A Post of Thanks - 10 (Shallow) Reasons I'm Happy This Holiday Season

I recently shared in a post how I've been struggling with writing and how grateful I am to have amazing fans. Since it's Thanksgiving, I want to go one step further and list ten things I am currently grateful to have in my life on this holiday of thanks. These are things that go beyond friends, family, and fans, because I feel it goes without saying that I feel blessed and cannot imagine my life without them. Plus those are things of importance and the list I'm about to provide is shallow and petty, but makes me smile nonetheless. So here they are, in no particular order:

1. X-Files reboot. The original series is in my top three TV shows of all time and since the first movie was release, my fingers are always crossed that Chris Carter will give us more. I'm a little annoyed because they're hinting that Scully and Mulder are no longer a couple, but I refuse to accept that they would permanently separate a couple of such epic proportions.

2. New Foo Fighters album. Most of my fans know by now that I freaking ADORE Dave Grohl and crew so much that I recently got a tattoo with the band's logo. This past Monday they surprised fans with an EP containing five new songs they're giving away for free. If you're a fan of music, I suggest you check out their new EP because they're a group of really sweet guys who are also hilarious and know how to rock.

3. Beta reading awesome books. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Kate L. Mary after I fangirled her on Goodreads. Now that she's convinced I'm not a crazy stalker, we've become friends. And when you're an author who is friend with another author, you often get the opportunity to read advanced copies of their work. As Kate is the author of my favorite zombie series, it was better than Christmas when I found her latest masterpiece waiting in my inbox. I know I'm always going on about her Broken World series, but honestly, peeps. If you're into The Walking Dead, you HAVE TO read this series. While it only vaguely reminds me of TWD, the plots and characters are fresh, and there's even a bit of romance involved. The series is available on Kindle Unlimited, and book 5 comes out next Monday! While you're at it, check out her award winning book While We Were Human.

4. Awesome beta readers. I finally finished the first draft of Paranormal Guardians, the sequel to Paranormal Keepers, and sent it off to the hands of some very capable beta readers. In the meantime I'm working on another rewrite of book 3, though that likely won't be released until some time in March. I'm very passionate about this series and cannot wait to share it with my readers! If you haven't read the first book, it's available on Kindle Unlimited.

5. New Stephen King book. I've been a fan of the master of horror for 30-some years and I'm always crazy excited when he releases something new. I have a small bookshelf that seems to be in serious distress from holding all my hardcover editions of his work. At the rate he's going, I figure one day I'll have to devote the entire bookcase to his work. I'm especially pumped for The Bazaar of Bad Dreams because even though I adore the man, some of his books tend to get a bit too long winded and I always think his best work has been in short stories. Even though the book has been out for awhile now, I don't plan on reading it until I'm on a beach in January (which brings us to #6).

6. Vacations. Living in Minnesota is akin to living in the tundra. Our winters are miserably cold, often dipping below zero with a wind chill in the double digitis, and the roads are scary as hell 85.9% of the time. As someone who is considerably fair-weathered, the only way I can survive the long, harrowing months is to know at least for a few days during the season I'll get to put my toes in the sand somewhere warm and read a good book. There's no feeling like it. My favorite part about going somewhere warm is taking a catamaran out to play in the water. Even though we just recently had our first snowfall, I'm beyond ready to pack my bags and get the heck out of here.

7. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. I'm planning to see the highly anticipated finale of the young adult series this weekend with my family. Although I enjoy the movies far more than the books (yeah, I said it), I'm ready for the story to be over. As much as I adore Jennifer, I'm ready for Katniss to go away and live her happily ever after.

8. Teens with a driver's license. I realize having a child on the road will be stressful, but my daughter will have her license in just over a month (she even already passed the test!) and I'm dreaming of all the times I won't have to drive her into town. But it makes me sad knowing she'll have more of a social life than ever.

9. Untraditional holidays. With our adult children spread out and a few of them holding down unusual work hours, it's not as easy to get together for the holidays. Accordingly, our new Thanksgiving tradition has evolved into swimming, doing a little shopping, and a movie afterwards. Honestly, I adore it. My childhood memories of going to my grandparents' and meeting with the cousins over the holidays is something I'll always cherish, but times have changed considerably and our little family is just as unique as our new tradition. (I guess that's a nice way of saying we're weird.)

10. Red Bull. I know it's bad for you, but it's my one big vice these days and it enables me to function instead of drinking coffee, something I cannot stand. There are days when I'm sure I wouldn't be able to write a single word without it. As may times as I've tried to quit the stuff, I've come to accept it's one thing I can't do without.

That's it, folks. Hope all my fans in the US have an amazing holiday and have plenty to be thankful for, both important and shallow.

SUMMER SALE!

★✩★SUMMER SALE!! ★✩★

Happy "official" summer and, oh yeah, I HAVE EXCITING NEWS!

This week (6/9/14-6/16/14) only, each of my 7 YA paranormal romance books will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble for just 99 cents each! So be sure to fill your eReader for the summer months ahead before they return to $2.99!

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

It's Here: PARANORMAL KEEPERS COVER REVEAL!!

It seems I've had the idea of this cover in my head for so long that this is the most excited I've ever been about a reveal! Props to the magical Najla for coming up with a perfect representation of my vision, and a special shout out to the stunning Ashleigh Campbell for agreeing to be my model!

Release date: March 4, 2014

Model Photography: Jen Naumann

Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs

Publisher: Phantom Owl Press

Link to book: Goodreads

Everyone thinks Harper Young killed her boyfriend. No one will say it to her face, but the signs are everywhere.

It’s almost been a year since Gavin was torn from Harper’s arms and brutally murdered. The police wrote it off as a freak accident, deciding Harper’s strange testimony was given under duress. But she knows something unnatural was involved and refuses to stop looking until she finds his killer, even if it means her reputation as a senior is ruined. Even if it means there really are monsters living among us.

With the discovery of the mothmen, witches, vampires and all the creatures she always suspected were out there, Harper finds herself amidst a complex bundle of unseen heroes who call themselves "Keepers", sworn to keep the secret of the paranormal creatures that walk this earth. As she tries to understand what’s so special about her that she’s able to break an old Keeper law, Harper has a baffling vision of kissing a mysterious guy before a blade is brought down on him. Before she can get a handle on her future, she becomes central to a battle between the questionable “heroes” and the evil she’s been training to fight, leaving her to wonder if there’s any way to change the fate that has been foretold before it’s too late.

PARANORMAL PALOOZA GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the arrival of 2014 and thank all of you—my beautiful, fun, amazing followers—some of my favorite authors and I have donated digital copies of our (YA and NA) paranormal books to create a giveaway of eleven thrilling books you won't want to put down!

INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY:

ONE and TWO by LeighAnn Kopans: When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak. It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover. If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

 

INTO THE DEEP and HIDEN BENEATH by Lauryn April: Ivy Daniels is a high school junior still learning who she is. After almost drowning, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out whose secret is that they’re planning to blow up her school, or will she fail to find him in time? Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart.

 

THE AWAKENING & OTHER STORIES and BENEATH MANHATTAN SKIES by Emma Meade: Put on the kettle, close the curtains and curl up by the fire. Dive into 8 short tales, each with a slice of the paranormal.

Ghost Story - Who is the shadow in the window of the abandoned house, and what or who is he waiting for?
The Awakening - It's time for Sabrina to wake up and face the light.
End of the Line - Cassie wants to die. When midnight rolls around, she stands on the tracks waiting for the train to come.
Milsa Loris - The once magnificent kingdom of Milsa Loris comes alive one night each winter. The King's witch is brewing up a little magic, sure to make the soup all the tastier.
The Old Vampire - Hailey spent her life dreaming of a dark prince falling in love with her. He never showed up, until now.
The Knocking - Alison's grandfather has one eye on the next life. After all, he's heard a lot of rapping at his door lately.
The Boy on the Beach - Kate's grandmother warns her about the boy with the green eyes. Will she pay heed?
Snowglobes- It's busy at Calvin's Cabins this Christmas. Eddie and Maggie are a young couple in trouble. Not to fear, Calvin is always ready to lend a hand.

 

THE DAY ZOMBIES RUINED MY PERFECTLY BORING LIFE and THE TIME ZOMBIES BECAME THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES by Jen Naumann: Emma Ferdig has heard the term “life sucks, then you die”, but she never knew she was supposed to take it quite so literally.

It’s senior year. Emma should be looking forward to escaping her mundane small town, and going on to college—finally. Her biggest worries should be the fact that she’s feeling something more for her life-long best friend Finn, and how she’s going to make things happen between them. But all her plans for a less-sucky future go out the window with the discovery of a seriously creepy woman in her backyard. As it turns out, zombies are real.

In the first book of the Boring Life Series, Emma’s life is turned upside down as she’s forced to leave everything behind, running off with Finn and a group of extremely odd misfits that include Finn’s jackhole brother Cash, and his unorthodox girlfriend Marley. In an instantaneous journey across the Midwest, they’ll learn horrifying secrets, trust the wrong people, and make deadly mistakes. As they do all then can to try and survive the impending apocalypse, Emma will realize that maybe her painfully boring life hadn’t been such a bad thing, after all.

 

HEART WAVES, BREAKING WAVES, and WAVES OF LOVE by Danielle Sibarium: Jenna Kingsley has a gift. She knows things. With a simple touch she can pick up personal information from jewelry or objects. While at a neighbor's party, a voice mesmerizes her. Jenna is momentarily frozen as a ring is placed in her hand. White electricity surges through her and a dire prediction is made. "It's like Romeo and Juliet. You're going to break my heart." From the moment they meet, Jenna is enchanted and entranced with Reece Walton. She's thrilled to learn he's spending the summer two houses away from hers. Every moment they spend together is magical. But she can't get the prediction out of her mind. As the summer draws to a close and secrets are revealed, can Jenna get past the fear of being left with a broken heart to live in the moment with Reece or will her fear of being hurt fulfill the prophecy?

 

The winner will be announced on this blog February 1st. Be sure to spread the word, and don't forget to come back each day of January to enter!

Good luck, and Happy New Year!

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THE ZOMBIES ARE BACK!

I'm super excited to announce The Time Zombies Became the Least of My Worries (sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life) is now available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Noble! Finally you can hear the rest of Emma and Finn's adventure (some of it told in Finn's voice), and find out what happens to the rest of the gang of misfits. I know it was a long time coming, but I'm pretty sure fans of the series will be happy with the way it all ends.

If you haven't read the first book, it's only 99 cents on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Also be sure to enter the giveaway for paperback copies of The Time Zombies Became the Least of My Worries on Goodreads, and check out the brand new book trailer below!

Ever since the zombie virus hit Emma’s irritatingly boring Midwestern hometown, she’s been on the run with her old best friend-turned-boyfriend Finn. On their journey, they’ve witnessed some pretty disgusting deaths, narrowly escaped life-threatening escapades that sometimes included one of their own pulling a gun on them numerous times, and redefined the definition of what makes up a family (as it turns out, soldiers and geeks can be pretty decent). They’ve even learned the disturbing truth behind the mysterious virus. But after Emma was bit by one of the infected trying to save her neighbor boy, she was told she would not have long to live.

In the thrilling sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life, Finn will help to tell the story as Emma and the gang are faced with the most crucial life-changing decisions yet. They’ll come across an unfortunate group of rednecks, discover the truth of what happened to Finn’s federal agent mother, and finally see a chance at truly being safe without having to run anymore. But in the middle of it all, Emma and Finn’s relationship will soar to completely uncomfortable levels when Finn takes things one step too far. And between being injected with an unknown liquid, taking on a completely unexpected (and really agitating alliance), and being left for dead by those she loves most, Emma will realize that zombies are the least of her worries.

Regrets (and a Zombie-tastic Announcement!)

Whenever I see stuff like this,

I tend to roll my eyes and maybe even gag a little. Seriously. We're all going to do things in life we wish we wouldn't have done, and will most likely regret them at some point.

So when I first saw this on We're the Millers,

I laughed. Hard. Because it's way, way more accurate.

I've personally gained enough regrets in my lifetime to fill an entire book. Honestly, it could probably make for some pretty decent comedy. But I'm here to admit to just one in particular—leaving a book's ending hanging, and not writing the sequel in my next project.

Those who have read Shymers and The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life know that I've been guilty of this not just once, but TWICE. Agh, what a young, naive writer I was back in those days. I've become so much wiser in 1/5 years that I can promise you, I'll never write a cliffhanger again without having the sequel coming up right behind it. I've had this terrible pressure on my shoulders, knowing these two books need to be written. You have to understand that I'm the type who sometimes completely buckles under that kind of pressure. When things stress me out, I tend to avoid them, hiding away until the last possible moment.

However, I'm elated and relieved to say I've finally completed the sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life, and can announce The Time Zombies Became the Least of My Worries will be available in digital and print on December 3rd! Finally, fans will hear the end of Emma's story, as well as a little insight from Finn. After a few different endings I ran past my beta readers and editors, I'm pretty certain everyone will be pleased with the ending I chose!

All I have to say is I'm really sorry I left everyone hanging so long, and can promise I won't ever do anything quite so cruel ever again, for all our sakes (and my sanity). The sequel to Shymers is still "in the works", but I can't say with any certainty when it will be released. Hopefully soon.

Okay, now that I've confessed one of my deepest regrets, it's your turn. What is something you regret doing? It's okay to share, because as one wise, funky painter in the 80s used to always tell us:

Zombie Cover Overhaul AND SALE!

You may have (or most likely, have not) noticed my second zombie cover has changed since I posted the reveal a few days ago. This is one of those things as an indie author that can be good or bad—I can change anything I want at any given time. I'm going to stick with the good, since I've gotten great feedback on the changes. As The Time Zombies Became the Least of My Worries is the second book in the series, I've also given the first book an overhaul to match. So here they are, side by side!

To celebrate the new covers (or just to appease my manic mode), I've reduced the digital versions of the first book in the series (The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life) to just 99 cents! So if you haven't read this fun adventure yet, do it now before the second book is released...you'll be glad you waited since book #1 contains a pretty big cliffhanger.

You can read the first chapter here:

Chapter One - The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life

And purchase the rest of the book here:

Amazon (Kindle and paperback)

Barnes & Noble

Kobo (includes iBook format)

Cover Reveal: The Time Zombies Became the Least of My Worries

As promised, I give you the cover for the second book in my zombie series!

Ever since the zombie virus hit Emma’s irritatingly boring Midwestern hometown, she’s been on the run with her old best friend-turned-boyfriend Finn. On their journey, they’ve witnessed some pretty disgusting deaths, narrowly escaped life-threatening escapades that sometimes included one of their own pulling a gun on them numerous times, and redefined the definition of what makes up a family (as it turns out, soldiers and geeks can be pretty decent). They’ve even learned the disturbing truth behind the mysterious virus. But after Emma was bit by one of the infected trying to save her neighbor boy, she was told she would not have long to live.

In the thrilling sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life, Finn will help to tell the story as Emma and the gang are faced with the most crucial life-changing decisions yet. They’ll come across an unfortunate group of rednecks, discover the truth of what happened to Finn’s federal agent mother, and finally see a chance at truly being safe without having to run anymore. But in the middle of it all, Emma and Finn’s relationship will soar to completely uncomfortable levels when Finn takes things one step too far. And between being injected with an unknown liquid, taking on a completely unexpected (and really agitating alliance), and being left for dead by those she loves most, Emma will realize that zombies are the least of her worries.

AND in celebration of the release of this book (coming in November), I'm giving away free copies of the first book in the series for those who have yet to jump on the zombie bandwagon. So be sure to sign up below, and spread the word!

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Supernatural Author

Fall is the busiest time of the year for my family, so I apologize for the lack of posts! Between football, volleyball, dance, tae kwon do, confirmation, harvest, homecoming, and a million other things I won't bore you with, I've been crazy busy working on getting the sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life out. The cover is ALMOST officially ready to be released (stay tuned!), first draft is off to the editor, and the trailer is done. As soon as winter arrives, I'll be ready to take a day or two off. And by that I mean a girls' trip to New York City in which I'm sure we'll walk a few hundred miles and get very little sleep. Did I mention I have ADD and seriously don't know how to sit still?

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get through the Supernatural series with my daily workouts (sometimes seeing Sam shirtless is all the motivation a girl needs). Yesterday I watched episode 18 of season 4 (how many freaking episodes can they pack into a season???) in which the Winchester brothers meet an author who just happens to be chronicling their lives, word for word. I especially enjoyed this one as the poor author was freaked out, thinking everything he was writing was coming to life. At one point he stated something like, "I'm like a god. A really sick one." Okay so that wasn't an exact quote, but you get the idea.

It was pretty amusing to consider the possibility as an author, then it suddenly started to freak me out a little. If my books were to come to life, I would also be considered a bit sick, sadistic even. I would be responsible for hundreds of deaths! Then I remembered it's fiction, and told myself to chillax. Still, there were some amusing stereotypes of authors involved (guy in his robe, drinking all day long), and even a slam to M. Night Shyamalan that irritated me a bit as I happen to be a big fan. But this was probably my favorite episode to date, mostly because it hit home. If you're into anything paranormal and haven't watched Supernatural, I suggest you jump on Netflix and give it a try. If nothing else, Sam and Dean are certainly easy on the eyes.

Looking forward to a month filled with horror movie marathons, Halloween parties and best of all, NEW EPISODES OF THE WALKING DEAD!

Shooting Zombies (It's Not What You Think)

Three words describe the millionth reason why I love my job(s):

Zombie photo shoot.

If you know me at all, you'll understand just how exciting this was. I've had the idea for the second book in my head for nearly a year, and couldn't wait to actually make it happen. Whenever there's anything involving zombies that I can sink my creative hands into, I'm all over it!

As many of you know, the cover for The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life was done with a friend's fifteen-year-old daughter who used to babysit my kids. Somehow I talked her into taking the tags off her brand new prom dress and stepping into the woods behind my house. We paid to have her hair done, then went crazy and messed it up to make her look like she had been living in the wild a few days. She was a total trooper.

Today I used one of my very first babysitters turned good friend who was a total champ. I feel kind of guilty as each of the zombie models I've used are gorgeous girls, and would've been better used for covers of some romantic love story. But we all know my novels involve paranormal love stories, so that may never happen.

The first step was to make my friend look like the undead using Halloween makeup, homespun honey, oatmeal, fake blood, and toilet paper (yep, you read that last ingredient correctly, and yes we used clean toilet paper). I was fortunate enough to have an extremely talented professional makeup artist transform me into a terrifying zombie last year, and picked up a couple of tricks. The best part about doing these photo shoots is that the makeup doesn't have to be perfect since it's a far away shot, and I can later add techniques to give the picture a cartoonish effect. But honestly, I think I did a pretty decent job on her wound for an amateur (seriously, this was way too much fun).

The second step was to wait for just the right outdoor conditions. Since it's mentioned in the second story that there are many fields left unharvested, I wanted to catch the corn right before it was ready to go this fall (which will be way later than usual with all the crazy weather we had this summer). And as a photographer, I knew I had to wait until the sun was just at the right place in the sky so my subject wouldn't get washed out. Turns out 10:00 a.m. this morning was nearly the perfect time. And we had blue skies—another bonus!

The last step was to find the right pose. I didn't want her just standing there as that's basically what I had the model do for my first book. But the trickiest part is for neither of us to laugh, and take the fact seriously that we're two adults standing in the middle of a corn field, one of us dressed like a crazy person and the other dressed like a zombie (hey, I didn't want to get any fake blood on me). My friend was worried she didn't do a serious enough face, so I had her yelling, and it turned out amazing. The final result? You'll just have to wait for the final cover reveal to find out!

More Zombies Are Coming!

Agghh! I'm so very excited to tell you that I have finally completed the first draft of the sequel to The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfect Life! This was such a huge accomplishment for me as I've been totally dreading starting on the sequels I know I have to complete. Did I mention that I won't leave a book open-ended ever again?

I first started this book right after finishing the first, but then shelved it when other shiny new ideas came along. Right now it's in the hand of some very competent beta readers, then it will be off to my editor for round #1. I'd love to say it will be out by Halloween, but that's probably getting a bit cocky. I will at least have the cover done by then, and can't wait to see my idea for it come to life!

Next project is one of my favorites to date, Paranormal Keepers. And yes, to all the awesome fans who have been begging for the sequel to Shymers, that will be coming as well. In the meantime, I'm feeling the need to celebrate. Is it Friday yet?