So to make your reading summer even better, join us for the Great INDIE Summer Read Giveaway!
June 15th - July 31st you can enter to win!
Check out all the details of what and how to win new books here:
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Excerpt from My Blood Runs Blue
Chapter 4 - Julian's Memory
We turned to look at one another meaning to only say a polite goodbye. We were eye to eye, almost exactly the same height, so close I could smell her without trying. The current was soaring through me and she parted her lips, staring into my eyes.
“Jewels,” she said so quietly I could barely hear her over the noise of the bar. She looked at my lips and I wanted to move closer to her and touch mine to hers. She looked back up into my eyes then and said, “The two stones that are within my soul, sapphires for the dark of the sky and aquamarines for my dreams of the beautiful blue oceans in the heat of the summer.”
I started into her eyes; they were a liquid blue, bright and warm. I couldn’t keep myself from saying, “Calista… you don’t know how much I want to take you in my arms right now and run away with you.”
Her eyes widened then, and a smile crept along her face. “Then let’s run,” she said…
The above is taken from Chapter 4 of My Blood Runs Blue. It is a flashback that Julian has from the moment he met Calista. Who is Calista in the story if she isn't listed as one of the main characters of the book? Guess you will need to read it to find out.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Giveaway June 8th - June 15th
In honor of my birthday that is one Monday the 13th, I decided to give someone a present to help them celebrate with me.
One signed copy of My Blood Runs Blue in hardback!!
Giveaway will start now and run through Wednesday June 15th.
To enter the giveaway you must do both of the following things:
1. You must be a follower of our blog and
2. You must leave a comment under this post answering "What color does your blood run and why?"
Some ideas... Of course mine would be "It runs blue, because I am a cop." But maybe you are a gardener and it runs brown like the dirt, or a beach addict and it runs yellow for the sun. You let me know! Don't just tell me it runs red because that is how you were born and that is normal. Be creative!
On Wednesday June 15th at Noon (EST), a winner will be picked and announced here on our blog. You will have 24 hours to check back in and claim your prize or another winner will be chosen. Winners will also be announced on Twitter and Facebook.
You will be responsible with providing us a mailing address. If you are outside of the USA or Canada, please note, we will not be responsible for lost packages.
Let the giveaway begin! Happy Birthday to me!
August Giveaway
In August - we will be doing a daily Giveaway! We are currently looking for authors who wish to help with the giveaway and donate a book to be offered. If you would be interested, please let me know. I'd like to see a variety of genre's, although I will say I wish to stick with fiction.
If you would be interested in joining our End of the Summer Giveaway, send me an e-mail directly with information about your book. There are 31 days in August, and my book will be one of the them given away, so I only have 30 other days to fill.
Each day a book is given away, it will be featured on our site and we will give the author a chance to add a guest blog about the book.
Each day a book is given away, it will be featured on our site and we will give the author a chance to add a guest blog about the book.
E-mail me at Mybloodrunsblue@aol.com with a link to your blog or someplace that you have information on your book.
Stay posted to our Blog to find out more about the Giveaway as we get closer!
June Sale
Those of you who are looking to add to your summer reading list - My Blood Runs Blue Kindle version is on sale for the month of June at $2.99.
Anyone who has a book on sale for the month - please add a comment and a link to share with our guests!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The making of the Video Trailer
If you haven't already looked at the book trailer for My Blood Runs Blue, check it out. The video is in the post right before this one.
Several people have asked me how I made the video and where the photos and music came from. I used Microsoft Movie Maker to make the video and it was relatively easy to use.
The photos were all purchased from Dreamstime. I have spent hours searching through photos over the last few months to find pictures that were as close to my mind's eye as could be to portray my characters. Items that are in the book, such as the midnight blue Mustang and the VMF house that play a huge role in the book were searched for too.
For the music, I wanted something that was intriguing and suspenseful. I think I found it in the tune I discovered on MyStockMusic.net. They have a great selection of Royalty Free music, and even allow you to download the clips to try them out in your work. The music is entitled "Alone in the Dark" and was composed by Dominik Hauser. I believe that the piece fit perfectly with the words and photos that I had selected to include in the trailer.
I'm very excited about the book trailer and already want to start working on the trailer for Blue Blood For Life, but I don't want to publish it yet, it's still a little early.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
Several people have asked me how I made the video and where the photos and music came from. I used Microsoft Movie Maker to make the video and it was relatively easy to use.
The photos were all purchased from Dreamstime. I have spent hours searching through photos over the last few months to find pictures that were as close to my mind's eye as could be to portray my characters. Items that are in the book, such as the midnight blue Mustang and the VMF house that play a huge role in the book were searched for too.
For the music, I wanted something that was intriguing and suspenseful. I think I found it in the tune I discovered on MyStockMusic.net. They have a great selection of Royalty Free music, and even allow you to download the clips to try them out in your work. The music is entitled "Alone in the Dark" and was composed by Dominik Hauser. I believe that the piece fit perfectly with the words and photos that I had selected to include in the trailer.I'm very excited about the book trailer and already want to start working on the trailer for Blue Blood For Life, but I don't want to publish it yet, it's still a little early.
Hope you enjoyed the video.
My Publisher
As my few Beta readers finish up my book 2 in my series, I find myself very excited to be thinking about what comes up next. I send it off to my publisher, Outskirts Press, Inc. and I start the publishing process!
Outskirts Press, Inc. is a self publishing company with a lot of perks. They have a lot of different packages that you can choose from to fit your goal and your budget. After sending them my manuscript, I will work with a team of people to help me through each stage.
First there is the editing, and yes I do have my book professionally edited. It is a must in this business. Next I work with a graphic artist to come up my cover. I already have my idea in mind, it is only a matter of telling them what I would like to see and letting them put it together for me. Then comes the formatting and choosing of options for the book. Come early fall... My book will be printed in Paperback, Hardcover and put up on Amazon as a Kindle download.
Some people have asked me why I went with a self publishing company. I decided that I wanted to be able to control my book, all of it. I wanted to be able to make the decisions, not have others tell me what I should do with it. I am happy with my decision and very happy with my publisher!
It is a very exciting process with a lot of people involved. I love working with them and I can't wait to start the process all over again!
First there is the editing, and yes I do have my book professionally edited. It is a must in this business. Next I work with a graphic artist to come up my cover. I already have my idea in mind, it is only a matter of telling them what I would like to see and letting them put it together for me. Then comes the formatting and choosing of options for the book. Come early fall... My book will be printed in Paperback, Hardcover and put up on Amazon as a Kindle download.
Some people have asked me why I went with a self publishing company. I decided that I wanted to be able to control my book, all of it. I wanted to be able to make the decisions, not have others tell me what I should do with it. I am happy with my decision and very happy with my publisher!
It is a very exciting process with a lot of people involved. I love working with them and I can't wait to start the process all over again!
Reviewing Books
Can I just tell you, those reviews are VERY IMPORTANT and I now take the time to write a review on each and every book that I read. Not only does it help the people who are thinking of buying it, but it helps the author to know what you thought.Customers want to know if the book is quick and easy to read. If it has depth in the story plot and the characters. Does it touch your life, or is it a book that is just fun to get lost in? Is it more tuned toward adults or young adults, people with military backgrounds or people who love to live in the Paranormal world? What about real life versus fantasy?
Authors depend on hearing what you think. We need to know if you thought it was a good story. Did you like the plot? Was there too much fluff and not enough content? Was the story believable? Was it something that you would recommend to others? If you loved the story, tell us why! If you didn't like it, was there a reason? Be fair in your review. If you didn't like it, let the readers know why, don't just give it one star and say it sucked. Why did it suck?
Recently I have sold over 100 books personally to people I know. I've handed out paperbacks and hardcovers to friends to either read or give as gifts. Many of those people have told me privately that they really enjoyed the book, yet they have not taken the time to write a review. If just a quarter of those people would take the time to write a quick review, imagine what other people would think when they looked at the book sale page and thought about reading it.
Currently, I am doing reviews for several other authors that have new books just coming out. I find helping them exciting and writing the reviews let's them know that the hard work they put into their story is being understood to help them grow and write better.
I encourage all of my readers, and anyone who loves to read, to take a few minutes when you finish a book, to put in that review. It doesn't have to be much, just a few words and a click on the stars to let others know what you thought!
The idea
There are a few things that police officers do that are beyond the obvious that everyday citizens see. Yeah, we write lots of tickets and we arrest people and sometimes we do have coffee and donuts. Okay more like coffee and bagels, we have moved up in the world.
If you work for a small time country department like I do, you have a lot of time on your hands some nights. Time that allows your mind to wander as you drive the streets in search of things that are out-of-place.
Spending 12 hours in a car can be uncomfortable, so we often get out and stretch our legs, on this one beautiful fall night in October I was doing just that. Standing outside looking up at the stars and enjoying some fresh air while I got the blood running in my legs again.
As I was standing outside my car, I felt as if I was being watched. The ability to be able to feel this is important in my job. It's an instinctive feeling that comes over you. Over the years I have learned to listen to it quite well.
It was dark where I was standing and there was a long line of trees near me. I searched the tree line, but at first saw nothing. As I searched the area casually around me, I returned my eyes back to the trees and I saw a set of eyes looking back at me. They were not as high up off the ground as a person's normally would be, but they were much higher up than an animal would be.
I watched the eyes and the eyes watched me. As I stood there, my sense of creativity got the best of me and I began to wonder what it could be. One of the first thoughts that ran through my mind was "It's a vampire". Now of course, I knew it wasn't, but the idea was in my mind now.
Shortly after the eyes disappeared from view quickly and I searched the tree line for them to appear again. I listened carefully for any sounds of what it might have been, but I heard nothing. Whatever it had been walked silently through the night searching for its prey.
As I got back in my car and drove around the dark streets of my township, I couldn't chase away the thought of vampires from my mind. What if that had been one? Would it have used me as it's prey? Would it have used compulsion on me? Would it have killed me?
I spent the rest of that quiet night thinking about what it would be like if vampires did exist in my world and soon a story line came to mind. Over the next few nights as I drove my township roads, the story quickly built and I soon found myself sitting at my laptop and putting the story on paper.
I still drive my roads, searching the tree lines for eyes that might be looking back at me. Maybe one day I will learn what it was that looked out at me, but chances are I never will, and maybe that's okay too.
If you work for a small time country department like I do, you have a lot of time on your hands some nights. Time that allows your mind to wander as you drive the streets in search of things that are out-of-place.
Spending 12 hours in a car can be uncomfortable, so we often get out and stretch our legs, on this one beautiful fall night in October I was doing just that. Standing outside looking up at the stars and enjoying some fresh air while I got the blood running in my legs again.As I was standing outside my car, I felt as if I was being watched. The ability to be able to feel this is important in my job. It's an instinctive feeling that comes over you. Over the years I have learned to listen to it quite well.
It was dark where I was standing and there was a long line of trees near me. I searched the tree line, but at first saw nothing. As I searched the area casually around me, I returned my eyes back to the trees and I saw a set of eyes looking back at me. They were not as high up off the ground as a person's normally would be, but they were much higher up than an animal would be.
I watched the eyes and the eyes watched me. As I stood there, my sense of creativity got the best of me and I began to wonder what it could be. One of the first thoughts that ran through my mind was "It's a vampire". Now of course, I knew it wasn't, but the idea was in my mind now.
Shortly after the eyes disappeared from view quickly and I searched the tree line for them to appear again. I listened carefully for any sounds of what it might have been, but I heard nothing. Whatever it had been walked silently through the night searching for its prey.
As I got back in my car and drove around the dark streets of my township, I couldn't chase away the thought of vampires from my mind. What if that had been one? Would it have used me as it's prey? Would it have used compulsion on me? Would it have killed me?
I spent the rest of that quiet night thinking about what it would be like if vampires did exist in my world and soon a story line came to mind. Over the next few nights as I drove my township roads, the story quickly built and I soon found myself sitting at my laptop and putting the story on paper.
I still drive my roads, searching the tree lines for eyes that might be looking back at me. Maybe one day I will learn what it was that looked out at me, but chances are I never will, and maybe that's okay too.
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