Cover Convos #1: To Color Or Not To Color?

Happy Friday!!! 

I've been thinking recently that too much of my blog is about, well, me--and I want to broaden the scope of my posts! Obviously, I'll still give you as many updates as I can on all of my projects, but I want to talk about more things, more often! 

Hence, cover convos! This is the first new feature I'm bringing to the table. Every so often, I'll post about covers--ones I think are unique or cover trends I like or maybe even trends that I don't. Just anything that's on my mind that I want your opinion on! 

Up first? To color or not to color... with Jennifer E. Smith's covers! 

I have to say, I ADORE this cover! You know me... black and white with a punch of color is definitely my style. But what I really love is the type treatment! I think all writers are a tad obsessed with fonts (I know I am!), and I think the polished-handwriting look here is perfect. It's almost right out of a teenager's journal (especially with the doodles!), but just slightly more professional. 

And most importantly to me--the cover is unique! I first spotted this book on a table in Barnes & Noble, and it completely caught my eye because it was SO different than all of the other surrounding covers. I was intrigued and needed to know more--cover win! 

The one downside? I wish the heart stood out more. I think the overall balance is just slightly base-heavy with the "LOVE" standing out a little too much. I probably would have made the heart doodle thicker or filled it in with a few squiggles. 

Which brings me to book two...

I'm not sure if one of these is from a galley, or from a foreign publisher, but I've seen both covers floating around and I much prefer the second! I think the added layer of color brings out the type even more, and makes the entire cover look more balanced and in sync. 

But that's why this is a cover CONVO! What do you think? Am I talking crazy or do you think in this case more color was better? 

Let me know and spread the news! I'll be introducing more feature posts soon! 

Scenes Told From Luke & Tristan's POVs AND A Scorch Blog Tour Recap!!

Last week, my blog tour celebrating Scorch and the entire Midnight Fire Series came to an end... BOO!! But what a freaking good time it was while it lasted! For anyone who wasn't able to follow the entire tour, I decided to consolidate all of the links into one blog post so you can look up any stops that you missed. 

Section One -- GUEST POSTS!

First up? Three scenes from Ignite told from both Luke and Tristan's perspectives!! 

This was probably my favorite part of the tour, and its definitely something you don't want to miss. Rather than posting links to all of the different blogs, I decided to put ALL six posts in one spot on my Facebook page. Click here to head there now!! I hope you love seeing things from the boys' perpsectives -- I know I had a blast jumping into their minds for a little while! 

In case the link doesn't work, here's a photo of what the tab looks like on my Facebook page -- it's the rose down in the bottom right corner! 

The seventh, and last, guest post on my tour, was a super fun quiz -- "Which Midnight Fire Series Man Is Right For You??" Click here to take the quiz and let me know who you matched with -- Luke or Tristan! 

Section Two -- INTERVIEWS!

Want to know a little bit more about me? Click on these interviews! There were a bunch on the tour, and I pulled a sample question from each one to give you a flavor for what you might find--anything from my writing process, to random facts about me, to a look at my next project. Enjoy! 

Curling Up With A Good Book - April 5th

Sample Question: "Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?"

Check it out!

Pembroke Sinclair - April 6th 

Sample Question: "What is your favorite thing about writing?" & "What is your least favorite thing about writing?" 

Read it!

Phantasmic Reads - April 8th

Sample Question: "So... Buffy is a big influence for you?" & "What would you say is your weird writing quirk?" 

I Have to Know!

My Home Away From Home - April 10th

Sample Question: "Name ten things on your bucket list."

See my answer!

Frankie Blooding's Bookshelf - April 10th 

Sample Question: "Do you read reviews written about your books?" & "When you made your first sale, how did you celebrate and with whom?"

Hear the story!

Reading And Writing Urban Fantasy - April 12th

Sample Question: "If you had to come up with a theme song for your series, what would it be?" & "Can you describe your writing process a little?" 

Click for more!

Mom with a Kindle - April 15th 

Sample Question: "Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published."

Can you guess?

Immortality Cafe - April 16th 

Sample Question: "What is one thing your readers would be surprised to learn about you?" 

Prepare to be shocked!

Books & Tales - April 17th

Sample Question: "What's your favorite book and who is your favorite author?"

Pick me!

Happy Tails and Tales Blog - April 18th

Sample Question: "How do you decide when/which characters die in your books?"

Mwahaha...

My Seryniti - April 19th

Sample Question: "Do you listen to music while writing?" & "What's your guilty pleasure?"

I'm shameless :)

Books Books The Magical Fruit - April 21st

Sample Question: "You run into a bookstore, where do you go first?" & "Name 5 random facts about yourself."

Well, she said random!

Book Addict - April 27th

Sample Question: "When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?" & "Rapid fire questions!"

This or that...GO!

Simply Infatuated - May 1st

Sample Question: "Do you plan to revisit the Midnight Fire world in any other books or is the series completely over?"

I can't think of anything witty...just click to get the answer!

Section Three -- REVIEWS

I personally love reading reviews of my books! Great reviews give me a nice little ego boost for the tough writing days, and bad reviews give me a kick in the butt and something to strive for. Luckily, the reviews during my tour were all of the first variety!! 

Below are links to all of the reviews -- just click the pull quote! 

Reviewing In Chaos - April 13th 

"Oh my Gosh! You will love this series! From the writing to the covers--I love it!!"

Happy Tales and Tails Blog - Part One, April 17th

"This is a fantastic new series that I think everyone should pick up! Think Angels vs Demons meet Vampires vs Vampire Slayers, with a sweet romance, some totally kick ass action scenes and some excellently placed plot twists!!"

Happy Tales and Tails Blog - Part Two, April 18th

"I will say that the writing is effortlessly mind blowing. I could not put this entire series down. Once you’re hooked, you won’t either because it’ll eat you up not knowing what happened! And then you’ll pick a team like I did and you’ll fall in love with all the characters and you’ll want all the bad guys to die horribly! Just trust me when I say it really is your loss to miss out on this series! It’s a blaze of glory!"    

My Seryniti - April 19th 

"The only downside to this series, is that it ended. But the ending was beautiful."

Hooked In A Book - April 19th 

"You cannot go wrong with this first book in the amazing series! I am diving right into the next book and I can not wait to see what is in store for the trio!"

Book Broads - April 20th

"The series is awesome, I loved the pace, the action and romance, and the twists and turns."

Lunar Haven Reviews & Designs - April 22nd

"I recommend the Midnight Series for those of you who love vampires, paranormal romance and action all wrapped up into a great series of books."

Urban Girl Reader - April 23rd

"Kira isn’t a human girl who is one dimensional and in love with a vampire. She’s a well-thought out character who comes to life from the pages and steals into your heart. Read the books. Do it."

Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books - April 24th 

"We have some fun witty parts, some swoon worthy scenes, and also some sad parts that bring tears to your eyes."

The Solitary Bookworm - April 27th

"An action packed story with great fighting scenes in addition to having strong characters."

The LUV'NV - May

"If you're looking for a quick YA Paranormal read that's a good balance between romance and plot, focusing on a strong female and with a good cast, you might want to check The Midnight Fire series."

THANK YOU!!!!!

Coming soon on my blog -- a sneak peek at my new trilogy!! Just finished my first outline and I'm almost ready to share some ideas :)

SCORCH is out!!! And a very sincere THANK YOU!

First things first... SCORCH IS OUT!!!!! Woohoo!!!! 

If you're a Kindle user, here's an Amazon link: 

For everyone else, here's a link to download a compatible copy at Smashwords (I unfortunately have no control over the retailer distribution, but I will update you all when Scorch is available on B&N/Apple...)

But before I end this blog post (and go back to finalizing my blog tour interviews!), I really want to say thank you. 

On every other publication day, from Ignite to Blaze, I've been completely ecstatic--smily all day, jumpy with excitement, and generally hyper. But something was different with Scorch. Something I didn't really expect. I woke up sad, not completely depressed, but there was this sort of cloud hanging over my mood that I couldn't shake. And I tried--because I've been SO excited to share Scorch with you all--but nothing worked. Until I realized what the problem was--the Midnight Fire Series was completed. 

I've known for a long time that Scorch would mean the end of the series, but it never really hit me until today--I think I was ignoring it a little. Because I love this story, and I adore these characters, but most of all I am so truly grateful for all of the readers who have taken this journey with me.

So as soon as I saw that Scorch had gone live, I turned to you guys. I posted a note on my Facebook wall and here was the immediate response: 

So THANK YOU!! Thank you to everyone who has ever reached out to me and to everyone who has enjoyed my books from afar. Not only have you taken this amazing journey with me, but right when I was afraid that Scorch would mean the end, you reminded me that the Midnight Fire Series really is just the beginning.

I'll write more books, I'll invent new characters, but I hope that all of you will be with me for the long haul. 

Cheers to the future! It's going to be amazing! 

But for now, Scorch is on-sale and I truly hope you love it! 

Grab My Blog Buttons!!

I finally made series buttons!!! WOOHOO!!! If you have a blog or a website, I would love it if you grab my buttons using the codes on the side bar and share the love!!

Also... Scorch is out on Friday for Kindle and Smashwords!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!! 

Scorch Blog Tour and Teasers!!

Only a little under three weeks until Scorch is published!! Woohooooo!

In case you forgot, I'm working on a month-long blog tour launching on April 5th (same day that Scorch goes on-sale) to celebrate the entire series!

It'll be full of reviews, interviews, and--most importantly--guest posts! A few weeks ago, I asked my Facebook fans for guest post suggestions, and I got one response that really stuck--writing a scene from Luke and Tristan's point-of-views! 

So, there will be six guest posts (that I know of so far) and I will be taking three scenes from the beginning of Ignite and rewriting them from both Tristan and Luke's perspectives! I hope you enjoy! And if this is something you really love, I'm thinking of expanding it to some scenes from the other books as well! Stay tuned for a poll :)

But back to Scorch! I've been posting teasers on Twitter for the past few weeks, and I wanted to compile them for all of the fans who've been asking. So, without further ado, teasers!

"'Tristan?' She leaned forward, hanging on the unspoken words dancing on his lips…"

"Kira pulled up, or maybe Luke reached down, but within seconds she was wrapped in his sturdy arms..."

"Under the ripped wires and torn metal was a spot of blood—fresh, red and most definitely human."

"And Kira could read what it meant in his emerald green eyes, now alive with swirling flames."

"Hearing a crunch, Kira cried out in pain. Her body fell limp."

"I won't lose you like this, Kira. They're crazy."

"Kira looked behind her mother towards the house. It was on fire."

Don't forget, the entire first chapter is available to read on my Facebook page! And I'm hosting a huge 18 book giveaway on my blog right now! Just click here to enter!

I'll be updating everyone soon with a back-of-the-book description and hopefully a few more teasers :)

Thank you! Good night!!

Good Guys VS Bad Boys Massive Giveaway!!!

Scorch is ALMOST here!! The pub date (April 5th!!!) is a little over a month away and my favorite way to celebrate is to give things away for free! I mean, who doesn't get excited about free books?!

But this isn't just about free books--it's about the ultimate YA competition...it's about the good guys vs the bad boys! Why? Because just like Kira will finally have to make her choice--the lovable good guy Luke or the dreamy bad boy Tristan--I think my readers should make a choice too!

Keep reading for more details about the prizes and enter to win using the rafflecopter below! If for some reason the rafflecopter isn't show up (if you are reading this on goodreads, for example) just click this link to get to the entry page.

Good luck and may the best boy win!

       
   a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you haven't read my series, the first book IGNITE is completely freeeeeeeee! Download a copy and pick your team today! Here are some store links:

Amazon 
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
Sony
Smashwords

WOOHOO!!! Scorch is almost here!!!!

Thanks for entering and reading everyone!!

SCORCH Release Date!!!!

For the past couple of weeks, a ton of readers have been reaching out, begging for the release date of Scorch--and I don't want to keep you in suspense any longer!!

I've been writing like a crazy person, but I want to give myself enough time to edit and make this book as perfect of an ending as possible. So even if it's a little later than you might want...

the release date for Scorch is...

Friday, April 5th!!!!! 

Hopefully you all mark it down in your calendars and count the days for the new book! I'm currently scheduling a blog tour with Bewitching Book Tours, to launch that Friday and act as a month-long celebration of my series. I hope you all love the book and continue to check in for all of the giveaways, guest posts, interviews and more that will all be part of my tour!

Also, leading up to this date, I'm going to launch a Teaser Tuesdays to be hosted on my Twitter page! Follow me to get a new quote teaser from the book each week!

Thank you again to my amazing readers!!! I can't wait to share the book with you all!