On The Beach And Audio Book News!

This picture was posted on Twitter (Credit Suzanna)

As you can see it is a picture of someone is on a beach, enjoying my novel All Fall Down.  First of all, I wish I was on that beach with them.  Second of all, it made my whole day that they chose my novel to relax with. How fun to see my book "out in the wild" if you will.

In other news, my audio book was finalized and approved and should be ready for sale next week. Woohoo! I'm so excited about that. AND, I got the narrator who did All Fall Down, to agree to do the whole series. You better believe I am thrilled about that because he is so good and really "got" my characters. These are going to be some epic audio books!

Other than that, I'm getting things ready for carpet guys to come tomorrow and lay new carpet in my house. This is also a momentous occasion for our household.

What are you up to today? Anything fun?

Writer Goal Wednesday

photo credit: plnaugle via photopin cc 

Well, if you aren't friends with me on Facebook or following me on Twitter (and really, why aren't you? I do all sorts of fun stuff on there!) then you probably missed the cover reveal for my award-winning novel, Pocket Full of Posies.  I have gotten mixed reviews on this cover, but I love it! I think it really represents the story.  

Here it is:

Isn't it awesome?

So, in addition to sharing my new cover, I've also been revising my novel, On the Edge and getting that out to readers.  Hopefully that will be ready soon.  

And, the best news of all, is that I should be giving the final approval for my audio book of All Fall Down today! Woot!  It is SO GOOD! You will love it.  All in all, it's been a very productive week.

I also came across these free training videos for how authors can get more visibility on Amazon.  I thought they were pretty informative and worth my time.  It's mostly learning about how keywords work and how it can help the authors on Amazon.  Click here if you're interested in watching them yourself.

So, my goals for last week were: finish the revision of On the Edge. I didn't quite make that one. The second one was to finish the details for my blog tour. I have put that one on hold because I'm going to do a big BLOGAVERSARY PARTY instead and I'm gearing up for that. I'll have had this blog for four years next month and that deserves a party!

My goals for next week will be to:

• Finish the revision for On the Edge. For real this time.
• Think of awesome prizes for the Blogaversary party.
• Try some of the new keyword stuff I learned in that video.

How did you do on your goals this week?

Cover Reveal For Marrying Christopher!

I'm so sad there's no new Castle this week. Things were just getting good!  In its place, however, I'm excited to show you the new cover for the third book in Michele Holmes' Hearthfire series, Marrying Christopher! I really enjoyed the first two in the series (Saving Grace and Loving Helen) and have been looking forward to this one. You can see my review of Saving Grace here (click hereto buy it for $4.99) and my review of Loving Helen here (click hereto buy for $3.99)  

Isn't it a pretty cover? It will be released July 2015!

Here's the back copy:

Having seen both his sisters Grace and Helen happily married, Christopher Thatcher is free to pursue his dream of life in America. With adventure in his heart and mind, he boards one of the first steamships set to cross the Atlantic in the record breaking time of only twenty-five days. Within the first two of those, his resolve—to avoid women and the complications they often bring to a man’s life—falters when he meets Marsali Abbott, a young woman with a past even more troubling than his own. Whether from years of habit protecting his sisters, or simply because he feels drawn to Marsali, Christopher chooses to help her and becomes her friend. As the truth about what awaits Marsali in America becomes evident, he is faced with a more difficult choice, one that will impact their lives far beyond four weeks together at sea.

You can add Marrying Christopher to your Goodreads list here

About the Author:

Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education, and found it an excellent major in which to indulge her love of children's literature.

Michele is the author of six romance novels, including the 2007 Whitney Award winning COUNTING STARS. In 2014 Michele launched the Hearthfire historical romance line with the publication of SAVING GRACE and LOVING HELEN.

Michele has been a member of the same critique group for over fifteen years and feels that joining a critique group is the single best thing an author can to do help improve his or her writing. She has been a member of RWA and URWA, LDStorymakers, and The League of Utah Writers. Michele enjoys both attending and teaching at conferences.

When not reading or writing romance, Michele is busy with her full time job as a wife and mother. She and her husband live in Utah with their five high maintenance children and a Shitzu that resembles a teddy bear, in a house with a wonderful view of the mountains. You can find Michele on the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook and twitter.

Book Review: A Heart Revealed

Today I am so excited to tell you about Josi Kilpack's new novel, A Heart Revealed.  I have been a big fan of Josi's Sadie Hoffmiller series and was sorry to see it end.  I wasn't sure how I would like her writing in another genre or if it would be as good as her culinary mysteries. I didn't need to worry. A Heart Revealed is incredibly well-done.  (Am I gushing? I probably am, but it deserves every bit of praise.)  This is a regency romance, but it's so unlike anything else I've read in this genre. If any of you know me, you know I am not a morning person, but I woke up EARLY to finish reading this one, it was that good. I couldn't put it down! It's an emotional roller-coaster that lets you experience this time period in a very unique way.

When we first meet our heroine, Amber Sterlington, she's kind of a snot, but boy does she get her come-uppance in a horrible way. I felt so sorry for her! But going through her journey and seeing her growth as a person is what made this book so good. The premise is unique, the people are multi-dimensional and I couldn't help but root for Amber to find true happiness. The setting is superb and the writing hit all the right notes, especially while our heroine tries to figure out her life after "the incident."

Our hero, Thomas Richards, is just as good, trying to find his way among the nobility and find a wife he could at least find a little bit of happiness with. He meets Amber, the Rage of the Season, and she treats him badly. But their story has just begun.  He can't get her out of his mind, even with the set-down she gave him and when their paths cross again, he still does the noble thing.  But why would she look twice at someone who can't offer her wealth or titles?  I don't want to give anything away so you can experience the book like I did, but I was turning pages far into the night and like I mentioned at the beginning, I woke up early to finish it. So amazing. If you love regency romances, you've got to have this one.

You can get your Kindle copy here for $10.49

Here's the back copy:

Amber Marie Sterlington, the Rage of the Season in Regency-era London, has her pick of men, and she knows what she wants most in a husband: a title and a fortune. Why would she ever marry for something as fickle as love? And why would she ever look twice at Thomas Richards, a third son of a country lord?

But when Amber's social standing is threatened, the character of her future husband becomes far more important than his position. After a public humiliation, she finds herself exiled to Yorkshire. Alone except for her maid, Amber is faced with a future she never expected in a circumstance far below what she has known all her life. Humbled and lonely, Amber begins to wonder if isolation is for the best. Who could ever love her now?

Nearly Freebie Friday

Today's nearly freebie Friday is Janette Rallison's Son of War, Daughter of Chaos that is on sale for .99 cents this weekend.  It looks good!

Here's the back copy:

Aislynn is accustomed to watching for the enemy. Her parents instructed her from the time she was young to look for people with the signs: greater than normal strength, eyes that can glow green, and the ability to jump long distances. Over the years, Aislynn has come to view her parents’ fears as quirks—things that get in the way of having a normal high school life.

When Aislynn’s mother dies under suspicious conditions, her father doubles his restrictions. But all his precautions can’t stop the boy with glowing green eyes from finding Aislynn. She realizes too late she’s been drafted into an ancient Egyptian war, whether she’s prepared or not.

You can download your copy here

My Audio Book Journey Part 5

Well, I'm in the process of approving the final version of the audio book for All Fall Down.  I've been working on it for a couple of days and honestly, when I'm interrupted, I can hardly wait to get back to listening.  It is so exciting to hear all the voices and how it brings my storyline to life.  I haven't really read All Fall Down since it was published and as I was reading along today, I was thinking, hey, this book wasn't half bad. Haha.

I do have a paper handy so I can jot down a few notes of things that aren't quite right or that are standing out to me.  There hasn't been much, but there were a few things.

What am I looking for you ask?

Some of the things I'm looking for are things like pace and tone.  Is it smooth? Are there any gaps or silences where there shouldn't be?  Are the voices done right?  Is the pronunciation correct?

So far, for me, it's been pretty great all the way through. I should be done with the approval process tomorrow, then I'll send it to my narrator for the changes, then it will go to ACX to be uploaded.  I can't wait!

This has been such a wonderful process and I can't wait to share the finished product with all of you!


Want to read about my audio book journey from the beginning?

Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3
Click here for Part 4

Meet My Narrator!

Writer Goal Wednesday

photo credit: plnaugle via photopin cc 

This has been a tough week for me. My teenage son was in a car accident with three other cars (thankfully no one was seriously hurt) but that brought a lot of unexpected things like assuring myself for a few days afterward that he wasn't truly hurt, talking to police, insurance companies, impound people, the whole nine yards. My husband's car was totaled so we are down a car which brings another set of challenges.  It's just been an incredibly busy week.

So, what did this do to my weekly writing goals? It decimated them. I was glad I only had two goal this week, though.  Somehow it's just easier to give myself a pass and take care of my family stuff. Instead of doing anything with my audio book, I was hugging my teenager.  Instead of working on my blog tour, I was by my teenager's side while he gave statements to policemen and insurance adjusters.  It has been an emotional time for sure and I was right where I needed to be.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, when things slow down later this week, I will get back to my audiobook of All Fall Down. From what I've heard so far it is amazing and I can't wait to share it with you. I have the most incredible narrator that brought my words to life in a way I never imagined. You will love it!  And hopefully the blog tour will be shaping up by next week as well with lots of fun prizes.  So my goals for this week are the same ones I had last week.

How did you do on your writing goals this week?