IDEA CITY: June 2014

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Notes from BEA

I went to BEA recently and had a blast signing books, meeting friends, checking out forthcoming novels and snapping photos!
Plus, the night before the expo, I got to hang out at the Harvard Club, and pick up a YA finalist Next Generation Indie award for Ruby's Fire! The place brimmed with other interesting writers, including Lindsay "LC" Barlow, a finalist for her horror ebook, Pivot, and Janet Shawgo, a finalist for her romance novel Find Me Again. I was impressed by the VP, Catherine Goulet for her enthusiasm, professionalism and intense dedication to promoting great indie lit.

I signed at the SFWA booth and the Headline booth, where the Next Gen Indie winners and finalists signed. It was big fun getting to talk directly with librarians, teachers and bloggers.

Meeting Kelly Hashway

I met Kelly Hashway, an online blogger and friend. She was signing at the Spencer Hill booth for The Monster Within. I also said a hearty hello to Jonathan Maberry, a fellow Philadelphian, who is quite beloved for his amazing horror novels.

Stopped by to meet and greet the inspiring Georgia McBride, founder of Month 9 Press and Swoon.

Chatting with the fab Georgia McBride

And hey, I couldn't resist getting my picture snapped with the uber-buff Ellora's Cave cover models. One of them even writes romance. Who would've thought?!

The Ellora's Cave cover models were good sports

Hanging with Hugh Howey

The next day I got to meet Hugh Howey, darling of the indie scene, and hot damn, his Wool series proves that he's one excellent writer. Have you read it yet? The first in the series is perma-free!
He wrote a smart post about Amazon and Hachette debacle.

I also sat in on a fascinating panel with some of the most successful indie romance authors, HM Ward, Bella Andre and Barbara Freethy ( a hybrid author). They all said that readers love series, and that when creating one, a writer should leave it as open-ended as possible so that you can add on more books should the series become popular.

Bella said that she has a family series, the Sullivans, with eight siblings and when readers clamored for more, more, more she actually extended the family into a series about the cousins, and then extended it into a handful of cities. These women are all super-fast writers. They say in this era of insta-buy ebooks that people want the next books in the series immediately after finishing the last one! I guess I'll have to get better at fast drafting.

Have you been to BEA? Any other great conferences?
Oh, and before I forget, the huge book giveaway is still open. Click here to enter the Rafflecopter. Plus a must-read from Indie author Dean Wesley Smith here.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Featuring two great novels: Edge of Truth and The Monster Within, Plus Prizes!

Today, Idea City celebrates two novels: The Monster Within, a paranormal by Kelly Hashway and Edge of Truth, a dystopian by Natasha Hanova. Woo hoo!!!

The Monster Within is the first in Kelly Hashway's newest series. Check out this great trailer for it on YouTube! It launches with Spencer Hill Press on June 17, but you can pre-order it here! B&N, Amazon

The moment seventeen-year-old Samantha Thompson crawls out of her grave, her second chance at life begins. She died of cancer with her long-time boyfriend, Ethan, by her side—a completely unfair shot at life. But Ethan found a way to bring her back, like he promised he would. Only Sam came back wrong.
She's now a monster that drains others' lives to survive. And after she kills, she’s tortured by visions—glimpses into her victims would-have-been futures had she not killed them. Barely able to live with herself and trying to make things right, Sam ends up a pawn in a vicious game of payback within the local coven of witches.
But when the game reveals what Ethan had to do to save Sam, she must make a choice that will change all their lives forever.

Kelly Hashway writes for children through teens. Her YA novels include, Touch of Death (Spencer Hill Press), Stalked by Death, Face of Death, The Monster Within, The Darkness Within (SHP, 2015) and Into the Fire (Month9Books, 9/14). Her debut MG series, Curse of the Granville Fortune releases in 2014 through Month9Books. Visit her website & blog. Kelly's repped by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary.

Natasha Hanova's Edge of Truth is officially 1-year old today! In celebration, she's hosting a big giveaway with book contributions from multiple authors. Edge of Truth has landed on Amazon's Teen & YA Science Fiction & Dystopian Top 100 List, earned a review rating of 4+ stars and gotten a new cover with bonus content. Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter contest for a chance to win tons of great swag! But first, enjoy this excerpt of Rena's first encounter with love interest Nevan. She's out past curfew, on the run from the Overlord's robotic lawmen. This scene takes place right after she knocks on Nevan's door seeking refuge:

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Nevan’s dual-colored eyes—one blue, one hazel—captivated Rena. She drowned in them, in his dark eyebrows, his long, wide-based nose, his full lips. Even the faint V-shaped scar on his forehead that first appeared two years ago was too beautiful to look at. Her heart pounded, as if struggling to close the distance between them. She chewed her lip, dreading the usual shock of pain from emotional spikes like this, only it never hit.

When Blaze poked her in the back, she exhaled, but couldn’t force any words out. Warmth rushed through her from being near Nevan, with his slight smile and shoulder length dreads. In spite of the cool night air, her armpits prickled with sweat. Looking at him made her cheeks hurt. She focused on a random spot near his shoulder and struggled to think of something, anything to say. This wasn’t how she pictured their first conversation. But what if it didn’t amount to words? What if he slammed the door on her?

Blaze pushed hard enough to move her two steps forward. The way Nevan focused on her made her knees wobbly. He traced a finger across his forehead and down his temple. She’d never observed him make that gesture before. Was it meant to calm himself? Or did he feel the heat, too? The thought made another burst of warmth blanket her.

“Ummm…uhhhh.” It was all she could force out. She backed away. Her friend, turned roadblock, caged her in. Down the street, the second set of Synbots reached scanning distance and headed for them. Panic raced through her, spiked her heart with adrenaline, and jump-started her survival instincts. She spun toward Nevan. “We need a safe place to stay for a few hours. I know you don’t know us, but I’d . . . we’d be grateful if you would let us inside.”

He leaned forward, glancing down the sidewalk. The movement stirred the air between them, and his warm citrus scent surrounded Rena. He stepped aside and spoke in a loud, booming voice, most likely for the Syns’ monitoring devices. “Yes, we’ve been waiting for you.”

She blinked twice in disbelief. The Syns marched up the sidewalk. Blaze grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her into the house.

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Natasha Hanova is an award-winning author of YA and adult dark fantasy/paranormal fiction. Edge of Truth (June 2013) is her debut novel. Her short stories appear in multiple anthologies. She loves nibbling Peanut M&Ms while reading paranormal, dark fantasy, and dystopian books with heavy doses of romance. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and children. Find her at NatashaHanova.com.