When I decided to make From The Wreckage FREE for everyone only a month after release I did so with a specific purpose. To share a story of hope with as many people as possible. From The Wreckage tells the story of teens and how one act of mother nature changes their lives. I focus on Jules and West in the story, but I touch on the immediate aftermath for a small Texas town too. The conflict in this story is the storm, the loss and the hope for tomorrow. You can read From The Wreckage and get closure. I then went on to write Out of Runs and All That Remains these books follow Jules,West and their friends as they move forward dealing with guilt, changes and then their futures as more conflict arises. The story is very close to my heart. What I didn't expect was how close the story would be to yours. Over the past several months I've found extreme joy in reading reviews, emails and Facebook posts from readers who have been touched by this story. I wanted to share this one with you all - Hi Michelle. I haven't ever written an author before, but I just finished the From the Wreckage series and was so moved I just had to tell you how much I loved it. I was attracted to the book on one of the free book lists because of the natural disaster aspect (although I do love love, and coming of age novels too!). My family rode out Hurricane Andrew (and an included tornado) in our house in South Miami when I was 14. Long story short, the house was unlivable after the storm. We spent 2 weeks at a friend's apartment and my parents sent me to live with people they knew but I had not previously met, to start at a new high school in a new county, not knowing a soul, until they were able to join me 2 months later. In Miami, I went to the same school with the same people for 9 years, had just made JV cheer at the high school, already had plans for my college of choice - and boom, everything changed overnight - it was like hitting restart on my life and it took a few years for me to find a new normal. Needless to say, I identified with Jules so much in this series! I am from wreckage too, I had to struggle to start anew, I have a wonderful love who I never would have met, and great family and friends that I would have missed out on. This series touched me, made me reflect, made me grateful for all I've survived, and proud of myself for the work I put in to myself to get where I am today, so thank you. I am a big fan now, and will definitely check out your other works!
PS - Last Love Song by ZZ Ward is one of my favorites, she's amazing! I loved seeing that in your playlist section.
Can you see my tears? I am so honored. Hearing from readers and knowing this story touches you all makes me so grateful. I sincerely hope Jules and West's story continues to bring hope and love to readers. The main goal of this story is to keep those who are facing adversity to remember one thing:
That's all it took to change my life. Dramatic? Possibly. Truth? Definitely.
In early 2013 I made the decision to buy a ticket to UtopYA Con 2013 after hearing about the 2012 event from bloggers and authors I respected. I was getting ready to publish 'Never Let You Fall' and I thought what better way to figure out this whole Indie/self-publishing industry than to dive in.
At this point I was a stay at home mom whose youngest child had just started school and whose husband supported her, but didn't quiet 'get it'. I talked him into going, "Hey, it's Nashville and we've always wanted to go!", secured my fabulous mother-in-law to come watch our kids, and prepared for my first event as a published author.
Best. Decision. Ever.
The number one reason I say this: my spouse. When he walked into UtopYA 2013 he was given a crash course on 'how to be the spouse of a writer'. He realized after listening and talking to other attendees that YES, Facebook and Twitter ARE a necessary tool 90% of the time and I'm actually working while on there (most of the time). He sat in on Marketing and sales panels, he listened to other woman, dreamers like me, who have made their dream of writing a reality. He learned that yoga pants, sweatshirts and take-out will be our new normal - and that it's okay! :) THIS changed my life. He was always supportive but now he GOT IT! #Win
Two other things that happened that first year:
1) A blogger I'd been co-blogging with had to back out of a panel she was supposed to Moderate and UtopYA founder, Janet Wallace, had the crazy idea to put me in her place (WOW!) Here I was, a newly published author about to moderate my very first panel (on blog tours) with some of the BEST ladies around - Amy A Bartol, Addison Moore, Nancy Straight and Tess Watson
First I have a HUGE love for Amy, you all know this by now. I'd already planned my stalking and now I was going to get to 'interview' her about stuff! Add Nancy and Addison and Tess whom I'd been chatting with on-line for several months. This panel was amazing and being a moderator allowed me to set up in the 'bookstore' and sell my book baby for the first time.
2) Then, I won the Grand Prize dinner with keynote speaker Jennifer Armentrout. Yeah, J freaking Armentrout. Not only was did I get dinner with Jenn, but a bevy of other authors/UtopYA staff too.
Authors: Sarah Ross, Raine Thomas, Heather Self, Jenn, Adam Kunz, Tiffany King and Carol Kunz
I was blessed to sit at a meal and just talk to these amazing people. I was also mortified when Jennifer asked me what my book was about and all I could do was freeze. **Have a pitch perfected people!**
There are a million reasons this event is important to me. Over the past two years, I've made amazing friendships with authors and fans thanks to the fabulous community UtopYA fosters. I've learned invaluable information not only from the keynote speakers and panelists at the event but from the Facebook groups and official blog posts too.
Authors: UtopYA isn't just a signing or sales event. You don't come expecting to make a bunch of money - you might, but don't expect it. Come to UtopYA to learn, to meet, to lift others up and to find a tribe, be validated as an author and to share life with amazing creative souls and book lovers like yourself.
Readers: UtopYA isn't an event where you write your name on a sticky note and get two seconds with an author.With the exception of perhaps the keynote speakers (because they are usually only at the event for a few hours) you have a TON of access to authors all weekend. You WILL have time to stand and chat, perhaps do lunch or drinks, with authors. Everyone with a UtopYA Con ticket is considered a part of the team.
Consider buying a ticket to UtopYA 2015 this year. Author or fan its an amazing event and I'd LOVE to see you there.
**Financially speaking - There are typically people looking for roommates in our unofficail UtopYA FB group. I can tell you many people will split 4 to a room making the room roughly $100 per person.**
From The Wreckage Series From The Wreckage, Book One
Publication Date 6/11/2014 Amazon (E-book & Paperback)
Amazon UK,AU Barnes & Noble (E-book & Paperback) Kobo Smashwords iBooks
I like to try and share new and upcoming releases by my fellow Red Coat PR authors every once in a while. Here's what I have for you today!
*Disclaimer - I have not read these books and am therefore not promoting them for a specific age group. Please check the genre/age suggestions.
Stranded in the desolate Dark Lands, Kyr and Ty share a bittersweet reunion. Alametria lies on the brink of darkness. Their people are still reeling, believing she’s dead at Ty’s hands. With no other choice, many have turned to the Guardians and Advisor Vycor for guidance, never suspecting they’re being led to slaughter.
Kyr and Ty encounter overwhelming challenges in their fight to save their people: a deadly environment, murderous Marauders, and powerful protections preventing them from reaching the palace. When the journey itself could mean their deaths, the one thing that keeps them going is the thought of bringing VycorDane to justice.
Facing a battle on multiple fronts, lacking resources, and significantly outnumbered, Kyr and Ty must rely on each other in the race to save their planet. Will they beat the odds and restore peace to Alametria...or will Vycor’s evil destroy them all?
Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction. Known for character-drivenstories that inspire the imagination, Raine recently signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She's a proud indie author who is living the dream. When she isn't writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida's beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
Tony Bale must stop a deadly virus before
it’s launched on the United States, and resist an undefeatable desire to take
Lumin’s innocence. Mission success probability: slim.
Since their brief meeting, Lumin Edenridge can’t
squelch her dreams of the handsome Navy SEAL who moved through her life like a
shadow. By daylight he was gone, but the craving in his gaze left a mark. When
she wakes up next to a dead scientist involving her in a terrorist plot, street
smarts won’t help her survive. She needs Tony.
The stunning aerialist Tony left in Las Vegas
lingers in his memory. A seven month deployment looms when he answers Lumin’s
distress call. Defending her is his first priority. When terrorists turn her
into a weapon, Lumin hides to protect him. His team name is Tinman, and he has
twelve hours to rescue the woman who possesses his heart in “Code Name:
Luminous”.
“I’m sorry,Tony, but I didn’t know who else to
call.”
“What’s going on?”
“I think I’m in big trouble. You need to tell me
what to do.” The signal cut out, and her heart leaped into her throat. “Are you
still there?”
“I’m here, sweetheart, what kind of trouble?” he
asked, his voice hardening. “Is it Quadero? Did he find out you helped us?”
“No, it’s not Quadero"
Lumin hooked her fingers in a strand of hair,
tugging to replace her rampaging fear with pain. She hesitated.
“Don’t hang up,” Tony commanded as if sensing her
misgivings. “You can tell me, Lumin. I can hear you’re scared. Whatever it is,
you’re not alone, okay?”
“Do you know what Yersinia Pestis is?” she blurted.
A deep rumble from Tony’s throat preceded his
answer. “The Bubonic Plague.”
“Yes. In the Middle Ages it was passed through
contact, but imagine if it were engineered into an airborne virus and mutated
every thirty-six hours. It would kill millions of people.” She licked her dry
lips. “I think they’ve made one.”
“The Bubonic Plague is a bacteria, and who is
they, Lumin?”
“I—don’t know who they are, but I think they
know who I am.” Her voice stuttered. “You must have contact with people who can
look into this. I heard a name, Dr. Clifford Bjornson. That might lead you
somewhere. I have to go.”
“Wait! How do these people know you?”
Lumin dropped the sheet and reached for her
dress. She pulled it over her head. Squeezing the phone between her ear and
shoulder, as she did up the buttons she said, “Because Dr. Bjornson’s partner
is lying dead in my bed.”
I grew up on the beautiful West Coast
of British Columbia with the Pacific Ocean on my western doorstep, and
thousands of acres of forest on the other. After finishing school, my life took
a drastic twist, and a lifelong working relationship with the marine industry
began.
After a twenty-year hiatus from my
creative writing, the stories swirling in my mind began to swim hard to
resurface, and I threw them a life ring. I juggle my creativity during my days
off, and then get back down to business, working in Vancouver Harbour. My life
is a mix of creativity vs. black and white procedures. With a lifetime of
working in the marine community, there’s plenty of stories to tell. It’s a
different world, different language, unsung heroes and heroines aplenty, heated
moments, and blissful silence when all is well. Reading and writing is the way
I turn down the loud hum that my work causes, and after thirty years of
humming, it’s time to vent.
Oh Captain, My Captain presents Brody Ross of the Indiana Mustangs.
Brody Ross was one of the youngest captains in the hockey league. His one and only goal is lift the Cup over his head. That is until he moved next door to Selene Porter. When he approaches her with a proposal, their friendship takes a turn. However, it comes at a price when an ex-flame appears in the picture.
Selene Porter has two loves: her dog, Bonkers, and hockey. She’s been a lifelong fan of the Indiana Mustangs and their Captain. She refuses to let anything take away what means so much to her and Brody, his career, and his old fling has her wondering if love is worth the risk.
With the unwanted presence, can Brody and Selene stick together or will Selene back out of the proposal?
I’m about to unlock my door when I
hear a rustling in my bush.
“Bonkers, if you don’t come here
right now, I’m turning you into a purse.” I hear a harsh whisper around the
corner of my porch. I roll my eyes. I walk down the stairs over to where
Selene’s butt is in the air as she's searching through my bushes. I have to say
for a stalker, she has a nice ass.
“Having issues again?” I ask.
She screams and turns to me,
clenching her chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she semi-yells
at me.
“You’re in my bushes,” I remind her.
She puts her hands on her hips. “My
dog got loose again. I’ll have to get that gate fixed, so he’ll quit running
from me. Plus, he doesn’t listen.”
“Bonkers? Bonkers got loose again?”
Is she using that dog as an excuse? I shake my head.
“I swear. I’m truly not stalking
you.”
“I can tell because you’re not
wearing my jersey.” I point at her.
“What? You think you’re the only
player on the Mustangs that I like? For your information, I like all the
players on the team.”
I nod at her. Maybe she’s a loyal
fan. “Bonkers! Come!” I yell. Instantly, the dog appears at my feet, waggin’
his tail and trying to climb up my leg. I bend down, pick him up, and he licks
my face.
“Damn dog,” she mutters.
Lindsay Paige (on the right) is a romance author from North Carolina who has published eight books on her own. She is a huge hockey fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and loves read. When not writing, Lindsay is focused on completing college.
Mary Smith (on the left) was born in Chicago, Illinois, but currently lives in West Virginia. She is an avid reader, co-founder of Book Nerds Across America, and author of the Ice series and Always Forever. She goes nowhere without her cell phone or Kindle. Mary loves anything to do with Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Sharp, and hockey related!!
Despite their love for different teams and players, Lindsay and Mary write hockey romances to vicariously live through their characters and their experiences with these hot hockey players. Together, they have written The Penalty Kill Trilogy and the Oh Captain, My Captain series.
Things in the works
*These are the ideas that crawl around in my head. That doesn't mean they'll happen 100%
1) A young adult paranormal/thriller series with romance, of course. *2015
2) Last Call #2 - A sexier new adult/adult book sharing info about the guy Savannah chooses (no spoilers here, just in case) before they met, his point of view on their relationship, AND their continued journey after Last Call ended. His Call 3) Secret Prophecy of Tyalbrook selections. Possible novellas that will delve into certain characters some more from their own points of view. ;) 4) Prophecy of Tyalbrook #3 Never Without You 5) From the Wreckage companion novels. Standalone novels centering on a few of the side characters from books 1-3. Currently working on Into The Fire (Dani's story)
PUBLISHED WORKS
My Debut
Never Let You Fall
Young Adult Fantasy
Published May 1, 2013
Orphaned at 7, with no memory of her past or the family she lost, 17 year old Skye Martin is tired of being alone and afraid. After a hard night of partying, Skye wakes up alone in an unfamiliar hotel. All she can remember is the deep voice of her rescuer and his promise: “I am safe.”
Xander has been tasked with watching Skye from afar for the past two years, in order to keep her safe from the demons that hunt her. An easy job - until a pair of red glowing eyes reveal themselves to Skye, and Xander, in a moment of weakness, is forced to break his cover to protect her.
Never good at trusting people, Skye is inexplicably drawn to Xander and the immediate bond she feels for him. However, Xander is filled with secrets and ties to her past that threaten to thrust Skye into a world she could never imagine existed…
As she begins to unravel the truth about who Xander is and the details surrounding her family, she discovers that she might just be the key to saving everything...
And, most importantly, she finds that there has always been someone by her side who would never let her fall…
Never Let You Go
Young Adult Fantasy
Book 2, The Prophecy of Tyalbrook Series Published: January 30, 2014
Two souls desperate to discover the truth about the past and determined to save their future…
SKYE
The usual warmth I felt deep in my soul when Xander was near me was beginning to dull. Yet Istillremembered the warning:“Be careful,my Princess…you will lose all you love before you can win what you want.”
XANDER
I could feel it;she hadn’t been here. Two days of hell, riding as fast aswecouldandonly taking small breaks,and yet she had outrun us. How?
APRINCESSset on regaining her Kingdom and protecting those she loves…
AGUARDIANwho will stop at nothing to find the woman who stole his heart…
AnEVIL FORCEwho will destroy everything they know in order to have power over all…
The journey continues inNever Let You Go, book two in The Prophecy of Tyalbrook Series.
Last Call
New Adult Romantic Comedy / Suspense Released: October 21, 2013
“You are cordially invited…”
Four words that spark the fear of God into any gently bred, single southern woman.
When Savannah Guthry receives an invitation to her cousin’s wedding back home in Charleston, South Carolina, her first thoughts aren’t of flowers and dresses. Instead, she's reminded of the groom: her first love and the reason she ended up at a college 500 miles away from home.
Determined to show up and dazzle not only her ex but her spoiled cousin too, Savannah allows her friends to set her up on a series of dates looking for Mr. Right.
Wrapped up in her memories of the past and the drama of her new romances, Savannah doesn’t see the dangerous threat to her life coming…
She might not land her Prince Charming before her Last Call.
From The Wreckage Series
Coming of Age Drama (Realistic Fiction) Contemp Romances
From The Wreckage, book 1 Released: June 12, 2014
“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.”
"Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”
For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with the new reality of her life, she must find a way to rise From The Wreckage and answer the question - how do you get back to normal, when everything that was normal is gone? Out of Ruins, book 2 Released: July 17, 2014
“Guilt. A painful, lonely feeling. It seeps into your pores slowly as you go through life day by day. Like a disease, it blackens your heart with thoughts and memories of what you did, or in my case, what you didn’t do.”
Surviving the storm was only the beginning for Jules. Surviving the guilt? That is something only love can help her overcome.
