Friday, June 24, 2016

Celebrate: A Love That Disturbs & Giveaways

Today I'm celebrating a wonderful writer who's releasing her eighth book -- Medeia Sharif!

Blurb:
          Maysa Mazari is alarmed by her mother’s talk about arranged marriage. As a hijab-wearing Pakistani-American, she wants to find love on her own. Her judgmental Muslim clique has protected her from racist taunts, although the leader is turning on her as Maysa strays from the group because of her attraction to Haydee.
          Haydee Gomez is a former gang member and juvenile detention student. Now living with a clean-cut aunt, she wants to turn her life around, even though one person will never let her forget her roots—Rafe, her abusive pimp. Haydee attempts to pull away from a life of prostitution when she develops feelings for Maysa, although Rafe isn’t willing to give her up too easily.
          Finding themselves in danger from Maysa’s friends and Haydee’s pimp, it’s apparent their love disturbs everyone around them as they fight to stay together.

Buy at:


Author Bio:
I was born in New York City and I presently call Miami my home. I received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, I found my niche writing for young people. Today I'm a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, I'm a public school teacher. My memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.
Find Medeia:


I'm also celebrating M.J. Joachim and her wonderful review of Bloodwalker HERE.  Many thanks to MJ!

My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:


** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **


 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)



Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for June 24, 2016:

Free Women’s Fiction Novel -  Win a copy of I Promise You This by Patricia Sands, about a suddenly single middle-aged Canadian woman who must decide if a new relationship in France is worth the risk of having her heart broken again. Enter via Entry Form on the France Book Tours blog. (ends July 1)


Free MG Supernatural Novel - Win a copy of Poppy Mayberry, The Monday by Jennie K. Brown, a Middle Grade novel about a town where everyone has supernatural powers based on the day of the week they were born, but poor Poppy can’t control her Monday-girl telekinesis and must attend summer school for extra classes, which gives the class mean girl more ammunition against her. Enter via rafflecopter on the My Book Addiction blog. (ends June 29)


Free YA Sci-Fi Signed Paperback Novel – Win an award-winning YA SF novel called Consider by Kristy Acevedo, about holographic messengers who appear in the sky, warning the people of Earth that a meteor will destroy it. The messengers claim to be Earthlings from the future. All the population has to do is step through a warp-portal to save themselves—but where does the portal really lead? Enter via rafflecopter on the My Book Addiction blog. (ends June 29)


Free Paranormal Romance Novel – win Dark Vortex by Stella Marie Alden and Chantel Seabrook, about a witch who’s never been trained but must learn how to fight a magic duel in two days. Luckily, handsome Jack is willing to teach her. Enter via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends July 29)


Free $20 Amazon Gift Card or $20 Paypal Cash – To celebrate the release of Bad Boys After Dark: Mick by NY Times bestselling author Melissa Foster, she’s giving away a $20 Amazon card or $20 Paypal cash. Enter via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaway blog. (ends July 6)


For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com
>

Friday, June 17, 2016

Celebrate: Less Heat & Giveaways


This week I'm celebrating that the above problem didn't happen to me.  Actually, the normally 100+ degree temperatures here in Egypt went down to 85 degrees this week and I'm really grateful!

I hate running errands (to the bank, phone company, etc.), but the dip in temperature and a refreshing wind made them much easier to tackle -- and I got them all done yesterday.  Yay!

How are you doing in the heat this summer?


New Celebrate Member – Update Your Blog Roll
Tamara Narayan   http://www.tamaranarayan.com/
Welcome Tamara!!
Celebrate Member Re-Joining – Update Your Blog Roll
My Creatively Random Life (Melissa)  http://mycreativelyrandomlife.blogspot.com/
Welcome back, Melissa!!


My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:


** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **


 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)


There's still time to enter 
the Goodreads giveaway for a 
print copy of BLOODWALKER.



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain

Bloodwalker

by L.X. Cain

Giveaway ends June 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
(Will be shipped by Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. Only open to US residents. Print copy is an ARC, not for retail sale.)


Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for June 17, 2016:

Free for Download Western Erotic-Romance Novella – Download Getting Lucky, one of the exciting Coalson Family series by Maggie Adams, about Lawrence “Lucky” Coalson who tries to save his brother’s Las Vegas casino from an arsonist and runs afoul of a beautiful blonde. (More info at Romance Novel Giveaways blog.)
Download FREE at:  Amazon     B&N    Apple-iTunes     

Free Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel from TOR Books – Win The Stars Askew by Rjurik Davidson, a medieval, fantasy-style SF about a revolution and a mysterious book that may win the battle for one side or the other. Enter by commenting on This Post at TOR Books. (Only 19 comments so far=Good chance to win! US & Canada only; ends June 20)

Free 4 Sci-Fi Novels from ROC Publishing – Win the first 4 novels in the Destroyermen series, Into the Storm, Crusade, Maelstrom, and Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson. Enter via the Entry Form on the page at The Speculative Herald blog. (US & Canada only; ends June 28)

Free YA Medieval Romance Novel – Win 1 of 3 print copies of The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson, about a maidservant sent to a prince’s court with orders to pretend to be the princess of a neighboring country and not let the prince choose her to marry from the 10 princesses invited. Enter via rafflecopter on the YA Books Central blog. (ends June 19)

Free YA Fantasy Adventure Novel – Win 1 of 5 print copies of The Buried Rune by Jeffrey Kohanek, about a boy who refuses to be relegated to the under classes because he doesn’t have a birth rune, so steals one that turns out to be from the ruling family, and finagles his way into the noble’s magical training academy. Enter via rafflecopter on the YA Central Books blog. (US & Canada only; ends June 19)


For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com

Friday, June 10, 2016

Celebrate: Bloodwalker Print Giveaway & More Giveaways!

BLOODWALKER doesn't release until October 4th, but you can have your very own print copy for free!  Just enter the Goodreads Giveaway to win!



Lightning flashes. Another child disappears…

When Zorka Circus performs, its big top roars with laughter and cheers, but when it moves on, there are fewer children in the European towns it leaves behind.

Circus Security Chief Rurik suspects a killer is hiding among the international performers, but they close ranks—they’ve always viewed lightning-scarred Rurik as the monster. Nevertheless, he's determined to find the culprit and stop them before anyone else dies and the only place he can call home is ripped apart by the murders.

Into Zorka Circus comes the Skomori clan, despised as gravediggers and ghoulish bloodwalkers. A one-day truce allows bloodwalker Sylvie to marry. Instead, she finds a body. Alerting others will defy her clan’s strict rules, break the truce, and leave her an outcast.

When more bodies turn up, the killer's trail becomes impossible to ignore. Rurik and Sylvie must follow the clues—even if they lead to something unimaginable...


Bloodwalker is a thrilling mystery that spills across three Eastern European countries as the characters race to find and catch a killer.

"Clowns are enigmatic. Everyone is scared of them and fascinated at the same time. Our laughter is really sublimated fear. In Bloodwalker there is good reason to be wary of such a circus entertainer. Children go missing whenever the circus passes through. With page-turning narrative an innocent Rurik, twice scarred, once by the ‘kiss of lightning’ needs to unearth the guilty to prove his innocence. This fluent thriller is a must for aficionados of the Big Tent noir subgenre. Where entertainment is dangerous."  ~ Geoff Nelder, award-winning author of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Thriller novels.



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain

Bloodwalker

by L.X. Cain

Giveaway ends June 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
(Will be shipped by Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. Only open to US residents. Print copy is an ARC, not for retail sale.)


My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:


** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **


 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)



Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for June 10, 2016:

 Free for Download Military Romance Novella - An exciting prequel novella to New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker's thrilling new Deep Six series. (More info at Romance Novel Giveaways blog.)
Download FREE at:  Amazon     B&N    Apple-iTunes    Kobo  

Free YA Comedy Paranormal/Shifter eBook – Win 1 of 5 digital copies of Hair in All the Wrong Places by Andrew Buckley, about a teen boy who has enough problems with puberty without the fact he’s a werewolf. Yes, things in high school might be going wrong if you notice:

  • You find yourself looking at other humans and thinking lunch.
  • You start to notice smells you never smelled before.
  • You growl at people instead of talking to them.
  • Your nails begin to grow at an alarming rate.
  • You scratch your head in public using your leg.
  • You greet your friends at the bus stop by sniffing their butts.
  • You begin to grow hair in all the wrong places.

The author is giving away 5 ebooks to international winners via rafflecopter on the My Book Addiction blog. (ends June 24)


Free 2 - $5 Amazon Gift Cards – To celebrate the release of Undead Ultra (Zombie Apocalypse) by Camille Picott, about two marathon runners who must cross the country to save a family member while evading hordes of undead, the author is giving away 2 $5 Amazon cards via rafflecopter on My Book Addiction blog. (ends June 15)


Free $25 Amazon Gift Card - To celebrate the release of The Hero Least Likely (7 novel collection of romance novels) the assorted authors are giving away a $25 Amazon gift card via rafflecopter on Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends June 19)



Free $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card and Fantasy/Thriller Novel - To celebrate the release of City of Hope and Ruin by Kit Campbell and Siri Paulson, the authors are giving away a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card plus a copy of their book. Two separate entry sites on the Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (Few entries=Good chance to win. Enter Now! Ends June 11)


For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com

Friday, June 3, 2016

Celebrate: The First Review of Bloodwalker Up!! & Giveaways

This week passed by in something between a whirlwind and a buzz saw. Straining to research and get out queries to book bloggers (while personalizing each and trying not to sound like I'm begging), I've gotten by on way too little sleep.  Like 3-4 hours a night.  I've found emails from 1 or 2 reviewers that requested, and I sent out the ARC copies, and yet I look at the emails and have zero memory of doing it! :O

And with the plethora of books hitting the market, refusals are more common than ever, but you have to keep trying, no matter how late you go to bed. 

So it was incredibly satisfying to have my week end on such a bright note! 

A Top 10 Goodreads reviewer read BLOODWALKER in only 2 days, wrote a phenomenal review, and actually used the word "brilliant" twice!



I normally don't put up anything about reviews or rankings or whatever. But this very first review of BLOODWALKER is more than I could have hoped for -- I'm floored -- and it's too awesome not to share!




The novel doesn't come out till October, but stay tuned for next week's post -- there's going to be a special surprise!


My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:



Grab the Linky html-code here:


** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **


 Celebrate the Small ThingsTo be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)



Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -
  • Free short stories, novellas, and novels
  • Giveaways for books and swag
  • Free services for authors


Here are Foxy's suggestions for June 3, 2016:

Free Historical Mystery/Woman’s Fiction – Win 1 of 5 copies of the winner of the UK’s Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition, Amy Snow by Tracey Rees. In London, 1831, a rich child forces her parents to take in a foundling and dies 15 years later, leaving a treasure map for the poor now-grown woman so she can live her life on her own terms. But will Amy be able to find the secrets and the treasure? Enter via rafflecopter on the Daily Connoisseur blog. (ends June 9)


Free 2 $25 Amazon Gift Cards - To celebrate the release of Game of Fear (YA Thriller) by Glede Browne Kabongo, about an overachiever trying to get into Princeton whose life unravels when she’s blackmailed by someone known only as The Avenger, the author is giving away 2 $25 Amazon cards via rafflecopter on the Reading To Unwind blog. (ends June 17)

Free $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash – To celebrate the release of From Titans (4th book in The Descendents series) by Mary Ting, an exciting Greek mythos/fairy tale mash up along the lines of Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. The author is giving away a $50 Amazon card or Paypal cash via rafflecopter on the Live To Read blog. (ends June 14)


Free $50 Amazon Gift Card, Signed Novel, Tote bag – To celebrate the release of Deep Dark (Romantic Suspense) by NYT Bestselling author Laura Griffin, about a detective investigating a serial killer with the help of a beautiful hacker who may be the best witness or the killer’s next victim, the author is giving away a $50 Amazon card, Signed novel, and tote bag via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends June 6)


Free $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card – To celebrate the release of Convergence (Romantic Suspense) by Michelle Grey, about a detective investigating a serial killer and must protect an intended victim even if she wants no part of his plan or his prying into he past, the author is giving away a $50 Amazon or B&N card via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends July 30)



For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here!  Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com
>

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

IWSG: The Easy Way to Get Re-Tweets


Are your Twitter tweets falling into a black hole? Or do you get 1 or 2 re-tweets and that's it? 

You can help boost your re-tweets easily!

It took me a long time to get on Twitter. I didn't understand the point of trying to squish your thoughts into 140 characters. Facebook was so much easier.

But I finally joined about year ago, and I've met a lot of new people in my genre, seen great cover and advertising ideas, gotten links to excellent writing articles, and I've reached 14.6k followers. 

Every week, I pin a tweet to the top of my feed that gets about 200 RTs (re-tweets) during the week before I change to a new one for the next week. Some people keep their pinned tweet there for months and get 3000 RTs.

Here's the simplest and easiest way to get RTs: Use Hashtags

There are 'bots that scan the feed and RT anything with the hashtag they've been programmed to, like #horror. There are also people who want to be helpful or connect with new people who'll put a hashtag in their search box, go to the results and just RT everything that comes up.

The best hashtags for writers are:
#amwriting
#amediting
#writingtips
Your genre (#thriller, #SciFi, #romance, #PNR, #Comedy, etc.)

At @ tags work well too if you are tweeting a link to someone's book or blog. Any tweet with someone's Twitter handle in it (like @LXCain) will show up on their notifications, and then they can RT it too. 

For instance, this tweet will get lost in the slush: 
Tarantulas Loose on Plane! Go see Kim Lajevardi's surprising news stories here: https://kimlajevardi.com/2016/05/25/weekly-news-76/

Kim will never even know I plugged her page.

This tweet is better:
Tarantula #Horror on Plane! Surprising news stories from @KimLajevardi #amwriting #amediting https://kimlajevardi.com/2016/05/25/weekly-news-76/


Now, because I put her handle with the @ sign, she'll be notified I mentioned her, and can see the tweet and RT it. And the hashtag people can now find this and they'll RT it too.


So if you want your tweets to be seen by more people and get RTs, use hashtags and use the Twitter handle @ for the person you're tweeting about!


And don't forget to put your Twitter handle near the top of your blog so all your blogging buddies can follow you!


(Next month, I'll be writing about how to increase your Twitter following and grow steadfast re-tweeters!)




This is a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It exists so the community of blogging writers can share and support each other, blog-hopping to cheerlead and commiserate. To find out more, visit: Insecure Writer's Support Group. Plus, check out the IWSG Website for lots of helpful info and links.
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