Tag: new book

Feature me? I’ll feature you.

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews, writing

Today I want to offer a big thanks to author Deb Bailey for featuring my new release “She’s the One Who Can’t Keep Quiet” on her lovely blog!

More than that, I want to thank her for noticing that she and I write the sorts of stories likely to appeal to overlapping readers and for suggesting we try to promote each other’s new releases. It’s a great arrangement!

Do you write fantasy? Any kind of speculative fiction? Drop me a note in the comments section if you want to look into whether we have enough overlap to enter into a similar situation.

I love the idea of promoting other authors, and of course we all are happy to get a little more publicity, especially when it is free.

Meanwhile, check out Deborah and her stories — she has written some fascinating ones!

Blood Red Moon

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews1 Comment

Beautiful new romantic fantasy book just released!

I’ve been following author Deborah A. Bailey’s fantasy stories for a while now, as our paths cross often on various book tours.  So I am especially pleased to get the chance to promote her new book, released yesterday!

What is it about?

Out of the ashes, a new beginning…

When his family and most of their kind were destroyed by the Guild, Derek inherited the position of Vampire Lord. Alchemists held the keys to creating portals to other worlds, knowledge they passed down to phoenixes. Their utopian society was crushed when the Guild invaded, intending to unlock the powerful secrets phoenixes possess. Lovers Derek and Avani met the night their city was sacked and after the city succumbed, they were lost to each other.

Love will be resurrected in blood and fire…

Having lost her memory, Avani became a protégé of the Guild Master, conditioned by magic to believe shifters and vampires were evil. Eventually, she was made Seeker, tasked with finding the Vampire Lord in order to gain access to phoenixes.

When Derek finds Avani, he neutralizes the magic that’s kept her from remembering who she is. However, the Templars have almost certainly made a pact with the enemy of all supernatural creatures, in order to gain access to the portals. Only a phoenix can save the world from utter ruin now, but that was precisely the asking price…

Buy the Book

https://books2read.com/BloodRedMoon
Only $2.99 and available at all these sites!

Read an Excerpt

As he studied me his eyes were more hazel than brown. And they showed me his raw desire. This was Derek desperate to reclaim me.

“You’re not hungry for blood right now, are you?” I asked.

He shook his head, then averted his eyes as though he was afraid of revealing too much. But I’d already seen and felt it. When he met my eyes again, his were darker. Mesmerizing, pulling me in so that I was unable to look away.

An intense vampire gaze burning into me, arousing me to the point where I gripped the edges of the towel I’d wrapped around me. If I said yes, we could be together now in the way that he hungered for.

The image of him running towards me flashed in my mind. The sunshine, the sound of the water lapping on the shore, the smell of the grasses and sweet flowers…all of it came back to me in that instant. His arms around me. His touch. His scent that reminded me of the fresh, comforting earth.

Another image cut into my mind. The Guild house…our plans to purge the vampires, finish them off…destroy the evil. It had to be done and that was our purpose.

Before I could stop it, a sob pushed its way up into my throat. I covered my mouth before I voiced it. He can’t know what you’ve done. He’ll never understand.

Derek gripped my shoulders. “What is it? Is the heart magic still—”

“I’m not the person I was back then. We’re not the same people.”

“I know that. But you and I are connected, Avani. We have a purpose.”

“I’ve been told that before.”

“That was a lie. This is real,” he said.

About the Author

Deborah A Bailey’s Science Fiction, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance novels include suspense, a bit of mystery and a lot of romantic heat.

Her short stories have won awards from the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference and have been published in US1 Magazine and the Sun and are included in, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales. She’s the author of non-fiction books, and articles for various online publications.

Visit her site https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks for more information and subscribe to the newsletter here: https://eepurl.com/bokGdX so you’ll be the first to find out about giveaways, book launches and sneak peeks.

 

… even more than I like writing

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, fantasy, joy, writing

It’s true. I have a lot of fun making up stories. I enjoy research, and (unlike some writers) I even get a kick out of rewriting and editing my own work. But the thing I enjoy most — don’t ask me why — is taking my finished product and making these little promotional things.

Everything else about promoting makes me cringe, but creating these is like … I don’t know … doodling?

My latest book — book 4 — comes out today. Check it out. That means that today and tomorrow, I get to doodle all day if I want. 🙂

Sunday? I’ll be back to making things up, this time for book 6 which becomes my WIP (work in progress) now. Gypsum’s story (She’s the One who Won’t Behave) will fill my life for the next few months. Good thing I like to write fiction too.

I’m in SPFBO7: Take Deep Breaths

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, courage, fantasy, joy, writing

I keep lists of ideas for new ways to promote my self-published books and I seldom follow through on them. Too much work. Too expensive. Probably won’t make a bit of difference. It’s easy to get discouraged in the world of self-publishing.

One idea got moved from list to list.  I became aware of a contest a few years ago that looked promising called SPFBO (aka self-published fantasy blog off — not bake off.) But every time I saw it, the contest was in progress and I never could figure out where to find the schedule or the rules. Oh well, it probably costs a fortune anyway. And if it doesn’t they won’t let me in.

Then late at night 3 days ago, I skimmed a post from a blog and I saw it. The contest, the SPFBO, was opening the next day! More amazing, it was free and would accept the first 300 people who signed up. This was unbelievable. It didn’t surprise me to discover that last year it filled in under 24 hours.

However, there was one small problem. That same day, the next day, Friday the 14th, was the release day for my latest book She’s the One Who Gets in Fights.

I had three different book release things happening  plus a slew of other related promotional ideas to pursue. Could I possibly get myself entered into this SBFBO thingy as well? Of course I could.

I went to bed determined.  I’d get up and find a way to do it all.

I woke up at 6:59 am to the sound of my wave noise generator stopping. That’s weird. It’s never shut off before. I opened my eyes to see the ceiling fan slowing down.

No!

I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina and every once in a while we lose power up in these hills. Like once every year or two… Not today. Please not today.

But yes, the gods of stress were having a small chuckle at my expense. I found a way to make hot tea (no coffee!) No shower (our well runs on electricity.) I started doing what I could from my phone. Dim that screen. Make that battery last.

However, entering SBFBO was one thing my phone couldn’t do. Did it have enough oomph to be an adequate hot spot for my laptop? Was my laptop well enough charged? If I’d just known this was going to happen …

Entries opened at 2 pm my time. I watched the hours pass, considering a drive into the nearest small town. Since Covid hit, I didn’t know of a single place offering inside space and free internet. Had that changed? Could I make it over to Asheville? Surely they had something.

I must have become boring to watch, for at about 10:30 the gods of stress released their hold on our power lines and  the refrigerator began to hum.

Okay, I can do this now. I can do this. Breath. Slowly.

And of course I did do it because in spite of all my panic it was remarkably easy to enter. I even managed most of my promotional book release stuff, too.

When I woke up Saturday to plenty of wonderful power surging through my home there was also excitement surging through my veins. Someone put all the entered books on Goodreads. Someone else made a list of all the judges. One entrant asked what we all did for a living and the answers were pouring in. This looked to be an exciting thing to be a part of!

Encouragement poured in as well, especially to us nervous first time entrants. I’d read that one of the joys of this endeavor was a sense of community and it looks like no one was joking about that.

So, here I am, in touch with 299 other self-published fantasy writers. Some have have far more success to their names than I do while others have only begun their journey, submitting their first novel. I’m humbled to be in this group and grateful for the whim that led me to read the thing that clued me in to the timing.

Isn’t life funny, in so many ways?

Sulphur has arrived!

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, joy, writing

I’m quite proud of Sulphur’s story and it fills me with joy that her tale now sees the light of day. Yes you can find her on Amazon today and preorder her on Smashwords. She’ll make her way onto Apple, Kobo, and B&N over the days ahead. Trust me, she’s one take-no-shit woman you can’t help but like.

Three wonderful groups help me promote her today.

Justine of Whispers and Wonders let me do a guest post about writing historical fantasy, and she is featuring Sulphur’s release day in this lovely post. Thank you Justine!

The North Carolina Writer’s Network  featured me in today’s Book Buzz! I’m so glad I found this organization and the wealth of tools and services they offer.

And … R&R book tours is hosting a marvelous release day book blitz!

See all sorts of posts below.

Hosts

Phantom of the Library – https://phantomofthelibrary.com/

Reads & Reels – http://readsandreels.com

Jessica Belmont – https://jessicabelmont.wordpress.com/

The Faerie Review – http://www.thefaeriereview.com 

Lilyana Shadowlyn – https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

Breakeven Books – https://breakevenbooks.com

Rambling Mads – http://ramblingmads.com

Cocktails & Fairy Tales – https://www.facebook.com/CocktailsFairytales

Stine Writing – https://christinebialczak.com/

Indie’s Review – http://indieproreview.blogspot.com/

Nessa’s Lair – https://nessaslair.com/

Didi Oviatt – https://didioviatt.wordpress.com

Lunarian Press – https://www.lunarianpress.com/

Nesie’s Place – https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

@fle_d – https://www.instagram.com/fle_d/

The Magic of Wor(l)ds – http://themagicofworlds.wordpress.com

Let Me Explain …

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, writing

As I began to create The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters, I realized I wasn’t writing a series in the classical sense. In fact, my novels occur simultaneously, almost, as they present a time of great turmoil through the eyes of seven different participants.

Because these seven are sisters, though, they obviously make plenty of appearances in each others book. But, how one sees  their own actions is quite different from how they perceive what their sister does, right? Along with much else, I was excited to explore this point of view difference.

I’ve been looking for a succinct way to tell potential readers what in they are in for before they begin reading. Like most authors, I’d rather attract readers who like what I’m doing.

Today I came up with this add-on blurb and from now on I intend to add it to every book description. I think it helps. What do you think?

The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters consists of seven short companion novels. Each tells the personal story and perspective of one of seven radically different sisters in the 1200s as they prepare for an invasion of their realm. While these historical fantasy/alternate history books can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels, together they tell the full story of how Ilari survived.

Which sister do you think saved the realm? That will depend on whose story you read.

FREE: She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, writing

To celebrate and promote the release of the second novel in this series, I am offering the first novel, She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much, FREE today (February 18) through Monday (February 22) on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY4RLX1. 

Those of you familiar with the ins and outs of self-publishing will know that I had to pull this book out of wide distribution for 90 days, removing it from Barnes & Nobel, Kobo, Apple and others in order to sign up for Amazon’s KDP program and offer this free promotion.

Those of you familiar with me will know how much it pisses me off to do this. Amazon already controls a vast amount of the eBook market, and has little reason if any for this petty requirement. None-the-less, it exists.

Because I really want people to give my new series a try, I’ve negotiated with my conscience and decided to put each of these seven novels into KDP one time only, around the time when the following book in the series is released. Then, I’ll offer one and only one such free promotion for each book. It seems like a reasonable compromise to me.

My point is, this is Thinks Too Much‘s onetime giveaway. Please give it a try. It’s free, and I think and hope you’ll like it. Check it out at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY4RLX1.

She’ll be here in two weeks

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, fantasy, women, writing

She’s the One Who Cares Too Much

Book 2, my story of the soft-spoken and caring sister who discovers her own fierce power, will be available for purchase Friday Feb 12 and can be pre-ordered now.

I’ll be honest. I struggled with Coral’s story at first. Her personality was too mild for my taste (I like wilder women) and her dreams were so traditional. But over the months we spent together, she won me over as we discovered her power and strength together.

Every woman has a right to pursue her own happiness, and while Coral may want the simple things in life, she’s hardly a simple lady. Furthermore, in the end she may really be the one sister who saves Ilari. I think there is a good chance it’s true, but I’ll have to keep writing to find out.

Coral is Close

On By Sherrie CroninIn 7 sister releases, writing

I’ve had such fun creating my magical seven sisters for my current series! One of my chief frustrations is that only one of them, Ryalgar, has seen the light of day. But that’s about to change ….

Over the next couple of weeks I will be putting the finishing touches on Coral’s story, checking it once, twice and thrice to make every little detail perfect.

If you don’t self-publish books yourself, believe me — the release of the new book is an exciting time. It’s also hard work, as an author needs to spend time on the promotional work that will get her story in as front of as many readers as possible.

I always like to try new approaches, and this time around I’ll be doing my first release day book blast with a new company (new for me that is). I’m quite happy with others I’ve used, and I’ll be using them too, but the more eyes I can get on this book, the better. So I’ve added Hot Tree Promotions to my arsenal.

They use something new to me — a promotional teaser — and I needed three of them. They gave me the option of designing my own or paying to have them made. I thought, I like messing around with graphics, so why not give it a try?

Above is my first attempt, and I’m rather pleased with it. Wish me luck — I hope it sells a lot of books for me.

Want to learn more about Coral and her story? Check out her pre-order page.

It’s a big day for me

On By Sherrie CroninIn into a butterfly, writing2 Comments

Hello.  I have a favor to ask of you.

My brash and intelligent 13th-century hero and her story will be available in paperback and kindle starting TOMORROW. You can order a copy for yourself today at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BY4RLX1.

My situation is that any purchases made in the next 24 hours benefit me a great deal more than a later purchase because sales during my book launch make a huge difference in how many new readers can find me. So if you’re thinking of ever buying a copy …

Honestly I’m quite excited about this new series. One of my first reviewers said “From the first page … She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much pulls the reader into a diverse, colorful and plausible world, with its own geography, culture, language and politics. S.R. Cronin has done a wonderful job creating Ilari and its peoples.”

If you’re willing to go one step further and share my good news on any social media platform at all, I’d be even more grateful. Use the blurb below so you don’t even have to think about what to say.

Thanks for considering this, and if you do try it, I hope you enjoy the book.

Paste this anywhere:

I know someone who has just published a fantasy adventure book. If you like thought-provoking speculative fiction and reading about diverse, colorful and plausible new worlds, check out She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much, the first book in an exciting new series.