Days Away! Look at the Prizes

The Deadly Kisses release date and tour is so close I can almost touch it. I didn't think I would ever see this day as it seemed so far away, but I blinked and here we are, now only days away. I have a great tour lined up for you! Come by daily to see where I'll be, go and visit and be sure to enter the ultimate swag giveaway! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOUR.

 
You could win all of this!
a Signed copy of the book
a Deadly Kisses pen and magnet
a bookmark
and and and
the biggie...a custom made necklace and charm bracelet made by me just for the book. Good luck!

Join the Tour and get a Free Book!

The release day for, Deadly Kisses, is just around the corner. I'm not counting down to March 5th or anything. If you would like to review the book, and join the tour, head on over to see Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours. CLICK HERE.  All you need to do is fill out the form, and you will receive an ARC. Thanks for all your support!

With much love,
Kerri

Finding People to Review Your Book and Tips

One month until the release of, Deadly Kisses! The countdown has started, and many things are happening behind the scenes. Right now, I'm at the stage where I need to send my story off to reviewers. It has me feeling nervous, and questions keep filling my head, making me doubt myself. It's important to believe in your story, and push those inner demons down, and just enjoy the publishing experience. It's to late to say "Don't publish my book!" So the only thing left to do is go with the flow, riding the waves of ups and downs. You need to remind yourself that everyone's tastes in books are different. Not everyone will like your story, but  others will love it.

As I reflect on the journey to publication, I'll tell you that I'm going to miss editing (I know, I'm weird). I enjoyed the process, and WiDo Publishing has been so wonderful to work with. Btw-I highly recommend them if you're considering a smaller press. Alas, my editing time has passed though. It's time to launch my book into the world. Off to reviewers it goes. *waves goodbye*

To find reviewers I recommend the website stepbystepselfpublishing.net. They have a fantastic list of reviewers listed with genres. You can also do a Google search on review lists. There are many.

How do you know a reviewer is right for you?

Research. Don't ask a reviewer to read your paranormal romance if they like to only read Thrillers. Time is precious and why waste it--for you and the person reading your e-mail.

Look for blogs that have a review policy. It will outline what to expect, and where they will post their review.  Many will want to join your book launch blog tour, and that will be included in their policy.

Personalize your e-mail instead of sending a mass e-mail. Reviewers do this for us authors out of their love for reading, and they don't get paid.

Don't be offended if a reviewer passes on your story. They're busy too, or maybe it just doesn't interest them. Move on to someone else.

Which leads me to...

What would I do different the next time I needed to send a book to a reviewer? I would start to find reviewers at least four months before I even get the ARC. Blog spaces fill up quickly (like super speed fast), and reviewers need time to read your book.

If this task seems daunting, another option would be to hire someone to organize a review tour for you. I'm using Xpresso Book Tours to help me out. CLICK HERE if you would like to be a part of the Deadly Kisses tour scheduled for April.

So as I wait for reviews to trickle in, I'm going to concentrate on others tasks-- like a launch party. Let the planning begin.

If anyone would like to add tips about finding reviewers, feel free to comment.

Cover Reveal for Moonlit by Jadie Jones and Interview

I'm so happy, and excited to be a part of the cover reveal for Jadie Jones, and her book Moonlit. Before I show you her cover though, Jadie was kind enough to answer some questions that I had for her.

1. What was your inspiration for Moonlit? I am kind of a nerd when it comes to being inspired. I love the way it feels to be moved by something, especially when it jumpstarts a scene/character idea. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a huge inspiration for me – both in high school and in Moonlit. I love a self-sufficient, resourceful leading lady. Images from “The Last Unicorn” wouldn't leave me alone until I let them show me where they fit into the story. I’m also tremendously inspired by music. So if a song starts playing in the proverbial background of a scene, I know I’m on to something. J

2. Your cover is absolutely gorgeous. Who designed it? The team at WiDo Publishing stunned me with this cover. I’m told that cover artist Steven Novak designed the cover, and that Allie, the submissions editor who I worked with during the submissions process, gave a ton of creative input. I am thrilled and humbled by their enthusiasm!

3. I know you go to horse shows. Can you tell us more about your experience with them?Growing up, I competed in a few local shows here and there, but showing is expensive. I worked to pay for a lot of my horse-related expenses, and showing was simply over-budget. Once I was in college, I rode/competed for two of the school’s traveling teams. I’m not a competitive person at heart though, and really enjoy working behind-the-scenes at shows. I prepped horses for shows on the “A” circuit, and have worked for several competitive farms in multiple capacities. Coaching is a fantastic fit, and being paid to ride is a nice bonus. I currently coach a high school team that competes in a league called the IEA. I think part of what sets this book apart is that it isn’t just a girl who loves horses, it’s a girl who is very involved in the industry. So the horse world is explored a bit more thoroughly than most YA books involving horses.

4. What was your journey to publication like? In a word: long. I started querying agents in March of 2012 and wasn't getting any bites. I got frustrated, so I put my manuscript and thoughts of publishing aside for a solid month. Then I took it back out and read it all in one sitting, and realized I had some serious work to do. Once the story was in the right place, I decided to query small publishers directly. That time, nearly all of them responded positively. WiDo has been awesome to work with. I feel like I have a whole team of people in my corner, rallying on my book. My editor and I developed a fantastic working relationship, and she helped me take my story to a whole new level.

5. Will there be a sequel to Moonlit? Yes! I am working on it right now. The journey takes a bit of a darker turn. Tanzy has to pay the piper for some decisions she made in Moonlit. And there are more fantastical elements at play, which has been a lot of fun to write.

6. What would you like us to know about your main character, Tanzy? I think something that comes across early on is that although Tanzy keeps her cards close, once you matter to her, you MATTER, and she’ll walk through fire for you.

7. Can you share a little snippet of Moonlit to give everyone a tease? Happy to! Here is the prologue for Moonlit (WiDo Publishing, 2013.)

                                                        Prologue

The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed.

I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn't say a word.

Great little snippet! I can't wait to read this.

Here are the links for pre-order
WiDo Publishing
Amazon
Goodreads

And now what you've been waiting for, the beautiful cover of Moonlit.

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

Author links:
Twitter
Facebook
Pintrest
Blog

Good luck Jadie, and thanks for stopping by today!