Archive for the ‘guest post’ Category

411 on Books Authors and Publishing News Guest Post

If you had to compare this to any book out there, what would you say this like? Or is it a combination of a few books? Or is it like nothing we may have read before?

Hey! Thanks for hosting me today.

It’s so funny you asked this question, as I was recently discussing this very thing with a librarian recently. I was trying to figure out what Outfoxed could be compared to.

We both drew blanks. Well, I drew little hearts all over the sheet of paper I was using, as I couldn’t think of anything, so I doodled. I doodle hearts and roses to make myself feel better when my brain fails to produce a satisfactory answer.

Doodling didn’t help me, as we were discussing comparisons to help me connect with readers who might like this book. The problem is simple: we aren’t aware of anything out quite like it. I came up with one comparative, which is this:

For fans of Twister… with a magical… er… twist. (I’m going to my room now, and I will come out after my assigned hour of punishment is over.)

It’s a genre twister.

I’m going back to my room now.

My comparative is really bad, and I’m sorry.

But seriously, that’s exactly what it is: it’s a genre twister. I take some modern elements of urban fantasy, I toss in the action-adventure of supernatural suspense, and I fling in a hint of slow burn paranormal romance. Then I add in a pissed off Mother Nature, a quadrant named the Alley because it’s predominantly what we know of as Tornado Alley in our society, and a lot of tornados. A lot of them. It has an element of storm chasing to it, but with a magical twist and unreliable meteorology. (You’ll find out more of why it’s unreliable in the book.)

Sprinkle in a villain in the background, a heroine who isn’t sure how the heck she became the heroine of this story (she wants off the ride now, if you please), and a hero with morals almost as twisted as the latest funnel cloud to say hello to Tulsa.

I just can’t think of anything quite like it. Most urban fantasy systems don’t break up the United States, instead doing ‘secret society’ or something similar, where I’ve flat-out integrated the magic system—and doing so early enough in history to change how technology developed as a result. 

I can’t even mish and mash good books from various sub-genres to get something almost like Outfoxed. I read a lot, but… I just haven’t seen anything quite like this, which is part of why I wrote it. I can think of one book that integrates storms really, really well, which is Resenting the Hero by Moira J Moore. It has storms, and it has storms in a really interesting way. It does not have storms in the same way I use them in Outfoxed, but it’s the first (and only) fantasy book I can think of. It’s also hilarious, and I quite enjoyed the story!

I recently found out there were more books in the series than the first one, so I’ll be reading them at a later date to see if they live up to the first one for me. I have my doubts because I loved the first one that much.

But at the end of the day, Outfoxed is for those who want something a lot different in their urban fantasy/supernatural suspense.

I hope you enjoy the read!

 

Outfoxed
R.J. Blain
(The Fox Witch, #1)
Publication date: November 3rd 2020
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Death is a way of life outside of the safety of Inner Tulsa, and Jade means to keep flipping Mother Nature off until old age claims her. With one eye always on the sky, the last thing she needs is a pack of bounty hunters out for her living head. With no idea of why anyone would want her, her wits might keep her free, assuming she can resist the charming lures of Sandro, one of the men out to claim her as his own.

Left with the choice of being the evening snack of a tornado or taking shelter with the bounty hunter, she does what she does best: she lives on the edge.

Striking a bargain with the handsome bounty hunter buys her another day of life, but it also dumps her into the heart of a sinister plot, one meant to enslave the residents of the storm-tossed city—and the others brave and foolish enough to call the Alley home.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Google Play

 

Author Bio:

RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Goodreads

 

GIVEAWAY!



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A Book Reviewer is Born

By Valerie Taylor

Author of What’s Not Said (She Writes Press, September 2020)

Book reviewing became a new passion of mine in 2019, quite by chance. After I signed the contract with She Writes Press for my first novel, What’s Not Said, I began my search for a publicist.

I had set two criteria for selecting a publicist—location and budget.

Luckily, I discovered Meryl Moss Media (MMM) and met with principals at their office in Westport, CT, on a cold, rainy, and windy day in January 2019. Though I was a debut author, I was treated as though I’d written the next, great bestselling novel, spending more than an hour talking about my goals, my book, and their credentials.

Since there was a year and a half before What’s Not Said was scheduled to be published, I was concerned that I was being too anxious, too premature.

That’s when I learned about BookTrib, a subsidiary of MMM that exists to address the needs of “under-the-radar authors,” like me.

They showed me a menu of options to promote my book from which I could pick and choose the options I wanted. This meant I could manage my budget according to my terms.

But wait, BookTrib wouldn’t start promoting my book until three to six months out. What could I do in the meantime?

Build my “platform,” they suggested. Honestly, someone should create a four-letter word for platform, because to a novice it feels like a swear word. Before leaving their office, I promised I would do that. At least I’d try.

Anything else I could do?

Certainly. Would I be interested in being a book reviewer, a Contributing Author?

I jumped at the opportunity without much thought. On the plus side, I’ve read and reviewed a dozen really great books over the last year. On the downside, it’s a significant time commitment—both reading and reviewing—especially when my own writing beckons.

Once the review is published on BookTrib.com, the work doesn’t stop there. I post it to my website and promote through social media and on other book-related websites. For me, that’s one of the most important aspects of the process because I’m simultaneously self-promoting my own work.

Recently, in fact, a publicist read my reviews on BookTrib and reached out and asked if I would read and review her client’s book.

So the circle is complete. With What’s Not Said published, and the sequel, What’s Not True, scheduled to release in August 2021, I’m no longer just a debut novelist, but a published author and a credentialed book reviewer.

Please see what I’m reviewing or contact me at: www.valerietaylorauthor.com

Or follow me:

Facebook.com/valerietaylorauthor

Twitter: @ValerieEMTaylor

Instagram ValerieETaylor

Join us for this tour from Sep 28 to Oct 16, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title:  What’s Not Said by Valerie Taylor
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  316 pages
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit
Publisher:  She Writes Press
Release date:   Sept 15, 2020
Format available for review:  print, and NetGalley Download (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf)
Will send print books out:  USA
Tour dates: Sep 28 to Oct 16, 2020
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. WHAT’S NOT SAID is rated
PG-13+M because of four F-words, moderate cussing, two explicit sex
scenes, and a couple of implicit sex scenes.

Book Description:

In WHAT’S NOT SAID, we meet Kassie O’Callaghan, a middle-aged woman who’s on a mission to divorce her emotionally abusive husband and start a new life with a younger man she met while on a solo vacation in Venice. When she learns her husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans collapse until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits. Then again, Kassie is no angel. As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, the separate lives they lead collide head-on into a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. Still, mindful of her vows, Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret. Problem is, if she reveals it, her own immorality will be exposed, forcing her to decide whose life to save—her husband’s or her own.

WHAT’S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is Valerie Taylor’s debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021. While WHAT’S NOT SAID is the first installment of a series, it is written and can be read as a stand-alone novel.

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
Bookshop.org ~ B&N ~ GooglePlay
Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a B.S. Marketing degree and an MBA from Sacred Heart University, as well as a graduate certificate in health care administration from Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. After her divorce, she spread her wings and relocated her career to Boston and then to Seattle. When she retired, she resettled in her home state to be near her two grown children and granddaughter. She’s a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of Westport
Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator. WHAT’S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is her debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021.

Connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

 

Tour Schedule:

Sep 28 – Welcome To MLM Opinion’s Reviews – book review
Sep 29 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 30 – Pick a Good Book – book review / giveaway
Oct 1 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Oct 1– Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 2 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / spotlight
Oct 5 – All Booked Up Reviews – book review
Oct 6 – Thoughts on This ‘n That – book review / author interview / giveaway
Oct 6 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Alexis Marie Chute Blog – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 7 – On My Book Shelf – book review / giveaway
Oct 7 – I’m Into Books – book spotlight
Oct 8 – Rajiv’s Reviews – book review
Oct 8 – Books for Books – book spotlight
Oct 9 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – book spotlight
Oct 9 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 12 – Momfluenster – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 – eBook Addicts – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review
Oct 14 – Book Lover In Florida – book review / giveaway
Oct 14 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 – Novels N Latte Review – book review / giveaway
Oct 14 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn  – book review
Oct 15 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 15 – Amy’s Booket List – book review / giveaway
Oct 16 – melanatedreader – book spotlight
Oct 16 – Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
Oct 16 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway: