I have something EXCITING in the works and I just can't keep quiet any longer! As you know, I am querying agents and seeking traditional publication at this time. But the truth is there has never been a better time to be a writer. In my attempts to understand how the industry is changing, I have made some wonderful friendships with writers who are choosing to go another path.
Indie and Self Publishing are viable options for all of us, ones I'll explore if traditional does not work out for me with my current manuscript. But doing so can feel daunting. There are so many pieces to the puzzle, right?
To help ease the confusion, I am hosting CARVING OUR OWN DESTINY WEEK here at The Ending Unplanned June 6th-10th. This packed week will include FIFTEEN different indie and self-pub authors who are making their own way, and doing so successfully.
Topics include:
- The Difference Between Indie and Self-Pub
- Ebook Publishing Platforms
- Editing--Things to Look For and How to Hire an Independent Editor
- Building Community
- Marketing for the Indie Author
- Setting Up a Blog Tour
- Let's Talk Money
- Personal Testimonies
- Author Interviews
- and MORE!
There will also be a TON of giveaways! You do NOT want to miss this week!!
CARVING OUR OWN DESTINY will have its own dedicated page for all the posts to follow along, and I will also set up a A Mr. Linky for anyone who has posts on their own blog they'd like to share. Interviews, Reviews, How-to Posts, ANYTHING that involves Indie or Self-Publishing, we'd love to have you join the fun!
To kick things off, for this week's Spotlight Review, I decided to highlight two books by authors who will be joining us: Ms. Tiffany King and Ms. Addison Moore. These two powerhouses are certainly making names for themselves, and I'm proud to call them friends and YA Sisters.
ETHEREAL by Addison Moore is one of those books where the cover drew me in and the story kept me riveted. Having fallen in love with the hauntingly beautiful cover art, I decided to download a sample chapter with the expectation of checking out a new author's work and adding it to my growing TBR Pile—and was hooked immediately. I quickly purchased the full and pretty much devoured it in one big gulp.
First, the Goodreads description:
Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking.
When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.
Skyla discovers Logan holds the answers to the questions she’s been looking for, but Logan’s reluctance to give her the knowledge she desires leaves her believing Logan has a few secrets of his own.
Skyla’s bloodlines may just be connected to the most powerful angelic beings that roam the earth, and the more she knows, the more danger she seems to be in.
Suddenly an entire faction of earthbound angels wants her dead, at least she still has Logan, or does she?
ETHEREAL is a fun, action packed read. It has everything: mystery, romance, love triangles, angels, and plentiful twists and turns. A few grammatical typos aside--all things I was more than willing to look past to focus on the hot boys--this is a well-written story.
Ms. Moore tweaked the angel concept to make it her own, and threw in surprises I didn't expect. The fast pace and plot twists kept me reading just 'one more chapter.' The mystery surrounding the death of Logan's ex—the girl who is now haunting Skyla—is intriguing, and the romance is perfect.
Readers of my blog know I’m a sucker for love triangles. My favorites involve two equally wonderful, swoon-worthy guys, constantly pulling me back and forth between my favorite. In ETHEREAL Ms. Moore sets up a hot triangle that is sure to keep readers begging for more throughout the series. For the record, while I adore Logan, I am currently completely Team Gage. I look forward to seeing how TREMBLE will test my loyalty.
Fun secondary characters, lush setting details, and sneaky author twists meant to keep you guessing make this a five star recommendation. Great Job, Addison!
Now hurry up and release TREMBLE!!
(TREMBLE should be available this week or next, so keep checking!)
Since its release in March, I’ve heard nothing but glowing praise for Tiffany King’s debut
MEANT TO BE. Unfortunately, it took me two months before life slowed down enough to read it, but I must say I completely get all the hype!
First, the Goodreads description:
Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept and without any real friends; the one exception being the boy that visits her each night in her dreams.
Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The nightly comfort that the boy provides has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force.
Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets.
As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets from their past about their shared connection threatens to separate them just when they have found each other
I couldn’t put this book down, curious to discover the connection between Krista and hottie Mark. I love playing guessing games while I’m reading, trying to figure out where the author is taking me, but Ms. King’s twist surprised me. And then shocked me. The last third of the novel went into overdrive and my fingers locked on the forward button, furiously clicking to turn the pages.
As the protagonist, Krista was relatable, smart, funny, and gosh darn cute as a button. I loved her. I got her. I could be friends with this girl.
The friendship between Krista and Sam was fun and adorable. Sam was playful and had me smiling whenever she was on the page. The romance between Krista and Mark, and Sam and Shawn, was swoon-worthy. What I loved about this book was the unique take on the romantic relationship. In most paranormal romances, you have the push/pull, the tension and misunderstandings and fights used to create plot twists. This relationship wasn’t like that. Once they found each other, their connection was deep, powerful, and romantic, and that very attachment is what kept the plot moving.
MEANT TO BE summed up many things, but left a lot to explore in the series. I cannot wait for the sequel, which should be coming out this summer.
Kudos Ms. King, I look forward to more!
Monday, June 6, 2011 
Synopsis of MEANT TO BE: 
Hi, my name is Tiffany King the author of the Paranormal/Romance YA novel “Meant to Be” and I’m practically a native Floridian. My family and I have been here for the last fourteen years and have gotten quite used to the mild winters and scorching summers. I went back to school when I turned 31 and will finish up this spring. I wrote my book “Meant to Be” two years into my degree program and put it on hold while I finished school. Of course my degree has nothing to do with writing *drat* but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to keep writing. During this process with “Meant to Be” I discovered just how much I love to write and I have many story ideas tucked away.
