Swirling Secrets Re-Release!

Hiya peeps, and TGIF!

Hopefully you all are doing awesome, and have some fun plans for this weekend. I'm super excited, because I'm finally re-releasing my Swirling Secrets trilogy!

I've been working on this project for nearly a year - even before I published the final book in the series. I wanted to get the covers just right, and I wanted to re-do the interior formatting, but needed to figure out a few things first. As I learn about self-publishing, my knowledge and understanding has grown, and unfortunately, it out-grew where I had been when I published this series. Especially Desi Pere. That seems pretty typical for this biz, and really, what can ya do.

It's all a learning process, and I'm glad to finally feel comfortable enough to get this series re-published! It matches what I imagined for it from the start, finally. I'm super proud of the story and world I created in this trilogy, and I am excited to finally get it polished up the way it deserves!

The new house is definitely a big reason I finally got it done. Not only because we are settling in and there is less stress now, but also because it's a wonderful space, and I feel a whole lot more creative here. This project normally would have taken me at least a week, and I got all four of my books done in a day and a half, completely overhauled & redone. Wowza! =D

So, before I explode any more excitement and gushing all over you guys, check out the new covers!! =D

The overall cover themes are the same, but the few changes I did make really help them pop, I think. I love the title font, and each image really catches your eye. At least, that's what beta testers said. ;)

The majority of the formatting changes happened to the paperback editions, as eBook formatting is fairly generic, and you don't really get to have the same fun with fonts and whatnot. At least I'm not - I'd rather let a reader choose their fonts, and keep it simple, since that's part of the point of eReaders.

So, for those of you who enjoy paperbacks, there are a few special changes in each of the paperback books! In my opinion, they have far more personality now, and it all fits the story much better.

It does take a few days for Amazon to catch up and get everything set up, so I'll share another post next week when they are ready for purchasing. It is supposed to take 1-3 business days, so fingers crossed for the beginning of next week!

If you are planning to pick up a copy, I truly appreciate it! I couldn't imagine a better outcome to the re-release! =D

You may have noticed, earlier in this post I mentioned I reformatted and overhauled all four of my books. Yep! While this post is only featuring the Swirling Secrets series, I'll have a post coming up real soon featuring the re-release of Being Brooke's B.F.F.! 

Keep an eye out for that, and let me know what you think of these covers in the comments below!

Thanks for visiting! =D

Excerpt Fun!

Hiya peeps! Happy Monday! =D

I'm working on some promo stuff today, mainly for Desi Pere. I have been putting it off for several months, and finally sat down and did it today! I love working on Photoshop and designing things like banners, teasers and promo pics, so it was definitely a fun day. Great way to start the week.

It got me thinking though - I don't share much about  my books, except the covers. As I figure out how to do this whole author-as-a-career thing, more things make sense as I go along. I wasn't sure how to share more, without feeling blah about it, and I've learned it just takes time. It also takes confidence, to start talking about your book to people, even on the internet. At least, it does when you're chronically, horribly, pathetically shy and socially phobic like I am.

Anyway, I want to share more about my books with you guys, so I'm starting today!

Here is an excerpt from Desi Pere, since I'm always talking about it.

“How can you not like eggs?” Lesley exclaimed, being her usual overly dramatic self.

“I just don't like them. They're bland, boring, and I'd rather have something else.” I replied, shrugging.

“Well that's why you add things to them to make them more interesting. Like cheese, or olives, or tomatoes, or bacon, or-”

“If I have to add a laundry list of stuff to make it worth eating, why would I want to eat it?”

“Because they're good for you.”

“Eh. Says some. Others say they're bad, so that argument fails.” I insisted, egging her on. Getting her flustered was always fun, and I'd grown to enjoy our ridiculous conversations when I was still in school with her.

“Ok, well, they are filling, and have hardly any calories, so you work it all off quick.”

“Except for all that bacon and cheese.”

“Argh! So, run a few laps!”

“They just gross me out, so it doesn't matter what's put with them.”

“Why do they gross you out? They're eggs.”

“Exactly! Eating dead, cooked babies – gross.”

She rolled her eyes at me, but I could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was enjoying this too. Good.

“Ok, I give up. Have your boring bagel, and I'll enjoy my fluffy, cheesy eggs.” She proved her point by inhaling a fork full of eggs.

I couldn't help but laugh as she made a dramatic and noisy show of enjoying her breakfast, drawing the attention of the other patrons around us.

“Oh my gosh, people are looking. Do we need to get you a room?”

“For these eggs, maybe!”

We both broke out in giggles, and for a moment, I forgot about my mission.

It was difficult for me to see this bubbly, friendly, outgoing person in front of me as someone who would kidnap and torture my mom. Or at least, work with people who would kidnap and torture my mom. Something just didn't feel right – something was off.

I had to figure it out, which still meant getting into Lesley's group.

I had a lot of fun writing that scene, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

To check out more of this book, pick up a copy of FREE on Amazon!

More to come soon! =D

"Desi Pere" Now PERMA-FREE!!

Hiya guys!

I was going through my posts today, planning out some for the next few months, and realized I never made a post about this!

I asked for help to get Desi Pere perma-free, and it worked!! You all helped so much with that, and I'm so excited about it! I know I put a post on Facebook thanking people there, but I really wanted to put a thank you up here, as well.

SO! In case you haven't picked up a copy, now's the perfect time! It's free, and a great chance to explore the first book in my Swirling Secrets Trilogy!

Check it out, and please be sure to leave a review if you read it! =D

Desi Pere(Swirling Secrets, #1)

~Released: February 2nd, 2016

~Genres: Young Adult, Action, Adventure, Paranormal/Supernatural

Goodreads

Amazon

(FREE!)

Magnhild, is a freak. From her name, right down to the naturally bizarre visage she can't seem to get rid of- she's an odd duck. 

Her life has taken a swirling plunge into the drain the past few months, but it's nothing compared to what's coming. All she wants is to finish school, and start over somewhere fun. Fate, has other plans. 

Enter the Desi Pere underground organization, and three of it's loyal members: They've enlisted Magnhild's cooperation, whether she likes it or not. They mean to exploit her superhuman gifts, ones she didn't think anyone knew about. Overnight, she's dragged into a world, and a war, the normal world doesn't even know exist. The bait: reuniting her with her mother, who's supposed to be dead. 

Danger, confusion, deception, and self-loathing fog each decision Magnhild faces. She desperately hopes to find her mother, and bring meaning to her past of abuse and isolation. 

Will she see through the web society has spun around her, or fall captive to century-old lies? In her search for the truth, she discovers she cannot find what she seeks, without first becoming herself, accepting her inner strength, and embracing her bizarre life...

Thank you so much for reading, and if you feel so inclined, please share this freebie with your friends! =D

Perma-Free! NEED HELP!

Hiya guys!

So the surprise I mentioned in my last post, has a snag I didn't realize.

I had planned to put "Desi Pere" as perma-free on Amazon. I failed to research it first though, and assumed I'd simply be able to change the price to $0.00 and call it good.

Whoops!

Amazon doesn't work like that - they want to make some sort of money.

*face palm*

So! I have listed it as free on Smashwords. I also updated it to free in B&N, although it hasn't updated yet - not sure how long that takes.

For those of you familiar with how Amazon perma-free works, you know what help I'm talking about. Basically, lots of people go to the book's page on Amazon, and let them know of a lower price. If we can get that done, then the first book in the Swirling Secrets trilogy will be free, foreva!! Whoot! =D

I would love to see that happen guys - I have wanted it free since I decided to turn it into a trilogy, and wanted to have it happen today.

I feel awkward asking for help, but I would appreciate it so much!

If you wouldn't mind, simply follow the links, and down under the book rankings in the info section, the option to "let us know of a lower price" should be available. It is listed as free on Smashwords, so simply enter that link, enter the prices as 0.00, and submit!

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BBMXJBM

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/642539

Thank you so much!! :D

Until it updates as free, I will be lowering the price to $0.99 - the lowest they'll let me.

Can't wait to see it as free everywhere!

"Prae Lium" is LIVE!

I'm so excited today, guys! It's live, worldwide!

Amazon rocks, doesn't it? =D

I'll be sharing another surprise with you guys later tonight or tomorrow, which I'm equally excited about!

For now though, I'm marveling in the fact I've got a whole trilogy published, out in the world. Happy Monday, y'all ;)

It's In Review!!

Hiya guys, happy Saturday!! 

I'm so excited today, because I finished the cover design for Prae Lium! It's just about ready to publish!

I also submitted it for review in CreateSpace (publisher for Amazon, for paperback copies), so once it's approved, I can order a proof copy!

If it's all lookin' good, I can set the release date for October 3rd!! Booya!! So excited!!

I'll let you guys know if it's approved, and when I order a proof copy!

TGIF Peeps!!

Hiya guys!! It's finally Friday - whoot!! It's so nice being on a Monday - Friday schedule now. Fridays actually mean something, and I can be excited for the weekend - whoot!

What are you guys doing this weekend? Anything fun planned? If not, be sure to fit some fun in there! =D

This week has been so emotional! I spent a few days fighting off a flu bug, which made me feel behind, and overwhelmed. There is so much to do right now, and I always seem to get sick right when I need to not be sick. Probably because I work myself too hard for too long, and by the time the final rush hits, I'm down! haha Oh well.

Anyway, I got over it enough to get back to work, and have finished up everything I hoped to do this week!

Mainly, getting Prae Lium up on Amazon, available for pre-order!!

I'm so excited, and having it on Amazon is the other half of what's so emotional. Come October 3rd, I will have published an entire trilogy, in one year. Having a trilogy published is such a "wow" moment on it's own, but then realizing I've done it all in one year, kind of blows my mind.

Like, "did I really do that? How?"

I'm so stoked though, because now that that's out, I can focus on marketing it. And really, I can focus on starting some of my other projects! I'm so excited to get going on my other books.

I hope you'll keep following me on this journey, and if you haven't already done so, be sure to pick up a copy of Prae Lium on Amazon! If you haven't read the first or second books yet, you can pick up copies of those as well, and get all caught up on this adventure!

Thanks a ton - you guys rock!

Off to the Editor!

Oh my gosh you guys, I'm so stoked!! I finished writing "Prae Lium" tonight!!!

It isn't as long as I wanted, but the story is finished, and that's what matters. It's long enough to make me happy - more than 50k words, split into 20 chapters.

I can definitely live with that!

It's ready to go to the editor!! I'm so lucky that is Ken, because he is stupid quick, and will have this baby edited and ready for the final read-through this weekend!!

Publishing this thing October 3rd, if God keeps blessing it this way!

Whoot!!

Ciao for now, I'm off to celebrate!

"Prae Lium" is a Novel!

Hiya guys! Hope you're all doing well. Whatchya up to this weekend?

I've been writing my butt off this past week - having the guys work a steady schedule has helped a ton, and I've gotten into a good rhythm! I've been writing most of today, which has been awesome. I wanted to write a quick update though, since I've hit a good spot to take a break.

After all the drama circling book three in the Swirling Secrets series, Prae Lium is finally at 40k words!

From everything I can see, 40k> is considered a novel. Some places, like NaNoWriMo, require more, and others require less, but most seem to agree on 40.

I figure this book will be somewhere around 55-60k or so, when I'm finished. Should end up around 22-23 chapter or so, roughly 200 pages I think, depending on the format.

I'm hoping to have it finished next week sometime - whoot!

I'm still shooting for an October 3rd release date, and will be sharing more about that in the next few weeks.

So excited! =D

If you haven't read Sospi Tare yet, you've still got a few weeks! ;)

Wish me luck, and have a fantastic weekend!

The Perfect Song

Hiya guys, Happy Saturday! =D

So, I was writing yesterday, and as always, had music blasting. I'm one of those people that loves having music on while I do just about everything. I can write without it, but I write a whole lot better and quicker with music. Especially heavier music.

Anyway, I was writing, doing my thing, my series playlist blaring. I created a series playlist just for Swirling Secrets on Spotify (feel free to follow it, this mix is epic!), and it's got over 200 songs. I always have it on shuffle play, so the mix is always different.

One of the songs that came on, is one I love writing to, but admittedly, haven't listened to the lyrics all that closely. For what ever reason, I did this time. What I found is, this song is perfect for this series! If I had to pick one song to embody this story, that song was it.

Check these lyrics out, they are the main ones that fit this story so well:

We won't fall to our knees

We are the one true hope

So give me an answer

Are you in or you out?

We are the one true hope

So give me an answer

We all fall, crawl out of the fear you're in

Don't give up

We won't fall to our knees

We are the one true hope

So give me an answer whoa whoa

So give me an answer, now whoa whoa

Give me an answer

Stand up

You have a voice to be heard

You're worth more than words

So let your fire burn

Oh, your flame will be lit

Again when a candle is burned at both ends

And there's nothing left

You can change

You can become selfless

You're not set in stone

You will wade through mistakes that we all make

But just hold on

Don't fade away (hold on)

The song, is Hope by We Came As Romans. These lyrics are just amazing. They fit Magnhild and her struggles to find herself, and pick sides. They fit the overall conflict, on both sides. They fit the rest of humanity, caught in the crossfire between two secret superpowers. It's just amazing! Wonderful on so many levels.

Now, this is a bit of a heavier song - it's listed as metalcore, which is a mix of hardcore rock and metal. It may not be everyone's taste, but if you'd like to hear this song, and really hear the spirit of this story, check it out. It really is perfect.

I'll be posting more stuff like this, sharing behind-the-scenes looks and teasers about the series.

If you'd like to see specific posts, or have questions about the series, feel free to let me know in the comments, or shoot me an email! I may just make a blog post about it. ;)

Thanks for visiting!

Hit An Even Bigger Snag

Hiya guys! Have another update for ya. The drama that seems to be circling my attempt to finish Prae Lium continues!

I realized that the writing program I use had an auto update a couple days ago. In that update, several glitches occurred. Including, but not limited to, the entire middle of P.L. getting erased, with no record of it on the computer.

I wasn't backing up my books yet - I am now.

Needless to say, I was not a happy camper yesterday.

To make matters worse, I hadn't written anything in nearly 3 weeks, and couldn't remember the details of the chapters that were lost. At least, not well enough to re-write them and have it all flow the same way.

So! I have now cut out the entire book after the first part, and am simply starting over. I have up to what was lost in the update, and that's it. But, it's better than nothing, right? At least I don't have to re-write the beginning, haha.

No idea if the story will progress down the same path as it did last time, but it'll be interesting to see!

Everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe I'll write a better book this time around, who knows!

Choosing to stay positive, and just go with it. No point in crying over spilled milk. It's a lot of work down the drain, but these things happen.

Anyway, my plan to cut and stitch the three books together is on the back burner, and may not happen at all if I am able to write enough this time around. We shall see.

Wish me luck! =D

Hit A Snag

Hiya guys! Have an update for ya today.

I've been working on the third book in the Swirling Secrets Series, Prae Lium. I've been having so much fun creating the ending to this story! So fun in fact, that I ended up writing the ending.

Why is that a snag? Because the book is 9 chapters...25,000 or so words. My goal was 80,000.

Crap.

It's going to drive me nuts to have one book so much shorter than the rest, so I just can't be finished with it like that.

I also don't want to just add random events and nonsense that doesn't actually fit or add to the story. It's horribly obvious to me when authors do this, and it drives me nuts, so I'd be a bit hypocritical if I did the same thing. Plus, I just don't want to.

So, how do I fix this little snag?

With some cutting and stitching, I think.

See, the first book in the series, Desi Pere, is 43 chapters long. 43!! It's nearly 100,000 words. Ridiculous, right?

Since it was the first book I was going to publish, and kind of my test project, I left it that long, knowing it would be a series.

Knowing, slightly, that this very issue may come up. So really, this is like my back-up plan.

But I digress.

The second book in the series, Sospi Tare, is only 25 chapters. Around 65,000 words or so.

Basically, I could put the second and third books together, and have a shorter length as the first one alone. That is driving me nuts.

I don't really want two long-ass books. I want this to be a trilogy. That's how I set it up, that's how I want it, that's how it's going to be, one way or another.

SO! I'm going to spend the rest of this week cutting up the first two books, and stitching all three together. Hopefully they will even out to all be around the same length.

If not, I'll come up with something else to fix this snag, but for the moment, I'm hoping I can get this win-win to work, because really, the first book is a bit long to begin with, and needs to be cut down a bit.

Wish me luck peeps!!