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 Also some of the sites were no longer active so I think perhaps it has been a while sense this was updated.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. :)