Reviewer Appreciation Giveaway!

Yes, I know. This is WAY, WAY, WAY overdue.

I mean, I've been talking about doing a reviewer appreciation giveaway since April. But if you've been reading this blog over the last few months, well, you know that things got a bit crazy around here, and, well. My prizes kinda-sorta disappeared into a moving box for a little while.

But fear not. They have been found! And the giveaway is here and officially starts TODAY!!!

Take a look at these fab prizes:

In honor of Water So Deep, this fabulous Bella Del Mar Mother of Pearl jewelry set is beaded with tiny white pearls, and accented with clear crystal quartz. This set comes in a beautiful display box and includes a gorgeous necklace, bracelet, and earrings, and is a $95 value. (The crystals look slightly blue in this picture, but they are really mostly clear.)

Also in honor of Water So Deep, this stylish and trendy Refuse to Sink bracelet, still attached to the manufacturer packaging.

In honor of Descendant and Birthright, this lovely crystal quartz healing crystal necklace was custom made by Zuniga's Custom Jewelry. (She makes some of my very favorite original pieces.) Also in packaging.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a review of one of my books on your favorite review site (there are tons of choices) and then come back here and leave the link in the Rafflecopter link box. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY LEFT A REVIEW, it's okay. This contest is MEANT for YOU! Go ahead and leave me the link to your already posted review and you do not need to do anything more.

You will see that there are lots of places where reviews can be left for each of my books. In case you're wondering, YES, it is totally okay to copy and paste one review to ALL THE PLACES if you so choose. As long as you remember to collect the link and enter it into the Rafflecopter box, it totally counts.

This contest closes on June 30, so be sure to enter before then.

*Winners will be notified by email ir FB private message (depending on the information included through Rafflecopter) and will have 72 hours to respond with a U.S. mailing address. If you are out of the United States, you are still eligible to win the bracelet or healing crystal, but not the larger set. Prizes may be adjusted as necessary for this purpose. 

**United States prizewinners may be given the option to trade their jewelry prize for a paperback or ebook copy of any of my books. International prizewinners wishing to exchange their prize will be given the option for an ebook.

Also, while you're entering contests, don't forget to scroll to the post below this one and follow the link to the other fabulous contest for the Magic of Solstice Fantasy Writers' tour I'm participating in this month.

Good luck to all of you, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for your fabulous support. I couldn't do what I do without all of you.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Up and Running Again!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased, relieved, and excited to announce that the Giles family move, 2015 version, has officially come to an end. I mean, okay technically, there are still about 100 boxes left to unpack, but I finally found the box with all my pants—which was truly missing for like 4 days. Also, the box with my kitchen knives and spatulas, which are also sort of important.

Pants = I can now go out in public. Hooray!

Spatulas = I can make things like grilled cheese without burning my fingers off.

The other boxes—well, I’ll get to them as I can. The goal is a box a day for now. And to be fair, I have organized every room in the house as I have unpacked, so that also takes time. I sort of feel like Super-Woman when I consider how much I have accomplished in the last month.

Me = muscling furniture into place and scrubbing hard water spots off the shower in the rental. (Who needs the gym?)

The downside is I have truly had to set aside my writing projects, which I fully expected and had planned for, but still hurt, since I am right in the thick of about four massive ones. However, I am now getting back into the saddle, and hope to crank out LEGACY and get to work on the sequel for Water So Deep.  

Me = dusts off computer and jumps into the waiting arms of my characters.

So. What have you been up to lately? 

The Things We Do For Research

If you follow me on social media, you might have seen comments about me surviving scuba diving lessons or something to that degree. I use the word surviving for a lot of reasons, but I'll get back to that. 

I have now written two books in which scuba has played an important role, and I am about to dive headfirst (see what I did there?) into a third. So I figured it's about time I stopped researching how to do it and actually learned in person.

For the record, I might not have gathered the courage to do this if my husband hadn't signed us up for this class as my Christmas gift. We have been talking about getting certified for years, and have been putting it off for various reasons (read: excuses). And we both knew that it's time. I mean really. I'm writing about mermaids now! Come on. 

Just so you know, I am slightly claustrophobic, so wearing the scuba goggles freaks me out because they cut off my peripheral vision. And wearing the BCDs (see that? I'm using scuba terms and everything!) freaks me out because the vest has lots of gadgets attached, including a super heavy tank filled with air, and I am not that heavy, but I am also filled with air, so together my tank and I don't sink so well. Not being able to stay underwater when I'm supposed to freaks me out too. And then there's the whole thing of it being unnatural for humans to be able to breathe underwater. (Like, really, are you kidding me? I'm not Emma.)

Yesterday was our first "open water" dive. (Not necessarily open, because it was in a crater, which is not all that huge, but it's like 90 feet deep.) So there are all these reasons why I sat on the edge of the platform trying not to have a panic attack. But I pushed through it, and I put on my goggles, and the ridiculously long fins that make me feel like a fish, and I stuck the regulator in my mouth and I jumped in.  

Guys, I didn't die! 

And after we figured out that I need a whole lot of weight added to my vest, I managed to sink below the surface and I kept breathing. And I swam around a bit. I practiced losing my regulator and getting water in my goggles and managed to get it out without rising to the surface. I ended up diving to 40 feet below the surface.

And it was fun. 

I'm not going to lie. It was expensive, and difficult, and ridiculously scary at first, but I pushed past all that and I am so proud of myself for being brave. Later this week, I'm going to do it again. And then I'll have a shiny pretty card with my picture on it, and it will tell the world that I know how to use all that equipment to breathe underwater. And then I will know how my characters feel as I write this next book.    

This is the kind of thing writers sometimes do to bring stories to life. But more than that, this is the kind of thing people do to overcome our fears. 

Okay, now it's your turn. What hard thing / scary fear are you facing right now? How are you facing it?

Romance and Love or Everything Else? What Are You Reading This Week?

Release week is over, and I was overwhelmed and so touched by the outpouring of love and support I received for Water So Deep. I cannot tell you all how much it means to me to have all of you jumping in to help raise my new baby book.

But now I feel like I've talked about it nonstop for months, and it's time to talk about something else. Like love and Valentine's Day.

I mean, let's face it. Valentine's Day has become a bit of a commercialized cliche, which is focused more on kids than on adults who are actually in love. I think in a lot of ways it's better this way because then all those people who are unattached can still enjoy the day, seeing little kids sharing their candy and cards. But that still doesn't take away the sting of feeling invisible or forgotten.

That's the beauty of reading, though, I think. I am such a sucker for a good old fashioned romance novel. And not the Nicholas Sparks kid of ending, either. Happy endings. Boy gets the girl or girl gets the boy, or whatever whatever, and the couple falls in love and overcomes all odds and obstacles because in the end they belong together. That is my favorite Valentine's Day reading go-to.

Because kissing. And love. And all things romantic.

(Side note: if you're reading Water So Deep right now, please don't hate me at the end! I promise book two will bring closure!)

This week, I'm reading Joyce DiPastena's The Lady and the Minstrel, Ally Condie's Atlantia, and This Shattered World by Aimee Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I won't finish all three in a week, because I have a deadline of my own, but still. Those are on my nightstand right now.

What will you be reading this week? And is it romance and love or everything but that? I'm curious.

It's HERE!!!! WATER SO DEEP IS HERE!!! (And adding even more !!!!)

Guys, today's the day. Water So Deep is finally available for purchase!

Only the e-book version for now--there has been a very slight delay in the hard cover release, but I hope that will all be resolved this week, but all of you e-reader addicts, go! Buy! Enjoy! (And then hopefully review!)

I am not having an online launch party this time, but there is a blog tour happening starting Tuesday, February 3, and as soon as the hard cover issues are worked out, I will consider scheduling at least one signing.

In case you missed yesterday's teaser, here it is:

And one more, just because TODAY'S THE DAY!

Thanks for being patient with me and for supporting me as an author. I promise to start blogging about other things now. Thanks!

All theTeasers, Just in Time for Release Week

Guys! Next Monday, Water So Deep is released to the world. That is less than a week from now, and this news is just hitting me. Not because I don't pay attention to the calendar, but because I am currently being pulled in so many different directions that it only just now HIT ME.

Six. Days.

EEK!

So for today's (semi-late) post, I am going to share with you all the teasers I have posted on social media thus far. There will be more next week, I assure you. And celebrating. And some possible flash giveaways. But for now, here is your lead up.

And also, in case you haven't seen it, you can read the first chapter of Water So Deep here.

And in case you haven't taken advantage of the introductory pre-order price, you can purchase your copy in all of these places, and by pre-ordering have the book delivered directly to your device on release day.

Amazon

Kobo

iBooks

Goodreads

Nook: Pending

One more little detail. Water So Deep will also be available as a HARD COVER! I am crossing my fingers that it is also available on February 2, but there have been a few minor delays, so I will update this post if that changes. However, there is no pre-order option for that at this time. But in case you're wondering, this is what the jacket will look like.

What do you think? I can hardly wait to see this baby in person and be able to show it off. So if you are a person who loves ink and paper books that you can put on a literal shelf rather than a virtual one, stay tuned. These will be available as soon as possible. Hopefully, hopefully the same day as the ebooks go live!

Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Teaser #1:

Teaser #2:

Teaser #3:

Teaser #4:

All The Best Laid Plans, Part II

The good news: in 2014 I did finish BIRTHRIGHT. And believe it or not, I wrote a collaboration with a friend. I also started another collaboration, and have been working feverishly on book 3 in the DESCENDANT series. I prepared WATER SO DEEP for publication. I attended a Utah conference and one in Kansas—and none in Texas. And I no longer live by the beach (boo!) but the mountains instead.

In 2014 I learned two very valuable lessons. 1. I can work through the hard stuff, even if it happens slowly. But equally important, 2. I realized that I don’t always have to.

I am allowed to not write for a month. Or two. I am allowed to catch up on TV shows I’ve missed instead of writing blogs, and to go Christmas shopping instead of finishing a chapter. Because stuff happens, and I am human.

I have high hopes for this year.

1.       The ebook of WATER SO DEEP will release February 2^nd. The hardcover may be a week or two later, depending on circumstances beyond my control. And that’s OKAY.

2.       Book 3 in the DESCENDANT series is about half-drafted, even though it should have been to the editor by January 1^st. And that is also okay. I will catch up, and it will be published on time. (I HOPE.)

3.       WSD will have a sequel, and I will write it and hope to prepare it for publication sometime this summer. Maybe.

4.       My collaborations and other projects will continue to move forward. I hope to finish at least two of them aside from the above mentioned projects.

But if life happens and things get in the way, I will adapt. No matter what goals or resolutions I reach, I will keep writing, keep trying, so that no matter what, by the end of the year, I will have made progress.

And that, my dear friends, is the whole, entire point.

Progress for the win!       

Water So Deep: THE COVER IS HERE!

Guys. This. This is what I've had to keep to myself for the last month-ish. And let me tell you, IT WAS SO HARD! Like, so seriously hard. I can't even tell you.

But now it's here and I can show you and IAMSOEXCITED!

So...

What do you think?

And in case you haven't seen it yet, check out the cover copy.

Water So Deep

Seventeen-year-old Emma Harris is drowning on dry land.

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can't have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it's only a matter of time before she's forced to surrender forever.

And also, guess what else? You can pre-order this book for your kindle already. CLICK HERE to purchase your advance copy of the Water So Deep e-book and get it at the pre-order special price of $2.99.

Guys, thanks for letting me be excited. I can't wait to share this whole book with you.

The Announcement (In Case You Missed It)

Happy December! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week last week. This is going to be a repeat of information for those who subscribe to my newsletter, but since I'm excited, I want to make sure I share it everywhere. 

For those who read this blog or follow me on social media, you might have already guessed that while the Descendant series has been my primary focus for the last two years, it has not been my ONLY focus, or my only project.  

The result of one of my many other projects is a BRAND NEW BOOK, which is totally and completely separate from the Descendant series, including its characters, and world. This book (which is the first of a two-book series) is a young adult romantic fantasy called WATER SO DEEP, and will be released to the public in paperback and e-book on February 2. (Why yes, yes that is Groundhog Day!) 

The cover is not included here because it hasn't been released yet, but for those of you who are excited about helping me spread the word about this very exciting new release, I will be sure to post sign up links on my blog and FB page as soon as they are available.

I have to be honest here. Of all the books I've written so far, this one is my personal favorite, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. 

Here is a little teaser blurb that is extremely rough and nowhere near final. Probably.

WATER SO DEEP

Seventeen-year-old Emma Harris is drowning on dry land.

No one knows what’s happening to her, and she’d like to keep her evolution from human to mermaid a secret, but the truth is getting harder and harder to hide. From her adoptive family, from her friends, and especially from the irresistible James Phelps.

Her time in the ocean is spent dodging a possessive merman, while her time on land is split between caring for her special-needs brother and squeezing in every last possible moment of human life. She soon realizes falling for James is unavoidable when he constantly comes to Emma’s rescue and somehow manages to see through her carefully constructed icy facade to the vulnerability she lives with every day. Everything about James makes Emma yearn for a life on land she just can't have.

When Emma’s brother disappears on her watch, James is the only person she trusts to help her save him. But even if they can save her brother, nothing can prevent her return to the sea. Whether she likes it or not, Emma is changing—unable to breathe without yielding to the tide—and it's only a matter of time before she's forced to surrender forever.