THIS SUMMER trailer reveal by Katyln Duncan

I am super excited to be participating in the trailer reveal for Katlyn Duncan's THIS SUMMER. It's awesome and it makes me even more excited to read the book and I can't wait for its release on July 9th.

I am also thrilled to be able to share a guest post in which characters Hadley and Lily share their Top "Summer to Remember" Must Haves.

If you haven't yet heard of this upcoming New Adult release from Author Katlyn Duncan, the book's description is below. And if you haven't yet "met" the author, her details and places to find her online are also below.

But first, here is the THIS SUMMER Trailer. I can't wait to share it with you. What do you think?

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The Trailer

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The Guest Post

Hadley and Lily’s Top ‘Summer to Remember’ Must Haves

Hadley: Hey everyone. My best friend, Lily, and me are going to tell you our top must haves for this summer.

Lily: This girl is headed to college in the Fall and it’s our last summer together before “growing up”. I’ll start! My number one is boys.

Hadley: (eye roll)

Lily: What? Boys are important for a summer to remember. And now that we’re both single we can have a little fun with them.

Hadley: Are you done?

Lily: Fine. What’s your number one?

Hadley: (grins) My best friend.

Lily: Oh! And a job working with your best friend.

Hadley: Yes that too.

Lily: (pauses dramatically) And on a serious note…sunscreen.

Hadley: UV protection is important.

Lily: I was thinking more along the lines of awful tan lines.

Hadley: Okay…

Lily: Next is…parties. And oh! Older brothers who can get supplies for parties, if you know what I mean.

Hadley: Oh my God…

Lily: So we have boys, best friends, a job WITH a best friend, sunscreen, parties, brothers, what else?

Hadley: Camp!

Lily: That counts as a job with your best friend.

Hadley: Camp should be a category of its own—

Lily: Here we go…

Hadley: But without camp we wouldn’t have had the best summers of our lives. And we will be a part of making that happen for the kids.

Lily: Yeah. I’m still sticking with boys.

Hadley: You’re hopeless, but I do love you! Well that does it, everyone. Be sure to make this summer, a summer to remember. And comment below with your must haves I’d love to hear them!

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About This Summer

Release date: July 9, 2014
Publisher: Carina UK
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 9781472096449

Description...

Before college, before responsibilities, Hadley Beauman and best friend Lily are determined to have a summer to remember. There will be all the usual dramas - ex-boyfriends who don't seem to know what 'ex' means, pesky younger brothers with unrequited crushes, but what Hadley didn't anticipate was the out-of-the-blue return of the seriously hot boy-next-door, Will Carson. The boy who broke her heart when he skipped town two years ago.

Will may have shot up a foot and filled out (oh yes), but inside he carries the weight of guilt - for leaving, for coming back... Now he's just passing through to tie up loose ends but it's clear the old chemistry still crackles between him and Hadley. Trouble is, it's built on two years of lies...

This summer might just be the best time of their lives, but is Hadley ready for everything to change - again?

Find it at...

Amazon | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Coming soon... iBooks, Nook UK, Kobo, Google Play, & Sony Store.

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About Katlyn Duncan

Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TUMBLR | YOUTUBE | GOODREADS

Book Trailer for Mind Static

Guys! I'm so excited that the book trailer for my newest YA paranormal release has gone live! This is me right now:

I decided to go an entirely different route from the slow and dramatic trailers I've created in the past, and wanted something upbeat, quick, and fun. There's so much work behind making a trailer, starting with just the right music, the perfect pictures, and the careful editing in putting everything together so it will make an intriguing story. With an adventurous story and a main character who's witty, this was actually a blast to put together, and I feel like I just witnessed the party of a lifetime.

Without further delay, I give you the official trailer for "Mind Static"!

The images in this video do not belong to the author

Celebrate The Small Things Blog Hop

Happy Friday, everyone! WARNING: my post this week for VikLit's "celebrate the small things" blog hop is filled with so much awesomeness, your screen may explode.

1. My editor wasn't so fond of the ending for Cheating Death and I've gotten a lot of crap for some of my harsh endings, so I rewrote it into something tear-inducing. I was a total mess when I wrote it, but I think everyone will love it. Or at least I hope.

2. I made the book trailer for Cheating Death. And I'm so proud of my creation. It was a lot of work, but it definitely projects the feeling I was aiming for.

3. I organized and hopefully successfully launched the blog hop tour for Cheating Death. Thank you to all of those who are participating! Find more info on the blog hop here.

4. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of being a published author, and I will have released four books in that time. Seriously, can I just maybe take a nap now?

5. I was hired by a fellow author to create her book cover. Together we chose the most stunning image and I can't wait to share it at some point! I swear to you I'm a high every time I work on it.

6. I lost another five pounds this week, which means I am up to ten pounds in just two weeks. Plus I'm that much closer to being able to eat pizza and drink beer again. On a limited basis, of course...there's no way I'm going to screw up my weight and have to do this all over again.

7. I was given the okay to start exercising again, and that means I'm back to watching Supernatural episodes! I can't believe I didn't get into this show sooner. The paranormal stories are just awesome. And I'm so in love with Dean, Sam and their crazy-hot dad. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's smile can melt my soul into a mere puddle.

8. I got my first pair of Uggs. I was tired of my feet getting cold in cheap boots from all this snow and my daughter was tired of me borrowing her Uggs all the time, so I used birthday money from my in-laws and bought my own. They are heavenly.

8. I finished John Green's Looking for Alaska. That man can write. But why does he feel the need to reduce his readers to a blubbering mess each time? Review to come on next week's video blog.

9. My husband and I painted the outdated den that's filled with a million nooks and crannies. We also put new flooring in it, therefore finishing one of the last rooms in the house that needs remodeling. We were so relieved and exhausted that we celebrated with a small glass of alcohol. And boy, did it taste delicious.

So that's about it for my awesome week. If you're a blogger and want to take the time to celebrate the small things in your life, be sure to sign up below!

Debut of Official Book Trailer for 'Cheating Death'!

I've been waiting so long for this moment, I could just die.

I finally get to share my newest book trailer with all of you! These are a ton of work, but also a ton of fun. This is another reason why I love being an indie author—I get to choose everything from the music to the images (which is as addicting as I would imagine crack to be). Sadly, only a few of the images are my own this time, but I found some excellent photography work that I thought was quite stunning. And the music was composed by a man named Bjorn Lynne. The tune is both haunting and beautiful—I could listen to it all day long (and I literally did).

So kick back, grab a cold beer—or soda—and enjoy!

Feeling Inspired

I've probably mentioned a few thousands times just how much music inspires me. I swear sometimes  there's even a soundtrack for my life (especially when I have music playing 24/7). Music can change your mood on a dime - it can make you feel sexy, happy, sad, scared, excited and even violent (that last one is maybe just me when the radio only gets country). When I think of vacations, I make a playlist. When I'm preparing for a special photo shoot, I make a playlist. There's a handful of songs for every occasion. I often think another great career choice for me would've been a musical director for movies.

While finishing up a total re-write of my fourth novel Cheating Death, I stumbled across two gems that really got my writing gears going.

Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine

A huge shout out to my Twitter friend Katrina for officially introducing me to this one. I'm pretty sure I've heard it before, but when I mentioned that I was looking for spooky music, she suggested this one. It totally nailed the sexy/spooky/haunting feel I was aiming for and I often play it on repeat while writing.

Gratuitous Sex and Violins by Christopher Lennertz (Supernatural soundtrack)

Honestly, I wish I could get my hands on this one for my book trailer. It's beautifully haunting with just a tint of sadness. I guess part of my love for the Supernatural series I only recently got into has to do with the excellent music selections.





So thanks to these two songs and a few others, I see the end in sight for book #4. Hopefully by the end of February I'll have a song picked out for the book trailer that's just as haunting and beautiful as these two. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for my new book cover, coming even sooner!

Soundtracks That Are Good for the Soul

It's no secret how much I love music. My family is always teasing me because I declare every other song to be my favorite. I'm one of those people who literally has music playing wherever I go (when I do chores around the house, my phone is in my pocket). I live for concerts (I've ben to dozens in my lifetime). I encourage my children to play instruments (piano, violin and bass guitar). I tear up when I hear the adult choir sing at church. I even have three music-themed tattoos.

While I appreciate all kinds of music, there are select few songs that can really reach down into my soul and move me to the point that my eyes water and I'm rendered speechless. Most of those songs just happen to be movie soundtracks. When searching for a song to use in the Shymers book trailer (the amazing winner is The Holy Grail by Olive Musique), I considered what goes into a truly memorable musical score and considered my favorites. Each of them usually features a piano and/or string instruments, sometimes paired with haunting voices.

Here are some of my favorite songs from soundtracks that really got to me. Maybe these songs are so moving because they come from excellent movies. Maybe I just have a fetish for this genre. Or maybe these songs are just all that amazing. Click on the songs' titles to hear them.

Lily's Theme: Alexandre Desplat

Safe Now: Mark Isham

Family Matters: Michael Giacchino

May It Be: Howard Shore & Tara Scammell

Forrest Gump Suite: Alan Silvestri

The Abyss: Alan Silvestri

E. T. Soundtrack Suite: John Williams

The Dream: James Horner

The Walking Dead: Bear McCreary 

While I could have listed everything John Williams has ever done, I decided that would be redundant so I only chose one. And while I know The Walking Dead theme song isn't necessarily a "soundtrack" and it's not actually a movie, I think the song deserves to be listed.

Are there any powerful soundtracks that you would add to this list?