Run for the Roses Cover Reveal!

Today I'm super excited to have my good friend and CP Rachel Schieffelbein reveal her cover for Run for the Roses. Isn't it so pretty?

Run for the Roses

by Rachel Schieffelbein

Release Date: 11/2013

by Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:
Abigail Conrad has spent her whole life training for one goal: to win the roses at the Arabian Youth Nationals. She’s given up friends, a social life, and doesn’t have time to even think about guys -- much less date!

Now that she’s headed off to college in the fall, it’s her last chance to be a Youth National Champion, and she won’t let anything distract her from that dream.

Except maybe Chase, the older brother of Abigail's biggest rival. He’s charming, funny, and possibly Abigail's biggest problem. How can she focus on riding when her mind keeps wandering to Chase’s green eyes and confident smile?

With her dream on the line, Abigail had better learn to fight her growing attraction to Chase, or she might end up losing the roses and the guy.

Please help Swoon Romance decide which cover to use by voting below:

About the Author

Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Congrats Rachel!

Getting My Nerd On

What defines a nerd? To me it's someone who's so passionate about something they take any chance they can to obsess over it. Being a nerd is a good thing :)

Am I a nerd? You bet I am.

I've stayed up late for book and movie premiers.

I've dressed up like my favorite characters for Halloween and movie premiers.

I've even argued about the properties of a horcrux, the meaning behind the Harry Potter spells, and the timing in which they were used.

Oh yes, I'm a nerd. I even own this T-shirt

Twilight nerds, FTW

So when I first heard about Cassie's Mae's book entitled HOW TO DATE A NERD, my reaction was a little like this:

Then, even better, she let me read it.

(Find my review here)

And today she's hosting an awesomesauce bloghop *squee*

So what's the nerdiest thing about me? My obsession with Zelda? My addiction to kdramas? (yes, that's a nerdy thing, there's even a KCon that I wanted to go to so bad I considered selling my first born.)

Nope, that doesn't even come close. The nerdiest thing about me are my socks. You heard me. I wouldn't be a nerd without the right socks.

And that's how I get my nerd on. What about you?

Buy HOW TO DATE A NERD today!

Taking the World by Storm!

Comment on Alex’s blog this week for a chance to win a Cassa mug, mousepad, magnet, and swag!

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.”
- Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries

“I thought the revelation was going to be one thing and I was completely wrong … CassaStorm pushes the limits…”
- Tyson Mauermann, Speculative Reviews

“…mesmerizing story of survival, personal sacrifice, tolerance, and compassion. It’s a rare jewel that successfully utilizes both character and plot to tell a story of such immense scope and intimate passion…” - Nancy S. Thompson, author of The Mistaken

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116848619?ean=9781939844002

Amazon -

http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-Alex-J-Cavanaugh/dp/1939844002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378484337&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-ebook/dp/B00F2O9QMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378811366&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670532-cassastorm

Book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh
 

The Push to be Unique

One of my biggest weaknesses as a writer is repetition. Seems like all of my first drafts have loads of the same words used together, and cliche phrases that felt like good filler space at the time.

The other day Cassie read one of my stories and said "This is cliche, make sure this conversation is special to them." and you know what? She's so right.

I had to laugh at myself becasue I often think as I'm writing that there are no new ideas, only new ways to look at old ideas. Even so, I tend to stick to old ideas when it comes to jotting down a sentence. Thank goodness for the editing process and the chance to correct those mistakes.

Which brings me around to purpose of this post--I want your advice. What is it you do to avoid cliche's and twist the old? Have you ever struggled to be unique?

Sacrifice Her Cover Reveal!

Today I'm super excited to welcome Sheena-kay Graham to my blog for her cover reveal. Take it away Sheena-kay! (rhyme not intentional...)

The day has finally come. Time to reveal the cover of Sacrifice HER. Be amazed.

Goodreads: Sacrifice HER
Release Date: December 2013

Summary: When a city is at stake is the life of one sixteen-year old girl worth risking thousands? Deidra Moore goes on the run after escaping from a group of human sacrifices for Bane: God of War. She doesn't believe he exists and sees uncertainty in the scorching desert as a better alternative. But Faux City isn't finished with her and their leader Lord Brinn is ordered by Bane - through one of his maiden worshipers- to bring her back or face dire consequences. In the desert Deidra meets a wanderer named Kane and as feelings spark can they find a safe place to lead a new life before Lord Brinn and his soldiers catch up with them? Yet the question remains. Does Bane really exist and if he does what will happen if either side succeeds or fails? Told in alternating perspectives of both the runaway servant girl and the blonde strong willed leader.

Author Bio: Sheena-kay Graham was never meant for a traditional job behind a desk. Her childhood career plans included becoming a ballerina, actress or someone who helped people. So naturally she decided to be a writer who writes from her bed. Yes, no desk for this Jamaican book lover. No matter if it’s reading, writing or using the computer....you get the gist. The love of the written word has always been with her leading to stories, novels, poetry and way too much fan fiction. This Christian woman can be found trolling Amazon online, in local book bookstores, watching movies on the big screen, or in her bed, or reading/writing/on the laptop...again in her bed. Mainly writes YA fiction and is ready to unleash her creativity to wow the masses.

 

Links

Website: http://queendsheena.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448863.Sheena_kay_Graham

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheenakayGrahamAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/queendsheena

Cover Design: 

Image of woman with flowing hair (purchased): © Transfuchsian | Dreamstime.com

Cover Designer:  Langao @ http://fiverr.com/langao

And for a final bit of wow factor. Look at what I got for free without asking.

Nerdy Blog Hop!

Attention Nerds! It's time for the bloghop of the century! Cassie Mae is releasing How to Date a Nerd on September 24th and she wants you to celebrate with her!

The rules? Post the blog hop button, Nerd's goodreads link, and tell Cassie the nerdiest thing about you. That's it. People can get as creative as they want, pictures, videos, etc. And she'll hop around and choose a random nerd participant for a Nerd swag pack. (The prize includes nerdy t-shirts, candy, HOW TO DATE A NERD keychains and buttons, as well as a signed copy of HOW TO DATE A NERD.)

I'm ready to get my nerd on. How about you?

Awesome t-shirt that only kpop nerds would understand. Bring on the nerdiness!

IWSG: Growing Up

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for another round of the Insecure Writers Support Group! Can you believe that Alex J. Cavanaugh has been hosting for two years? Talk about awesome!

This month I'm taking a little break from my insecurities (they're still there, especially in the middle of Pitch Madness) to talk about something else entirely.

Today is my baby's 1st birthday.
  

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have any more children so it's really sad to think that the last baby in my house is now turning into a toddler.

I can hardly believe I'm old enough to have three kids, much less three kids which are growing without my permission.

Today I'm going to step away from the computer and squeeze my youngest as hard as I can, because he's growing up way too fast.

Do you ever wish time would just slow down?

Pitch Contests - Good? Bad? Worth it?

As you may or may not know #PitchMadness is in full swing and the top 60 pitches will be announced on Friday. If you don't know - here's a link to fill you in on the details.

The question begs to be asked, what do you think of pitch contests? It's obvious that lots of people like them (they're 478 entries, yikes!) But how beneficial are they?

I've heard stories of people getting agents through pitch contests *cough* PK Hrezo *cough* but I wonder if the majority of people find representation this way? Probably not.

Still, that didn't keep me from entering Pitch Madness. Why? Because it's all about getting your work in front of the right people, and improving.

Let me preface the rest of this post by reminding everyone to please stay away from contest where you aren't interested in the agents/publishers. It's a waste of everyone's time. Moving on...

Sometimes opportunities are available through contests that you can't get through slush pile querying. There's an agent participating in Pitch Madness who's closed to unsolicited submissions. Big deal? Yes.

So what if you don't make it to the agent round? 418 people aren't going to make it in front of the agents. Was entering worth it? I still think so. The #PitchMadness thread on twitter has been exploding with amazing information on how to write a good pitch and get your MS noticed.

Not to mention that the top 60 have obviously done something right. Even if I don't make it, I can learn from people who did.

I want to hear what you think. Is a contest worth it? Did you enter Pitch Madness? Why?

P. S. I did an interview with Livia Peterson a few months back, which she posted yesterday. Check it out here!