 For the first time in over a year, Finding Faith is on sale! Pick up your copy for only $0.99 through June 1st.
Single mom Serenity Chandler is determined to do anything to provide better opportunities for her son, Gideon. Moving away from her family support system so Gideon can attend a special school seems like the right choice, even if it means her entire life is about to change. The satisfaction of helping children and being a part of their lives is one reason Aaron Randall loves his job as a music therapist. When Hope Academy instills a dating policy, he doesn't give it a second thought. Until the new coworker who'd caught his attention turns out to be the parent of one of his students. Any relationship between them will put his job at risk. The more time Aaron spends with Serenity and Gideon, the harder it is to ignore what they could have together. With Aaron's job and Gideon's education hanging in the balance, they'll have to rely on faith to find their way.
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 We’ve assembled a team of 80 authors brave enough to take a stance on a divisive issue: Dragons or Unicorns? Choose a side, enter our giveaway, and you could win an awesome prize for yourself. Your favorite author has a chance to win a promotional pack as well. Doesn't that sound like fun? What are you waiting for? Bonus Giveaway  As you can see, I'm Team Dragon all the way. Not that Unicorns aren't cute and all, but come one. Dragons. DRAGONS! lol To celebrate, like my Facebook page and then comment on my pinned dragon post. I will randomly choose one winner once the main giveaway as ended. The winner will have his or her choice of one (1) of the following prizes: $5.00 Amazon gift card $5.00 Starbucks gift card Any 2 of my books (digital) A little FlipZees Dragon/Unicorn toy * The FlipZees toy is only available to ship within the USA. If you win and are outside of the USA, one of the other prizes must be chosen. * May the best creature win!  Check out this adorable FlipZees toy. It can transform from a dragon to a unicorn and back. lol This is one of the prizes you can choose from in the bonus giveaway!
 Do first impressions matter? You bet they do. I was recently reminded of this when a restaurant chain redesigned their logo.  Since our son could speak, he's been drawn to IHOP's logo. As a little boy riding along in the backseat of the car, his sweet face would fall in a frown, and he'd point to the IHOP sign and say, "Awwww. IHOP is sad." As a collector of logos (see my post here), the boy knows most of them, as well as their sayings or jingles, by heart. For years, he's talked about how unhappy IHOP looks. Until a couple of weeks ago when we discovered that IHOP had redesigned their logo.  In the words of our son, "IHOP is happy!" Even our daughter said, "I'm glad IHOP is smiling!" And you know what? I have to admit the restaurant as a whole looks a lot more welcoming now. In this case, changing IHOP's logo was a brilliant marketing decision. IHOP's logo change, and my kids' immediate reactions to it, was a reminder of just how important first impressions are. Being an author and publishing independently involves a whole lot more than just putting words to paper. I knew this before I published my first book, Calming the Storm. But until I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, I had no idea what that really meant. I had no plan in place and quickly discovered there was a lot more to marketing a book than simply publishing it and watching the copies fly off the shelves, so to speak. In order to have my books read, readers actually had to find them first.  It all starts with the cover. Those first impressions are crucial and can make the difference between whether a potential reader chooses your book or not. You can have a great cover, but if it doesn't tell the reader what kind of book it is, your story won't always fall into the right hands. In my case, Calming the Storm went through three covers before I felt like I had the right packaging for my story. I shot the images for the first cover and put it together myself. Even now, three and a half years later, I love how it turned out. But the storm and sunflowers gave the impression of a devotional rather than a romance novel. After that, I worked with friend and fellow author, Victorine E. Lieske. She runs Blue Valley Author Services and designs a lot of amazing covers. Since then, we've changed the cover twice, and it's this last design I feel perfectly conveys the story to potential readers. Now, when readers see Calming the Storm, I feel like they'll get the right first impression. Publishing independently, just like anything else, is a learning process. If it's something you're considering, talk to others who have been in the business for a while. Learn from their mistakes. Most of all, don't be afraid to take that step and put yourself out there. What you write matters! If you're an author - whether published independently or traditionally - is there one thing you've learned along the way that you wish you knew before? I'd love for you to comment and share your wisdom! I want to give a big shout out to Lia London and all of the amazing authors at Clean Indie Reads. I found this group when I was first considering publishing independently. I've met a number of author friends, and I continue to learn from the talented individuals there.
 Cancer.
That one word has rocked Lexi Chandler's life to the core. Her focus has always been to help others. She loves being a nurse and enjoys spending time with her family. Things had been going according to plan. Now she’s struggling to pick up the pieces and make sense of the changes in her life. Lance Davenport has cared for Lexi since they were kids. Between their age difference and bad timing, he's turned burying his feelings into an art. Now, watching Lexi battle with cancer has made him realize just how much he's missed. He doesn't know what their future holds, but he's determined to not waste another minute. The people closest to Lexi pull together as she tries to navigate her way down a path none of them ever dreamed she’d have to travel. This is a book about a tough subject and a happy ending.  Join us as we celebrate the release of my newest book, SOMEONE TO TRUST (Life Unexpected: Book 2). There will be three hours of fun including guest authors, games, giveaways, prizes, and more! Saturday, May 20th, 2017 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. CDT Author Lineup
1:00 - Shanna Hatfield 1:30 - Author Franky A. Brown 2:00 - Crystal Walton, Author 2:30 - Melissa Storm - The Authors Storm 3:00 - Valerie Comer 3:30 - Kristin Holt, Sweet Victorian Western Romance  Every year, Melissa McClone puts together Mother's Day tote bags to send to the Fisher House, a wonderful organization that is dedicated to helping military families. This year, I was blessed with the opportunity to sponsor one of those tote bags. It was fun watching Melissa's Facebook page as she gathered donated books, swag, treats, and more, filling the Thirty-One thermal tote bags to the brim. Check out the photo below (courtesy of Melissa McClone) to see the contents of the bag I sponsored. How fun! I pray the bag was a blessing to someone this Mother's Day.  This year, four additional Thirty-One thermal totes are being given away! For your chance to win one of those totes, head over to Melissa's blog.
 Only two more days until the release party for Someone to Trust! Invite your friends, post on this thread, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a $15.00 Amazon gift card!
 Hi Everyone!
I'm excited to be a part of this BookSweeps giveaway. Follow these Christian/Inspirational romance authors on BookBub and Amazon (including yours truly!) for your chance to win a bundle of books, bookstore gift cards, and more! Along with other great books, you can win my novel FINDING PEACE, plus books from authors like Juliette Duncan and Leah Atwood. Enter the giveaway below and good luck!  How would you like a chance to learn about some indie authors and their books? What about entering for your chance to win 60 books? Carrie from Reading is My Superpower and Sarah Monzon have worked together to organize the Excellence in Indie Publishing Mega Giveaway. There are four different giveaways associated with the following categories: Historical, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, YA/Speculative. You can enter for your chance to win books from a specific category, or feel free to enter all four!
 Celebrate Mother's Day with the authors of Sweet Romance Reads. There'll be books, giveaways, and lots more. And you just might win one of three Amazon gift cards: $25, $10, $5. Hostess Schedule
Times are EDT 2:00 - 3:00 PM Raine English, Kristin Holt, Milou Koenings, Julie Jarnagin 3:00 - 4:00 PM Shanna Hatfield, Patricia Forsythe, Magdalena Scott, Rachelle Ayala 4:00 - 5:00 PM Mona Risk, Josie Riviera, Christine Bush, Jean C. Gordon 5:00 - 6:00 PM Melanie D. Snitker, Victoria Pinder, Lyn Cote, Mary Alford 6:00 - 7:00 PM Margaret Daley, Cindy Flores Martinez, Grace Greene, Pat Simmons 7:00 - 8:00 PM Denise Devine, Melinda Curtis, Ciara Knight, Roxanne Rustand, Liwen Y. Ho All threads remain open for 24 hours. Prize winners will be posted by noon on Saturday.  Please join me in welcoming Angela K. Couch to my blog. Angela has a new release, THE PATRIOT AND THE LOYALIST, which happens to have one of my favorite covers I've seen this year. Read on to learn more about Angela and her new book. To keep from freezing in the Great White North, Angela K Couch cuddles under quilts with her laptop. Winning short story contests, being a semi-finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Contest, and a finalist in the International Digital Awards also helped warm her up. As a passionate believer in Christ, her faith permeates the stories she tells. Her martial arts training, experience with horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there, as well. When not writing, she stays fit (and warm) by chasing after three munchkins.  Completing his three years in the Continental Army, Daniel Reid still has no desire to return home-not after losing the woman he loves to a British Captain-so he volunteers to ride south through enemy lines and deliver a message to Colonel Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. With his temper needing a release and a dark haired beauty finding her way into his broken heart, Daniel decides to join the Swamp Fox's efforts against the British. Little does he know the British still have the upper hand. Lydia Reynolds has learned that love comes at a price, and she refuses to pay. Better to close her heart to everything and everyone. When her brother-in-law won't grant her passage to England, where she hopes to hide from her pain, New Englander, Daniel Reid, becomes her only hope-if she can induce him to give her information about the notorious Swamp Fox and his troops. When the British grow impatient and Daniel evades her questions, Lydia must decide how far to take her charade. The poor man, already gutted by love, hasn't grown as wise as she. Or so she supposes. . . Until the truth is known, the muskets are loaded. . .and it is time to decide where true loyalties lie. Author Interview Hi, Angela! I’m excited to have you on my blog today. Your new release, THE PATRIOT AND THE LOYALIST sounds really good. And I’ve got to say, that cover is one of my favorites. It definitely makes me want to pick the book up and read it!
Me: What inspired you to write THE PATRIOT AND THE LOYALIST? Angela: After writing the first book in the series, The Scarlet Coat, I really wanted to redeem one of the secondary characters…and give him a chance at happiness. One of my favorite American Revolution heroes was Francis Marion – The Swamp Fox, who had fought the British in South Carolina. The rest of the story fell easily into place from there! Me: What is your favorite thing about being an author? Angela: Creating something from just an idea. That and living vicariously through my characters. Feeling their pain and joy and everything in between with them. Me: If there was one place you could go to research a book, where would it be? Angela: I actually have my first research trip planned for June. I will be going to Virginia! Look forward to seeing Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and then some Civil War sites. (Think this will be my next era.) So excited! That sounds so exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time! Me: What do you usually use when you’re writing? A computer? Paper and pen? Angela: I started with paper and pen as a teenager, but have since fallen in love with spellcheck, cut and paste, and other wonderful features of the computer. It's pretty hard to let those go once you've used them, isn't it? I'm the same way! Me: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Angela: Technically I’m an introvert, but not by much. I sit very close to the line on this one. I like some alone time, but being around people is fun, too. Me: If time and money were not a concern, what one skill would you like to learn? Angela: So many to choose from! I think I would love to learn now to paint people. I can do trees and buildings, but someday would love to paint the people I love…including my Savior. I'm impressed you can paint trees and buildings! I can barely draw a smiley face. LOL I hope you'll learn how to paint people one day. Me: What project are you working on now? Angela: I am doing a rewrite/edit of the fourth and final book of the Hearts at War series, The Return of the King’s Ranger. Loving this story! Thanks so much for being a guest on my blog today. Congratulations again on your new release!  Finding Courage is FREE! May 3rd, 4th, and 5th It takes courage to ask for a second chance…even more to extend one.
For Duke and Avalon McNeil, it was love at first sight. Married within months of meeting, their feet hardly touched the ground until the reality of their haste hit home with startling clarity. Duke's heart shattered when Avalon vanished for nearly three weeks, fleeing their arguments and misunderstandings. Now she's back. He's happy she's home and safe, but he isn't ready to risk everything again when their bond was so easily broken. Avalon's relieved to be home. She's desperate to make peace between them, but returns with a secret. She can't reveal anything to Duke until she proves to him she came back to restore their relationship. As outside pressure continues to threaten Duke and Avalon's fragile foundation, they must find the strength to prove to each other their marriage is worth fighting for. |
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