An Apology

Hi, sweet readers.

I've realized, in a couple different ways over the past two weeks, that my Publishing 101 posts caused some pain and/or offense to some that read them. Several folks read them as a declaration that I thought that my publishing process was the only right way to publish, or the only legitimate way to publish, and by extension, that other ways were wrong, substandard or not legitimate. I now see that, with the way I wrote them, it was pretty easy to read them that way.

I want to be very clear: I think that the way I'm publishing my book is the right way for me and for this particular book. I don't believe there's any one right, true, good, or legitimate way to publish. In fact, I think that there are as many right ways to publish a book as there are books themselves.

It certainly never was my intent to hurt anyone, only to be transparent about my process in the hopes that it might be helpful to other authors. Still, that's no excuse for any pain I caused anyone, in any way.

I'm so very sorry for any hurt or misunderstanding I caused through those posts. I take full responsibility - please accept my apologies.

(Disabled comments, because I'm not looking to start a conversation here - only to share my apology.)

Cover Reveal: ADDICTED TO YOU by Colina Brennan (NA Romance)

Hi, sweet readers!

I'm so excited to bring you another cover reveal for an incredible-looking NA romance! (Though I don't write NA romance, I work with college students, and the girls, especially, love these books. Awesome.)

This one's by a fresh new voice on the scene, Colina Brennan.

Here's what ADDICTED TO YOU is about (sounds amazing!)

When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.

At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.

Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.

Mmm. Will sounds delicious, doesn't he? What's that? You'd like to take a look at him? Well, he miiiiight be on the cover....

Wanna see?

Okay....

......................

............

.......

.....

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!
What a beautiful cover!!!!!
Congrats, Colina!

Okay, okay. I know you want to add it to Goodreads. 

Here's the link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17860572-addicted-to-you

Go! Add!

And here's a little more about Colina....

Colina Brennan is a new adult writer with a love for the fantastical and the romantic. When she isn’t writing, she’s attached at the hip to her kids or chasing her dog or daydreaming about what she wants to write next.

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrennanColina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrennanColina

Blog: http://colinabrennan.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7068218.Colina_Brennan

Cover Reveal: FIXED ON YOU by Laurelin Paige!

Hi, sweet readers!

I'm so excited to be part of ANOTHER incredible New Adult cover reveal! This one is hosted by AToMR tours, and it's a doozy. Get out your fans and smelling salts if your inclined to fainting fits and swoons! ;)

Title: Fixed on You (Fixed, #1)

Author: Laurelin Paige

Genre: Contemporary

Age Group: Adult

Expected release date: July 31, 2013

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17828418-fixed-on-you

Book Description:

Stalking and restraining orders are a thing of Alayna Pierce’s past. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out – move up at the nightclub she works at and marry the manager, David. He’s perfect for her because, although he’s attractive, he doesn’t get her all turned inside out and upside down like some other men have. It’s a safe plan, one that assures she’ll remain in control of her obsessive love disorder.

But what Alayna didn’t figure on is Hudson Pierce, the new owner of the nightclub. He’s smart, rich, and gorgeous – the kind of guy Alayna knows to stay away from if she wants to keep her past tendencies in check. Except, Hudson’s fixed his sights on her. He wants her in his bed and makes no secret of his plans to seduce her. Avoiding him becomes impossible after he offers a business proposition Alayna can’t turn down and she’s drawn further into his universe, unable to resist his gravitational pull.

Soon Alayna’s charmed by Hudson in every way possible and the control over her old behaviors slip. When she learns Hudson has a dark history of his own, she realizes too late that she’s fallen for the worst man she could possibly get involved with. Or maybe their less than ideal pasts give them an opportunity to heal each other and finally find the love their lives have been missing.

Are you ready for this?

Really? 

You sure?

Okay...

..................

............................

Optional giveaway by author: If you would like to offer the below ARC giveaway of FIXED ON YOU, please copy/paste the below Rafflecopter code in the html tab when creating a post.

(1)   $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men or the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by the wonderful Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.

Author social media links:

Blog: http://laurelinpaige.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelinPaige

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige

Cover Reveal: EYRE HOUSE by Caitlin Greer

Hey, sweet readers!

If you know me at all, you know about my obsession with Jane Eyre. The deep themes, the rampant creepiness, and the way it drips with sexuality, even for an 1800s classic, well...*shiver*. I just love it, okay?

Which was why when Cait told me she was tackling a redux of Jane Eyre set in a sleepy Southern tourist town, where the Jane character is played by a ripped boy named Evan with gorgeous tattoos? I FREAKED OUT. I mean, I was jealous, because why hadn't I thought of that? But mostly I was so so happy, because maybe she'd let me read it?

Well, it's a good thing she did, because I adored being a right-hand CP on this project. It's everything Jane Eyre is, done so masterfully I can't even. Mysterious, sexy, heartbreaking, beautifully written....oh my gosh, you guys. You're going to adore this.

So here's the scoop. EYRE HOUSE comes out this July (!!!!) and I am D-Y-I-N-G for you all to read it too.

 Here's the synopsis, which is way more thorough than my crazy fangirling:

When eighteen-year-old orphan Evan Richardson signed up to work at Eyre House, on the sleepy tourist getaway of Edisto Island, SC, he never expected to find himself dodging ghosts. But Eyre House seems to have more than its fair share of things that go bump in the night, and most of them seem to surround his employer’s daughter.

Back from her freshman year of college, Ginny Eyre is dangerous from word one. She’s a bad girl with ghosts of her own, and trouble seems to follow her everywhere she goes. But living or dead, trouble isn't just stalking Ginny. When her ex-boyfriend is found murdered in the pool, Evan knows he’s got two choices – figure out what’s going on, or become the next ghost to haunt Ginny Eyre.

Ohhhhh my. See? I fan myself just reading it. 

Wait, what's that? Your greedy little eyes want to see the cover? Well, I suppose that's what we're here for, huh?

Okay.....

Are you sure you're ready?

*sigh* I suppose I have to share sometime....

......

......

.............

.....................

TA-DA!!!!!

Well, what are you waiting for? Add it! Add!

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17694883-eyre-house

Cover Reveal: CATCHING LIAM by Sophia Bleu

Hey, sweet readers. 

It's no secret that I have mad love and respect for New Adult literature. That's why I'm so excited to be participating in the cover reveal for an up-and-coming New Adult author's debut!!!! It's called CATCHING LIAM and oh my goodness I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it....and to recommend it to the students I work with.

Here's what CATCHING LIAM is all about:

Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release. Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint.

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

Sounds AWESOME, right? Wait, what's that? You want to see the cover? Yes, you definitely do. Because it manages to be cute and a little sexy at the same time. 

Ready? 

You sure?

Okay......

Here it is!

Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu

Publication date:  Summer 2013 

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17839132-catching-liam

And here's a little bit about the author....

Sophia Bleu is a secret identity where I can write about fantasies and falling in love and all the smexiness in between.  In real life, I'm likely catching a plane, chasing kids, or making out with the love of my life—all 6 ft 3 inches of hotness that he is.  Life is pretty good.

Author links:

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Thanks for letting me host your cover reveal, Sophia! What an honor! 

To the Recently-Decided Self-Publishing Author

Dear recently-decided self-publishing author, 

 Congratulations!!! You've just made a huge decision, and it's a very exciting one. 

 I know you don't feel like those words fit right now. I know your hands are shaking and your stomach is in knots and your knees have turned to jelly. I know you are trying to hold back tears, or maybe you stopped trying a long time ago and now they're just pouring out. I know that you think I should be saying, "You are an idiot," rather than "Congratulations." 

 I hope you have a good friend next to you, like I did, to rub your back and let you cry on her shirt, to tell you that she will be there for you every step of the way. I hope that friend is telling you that you are making a good decision - not the only decision, but a really, really good one. 

 If you don't, read these sentences over and over and over again until you feel them in your bones: You are a hard worker. You believe in your book. You have what it takes to build your own career. You are making a good decision. 

 You have learned that there is a wrong way and a right way to publish a book, and that self-publishing is in the "wrong way" category. You may be very concerned about that right now - specifically, how people will view you and your book when (if?) you self-publish it. I wish I could say something to make that worry go away, but I can only tell you the truth you already know - that stigma against non-traditional publishing runs so deep that its claws have worked themselves deep into your psyche, and it will take two things to get them out: hard work, and time. 

 The key to ridding yourself of those claws is to throw yourself headlong into working hard to publish your book. Go through the motions. Walk the walk. Fake it till you make it. At some point - and I don't know if it will be when you make the announcement, when you hold the ARC in your hands, when you get your first review, or when you sign your first copy that someone has bought (!) - but at some point, you will stand up tall, pride will wash over you, and you will realize that you haven't felt those claws, or even thought about them, for a long time. 

 (If you want to know, I stopped worrying about what everyone would think three months and twelve days after I decided to self publish. It was a couple days after my cover reveal, and it was awesome.) 

 Every day will get a little better. You and your book will shine. And, most importantly, you'll reach readers and share your story. 

 Congratulations. 

 Love, 
Leigh Ann

Cover Reveal: CLICKS by Amy Evans!

Hi, sweet readers!

I'm so very very very excited to be part of the team hosting a cover reveal for my Inkslinger PR sister, Amy Evans.

And hey - the cover is awesome, but I can pretty much guarantee that you'll be ready to read the book, cover or not, after this description. Because - LOOK:

ABOUT CLICKS:

Born and bred to win, Cami’s family expects her to join a secret society called The Guard, marry one of the two identical twin boys next door, and stay on Pinhold Island for the rest of her life. Home to perfect waves, black sand beaches, and the world-famous Surf Carnival, Pinhold seems deceptively perfect. While visitors are jealous of the few hundred people who get to live there, Cami feels stifled. Thanks to the intense link she shares with her own twin, Mica, she can't even be alone with her thoughts. While Cami's more than happy to be a lifeguard, a lifelong commitment to the endless summer feels like a trap. For mainlanders, success in the Surf Carnival means a place to live on Island constant access to the huge, perfect waves that crash just off shore.  Cami sees it as a way out til a seemingly small injury turns her world upside down and prevents her from the first competition.

Descendants of the ten families who originally settled on the Island, Cami and Mica are part of a new generation, the most perfect example of what nature and time can create. This summer was their time to prove that the years of training have paid off, but it's not going as planned. It's suddenly impossible for Cami to resist the magnetic attraction between her and Blake, one of the twins next door.  Just as the Surf Carnival competition starts to heat up, the best swimmers start going down. Something is pulling them to the ocean floor where they wind up in comas and can't be woken up.  When Mica goes down too, Cami can no longer wait for those in charge to figure out how to help him.

With her twin link silenced, the clicks that she used to get from her brother start coming from somewhere else. Can she trust her instincts and learn to listen in enough time to save her friends, or will she lose them along with the island home that she loves?

AWESOME, right???

Okay. I know you want to see the pretty pretty haunting hopeful cover! 

But gosh, it's SO PRETTY....I kind of want to keep it to myself....

And it's my blog, so I can do what I want....

But I did promise KP, and Amy, so......

.....

Well.....

Okay. Here it is!!!!

You know you want to....

Add CLICKS to Goodreads HERE!

ABOUT AMY EVANS:

Amy Evans is a writer, game producer and interactive technology evangelist with fifteen years of experience. In 2000, she co-founded HIPnTASTY Inc., a mobile marketing and entertainment company known for creating content that merges communication and entertainment, using technology to connect users with stories, devices, and the world at large.

Amy has designed and launched many transmedia and mobile applications including Mobile Hunt, a location based scavenger hunt that took place  in twelve cities for Lollapalooza, Name That Ringtone with BMI Music and Ringtone Trivia for Rogers AT&T.

In addition to designing content, Amy served the company as President, licensing HIPnTASTY technology to  clients and partners including Marvel, Verizon, Ericsson,gurl.com, to name a few. As an early evangelist of mobile marketing, she consulted with a number of advertising agencies including McCannErickson, Footsteps Inc and J. Walter Thompson to help their brands break into the mobile marketing space.

As executive Producer for Immersedition, Amy is responsible for licensing technology, creative development and product launches.

Her first young adult novel, Clicks, will be released in May 2013.

Stalk Follow Amy!

Website: http://www.thedolphinprophecy.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aammyyss