Updates and Stuff...

Okay, so I'm discovering what type of author I am these days. And, I'm just not the type to update regularly if I have nothing to say...There are a ton of informative, creative, and awesome blogs out there to spend time reading, so I won't ever update just for the hell of keeping my blog current if it's not important. Blah. There. I said it. Now I fell a little less crappy for being so MIA lately.

But, if you ever DO miss me that much (Yay!) then you can find my other half (I have split personalities as a writer and a obsessive fangirl of YA) over at YA Bound where I post a LOT to showcase some amazing talent in YA with my sisters in crime.

On with the updates! UNVEILED is back up! The new and improved version with a tad bit more material, can be found for FREE at Smashwords right now, and for whatever reason, Amazon and Barnes and Noble still have it listed for .99, but hopefully they will get with it soon and mark it down, too. It will be free for at least the rest of this month and some of next.

FIREBLOOD is out on submission with editors. And I'm doing my very best to keep busy and not think about this...I'm failing.

Some of you may have noticed there's a new book over at Goodreads. ASTARTE'S WRATH (A Kythan Guardians Novella) is the prequel to DESTINY'S FIRE and is slated to release in July. More info on it will come later ;) But, that does mean that the sequel will probably be out either by the end of this year or early next, as ASTARTE'S WRATH introduces MUCH of the Egyptian heritage that will be revealed in the sequel to DF. I'm excited that I get to show way more of the Egyptian side of the story through this!

Which leads me to some awesome that happened to me just yesterday. As a writer, I word vomit about my books that I'm writing non-stop. It's hard to live with a writer whose best friends are her characters. I spout off about the stuff I research to my husband, son, mother, father, and random strangers in the grocery store all the time. I talk so much, that I've come to realize, not many people pay me much attention anymore. Which is fine, because most of the time I'm simply talking to hear my own ideas. Yeah, I talk to myself. Anyway, sometimes people surprise you. My husband went to a gun show recently (don't judge, hunting gets him and my son out of the house so I can write) and he came home with some Egyptian stuff. He said, and I quote, "I remember you going on about how you're researching Isis for your new book...And I saw this"--points to gorgeous Isis statues--"thought it would help inspire you."

*Dies* My husband sometimes shocks me. All this time, I've been rambling on about Isis and Cleopatra and blah blah blah, just to hear myself talk about it, and he was actually listening. Well, some of the time. So, yeah, this is my Isis dolls that I'm using as inspiration to write some cool scenes in the sequel =D I'm very proud of them and the people who tolerate my madness.

 

Special Valentine's Treat From The Indelibles

Just in time for Valentines Day, The Indelibles bring you a one-of-a-kind young adult anthology! Sixteen original short stories, all from the point of view of our favorite male characters - some are old flames from our novels and some were dreamed up especially for this anthology. 

Let these imminently crushable, swoon-worthy guys show you what romance looks like – in his eyes. 

The contributors to In His Eyes include award winners, frequent “Top 100” placers, and hot 2011 debut authors. 

In His Eyes is FREE at Smashwords, and $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes&Noble - hopefully to go free there as well by our release date on February 14th for Valentines Day. Or you can add In His Eyes to your TBR list on Goodreads.

For more information about The Indelibles, check out our blog, facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

Stories included in the Anthology:

Surprise, Surprise by Stacey Wallace Benefiel, author of Glimpse: Half the women in Melody's family can see the future, which makes it nearly impossible for Raleigh to surprise her. What's a guy to do for Valentine's Day when his girlfriend is always one step ahead of him? 

First Kiss or First Kill? by C.K. Bryant, author of Bound: Love isn't always rainbows and kittens, sometimes it can be downright deadly. (A deleted chapter from Bound.) 

Shattered by Ali Cross, author of Become: James and Desi use each other in an effort to cling to the darkness in each of them, but in the end they discover that love changes you. (A chapter of Become from James’ POV.) 

Before by Jessie Harrell, author of Destined: When a younger Eros is exiled to a land that doesn't believe in the Greek gods, he finds the first love of his immortal life. Read Eros' first person account of his romance, and heartbreak, in the time before he met Psyche. 

The Qualm Before the Storm by Karen Amanda Hooper, author of Tangled Tides. Yara Jones doesn’t want to be a mermaid. Treygan doesn’t want to be the monster who turns her. You can’t always get what you want. (A short prequel to Tangled Tides.) 

Unspeakable by S.R. Johannes, author of Untraceable: When Mo sees a strange girl in the woods, he follows her. He soon realizes they are both in a dangerous position and might not get out alive. 

In the Beginning by Katie Klein, author of Cross My Heart: Seth is falling hard for Genesis Green, but the guardian angel is determined not to interfere, until an accident changes the course of their lives forever. (A short prequel to The Guardian.) 

A Chance Encounter by Cheri Lasota, author of Artemis Rising: Finnian's eyes hide a terrible secret. But a girl on the train home, the girl in tears with a secret of her own...She sees right through him. A scene from the upcoming novel, Echoes in the Glass. 

Family Bonds by Heather McCorkle, author of The Secret of Spruce Knoll: A Halloween party filled with teens who can channel energy and use it to kill, what could go wrong? For Spruce Knoll fans who are dying to read more about Fane. 

Getting Closer by Lisa Nowak, author of Running Wide Open: Megan is smart, hot, and an upperclassman—in other words, way out of Cody’s league. So why did she choose him? (An excerpt of Getting Sideways.) 

The Almost Assassin by Laura Pauling, author of A Spy Like Me, releasing Spring 2012: Malcolm tries his hand at the family business but his conscience and a beautiful "spy" may be his downfall. 

Mind Games by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds: Raf wants to take Kira—the only girl in school who doesn’t read minds—to the mindware Games, but his friends have other plans. (A short prequel to Open Minds.) 

By The Firelight by Elle Strauss, author of Clockwise: When Nate McKenzie asks an unpopular girl to dance on a dare, he's in for the time of his life. 

A Very Alien Valentine’s Day by Magan Vernon, author of How To Date An Alien: After surviving confinement and an intergalactic war for his human half, Alex, now he has to live through the biggest challenge of them all: Valentine's Day. 

Aligned by RaShelle Workman, author of Exiled: A half-Eternal boy and an Eternal girl must free millions of tortured souls from a creature whose been feasting on their pain and suffering.

Where's Unveiled?

My short story Unveiled has been taken down by the publisher so it can be updated! After finishing the novel, tentatively titled Fireblood at this time, there were some details of the story that needed to be changed to better match up with the novel. Also, it will be extended with new material. Expected release for the second edition is set for next weekend, or at the latest Monday the 20th. I'm working to get it released for free for a while so those who read the first edition have the chance to get the new one. I believe there's a way to simply update the old file to get the new edition, but I'm not too savvy on the details of how this works. Will have more info on that during release.

Fireblood is currently out on submission, and my fingers are crossed. Okay, every crossable body part is tightly wound. I love my agent as she's super supportive. Having her in my corner and the corner of these characters is amazing.

Thank you for understanding! It will be back up with some new material shortly =)

Donate Those Books! Helping Schools In Need

Hi guys! Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews is not only an amazing book blogger, she's an education consultant who works with schools to help student academic performance, and, she's simply an amazing person. She's organizing a book drop where she'll be taking donated books and ebooks to three low income middle schools and one high school who are in need of stocking their classrooms and libraries. If you're an author, please consider donating your book to help, and I'm encouraging everyone to please check out her post here to learn more about it and ways you can help!

In her post, she also states she's trying to organize student interaction with authors, and encourage kids to read more and even start book blogging to fuel their love of literature. How cool is that? Authors will be invited to do Skype sessions with the students, kids will read books from the authors and do reviews to guest post on book blogs. If you're an author who is interested in helping out, or a book blogger who'd like to host some awesome kids, please check out the post and contact Julie.