New Summer Release, Freebies, and a Party

It's finally here! Happy summer to all of my Blogger followers. This will likely be my last post here at my BlogSpot site. It's been a great place to hang out, but in an effort to streamline my efforts, I've moved my main blog to my new website here. If you'd like to follow along and get monthly updates on where I am and what's happening with my writing life, stop by and subscribe to my page. In the meantime, I just had to tell you about some great news.

WESTERN DESERT, Book Two in the Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, a YA dystopian trilogy, is now available. Join me in celebrating at my launch party on Tuesday, June 25th at the Secretsof7scribes blog where I'll be serving virtual drinks and hors d'oeuvres (recipes at least), and giving away prizes like a NOOK Simple Touch, signed copies of a few of my books, and a cool swag bag. I hope you'll stop in and say hi and enter to win! Contest ends midnight, June 30, 2013.

Here's a little more about my latest book.

WESTERN DESERT, Book Two in The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael trilogy, takes off where WANING MOON ends. Genetically enhanced sixteen-year-old Lily Carmichael, and seventeen-year-old Will Callahan embark on a journey across a sun-ravaged and decimated U.S. in the year 2057, bound for the Western Desert on a dangerous rescue mission. The survivors they meet along the way put Lily’s healing abilities to the test and challenge Will’s resolve to find his missing father—no matter the cost. But even with the burden of life and death on their shoulders, and the Industry hot on their trail, the greatest challenge they face is trusting their hearts to each other.

Amazon

BN

Smashwords

Create Space (for print books)

If you haven't read WANING MOON, Book One in the trilogy, you can get it FREE this week on your Kindle from June 24-28th.

Here's the short blurb for WANING MOON. To read Chapter one, check it out on Wattpad.

In the year 2057, in a post-apocalyptic world where three quarters of the population has been wiped out by a global pandemic, and a polar shift threatens the remainder of earth’s inhabitants, sixteen-year-old genetically altered teen, Lily Carmichael, faces bigger challenges—escape capture by a rogue government agency, save her family, and avoid falling in love.





SOUL REDEMPTION, the short story prequel is available for FREE on Smashwords, or you can read it on Wattpad. This story is about 50 pages (15,000 words) and gives you a look behind the scenes of who Zeph (Lily's younger brother) really is, and what it's like to be a thirteen-year-old with the ability to take life with just a touch. I hope you'll enjoy Lily and Zeph's journey. And here's to Will and Lily's blossoming romance!

Thanks for being such avid followers. I hope you'll stay with me at my new website and blog home, and keep tabs on my journey. If you want less frequent updates, but want to know about new releases and special promotions, consider subscribing to my Newsletter.

 Peace and Blessings to you all! PJ

A-MAY-ZING!

What a wild and crazy month it's been! I'm one month out from the release of WESTERN DESERT, Book Two in The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael. June 24th is the big day.

Aside from all the last minute details of producing the best book for you, my readers, I'm planning my release promotions, blog tour, and all the infinity of details required to get this next show on the road. There are more moving parts in this publishing process than sending a space ship to the moon...at least it feels like it. But in the midst of chaos come some bright spots of encouragement. SAVAGE CINDERELLA has had a very good month! It won first place in the NERFA (National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards), and is a finalist in the Colorado Excellence in Romance Fiction contest. I'm awaiting final results. Incidentally, WANING MOON placed second in the NERFA contest!

SAVAGE CINDERELLA has also been nominated for a RONE Award from InD'tale magazine. I would so appreciate your vote if you've read and enjoyed the story. You do have to register to vote, but it's very simple and means no obligation for you. The site assures you won't be spammed. If you have a moment, I hope you'll stop by and vote between May 24-June 1st. My friend, Katy Lee, author of the inspirational romantic suspense, REAL VIRTUE has also been nominated and could use your vote, too. Thanks so much, everyone!

I'm also very happy to announce that HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES is available on audio book through Amazon.com, audible.com, and I-Tunes.com. If you love audio books and would like to receive deals on your favorites, sign up for audible.com and get discounted prices on the audio books you love.


I think that's it for now. My website will likely be down for the next several days as my DH and I do some upgrading. I hope you'll stop in and visit me soon. I'll let you know when I'm back up and running! Have a great rest of your spring!

May Brings a Bouquet of Books!

The Book Lover's Buffet Bouquet of Books Sale and contest is over, but in response to reader interest, I'd like to extend the .99 cent price deal on Heaven is for Heroes and Waning Moon through Mother's Day, May 12th. Sale ends at midnight! The winner of the $25 gift card is Tracey! Congrats, and thanks for participating. Other winners will be announced on the Book Lovers Buffet site at http://bookloversbuffetdotcom.wordpress.net.

My SALE continues!

WANING MOON
and HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES will be available for .99 cents for one more week through Mother's Day.

For the rest of the month, I'll be busy putting the finishing touches on Book Two in the Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, WESTERN DESERT

I'd love for you to JOIN my site by clicking the "join" button to the right so I can keep you updated on contests and upcoming book releases.

Thanks so much for stopping by and participating in this incredible sale! Have a wonderful Spring...

Prize winners and more contests

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop!

The winner of the audio book copy of HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES is Shadow Kohler. Congratulations! I'll send out the audio book as soon as I have them.



And speaking of cool prizes, check out my friend Jordan K. Rose’s contest badge on the upper right hand side of this page. She’s asking for help naming her first book in the Eva Prim series. The winner will receive an ARC (advanced reader copy) and acknowledgement in the book! The contest runs from April 1-30th, winner to be announced May 1st on her site. Just click on the badge and it will take you to Jordan's contest page. Good luck everyone!

I would also love some help with the title for my third book in the Dystopian trilogy, The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael. These are my current top three picks.
1) Turning Tides
2) Storm Surge
3) Winter's Sun

I'd love to hear which one you like best, or if you have an idea for something better. I'm all ears! Since so many of my contest winners are loving SOUL REDEMPTION, the short story prequel to WANING MOON, if you leave a comment with a suggestion for a title for Book Three, and a valid e-mail address, I'll send you an e-copy.

WANING MOON is available for 2.99 through Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords


Look for WESTERN DESERT, Book Two in the trilogy, June 24th!


PJ

March Mayhem

I’m so happy to be welcoming Spring this year. I missed my annual sojourn to the beach for my birthday since February didn’t offer much respite from the cold and cloudy days of winter. The good news is that I have a feeling we are in for a warm-up soon. I’m already hearing the birds chirping out their springtime song. March is going to be another busy month for me, but one that offers lots of exciting and fun projects.

Here’s what’s on the agenda:

I completed the first draft of WESTERN DESERT, Book Two in The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael trilogy, so I’m in revisions! Yayyyy!!! I’ll send it off to the editor right before I leave to go to Epi-CON in Vancouver, Washington, from the 13-18th. Epi-CON is a writer’s convention that promises to be educational as well as lots of fun. I’ll be joining Jennifer Fusco, Katy Lee, and Melanie Meadors from my CTRWA group and I’m betting it’s going to be a blast. I’ve never been to the Pacific Northwest, so I’m very excited about the opportunity to visit there and be at a book-signing event as part of the reader’s luncheon. It will be nice to meet some locals and get to know some new readers.

I’ve also completed my run with KDP Select, a program where I had Heaven is for Heroes and On Thin Ice available only through Amazon for the past three months. It wasn’t as successful a venture in terms of direct sales, as it was when I did it last spring with Savage Cinderella, but it did allow me to get my books into the hands of about 20,000 new readers who got to read them for FREE! How cool is that?

Now that the books are off of Select, I’ll be able to upload all of them to some new distribution channels for me, going directly to Apple (i-Tunes) and Kobo to allow for the widest distribution possible. I’m excited about this as I’ve seen an uptick in sales through Smashwords to these vendors. Publishing it directly to these distributors will allow me more freedom to play with pricing and make changes faster, as well as hopefully gaining a little more exposure on their sites so I can reach readers who have i-Pads and Kobo e-readers. Amazon isn’t the only game in town, and although B&N is struggling to compete, Apple and Kobo are bringing their A-game to the table. I’ll let you all know when the books are available on these venues.

Another March project I have going is cover designs for both WESTERN DESERT, and my short story prequel to the Lily Carmichael trilogy, SOUL REDEMPTION. I’ll be offering Zeph’s story for FREE on all channels, hoping to reach readers who might like to jump into the trilogy now that Book Two is on the near horizon (slated to release in June). I think you’ll enjoy reading this 14,000 word (about 40 pages) short story that is told from the POV of Lily’s thirteen-year-old brother Zephron. With the ability to take life with a touch, he struggles with his darker nature and trying to find his place in the world. You don’t have to read the short story to understand the trilogy, but it definitely gives you a deeper perspective of the conflict that runs throughout.

Read here for an excerpt. The FREE download should be ready by the end of March so you can find out what happens next.

So I think that’s it for March. BUT...

COMING SOON:

Stay tuned for a blog hop in April with tons of cool prizes, and the Book Lovers Buffet coming in May where you can load up for summer reading with a boatload of $.99 books!

As if that's not enough, check back in April for news of a new heaven is for Heroes audiobook!!! I can't wait to pick out a narrator for Jordie.


Have a happy Spring!


What does your month of March look like? Any fun trips planned? Are you as anxious for daylight savings time as I am?

January Happenings

Happy New Year, everyone. It's hard to believe it's January again. I hope you all had a happy holiday and are ready to jump into another year. I know I'm excited about all that's coming up. Here's a run down of this month.

In honor of National Skating Month and the US Figure Skating Championships, I'll be offering ON THIN ICE FREE on Amazon from January 26-28th. If you haven't read it already, I hope you'll download it or let friends know it's up for FREE for three days. This will be the last FREE promotion for this book, so don't miss out.

Available for FREE at Amazon from Saturday, January 26 through Monday, January 28th.



I'm also working hard to finish Book Two of The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael, WESTERN DESERT, due out this summer. I'm shooting for June, but I'll keep you posted. I'm happy to report that RT Book Reviews had this to say about Book One, WANING MOON.

>"An action-packed read with a strong female lead."i>


Available for $2.99 on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords

For grins and giggles, and to celebrate National Skating month, I'll share some of my skating pics from a few years back.

I hope you'll stop back by next week and pick up a copy of ON THIN ICE. Here's a short excerpt:

Chapter 1

Journal Entry,
May 15th

I’m a liar. I know it, I hate it, and I can’t seem to help myself. I feel the lies piling up as if I’m being buried, each one a stone that keeps me pinned in a shallow grave.

God knows I have my reasons for hiding from the truth. Truth is hard and ugly. The lies are easier. As Mom gets sicker, my world grows smaller and the lies grow bigger. The uneven ground beneath my feet leaves me unsteady, and I’m waiting for the earthquake that will disrupt my life and change it forever.

At school, I’m expected to get all A’s. On the ice, I’m expected to pass tests, compete, and win. At home…well, I’m expected to be strong, help out, take charge, and be an inspiration—like one of Mom’s Celine Dion slit-my-wrists songs. If I am “Perfect Penny,” maybe everything will be okay, but I know that I’m lying, even to myself.

Because no matter how hard I try, I will never be good enough to change the truth.


I hit the ice at 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. Summer camp was one more step on the path to Olympic Gold. At least that’s what Mom has been telling me since I was eight. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that we would never have the money it would take to get me to the Olympics no matter how talented I was. I started keeping track of our costs in little journals when I was about ten. After calculating the thousands of dollars my parents had spent over those first few years, it was clear to me that unless we found a wealthy sponsor who saw my potential, the best I could hope for was the ice show circuit or teaching.

That idea didn’t bother me the way it did Mom. I hated competing, but telling her that would have broken her heart. She had such high hopes for me, and with her cancer, I couldn’t let her down. So I worked hard and stuck to the plan.

But plans have a way of changing. I could spin with the best of them, but after my second concussion when I was fourteen, I developed a phobia of axels. I had no trouble with all of the other double jumps, but every time I tried to kick through to come off of that forward outside edge, my body balked. Without a double axel in my program, pursuing a competitive freestyle career was futile. Despite trying every trick in the book, including the use of a jump harness and off-ice training, I was unable to overcome my fear. “Instinctual avoidance” my coach called it.

So, Mom got me started ice dancing, hoping I’d have a better chance at landing a partner—a possibility as slim as me escaping the horrors of daily life in the trenches at number four Barrett Street, also known as home sweet home. At least that’s what the sign above the kitchen door said.

To read all of chapter one, check out WATTPAD. You can also read the first chapter of HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES, WANING MOON, and the short story prequel to WANING MOON called SOUL REDEMPTION. You can follow along for weekly installments of SAVAGE CINDERELLA. Here's the new cover!

Well, I guess that's it. As always, I appreciate your comments and support with spreading the word about my books. I hope wherever you are, you're enjoying life, falling in love, and reading some great books!

Blessings!

PJ

Last Weekend on Earth

It's almost mid-December, and with the coming end to the Mayan Calendar drawing near, my friends and I over at the WG2E Street team were asking ourselves, "What would we do if this was our Last Weekend on Earth? Since I write Dystopian these days, I've given this a bit of thought. As an author, I can honestly say that there's nothing I'd rather be doing at the end than escaping into a good book.

So in honor of the impending "shift," I'm here with you to share some great books. And to get you started, I'm giving away FREE e-copies of my short story prequel to WANING MOON, called SOUL REDEMPTION. Just leave your comment below including a valid e-mail address so I can send you your copy (name/email (dot)com ). If you could also click on the "join this site" button to your right, you can get monthly updates about what's new in my writing life and keep tabs on my whereabouts...providing we're still all here...just sayin'. The "hop" runs from Friday Dec. 14-Sunday, Dec.16th. Some participants are on Pacific time, so if you don't see their posts up, be sure to stop back.

Just in case you want to stock up on books and music for the weekend, stop by the sites listed below, and be sure to sign up for our Rafflecopter prize of a $35 i-Tunes gift card. The more you help us spread the word, the more chances you have to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway


To find more blogs about how some of your favorite thriller and fantasy authors would spend their "Last Weekend on Earth," or a related topic, try these.

http://daleamidei.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/last-weekend-on-earth/

http://stacygreenauthor.com/

Rhonda Hopkins

Catie Rhodes

Anna Erishkigel

CC Mackenzie

You'll find some fabulous fun reads along the way, all for under $5. As a matter of fact, WANING MOON is available now for only $2.99! AMAZON, B&N or SMASHWORDS I hope you'll pick up your copy today.

Book trailer for Waning Moon: http://youtu.be/prfYBPDBVmo

As a public service to my readers, I thought I'd use this opportunity to share my Apocalypse Survival Strategies.

Apocalypse Survival Steps
1) Find a clean source of water
2) Build or find shelter
3) Scavenge for food
4) Hoard useful materials and items
5) Collect containers
6) Band with others
7) Master fire
8) Create or find tools
9) Fashion weapons
10) Learn to trap
11) Know how to fight
12) Have a plan
13) Escape into a good book

Any tips I missed? Feel free to share your survival strategies below. Have a lovely weekend:-)

October is Blog Tour month

It's not too late! Amid the falling leaves, rainy days, and wind whipped clouds, I'm traveling about the cybersphere chatting with bloggers about WANING MOON, Book One in The chronicles of Lily Carmichael trilogy. There are interviews, excerpts, reviews and prizes along the way! All commenters on my blog tour are entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card to either Amazon or B&N. Also, an e-copy of ON THIN ICE will be awarded to one lucky commenter at each stop, so make sure you stop by as many sites as possible and say hello. You can find all my blog tour stops with Goddess Fish promotions

on the Calendar page of my website.


So far, readers seem to be enjoying the book. Early reviews go something like this:

The novel was well written, and I instantly cared about Lily and the others characters. They were well drawn and believable. I can't wait for the next installment from this talented writer. Way to go PJ Sharon!
Cat Kalen, author of PRIDE'S RUN

I absolutely loved this suspenseful read by PJ Sharon. I may be an adult, but I'm a huge fan of YA fantasy. Sharon doesn't disappoint with plausible and creative characters and innovations to the world as it could be in the not-too-distant future. In addition to compelling characters, the action is so forward-driving I couldn't put this book down! Can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy!
Author Tamara Ward

Here's the back cover blurb:

In the year 2057, in a post-apocalyptic world where a polar shift threatens the survivors of a widespread pandemic with extinction, sixteen-year-old genetically enhanced Lily Carmichael has more immediate problems. Her uncle is dying of cancer and her healing abilities are ineffective against the blood ties that bind them. In order to find a cure, Lily must leave the protection of her quiet town and journey to the trading city of Albany, all while avoiding the Industry, an agency that would like nothing better than to study and exploit her abilities.

Seventeen-year-old Will Callahan has been searching for his father since severe storms blasted through the Midwest, killing his mother and sister. When he learns that his father may be in the city, he catches a ride with Lily, a girl who has come to his rescue more than once. As the two embark on a dangerous journey, the tension between them grows. But the secrets Will’s keeping could put Lily in far more danger than traveling to the city with him, and if he was any kind of man, he would have told her to run the minute she found him.



If you like the idea of WANING MOON,you'll love the short story prequel, SOUL REDEMPTION, which is part of the WG2E's All for Indies Anthologies Spooky Shorts edition, with short stories by D.D. Scott, David Slegg, Lois Lavrisa, and Patricia, (P.R.) Mason.

You can read the first chapter of SOUL REDEMPTION on Wattpad or you can find buy links for the anthology on my website at http://www.pjsharon.com

To all who have purchased my books, helped spread the word about them, and stopped by my blog tour to say "hey," THANK YOU so much! I couldn't do this without you! Have a safe and blessed autumn!

The Next Big Thing and WANING MOON

September is here again. Do you like my new look? I do love a new wardrobe, and it's that time of year. Back to work! Time for fall preparations, new projects, and my favorite weather. Since my big news for September is the release of WANING MOON, Book One in The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael trilogy, the timing of the Next best Thing Hop is perfect. The point of the hop is for authors to answer 10 questions about their current work-in-progress to give readers a little taste of what’s coming up. I was tagged by my buddy, Rhonda Hopkins, who has a release of her own coming soon, a romantic suspense called ILLUSION OF SAFETY. You can read all about it at her link above.

The ground rules for the hop are as follows:

*** Post the rules. Done!

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog – Done! See below

***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them. — Done! Err..sort of. See below

***Link back to the person who tagged you. — Done! See above.

Simple enough. Now on to the questions and answers.

What is the working title of your book?

WANING MOON, Book One in THE CHRONICLES OF LILY CARMICHAEL, due out September 28, 2012. I also have a companion short story called SOUL REDEMPTION, the prequel to Book One, which will be part of the WG2E (Writers Guide to E-publishing) October Anthology.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Living out in the sticks, I have very few neighbors, but we depend on each other a lot. My husband and I often get together with our neighbors across the street (our only neighbors for three quarters of a mile in any direction), have supper and play cards. Conversation inevitably turns to “what would we do if society as we know it collapsed.” I know…morbid, right? But we’ve had some fascinating discussions about this topic over the years and my husband and my neighbor go into great detail about how they would survive. Let me say, my husband, being a brilliant engineer, would be a handy guy to have around. The story evolved out of those conversations and my neighbors were a great resource for my research.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young adult literature has several subcategories these days, one being dystopian fiction, made famous by Suzanne Collins’ the Hunger Games trilogy, and books like Lois Lowry’s The Giver.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I always have trouble with this question because there are so many great young actors out there and I’m terrible with names. I think Chord Overstreet from Glee would make a great Will, Emma Watson for Lily, and John Stamos for Sam. Zeph would definitely be the wild card—some unknown thirteen-year-old who would steal the show.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In the year 2057, a genetically altered teen travels to the city to find a cure for her uncle's cancer, but the young drifter she meets puts them both in danger.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m sticking to the indie-publishing route for now. I love the control I have over my product and you can’t beat the royalty percentages. It’s a ton of work, but so far I’m satisfied with how it’s going. If a fabulous agent or a large publishing house approached me with a stellar offer, I’d consider changing my mind.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This one took me six months to write the first draft. I’ve done others in three months, but that was before I was published. I hadn’t figured in the amount of time that marketing and promoting the books would require. It really made it challenging to buckle down and get the first draft done. I’ll definitely figure in that time for the next one.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Other than the dystopian feel of it, the story is really different from the Hunger Games. Not quite as dark and gritty, I think. With the genetic alteration aspect, it’s more like James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, but has more of a real life feel like that of The Giver by Lois Lowry.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

One of the central story lines that will develop through the three books is the budding romance between Lily and Will as they embark on their adventures. I love a good teen romance! Oh, and there are wolves!

Tagged for next week – you’re it! Since I only tag authors and writers willing to be tagged, these are my two takers for next week:-)

Casey Wyatt

Marian Lannouette