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Consistency is key. The more often you post to social media, the better, but even if it's just one post every two days, it's something I can look for as a reader. Something to make me think--I wonder if X is okay, they usually post on Wednesdays and I haven't seen them in awhile.
Something that makes you a constant in someone's world is great. And even if your social media is like mine--cute dog videos, memes, and generally just stuff that can make you happy--it's noise. But sometimes listening to that noise and even adding to it with your own posts, is too much. By now, it's well known that authors work all of the time. Not just at writing stories, but in converting their presence into a small business, whether they intend to or not. Their social media posts, the conventions they go to, the hunt for covers and editors, and even stepping away from the keyboard to go outside and snort a line of pollen off their lawn furniture, it's all part of the process. And it's all noise. Even when they go outside to "rest"--because it's all of the pressure on that break. That break is supposed to stop you from burning out. It's a break to prevent your mind from racing, your soul from being tired, your back from being tense, your stomach from being in knots, a break from checking your phone constantly... That's a lot to expect from standing outside with the bugs for five minutes and realizing you need to cut grass. I don't know if real weekends ever existed. I've always been guided by off-beat people--people that worked for themselves, or people with a guilt complex over their 1950's lifestyles, who made up for the whole house wife routine, by working three times as hard to prove their worth. This led to literal broken backs (fractured vertebrae) and a litany of health problems. That being said--I know how bad it is to go and go and go and go without a break. And most authors do this. I do this. I get angry at myself when I can't do this, because that's falling behind from doing what I want to do, a.k.a., all of the things all of the time. I wish I could wave a magic wand and prevent burnout, I really do. I would definitely use it on a few of my authors, and more than a few swipes at myself. Okay, more than a few swipes at myself. I'd be a magic wand addict, but I digress... There's no one thing I know that will stop burn out. Not if you go down to some water and stare at it for half an hour. Not if you sit in the yard. Not if you meditate in the bedroom. There are no guarantees, but I recommend you try something. Try it repeatedly. And be kind to yourself. Consistency is key in more than just sales and posting, consistency is the key to keep from falling apart.
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Welcome to the world, Paradox!We're so glad to help welcome into the world the latest in Michelle Schad's Beyond Human Series. Paradox is book three of the series featuring her anti-hero superheroes--because what's a hero without a troubled past and a shade of gray or two? Check out the video and the book below! All of the hugs, Michelle! Wish we could be with you at Raven Con, while you sign all of those books! Mud & Echo  Time is being manipulated. The strands that hold the multiverse together are being cut and resewn into something new, something wrong. Nat and Zoe Amadour refuse to stand helplessly while the world is rebuilt in their parents’ vision - perfect Evolved, perfect children, and unlimited power while television broadcasts 24/7 news coverage of horrors committed by the rampaging “villians,” Hellfire and Crush. The twins know they’re anything but the monsters portrayed, even as the two Evolved "villains", tear apart the world in search of revenge. If the world is to survive, the Amadour twins will have to step into the arena of time and space, and face off with their parents to undo the wrong they’ve created. But to do that, they’ll need a very dead AEC agent. Can they mend the multiverse? Or will their deaths be sewn into the new tapestry of life that their parents created?
Want to check out the rest of the series? Find it here. About the Author: From a young age, there have been voices inside of Michelle’s head. No, not those kinds of voices – or, maybe they are; who really knows? Rather than fear those voices, Michelle wrangled them like wild mustangs on the prairie, make each one bend to her will in its own time. Well, what does that mean?
It means that Michelle has been writing stories of the fantastic, the horrific, and the mysterious for as long as her little fingers have been able to hold a pen and probably longer, but memory only goes back so far. In a world that passes for ‘normal’, she is all of the ‘normal’ things one might expect: mother, wife, keeper of fur-babies. She is also a student of life, meaning if there is something to learn, she will learn it, thus making her a veritable font of only partially useful knowledge. The whimsy and ChAoS that actually controls the rest of Michelle’s existence has earned her a place in two different arenas so far: Bards and Sages Quarterly and Corrugated Sky Publishing. While wielding the unwieldiness of words is her primary function, she is also an avid crafter, collector of “creepy” ball-jointed dolls, and can run through a Target in under an hour with only two extra items from her intended list. Talent! You can find more about her on her website at https://tamingchaos.net/ Congratulations, Contestants!This week on InD'tale, they've open up voting for a section of the RONE Awards featuring a lot of our authors as finalists. Yes. Obviously the competition is incredible and putting a poor little promotions woman in a tight spot. You see, while you can vote once a day (which is freaking awesome), the thing that gives this poor little promotions woman a stomach full of acid is this: you can only vote for one book, per section. Noo!! *sobs* I think we need protests signs for the cruelty of making us choose. I want them all to win, darn it! If you want to check out the sweet misery that's taking this week (voting is only open from April 25-May 1st), you'll have to sign-up on the InD'tale and verify your email and then you can vote. Here's the link if you want to check it out now and get voting: https://indtale.com/2022-rone-awards-week-three-april-25-may-1 Want to check out a few of the books and see if they'd be your speed? Check out below. (Note, we're just showcasing the books from authors we've promoted.) Paranormal Long1. Flash Point Banish the demon, stop the prophecy, and do not fall in love. Easy, right? Yeah, not so much. Mina Donovan is a woman of many talents. Fire elemental, psychic, Legacy witch, magical asset for an FBI paranormal task force…she does it all. Her latest struggle? Not crushing on her sexy best friend. Logically, she knows they can’t be together. Too bad her heart has never bothered with logic. The friend zone is the last place pyro expert Josh wants to be with Mina. Not that he has any choice in the matter. A witch hunter falling for a witch? Not smart. He’ll just have to learn to ignore his attraction to the gorgeous woman who already owns so much of his heart. If Mina and Josh have any hope of finding their way to happily ever after, they’ll have to banish an all-powerful demon and take down an evil magical organization. Oh, and they’ll also have to figure out how to stop the prophecy that warns a dragon will consume Mina. It’ll take more than magic to fix this supernatural dilemma. If you like Michelle M. Pillow, Abigail Owen, K.F. Breene, or K.M. Shea, check out this series that readers have described as a steamy Charmed meets Lucifier with witch sisters solving murder mysteries and finding true love. 2. The Assassin and the Libertine The fate of France itself is at stake if these sworn enemies cannot change their ways—and their hearts. Daphne de Duras is a proper French duchess by day and fledgling assassin by night. Her latest mission is to dispatch justice and protect the French aristocracy by executing Étienne de Noailles, disgraced former noble, legendary rake, and vampire emissary to the court of King Louis XV. But Étienne’s alleged crime—the gruesome murder of Madame de Pompadour, the King’s mistress and Daphne's friend—doesn’t quite fit the dashing vampire’s nature. With his immortal days suddenly numbered, Étienne needs to convince his would-be executioner not only of his innocence, but that they should hunt the real killer together—a challenge almost as difficult as convincing himself that he isn’t falling for her. Daphne reluctantly agrees to a temporary partnership when Étienne persuades her that something more sinister is afoot. He can, after all, help her find answers in places she’s unable to go alone. And despite her deep loathing for any and all vampires, she can't help but start thinking of a few other places she'd like to go with him. 3. Agent Zero He owns the spotlight, she lives in the shadows. VEE: My only purpose? Keep lethal cryptids in check, and our Company existence secret. Sometimes a girl needs a night of karaoke and tequila though. Instead, after a vicious new cryptid species crashes the party, I end up saving and carting home a way arrogant, way hot chef. With Bruce Kantor now a temporary roommate it seems like the perfect time to indulge my forbidden civilian fascination—especially the friends-with-benefits part. But the feelings he ignites threaten my oath and mission. BRUCE: Damn right I’m the bad boy of the culinary world. I live for the limelight, and the legions of #BruceTheBastard fans love my temper as much as my food. After stomping out of one high-profile gig, all I’m looking for are directions to my next. What I get is a giant Komodo Dragon-wannabe, and Vee Ramirez, the most infuriatingly irresistible woman to ever hit my radar. Even if we survive the relentless monster on my trail, our future is toast unless I can convince Vee there’s more to life than the Company. Welcome to Region Two. And Finally...One of our authors is without guilt-worthy competition! I can vote without sweating! Behold! Science Fiction/Time Travel On this deep space pleasure cruise, love is in the recycled air.
Sunastara Jeka is passionate about two things: (1) meeting the needs of the varied species who holiday aboard her interstellar pleasure cruise during the day, and (2) avoiding attachments when the occasional guest meets her needs at night. Sunny’s life is simple, straightforward, and safe until a former one-night stand becomes her newest crew member. Freddie has never forgotten that night with Sunny. He’s ecstatic to see her again, until she tells him she never dates her coworkers. Determined not to lose this confident, sexy, hysterical woman again, Freddie bides his time, pursuing a purely professional relationship with Sunny when they’re on the clock, while he slowly charms her senseless after hours. As Sunny breaks her own rules about workplace romance, her tragic past and a heartbreaking betrayal thrust her orderly life into chaos. When a hostile species holidays aboard the ship, endangering VIP guests and even the known universe, Sunny and Freddie must decide. Will they let the gravity of their pasts keep them apart, or risk it all for love and fight for their future together? Content Warning: Prior to the events of this book, the main character lost a child. She continues to process this loss throughout this story I'm sorry to have to report that the blog tour for Agent of Chaos is being rescheduled from May to June 6-10, due to a loss in the family. Our hearts go out to Janet and her family. No words can express our condolences. Agent of Chaos, is still scheduled to be published on April 30, 2022. If you would like to be part of the newly scheduled blog tour, please sign-up here: https://forms.gle/BqFikrGqeHf8zt526 Below is a little more about the book. Thank you to everyone that has signed up for the tour and, if you need to work out a plan to better fit your blog, contact Echo at psstpromotions@gmail.com and we'll make it happen. All the hugs, and our condolences to the Walden-West family. Love, Echo & Mud  About the book:About the Book: Liv: I have to be perfect. Perfect agent. Perfect Commanding Officer. Follow every rule to the letter, since HQ already expects my new ragtag team to crash and burn. With the cryptid situation pushing my bare-bones team to its limits, I don’t need a stray civilian whose goal seems to be getting himself killed on my watch. Marshall throws himself between people and danger like his life doesn’t matter. Except, for some reason, he matters to me. Even if the giant redhead’s touch reminds me I’m more than my Command position, how can I risk his life and my team’s chance at success just for the sake of my happiness? Marshall: All I ever do is screw up. With jobs. With people. Especially with people. Definitely with the crazy-beautiful superhero-soldier who takes down my vampire boss—who, no, I didn’t know was a vampire. Ending up in her custody, at a secret base full of other perfect super-soldiers? Custom-made opportunity for me to mess something up. But Liv sees through my weirdness to the real me. Now, I’ve gotta show her rules are made to be broken and that while she’s protecting everyone else, I’ll be protecting her. This time, screwing up isn't an option. Trained from birth to defend humanity, the members of Company Alpha Cryptid Containment are the best of the best at what they do--protecting Region Two from that which goes bump in the night. But protecting their hearts? That's a whole different story. Publication date : April 30, 2022 Language : English Check it out on Amazon: mybook.to/AgentChaos  About the Author:Janet Walden-West lives in the Southeast with a pack of show dogs, a couple of kids, and a husband who didn’t read the fine print. A member of the East Tennessee Creative Writers Alliance, she is also a founding member of The Million Words craft blog. She pens inclusive Contemporary Romance and Urban Fantasy. As a two-time Pitch Wars alum turned Pitch Wars 2019 Mentor, Sherrilyn Kenyon scholarship recipient, and Golden Heart® finalist, she believes in paying it forward by supporting burgeoning Southern writers.
She is represented by Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary Agency. www.janetwaldenwest.weebly.com Congratulations, Lily Riley! We're so glad we finally get the chance to show off your gorgeous cover. If you like historical romances that merge with fantasy, then this is a MUST READ.  The murder of a marquis, an accidental kidnapping, an elite vampire death squad, and a beast stalking the French countryside? All in a day’s work for a member of the les Dames Dangereuses. As the most enviable comtesse of the tonne, Charlotte de Brionne was almost satisfied with her wealth, power, and rather tepid marriage, until her murderous husband betrayed her. Now she has seized the chance to make a more adventurous start with les Dames Dangereuses, an order of women spies in service to the French crown. But her latest assignment is rudely interrupted when she is kidnapped by a crossbow-wielding madman, who turns out to be not at all mad only rather surly and annoyingly handsome. Lieutenant Antoine de Valle has no idea what to make of the exasperating, untrustworthy, and frustratingly beautiful woman he’s suddenly saddled with, but his honor demands he see Charlotte safely home. Especially since it’s his fault she accidentally witnesses his murder of a marquis, ends up on the wrong end of a brutal vampire death squad, and barely survives an encounter with the Beast of Gévaudan. In fact, the more Antoine tries to keep Charlotte safe, the more trouble they find themselves in. And the harder it is for Antoine to remember his honor in the face of Charlotte’s dangerous charms.
Want to help spread the word about The Agent and the Outlaw when it releases? Sign-up to be part of the blog tour here. Want sneak peeks at the latest from Lily Riley? Sign up for her book group Lily's Library.  About the Author:Lily Riley is a romance novelist currently focused on historical paranormal books that feature a little bit of cheek and a lot of steam.
Her debut novel, The Assassin and the Libertine, publishing under the Mystic Owl imprint of City Owl Press, comes out October 14, 2021. When Lily isn’t writing about dreamy supernatural beings in 18th century France, she enjoys sipping champagne, eating cake, and dancing naked by the light of the full moon. Find out more about her on social media or on her website at www.lilyriley.com |
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