White Magic, Green Desire Now Available

White Magic, Green Desire is now available on all major EReader websites. I am super excited about this book and I hope that everyone loves it. Please be sure to leave a review wherever you purchase the book or contact me with comments. Thanks so much to all the people who have supported me with the Midnight Series, it has been great getting to know everyone and chatting about writing.

Finally A New Release

I have been sadly absent from my blog as of late. I have been working on several projects and finally I have finished a new book that I am super excited about. White Magic, Green Desire is the first in the Cami Gregory, Witchy Cleaning novella series. Cami is a regular girl who stumbles into a witchy secret, all while trying not to spill anything on any of the surprisingly abundant, surprisingly hot, surprisingly interested men in her life.

White Magic, Green Desire will be available later this week. I hope everyone enjoys it and please be sure and give reviews wherever you purchase the book.

My Latest Release

I have released through my imprint Pink Phoenix Press, my first middle grade/ young adult fantasy. It is called Medallion of Protection. I am very excited about it. It has been completed for some time but I have been fine tuning it for a while trying to get it ready. It is a fantastic story full of adventure and magic and I hope that kids and teens will like it. You can find out more on the Medallion page. For now here is a shot of the cover and the synopsis.

For Alexandra Raeanne Maeheart life could not be more perfect; or more boring. Growing up in a small town has left Lexi yearning for some sort of excitement. On the day of her fifteenth birthday she walks home from school contemplating her dull existence and discovers a medallion at the edge of her yard. 

Before she knows what is happening she finds herself stranded in a forest that is unlike anything she has ever seen. As she searches for help and answers she discovers that she is no longer on Earth but has been transported to Kalara; A world of magic controlled by a dark sorcerer, Lord Braxton, who intends to conquer all of Kalara and destroy Earth.

The only power great enough to stop Lord Braxton is the Light of Kalara, which has been broken into four medallions and hidden by a magical Druid named Morana. Without even a chance to catch her breath Lexi is informed that she is the Chosen One and must find the medallions. As she tries to understand why she was chosen for this seemingly impossible task she discovers that her life on Earth isn’t exactly what she thought it was.

Along with her friends Jaxa and Kelton and her tiny dragon Toto, she is sent back to Earth to find the second medallion; the Medallion of Life. The Druids warned her that Earth would be different but when she arrives on her home planet she cannot believe her eyes. Earth is no longer the boring normal planet she grew up on. It is a world full of magic, mythical creatures and danger. As she struggles to find a balance she must outrun Braxton’s dark assassin, outwit a fairy queen and navigate a strange but familiar world.

Will Lexi find the medallions before Braxton’s evil forces find her? Will she be able to escape the fairy realm with the information she needs? Will she have a place to call home if she survives her adventure? Find out in Lexi Maeheart: Medallion of Protection.     

Introducing My New Cover

After much debate, arguments with self and crying tantrums I have decided to change my cover. Before I published my book I went through several (as in a billion) different cover ideas and finally settled on the first one. I published with it and was quite happy. Then the more I thought about it the more I realized that the cover says nothing about the book being a historical and therefore I was missing a rather important part of the book. So I have created a new cover which I am very happy with and hope all of my 3 readers ;) will enjoy. As always I would love any comments or feedback. So without further delay I bring you the second and hopefully final cover for Pursuit of Midnight.

My Book Giveaway

I am giving away a copy of my book on the Pink Phoenix Rants and Raves site. Check it out and sign up to win.

Indie Book Review Sites

So I have been working diligently at getting my book reviewed by book review sites and book bloggers. One major hurdle that I have run into is that a lot of these sites do not review indie authors or eReader books. So in my valiant search I have come across some helpful sites that I would like to share with other self-pubbed authors. Below you will find links to sites that list reviewers of indie books and e books. You will still have to do some searching to discover if they accept your genre but I have found a polite contact form or e mail can get you far. At present I have requested 30 sites do reviews and 11 have agreed. Of the other 19 sites, 2 sent polite replies saying they were too busy and the other 17 simply did not respond. I am feeling pretty good about these numbers so if you have better luck than me don't tell me as you may burst my happy bubble :)

The Indie Book Blog Database- This site is a must visit. There are tons and tons of blogging sites listed and they are separated by genre. The link is to the romance section but you should be able to easily navigate to any section. FANTASTIC!

Step by Step Self Publishing- This site is great but takes a ton of time to sort through and find ones that are relevant to your genre.

100 best blogs-This one is sorted by genre but there are only a few for each, but totally worth checking out.


The Indie Reviewers List- Ok, this one has genre listed but I would double check because I found several that were wrong. Also some of the sites were no longer active so I think perhaps it has been a while sense this was updated. Again totally worth checking out.

*Edit* (I forgot to add this one) Once Upon a Romance- This site lists specific sites that do reviews of romance books. You will have to check with each about e reader and indie reviews but its a good one for my romance buddies out there.

So those are the best links I have found. One last tip I have is this: in your web browser create a folder in your bookmarks called 'reviews requested' (or something along those lines) and bookmark every site you have requested a review from. It would suck to be requesting reviews from the same sites over and over (for them and for you). It puts an easy access list right at your fingertips while you are browsing sites to request from.

I hope this has been helpful and as always please feel free to drop me a note or comment with any tips, comments, or links to add.

Public Domain Photos and Where to Find Them

So I am in the process of creating covers for my second historical romance that is due to come out next month as well as the paranormal that will be following shortly after. This process is one that I find personally taxing and extremely stressful. The worst thing you can do is have a horrid cover! So in my plight for the perfect cover image for my books I have been scouring the internet and forums in search of sites that have public domain photos for free.

I have discovered that this is a much more difficult task than I have ever anticipated as most sites want to charge you per photo. I have decided to share my wealth of knowledge with my fellow indie writers. Below you will find a grand total of 3, yes that's right 3 links to sites I enjoy (use). So it is not exactly a wealth of knowledge but it is useful and I feel like sharing today.

So here they are:

Public Domain Pictures: this site has a menagerie of images and such but you have to stay above the line or they are pay images. It is clearly marked which section is free and which is paid.

Morgue File: I have not had as much time with this site but so far its lookin good. 

Creative Commons: In this site there are some rules. I have linked to the handy rules page and from there you are free to browse. Some images are free to use while others are not.

So there they are, my contribution for the day. I am always looking for new sites with free pics as I have book trailers to consider as well as covers. If you have any sites you enjoy please feel free to leave a comment and I would happily add to my list.

Little Piece of the Next Midnight Book

So I have been working on the next book in my Midnight Series. It is tentatively named Possessed by Midnight. This is a little piece that I am particularly fond of and thought I would share. Thoughts? Opinions? Comments?

She placed a delicate finger on his lips. “Kiss me Henry.” Her voice was like the warm caress of sun on a cool spring day.

He did as she requested and kissed her. He kissed her with every ounce of love and passion he had kept hidden for so long. He gave her the heart that he had locked away long ago. The heart that he never imagined would see the light of day; would ever know the sweet freedom of being whole.

My First Review

So I have finally received my first customer review. I had been dreading this moment sense the first moment I released my book. And I know that I may get horrid reviews in the future bit I shall overcome because one lovely reader left me this review:

Review by: cherry coleman on Mar. 31, 2011 : (no rating)
all you need to know about this is....5 stars. read and burn with excitement, suspense, and passion.

Cherry Coleman, whoever you may be, I think I may love you. ;)

And that's all I have to say on the matter. :)

For the Love of Mike Edit Your Book!!!

The last several months I have been setting up a book review blog for indie authors. As such my fellow blogger Sue Owen and I have been reading a wide selection of indie books. I have come to wonder if some of these authors even read their books after finishing the first draft. Many of the books are well done, the stories are fantastic and they do a wonderful job of creating worlds and characters that draw you in. All of this fantastic hard work is ruined by horrid sentence structure, gaping plot holes, and totally confusing dialogue.

I am an indie author and I know that there are mistakes in my own books but nothing like what I have been seeing. I would like to see the indie market expand and for more people to explore and find great indie authors. Seeing so many published works that seem like they have never met an editor I cringe at the effect it is going to have on the indie community as a whole.

So speaking to fellow indie authors, your work is fantastic and I will continue to promote it and the community but I urge you, for the love of Mike, EDIT YOUR BOOKS! I know first hand how horrendous this process is but if you are serious about seeing your books succeed hire an editor, its worth every penny.

And to the readers of indie books; I thank you for your support of the community and I hope that you will bear in mind that some of us are going to stumble along the way and hope you will be patient with us. 

Pursuit of Midnight Book Trailer

I finally finished my book trailer. All comments welcome.

Get My Book For Free!!

For the rest of March I will be giving away free copies of my book Pursuit of Midnight. In order to receive your free copy all you have to do is follow me. Follow on one or all of the following: Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, Facebook, or Twitter. Once you've done that just contact me through the blog, Facebook or Twitter and I will either give you a Smashwords coupon or send you the book in your preferred eReader format. Any reviews or feedback on the book would be GREATLY appreciated. Also anyone who follows me through Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs will get a 50% off coupon on the next book in the Midnight Series, due out this year. Thanks for visiting. ;)

The Most Terrifying Thing

As a newly published author I think the most terrifying aspect of this whole ordeal is the review. My book has only been out for a few days and I am into the double digits in sales but I have yet to get my first customer review and I am growing more and more anxious. In order for my book to do well I know that I need to get good reviews by customers and book review blogs. I swear I'll try not to cry if the first review is bad and pray that the second one will be better. I also promise not to cry if it is good (well maybe I will). So my fingers are crossed and whoever the first reviewer is I just ask that you be kind, I want honesty but not brutality.

I've Finally Done It

So I have finally put my book up for sale. My first book Pursuit of Midnight is available on BN.com, and Smashwords with other publishers to follow soon. I will post links as they are available. I can't believe that I am finally done with editing and have FINALLY chosen a cover and it will be out there. Now I just pray that people wont hate it :) Below is the final cover that I decided on after much revision and tons of input from family and friends. Thanks especially to my mom and my sister, love you guys :)

A Forum Opinion

So following the advice of fellow writers I have been taking an active role in the forum community. I have found several that I like and follow regularly so I would like to share that new found wisdom with others out there in radio land.

My first and favorite forum is absolute write. The forum topics are varied and people are always quick to jump in and give their two cents. Writers can post query letters of pieces of writing and others will give editing help or critique. They are always kind to newcomers and super helpful. The "board" games are a fun way to dip your toe in the water and get to know people.

As a romance writer I also enjoy the All About Romance forum. If you ever have a Question about romance, that is the place to ask it. Boy do they know their stuff! The only down side to that forum is there is no new post link that just shows you the new postings so to keep up with all of the forums you have to go into each category. This forum isn't as active as Absolute but defiantly worth the time.

The third and final board I have been chatting on is Kindle Boards. I have limited myself to 3 for the time being until I get the hang of the process :) These forums are great for Kindle owners there is tons of helpful stuff there. Also it is great place for talking about books, any kind of books. People are well read and love reading.

I have just strted on Writing Forums and Writers Beat but haven't had enough time to form a full opinion so I'll keep everyone posted. Also if there are other writers or readers out there that have forum that they enjoy I would love to hear about them.

Cover Conundrum

So I think I have finally narrowed it down to two choices for my cover. I am asking everyone I come across for their opinion because I simply can't decide. For lack of better names I call them the blue cover, and the purple cover. I am posting them here and would like as much feedback as possible.

One of them is to be the cover for the first book in my Midnight Series, Pursuit of Midnight. It is of course a historic romance but there is plenty of adventure so it makes it hard for me to choose.

On another note the first book in the Darkness Series is coming along fairly well. I am about 1/3 rd of the way through and am starting to move from "this is the best book ever" faze, into the "I don't know why I ever thought I could write anything, I'm deleting this drivel right now!" faze.

Luckily my family is very supportive and this isn't my first book so I know better than to actually do that. (most days) I'm going to keep plugging along and hopefully Ill be able to get it done and out there soon.

Is There an End to the Madness???

For the last several days I have been reading countless blogs and websites by indie authors and publishers with advice about publishing you e book yourself. When I first decided to publish myself I thought, ok its gonna be a lot of work but I can totally do it. But now- don't get me wrong, I still think I can do it I am just questioning the sanity of my decision.

Not only that but I am wondering who's advice I should follow and what really is the path to success. Every site and blog has something different to offer. Some suggest steps that are guaranteed to work or have lead them to some measure of success. While I believe that all of these things can be helpful there aren't enough hours in the day for me to accomplish them all.

So how do I know which things to do and which can be bypassed? I suppose it is just a game of trial and error, so I am plunging into the pond head first and praying that there are no boulders hidden in the murky depths.

On a plus note I am only days away from publishing my first book, Pursuit of Midnight and I am totally excited. I realize that I will probably not have a single sale for a long time but just the fact that I am taking that step and getting it out there and available is beyond amazing. Now I am just praying that people don't hate it :)

I have been working on the cover art for a few weeks and I think that worries me more than anything else. Everything I have read emphasizes how important the cover of your book is in the E Reader market. That tiny little thumbnail image has to capture readers with a single glance. How the heck am I supposed to do that??

As a result of my panic I have created about 20 covers and I now am torn between thinking they all suck one day, then deciding they are all so magnificent I couldn't possibly choose one the next day. What is an author to do??

Let the People Choose

Becoming a writer has seemed like an unattainable dream for a very long time. With several finished books and a whole stack of rejection letters and e mails I have begun to think that I will never see my book for sale and that no one outside of my family and writing groups will ever read my work.

I believe I go through the same self doubt about my quality of work that other writers go through but I have persisted. I have gotten great reviews from friends, family and other writers but I still wonder if they are just being polite. When I came across several websites about indie authors I discovered this whole world of writers that weren't waiting around for publishers and agents to pick their book out of a stack of books and decide that it was the one. They were putting their books out there and letting the public decide if it was good or not.

So after much consideration I have decided that I am no longer going to wait around for an agent or publisher to pick me. I am going to put my books out there and let the people decide. I will post excerpts and synopses here on my blog as well as links to where my book will be available.
So fingers crossed, here goes nothing. And please if you like my book or even if you hate it, come back and give me a review, feedback is always welcome.