My crazy reading list

So last night, I was going to go to Chapters because I realized that I haven't done a stacking the shelves post in a long time.  Well, that, and I love buying new books.  But as I was about to walk out the door, my husband said, “Don’t you have enough books?”

I promptly said, “Nope,” but his question got me thinking … how many unread books do I actually have?

Well, the answer is … 117. Yes, I made a list.  So today, instead of posting a stacking the shelves, I decided to post  my list of already bought TBR books here as a little reminder to myself of all the awesome treats I already have sitting on my shelves to read.

Hardcovers / Paperbacks

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
Wrecked by Anna Davies
All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters #1) by Kelly Keaton
Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Everneath (Everneath, #1) by Brodi Ashton
So Shelly by Ty Roth
Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1) by Josephine Angelini
Tempest (Tempest, #1) by Julie Cross

Can you guess the title of the final Soul's Mark book?

Well, I've been working away at the final Soul's Mark book, and so far I'm still on track for a December 2013 release.  Are you excited?  I know I am.

Can anyone guess what the title will be?

I’ll give you two hints…

1 – the dashes are the exact letter count of the word.
2 – there is a D and an H in the word.

Okay, I guess that's actually three hints, but who's counting?  :)

Happy Reading!

Book Boyfriends ~ The Bad Boy or The Sweetheart

Last night, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to decide which kind of book boyfriend I like best: the bad boy or the sweetheart. I’m totally going to call this research, because I’m pretty sure I should have been working on my edits for my upcoming release, Deadly Crush.  But if it was research, then I don’t need to feel bad about the wasted time. LOL.

So here’s what I came up with. I’m going to start with the sweetheart. Sam from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater was one of my favorite book boyfriends. He was sweet, tentative, caring. He put his needs/wants second to Grace, and I fell for him.

Who wouldn’t want a guy like this? Someone who is always there when you need him. The sweetie is always dependable. He’s comforting to have around, and he always says the right thing. He blushes and is a little awkward, which is completely adorable.

The Perfect Title

When I first started with The Soul’s Mark Series, the title was the easiest thing for me. I just knew what the first book would be called, and I went with it. It didn’t vary. I didn’t over think it. The title just felt … right. But as I embark on new journeys with my writing, I’ve realized that this isn’t always the case.

A few weeks ago, I talked about how important the cover of your book is in the post: Your Book Cover is a Powerful Marketing Piece. Well, your title is just as important. After your awesome cover draws in your reader, the next thing they will see is your title.

There are many things about writing that can be, well … frustrating. Editing, outlining, the list could go on and on. It may surprise you, but finding that perfect title can be one of those frustrating things.

Think about this for a second … What if New Moon by Stephenie Meyer was called Bella is Depressed? Or if Fall of Night by Rachel Caine was called Claire Moves and Meets More Vampires?

Endings

I woke up this morning thinking about endings. Not just any endings, but my favorite book endings. I perused my book shelf, looking at the books that have stuck with me over the years, and books that left me handing on, dying for the next one to come out. And as I was looking, I started to wonder why. What happened that made me love these endings?

Before I was a writer, I was an avid reader and my favorite part of a book has always been the ending.  As I looked over all my favs, I realized that they all had something in common: HEAs and cliffhangers.

Yes, I’m a sucker for HEAs and love cliffhangers.

Why I love HEAs …

Your Book Cover is a Powerful Marketing Piece

For those of you who are just starting out on your publishing journey, you should know that your book cover is a powerful marketing piece.  When I wrote The Soul's Mark: FOUND, I was worried about the story and the editing and writing, and the cover was the furthest thing from my mind, but I soon realized how important the cover of my book really was.  So today I want to share a little bit about the importance of a great book cover.

I know we’ve all heard the saying ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’, but the truth is, we all do it. Your cover is the first thing that a reader sees when they pick up your book, and in most cases, if your target audience doesn’t like it, they’ll move on to the next one.

Here’s interesting Self-Publishing statistic: “Hiring a professional cover designer earned them on average 18% more.” - Published at epublishabook.com (Click here to read the full article)

A Vampire Revelation

Hi Everyone!

For those of you who may have missed it, today I wanted to share a guest post that I did for Jonel @ Pure Jonel Book Reviews.  I hope you all enjoy it. :)

 

Happy reading,

Originally posted on March 31, 2013 at Pure Jonel Book Reviews

Today I’m going to share my vampire revelation. Last week, I was chatting with a friend about my upcoming release of The Soul’s Mark: BROKEN, and he asked me: How do your vampires become vampires?

Of course, I wouldn’t tell him because, well, I didn’t want to spoil it, but the conversation spiraled from there, and it got me thinking ...

The middle of the night

Lately, I’ve been getting up in the middle of the night to write. I don’t mean that I’ve been setting an alarm or anything like that. I just wake up. For a few nights, I forced myself to stay in bed with my eyes closed, hoping that sleep would come.

It didn’t.

Instead of sleep, all I could think about was this new idea I’ve been working on (something different than The Soul’s Mark). So finally, I decided to get up. I just had to get the ideas out of my head.

I’m at Pure Jonel Book Reviews today!

Hey Everyone!

I’m at Pure Jonel Book Reviews today with the lovely Jonel in Peterborough, Ontario. Come on over and check out my guest post: So, you’re ready to self-publish your masterpiece.

I’ll also be with Jonel on March 27th for an interview, and on March 31st with another guest post. And with each of these visits, you’ll be able to enter some giveaways.

The first is for participants in Canada & the US only. You can enter to win 1 papberback copy of The Soul's Mark: BROKEN, coupled with a 'book cushion'.

The second contest is open internationally. You can to win 1 of 3 sets of The Soul's Mark series. That's right, each of the 3 winners will win a copy of The Soul's Mark: FOUND, The Soul's Mark: HUNTED, and The Soul's Mark: BROKEN.

I hope to see you all there. :)

My family is growing!

I'm so excited!  My little brother is getting married.  And it's about time.  He has been waiting for that perfect moment to pop the question for almost three years!

Here's the happy couple. 

 



And check out her ring...

Isn't it gorgeous?

Of course, my first question was, can I start planning the wedding?  I don't think they took me seriously though because they just laughed.

Congrats guys!  I'm so happy for you.