Friday, July 29, 2011

Welcome to The Soul Quest Blog Tour!






















Would you like a free electronic copy of Soul Quest? Well, please don't hesitate... You can download your free copy at Smashwords any time between now and August 8, 2011. Here is what you need to do.

1 - Copy this code - BK39C
2 - Follow this link to my book on Smashwords.
3 - Purchase Soul Quest and enter the code at check out.
4 - Download Soul Quest and enjoy!








It's just that easy! Let me know what you think of Soul Quest and if you love it please place a glowing review of the book on any of these links:

Smashwords
Amazon.com
Barnes and Nobles

The Soul Quest Blog Tour will feature reviews of Soul Quest by various book bloggers, author interviews, author guest posts, and the giveaway at Smashwords listed above.

Blog Tour Calendar

August 1st – Neri @ In the Name of Books
"Obsessed with books, photography, handbags, and shoes."

August 2nd – Megan McDade @ Reading Away the Days
Hi everyone, Megan's post is an older entry on her blog. She is feeling really under the weather recently so I've substituted an interview she did with me in June so she can get some rest and hopefully feel better really soon!
"I am addicted to books. There is nothing better than curling up in bed with a good book. I mostly read YA and sometimes adult romance. I also love watching movies however not scary ones, lol. Look out for book reviews, author interviews, giveaways and some movie reviews!"


August 3rd – Evie Seo @ Bookish
"Born 1985, I live with my Korean husband in Vancouver, BC. I love reading books, traveling, meeting new people, exploring new places and learning about culture!"

AND...

Jennifer Grogan Sterberg @ X - treme Readers
"The X-treme Readers are myself, Jen, and the students taking my X-treme Reading class at Badger High School in Lake Geneva, WI. During the school year we may have as many as 25 students available for book reviews."

August 4th – Keira Lea @ Keira Lea
Author of Replay.
"I write young adult books about special powers, time manipulation, and the magic of thought. I love hairless cats; I’m pretty sure they love me, too. People with electric blue hair fascinate me. I have to remind myself at least once a week that characters on my favorite TV shows are not real."

August 5th – Rachel Harris @ YA Bound
"I'll always be 17 at heart, and often in action, and love reading and writing about all the drama, angst and excitement of the teenage experience. For Writing Samples and to learn even more amazing facts about me, head over to www.RachelHarrisWrites.com"

August 6th – Heather Webb @ Heather Webb
"Reading is one of my favorite escapes. Any genre of novel that packs lush details and sincere characters captures my attention, but historical fiction is where my heart resides. I also adore a deliciously emotional, angst-ridden Young Adult novel from time to time."

August 7th – L. Carroll @ Lor Mandela

*Ms. Carroll has created an extra blog post for the tour on Tuesday, August 2nd. Make sure you check it out!
"I'm the author of the Lor Mandela Series (Book #1, DESTRUCTION FROM TWINS, and book #2, FOUR HUNDRED DAYS). Hogwarts is in my backyard, Narnia, in my living room, but my favorite place is the portal in my kitchen that takes me to Lor Mandela. Hope to see YOU there!"

Book Bloggers
The seven lovely and brilliant ladies mentioned above have graciously offered to be hosts for my blog tour. Each of them will feature something fun and exciting for you on their scheduled day of the tour. Make sure you visit each blogger and peruse their blog. We love it when you follow and comment on our posts so please spread the blog love.

Book Trailer for Soul Quest


The Guardians of Souls, Book Two in the Soul Quest Trilogy
The long anticipated release of this book has arrived. To celebrate its birthday I will kick off another blog tour at the end of August. Would you like to get a head start on The Guardians of Souls. You can purchase it on Amazon.com right now!

The Guardians of Souls Blog Tour Calendar is as follows:


August 25th - Michelle Leighton @ M. Leighton Books
August 26th - Laura @ Laura's Magic Day!
August 27th - Megan McDade @ Reading Away the Days!
August 28th - Patti Larsen @ Patti Larsen
August 29th - Kreag Sheehan @ I Devour Books
August 30th - Jamie Johnson @ Fantasy Book Chick
August 31st - Books Ahoy @ Books Ahoy!


I'm so excited about finally launching my very first blog tour! Thank you so much for participating and visiting my blog. Have a look around and please comment or email me if it strikes your fancy. I love hearing what my fans and followers have to say! Thank you again to my wonderful blogging friends for hosting The Soul Quest blog tour. I truly appreciate your friendship and support!


The Glassheart Chronicles is here early!


The Glassheart Chronicles by Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Courtney Cole, Wren Emerson, Amy Jones, Tiffany King, Nicole Williams
















I am happy to announce the release of The Glassheart Chronicles. It is available now on Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobles.

This book is a series of short stories written by several talented young adult paranormal romance writers including yours truly. The book features short stories featuring the characters the participating author's fans already love.

If you are a fan of any of these talented authors and their books then The Glassheart Chronicles is a 'must have' for you!

Jenny Pox (J.L. Bryan)
The Understorey (Fisher Amelie)
Fated (Courtney Cole)
I Wish...(Wren Emerson)
Soul Quest (Amy Maurer-Jones)
Meant To Be (Tiffany King)
Eternal Eden (Nicole Williams)


Make sure you head on over to Goodreads and add it to your TBR pile!


Check out this fun promotional video! Be dazzled and amazing by the Irish steppin' cast of The Glassheart Chronicles.

If you decide to read The Glassheart Chronicles please let us know what you thought about it. If you loved it please post your glowing reviews on Amazon and B&N!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

YA Indie Carnival!





Welcome to The Shootin' Gallery and the third post in the YA Indie Carnival. The carnival is designed for authors, readers and reviewers of YA Indie books. Each Friday this team of YA Indies will post on a common theme.






Today's post theme is, why YA Paranormal Romance? Or, at least for me it is... Today we are supposed to explain why we chose to write about our genre of choice.


I teach high school theater arts and dance. I love my students and find they are a great inspiration for my writing. Additionally, I believe kids that read will grow up to become adults that succeed. I encourage my students (and my children) to read on a regular basis. We have discussions about our favorite books and characters. You can tell a lot about a person by the type of books they read and the characters they identify with.

Even as I am now well into my adult years I find that I enjoy YA books more than any other, particularly those that dabble in fantasy or the paranormal. I suppose it could be attributed to the hopefulness and open minded perspective of youth that has a tendency to decline as we reach our adulthood. Somewhere along the way our dreams get shattered and we become set in our ways. To me this fact means death to creativity and ultimately, boredom. I will strive to remain a kid at heart for the rest of my years.

In summary I will say that my love of the YA genre is an indirect result of my passion for change and the unknown. It is attributed to the "what if" factor, I suppose.

Well, that's my two cents. Make sure you make your way around to the other fascinating carni's booths in the YA Indie Carnival. You can find their links below. Enjoy the amusements!

Before you head off to the next booth in the carnival please don't forget about...

The Glassheart Chronicles by Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Courtney Cole, Wren Emerson, Amy Jones, Tiffany King, and Nicole Williams, available for purchase on Amazon NOW! (Yes, you read correctly, it is here early, yay!)

The Soul Quest Blog Tour, August 1st - 7th

The Guardians of Souls Blog Tour August 25th - 31st
.

The Guardians of Souls, Book Two in The Soul Quest Trilogy. It is available on Amazon NOW!

Carnival of fun!

The Ferris Wheel

Dani Snell: An awesome reviewer.
http://www.refractedlightreviews.com

The Rockin' Roller Coaster

Patti Larsen: Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, and The Diamond City Trilogy.
http://pattilarsen.blogspot.com/


The Kissing Booth

Courtney Cole: Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.

http://courtneycolewrites.wordpress.com/

Cotton Candy Corner

Wren Emerson: Author of I Wish and a contributing author in the upcoming anthology that I am participating in (The Glassheart Chronicles).
http://wrenemerson.wordpress.com/

The Fun House

Nicole Williams: An indie author of paranormal fiction. Her titles include: Eternal Eden, and the upcoming Fallen Eden. She is also participating in the Glassheart Chronicles and her Eternal Eden is my Indie Book of the week! Here is the link to my review on Goodreads.
http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

The Dunking Booth

Fisher Amelie: Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
http://fisheramelie.com/blog/

The Carousel
Laura Elliott: Author of the recently released Winnemucca!
http://www.laurasmagicday.wordpress.com

The Haunted Castle

Rachel Coles: Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms.
http://rachelcoles.wordpress.com/

Hayrides!

T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross.
http://thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/

The Face Painting Booth

Cydni Tefft: Author of Between
http://ctefft.blogspot.com/

The Fortune Teller
P.J. Hoover: Author of Solstice
http://pjhoover.blogspot.com

Popcorn and Caramel Apples!
Alicia McCalla: Author of Breaking
http://www.aliciamccalla.com/

Pony Rides!
Heather Cashman: Author of Perception
http://heathercashman.com/better_off_read/

Don't forget to make a comment and join my followers! I love hearing from from my old friends as much as I love making new friends!

Monday, July 25, 2011

I HAVE been reading!

Hello friends,

I know I haven't been posting as much this summer as I have been busied in my writing projects but I wanted to let you know that I have been reading some really great reads in between my work. Here are some of my favorite picks for the summer.

The first book I'll recommend is more of an educational/inspirational read for aspiring indie writers. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in going indie.
Here is the link to my review on Goodreads.





















OK, so my fantasy/paranormal romance recommendations are as follows.

I loved Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams.
Here is the link to this review on Goodreads.





















Fateful by Cheri Schmidt is a great vampire romance read!
Here is the link to my review on Goodreads.






















I am currently reading The Tower of Parlen Min by Matt Xell and loving it!
Review to come soon!














Books I'm looking forward to reading before the summer ends are:

Fallen Eden by Nicole Williams

















Burn by Addison Moore





















What are you reading this summer? Tell me about your favorite summer reads!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Welcome to our YA Indie Carnival!





Welcome to the second post in the YA Indie Carnival. The carnival is designed for authors, readers and reviewers of YA Indie books. Each Friday this team of YA Indies will post on a common theme.

Today's post theme is, why Indie?


I decided to e – publish after about six months of unsuccessful attempts to secure an agent. I realize this is not a long period of time in the traditional publishing world but I mostly just wanted to get my book out there in hopes that someone else might desire to read it and enjoy it. While I have found that self publishing can be challenging I have also discovered that the learning process and the sense of achievement that follows can feel quite satisfying. Having said that I will continue to consider all of my options. If the right agent/agency came to pass I would consider the opportunity.

Before you head off to the next booth in the carnival I wanted to point out a few new attractions that are coming up. First, The Glassheart Chronicles by Brandon Alston, Fisher Amelie, J.L. Bryan, Courtney Cole, Wren Emerson, Amy Jones, Tiffany King, and Nicole Williams will be available for purchase on Amazon on August 1st. Second, get ready for the Soul Quest Blog Tour August 1st - 7th and The Guardians of Souls Blog Tour August 25th - 31st. Last but not least I am very excited to announce the release of The Guardians of Souls, Book Two in The Soul Quest Trilogy. It is available on Amazon NOW!

Enjoy the rest of the carnival as you explore my fabulous sister carni's blogs!

Dani Snell: An awesome reviewer.
http://www.refractedlightreviews.com

Patti Larsen: Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, and The Diamond City Trilogy.
http://pattilarsen.blogspot.com/


Courtney Cole: Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.

http://courtneycolewrites.wordpress.com/

Wren Emerson: Author of I Wish and a contributing author in the upcoming anthology that I am participating in (The Glassheart Chronicles).
http://wrenemerson.wordpress.com/

Nicole Williams: An indie author of paranormal fiction. Her titles include: Eternal Eden, and the upcoming Fallen Eden. She is also participating in the Glassheart Chronicles.
http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

Fisher Amelie: Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
http://fisheramelie.com/blog/

Laura Elliott: Author of the recently released Winnemucca!
http://laurasmagicday.livejournal.com/

Rachel Coles: Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms.
http://rachelcoles.wordpress.com/

T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross.
http://thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/

Cydni Tefft: Author of Between
http://ctefft.blogspot.com/

P.J. Hoover: Author of Solstice
http://pjhoover.blogspot.com

Don't forget to make a comment and join my followers! I love hearing from you as much as I love making new friends!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

WELCOME TO OUR YA INDIE CARNIVAL!



What is the YA Indie Blog Carnival?


Friday, August 15, 2011 kicks off the first post in this fun - for - all Indie reading enthusiast quest (... and I am already a day behind - boo! - because I just returned from vacationing with my family in sunny Florida, which was fantastic, lol!). The carnival is designed for authors, readers and reviewers of YA Indie books. Each Friday this team of YA Indies will post on a common theme.

Today's post serves as a welcome and introduction. For those of you who are new to my blog please allow me to introduce myself and extend my warmest welcome.

I am a 40 year old happily married wife and mother of two gorgeous and brilliant children. I teach high school dance and theater arts and have 17 years of teaching experience in the NC Public School System. I love my family... I love my students... I love the Arts... and I love books!

I published my first novel, Soul Quest in February of 2011 and will releasing my second novel in this series (The Soul Quest Trilogy), The Guardians of Souls on August 31, 2011. Additionally, I am releasing an anthology of short stories with several other Indie paranormal romance authors on August 1st. The book is entitled The Glassheart Chronicles.

If you scan my blog you can find related information about my books (blog tours, website,links to purchase, reviews).

OK, so enough blabbling about me. There's much more to do and see in this YA Indie Carninval and I hope you will continue the journey by stopping by my fellow Carni's blogs. Enjoy the carnival and save some popcorn for me!

Dani Snell: An awesome reviewer.
http://www.refractedlightreviews.com

Patti Larsen: Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, and The Diamond City Trilogy.
http://pattilarsen.blogspot.com/


Courtney Cole: Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.

http://courtneycolewrites.wordpress.com/

Wren Emerson: Author of I Wish and a contributing author in the upcoming anthology that I am participating in (The Glassheart Chronicles).
http://wrenemerson.wordpress.com/

Nicole Williams: An indie author of paranormal fiction. Her titles include: Eternal Eden, and the upcoming Fallen Eden. She is also participating in the Glassheart Chronicles.
http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

Fisher Amelie: Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
http://fisheramelie.com/blog/

M. Leighton: Author of the Blood Like Poison series, Wiccan, Madly, The Reaping and Caterpillar.
http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/

Laura Elliott: Author of the recently released Winnemucca!
http://laurasmagicday.livejournal.com/

Rachel Coles: Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms.
http://rachelcoles.wordpress.com/

T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross.
http://thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/

Cydni Tefft: Author of Between
http://ctefft.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to make a comment and join my followers! I love hearing from you as much as I love making new friends!