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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Another New Cover! :)

Having a good cover is very important for any book, but especially for younger audiences. The cover starts the promise of the author to their reader about what the book is about and what kind of experience than can expect. 

Recently my good friend, Mikey Brooks, revamped the covers on my Ginnie West series and I LOVED them. Then we started talking about putting all three books into an "omnibus" edition.

1) The Scret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure
2) Trouble Blows West: A Ginnie West Adventure
3) Simply West of Heaven: A Ginnie West Adventure

An omnibus edition will combine all three of my full-length 
middle-grade books into one awesome book-- with an even more "awesome sauce" price. 

Mikey came up with a beautiful new cover. We just can't decide if we should have it  mirror the first 3 books by using the same sky or whether we should show the razzle-dazzle of the 3-in-1 book option by letting it shine in a sunset blaze of glory. 

We thought it would be a good idea to let our friends and readers help us decide. So, here are the choices:

Please record your vote here -------------------------------->







Sunset Sky to "illuminate" the 3-in-1 deal






Classic Sky to go along with the first 3 books:











I will be awarding a FREE e-copy of Trouble Blows West: A Ginnie West Adventure on July 31st to everyone who votes-- so please leave your email in a comment below or send it to me at:

monique.bucheger@gmail.com

Please type "Ginnie West Cover Poll" in the subject line. Your email address will NOT be sold. :) It might be used to announce the 4th book, "Being West is Best" upon it's release in a few months.

As a BONUS-- if anybody comes up with a better title for the omnibus edition than "The Ginnie West Collection"-- I will send you a free copy of the omnibus when it is officially formatted and ready for sale. 

*Please leave all suggestions in a comment below*

Thanks so much! Laugh lots ... Love much ... Write on! :) 


Friday, July 19, 2013

I SPY....a SECRET Blogfest



"The I SPY ... A SECRET" Blogfest features a scene in a book or a memoir of a secret. Because there is a 'secret' even in the title of my book-- "The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure" I had to participate. Below you will find a 2-page chapter from my book about a secret that Ginnie has been keeping from her best friend, her twin brother, and her dad.  Enjoy! :)


CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:
Ginnie Shares
Her Secret


"Wow, Gin! That’s so cool you found your mom’s journals.” Tillie ran her finger down a blue stripe. “What did your dad say?”
“I didn’t tell him. He’s weird about her. I’m going to read them all and then tell him I found them. Like Uncle Jake says, sometimes it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.”
Tillie’s eyes popped open. “I don’t know Ginnie. That seems pretty sneaky. He showed you her scrapbook. He’ll probably let you read her journals.”
“When I asked him about his first date with Mama, he freaked.” Ginnie snatched the book from Tillie. “He isn’t going to tell me everything, but Mama will.”
“Like what?”
Ginnie grinned mischievously. “Like when Mama threatened to shoot him—with a real gun.”
“Why?”
“‘Cause he snuck in their bedroom to surprise her. She thought he was a burglar and ended up surprising him instead.”
Tillie giggled. “No way!”
“Yes way. Check it out.” Ginnie flipped to the journal entry and read it to Tillie.
“Wow!” Tillie fell back on the bed laughing a minute before sitting up. “I wonder if he’d do that with my mom? Good thing she doesn’t have a gun.”
“I doubt it.” Ginnie closed the journal, feeling protective of her dad all of a sudden.
“Does Toran know?”
“Not yet. And you can’t tell him.”
“Don’t you think he should know? She’s his mom too.”
Panic gripped Ginnie. “Tillie, I only trusted you because I was mean to you. You’re my best friend and you’re probably gonna be my sister. But I need to have this time with my mom all to myself for a while.” She set the book on her bed and held Tillie’s hands tight.
“I understand.”
She shook her head. “No you don’t. You have a mom.” Ginnie swallowed a growing lump in her throat. “I’m never going to be able to just sit down and talk to her. So this is sorta my way to just chat with her… like you do with your mom. If you tell my dad or Toran, that will be ruined. Promise me you won’t tell. If you do, we might not be able to be friends anymore.”
“Ginnie!”
“I mean it, Tillie!” Ginnie jumped to her feet. “You can’t tell.”
Tillie stood and wrapped her arms firmly around Ginnie.
Ginnie stiffened, regretting she’d shared her secret treasure.
“Cross my heart,” Tillie whispered in her ear. “I won’t tell. I promise.”
Wanting to believe her friend, Ginnie nodded.
        You better not.  

If you want to read more secrets from other authors' books and win a gift card--follow this link: HERE

There are free prizes--just for reading. Check out the link on Jordan's blog. Please join the fun. :)

The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure is also just .99 through this link:


Sunday, July 14, 2013

An interview with Anna Del C. Dye--author of Shahira & the Flying Elfs

Today I am spreading my wings a little and hosting the first-ever interview on my blog. :) 
(No pun intended as you look at the beautiful cover below.) :)  



There's also a Book Giveaway Jun 29 to July 16:

You have a chance to win a PDF book of the Young Adult Novel, Shahira & the Flying Elfs. The author will be giving one E-book to every blog that participates in the blog tour. So please leave a comment if you want to be entered.





Now on to the interview. Welcome Anna. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Let's start at the beginning and introduce your books a little. Who is the target audience for your books?

The Elf series are written with the young adults in mind. They can be read by pre-teen, tweens, and the young of heart. They are easy to read, clean and wholesome. 

What is the name of your latest book and what is it about?

Shahira & the Flying Elfs is about giant eagles in the land of the elfs and her story. Shahira is a she-eagle and lives with her father, mother, and younger brother in the high cliffs of Eagle Mountain. Her dream is to find a stripling young eagle to mate with. But mating is a ritual that happens in the sky and she can’t fly. She has told herself that one day she will be able to, but every time she tries, she falls.

Can you tell us a little more about that?

Sure...here is a teaser:

Flying takes you to new heights, still you won’t see if you don't want to…
What would you do if your world comes tumbling down? That is what happens to Shahira every time she tries to fly. You see, she is an eagle and eagles fly…but why can't she?
The wizard Huzan has spent his entire life under the shadow of his renowned brother, Zanteon. But no more. He has discovered a book revealing his brother’s secrets. Now he is going to use it to destroy the wizardry school and him.
Llorradinn’s life has been simple and peaceful in the land of the elfs. That is until the human caravan comes and he finds himself hanging from the claws of a giant eagle. Elfs have not seen the eagles for many centuries; so why now, and why so hostile toward the elf race?

The answers to these questions, can be found in: “Shahira & the Flying Elfs.” Inspired by the myths and legends of Europe and from the pens of writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien. I have tried to weave a new and completely original tale full of suspense, adventure, and medieval-style warfare in “Shahira & the Flying Elfs” 


Which number book is this?

"Shahira & the Flying Elfs", while stand-alone book, is also number six in my elf series.

What inspired you to write fantasy rather than anther genre?

Movies, I think. Star Wars, Star Trek, Willow, Arturian Tales, etc., and most of all ... The Lord of the Rings.

How much of your books are planned out ahead of time, and how much of them are made up as you go along?
They are all different. The Elf and the Princess was 90% planned. I sat to write the first page and tweaked it as I went. Shahira & the Flyng Elfs was 90% made up as I went. This was quite hard.

When it comes to Elves in fantasy, what do you consider to be some of the common elements of their race? Have you seen that completely changed or ignored in other books?

The comment elements in elfs are that they live forever and know much. Also, that they are graceful, quiet, pretty, and overall much better that mankind.
I have always expected elfs to be beautiful and perfect in many ways. Yet, when I read one book in the Shanara series they were ugly, in another book they were cannibals, in a third one, they were dark and delighted in killing. That set very heavily in my heart. I never picked up those books again. I consider elfs better than man and those three examples made them human or less, not better. Still, as authors we have the right to create our characters as we please…those elves are just not my cup of tea.

How do you pick the names for your characters?

Usually the characters come to me with their names. Seldom do I have to invent one. I have, though, and usually pick a letter and then start saying words until one sticks with me. I usually sound the name of my characters in Spanish and I am picky about how they are pronounced. For this reason, I include a pronunciation guide at the beginning of my books.

Where can people go to find out more about you and your other works?

Barns & Noble. http://ning.it/1744E2U



Monique, it was a pleasure to visit your blog today, happy writings to you...

Thank you, I'm glad you stopped by. Good luck with your blog tour. 

Laugh lots ... Love much ... Write on... :)

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

A GREAT NEW SITE FOR TWEENS: EMBLAZON

A great new site for Tweens launched TODAY!!

EMBLAZON

To celebrate we are 
giving away lots of tween books!

(Just click on the rafflecopter below the poster):

Click the poster to check out EMBLAZON: 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

MY BOOKS ARE PART OF A PROMO



Two of my books with their original covers are part of a promotion on my friend's blog:  Rachelle's Writing Spot. Check out the rafflecopter and enter to win FREE signed copies of my books:

The Secret Sisters Club: A Ginnie West Adventure:




And Trouble Blows West: A Ginnie West Adventure:





If you want the best edited e-book versions in their shiny new covers, you can find them here:





The e-books have colored illustrations. If you want want the print books, please follow this link:

Autographed Copies


Or the tab at the left top of this page that says: Autograph Copy Purchase Links. Not only will you save a few dollars buying it from me, I will personalize them for you. :)