Monday, October 28, 2019
Resistance Audiobook Blog Tour Signup
Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while since there were any updates around here. But the good news is that the Resistance audiobook should be up on Audible and iTunes very soon! Hopefully within the next few days! Yay! To celebrate the release, I'm setting up a blog tour that will run November 18th-23rd. If you are a blogger, I'd love to have you participate! You can find the signup form below.
If you're not a blogger, you can still help generate a buzz for the audiobook by sharing on social media. I will provide all the links and promo images. If you would like a be a social media influencer for the audiobook and have all the information emailed to you, use the influencer sign up form.
Thank you so much for your help and support!
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
The Divided Nation Blog Tour - Guest Post
Today I'm helping Angela R. Watts celebrate the release of the first book in her new series. This is especially fun because I got to meet Angela at Realm Makers just last month. Yay! First, here's a bit about the book and then a guest post from Angela herself.
WHEN THE NATION DIVIDES, THE INFIDELS MUST RISE.
The United States has fallen. Three years after the 2024 presidential election and the declaration of martial law, the nation is at war against itself. Gangs battle, civilians struggle for survival, and officials of the United Nations thrive. West Johnston, heir to the most powerful ganglord in the country, refuses to continue the family legacy. But, in order to defeat his father, he must become him: bloodthirsty and willing to do whatever it takes for control.
West gains control by helping fellow gangsters, Nate and Simon, when they form an alliance with one of the last remaining townships in America. After years of surviving and winter fast approaching, Springtown is in desperate need of supplies from the two teenagers. When the town leader’s daughter, Rene’, is kidnapped by an unknown rival, Nate and Simon risk their reputations to save her and the town they now love. But without help from West, their rescue mission will fail.
Told in multiple bold, abrasive narratives, THE DIVIDED NATION steps into a future where brotherhood bonds must be stronger than iron to survive a broken world, and faith without courage is dust in the wind.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YNZ35h
What For? | The Question Every Author Asks
Angela R. Watts
Writers are usually lonesome, strange creatures. We make coffee or tea and let it go cold as our fingers fly across our keyboard. We talk to ourselves while cleaning as plot twists work their way through our minds. We watch people in the grocery store like they’re specimen waiting to be understood. We spend hours on writing and cry over worlds that the naked eye cannot see. What is all this for? Hours of work, lots of tears, countless sleepless nights… for a book that can fit in someone’s hands. It might not even make us money. We might not get any support or any readers. So, allow me to answer the question: “What for?”
It took me about 7 months to finish my dystopian novel, The Divided Nation. This was my first time writing a book with heavy Christian content for the general market. Not all of my close friends or readers supported this new novel because of the PG13 content. And it grew difficult, at times, to find encouragement. I’m not really the kind of person who needs a lot of support, honestly, but there were moments when I realized I was losing things… And I didn’t like it.
I had to focus on the “what for”. Am I writing to please every reader or am I writing for God? It’s ironic that I learned so much about loving people while writing the darkest novel I’ve written to date. But honestly, I was enjoying the novel but dreading the *socializing* aspect. Why? I’ve had rough times helping authors, reading things I wouldn’t usually read or didn’t even enjoy, just to help fellow Indies. And I found that not many people are willing to do that kind of thing in return. I wasn’t building up my author platform. I was wearing myself out. What for?
There is a balance to this writing journey, y’all. We cannot please everyone. But we can love every single person without pushing ourselves to the limit all the time. We can fully trust God that He knows exactly who needs our novel, and He will bring them to it, if we are faithful. We don’t have to chase readers down. And that is “what for”! I adore writing and allow myself to love others, even if they don’t always return that love. How do we keep the balance of being ourselves and loving other authors?
Be inspired by your fellow Indie authors. Publishing is not a competitive race. You don’t have to be the best Indie author to matter. So be inspired! Does your favorite Indie author have a stack of self-published novels? Finish your own novel. Decide in your heart that you want to have a pile of your own books out in the world one day! If you choose to be encouraged and inspired, instead of jealous or envious, by other authors, you will enjoy yourself more.
Be encouraging to your fellow Indie authors. Comments on social media take seconds, y’all. No matter how *popular* your favorite Indie author might seem, literally everyone appreciates a comment, so don’t be shy. Don’t think they won’t hear you. Be encouraging to the *big* Indies and the *newbies*, no matter where you are on that scale. We’re all human who want to hear “You got this, I believe in you.”
Be supportive. Supportive friends are rare. There, I’ve said it. But that’s OK. God is the most supportive friend we’ve got, so don’t stress. Just try to be the most supportive friend you can be while staying focused on your own goals. Maybe this is as simple as brainstorming with fellow Indies in a chat group. Maybe it is sticking with them through the gritty times. It is a hard balance, but Indies need each other in the long haul.
Be wise. Seasons change, friends leave, support systems dwindle. It may be sad, though it is just life. I’m not here to advise on how to make more friends. I am here to remind you that people are out there. If you’ve lost support, if you’ve watched your audience lose interest, keep going. Don’t panic or say “I won’t make it!” because every author struggles. Struggling doesn’t make you an author, but pushing through them makes you a stronger human.
Find joy. Some days, we won’t meet our writing goals. Some days, we will have an author friend drop out last minute on something important. Some days, we’ll have to help family instead of edit. Whatever the *mishap*, find joy. Don’t let things drag you down for long. Authors are still human. We still want support, love, and peace. We make sacrifices for writing, editing, and cover design. If we don’t choose joy, we will probably lose our minds. So remember, God has a reason for everything in our life and writing journey. What we see as a setback? He can use to build us up.
All of this to now say… what for? The Divided Nation taught me many things, but the lessons it taught me about friendship aren’t ones I’ll forget easily. I am so thankful for a supportive and growing Indie community. I want to encourage every writer that they have their own journey. We’re all human. We all struggle. But God made us to love each other and being lonely authors doesn’t quite shake that, ha! If you want to go far, stay true to your story and be a genuine person. God will help you every step of the way.
God bless,
Angela R. Watts
About the Author
Angela R. Watts is a Christian fiction author who strives to glorify the Lord in all she does. She’s a homeschooled highschooler living at Step By Step Sanctuary, Tennessee, though with Gypsy and Norwegian in her blood, she tends to travel. She’s been writing stories since she was little, but also enjoys chores, painting, and watching sunsets.
LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaRWattsauthor/
Website: https://thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-R-Watts/e/B07F97JNMY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1564688304&sr=8-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelarwattsauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17597325.Angela_R_Watts
US shipping only. If an international winner is drawn, they will receive an ebook only.
1st place: hardback copy of The Divided Nation. A custom mug with a quote from the book, bookmark, and an exclusive snippet from The Infidel Books.
2nd place: paperback copy of The Divided Nation, bookmark.
3rd place: ebook copy of The Divided Nation.
LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaRWattsauthor/
Website: https://thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angela-R-Watts/e/B07F97JNMY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1564688304&sr=8-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelarwattsauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17597325.Angela_R_Watts
US shipping only. If an international winner is drawn, they will receive an ebook only.
1st place: hardback copy of The Divided Nation. A custom mug with a quote from the book, bookmark, and an exclusive snippet from The Infidel Books.
2nd place: paperback copy of The Divided Nation, bookmark.
3rd place: ebook copy of The Divided Nation.
Blog Tour Schedule
August 12th
Author Interview @ Taking
Up My Cross
Book Spotlight @ Unicorn Quester
August 13th (RELEASE
DAY)
Guest Post @ Crazy
Little Thing Called Life
Author Interview @ Coffee,
Classics, and Craziness
Author and Character
Interview @ HauntingGhostTown
Character Interview @ Imperial
Scribis
Character and Author
Interview @ FaithLaneAuthor
August 14th
Book Spotlight @ The
Writer’s Song
Guest Post @ Jaye L.
Knight
August 15th
Book Review @ Kaitlyn
Krispense, Author
August 16th
Book Review @ We’ve
Got Pockets
Book Review @ Bella Putt: Writer.
Reader. Follower of Christ.
August 17th
Author Interview @ Gabriella
Slade
Book Spotlight @ Stories
by Firefly
Book Review @ Scribes and Archers
August 18th
Author Interview and
Guest Post @ Tangled Up In Writing
Guest Post @ Read
Write Breathe
August 19th
Book Review @ Reveries
Book Review @ Just Writing
Author Interview @
Allison’s Well
Book Review @ Books,
Life, and Christ
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Midnight's Curse Blog Tour--Author Interview + Giveaway
Today I'm helping to celebrate the release of Midnight's Curse, book two in the Beyond the Tales series by my good friend, Tricia Mingerink! Beyond the Tales is a series of fairy tale retellings with hints of allegorical elements set in a world based on the Appalachian Mountains.
Don't miss the giveaway at the end of this blog post nor the invite to the Facebook party for more giveaways!
About the Book

High King Alexander rules the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia—a divided nation on the brink of yet another war. When an invitation arrives from the king of Pohatomie, Alex knows it must be a trap, but could it also be his opportunity to unite the kingdoms?
Daemyn Rand has lived a hundred years, served an arrogant prince, fallen in love with a princess, and lost himself somewhere along the way. He has already died for his loyalty. Will standing at the high king’s side cost him his last chance to truly live?
Elara Ashen is a lowly, miserable servant. All she wants is to spend even one night in a fancy dress dancing with the high king. When she is offered a pair of glass slippers, it seems that all her dreams have come true.
But dreams have a price, and gifts can be curses in disguise. What will it cost to stop this curse from tearing Tallahatchia apart yet again?
Fairy tales meet the Appalachian Mountains in this adventurous fantasy retelling of the classic Cinderella story.
Author Interview
What was the first story you ever
wrote?
Technically, my first story was a
picture book I drew with my crayons when I was 2 about a family of talking
horses. It was filled with cutesy stories about the baby horse getting a
magical goose and going on vacation with her parents…and getting mauled by both
a lion and a tiger at different points with liberal use of my red crayon to
make realistic dripping blood.
Did I mention I grew up on a farm?
Apparently even at 2 I knew about dripping blood.
After that, I moved on to short
story fairy tale retellings and from there gradually lengthening fantasy
stories.
What do you typically turn to for
the most inspiration?
Hikes in the woods are my favorite,
but when that’s not possible, then reading some of my favorite books usually
reminds me why I love stories so much. Watching some of my favorite princess
movies also works.
If you could spend a day with any
historical figure, who would it be?
I would love to spend a day with
Betty Zane. She lived on the frontier of Ohio back in the 1700s, and she was
pretty cool. Zane Grey wrote about her since she was an ancestor of his, and
that was one of the first Zane Grey books I read. Betty Zane dashed across an
open space during an attack to fetch more gun powder for the fort. No one shot
at her at first because everyone was too stunned, but even though she was shot
at during her return trip running across the open field toting a sack of
gunpowder, she made it to the fort without injury and the fort and those inside
were saved.
What are three random facts about you
that most people probably wouldn’t know?
1. I’m not a great cook. I’ve been
getting better with practice, but I apparently don’t have the most discerning
taste buds, so the whole “season to taste thing” is beyond me.
2. Thanks to those weird taste buds,
I don’t like coffee or tea. Both of them taste super bitter to me. I don’t like
Pepsi or Coke either. Um, yeah. I’m picky. It’s pretty much Mountain Dew level
sweetness or water.
3. I love Barbie movies. The
original 10 or so, at least. They are so adorable and girlie and even tomboy me
adores them.
And because I’m sure all of us
fangirls have “book/fictional boyfriends,” who is one fictional character you
would particularly love to date? ;)
I fangirl as much as the next girl,
but I’m not one to imagine myself “dating” the characters or picking a
fictional boyfriend. Most of them are already taken anyway, lol.
I’m just going to cheat and list one
of your characters and two of mine.
Jace or Leith would be fun, lol. Though,
my personality would probably fit better with Daemyn. He’s a quieter soul than
Leith, and I’m a lot more like Rosanna than I am Renna.
About the Author
Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
You can connect with Tricia on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Facebook Party!
The Facebook party should be a blast with giveaways of Midnight's Curse, Dagger's Sleep, and over ten other Cinderella retellings by indie authors! Follow this link to join the Facebook party.
Giveaway!
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday – August 5- The Florid Sword – Author Interview & Book Review
- Scribeheart – Author Interview
- The Music of a Story – Book Review
- Jaye L. Knight – Author Interview
- Perfectly Quirky in Every Way – Book Review
- Liv K. Fisher – Author Interview
- Blooming with Books – Author Interview & Book Review
- TJ’s Musing – Book Review
- Imperial Scribis – Author Interview
- Dream Write Now – Author Interview & Book Review
- Morgan Huneke – Author Interview
- The Page Dreamer – Book Spotlight
- Elizabeth Koetsier – Book Spotlight
- Brie Donning – Book Review
- Facebook Party 8-10PM EST
- Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors – Book Review
- M.H. Elrich – Book Review
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
New Covers for Time Captives
Well, I was supposed to post this yesterday morning. Oops. But I JUST moved into my new rental house (yay!) and spent most of the day getting my office/computer/internet set up, so here is the post a day late. My friend and soon-to-be Realm Makers roommate, Morgan Huneke, has updated the covers for her Time Captives series! Pretty, yes? (For some reason, my brain is adding "preciousssss" to the end of that question. xD )
In a perilous quest that spans two worlds, four siblings must team up with their long-lost ancestors and a rebellious slave to deliver an enslaved people from the cruel strytes who invaded their land.
About Time Captives
In a perilous quest that spans two worlds, four siblings must team up with their long-lost ancestors and a rebellious slave to deliver an enslaved people from the cruel strytes who invaded their land.
Giveaway
To celebrate, Morgan will be giving away a complete set of brand new Time Captives books! Be sure to enter! Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
Friday, May 17, 2019
Midnight's Curse Cover Reveal + Giveaway!
Today we have the cover reveal
for Midnight's Curse, book two in the Beyond the
Tales series by Tricia Mingerink. The Beyond the Tales is
a series of fairy tale retellings set in a world of curses and gifts and an
Appalachian Mountain-like setting.
Midnight's
Curse releases August 6, 2019!
Isn't it stunning? The cover was
designed by Savannah Jezowski at Dragonpen Designs. You can find more examples of her work here.
About
the book:
High King Alexander rules the Seven
Kingdoms of Tallahatchia—a divided nation on the brink of yet another war. When
an invitation arrives from the king of Pohatomie, Alex knows it must be a trap,
but could it also be his opportunity to unite the kingdoms?
Daemyn Rand has lived a hundred
years, served an arrogant prince, fallen in love with a princess, and lost
himself somewhere along the way. He has already died for his loyalty. Will he
have to sacrifice his last chance to truly live?
Elara Ashen is a lowly, miserable
servant. All she wants is to spend one night in a fancy dress, dancing with the
high king. When she is offered a pair of glass slippers, it seems all her
dreams have come true.
But dreams have a price, and gifts
can be curses in disguise. What will it cost to stop this curse from tearing
Tallahatchia apart yet again?
Fairy tales meet the Appalachian
Mountains in this adventurous fantasy retelling of the classic Cinderella
story.
About
the author:
Tricia Mingerink is the author of
the bestselling The Blades of Acktar series and the Beyond the Tales
series. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she
isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the
country.
To celebrate the cover reveal, Dagger's
Sleep, a Sleeping Beauty retelling and book one in the series, is on sale
in Kindle for $.99 this weekend! Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Giveaway!
To celebrate even more, there's a
giveaway for a paperback copy of Dagger's Sleep and a 2oz Plot
Twist candle by Novelly Yours Candles.
To enter, share the above sale
graphic for Dagger's Sleep, the cover for Midnight's
Curse, or the below Midnight's Curse promo graphic
and make sure you use hashtag #MidnightsCurse and tag @triciamingerink on any
social media site to enter.
The giveaway will end May 22 at
midnight. Please note this giveaway is only open in the United States. It is
not sponsored by Novelly Yours Candles.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Ilyon Chronicles Audiobooks
Have you ever wanted Ilyon Chronicles to be made into audiobooks? I know many people have asked me if I ever well make that happen. Maybe you are one of them. If so, good news! I've begun the process to have them professionally produced with a narrator I really like that I've had bookmarked on my computer FOREVER.
That is why I am coming to you! If you are interested in helping me make this happen, I've set up an Indiegogo campaign to collect funding for the production of Resistance's audiobook. This is the first time I've ever tried crowdfunding (ahhhh!), but if I get enough funding, I'll be able to cover the production cost of Resistance and get my narrator the payment he deserves for his work. Check out the campaign here or by clicking the image below. I'm not just asking for your money. Each backer gets some special perks as well! :D And even if you can't help financially, you CAN help by sharing! Visit the campaign page where you'll find a bunch of share links.
To make this happen, I can either do a royalty split with him where I don't have to pay him to record the book and we spilt royalties as the audiobooks sell. However, that is risky for him as a narrator after all the work he will put into the project. I would love to pay him outright for that work. Of course, being the typical starving artist/writer that I am, that doesn't exactly fit into my budget.
That is why I am coming to you! If you are interested in helping me make this happen, I've set up an Indiegogo campaign to collect funding for the production of Resistance's audiobook. This is the first time I've ever tried crowdfunding (ahhhh!), but if I get enough funding, I'll be able to cover the production cost of Resistance and get my narrator the payment he deserves for his work. Check out the campaign here or by clicking the image below. I'm not just asking for your money. Each backer gets some special perks as well! :D And even if you can't help financially, you CAN help by sharing! Visit the campaign page where you'll find a bunch of share links.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
The End of an Era
I haven’t blogged in a while, but it seemed wrong not to write this post, being the Marvel fangirl that I am. This week marked the end of an era. What started with Iron Man in 2008 ended with Avengers: Endgame, at least for our original Avengers. I got to see the movie yesterday morning with my brothers, sister-in-law, and friends from church. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a review. More just my thoughts 24 hours later. So, beware, SPOILERS ABOUND. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is where you stop reading. Or, if you like spoilers, then, by all means, carry on…
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