't have release parties every weekend! So we need more ideas! I bought a full price book a couple weeks ago as a result of a great blurb and a sponsored ad on Facebook. This could be valuable information to an author, and I did happen to let her know that I saw the ad, read the blurb, and bought the book.
Finally, I've recently experienced a rash of one-clicking book purchases. These have been a direct result of in-your-face promotions announcing the cheap price of .99 combined with great covers! To sum up:
The most recent book I purchased was as a result of attending a book release party. (For tips on hosting a fantastic Facebook book release party, read here.) I don't *always* purchase the books at a release party...oh wait. Yes, yes I do. Unless I win a book at the giveaway. I have hosted my own release parties, and have definitely reaped the rewards of such in sales. But we can't have release parties every weekend! So we need more ideas! I bought a full price book a couple weeks ago as a result of a great blurb and a sponsored ad on Facebook. This could be valuable information to an author, and I did happen to let her know that I saw the ad, read the blurb, and bought the book.
Finally, I've recently experienced a rash of one-clicking book purchases. These have been a direct result of in-your-face promotions announcing the cheap price of .99 combined with great covers! To sum up: Ads put the cover in front of people. The cover needs to be smashing. The price needs to match a person's willingness to risk the purchase.Nothing I've said here is new, but it does beg the question: what am I doing to get my title out there, and what are you doing? Good luck.
March 22, 2015
Writing for Control
I don't know about any of you, but my writing is closely tethered to my emotional well being. Part of me feels like I need to have perfect circumstances in which to write, and the other part of me feels like I write to escape less than ideal circumstances. Lately I have really enjoyed writing as an escape! How wonderful is it to enter a world where we as writers have almost total control? ( I say almost, because I know writers who claim their characters often hold them hostage. Hey, it happens.) When I was a child, I loved to play with dollhouses. I would spend hours removing all of the furniture and accoutrements, only to arrange and rearrange, deciding which rooms would serve what purpose and so on. This was the perfect way to exert control over my environment, and writing accomplishes the same thing!
I respectfully suggest that if your life feels like it's spinning out of control, you take virtual reality by the hand and arrange it to your liking. I find after these exercises, I spring back to my regular life feeling much more capable of handling whatever comes next.
I respectfully suggest that if your life feels like it's spinning out of control, you take virtual reality by the hand and arrange it to your liking. I find after these exercises, I spring back to my regular life feeling much more capable of handling whatever comes next.
January 13, 2015
January 5, 2015
The Goodreads Giveaway Winners Have Been Announced!
It is my pleasure to announce the winners of the 98 The Witch's Prophecy Goodreads Giveaway!My winners are:
Sarit Dana Yahalomi of Maryland
Heather Moulton of California
Zackery Vering of Nebraska
Virginia Madrid of Pennsylvania
Tracy Hebert of Louisianna
Natalie Hughes of Pennsylvania
Congratulations lucky winners! Your books will be on their way in a couple weeks!
