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

"Two for the Price of None" Sale.

As we all hunker down to enjoy the solstice, celebrate the holidays with family and friends, and spend some quiet time of reflection to bring 2012 to a close, I hope you're all well and looking forward to an exciting New Year! Since I'm not anticipating some dark end of the world today, I thought I would try to focus instead on the light. In an effort to do so, I'd love to make your season a little brighter.

And to show my appreciation to my readers, I'm having a Two for the Price of None Sale. What does that mean, you ask? It means that Saturday, December 22nd and Sunday, December 23, both On Thin Ice and Heaven is for Heroes are available for FREE on Amazon.

Heaven is for Heroes

AMAZON



Seventeen year-old Jordie Dunn must face the loss of her brother when he’s killed in the war in Iraq. But Jordie doesn’t believe the military report that his best friend and fellow Marine, Alex Cooper, is at fault. In her quest to find the truth and help Alex, the guy she’s had a crush on since the ninth grade, Jordie discovers that the truth isn’t the only thing she wants.

Kristan Higgins, NYT and USA Today bestselling author says,
“Filled with the complex emotions of grief, confusion and first love, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES is a rich, uplifting story that will touch a reader’s heart.”

On Thin Ice

AMAZON



Seventeen year old figure skater Penny Trudeau is a liar. She knows it, hates it, and can’t help herself. The truth is too hard and ugly. Her mother is dying of cancer, her father treats her as if she’s invisible, and she is starving—for food, for love, for acceptance, and mostly for the perfection that is just beyond her reach. When she finds comfort in the arms of Carter McCray, a hockey hunk a few years too old for her, the lies begin a chain of events that have dire consequences, not the least of which are a rape she can’t remember and a pregnancy she can’t ignore. If she reveals her secrets, will the shock and disappointment mean the end for her mother? Or has her mother been keeping the biggest secret of all?


If you haven't read the books, I hope you'll take this opportunity to download them for FREE to your Kindle. They are both heartwarming teen dramas that deal with real life issues and hopefully ever after endings that culminate in a holiday surprise. If you love Hallmark movies, you'll enjoy my stories.

In case you've already read and enjoyed the books, I'd love some help spreading the word. Tell your friends about my FREE days by forwarding the buy links, sharing this post on FaceBook, or by tweeting about it. If you know someone who is giving a Kindle to a loved one for Christmas, why not suggest they load up the Kindle with some great freebies before they wrap it up and put it under the tree.

Whatever you're doing this holiday and however you celebrate, I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!

Blessings!

Happy Holidays everyone!

I know it's a busy time for us all, but I hope you're taking time out to relax and kick back with family and friends. Christmas break is made for sitting down with a good book and cup of tea, enjoying a fire in the fireplace and the lights on your tree. In fact, this week on December 11-12,

I've got both Heaven Is For Heroes and On Thin Ice available only on Amazon and priced to sell at $2.99 each. If you haven't read them yet, they are sweet YA romances with some family drama added in and a hopefully ever after end that culminates at the holidays. In fact, along with my Beach Book Blast pals, and the E-book Extravaganza, we've got a number of fantastic Christmas stories you might like as well. Check out the BBB site for details!

Not to forget the pagan followers and doomsday preppers,and since I'm in the process of writing a dystopian trilogy, we WG2E Street team members also decided to honor the end of the Mayan Calendar, or the approaching winter solstice. December 14-17, I'm participating with a few other authors in a "Last Weekend on Earth" blog hop.

Stop by here this weekend and catch my short story prequel to WANING MOON, called SOUL REDEMPTION, FREE to each person who "joins" my blog and leaves a comment with a valid email address (Only so I can send you your copy.)

Also, on the main page of BBB, from December 14-17th, you'll find a Rafflecopter where you can enter to win a $35 GC to i-Tunes and find links to other authors hosting their own blogs and giveaways. Blog topics are all about "The Last Weekend on Earth." What would you do if it was your last weekend on earth? Are you ready for an apocalypse? Will it be zombies or Superstorms? A blackout or a pandemic?

It seems the end of the world is all the rage! I hope you'll join us in celebrating the here and now, and all we're grateful for at this time of year. If you need some apocalypse survival strategies, I'll have them posted right here on this blog next weekend!

What will I be doing? I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing at the end than reading a good book.

August Excerpts and Contests

How did I totally miss the month of July? The summer is flying by and I’ve been a very busy writer, doing what I love most…writing. I’ve finished WANING MOON, the first book in The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael Trilogy, set to release SEPTEMBER 28, 2012. I handed the manuscript off to the editor and I should have it back in a few weeks to put it through the polishing and production phase. I’ll reveal the cover next Tuesday on http://www.Secretsof7scribes.wordpress.com.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on a companion short story, called SOUL REDEMPTION, a Prequel to the trilogy from Lily's younger brother Zeph's point of view. The short story will be part of the October WG2E (Writers Guide to E-publishing) Anthology, release date TBA.

CONTESTS:
It’s August Excerpt month over at YA Beyond. In place of my Healthy Teen Tips Friday, I’ll be sharing an excerpt from each of my books. To make it interesting, every week I’ll offer a signed copy of each book to a lucky commenter who also “like’s” our Facebook page. Winners will be announced the following Friday.

Schedule:

August 3rd--HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES. Get to know Jordie and Alex a bit better and enter to win until this Thursday at midnight.

August 10th--ON THIN ICE will be up for grabs. It is also part of a GOOD READS giveaway until August 15th. That means you have a few chances to win a signed copy! Don’t miss out.

August 17th—SAVAGE CINDERELLA will be featured. Simply stop by YA beyond on Friday’s and leave a comment. If you’ve already “liked” our FB page, we’d love to have you follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our blog posts instead.

August 24th—I’ll be sharing an excerpt from WANING MOON. That’s right, you guys get to meet Lily and Will before anyone else.


BIG CONTEST: Enter to win $50 and the opportunity to have your video chosen as the Official Book trailer for WANING MOON.

Rules:

Submit a 1-1:30 minute video book trailer for WANING MOON. Send your videos (AVI or even a PowerPoint presentation) as an attachment to pjsharon64@gmail.com. Each week I’ll pick one video to feature on my FB page and website. A final winner will be chosen September 21st and announced here. Your video will be used as a promotional tool for the release of the book on September 28th. I’ll be looking for book trailers that show originality, quality, design, and artistic interpretation. For examples of book trailers, here are my other two that my husband did. Heaven Is For Heroes was done with Power Point, while ON THIN ICE was done on I-Movie on my husband's Mac. http://www.youtube.com/pjsharon64


Here’s what the book is about:

WANING MOON
In the year 2057, in a post-apocalyptic world where a global shift threatens the remainder of the population with extinction, sixteen-year-old genetically enhanced Lily Charmichael 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 into 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.

Helpful details:

1) Lily has light brown hair and green eyes. She goes from having long hair to short early in the book.
2) Will has sandy blond hair and blue eyes. Zephron has dark curly hair and is thirteen.
3) The solar radiation is a big problem after the global shift, and the weather is very hot.
4) Lily lives with her Uncle and her brother in a tiny hill town in the Northeast Sector.
5) Lily has the gift of being able to heal quickly and to heal others.
6) Lily travels to the Albany with a caravan of trucks to go to the trading post.
7) She has some close calls with the robotic Guardians who patrol the city.
8) Will and Lily get dumped into the Hudson River…twice!
9) Lily is in a race against time to get the medicine that could heal her uncle.
10) Lily and Will struggle with their feelings for each other because they both know they have to go their own way eventually.

Good Luck everyone! I hope you have fun with it.

Giving Away The Shop

Business first! The winner of my Authors in Bloom prize pack was Melissa Bourne Yayyy, Melissa! You can check out the Authors in Bloom main page to find a list of other winners and to see who won the grand prize of a Nook or Kindle.

Now, on to another giveaway! After the Give Your Child a Book Day was so crazy successful yesterday, and I didn't want anyone to miss out on a FREE Kindle copy of my latest release, SAVAGE CINDERELLA, I'll keep the book free for two more days. That's right! Today and tomorrow only, the book is available for a free download from Amazon. Jump on over and get your copy NOW!

If this is your first visit to my blog, I write, as the title suggests, Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage Life.

Savage Cinderella is the story of a young girl’s tragically lost innocence, her miraculous survival in the wilderness, and the unlikely romance that teaches her to trust, and leads her to triumph over her past.

Eighteen year-old Brinn Hathaway has survived alone in an abandoned cabin in the High Country of North Georgia since she was a child. If her life is lonely and less than complete, at least she is safe from the man who kidnapped her, held her captive, and left her for dead in a shallow grave in the mountains. She believes that her parents are dead, the police are her enemy, and that if she returns to the world, her tormentor will find her. With the help of some unlikely friends, she has what she needs to survive, but is surviving enough?

Life takes a turn when a young nature photographer, Justin Spencer—in pursuit of the fabled Wild Child—captures her on film. While chasing the story of a lifetime, Justin is injured and Brinn comes to his rescue. The two build a tentative friendship, but with his own violent past, an abusive alcoholic father, and a mother he couldn’t protect, he must decide if proving himself is worth betraying the trust of the girl he has vowed to help.

Trust is a commodity that Brinn has been unable to afford. Can the kindness and gentle touch of a stranger break through the wall she has built around her heart? After half a lifetime of living in isolation and fear, Brinn must decide if leaving the safety of her remote cabin is worth the hope—and danger—that may await her.


Some people might say it's crazy giving away my book like this, but since yesterday, over 8,000 people have downloaded the book for free. If a dozen or so folks feel compelled to write a lovely review, tell their friends what a great story it is, or maybe decide to purchase my other two books, Heaven Is For Heroes and On Thin Ice, then it is well worth it. Besides, every writer writes for one reason and one reason only...to share their stories with the world.

I hope you enjoy Brinn's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and feedback are always welcomed and I would greatly appreciate any reviews you'd like to post to Amazon.

Blessings!

PJ

February-the month of fish and dragons

Happy Spring, Everyone!

I know, I know...it's not technically Spring and in fact for most people, February is the month of the winter doldrums. For me, February represents fresh starts and the beginning of change. It's my birthday month and that means that I'm a Piesces. I'm not a huge follower of astrology, but I do think there is something to the idea that there is a plan brewing in the cosmos. So what do I do every year on my birthday? I take a trip to the beach where I feel most connected to my true nature. I love feeling the sand beneath my feet and the sun on my face, and hearing the crash of waves on the shore. There is something about the vastness of the ocean that makes me feel small and yet infinitely loved by my creator. My yearly sojourn to the beach in February is a time of reflection and renewal for me.

Not only am I a water baby who loves the beach, I'm also born under the sign of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac. Dragons are auspicious creatures known for their strength, courage, and transformative abilities. 2012 is the year of the dragon, which means there will be a lot of changes coming our way. Most people are fearful of change, but us dragons welcome it. We love the surprises that await us around the corner and look forward to facing challenges with fire and fortitude.

This month, I'll be continuing my blog tour (check the calendar page of my website for locations and topics). I'm putting the finishing touches on SAVAGE CINDERELLA (once I get it back from the editor), and I'm happy to say, I've started working on the first book in my Dystopian Trilogy, THE CHRONICLES OF LILLY CARMICHAEL. I haven't titled the first book yet, so I'd love some help with that if anyone has any great ideas.

The premise is that the year is 2048, and three quarters of the population has been wiped out by a virus. Lilly and her brother Zephron have survived and are hiding out in the Northeast sector with their uncle and are trying to avoid capture from an agency called the Industry. Why, you ask? Lilly and her brother were born of an experiment that took place during the plague, when the government was trying to create children who would be resistant to the virus. Lilly's mother was the lead scientist on the project and had great success with Lilly. But the experiment went terribly wrong with Zeph and Dr. Carmichael died in childbirth. Now the government is rounding up these Gen-1 and Gen-2 children and bringing them to the Western desert where they are never seen again. Lilly has spent most of her 16 years protecting Zeph and hiding her gift. But in order to survive in this new world, she may have to come out of hiding and show the world exactly who she is.

Submit your ideas for a title for Book 1, and if I choose your suggestion, you'll win a signed copy of each of my books, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES, ON THIN ICE, AND SAVAGE CINDERELLA due out next month. You have until the end of March to submit your suggestions.

Thanks for your help! Oh yeah, Book 1 takes place over the summer where the weather is steamy hot and extreme. There has been a polar shift that creates brutal winters and tropical summers, so keep that in mind when you're thinking of the title.

And try going to the beach on one of these beautiful February days. You won't regret it, and you'll see that Spring is right around the corner.