"Show Us Your Wings" Contest

Hi all!

Just thought I'd share with you all a contest that my publisher, Month 9 Books, is doing.

The info from Month 9 Books:

Month9Books is so excited about the release of A Shimmer of Angels, by Lisa M. Basso, that we are giving away the book and angel swag every day in the month of February! Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and we want you to show us what you would love to see if you saw angel wings.  You can design your angel wings many different ways, so be creative!

Readers can begin submitting their wings Tuesday, January 22nd, and a winner will be chosen every day in the month of February!  Whether you are taking a picture of yourself in wings, drawing wings, or creating wings digitally, you can submit your photo or video to mnbcontests@gmail.com.  You can also link to the files in the comments section on this page.  You can enter in a few additional ways in the Rafflecopter to increase your chances of winning.  With a total of 28 winners, your chances of winning are great!

Find out more, and enter here:

Happy Book Birthday, Kelly Hashway.

One of my fellow Month 9 Books authors, Kelly Hashway, just had her YA book come out today. So I just wanted to give it a shout out. A Touch of Death is available today from Spencer Hill Press.

Here is the link for her website.
And for the book on Goodreads.
And on Amazon.

Check it out!

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.


~~~~

            

Kelly is represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. Look for her upcoming YA novels, Touch of Death (Spencer Hill Press, 1/15/13), Stalked by Death (Spencer Hill Press, 7/23/13), The Monster Within (Spencer Hill Press, 4/14), The Darkness Within (Spencer Hill Press, TBA), and Into the Fire (Month9Books, spring 2014). Love All, the first book in my Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak Novella series, (Swoon Romance) releases 1/22/13. Also look for her MG series Curse of the Granville Fortune (Month9Books, 2016).

And the Nomination Goes to.....

So this morning I watched the live broadcast of the Academy Award nominations. I never realized they made such a production of it. I did have interest in it this year, as one of my favorite actors, Hugh Jackman, was rumored to be up for consideration because of his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. So I tuned in online and waited with baited breath to see if he'd get the bid. And I'm please to say, he did.

Overall, Les Miserable got great reviews. There were some people who couldn't stand the movie musical, and how they sang everything. And then there were some people who criticized the singing, saying it was nothing compared to the stage cast. However, in a movie, you need a combination of acting and musical abilities  And though I'm not a huge fan of Hugh's vibrato, I thought his performance as Jean Valjean was emotionally amazing. I was so pleased he got the bid. And I'll be cheering for him on awards day, as well.

As they announcing the nominations, it got me thinking about all the actors and directors and writers that were sitting there sweating, hoping that they would be given the bid. As they announced the supporting actors, they had mentioned that every single one of them had been a previous Oscar winner. In comparison to writing, it would be like a group of famous author gaining more bestsellers.

For the actors who have never been nominated, like my man Hugh, I can only imagine what it was like for him to be recognized after so many years. To be an actor, much like being a writer, takes lots of work and a lots of lucky breaks. There are tons of starving actors out there, and to even get a part in a major motion picture is a dream come true. Much like, as a writer, we struggle and struggle to just get an agent's notice. Then we struggle, more and more, and perhaps finally get a small press to notice us. But even then, the journey is not done.

Best sellers do not happen over night (typically). Sure, there are some that seem like they jump right into novel stardom. The journey of a writer is much like Mr. Jackman here. It takes years of persistence, maybe taking non staring rolls at first, and working your way up to that Oscar nomination. As a writer, it might take years to get to the New York best seller list, if ever at all. And maybe, just maybe, when we write the book of our lifetime, perhaps we too can be on the top of that bestseller list.

Remember...the journey makes the destination mean so much more.

One year...and counting.

So yesterday marked the day that my book will be coming out next year. A year from yesterday, I will be a published author. It seems so far away; however, I am already feeling nervous about the release. It's funny that, after all this time, instead of excitement, I feel so afraid.

Maybe afraid isn't the right word. I feel exposed. I've been working on publishing THE EMISSARY for years. I've stubbornly not given up on it. I've pushed and pushed and pushed. I've edited it countless times. And finally, when epic fantasy is turning around again, my book gets its time. You'd figure that I'd be jumping up and down. You'd figure that my dreams had finally come true. I'm not sure if rejection has made me skeptical, knowing that the bad reviews will come with the good. But I do know that this work, specifically, has so much of my passion, so much of my time and energy, that I feel as if I am ripping open my chest and exposing my heart to the world.

Do any of you have a book like that? One that, even though it may have failed, is the one that pulses though you to be seen? It's not that the story is about me or anything, but I've been so entwined with these characters, I've pushed until they could be seen.

And now that it is going to happen, I feel nervous. A year may seem like a long ways away, but I'm okay with it. I need that time to mentally prepare.

THE EMISSARY is up on goodreads now, for those of you who would like to wait with me. It doesn't have a cover yet, but that is coming along as well.

Happy Book Birthday! Amarok, by Angela Townsend

Woo Hooo!!! So today our very own Angela Townsend's awesome book, Amarok, is released! If you haven't yet picked it up, do so NOW!  Here is the link where you can go buy it on Amazon.

And you can also check it out on Goodreads, here. 

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining.

Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by the same Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

About the awesome author

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Angela Townsend was born in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Missoula, Montana. As a child, Angela grew up listening to stories told by her grandparents, ancient tales and legends of faraway places. Influenced by her Irish and Scottish heritage, Angela became an avid research historian, specializing in Celtic mythology. Her gift for storytelling finally led her to a full time career in historical research and writing. A writer in local community circulations, Angela is also a published genealogical and historical resource writer who has taught numerous research seminars. Currently, Angela divides her time between writing, playing Celtic music on her fiddle, and Irish dancing. She resides on a ranch, in rural Northwestern Montana, with her two children Levi and Grant.

Guest review of DEADWOOD

So in case you haven't noticed, our very own Kell Andrews is having her book come out soon. You can read her post about DEADWOOD by scrolling down a few posts.

I got my copy of DEADWOOD recently, and before I could get my hands on it, my 9-year-old daughter swiped it from me. So today, I have a special guest reviewer: My daughter, Kira.

REVIEW:
I really thought that Deadwood was good. It was entertaining the whole way though. I got really excited at parts when it got scary or confusing for the characters. It seemed like it was really happening, and I was in the book with them. My favorite character was probably Hannah, because she was brave and she kept on trying no matter what. She believed in herself. I like that it was hard to figure out the answer to their problem. I like fantasy so I enjoyed the magic. You should all read the book.

 5 out of 5 stars.

Our Guest Reviewer:

Kira is a 4th grader. She enjoys reading and acting in plays. She smiles often and is friendly to everyone. She is in dance and plays the piano. She loves nature and animals.