#also I’m new to goodreads so this probably isn’t that interesting of an email

[diana-daphne]

Damn goodreads I didn’t realize you were gonna get all existential crisis on me

[megansreviewingjourney]

Title: We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart

Rating: One Star

Goodreads Summary:

“A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends���the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.p

The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.”

We Were Liars is a best selling, well regarded YA novel. Many goodread reviewers mentioned crying after reading this book.

I like literary YA novels, such as I’ll Give You the Sun, so I thought I’d enjoy this novel, despite the pretentious novel description.

This book is highly overrated.

The Liars are underdeveloped. It’s never even explained why they’re called Liars! How does the title of the book make sense? Cady has no personality traits besides being a writer. In summary she’s called a brilliant girl, she makes several stupid decisions throughout the novel, Her toxic relationship with both parents is unexplored and her dad is scarcely mentioned. She likes Gat, but their relationship isn’t explained. When did they start liking each other? Why do they like each other?

Oh, and he’s basically her cousin. (His dad has dated her aunt since they were children) Ick.

Gat has the strongest personality of the group. He’s political, literate, and hard working. Many of the Sinclairs are racist to him, occasionally even the Liars. The prejudice he experiences is also scarcely explored. I enjoyed his Heathcliff comparison.

Johnny and Mirren have such little characterization and dialogue there’s no point elaborating on them. They’re indistinguishable.

‘‘whose friendship turns destructive’’ I’ll elaborate on this in the spoilers section, but how? They never fight.

I did enjoy the feud between the aunts and the grandfather, even if Bess, Penelope, and Carrie are also undeveloped.

I’m conflicted about the writing. Many descriptions are vivid and lovely and I liked the fairytale sections. However, there’s also some filter words and many instances of telling instead of showing in regards to character traits.

The most

distracting style

issue was when

sentences were

written like this

for no reason.

These stylistic line breaks were used too often to be special or interesting.

First of all, it praises itself in the summary on a plot twist. If you can’t enjoy a book knowing the ending, it’s probably a bad novel. I guessed the cliche plot twist early in the book. I couldn’t miss the many blatantly obvious hints. Additionally, several plot threads are introduced but lead nowhere.

Spoiler Section:

This book would improve if it disregarded the amnesia plot. Instead of Cady discovering what happened that summer, the novel follows the teens reacting to to the constant and increasing tensions between their parents and grandfather over the summer. Cady and Gat’s relationship would alleviate her misery, but it also fuels Cash’s desire to do something drastic. Cady would struggles to convince Mirren, Gat and Johnny to burn the house, but they accept her plan. They all still die and Cady has to live with the guilt. Pretty dark for a YA novel, but the story becomes stronger and the characters more developed.

No, instead we get Cady talking to hallucinations of Gat, Johnny, and Mirren all summer. These interactions don’t exist therefore the characters lose any existing sparse depth. She’s trying to find out what happened the summer the house burned down. She asks her mom every day but forgets the next day. She writes down the answer, but this plot point is forgotten because then the story would end early.

It’s obvious these characters are dead. Johnny’s mom walks around crying in his jacket. They never interact with anyone besides Cady in the present, when the family insists on spending time together for appearances. They never reply to her emails. There are many other glaring hints. The only decent, nonobvious foreshadowing is the conversation between Cady and Taft on the phone.

The Liar’s friendships isn’t toxic because Cady has no difficulty convincing the others to burn the house. They all agree with each other most of the time.

We Were Liars is a skeleton with a few interesting aspects, but nothing substantial.

[misscecil]

How To Be A Great Art Ally to your Creative Friends.

Slightly tweaked from my 2015 post How To Be A Great ART ALLY

I’ve been having a lot of heart to hearts lately with my friends who are authors and artists and we’re all saying the same thing: It is getting harder and harder for everyone who isn’t in the top 5% of their industry to get the word out about work they are doing.

Because of the way the industries are now, many artists are not getting the marketing and push that they deserve or need. Much of that promotion and publicity now falls on the artist’s shoulder. Your artist friend may have a good career, but unless they are crazy lucky, or have the “it” thing of the moment, your artist friend is probably really struggling.

“What. But they have so many books out! They are on tour all the time! They are always doing some wacky play!”

Sadly, about 90% of artists are struggling and barely making a living wage. According to the NY Times (1/5/19) The median wage for most authors is $20,300 

Most of your creative friends have full-time day jobs on top of their full-time art careers. Or they are taking a lot of side speaking gigs, lecturing or school visits and other supplemental work to add to their income to meet basic needs. 

Remember, every new project that they do is like starting from scratch. 

For example, many of the people who I know who are not artists see all the stuff that I am doing and think that it’s going so great for me that I don’t need their help to get the word out about my books. But I do. All of your artist friends (even the most famous ones) need your support all the time.

To be a great Art Ally for any of your author/artist friends I’ve drummed up a list of things that you can do. I’ve focused on books, since I’m an author, but I’ve added helpful tips within to give you ideas on how to help your music, performer, filmmaker, comic book, visual artist and indie game maker friends.

1) Pre-order their stuff. Seriously. If your friend has a book (or CD or DVD or indie game or comic book) coming out pre-order it. Pre-orders give the publishing company an indication of interest and can help with print runs. Good pre-orders sometimes help a book because the publishing company may give a book a little push with extra marketing money and publicity based on those numbers.

2) Show up. If your friend has a reading or something, go to it. “But I went to it once for another book!” That’s great! You are a supporter! But, every book is a whole new thing! (Go to their rock show! Play! Art gallery opening! If your friend is in a film/made a film go opening weekend, that’s when the box office counts. Or order it on VOD the week it drops. Or buy the game the week it comes out. You get the idea.)

3) When you are there, buy the book. “But I already pre-ordered it!” Yeah, I know. But buying it at the store or the reading helps the bookstore and the numbers and will help your friend do another reading there the next time. This is especially important if your friend is doing a reading not in their hometown. (If your friend is a musician, buy merch because that might be how they are paying for gas. If your friend is an artist, buy a piece of art because that might equal a bag of groceries.) (comics peeps put your pals book on your pull list) (etc)

3a) “But argh! This is not my kind of book. I don’t read that genre. It’s not for me. I’m not a kid/teen.” Sure, that’s fair. The book might not be for you. But I bet you one million dollars that you know somebody that the book (or other thing) would be perfect for. Maybe a strange aunt? Maybe your weird nephew? Maybe your co-worker? And remember the holidays are always just around the corner! Why not get it signed? Think of it as a back up present. You can give it at a white elephant exchange. If all else fails, get a copy and donate it to your local library or if it’s a kids book, to the school library nearest you.

4) Signal boost their work. While it may look to you like everybody knows about your friend’s book, they probably don’t. Remember that we are all kind of in a bubble when it comes to social media. Authors (and artists of all kinds) are always looking for new readers/audience and you totally have a bunch of friends that your author/artist friend doesn’t know. And those friends might have never heard of your friend’s book, movie, game, music and it might be right up their alley. And those friends have friends that you don’t know. And so on. And so on. So every once in a while, if you like and in a way that you are comfortable with, an easy Art Ally action is to Tweet, Instagram, Pintrest or Facebook (or repost) something about that person’s art thing on the social medias! This signal boosting helps to get new eyeballs on the book (or art thing) that your friend is doing.

5) Review it / Rate it. Perhaps you are on Goodreads? Or perhaps you frequent Amazon or B&N or Powells? If you really are a fan of the book (or art thing), a simple way to help boost your friend’s work is by giving it a star rating or a review. (For musicians you can do this at those places as well. Also you can add their album to your streaming site and rate it! For films rate it on Netflix if it’s there! For games there are places to do this too!)

5a) For books, on Goodreads it’s also helpful if you add it to your to read shelf. It’s both helpful before the book comes out and when the book comes out. So if you haven’t done it already, go to it! Add all your friends books to your to read shelf. It’s not too late!

6) Make sure that it is in your local library branch! Libraries are the biggest purchasers of books! An author wants their book to be read! Libraries help with that! Maybe you are librarian? Or someone super close to you is a librarian? This is where you can really help to get it on the library radar by making sure that it is on the order list for your branch or for your system. Sidenote: Many libraries are too poor to purchase books this is a great place for you to donate that extra book!

7) Consider using it in your class! Many books have reader guides or teacher guides. Are you a teacher? Or is someone super close to you a teacher? If you love the book, Or if not that, you can donate the book to your (or your teacher pal’s) school library or classroom library for students to enjoy.

8) Book Club it. If you have a book club, suggest your group read your friend’s book. Or maybe just have a one-off book club and get a group of your friends together to read your friend’s book. If your friend writes for kids, do a mother/ daughter or father /son book club with a group of people. I’m 100% certain that your author friend would be delighted to come over (or if they live far, Skype) to discuss their book with your book club. (for musicians you could host a living room show at your house)

9) Ask your art pal to come in and speak! Maybe your school or library has a budget to bring in a variety of guest speakers for classrooms or assemblies? Your friend would be perfect for this. If your institution has no budget, you can still ask your friend to come and speak! Lots of authors have sliding scales and can organize a way to sell their own books and that can offset a pro bono visit. Also, it will help them to get new readers. Being an art ally is all about getting new audiences for your arty friends. (Your other artist pals would make great classroom / assembly visitors as well.)

10) Vote and Nominate. It’s possible that there are lists that you can vote on or nominate your friends for that they may be eligible for and deserving. This could be anything from your local publicly voted on thing to a list that is for professionals which you might be. It’s easy for everyone to remember to nominate the big best sellers of the year or the debut books that are getting the big pushes. But there are many midlist books that are wonderful and get lost in that shuffle. Make sure to champion the midlist! They really need help to be seen! (This is the same for all of your artist friends. There is always a thing that is going on where they can use your vote or nomination. You’ve gotten those emails / updates.)

11) Hand sell. Maybe you are a bookseller? Make sure that the book is on the shelf. And then, when and if you love it, hand sell it! You can also help by making sure that the book is still on the shelf once it’s sold. Many stores don’t automatically re-order a book if it doesn’t sell more than a certain amount. If you are not a bookseller, you can still hand sell by just talking up the book to people. (Talk up their music, game, comic, play, and movie.)

11a) If you work in retail anywhere and your pal is a musician and you like their music: Try putting their album on at work! Who knows? Maybe someone will ask you who that swell band is? Your pal may gain a new listener!

12) Be a Microphilanthropist. Support their Patreon/Kickstarter/Go Fund me.  It really helps to get that support whether it be a small patreon contribution or a small contribution to getting that dream project done. Support their Indiegogo or Kickstarter or Patreon. For your other artist friends who are making movies, plays, albums, comics, indie video games support their crowdfunding or patreon effort. Really. You can totally afford the $5-10 level (even if you think the project is lame.) for a crowdfunding and $1 for patron. And it will really help them and boost morale.

13) Be a good literary citizen. If you are an author, remember to be a good literary citizen. Promote yourself, but also do stuff for the larger literary community. Participate and include others. There are many things you can do. You can organize events. You can pitch panels. You can show up to things. You can volunteer to be a judge for things or to moderate panels (be a good moderator if you do.) You can write essays about other works. Remember to extend past your own inner circle of friends to include people who you might not know. Being an artist is very hard. There are many ups and downs in a career. At some point everyone goes through a hard time and needs help. Avoid the cool kids table mentality. Be kind. When you are on the top, don’t forget to keep helping your community. Diversify your literary and artistic world. (Other artists, you know what this is in your own field. Art citizens for the win!)

14) Invite your friend over to dinner. Or buy them dinner. Or have a potluck. Everyone could use a good night out with friends and conversation. It’s a spirit booster. No lie.

[whimsiesofanerdgirl]

Reading More Productively | Getting Into the Habit

If you’re anything like me right now you’re shaking your head thinking, how did I not finish as many books as I had liked to this year? Or the classic “why am I not reaching my Goodreads goal?” Well, my friend, that means you have to read a lot smarter and no, I don’t mean more “intelligent books.” Having trouble getting back into reading can be a result of many things and I’ve noticed quite a few of these from my own reading habits.

LACK OF INTEREST

You might be finding yourself not having any inspiration to sitting down and having yourself a good old reading sesh. This is usually because you’re probably a mood reader and not only that, you’re bored af with your TBR list. You need to cut off and forget those books that aren’t serving you any purpose and are basically TBR place holders. If you need some more ideas on how to sort yours read one of my past posts on how to sort your TBR into a more manageable list.

FOLLOW BOOK BLOGGERS, BOOKTUBERS, AND BOOKSTAGRAMMERS

Sometimes all it takes is to follow someone who has similar tastes in books as you. Don’t waste your time following someone if you have nothing in common with your reading. It makes more sense to follow someone who digests the same genres and authors that you adore. Plus, you find another book bestie to read along with! :)

YOUR FOCUS NEEDS MORE FOCUS

Not gonna lie, this is probably my number one problem and I’m probably speaking on behalf of like 90% of other readers when I say that I have issues getting off the internet. Specifically as readers we struggle with this the most because we use the online world to find more books to discover and we are starving for knowledge or to immerse ourselves in another person’s world. This is completely okay, but taking all your spare time to check the latest tweets on Twitter? Eh, not so okay for your TBR pile. Unplug from the data and wifi so you can truly dive into that book that’s been sitting on your bedside table for over the past week.

JOIN IN ON #READATHONS

Sometimes knowing that you’ve got a community at the touch of your fingertips that’s reading at the same time as you makes the simple act of reading more fun! If you’re at a loss of which to follow go read one of my recent posts to discover some new readathons!

GRAB A READING BUDDY

So maybe you’re not the large crowd reading type? That’s okay too because there’s always the option of finding someone IRL or online to buddy read with who has similar reading tastes. A lot of times all it takes is a quick tweet/hashtag #buddyread/post/DM to ask others out there who’d want to join you.

START A BOOK CLUB OR JOIN ONE

So what if you’re an inbetweener? That’s cool, you can always create your own book club or find one that’s already established. Just search #bookclub on any of the social apps you use to find one to your liking. When in doubt look into some book clubs for your favorite genres in Facebook groups. If you need any tips on how to start a book club read another post from this #Bookmas series.

TAKE PART IN THE #READINGAFTER10 CHALLENGE

It’s funny, I’ve been telling myself to do this for like the past year. No joke. 😂 BookTuber, Ariel Bissett, started this challenge awhile back hoping to contribute more of her time reading versus wasting time elsewhere. You can search into the challenge and see what others have been up to by looking up the hashtag on Instagram. Ariel at one point explains that she fell off the bandwagon not long after, probably due to being so busy with all her creative bookish YouTube content that she’s always up to! Anyways, just because she may not be participating at this moment doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give it a go! Let’s bring back this movement! Honestly, there’s a few awesome benefits to this. 1) Less time on social media = less exposure to blue light on your phones. This means that you have an easier time falling asleep at night. 2) More reading time. 3) Finally catching up on the top books of your TBR pile.

SUBSCRIBE TO A BOOK BOX

When you’re getting a newly released book every month you’re more inclined to read it if there’s others getting it too. Some book boxes even include fun activities and communities that you can be a part of. So if you’re feeling out of place with no close friends that read this would be a great option for you! I’ve conveniently made a list of 18 book boxes the other day that goes into detail of what they include as well as the current prices (as of November 2018).

USE SOME APPS AND PHONE SETTINGS TO DISTRACT YOU FROM ACTUALLY BEING “ONLINE”

FOREST

If you have a love for greenery and artificial woods then the Forest app is for you! This is seriously one of the most adorable productivity apps you can download on your phone or use via your browser (if you have easy access to a computer). Every day you start off with a clean slate of grass and the goal is to grow your forest as much as you can in a day. It’s fun because over time you rack up coins to buy different kinds of trees to grow! You can also sync your account from mobile to desktop if you have other stuff you want to work on like I do with book blogging! Another great perk is the ability to block yourself from certain apps and websites which is helpful against your online weaknesses.

POMODORO

This is an app a lot of people use when they need to get some sort of task finished, but it can easily be used as a timer for reading! Simple set the timer for 25 minutes and keep reading! If the timer goes off, feel free to either keep reading or move onto something else that needs to be done in your daily tasks. This is such a short time frame that it will be simple for you to dedicate only 25 minutes a day to reading or more sessions if you’d prefer.

STAYFOCUSD

For those of you that like to be on a desktop/laptop throughout the day this is another great service similar to Forest where you can block specific websites from being used while being in focus mode for specific amounts of time. This one is available as a Google chrome extension.

STAY FOCUSED

Almost the same name as the previous one I’ve mentioned as well as similar features, but they take it a step forward by letting you choose a maximum amount of time to spend on particular sites/apps as well as which days of the week. This is an app offered for Android. I have mainly android based devices so if you’re an iOS user your best bet is to search for similar apps/extensions as the ones I’ve mentioned above. Some may or may not be offered via both iOS and Android.

RAIN SOUNDS

If you’re a person that needs some kind of noise in the background, but isn’t distracting (like sound lyrics) you should look into downloading the Rain Sounds app. They have a variety of different tracks of rain in different atmospheres and environments and you can edit the specific sounds you’re hearing as well..

AIRPLANE MODE

Though, not QUITE as fun as using the Forest app you can always set your phone to airplane mode (or silent for those of you with better willpower). It’s the easiest and quickest way to get you sucked into a book.

I hope that I helped you figure out some new ways to get back into the habit of reading. I know it can be hard with the online world that we have, but your TBR pile misses you! Pay attention to it! Give it some love! :)

Check back on my socials, join my newsletter, and/or come back here tomorrow to read another #Bookmas filled post!

Read my other posts in the #25DaysofBookmas series!

Subscribe to my blog so you never miss another post!

Learn more about me - your friendly, interweb book nerd! :)

Follow me where I’m social:

Twitter: @whimsiesofanerd

Instagram: @whimsiesofanerdgirl

Goodreads: @whimsiesofanerdgirl

Pinterest: @whimsiesofanerd

Facebook: @whimsiesofanerdgirl

Have a suggestion or want to get in touch? Email me: whimsiesofanerdgirl@gmail.com

[elucubrare]

the tl;dr continueth

also hello, i'm sorry you're getting such fascinating insights into the inner workings of my brain today, but 

1. god, I have hated few websites more than the "new" BPL's – it's been like that for at least a year, so I should probably be used to it, but I'm very lazy, hate change, am very particular about my tabs, and bear a grudge, so I'm still mad about the fact that to search the catalogue in a way that isn't annoying you have to go to the main page, click "borrow," then click "books," and then that link opens in a new tab; also that you used to be able to bookmark book records and/or keep the tab open & it would stay there, but now it snaps back to the catalogue home if you leave it open for more than about 15 minutes. also they used to have been descriptions of the book, now I have to look it up on Goodreads.

also a while ago they stopped supporting their old iPhone app, saying that they'd have a new one "soon"; about nine? maybe? i don't know what time is? months later I did my periodic search of the app store to check if a new one had been released, and it had been, and they didn't see fit to email me, which you'd think would have been an important step. And it's not even that different - cosmetically, mostly, as far as I can tell.

also when they "updated" their catalogue it started sorting your checkouts by the date you took them out by default, which is the least of my complaints but also, like, I am interested in the date which I took things out, in the way that I'm interested in how much the pressure point in my back hurts – evidently I've renewed the one I've had out longest fourteen (14) times (I don't feel guilty because it's mediocre sci-fi from storage that probably no one wanted anyway  and if they did they could put a hold on it), but I want to see the date they're due – you know, when I need to renew them by to not get fines? also you used to be able to automatically select all the books that were due on the same date and renew them & now you can't, which isn't the worst, but I currently have 36 books out & had, I think, 75, so that's a lot of boxes to check. 

2. through a combination of actively trying to read more, not really finding anything new I want enough to acquire, and bailing early and often on things I don't feel a quick connection to (the King Arthur book I've had out for a while is probably fine, but it's first person, the prose is only okay [i think it actually used the phrase "clapping her hands in joy"], and it's in a weird font*), I'm down to 365 books on my to-read list from 430 or 40-something, which isn't really that  much better, but I have, in the past, read that many books in a year (I'm not going to this year, but I have), so it feels more possible to get it down to manageable levels, and possibly even get through my 2018 shelf before 2025.   

[kayespivey]

Tomorrow is the last day to enter the Giveaway on Goodreads for my poetry collection, Fragments. 

However, in light of an email sent out to all past giveaway authors from Goodreads this morning, I wanted to discuss why this will probably be the last giveaway I run through them. I talked about it some on my Twitter, but I wanted to mention it here as well.

The email starts off really hopeful, promising authors more opportunity to get noticed and gain reviews and details two different packages for how they hope to achieve this in 2018. 

For those who don’t know, Goodreads allows authors to run a giveaway, which they host, and you can set a length of time and number of winners, then people enter to win. Once the giveaway ends, Goodreads randomly selects the number of winners you specify and then sends you their address so you can pay postage to personally send them a copy of your book. This has worked out really well for many authors because there is an assumption that you send someone a free book and they are supposed to leave you a review in return. It’s also a great way for many people scrolling through to see your book and maybe take interest in it in the future. However, many people do not leave reviews so it isn’t a perfect platform.

On the other hand, it was a decent form of free advertising and helped you to reach an audience interested in your genre and was very valuable to many authors. I was able to receive some really fantastic reviews from people who would never have otherwise found my poetry through them and I’m grateful to Goodreads for helping me reach them.

Now Goodreads is going to start charging authors to run giveaways. And they’re charging a lot more than most indie or self-published writers can justify when starting out with a new novel and more than most poets will ever hope to make back on their writing. On top of that, they aren’t really fixing that many things about the platform. It’s disappointing and frustrating that they’re basically cutting out the exact audience that really needed their platform, and they’re favoring large companies who were going to shell out on advertising anyway. 

I’m going to go ahead and post the entire email I received here under a cut, so if you’re interested go ahead and take a look. Suffice to say, should this go into effect, I won’t be using Goodreads giveaway system any more.

As an author who uses Goodreads Giveaways, we want to let you know we’ll be introducing our new Goodreads Giveaways program on January 9, 2018, offering even more powerful book marketing benefits that authors have been asking for. Our new Goodreads Giveaways program includes two packages, Standard and Premium—you can learn more about them below. And for the first time, Kindle Direct Publishing authors can run giveaways for Kindle ebooks—a feature previously only available to traditional publishers. The new program, which replaces our current Giveaways program, will initially be for giveaways open to U.S. residents.

Since we launched Goodreads Giveaways nine years ago, we’ve helped authors and publishers get millions of books into the hands of readers to drive prerelease buzz, discovery, and reviews. Giveaways have become a core part of Goodreads’ suite of book marketing tools (advertising, deals, and giveaways), and have become a must-do tactic for authors and publishers, helping many titles – including The Girl on the Train – break out to early success.

From January 9, 2018, you can choose from the following two packages:

Standard Giveaway (available in your choice of print book or Kindle ebook format).

1. (NEW) Everyone who enters your giveaway automatically adds the book to their Want-to-Read list, promoting your book via updates in their friends’ updates feeds, and building an audience for your title.

2. (NEW) The author’s followers and anyone who has already added the book to their Want-to-Read list get a notification, letting them know there’s a giveaway starting. This helps generate even more entries, creating more stories in the Goodreads updates feed.

3. About eight weeks after your Giveaway ends, winners receive an email from Goodreads to remind them to rate and review your book. This will help other readers discover and decide to read the book too.

4. Giveaways are featured in the Giveaways section of Goodreads.com, allowing readers to discover new books.

The new Standard Package is $119 per giveaway for either print book or Kindle ebook format. From January 9, 2018 to January 31, 2018, take advantage of our introductory price: only $59 (save 50%).

Premium Giveaway (available in your choice of print book or Kindle ebook format).

Premium Giveaways are designed to give you more opportunity to connect with readers than ever. A Premium Giveaway includes:

1. (NEW) Premium placement in the Giveaways section of Goodreads, with tens of millions of visitors each month, giving your giveaway significantly more visibility and more entrants.

The Premium package also includes all of the benefits of the Standard package:

2. (NEW) Everyone who enters your giveaway automatically adds the book to their Want-to-Read list, promoting your book via updates in their friends’ updates feeds, and building an audience for your title.

3. (NEW) The author’s followers and anyone who has already added the book to their Want-to-Read list get a notification, letting them know there’s a giveaway starting. This helps generate even more entries, creating more stories in the Goodreads updates feed.

4. About eight weeks after your Giveaway ends, winners receive an email from Goodreads to remind them to rate and review your book. This will help other readers discover and decide to read the book too.

5. Giveaways are shown in the Giveaways section of Goodreads and the book page, allowing readers to discover new books.

The new Premium Package is $599 per giveaway for either print book or Kindle ebook format. From January 9, 2018 to January 31, 2018, take advantage of our introductory price: only $299 (save 50%).

New Giveaways created on or after 1/9/18 will initially be open to US residents only. Giveaways created prior to 1/9/18 will continue to run as scheduled, but will not benefit from any of the enhancements in our new Giveaways program.

We encourage you to take advantage of this introductory pricing and try the new products out!

[curlygirl79]

Today, as part of the blog tour for Overstrike, book one in the Fixpoint series, I am honoured to be able to share with you a Q&A that the author took part in for me. Many thanks to CM Angus for taking the time to do this, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of the tour.

What made you decide to move from writing technical non-fiction to writing fiction?

That’s probably not how I look at it. I guess I’m more of an opportunist. Back in 2006 I found myself working with a couple  of technologies which were new enough to have literally no books written about them. As I was learning the hard way to get to grips with these I saw there was an opportunity for a technical publication.

Likewise in 2014 when I found myself with the embryo of the story that went on to become Overstrike, I decided to give it a go.

It was certainly very different, but I believe the past is a dream that doesn’t define us – each of us has the capacity to continually reinvent ourselves..

What authors inspire you?

I’d have to say: Ones that make it happen against the odds. People like David J. Kowalski – whose 2007 debut The Company of the Dead I enjoyed a lot. The fact that he managed to write a pretty awesome novel whilst being a Obstetrician, inspired me to believe maybe I could somehow find time to write also.

Thank you David.

Do you have a literary hero? How about a favourite literary villain?

In a lot of ways, this is likely to be the stream of consciousness everyman like Bukowski’s semi-autobiographical Henry Chinaski, or The Narrator (Phaedrus) from Pirsig’s Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Whoever it is, they’re likely to be a thinker, a drunk and a little unhinged. In a lot of ways, I find characters, or for that fact, people in general, become far more interesting when they don’t conform. As for hero’s and villain’s, I tend not to think in those kind of binary terms, I think that there are angels and devils in all of us –  that everyone is both good and evil. The most interesting characters, for me, are ones that either fall from grace or seek redemption – whether that’s Milton’s Lucifer in Paridise Lost, Rowling’s Snape,  Jane Austen’s Mr D’Arcy, Dickens’ Scrooge or even Martin’s Jaime Lannister, the idea that a character’s drivers and motives are fluid, makes them interesting to me.

What is your favourite under-appreciated novel?

Not sure whether this counts, but I’d have to say The View from Gallows Hill by Nick Stead. I was lucky enough to be a beta-reader on this and liked it a lot – certainly one to look for when it comes out. 

Where do you do your writing? Do you have a special place to go for calm and inspiration or are you a write anywhere kind of guy?

I’d have to say wherever the muse takes me. But it’s more about finding the headspace than than a particular location or time. If things are too noisy I’ve got no chance. If things are too quiet – again; that’s an issue. So it feels like I’m forever in search of my own Goldilocks zone *laughs*. Sometimes I find it in my local park with a laptop, sometimes it’s in a bustling coffee shop – I seem to change like the wind. Invariably it ends up being stolen moments interspaced between other activities – I try to use technology so that I can switch between desktop, laptop, tablet and phone and keep going in between being Dad’s taxi! So I guess I’m a write anywhere kind of guy…

What is the strangest thing you have had to Google for writing research?

Man, now that’s going to be quite a list…

I guess it would include:

* Current theories on quantum entanglement and the plausibility of time travel.

* Elements of the Holocaust during WWII.

* Key players in early electroconvulsive therapy.

* Details of Schizophrenia.

* Large parts of London and its transport network. 

However I’m sure I must be missing something.

You seem to be a man of many talents – how do you fit everything in? I find I am easily distracted from one hobby or interest by another – do you find the same?

Definitely. It’s not just a question of passion. I need to set myself goals and make these public – actively throw myself under the bus, if you will, to force myself to complete things. Then its a case of multitasking and combining things, but it isn’t easy and without the support of my family I couldn’t do any of it.

At the end of the day though, it’s about setting realistic goals and keeping on with these – even if the progresses glacial. For instance: Overstrike has taken around 5-years, so I’d say it’s more to do with perseverance and pig-headedness than some kind of silver bullet.

Thanks again to CM Angus for taking the time to answer my questions. For more information about Overstrike, read on!

BLURB:

When Matt Howard’s grandfather told him he must alter history to protect his newborn son, Matt thought the old man was crazy…

…Then he realised it was true.

Overstrike spans 4 generations of a family haunted by the prospect of an approaching alternate reality where their child has been erased from history.

Touching on themes of retro-causality, ethics and free will, and exploring ideas of cause, effect and retribution, it follows the path of Matt Howard, whose child, Ethan, is at risk, as he, his father and grandfather attempt to use their own abilities to manipulate reality in order to discover and prevent whoever is threatening Ethan.

Overstrike is volume I of Fixpoint, a trilogy about a family who discover their inherited ability to manipulate reality. It enables them to effect changes in order to safeguard themselves and all that they hold dear. But even seemingly small changes in a timeline can have unforeseen and far-reaching consequences. Follow the stories of the Howards, on a journey exploring reality, time and our own sense of self.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

CM Angus author and writer of Speculative fiction, Sci-fi and Horror grew up in the North East of England and now lives in Yorkshire with his wife and children. He is interested in all things creative & technological.

Currently working on Fixpoint, a series of books with each piece tackling different aspects of discontinuities in time and is a Speculative Fiction spanning 4 generations of a family haunted by the prospect of an approaching alternate reality where their child has been erased from history.

Overstrike, Volume 1 of Fixpoint, will be published by Elsewhen Press in early 2020.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Twitter

Website

Facebook

Amazon

Goodreads

Publisher

GIVEAWAY:

Win 5 x Overstrike T-shirts  (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

To find out more about Overstrike, head on over to the other blogs taking part in the tour.

@c_m_angus is answering my questions on the blog today. #bookblogger #Q&A #fixpoint #overstrike #fictioncafewriters #spoonshortagebookclub @rararesources Today, as part of the blog tour for Overstrike, book one in the Fixpoint series, I am honoured to be able to share with you a Q&A that the author took part in for me.

[bookloveravenue]

Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release date: June 26, 2018

The de Vincent brothers are back—and so is the intrigue that surrounds them—in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s sizzling new novel...

Nicolette Bresson never thought she’d return to the de Vincents’ bayou compound. It’s where her parents work, where Nikki grew up... and where she got her heart broken by Gabriel de Vincent himself. Yet here she is, filling in for her sick mother. Avoiding Gabe should be easy, especially when so much of Nikki’s time is spent trying not to be stabbed in the back by the malicious hangers-on who frequent the mansion. But escaping memories of Gabe, much less his smoking-hot presence, is harder than expected—especially since he seems determined to be in Nikki’s space as much as possible.

Gabriel spent years beating himself up over his last encounter with Nikki. He’d wanted her then, but for reasons that were bad for both of them. Things have now changed. Gabe sees more than a girl he’s known forever; he sees a smart, talented, and heartbreakingly beautiful woman... one who’s being stalked from the shadows. Now, Gabe will do anything to keep Nikki safe—and to stop the de Vincent curse from striking again.

GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSeductionJLA-GR

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2BycJEF

BARNES & NOBLE: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSeductionJLA-BN

BOOK DEPOSITORY: http://bit.ly/MoonlightSeductionJLA-BookDepository

Preorder Moonlight Seduction and receive a bonus story!

RULES/INFO:

·      Preorder an ebook or print copy of Moonlight Seduction by Jennifer L. Armentrout and get an exclusive de Vincent bonus story sent via email!

·      Open Internationally

·      You must upload a copy of their preorder receipt of Moonlight Seduction to be eligible.

·      The de Vincent bonus story will be emailed after the release Moonlight Seduction (6/26/18)

PREORDER CAMPAIGN LINK: http://bit.ly/MOONLIGHTSEDUCTIONS-PREORDEROFFER

Check out the first chapter of Moonlight Seduction here!

Chapter 1

Six years later . . .

It took every ounce of self-control for Gabriel de Vincent to stand back and do nothing. Just stand there and watch him being led away, but that’s what he had to do, because that’s what he’d promised and Gabe tried to be a man of his word.

Sometimes he failed at that. Failed at that in ways that haunted him late at night, but he wouldn’t go back on this.

He’d promised them three uninterrupted months.
That’s what he was going to give them.
His jaw ached from how hard he was clenching it as the Rothchilds walked back into the restaurant. He didn’t take his eyes off them, not until he couldn’t see them anymore. Only then did he look at the slip of paper.

Looking down at the drawing of puppy on a piece of blue construction paper, he felt the worst mix of emotions. Sadness. Pride. Helplessness. Hope. Fury that he’d never tasted before. He had no idea how one person could feel all of that at once, but he did.

A wry smile tugged at his lips. There was definitely talent in the drawing. Real skill. The de Vincent knack for the arts was still kicking around it seemed.

His gaze flickered over what was written in a blockish handwriting. He’d already read in three times, but couldn’t bear to read it a fourth time. Not right now. He didn’t want to fold the paper and created creases in it, so he was careful as he carried it back to where he was parked.

“Gabriel de Vincent.”

Frowning at the vaguely familiar voice, he turned around. A man stepped out from behind a truck. Dark, square sunglasses shielded half the man’s face, but Gabe recognized him.

He sighed. “Ross Haid. To what do I owe the honor of seeing you in Baton Rouge?”

The reporter for the Advocate gave one of what Gabe assumed was a trademark half grin; the kind that probably got him into a places and events he sure as hell didn’t belong in. “Headquarters are here. You know that.”

“Yeah, but you work out of the New Orleans office, Ross.”

He shrugged a shoulder as he neared Gabe. “I had to come up to headquarters. Heard through the grapevine that a de Vincent was in town.”

“Uh-huh.” Not for one second did Gabe believe that. “And you just happen to hear that I was at this restaurant?”

The smile kicked up a notch as he ran a hand over his blond hair. “Nah. Seeing you here was just luck.”

Bullshit. Ross had been sniffing after his family for about two months now, trying to get to one of them when they were out at dinner or at an event, showing up at nearly every damn function one of them was attending. But back home, in New Orleans, Ross had trouble getting near them. Well, he had troubled getting to the one he really wanted to talk to which was Gabe’s older brother.

Didn’t require any leap of logic to figure out what was going on. Somehow Ross had heard that Gabe was here, and that’s why Ross conveniently ended up here. Normally he could tolerate Ross’ incessant questioning. Hell, he sort of liked the guy, appreciated his determination, but not when Ross was here and something he didn’t want a reporter finding out mere feet away.

Lowering his sunglasses, Ross eyed Gabe’s ride. “Nice car. Is it one of the new Porsche 911s?”

Gabe raised his brows.

“Family business must be going well. Then again, the family business is always going strong, isn’t it? The de Vincents are old money. The one percent of the one percent.” Gabe’s family was one of the oldest, linked all the way back to the days the great state of Louisiana was being created. Now they owned the most profitable oil refineries in the Gulf, coveted real estate all around the world, tech firms, and once his older brother married, they’d be in control of the one of the largest shipping industries in the world. So, yeah, the de Vincents were wealthy, but the car and nearly everything Gabe owned, he bought it with the money he worked for. Not the money he was born with.

“Some say that your family has so much money, that the de Vincents are above the law.” Ross straightened his sunglasses. “Seems that way.”

Gabe really didn’t have time for this. “Whatever you want to say, can you stop beating around the damn bush and get to it? I’m planning to head home sometime in the next year.”

The reporter’s smile faded. “Since you’re here and I’m here, and it’s damn hard to talk to you all any other time. I want to chat about your father’s death.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“I don’t believe it was a suicide,” Ross continued. “And I find it also convenient that Chief Cobbs, who openly and publicly wanted your father’s death investigated as a homicide ended up dead in a freak car accident.”

“Is that right?”

Frustration hummed off Ross about as loud as the damn locusts. “Is that all you got to say to me about this?”

“Pretty much.” Gabe grinned then. “That and you have an overactive imagination, but I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”

“I don’t think my imagination is nearly vast enough to compete with all the things the de Vincents have had their hands in.”

Probably not.

“Okay, I won’t ask you about your father or the chief.” Ross shifted his weight as Gabe opened his driver’s door. “Also heard some interesting rumors about some of the staff at the de Vincent compound.”

“I’m started to feel like you might be stalking us.” Gabe placed the drawing facedown on the passenger’s seat. “If you want to talk about staffing, then you need to have a chat with Dev.”

“Devlin won’t make time to talk to me.”
“That doesn’t sound like my problem.”
“It seems like it is now.”
Gabe laughed, but the sound was without humor as he reached inside, grabbing his sunglasses off the visor. “Trust me, Ross, this isn’t my problem.”

“You may not think so now, but that’ll change.” A muscle twitched along the man’s jaw. “I plan to blow the roof of every single damn secret the de Vincents have been keeping for years. I’m going to do a story that not even your family can pay to keep quiet.”

Shaking his head, Gabe slipped his sunglasses on. “I like you, Ross. You know I’ve never had a problem with you. So, I just want to get that out of the way. But you have got to come up with some better material, because that was cliché as shit.” He rested his hand on the frame of the car door. “You’ve got to know you’re not the first reporter to come around thinking they’re somehow going to dig some skeletons out of our closets and expose us for whatever the hell you think we are. You’re not going to be the last to fail.”

“I don’t fail,” Ross said. “Not ever.”
“Everyone fails.” Gabe climbed in behind the wheel.
“Except the de Vincents?”
“You said it, not me.” Gabe looked up at the reporter. “Some unasked for advice? I’d find another story to investigate.”
“Is there where you’re going to tell me to be careful?” He sounded oddly gleeful by the prospect. “Warn me off? Because people who mess with the de Vincents end up missing or worse?”

Gabe smirked as he hit the ignition key. “Doesn’t sound like I need to tell you that. Seems like you already know what happens.”

Nikki stood in the center of the quiet and sterile kitchen of the de Vincent mansion, telling herself that she was not the same little idiot that almost drowned herself out in the pool six years ago.

She sure as hell wasn’t the same idiot who had spent years making an utter fool out of herself, chasing after a grown man. An act, which resulted in one of the worst ideas she’d ever had in the history of bad ideas.

And Nikki had a remarkable history of making not the brightest of all decisions. Her dad said she had a bit of wild streak in her, taking after Pappy, but Nikki liked to blame the de Vincents for the recklessness. They had this really bizarre talent of making everyone around them stick one toe into Recklessville.

Her mother claimed that most of Nikki’s bad decisions came from having a good heart.

Nikki had the habit of picking up strays—stray cats, dogs, a lizard here and there, even a snake, and humans, too. She was a bleeding heart, hating to see anyone she cared about in pain and she was oftentimes a bit overly affected by the troubles of strangers.

It was why she avoided the TV around the holidays, because they always played those heart-wrenching videos of freezing animals or children left to starve in war-torn countries. She hated everything about New Year’s Eve because of that and spent the week between Christmas and the first of January moping around.

There was a lot of Nikki that was the same as she was the last time she walked through this house. She still got emotionally invested in animals that didn’t belong to her—that was why she volunteered at the local animal shelter. She still couldn’t turn away from someone who needed help, and she still found herself in weird situations but reckless? Wild?

Not anymore.

Not since the last time she’d been in the house, right before she left for college. That had been four years ago and now she was back, and nothing and everything had changed.

“You okay, hon?” her father asked.

Turning to find her father standing just inside the large kitchen, she pulled herself out of her thoughts and smiled widely for him. Goodness, her dad was starting to look his age, and that scared her—truly terrified her. Her parents had her late in life, but she was only twenty-two, and she wanted another fifty years or so with them.

Nikki knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Especially now.
She forced those thoughts from her head. “Yes. I’m just . . . it’s weird being in here after being gone so long. The kitchen is different.”
“It was remodeled a few years back,” he replied. The mansion was constantly being remodeled it seemed. After all, how many times had this place caught fire since it was built? Nikki had lost count. Her father drew in a deep breath, and the lines around his mouth became more pronounced. He looked so tired. “I don’t know if I’ve said this to you or not, but thank you.”

She waved him off. “You don’t need to thank me, Dad.”

“Yeah, I do.” He walked over to where she stood. “You went away to college to do something better than this—better than cooking dinners and running a household. To become something better.”

Offended on his behalf, she crossed her arms and met his weary gaze. “There’s nothing wrong with cooking dinners and running a household. It’s good, honest work. Wok that put me through college. Right, Dad?”

“We take great pride in our job. Don’t get me wrong, but what your mother and I did all these years was so you could do something else.” He sighed. “So, it means a lot that you would come home to help us out, Nicolette.”

Only her dad and mom called her by her full name. Everyone else called her Nikki. Everyone except a certain de Vincent who shall remained nameless. He and only he called her Nic.

Her parents had worked for the de Vincents, one of the wealthiest families in the States and possibly the world, since long before she was born. It was weird growing up in this house, being privy to a lot of strange stuff—things the public has no idea about and would probably pay a large sum of money to learn. And personally? It was like she had a foot in two different worlds, one absurdly wealthy and the other middle working class.

Her father was basically a butler, except she always had a small suspicion that her father had . . . taken care of things for the de Vincents that no normal butler did. Her mother ran the day-to-day functions of the house and prepared the dinners. Both her parents loved working for the family and she knew both had planned to continue to the day they died, but her mom . . . .

Nikki’s chest squeezed painfully. Her mom was not well and it had happened so fast, coming out of nowhere. The dreaded C word.

“Honestly, this is perfect. I got my degree and this will give me time to figure things out.” In other words, figure out what the hell she wanted to really do with her life. Get to work or go for her master’s? She wasn’t sure yet. “And I want to be here while Mom is going through everything.”

“I know.” His smile wobbled a little as he brushed a strand of blondish-brown hair out of her face.

“We could’ve hired someone else to step in while your mother—”

“No, you couldn’t have.” She laughed at the mere thought of that. “I know how weird the de Vincents are. I know how protective you two are of them. I know how to keep my mouth shut and not see what I’m not supposed to. And you two don’t have to worry about someone new not keeping their mouth shut and not seeing what they’re not supposed to.”

Her dad arched a brow. “A lot of things have changed, honey.”

She snorted as she took in the white marble countertops with gray veining. Mom had filled her in on some of those changes during one of her chemo treatments. After all, what else did they have to talk about while she was being pumped full of poison that would hopefully kill only the cancer cells building in her lung?

Things in the de Vincent mansion that had changed.

For starters, the patriarch of the family, one Lawrence de Vincent, had hung himself a few months back. An act that had shocked her because she figured that man would’ve outlived a nuclear bomb. And Lucian de Vincent apparently had a live-in girlfriend and they were about to move into their own place. That was even more insane, the idea of Lucian settling down.

The Lucian she remembered put the play in player. He’d been an incorrigible flirt, leaving a string of broken hearts across the state of Louisiana and beyond.

She hadn’t met his girlfriend yet since they were away on some kind of trip; the rich rarely seemed to have much of a schedule. She just hoped whoever his girlfriend was, she was nice and nothing like Devlin’s fiancé.

Nikki might not have been around the de Vincents in four years, but she remembered Sabrina Harrington and her brother Parker.

Sabrina had just begun seeing Devlin the year before Nikki had left for college and that had been a year’s worth of snide comments and rather impressive disdainful looks. Nikki could deal with Sabrina though. If she was the same woman as she was before, she could be as mean as a cornered rattlesnake, but Nikki normally didn’t even register on her scale of people to pay attention to.

Parker though?

Nikki suppressed a shudder, not wanting to worry her father who was watching her like a hawk.

Parker had often stared at her the way she’d wanted Gabe to look at her, especially when she had grown brave enough to move from a one-piece bathing suit to a two-piece.

And Parker . . . he had done more than look.

She drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t going to think about Parker. He wasn’t worth a single thought.

What happened to Lawrence, and Lucian’s new romance weren’t the only things her mom had told her. She filled Nikki in on the whole sister reappearing and then disappearing again thing. Something that she knew the general public had no idea had even happened. She didn’t know the details around it, but Nikki knew that in typical de Vincent fashion, it had to the most drama-llama-est thing possible.

And she also knew better than to ask questions about it.
Her father stepped back. “The boys are all out.”
Thank God and baby Jesus.
“Devlin should be back this evening for dinner. He likes dinner to be ready at six. I believe Ms. Harrington will be joining him.”
Well, thanking God and baby Jesus lasted all of five seconds. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and make a gagging sound. “Okay.”
“Gabriel is still in Baton Rouge, or at least, that’s the last I heard,” her father continued, ticking off the brothers’ schedules while she wondered what Gabe was doing in Baton Rouge. Not that she cared. She totally didn’t care whatsoever, but she wondered if it had anything to do with his woodworking business.

The man was talented with his hands.
Really talented.
Her cheeks flushed as an unwanted memory of how his calloused palms felt pierced her straight through the chest. Nope. Not going there. Absolutely not.
There were examples of Gabe’s skill all around the house—the furniture, chair rails, and trim, even in the kitchen. All of the woodwork was designed and created by Gabe. As a little girl, she’d been fascinated with the idea of picking up a piece of wood and turning it into something that was truly a work of art. That fascination had turned into quite the hobby for Nikki.

It had started one long, fall afternoon when she was ten and she’d found Gabe outside, whittling away on a piece of wood. Out of boredom, she’d asked him to show her how he did it. Instead of shooing her off, Gabe had given her small scrapes of wood and showed her how to use a chisel.

She’d gotten pretty good at it, but she hadn’t picked up a chisel in over four years. Nikki refocused on what her dad was telling her.
“We’re a little understaffed right now,” her dad continued. “So there’s a lot of dusting in your near future. Devlin is very much like his father.”

Great.

That was not a compliment in her book.
“Is it the ghosts?” She half joked. “Scaring off the staff?”
Her father shot her a look, but she knew damn well that her parents believed this

house was haunted. Hell, they wouldn’t even come here at night unless it was a dire emergency. None of the staff would and everyone in town knew the legends about the land the de Vincent mansion sat on. And who hadn’t heard about the de Vincent curse more than a time or two?

Being in this house as much as she had been in the past, she had seen some weird things and heard some stuff that couldn’t be explained. Plus she grew up within minutes of New Orleans. She was a believer, but unlike her friend Rosie, whom she met in college, she wasn’t obsessed with all things paranormal. Nikki operated on the whole if- you-don’t-acknowledge-ghosts-they-can’t-bother-you theory and so far it had worked so far wonderfully.

Then again, Nikki had only come here at night once in her life, and that had not turned out well at all. So maybe ignoring ghosts didn’t work, because she liked to think

she was possessed by one of ghosts that supposedly wandered the halls, and that was what provoked her to do what she’d done that night.

Nikki was well aware of how the house was run because she’d spent most of her summer vacations in the house watching her mom, so she got to work pretty quickly once her father left her.

First thing first was tracking down what staff they did have at the house. Understaffed her butt! The only staff they had left was her dad; the landscaper who was constantly mowing grass it seemed or re-mulching; the de Vincent driver; and Mrs. Kneely, an older woman who’d done the laundry services since Nikki was a little girl.

Beverly Kneely actually owed her own laundry business and only came to the house three times a week to take care of the linens and clothing.

According to Bev, whom she found in the large mudroom at the back of the house, packing up clothing that needed to be dry-cleaned, over the last couple of months, nearly everyone had quit.

“So, let me get this straight.” Nikki smoothed back a few strands that had escaped the knot she’d pulled her hair up in. “The waiters are gone, as are the maids?”

Bev’s buxom chest heaved as she nodded. “It’s just been your parents for the last three months. I think all that work was wearing poor Livie down.”

Anger flashed through Nikki. Hadn’t the de Vincents noticed how thin and tired her mom had been getting? How quickly she got out of breath? “Why didn’t the de Vincents hire someone to help?”

“Your father tried, but no one around here wants to come close to this place, not after what happened.”

She frowned. “You’re talking about Lawrence? What he did?”

Bev tied up the bags. “Not like that wasn’t bad enough, but that wasn’t the straw the broke the camel’s back around here.”

Nikki had no idea what she was talking about. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve been updated on all the crazy. What else happened?”

Looking around the room, Bev arched her brows as she headed toward the side door. “Walls got ears. You know that. You want to know what’s been going on here, you ask your father or one of the boys.”

Her lips pursed. She was so not asking the boys.

Bev stopped at the door and looked back. “I don’t think Devlin is going to be happy when he sees what you’re wearing.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” It was jeans and a black tee shirt. No way was she going to dress like her mom or her dad. Her willingness to help her parents did not extend to wearing uniforms.

She looked down at herself and saw the hole just below the knee.
Nikki sighed.
Devlin was probably going to have a problem with the hole, but what Nikki wanted to

know was what the hell had happened in this house to drive almost all the staff away?
It had to be something.
Not just because the de Vincents paid extraordinarily well, but also because her father hadn’t told her.
And that meant it was something really bad.

Moonlight Seduction is out June 26th, 2018!

Jennifer L. Armentrout Bio: 

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance.

She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more. She is also the creator and sole financier of the annual Write Your Way To RT Book Convention, a contest that gives aspiring authors a chance to win a fully paid trip to RT Book Reviews.

[segnalibroblog]

Interview - Matt Johnson - author of Wicked Game, Deadly Game and End Game (Orenda Books)

Matt Johnson is the critically acclaimed author of Wicked Game,Deadly Game and the upcoming final chapter in the trilogy, End Game (published by Orenda Books), crime thriller novels about Robert Finlay, an ex-SAS soldier and policeman, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Matt has very kindly agreed to an interview with me alongside the cover reveal for End Game.

Hi Matt. Tell me about Robert Finlay, the main protagonist in your first two novels, Wicked Game and Deadly Game:

I’m not too sure where Finlay’s character came from, Lisa. He certainly wasn’t planned. I started writing many years ago, not with the intention of writing a book but as a therapy, a means suggested by a counsellor to address the PTSD I had been diagnosed with. At that time I wrote about my symptoms, their causes, and about my career in the Army and police. It was only much later that the idea came about to use the notes that resulted to create a crime thriller. As I wrote, Finlay evolved as the main protagonist of the story. He isn’t me, and Wicked Game isn’t an autobiography, but I have used many of my personal career experiences in the telling of his story.

Finlay, like me, is a soldier who became a cop. Unlike me, he faces a threat from his past when terrorists discover his identity and that of friends from a similar special-forces background. His story is authentic, but the events in Wicked Game are, of course, fictional.

Finlay’s battle with PTSD is largely based on your own struggle with the disorder. How cathartic has the process of putting your experiences on paper been, albeit from a fictional standpoint?

It was very cathartic. At the time, and particularly when I started, I found it very challenging. Recording events in words, thinking about them, finding the right way to describe them and then writing about me, how I felt, how I reacted, how I was affected, it all served to compel me to unearth and address emotional issues that had built up over many years. I have likened it to the de-fragmentation of a hard disk on a pc, the before and after, where the result is a disc (or brain) that can function better for having undertaken the process.

As I’ve mentioned in my reviews of your books on Segnalibro.co.uk, I love the character of Jenny, Finlay’s wife. In my opinion, she offers the reader an insight to Finlay that illuminates his struggle from the viewpoint of someone who likely knows him better than himself. Was this your intention for Jenny, or was she purely there to be Finlay’s raison d’etre?

From the feedback I’ve received I think you are not alone. People like Jenny. I created her as Finlay’s rock, the woman he turns to when he needs solid advice, and also as the life-partner he is motivated to protect. I didn’t want him to be a character that only had himself to worry about and as a result might act in a way that was perhaps too heroic or too cavalier. I wanted him to have to think about the effect his actions and decisions would have on others and to have that influence him. I also wanted a third-person view on the troubled character, to show what he cannot see of himself, and to care enough about him that she is prepared to also take risks. It was also important to me that Finlay and Jenny have a strong, caring relationship; characters to whom loyalty is important.

Have you known Finlay’s end game from book one or has your direction changed at all for Finlay’s story?

I’ve had a rough idea of where the story is heading, and it was always my intention to tell it over the course of a trilogy. Having said that, the story has evolved in the telling and the editing process has brought about several changes I didn’t foresee at the beginning.

What is your day to day writing process?

Pretty disorganised but I’m getting better. Wicked Game was written ‘on the hoof’ so to speak. The story developed as I wrote. By the time I started book two, I realised I was going to have to be more organised and, for book three, I became yet more disciplined. I have a daily target of one thousand words – which I seldom meet – but I’ve now learned to create a storyboard which I loosely follow as the narrative unfolds. I take my time and frequently take a break to go back and re-assess where I have reached. Often this produces new ideas that can change the story quite markedly.

I write creatively in the afternoon and evening. Mornings tend to be saved for emails, personal work and social media. I also like to get out as often as I can and will break off to give my dogs another walk up ‘the mountain’ where I do my best thinking. And I always try to carry a small digital recorder to save those little ideas that pop into the brain unexpectedly.

Who are your writing inspirations and why?

I was actually inspired to write by a series of events. To cut a long story short, I let a colleague down during the 1980s when I failed to recognise his PTSD. Many years later when I also became a victim I promised myself I would try to make amends for that failure by bringing the realities of the condition to the attention of people through the medium of fiction. So, it was that experience which inspired me to write.

In terms of role models, it’s a much harder question as, immediately before I started writing, I read very few books and I favoured non-fiction. I was a ‘holidays only’ reader of, perhaps three or four books a year. In my twenties and thirties I used to read a lot more, enjoying the work of James Herbert, Isaac Asimov, James Patterson and Paulo Coelho, amongst others.

Favourite author? Probably Lee Child.

How important is social media, and reviews by bloggers like myself, to you? 

Social media is really an essential writer’s tool. Without it, building a readership can be a very slow process indeed and interacting with readers is now so much easier – if time consuming! I learn from readers all the time and I read all my reviews. If someone likes the books I want to know what I did right – so I can repeat it – and if they have a constructive criticism I will also pay heed to it.

Book bloggers are something of a new phenomenon. I’ve heard mixed points of view from my fellow writers. Some think that the blogging world is very insular with bloggers essentially writing to a small audience who read each others blogs. Others, myself included, subscribe to the notion that book blogging is a growing medium that readers are now starting to cotton onto. Review sites like Goodreads and Amazon have their uses but, for those readers who want a more in-depth analysis of a book – that they are about to commit several days of their precious time to read – the blog is a growing source of a reliable assessment.

You tackle some real political hot potatoes in your novels, such as international terrorism and people trafficking. What do you do in terms of research when writing on such big issues?

Having spent the bulk of my working life dealing with such crimes, much of my fiction is based on my own experience of the realities of such subjects. Add in the fact that I’m also fortunate enough to have a good network of colleagues who are still in the police and related services and you’ll quickly see where I go when I need an idea or an answer to a question.

And then there is my natural detective’s curiosity. I read about current affairs and I explore every medium I can to learn more about subjects that capture my interest. Often this produces ideas, some of which I incorporate within my own work.

Wicked Game was self-published initially until Orenda Books weaved their magic over what was already a great narrative. To any aspiring author, what advice would you give on publishing their first novel?

If self-publishing I would advocate checking and re-checking your work before you press that ‘publish’ button. Check grammar, spelling etc. Check formatting, check layout, check everything and then get another set of eyes to re-check it. Nothing seems to frustrate readers more than having to fight through a badly proofed novel in order to try and get into what might be a really excellent story.

If commercially published, I’d say to trust the team around you. As a new writer I was initially somewhat alarmed by the way things can be taken out of your hands. Jacket design, marketing, price-setting and all manner of other decisions are made by others. Editing is also a real skill. What I’ve learned is that all the people involved in getting your book onto the shelves are very skilled and very professional, and by the time your ‘baby’ is ready for publication they have as much invested in it as you do – more, if you include the financial investment of your publisher. Trust them, they want it to succeed just as much as you do.

You’re currently finalising book three. Can you give us any information on what we can expect from Finlay in this next instalment?

Book three is called ‘End Game’ and is the final part of the Wicked Game trilogy describing the world of the Intelligence Services that Finlay and his former friends have entered into conflict with.

In this book, Finlay finds himself an outcast from the police service as he battles to clear a friend who has been imprisoned and falsely accused of a most serious crime.

‘End Game’ will take the reader into the world of the Hostage Negotiator and MI5, the Security Service, as I tackle issues of mental health in policing, betrayal, loyalty and the true meaning of courage.

Will this be Finlay’s last story or does he have more tales to tell?

I’m not sure. Certainly, I have sketched-out ideas for three more novels and one non-fiction book. I would like to see Finlay at the centre of these stories but whether he is, well, we will have to see.

For readers like myself who are eager to read Finlay’s next story, when will book three be published?

The publication target, I understand, is Feb/March 2018.

Thank you so much, Matt, for answering my questions. I look forward to reading End Game soon.

Interview – Matt Johnson – author of Wicked Game, Deadly Game and End Game (Orenda Books) was originally published on segnalibro.co.uk

[gravetells]

Take a sneak peek inside Kylie Scott’s upcoming Dive Bar novel, Twist #excerpt

From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series!

When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot bearded bartender Joe Collins only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her. Alex Parks is funny, fascinating, and pretty much everything he’s been looking for in a woman—except that she lives across the country. Soon they’re emailing up a storm and telling each other their deepest, darkest secrets…except the one that really matters.

When Alex pays Joe a surprise visit, however, they both discover that when it comes to love, it’s always better with a twist.

Pre-order it at: Amazon US* | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

Read an excerpt

I watched the streetlights cast shadows on the angle of his cheekbone, the furrow of his brow. Strange how his manly beauty had grown on me, redefining or rather stretching my usual boundaries. Perhaps some people’s allure came from the inside out. A good thing. Their ways and their words did the wooing instead of their physical appeal. Not to diss Joe’s impressive physique. As nice as a pretty face was, though, the personality, the person beneath the skin, should matter more. Anything else was pretty shallow and unlikely to last. Guess that was the difference between my scratching an itch with a stranger and the way this man had me tied up in knots. And not even neat, sea-worthy knots. I’m talking, haven’t washed or brushed your hair in forever and there’s a big old mess back there. Shit. At the bar, he’d flirted with me. Full-on flirted with me, his supposed platonic friend who was not his type. No way did I know what to do. Normally Valerie would be first on my hit list of people to call. But she’d just tell me to jump him, regardless of what else was going on, or any possible consequences. Plus, with him beside me it would be kind of uncool. But a couple of whisky sours or no, I was pretty certain I hadn’t imagined his interest. As Mom had always said, however, best to be sure. “What are the renovating plans for tomorrow?” I asked. “Rip out the old fittings and prepare the space for new.” I nodded. “So we’ll be doing some pounding and screwing?” “Ah, yeah.” The man cast me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Sound okay?” “Absolutely. Can’t wait to get my hands back on that big hard hammer.” “Great,” he said, throwing me another questioning look. I gave a nice bland smile. Yeah, pal. Two could play at the what-the-fuck-is-going-on flirting game. I turned in my seat, all the better to face him. “Did you want to bang, Joe?” “What did you say?” Wide eyes flashed my way. “Like I did on that wall today. That was fun,” I said with all due sincerity. “Will we be doing more of that?” A pause. “Sure.” “Awesome.” Another quizzical look. “Something wrong?” I inquired politely. “No.” His Adam’s apple dipped as he swallowed hard, shifting in his seat, gaze decidedly unsure. The poor fool couldn’t begin to understand the crazy he’d unleashed with his little taunt. Get rough with the man? My starved libido was well beyond the rough-and-tumble stage. No more hiding or denying, sticking to the sidelines of life. It was my time to step forward and be brave. When it came to Joe Collins, I was more than ready to say yes. “I just . . .” he started. “Never mind.” Neither of us spoke as he pulled into a parking space a short walk down from the hotel. I leaned over, placing my hand on his denim-covered thigh. The muscle tensed beneath my fingers. Shame on me for straying a little close to his loins. “Thanks so much for tonight, Joe. I’m so glad we decided to be friends. Because you, sir, make a great friend.” “Right. Good.” A frown. “How much did you have to drink again?” “Not nearly enough. Quick, let’s get to my hotel room so I can have more!” I threw open my door. “Okay.” Hands stuffed in his pockets, he followed me inside, lingering a step or two behind. Guess he didn’t like it when people’s moods got all mixed up and mercurial either. Funny, that. I nodded to the dude at the front desk and pressed the button on the elevator. It opened immediately. Mirrors and old-timeylooking wooden framing decorated the small space. We both leaned against the back wall as it slowly ascended. “Yeah, sure can’t wait to do some banging, and pounding, and screwing around with you, Joe.” I smiled. “Sound good?” He just gave me a dry look from his superior height. All confusion gone from his handsome face. Confined spaces only made him seem bigger, even more imposing than usual. No way, no day, however, was I crawling back into my shell or turning into a shadow. We’d agreed to work on our issues, so fine, I was putting it out there. Still, my bravado was fading, I could barely meet his eyes. The man affected me in all the ways. “It’s hard, no pun intended this time, because sometimes it feels like you want to be just friends,” I said. “But then other times you flirt with me and I honestly don’t know what’s going on. No huge surprise there, I know. Social awkwardness is my jam. But I thought I mostly understood where you were coming from.” A ding from the elevator and the doors opened at our stop. I walked out, his bearded hotness following slowly behind, stalking me almost. For certain his usual cool, easy-going-guy persona was missing in action. The man radiated tension, intensity, even. And if he didn’t, I definitely did. Inside the hotel room I went for mood lighting, only turning on the table and bedside lamps. I rubbed sweaty hands against the sides of my pants. “What you said back at the bar about me getting rough with you, however. Now, that almost sounded like a dare.” “Did it?” “It did.” Arms hanging loose at his sides, he just watched me, saying nothing. Jerk. “So tell me.” I stood at the foot of the bed, facing him. Every part of me was wired, wide awake. “What’s going on, Joe?” His shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath. “I realized something tonight.” “What?” “That I was falling into old habits. Doing what was easy instead of doing what I wanted.” “Huh?” “It was just before you spilled ice on that guy’s pants.” “Sure. I can see how you’d be seduced by my smooth moves,” I said, voice filled with much doubt. My insides were ready to spontaneously combust. I swear I could feel sweat breaking out all over me, the man was just that hot. Also, my nerves were on high alert. One corner of his lips tipped up. “You know how you said you weren’t jealous?” “Yes?” “Well, I was.” Wow. I had nothing. “This is the part where you’re supposed to admit you were jealous too,” he supplied. “I didn’t think it needed to be said. I’m not that good a liar.” “True,” he said. “Anyway, I made the pass at you and then I was leaving it up to you to figure out what you want. To be brave and make the next move.” Softly, I laughed and shook my head. Men were such idiots. “Make the first move? This isn’t a game. As I said last time the subject of sex came up, previous hurt feelings, etc. It’s going to get complicated.” “Yeah, probably,” he said, voice deeper than I’d ever heard it.

Pre-order it at: Amazon US* | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

About the author

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://ift.tt/OWwaLa

Find Kylie online at her website | Facebook | FB Fan Group | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads

  *Denotes GraveTells affiliate link

from Take a sneak peek inside Kylie Scott’s upcoming Dive Bar novel, Twist #excerpt

[books-n-wine]

~**~ Excerpt Reveal for Twist by Kylie Scott ~**~

    From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series! When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot bearded bartender Joe Collins only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her. Alex Parks is funny, fascinating, and pretty much everything he's been looking for in a woman—except that she lives across the country. Soon they're emailing up a storm and telling each other their deepest, darkest secrets...except the one that really matters. When Alex pays Joe a surprise visit, however, they both discover that when it comes to love, it's always better with a twist. Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play       I watched the streetlights cast shadows on the angle of his cheekbone, the furrow of his brow. Strange how his manly beauty had grown on me, redefining or rather stretching my usual boundaries. Perhaps some people’s allure came from the inside out. A good thing. Their ways and their words did the wooing instead of their physical appeal. Not to diss Joe’s impressive physique. As nice as a pretty face was, though, the personality, the person beneath the skin, should matter more. Anything else was pretty shallow and unlikely to last. Guess that was the difference between my scratching an itch with a stranger and the way this man had me tied up in knots. And not even neat, sea-worthy knots. I’m talking, haven’t washed or brushed your hair in forever and there’s a big old mess back there. Shit. At the bar, he’d flirted with me. Full-on flirted with me, his supposed platonic friend who was not his type. No way did I know what to do. Normally Valerie would be first on my hit list of people to call. But she’d just tell me to jump him, regardless of what else was going on, or any possible consequences. Plus, with him beside me it would be kind of uncool. But a couple of whisky sours or no, I was pretty certain I hadn’t imagined his interest. As Mom had always said, however, best to be sure. “What are the renovating plans for tomorrow?” I asked. “Rip out the old fittings and prepare the space for new.”   I nodded. “So we’ll be doing some pounding and screwing?” “Ah, yeah.” The man cast me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Sound okay?” “Absolutely. Can’t wait to get my hands back on that big hard hammer.” “Great,” he said, throwing me another questioning look. I gave a nice bland smile. Yeah, pal. Two could play at the what-the-fuck-is-going-on flirting game. I turned in my seat, all the better to face him. “Did you want to bang, Joe?” “What did you say?” Wide eyes flashed my way. “Like I did on that wall today. That was fun,” I said with all due sincerity. “Will we be doing more of that?” A pause. “Sure.” “Awesome.” Another quizzical look. “Something wrong?” I inquired politely. “No.” His Adam’s apple dipped as he swallowed hard, shifting in his seat, gaze decidedly unsure. The poor fool couldn’t begin to understand the crazy he’d unleashed with his little taunt. Get rough with the man? My starved libido was well beyond the rough-and-tumble stage. No more hiding or denying, sticking to the sidelines of life. It was my time to step forward and be brave. When it came to Joe Collins, I was more than ready to say yes. “I just . . .” he started. “Never mind.” Neither of us spoke as he pulled into a parking space a short walk down from the hotel. I leaned over, placing my hand on his denim-covered thigh. The muscle tensed beneath my fingers. Shame on me for straying a little close to his loins. “Thanks so much for tonight, Joe. I’m so glad we decided to be friends. Because you, sir, make a great friend.” “Right. Good.” A frown. “How much did you have to drink again?” “Not nearly enough. Quick, let’s get to my hotel room so I can have more!” I threw open my door. “Okay.” Hands stuffed in his pockets, he followed me inside, lingering a step or two behind. Guess he didn’t like it when people’s moods got all mixed up and mercurial either. Funny, that. I nodded to the dude at the front desk and pressed the button on the elevator. It opened immediately. Mirrors and old-timeylooking wooden framing decorated the small space. We both leaned against the back wall as it slowly ascended. “Yeah, sure can’t wait to do some banging, and pounding, and screwing around with you, Joe.” I smiled. “Sound good?” He just gave me a dry look from his superior height. All confusion gone from his handsome face. Confined spaces only made him seem bigger, even more imposing than usual. No way, no day, however, was I crawling back into my shell or turning into a shadow. We’d agreed to work on our issues, so fine, I was putting it out there. Still, my bravado was fading, I could barely meet his eyes. The man affected me in all the ways. “It’s hard, no pun intended this time, because sometimes it feels like you want to be just friends,” I said. “But then other times you flirt with me and I honestly don’t know what’s going on. No huge surprise there, I know. Social awkwardness is my jam. But I thought I mostly understood where you were coming from.” A ding from the elevator and the doors opened at our stop. I walked out, his bearded hotness following slowly behind, stalking me almost. For certain his usual cool, easy-going-guy persona was missing in action. The man radiated tension, intensity, even. And if he didn’t, I definitely did. Inside the hotel room I went for mood lighting, only turning on the table and bedside lamps. I rubbed sweaty hands against the sides of my pants. “What you said back at the bar about me getting rough with you, however. Now, that almost sounded like a dare.” “Did it?” “It did.” Arms hanging loose at his sides, he just watched me, saying nothing. Jerk. “So tell me.” I stood at the foot of the bed, facing him. Every part of me was wired, wide awake. “What’s going on, Joe?” His shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath. “I realized something tonight.” “What?” “That I was falling into old habits. Doing what was easy instead of doing what I wanted.” “Huh?” “It was just before you spilled ice on that guy’s pants.” “Sure. I can see how you’d be seduced by my smooth moves,” I said, voice filled with much doubt. My insides were ready to spontaneously combust. I swear I could feel sweat breaking out all over me, the man was just that hot. Also, my nerves were on high alert. One corner of his lips tipped up. “You know how you said you weren’t jealous?” “Yes?” “Well, I was.” Wow. I had nothing. “This is the part where you’re supposed to admit you were jealous too,” he supplied. “I didn’t think it needed to be said. I’m not that good a liar.” “True,” he said. “Anyway, I made the pass at you and then I was leaving it up to you to figure out what you want. To be brave and make the next move.” Softly, I laughed and shook my head. Men were such idiots. “Make the first move? This isn’t a game. As I said last time the subject of sex came up, previous hurt feelings, etc. It’s going to get complicated.” “Yeah, probably,” he said, voice deeper than I’d ever heard it.     Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/   FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FACEBOOK FAN GROUP | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS  

[misscecil]

How to Be a Great Art Ally to Your Creator Friends

Slightly tweaked from my 2015 post How To Be A Great ART ALLY I’ve been having a lot of heart to hearts lately with my friends who are authors and artists and we’re all saying the same thing: It is getting harder and harder for everyone who isn’t in the top 5% of their industry to get the word out about work they are doing. Because of the way the industries are now, many artists are not getting the marketing and push that they deserve or need. Much of that promotion and publicity now falls on the artist’s shoulder. Your artist friend may have a good career, but unless they are crazy lucky, or have the “it” thing of the moment, your artist friend is probably really struggling. “What. But they have so many books out! They are on tour all the time! They are always doing some wacky play!” Sadly, about 90% of artists are struggling and barely making a living wage. Most have full-time day jobs on top of their full-time art careers. Remember, every new project that they do is like starting from scratch. For example, many of the people who I know who are not artists see all the stuff that I am doing and think that it’s going so great for me that I don’t need their help to get the word out about my books. But I do. All of your artist friends (even the most famous ones) need your support all the time. To be a great Art Ally for any of your author/artist friends I’ve drummed up a list of things that you can do. I’ve focused on books, since I’m an author, but I’ve added helpful tips within to give you ideas on how to help your music, performer, filmmaker, comic book, visual artist and indie game maker friends. 1) Pre-order their stuff. Seriously. If your friend has a book (or CD or DVD or indie game or comic book) coming out pre-order it. Pre-orders give the publishing company an indication of interest and can help with print runs. Good pre-orders sometimes help a book because the publishing company may give a book a little push with extra marketing money and publicity based on those numbers. 2) Show up. If your friend has a reading or something, go to it. “But I went to it once for another book!” That’s great! You are a supporter! But, every book is a whole new thing! (Go to their rock show! Play! Art gallery opening! If your friend is in a film/made a film go opening weekend, that’s when the box office counts. Or order it on VOD the week it drops. Or buy the game the week it comes out. You get the idea.) 3) When you are there, buy the book. “But I already pre-ordered it!” Yeah, I know. But buying it at the store or the reading helps the bookstore and the numbers and will help your friend do another reading there the next time. This is especially important if your friend is doing a reading not in their hometown. (If your friend is a musician, buy merch because that might be how they are paying for gas. If your friend is an artist, buy a piece of art because that might equal a bag of groceries.) (comics peeps put your pals book on your pull list) (etc) 3a) “But argh! This is not my kind of book. I don’t read that genre. It’s not for me. I’m not a kid/teen.” Sure, that’s fair. The book might not be for you. But I bet you one million dollars that you know somebody that the book (or other thing) would be perfect for. Maybe a strange aunt? Maybe your weird nephew? Maybe your co-worker? And remember the holidays are always just around the corner! Why not get it signed? Think of it as a back up present. You can give it at a white elephant exchange. If all else fails, get a copy and donate it to your local library or if it’s a kids book, to the school library nearest you. 4) Signal boost it. While it may look to you like everybody knows about your friend’s book, they probably don’t. Remember that we are all kind of in a bubble when it comes to social media. Authors (and artists of all kinds) are always looking for new readers/audience and you totally have a bunch of friends that your author/artist friend doesn’t know. And those friends might have never heard of your friend’s book, movie, game, music and it might be right up their alley. And those friends have friends that you don’t know. And so on. And so on. So every once in a while, if you like and in a way that you are comfortable with, an easy Art Ally action is to Tweet, Instagram, Pintrest or Facebook (or repost) something about that person’s art thing on the social medias! This signal boosting helps to get new eyeballs on the book (or art thing) that your friend is doing. 5) Review it / Rate it. Perhaps you are on Goodreads? Or perhaps you frequent Amazon or B&N or Powells? If you really are a fan of the book (or art thing), a simple way to help boost your friend’s work is by giving it a star rating or a review. (For musicians you can do this at those places as well. Also you can add their album to your streaming site and rate it! For films rate it on Netflix if it’s there! For games there are places to do this too!) 5a) For books, on Goodreads it’s also helpful if you add it to your to read shelf. It’s both helpful before the book comes out and when the book comes out. So if you haven’t done it already, go to it! Add all your friends books to your to read shelf. It’s not too late! 6) Make sure that it is in your local library branch! Libraries are the biggest purchasers of books! An author wants their book to be read! Libraries help with that! Maybe you are librarian? Or someone super close to you is a librarian? This is where you can really help to get it on the library radar by making sure that it is on the order list for your branch or for your system. Sidenote: Many libraries are too poor to purchase books this is a great place for you to donate that extra book! 7) Many books have reader guides or teacher guides. Are you a teacher? Or is someone super close to you a teacher? If you love the book, consider using it in your class! Or if not that, you can donate the book to your (or your teacher pal’s) school library or classroom library for students to enjoy. 8) Book Club it. If you have a book club, suggest your group read your friend’s book. Or maybe just have a one-off book club and get a group of your friends together to read your friend’s book. If your friend writes for kids, do a mother/ daughter or father /son book club with a group of people. I’m 100% certain that your author friend would be delighted to come over (or if they live far, Skype) to discuss their book with your book club. (for musicians you could host a living room show at your house) 9) Ask your art pal to come in and speak! Maybe your school or library has a budget to bring in a variety of guest speakers for classrooms or assemblies? Your friend would be perfect for this. If your institution has no budget, you can still ask your friend to come and speak! Lots of authors have sliding scales and can organize a way to sell their own books and that can offset a pro bono visit. Also, it will help them to get new readers. Being an art ally is all about getting new audiences for your arty friends. (Your other artist pals would make great classroom / assembly visitors as well.) 10) Vote and Nominate. It’s possible that there are lists that you can vote on or nominate your friends for that they may be eligible for and deserving. This could be anything from your local publicly voted on thing to a list that is for professionals which you might be. It’s easy for everyone to remember to nominate the big best sellers of the year or the debut books that are getting the big pushes. But there are many midlist books that are wonderful and get lost in that shuffle. Make sure to champion the midlist! They really need help to be seen! (This is the same for all of your artist friends. There is always a thing that is going on where they can use your vote or nomination. You’ve gotten those emails / updates.) 11) Hand sell. Maybe you are a bookseller? Make sure that the book is on the shelf. And then, when and if you love it, hand sell it! You can also help by making sure that the book is still on the shelf once it’s sold. Many stores don’t automatically re-order a book if it doesn’t sell more than a certain amount. If you are not a bookseller, you can still hand sell by just talking up the book to people. (Talk up their music, game, comic, play, and movie.) 11a) If you work in retail anywhere and your pal is a musician and you like their music: Try putting their album on at work! Who knows? Maybe someone will ask you who that swell band is? Your pal may gain a new listener! 12) Support their Indiegogo or Kickstarter or Patreon. For your other artist friends who are making movies, plays, albums, comics, indie video games support their crowdfunding or patreon effort. Really. You can totally afford the $5-10 level (even if you think the project is lame.) for a crowdfunding and $1 for patron. And it will really help them and boost morale. 13) Be a good literary citizen. If you are an author, remember to be a good literary citizen. Promote yourself, but also do stuff for the larger literary community. Participate and include others. There are many things you can do. You can organize events. You can pitch panels. You can show up to things. You can volunteer to be a judge for things or to moderate panels (be a good moderator if you do.) You can write essays about other works. Remember to extend past your own inner circle of friends to include people who you might not know. Being an artist is very hard. There are many ups and downs in a career. At some point everyone goes through a hard time and needs help. Avoid the cool kids table mentality. Be kind. When you are on the top, don’t forget to keep helping your community. Diversify your literary and artistic world. (Other artists, you know what this is in your own field. Art citizens for the win!) 14) Invite your friend over to dinner. Or buy them dinner. Or have a potluck. Everyone could use a good night out with friends and conversation. It’s a spirit booster. No lie. You have the power to be a great ART ALLY! Champion what you love. From all artists everywhere, I thank you for your support!

[mysteryshelf]

SLEUTHING SATURDAY SPECIAL - Fatal Option

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Smith Publicity. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

About the Book:

The Hotly Anticipated New Novel From Lambda Literary Award Finalist…

NAIL-BITING THRILLER EXPLORES THE DEVASTATING MORAL CONSEQUENCES OF A DANGEROUS CHOICE

  “A sharp, intelligent thriller. Really top-notch.”

– Neely Tucker, Washington Post staff writer & author of Only The Hunted Run

  “A wintery tale of violence and redemption, artfully balanced by a touching portrayal of a family in crisis.”

– Peter Swanson, author of The Kind Worth Killing

  “Fatal Option grabs you from the first page. Plan to stay up.”

– Kathleen Antrim, former Co-President of International Thriller Writers & author of Capital Offense

  Would you break the law to save your child?

Stephen Porter finds himself facing this very question – with life or death consequences – in Fatal Option, the hotly anticipated new thriller from Lambda Literary Award finalist Chris Beakey, set for release on February 21, 2017 with Post Hill Press.

Fatal Option opens on the coldest night of the year, with Stephen pulled from a dreamless sleep by a midnight phone call. His 17-year-old daughter, Sara, is stranded in the blizzard, crying in terror and begging for his help. It would be a no-brainer if he hadn’t gone to bed just an hour before after a night of binge drinking alone.

With blurred vision and unsteady balance, Stephen knows it’s dangerously irresponsible to get behind the wheel. But he hits the winding, icy roads of Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains to bring his daughter home.

High school teacher Kieran O’Shea is also behind the wheel on that fateful night, searching for his autistic younger brother, Aidan. Kieran is also terrified – of the voices in his mind, of the probability that Aidan will be taken from him, and of the certainty that he will soon be arrested for murdering three women.

In a matter of minutes, Stephen will encounter Kieran and drive headlong into a collision that will force him to question everything he thought he knew about his family – and to protect his children from violence that hits all too close to home.

A murder mystery wrapped around a heartbreaking moral dilemma, Fatal Option is already being lauded by the who’s-who of the American thriller community, with bestselling author Jordan Dane calling it, “emotionally visceral,” and Norb Vonnegut praising the “relentlessly suspenseful” pacing and intrigue of Beakey’s sophomore release.

“Fatal Option is very much about an option,” says Beakey, “a choice that a good man makes in a desperate situation. Of course, the worst possible thing that could happen… happens. But sometimes bad decisions seem like the only decisions. What I really want readers of Fatal Option to ask themselves is: what would you do?”

  Interview with the Author:

What initially got you interested in writing?

  I’ve always been a storyteller – some of my earliest memories are of reading books I liked and then wanting to go off into my room to write my own stories. I wasn’t a very good student growing up – wasn’t very good at investing energy in subjects like mathematics and science that didn’t interest me. But I loved English and literature and always put extra effort into every assignment that enabled me to write. I believe that one of the greatest advantages any kid can have is to discover the thing that he or she is meant to do, and to have the resources to pursue excellence in that very thing. For one kid it might be auto mechanics. For another it might be politics. For me it was always the storytelling.

  What drew you to writing thrillers?

  I write the same types of stories that I love to read – those driven by suspenseful forward momentum, realistic characters, and high-stakes circumstances. I’ve always been a worrier – spend so much time thinking about bad things that can happen. I’ve found it useful to work those anxieties into frightening scenarios. I can’t say that writing really lessens my anxieties, but I always feel better when my characters who are good people overcome the threats posed by bad people.

  How did you break into the field?

  It took decades . . . I had to spend many years learning how to write, mostly on my own by reading a lot, writing every day, and coming to understand my voice and the types of stories I wanted to tell. I wrote four books before I found an agent, who sold my first novel, Double Abduction, to a small publisher who brought it out in hardcover. It sold well and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. I spent another nine years writing and pitching my second novel, Fatal Option, published by Post Hill Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Like most writers, I dealt with all kinds of rejection amid glimmers of encouragement. For me, “breaking in to the field” was kind of like being on a decades-long episode of “Survivor” . . . with one key exception in that there were many great people who supported and inspired me along the way.

  What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

  Good people can be thrust into very bad situations. Often, those good people have to make dangerous choices. Sometimes those choices are morally and legally questionable, but good people will always make their choices for reasons that seem right at the time. Meanwhile, most good people do things they’re not proud of, and quite often bad people can be redeemed.

  What do you find most rewarding about writing?

  The day-to-day and moment-by-moment mysteries of the whole process bring me joy and a feeling of calm accomplishment. And one of the best rewards is seeing the people, places and plots you imagine coming to life in a way that people connect to. That’s the kind of reward I got when I saw the cover to Fatal Option, and as I read the Goodreads reviews from everyday readers (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753471-fatal-option) and every time I watch this amazing trailer, which captures what Fatal Option is about in the most chilling way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbw81Y9XtY

  What do you find most challenging about writing?

  Trying to be better and better at it . . . recognizing that’s a lifetime objective. Dealing with the frustrations you feel when it isn’t working. Staying upbeat in the face of rejection. Investing weeks, months and perhaps even longer in a story before coming to the realization that it isn’t going to work. And lastly, seeing great books going undiscovered while not-so-great books get thrust by publishing’s most powerful forces onto the point-of-purchase displays that tell people what to buy.

  What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

  If you want to write, you need to set aside the time, every day if possible, to do so. Try to find the time when you’re naturally most creative. Write about the things that make you emotional – whether that means being frightened, or amused, or just deeply engaged. If you’re really determined to succeed, stay with it, no matter how frequent and/or coarse the rejections. Find friends who also like to write and who love to read. Support them by offering your candid thoughts on what they’re doing and welcoming the same from them. Be easy on yourself when you get frustrated, but push yourself toward constant improvement and an open mind about what constitutes true quality.

  What type of books do you enjoy reading?

  I typically read thrillers and stories driven by rapid pacing and suspense because these are the types of books I enjoy and strive to write. Every once in awhile I’ll read something that strays into the “literary” category, but I almost never read anything described as “a cozy mystery” or about a private eye who drinks a lot (unless it’s written by Dennis Lehane or unless I’m re-reading Raymond Chandler’s stories).

  Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

  People close to me say I’m a good listener, which is probably true since I like to listen for awhile before I say anything. I’m relentlessly optimistic – which is partly the way I’m wired but also a conscious choice. I’m ridiculously spacey – am obsessed with this crazy and scary scenario where I lose my wallet the day I’m supposed to get on a plane and fly somewhere, or losing it right after I’ve landed and before I’ve checked into my hotel. I daydream a good bit of every day worrying about worst-case scenarios. I have cocktails at the end of every day, preferably accompanied by good conversation, a good book, or some amazing offering on Netflix or Amazon. I have a day job with a huge amount of responsibility, but act pretty goofy there, which is OK because everyone around me’s pretty cool.

  What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

  I love hearing from readers and connecting with other writers. I’m especially interested in knowing what readers think about the morally and legally-questionable choices made by Stephen Porter in Fatal Option. I want to know what they would have done in the same situation, and why. I can be reached by email at chrisbeakey@verizon.net, and via Facebook. I also have a web site at www.chrisbeakey.com, and a blog where I post my short stories, novel excerpts and book reviews at www.blog.chrisbeakey.com.

  About the Author:

Chris Beakey tells stories of good people caught in bad places. He writes fiction from his homes in Washington, D.C. and Lewes, Delaware, as well as nonfiction as a ghostwriter for an organization that promotes bipartisan policies that strengthen the nation through smart investments in youth. His first, novel, Double Abduction, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

  Connect with Chris Beakey on Facebook, Goodreads and at www.chrisbeakey.com.

  Fatal Option [Post Hill Press] will be released February 21, 2017, and is currently available for pre-order via Indiebound, Amazon and wherever fine books are sold.

  SLEUTHING SATURDAY SPECIAL – Fatal Option was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf