Author Appreciation Day #huganauthor

Susie Levine is hosting a great blog hop to celebrate authors! Why? Well, she realizes how important reviews are to authors. How without the ratings, without the few sentences from a happy reader, that it makes it harder for a new reader to come along and snatch up the book. Really! How many times have you seen a book on Amazon and not purchased it because it didn't have enough reviews?

Below, you'll find a link back to her original post and the sign-up code.

Make sure you write a review for a book you've read, loved, and never mentioned to your friends or family or Goodreads. Post it on your blog. On Amazon. On Shelfari. Wherever you like to rant and rave.

Authors are sometimes insecure and need of a pick-me-up. So hug them!

HUG AN AUTHOR - Susie Levine

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Rules for Reviews

I don't often post about writing. I usually refrain from offering unwarranted advice, unless you're close to me and I know something that will help you. Which is maybe what's going on here today. I know something that so many authors and writers do not, and I want to share this wisdom. I want to ease your suffering. I want to end world hunger . . . .

You really think I've gone too far?

Fine.

Ending world hunger would be nice, though.

So, what, you ask, could I possibly tell you that you don't already know? Nothing new, really, more like a way to cope with reviews. But while you may know that you have to cope, you don't know how to apply methods to ease the pain and obsession that comes with reviews.

For those of you who are unpublished, maybe you won't believe this will affect you. For those of you who only recently released a book, you probably think you'll get over this soon. Obsess about it for a week and move on.

Well, I'm here to tell you that unless you make a conscious effort to protect yourself, you're in for a long, bumpy road.

How do I think you should deal?

Thanks for asking!

A) Before and during writing a book, during submissions to publishers/agents, pretty much ALWAYS remember that you WRITE FOR YOU.

B) When you ask your mom what she thinks, your friends, your neighbors, coworkers, critique partners, agents, publishers, etc, do not let their response decide your happiness. Be happy with what you've written. The rest is just a way to make it better. (This also goes along with part a.)

C) Reviews are for readers, not writers. While I do believe there is something that can be learned from reading reviews, if you cannot read a negative one and walk away from it with a smile on your face, then DON'T READ THEM AT ALL.

D) Do not waste time scouring Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Google, for updated ratings and reviews of you and your book. You are a writer. SO WRITE. You want to make money at this? You will not make money staring at sales rankings. You will not make money crying over mediocre reviews.

E) Do not judge your worth as an author by an average rating. So what if your rating is 3.5 overall? Not everyone gets it right every time. Someone believed in you and took a chance with your book. Is that the last one you'll ever write? Only if all you do is cry over your "dismal" success. JUST KEEP WRITING.

F) If you feel you MUST read these things, then make sure you're wearing your Wonder Woman panties (or Superman, I don't discriminate). Make sure you have a support group. Make sure you take all of my above rules into account.

You will get through this, and it will be easier if you shut down to these things and JUST KEEP WRITING.

Written with all the love in my heart,

<3 Krystal

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You Have a Visitor #indielicious

Hey, guys. Sorry I missed my post last week. My family and I have been working tirelessly on our garden and backyard chickens. Yep, you heard me right. We're raising backyard chickens. To be fair, we have three acres. So . . . I'll post pictures of the cute little babies sometime soon.

Anyway, last teaser post I left you in Derick's POV. This week we're back in Abby's. She's home from the hospital . . . and maybe a little bored, and Derick just called her.

Enjoy!

~"Listen, your dad called me—"

"What?" I nearly dropped the phone. If my dad called Derick, it couldn't be for anything good.

"Calm down. He basically said if I break your heart, he'll break me."

"I'm going to kill him—"

"Your father loves you, Abigail. But he also said if I want to spend time with you, to stay near the house, or always keep you in my sight. I guess rescuing you earned me some bonus points." I heard him grinning through the receiver. "I think we should stay away from the woods for a while."

"But—"

"It's not safe, not while those guys are still out there." His blinker went off again.

"Where are you?"

Derick laughed, warm and comforting and incredibly sexy. "In your driveway."~

I love these two kids. :-) So sweet.

Make sure you check out all the other awesome Indie-Licious talent!

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Colour Wielders #newrelease

The time has FINALLY come for my good friend and critique partner Dawna Raver's book to come out. I've seen so many different versions of this story that I'm going to have to read the whole book again before I can review it, and that's just fine with me because ARIK is HOT!

Sorry, girls, he's mine!

Anyway, you've all seen the cover, right? Well, now you've seen it again. You can buy this baby on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and I'm pretty sure there are other places as well. Dawna was kind enough to sit down with Arik (yumm) and interview him for this blog, so I'll let you start reading that now!


Dawna Raver: Hi Arik. Long time no see.

(I say this trying to keep my tongue from lolling out of my mouth. The man is hot in his tight, black T-shirt and jeans. The energy radiating from him comes to me in colorful hues. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.)

Arik Morgaine: I've been busy. Very busy.

Dawna Raver: I'm sure. I appreciate you taking time to speak with me.

Arik Morgaine: Hmph.

(He rolls his tourmaline-blue eyes, exasperated, but I can't help but swoon.)

Dawna Raver: So, you said you've been busy. What's going on?

Arik Morgaine: Things you couldn't possible grasp, being Mortal and all.

(He says the word Mortal with a sneer as he leans forward, staring me down. His Irish/Swedish accent sends shivers across my skin.)

Dawna Raver: Hmm. Well, Mortal or not, how about you enlighten me anyway.

(I stare right back at him. Gorgeous Demigod or not, I refuse to be intimated.)

Arik Morgaine: (He sighs.) Things are going down. Unexpected things. Things that shouldn't be happening.

Dawna Raver: Oh you mean like the Changeling coming back?

(Arik stiffens at the mention of the Changeling.)

Arik Morgaine: How do you know about that?

Dawna Raver: (I smile.) I have my ways.

(Considering me, he rubs his chin with hand, and one, long finger brushes over the sexy cleft in his chin.)

Arik Morgaine: The Establishment, I expect.

Dawna Raver: No, not the Establishment. But I did speak with King Finn Bheara the other day. He sends
his love.

Arik Morgaine: Ha! I'm sure. There's no love lost there. I refuse to bow to him and his two cronies until
they come clean. Admit to what's going on under their noses.

Dawna Raver: One of those cronies is your father, Týr, the infamous War God?

Arik Morgaine: Yeah. And your point?

Dawna Raver: No point. So, have you heard from your mother, Mor—?

(He stands abruptly, and scowls down at me.)

Arik Morgaine: Do. Not. Say. Her. Name.

(I hold up my hands and look around nervously. Arik sits back down.)

Dawna Raver: Oh, okay. Um, are you afraid she might hear us?

Arik Morgaine: No. I'd just like to go a day without being reminded of who my mother is. Thankfully, I
favor my father.

Dawna Raver: Well, except for your widow's peak.

(He runs his hand through his hair, and grimaces.)

Arik Morgaine: Yeah. Are we about done here? I have places to be, things to do.

Dawna Raver: Sure. Just one more question. Have you heard anything about the Princess? Checked up on
her? I hear your old friend Devin MacGregor is staying at her house.

Arik Morgaine: She is less than nothing to me, and he more so. This interview is over.

(He growls and waves his hand, disappearing from sight. I suck in a surprised breath.)

Dawna Raver: Was it something I said? Darn. I wanted to ask him about his Colours. Well, maybe next
time.

I pull out a bottle of tequila and pour myself a shot. I'd hoped to do one with Arik, but he was kind of grumpy. Seriously, he has a lot on his plate to deal with. His mother alone is scary enough. No wonder he's grumpy. Oh, and don't ask me to name her. Because she might be listening, and I don't want to incur her wrath.

I take the shot then go in search of Quinn Sinclair. Hopefully, she's in a much better mood.

Krystal: Well, that ended rather abruptly. We'll have to try catching up with Arik again soon . . . maybe in the book!

Dawna has a great giveaway going on, so make sure you check out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cover Reveal Time!

I love cover reveals! And this one is by fellow Curiosity Quills author, Katie Hamstead.

And look at those eyes! :-)

KIYA releases April 30th, so make sure you add it to your Goodreads TBR pile!

Blurb: To save her younger sisters from being taken to the cruel life of the palace, Naomi intervenes and gives herself to be a wife of the erratic Pharaoh Akhenaten.

In the palace, Naomi finds herself thrust into the intrigues of the royal family, and has her name changed to Kiya. She becomes beloved by the Pharaoh, who declares that she will bear him his heir. But the Great Queen Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Naomi and even brings her fidelity into question, which could cost Naomi her very life.

Naomi must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. And if she does bear an heir, she will have to fight to protect him as well as herself from Nefertiti who is out for blood.

If you want to stalk Katie Hamstead while you're waiting for this book to hit shelves, visit her HERE.

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The Raven Boys #review

I know you've all heard me rave about Maggie Stiefvater. She is an amazing author, and while I'm not always 100% satisfied with all her books, I AM enthralled with them. Maggie's voice is so strong, so poetic and magical. The Raven Boys was no different. She has this soft way of telling a story, and I will gladly read everything she writes.

Now that I've raved a bit about her...the book.

The Raven Boys started out slow for me. I had trouble settling into the POV shifts between the characters, at first. But as I pressed on, this beautiful world unfolded before my eyes and I was left wanting to devour. Unfortunately, I've been really busy this week so it seems it took me forever to actually, you know, devour.

Blue is the daughter of a psychic, and every psychic she's ever met has told her that if she kisses a boy, her true love, he will die. Pretty grim, right? You'd think Blue would be raving mad and kicking things to protest this horrible fate, but she handles is pretty well. 

Even when she and an "aunt" are monitoring the Corpse Road and she sees--yay! because Blue doesn't possess psychic abilities--a young guy her age passing through. Blue finds out his name (Gansey) and knows this must be him, the boy she's destined to kiss and kill, and now that she's seen him on the Corpse Road, she knows he'll be dead within a year.

Gansey, having a strange interest in all things magical, was out monitoring spiritual activity on that same night, and he has the conversation with Blue on tape, though he remembers none of it.

When the two meet, it's definitely not love at first sight. Heck, I'm not even sure it's friendship. But their worlds collide, and Blue and Gansey, while nothing romantic happens between them, work together toward his unusual goal of finding a dead king on a magical line. But they're not the only ones after magic and wishes and freedom. And what started out as a simple search turns into a game of solving murders, wondering who's after them, and being betrayed by those they thought were close.

There were very powerful undertones in this book, tones that I appreciate greatly in young adult literature. I applaud Maggie for this, but I cannot tell you what they are. You must read this yourself. :-)

Solid 4 Stars!

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Things That Make Me Go . . . Sqeeeee!

Okay. I'm a huge, HUGE, fan of The Hunger Games trilogy. I adore the world Suzanne Collins created--no, I don't think killing people is great, but I do believe she captured our current world of 24/7 media perfectly, and she captured what thirst for power and image does to people--and I love Katniss. She's incredible.

So, when I saw the trailer released for Catching Fire, I paused, held my breath, turned up my speakers, and leaned forward . . . then I OMG'd a few times.

Why? Because the producers and directors have done it again . . . they captured these books perfectly. I just know it.

Now, I leave you with the trailer.

<3 Krystal

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Friends & Lovers Trilogy

To promote the release of the Friends & Lovers Trilogy, Bethany Lopez is giving away a Nook, an autographed skin for the Nook, and an autographed paperback of Friends & Lovers. Enter through the Rafflecopter, and earn more chances to win by following everyone who is participating in the promo on Twitter!

Friends & Lovers is Make it Last, I Choose You, and Trust in Me, and includes a bonus ending for each couple.

Check out the Awesome cover by  Allie B Books

You can buy Friends & Lovers here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bethany Lopez

Friends & Lovers Trilogy/Stories About Melissa Series

IAN

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And I Ran . . .

I ran so far away. What? Is that song not stuck in your head now, too?

My job here is done.

Not really.

Yesterday I decided to go for a run. No, zombies weren't chasing me. No, the neighbor's house wasn't on fire. No, I haven't actually lost my mind . . .

Yet.

But the sun sat low on the horizon, the sky still a pale shade of blue. Birds flew from tree to tree, singing while hunting bugs—

Sick of all that yet?

I thought so.

Anyway, back in February, the hubster must have pushed his iPad in my face every day, showing me pictures of P90X2 and all those assholes who say they’ve had three kids—or more—and look like . . . well, they look downright amazing.

After a few weeks of this, I caved. "Buy the damn thing."

We're not getting any younger. We're not getting any skinnier, especially when I plop my flat (yes, I said flat) ass down on the couch every night to write books you people like to read. (I love you.)

And I'm so glad I said yes (especially to marrying him—he's awesome) and we decided to make these changes in our lives. Sure, we work out five days a week. My knees hurt. My elbows hurt. My body aches. But at the same time, I feel stronger, alive, more alert, healthier, proud of what I see in the mirror—on most days.

To top it all off, I'm trying things I haven't done in years . . . like running. I used to love it, but I told myself I couldn't move that fast anymore. My body couldn't handle it.

Pfft. I'm 32 years old. I'm not giving up on life. I'm not caving and sitting on my ass the rest of my life. I'm not old. I hope I never grow "old".

So let this be a message to you: GET OFF YOUR ASS AND ENJOY LIFE.

Now.

Because tomorrow, it could all be over.

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Call This Dude A Taxi! #indielicious

Happy Sunday! I've spent the week with my children, playing at theme parks, playing outside, watching movies, being bored, reading books, editing books . . . you get my drift. I've LOVED this week.

Also, I have super amazing news. BUT . . . I can't share it yet. Hehehe. I know I'm cruel. You still love me.

Onto my teaser from Shattered Secrets. We are picking up EXACTLY where we left off last week. Why? Because, as I said last week, I adore Derick. And this scene between him and Mark is one of my favorites.

Hope you enjoy!

~Mark laughed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as if he heard the funniest joke ever—and he was an eighty-year-old who didn't care how stupid he looked. "I see my words have soaked in. You think you know her so well, how come you don't believe she'll be angry? She did slam the door in your face the other night."

"Poor timing." My palm throbbed from the keys cutting into me. Abigail wouldn't forgive me easily, or not at first. But not because I couldn't tell her. No. Telling her would make her think I needed a shrink and enjoyed playing cruel jokes on the people I loved. That's what she'd be mad about: the truth. Period. "If you're not here to taunt, what do you want?"

"A ride."

"Excuse me?" I'd rather drive over Mark than drive him anywhere. "Do you see Taxi written on the side of my car?"

He actually looked out into the parking lot. "No, but it might be appropriate for you to add it. Dad says wherever the two of you go, I go, too."~

Well, boys and girls, things are heating up! Don't you love it? :-)

Make sure to visit all the other super-amazing authors who participate in this blog hop!

<3 Krystal

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What's in My Mail?

This is for you PK Hrezo, and for everyone else who wants a good laugh.

Enjoy the video!

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