Star Catcher

Stephanie Keyes, a fellow Inkspeller, has launched yet another masterpiece! Please join me in welcoming her book to the world:

Happy Book Birthday Stephanie! I hope it's the best ever!!!

To learn more about Stephanie and her books visit her website at Stephanie

Awesome Cover Reveal

Check out the cover release from my friend, Deb Peterson! What a beautiful cover... 

Blurb:

Kapitein Rand Van Locken has no idea what awaits him as he boards the Spanish galleon on behalf of the Dutch West India Company, or that the beautiful woman imprisoned within will change his life in ways he never imagined or even desired. Until now...

Lissa Capoen, didn't plan for the Spaniards to capture her while attempting  to rescue her sister. She didn't foresee the handsome sea captain coming swiftly to her aid and offering his assistance. Nor did she expect him to steal her heart and claim it as his own.

Yet, as destiny brings them ever closer together, Armando Manera is determined to recapture the witch and present her to the Spanish King. No matter what it takes...



Debbie Peterson
Author of:
Spirit of the Rebellion
Spirit of the Revolution
Spirit of the Knight
Shadow of the Witte Wieven


Author Website: http://dk-peterson.com/
Blog: http://debbie-peterson.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebbiePeterson1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Debbie-Peterson/214882805206529


Can't wait for the release of this one!  

Blog Tour for Hunted

Hunted's Blog Tour has begun! Visit these awesome bloggers and leave your comments, follow their blogs, or just read up on all they have to offer. You won't be disappointed...

Date	Day	Blog
9/20/2013	Friday	http://www.itchingforbooks.com
9/21/2013	Saturday	Http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com
9/22/2013	Sunday	http://turningthepagesx.blogspot.com
9/23/2013	Monday	booknerdparadise.blogspot.com
9/24/2013	Tuesday	http://shellysrambles.blogspot.ca/
9/25/2013	Wednesday	http://www.stephaniekeyes.com/the-blog/
9/26/2013	Thursday	http://we-do-write.blogspot.com
9/27/2013	Friday	http://tugceninkitapligi.com
9/28/2013	Saturday	http://rmcinque.wordpress.com/
9/29/2013	Sunday	http://novelstheywroteormoviestheymade.blogspot.com/
9/30/2013	Monday	http://www.rainydaysandpajamas.com
10/1/2013	Tuesday	http://stephanielawton.com/
10/2/2013	Wednesday	http://booksturnbrains.com
10/3/2013	Thursday	www.books-ahoy.blogspot.com
10/4/2013	Friday	http://booksforbirdsblog.wordpress.com/
10/5/2013	Saturday	Http://lbookbliss.wordpress.com
10/6/2013	Sunday	http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com/
10/7/2013	Monday	www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
10/8/2013	Tuesday	http://distancebookclub.blogspot.com/
10/9/2013	Wednesday	http://www.whatsbeyondforks.com
10/10/2013	Thursday	http://www.thereadingdiaries.com/
10/11/2013	Friday	http://www.snowdropdreams.ca

Confession of a Starry Eyed Author

It's been exactly three weeks since Hunted has been released into the world and I have a confession to make. I thought selling my book would be easy. 

Go ahead and laugh...it's pretty funny. I expected to sell 150 books the first week! You see, Hunted is only available as an e-book. Once I sell 150 copies, it will be printed by the publisher. But, this has to happen by November. 

I never wanted to sound over-confident, but I always expected those sales to happen rapidly. I thought Inkspell Publishing would be so proud of me for selling so many books so fast. Other than a few close friends, luckily I never bragged about selling so many in the first week...:)  

The first day I sold about 26 copies and by the end of the first week sales were at 41. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited that sales are steady and the blog tour is happening soon, so that will be great for publicity. My very cool postcards just arrived, too. 

So now, this starry eyed author has faced reality and learned a valuable lesson. Promoting any book isn't easy. Just like writing, it takes persistence. Hard work pays off, right? I have an awesome team of friends and former students willing to push my book on anyone with an operating device. Be ready team! Postcards are coming your way this week. Sell, sell, sell!

It's Official!

I can now officially call myself a PUBLISHED AUTHOR! It still feels so surreal. 

Hunted was released on Saturday and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I'm a crier. I cry at the end of every book; sad, happy, or indifferent. I even cry at the Publix commercials when they won't let the little salt-shakers inside during the holidays! Awful! But the tears I shed on Saturday were happy tears. The kind that showed how all of my hard work had paid off. 

It started Friday around 10:30 pm when the publisher began letting me know that the book was live on Inkspell's site and Amazon.com. I cried when I Googled it and saw it sitting there, waiting to be purchased. Then, one of my best friends, Kristi, took a screen-shot of MY book sitting on the shelf of her Kindle. Any wanna-be author will tell you that it's a dream to see your book sitting on a bookshelf one day. Kristi made that happen for me and I will remember it always. 

Managing to unwind myself enough to sleep for a few hours, I was supposed to meet another couple of friends for breakfast the next morning so they could download the book with me. Suspicion arose when my daughter, who is never awake before eleven, had set her alarm to join us and then proceeded to offer to drive me there. She hates driving. 

As we pulled up to the clubhouse, I knew I had been bamboozled. :) (I just love that word!) My amazing friends, Shannon, Melissa, and Audra had spent countless hours and oodles of money throwing me an amazing SURPRISE book birthday party complete with posters of the cover, bookmarks, a cake with the cover on it, and even a wifi downloading station for everyone to use. It was unbelievable! Needless to say, many more tears flowed. They made my day so very special, one I will never forget.

All in all, it was an amazing start to what I hope will be a phenomenal ride. My book is alive now. It is out there for the world to read. Five years in the making and two more to get to this point. This author is at a loss for words when it comes to the joy in her heart. Thank you for buying my book, Hunted. I hope you enjoy. 

MY COVER REVEAL!

The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived...

The reveal of the cover of my first novel in the Cycle Thirteen series:  Hunted

Enjoy!

Get those Nooks, Kindles, iPads, etc. charged up and ready. The e-book release happens in 5 days!!!

Book Blurb:

8

That’s how old I was when I found out I was special. I was given my rose quartz gem and taught about my past.

13

That’s how many times I've lived in this world. This is my thirteenth life cycle as a human.

1

That’s how many seconds it took me to fall in love with Mike.  It’s also the amount of time I had to say goodbye to him just before he was killed by Reggie, the hunter that’s been after me for months.

Will Reggie succeed in killing the love of my life and me, and possibly eradicating the planet of the unicorn race forever? Find out in Hunted: A Cycle Thirteen Novel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Kaelin is a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a degree in elementary education, and Nova Southeastern University with a graduate degree in teaching. She currently lives and teaches elementary school in Florida with her talented daughter Justyce, playful dog Coco, and three cats. She enjoys quiet mornings in front of her computer plunging into the lives of her characters. Her favorite things to do include inspiring young writers, reading paranormal romance novels, and watching her daughter dance on stage.

Web Page: www.jillkaelin.weebly.com

Twitter: @jillkaelin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cycle13Hunted?ref=hl

Blog: http://jillkaelin.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY!!

Blast my cover to everyone you know! There's a free bookmark in it for you uniquely designed for the Cycle Thirteen series by JA-SO Art Glass Jewelry. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Good News...

Hunted will be released on AUGUST 17th!!!!  

That's right...just five little days between the cover reveal and the e-book release! Doesn't get any better than that. 

I feel like the only thing I say anymore is "I'm so excited." Is there a better word? Enthusiastic? Thrilled? How about electrified? No matter how you describe it, I cannot wait for the world to read Hunted. After so many years of working on this novel, the reality of its birth is almost here. 

Timing is Everything

It's almost time to reveal the Cover of HUNTED! I'm so excited, I can hardly type this post. 

My teacher friends are probably wishing August 12th doesn't arrive any time soon. That's the day before we head back to work for the next school year. I, however, can't wait! To be able to share my book cover with the world will be a very happy day for me. Sorry teachers, but HURRY UP AUGUST 12th! 

At the stroke of midnight when August 12th begins, I'll also be flying high for another reason. I'll literally be on a plane returning from California to Florida. That's right...taking the red-eye back home and landing at 5 in the morning! Crazy, right? Who sleeps on planes anyway? I'll be working the laptop, revealing my cover from thousands of feet in the air. This author can't think of a better way to launch her book. Just hope I don't keep anyone else awake with my keyboard banter. 

So stay tuned...I promise to hurry along the days as quickly as I can. 

COUNTDOWN CLOCK WIDGETS

The "C" Word

How many times a day is considered normal to check your e-mail when you're expecting something special? The "C" word around my house is COVER. You weren't thinking of something else, were you?  

The cover design for Cycle 13: Hunted should be out soon and it's killing me with anticipation. I'm so excited to see the way the book is interpreted through the art on the cover. All authors must feel this way, right?

The first thing I do in the morning is pop open the laptop and click on the letter Y. This immediately pulls up Yahoo--because my computer seems to be expecting this action--and I hold my breath to see the little envelope in the corner. I feel it's important to mention that this is an email account that few have access to, one of which being my publisher. So any time that purple rectangle is lit up with a number, my heart skips a beat, leaps, and then sinks until I press MAIL. (Can you tell I've done this a few times?) Oh, and the worst is when I check Yahoo on my phone. That darn circle of dots that says "checking for updates" seems to last hours! Needless to say, it's been breathtakingly disappointing when a wayward junk message finds it's way into my inbox.

That being said, I must admit that I sort of like the anticipation at the same time. Weird, huh? I mean, once the "C" word is revealed, the only thing I have left to look forward to is the book birthday...which, I'm sure will hold it's own restless excitement.

I'm off to check my Yahoo account again. I'll keep you posted! :)

Graduation

As most of you know, due to my many annoying posts, my daughter graduated high school this past week. While preparing for her party, I've spent countless hours going through old photos and reliving the past eighteen years of my life.

Advice from many sprang to mind from years ago..."Enjoy her while she's young; They grow up so fast; Cherish each moment." All of these words meant little to me at the time. Sure, I did everything I could to remember her youth. This is evidenced through the many videos and pictures. But I can honestly say that those words of advice never meant much to me because time seemed to stand still, at least while I was living those precious moments.

Now, being the older and wiser mom that I am, I wish I would've been able to pause time. Perhaps a life's remote control...fast forward through the earaches, heart problem issues, and other illnesses...but put special occasions, recitals, and mommy-daughter days on slow motion or repeat. ((sigh))

So those of you with young ones, heed my advice and cherish each smile, each belly-busting laugh, and each scribbly drawing brought home from school. Because before you know it, those moments begin to dissipate and turn into career plans.

Luckily for me, my daughter and I are very close, so even though her high school days are over, I know we'll have many more times recorded both mentally and photographically.

 

Congratulations Graduate!

Inkspell Publishing Free Read

Have you been wondering what Cycle 13 is all about? Well, the wait is partially over...

Inkspell Publishing asked its authors to write a short story related to their books and mine is officially available today...FOR FREE! That's right. It won't cost you a dime to meet Mike and Skye, the two main characters from my book coming in August. So the anticipation is over. Download it today!

 

Inkspell Publishing Free Reads Week 

Check This Out

 

This cover looks amazing!  Can't wait to read the book...ENJOY!

 

 

 

My name is Gavyn.

Liam doesn’t care that I only have one arm. He actually likes my red hair and freckles. I might forgive him for kidnapping me.

 

My name is Gavyn.

 

I lost my Liam. I’ve lost them all. And now it’s my job to make sure they don’t show up again.

My name is Gavyn.
 

I had a life with Liam, but he couldn’t give me what I need. Then I killed his father. I don’t expect he’ll forgive me for that.

My name is Gavyn.

About the author:

 

Kacey Vanderkarr is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She’s known to be annoyingly optimistic and listen to music at the highest decibel. When she’s not writing, she coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, crazy cats, and two bearded dragons. Visit www.kaceyvanderkarr.com for more information.

 

Twitter: @kacimari

Blog: www.kaceyvanderkarr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kacey-Vanderkarr-Young-Adult-Author/128956043852072

Fellow Inkspeller Cover Reveal

It's time to reveal Kristy Centeno's book cover!

Genre: Young Adult

Release Date: 7^th July, 2013

Teenager Marjorie Emery eluded death. As she struggles to get her life back on track, she believes her efforts are paying off. Yet, when a black dressing, unfriendly, and incredibly handsome hottie walks into her classroom, she’s forced into a tailspin. Marjorie has no idea how much his presence is going to shatter what little tranquility she’s achieved.

Kyran Rousseau’s gloomy nature has a name, one that is potentially fatal under the right circumstances. His family harbors secrets and does everything to protect Kyran. While, he does’t want to ruin Marjorie’s normal life, love has a way of changing his plans.

Falling for Kyran is the least of Marjorie’s worries. With a faceless threat hunting her and a boyfriend who's as dangerous as he is good looking—how can Marjorie and Kyran keep all hell from breaking loose before it’s too late?

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

 

As a child, Kristy used to lose herself in an imaginary world by the means of a good book. Now that she’s all grown up, she gets to create her own fictional realms and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.

 Writing has always been a passion of hers but she never had the opportunity do so until now. After trying out numerous options, she realized that writing was what she loved the most and so she decided to give it a shot. As it turns out, her very active imagination helped her achieve her goals of creating believable plots with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that move the stories along in one way or another.

As she keeps achieving her dreams of becoming a published author, she divides her time in between four children and a very understanding husband.

http://kristycenteno.com

http://booksbycenteno.com

www.twitter.com/KrissyGirl122

Deadly Gamble

Okay guys, I have another awesome cover reveal for you! No worries, soon it will be mine! This book is from a fellow Inkspeller, so I know you'll love it. Enjoy!

When attractive Kristi Andrews is hired as Assistant Marketing Director at the Parthenon hotel/casino in Las Vegas, she’s focused on succeeding at her new job. But from the very first day, strange events occur:  a deadly escalator accident—the strange death of a candle shop owner—a psychic’s warning that the Parthenon is doomed AND IT’S ALL KRISTI’S FAULT.

 

Shocked and  baffled, Kristi must determine if she could be responsible for the mysterious, evil presence that seems to haunt the hotel. She’s aided by a man she’s just met—famous western historical author, Mike Garvey. Attracted to Kristi, Mike goes one hundred fifty years back in time to draw upon his knowledge of old Las Vegas and the Santa Fe Trail. They are the key to a puzzling mystery which Kristi must solve if she wants to save not only the Parthenon but the entire Las Vegas Strip from total disaster.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 



Shirley Kennedy wrote and published Regency romances for several years for both Ballantine and Signet.  She switched genres to write a wagon train romance. When struck with what she called “a great idea” about a haunted casino in Las Vegas, she was compelled to abandon both  Regency England and the Old West to write Deadly Gamble.

 

Born and raised in Fresno, California, Shirley has lived in such diverse places as Denver; Houston; Torrance, California; Bogota ,Colombia; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Sciences at the University of Calgary.  She worked as a computer programmer/systems analyst for several years before she went back to her first love, writing. 

 

Shirley lives close to her two daughters in Las Vegas Nevada. Brutus and Sparky, her two editorial assistants on the furry side, love to nap in the sunshine next to her computer while she produces her next novel.

 

See Shirley’s web site at www.shirleykennedy.com

 

Her published books include:

 

Heartbreak Trail, Camel Press 

Three Wishes for Miss Winthrop,  Signet

Lily Drake Book Two!!

Please join me as I welcome my friend, T. Michelle Nelson, and her new book to the world! Congrats to her, and the birthday of the second book in her series. I'm so happy for her! I've read the first book (it's amazing) and can't wait to read this one! 

 

With a doting husband and a new job training a vampire military, Lily Drake was living up to the prophecies of being the best.  Her life was seemingly perfect, until tragedy strikes bringing her a loss she's not sure she can endure.

The hard-working super mom / vampire slayer, Lily Drake, has just learned problems still exist even after you become immortal. 

As everyone knows, even if you find the perfect guy, you don't always get a happily-ever-after.  Lily may have found temporary happiness being a newlywed, but the honeymoon is over.  When she finds her husband going out for late night bites with another woman, Lily has to fight to try and regain what she wants most, love and a happy family.

 

If Lily thought being a single mom was hard, she’ll find being married can be a bloody mess.

 

In her own words: Check this out and get to know T. Michelle...

 

What is the Hardest Part of Writing a Book / Getting it published? 

 

There isn’t a set answer that every author will tell you.  Many might say writer’s block, marketing their book, editing or publicity.  You may laugh at my answer.  To me the most difficult part of the process is writing the dreaded query letter.

If you’re a writer, you know what this is.  If you aren’t, let me tell you.  It’s basically a letter that you polish to a shine and send out to people who get roughly a bazillion of these same types of letters every day.  Not only does yours have to stand out, be absolutely perfectly written and sound interesting, but it also has to sum up your 90,000 word manuscript into a paragraph or two. 

That’s right.  In a nutshell, you have what amounts to about twenty seconds of time that it takes for the agent / publisher who is reading it to grab them and make them ask for more.  If it doesn’t sound all that tough yet, then let me explain further.  I’m a long-winded kind of gal.  I like to really explain things fully.  Cutting 90,000 words down to a few sentences is nothing but torture for me.  I’d rather have bamboo shoved under my toenails.

So, to all you aspiring authors, let me give you a bit of advice.  A writer friend once told me this, and it actually helped out a little bit.  When you go to write the dreaded query letter and you’re trying to sum up your novel, imagine that guy who does all the Hollywood trailers.  You know the one I’m talking about - the guy with the deep voice who starts talking as the commercial fades in.  Imagine what he would say if your book was made into a movie. 

“For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy.  Dating them is the hard part.”  You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to come up with that.  As I read over this article, I don’t even understand how this task is so difficult, but trust me, it is.  And if you need help, don’t look at me, I totally suck at that.

 

 Buy her books today! Thanks everyone!!! 

 

 

 

 

SO CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS ONE!

Trailer Reveal

Follow this link:
http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/1/post/2013/03/the-fallen-stars-trailer-reveal.html

Series: The Star Child #2
Publication date: April 12th 2013
by Inkspell Publishing
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17293205-the-fallen-stars

Synopsis:

Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Suddenly, Kellen is stuck in the middle of another prophecy that foresees him turning away from Calienta and embracing the dark. He’ll be forced to take sides in a struggle to claim his birthright, while discovering secrets about his father’s past. Meanwhile, his passion for Cali grows stronger, even as the prophecy threatens to tear them apart.

In the end, will Kellen and Cali survive the fates? When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose?

AUTHOR BIO

Stephanie Keyes has been addicted to Fantasy since she discovered T.H. White as a child and started drumming up incredible journeys in her head. Today, she's still doing the same thing, except now she gets to share those ideas with readers!

When she's not writing, Stephanie is also a graphic designer, international speaker, teacher, musician, avid reader, and Mom to two little boys who constantly keep her on her toes. In addition, she's best friend to her incredible husband of eleven years.

Mrs. Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a M.Ed. from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Society For Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), as well as a featured author in the global group of writers, Love a Happy Ending.com.

Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child (September 2012) and The Fallen Stars (April 2013), both released by Inkspell Publishing. She is currently hard at work on the third book in the trilogy, The Star Catcher.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giselle Cormier

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