The End, My Friend (Prelude to the Apocalypse) Review

Tony and Evo Pernicano must leave their home to survive the general meltdown of society in a future world gone awry.http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/end-my-friend-prelude-apocalypse for a full review.

Mantras for my Birthday

While working on my Trilogy (yes, it will be available soon), I realized that one character uses a mantra to help another. It got me thinking about the "mantas" that I subconsciously chat to myself throughout the day. I'm sure you use them to. The question is: Are our 'self-mantras' a disability or a strength? I spent most of my walk (the part I managed before my walking buddy arrived) considering my mantras. I was stunned at the loathing reflected in one or two. What? you say, Shaunna loathes herself? Well, I'd like to say, "not so!" But…the evidence was clear and lest I derail my positivity, which I am trying to 'grow', I'll not share those negative mantras because they are along the lines of what most of us do every time we look in a mirror and don't like what we see.

Time for positives here and I will do so by sharing some of my 'new' mantras which you are welcome to copy and use.

Looking in the mirror, I say out loud with conviction (Don't laugh, this may be harder for you than you think, I know the first time it took me awhile,) "I honestly and completely love who I am now."

I can't take the credit for that one, a friend shared it from her hypnotherapy class, noting that a few of the attendees really struggled with doing this with a hand held mirror passed around the room. One was even in tears as she passed the mirror more than twice.

Therefore, I am creating my own mantras and as part of my self esteem, I share them here.

I am beautiful.

I feel creative today.

I feel happy, healthy, and strong.

And--

                I feel comfortable in my skin.

                I feel full of energy.

                I feel in control of my body.

                I feel my belly melting away.

I kiss my belly fat good bye.

Maybe sharing these will help another. Such is my Birthday wish.

Arizona Dreamin'

Proof that I do leave the house.

I must admit to not getting to know all four of these young men, but those I spent time with are sweethearts! Please feel free to visit my Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shaunna.s.gonzales  for more photos. Sorry, no more of the guys, they are available for photo ops for book cover art. If you want a photo I suggest visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/520294174735963/

UPDATE!!!

This fresh in from Amazon...Dark Days of Promise is available in paperback for a limited time at $9.49!!!!!! Great news and if you miss the sale, you can still snag a copy in the coming days. Last check at Amazon had price dropped to $8.99 for a short time!

Make Things Happen

Things do happen unexpectedly like the email I include here. But seriously, we've got to be proactive. Let me encourage you, especially if you are an author considering self-publishing... Learn from my mistakes. Decide NOW whether or not you are going the self-pub route. I have waffled on that decision for the better part of a year. Why? Because one of the big four was interested in the second book. Notice I said "interested" and "second book". I didn't have a contract or even the promise of a contract and it certainly didn't include the other two books.

Okay, so I'm one to think about things too long or jump without thinking--no middle of the road here in this animal chick. (I must think possitive.) That said, I really need to follow the links in the email that I'm sharing and jump BEFORE I squibble with my cover art, ISBNs, graphics, trailers, etc. Why? So I don't put needless energy where I don't need to. Think: Writers Conference at Home (at my own leisure, I might add.) Why isn't it just surfing the web and looking for articles? The $$$ and yes, I believe it will be worth it after attending #?? conferences already this year and walking away with useless info or repeated info, or a mess of networking that might fizzle. And for me that means -- between my polishing of Book Three, the Freelance writing I am currently doing, and the book reviews. Have I mentioned I'm a full time mom? So here, let me share the email which I'm invited to share. Enjoy and i hope the links work.

Hi Shaunna,

Today I was interviewed by a journalist for a story in a big magazine who is writing an article about self-publishing. A former Self-Pub Boot Camp student told her about me - thank you Susan! - and we had a very long talk. The journalist didn't know very much about self-publishing but she sure does now! I wonder how she's going to distill the information I gave her into a one-page article.

"What do self-publishers need to know most?" she asked.

"BUY YOUR OWN ISBN NUMBERS!" I replied, without hesitation. Oh no, did I shout? Maybe.

Buy a set of 10 for $250. You may not need 10, but one costs $150 and you need at least three: one for PDF (print), one for MOBI (Kindle) and one for EPUB (all other ebooks). You might also need one for your audio book and another for your multimedia edition.

The point is that with your own ISBN you can change services as you wish. Don't trap your book with a single service.

If you buy your own ISBNs you will not be sucked into purchasing a publishing package from one of the many services run by companies like the notoriously unscrupulous Author Solutions, because they do not allow you to apply you own ISBN number to a book they produce for you. Lesson: If you cannot apply your own ISBN, your book is essentially trapped with the company that owns it.

I also pointed the journalist to experts in my tribe... people who have founded companies based on their desire to help authors. I'm proud to say that many of these experts have participated in my Self-Pub Boot Camps, which are (in case you didn't know) are now online as a virtual program.

So that's my reminder to you, today. Please buy your own ISBNs from Bowker. It's the single most important action item for you to do in order to remain an independent author.

Please spread the word! Forward this email to your writer friends:
http://us4.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=d6be918179&e=93e175f383

Links:
Buy your ISBNs from Bowker here http://motosfo.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=44411bfe22&e=93e175f383
Indie Book School and Self-Pub Boot Camp http://motosfo.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dabcb9e533dcf9b66d2b0ebb1&id=98d0e444bc&e=93e175f383

Thanks!
Carla
That's it! go explore but come back soon!

Missing Clayton Review

Five-year-old Clayton Kingsley is supposed to be experiencing his first day at school.  Things change when a stranger offers him a piece of chocolate, promising more in his vehicle parked a short distance away.

http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller

visit for a full review and other great reads reviews as well!

Life After Death Review

Maxine "Max" Logan is the epitome of snarky - in a positive light, if that is possible - in Ms. Saracino’s novel. This middle-aged divorcee is quite capable in her untalented way, facing the Grim Reaper and a few other bad characters in her role as a superhuman superhero "Retriever" in the Between.

http://indtale.com/reviews/paranormal-urban-fantasy

for full review.

Rocky Road Review

COMEDY:  Ancy (Nancy Ann) Robinson has her life under control and everything falling into place just like she wants it.  She has a gorgeous muscle-bound boyfriend who has just proposed (okay, so he's accident prone of late).

http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary for full review!

Love's Twist of Fate

Maggie Anderson's novella earned three stars with little or no sex.

The setting is well drawn, and could pass for any small town making it wonderfully more personable. Should the author ever expand this short it may prove a most engaging must read!

To catch this full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/loves-twist-fate

Black Irish

 

Tricia Anderson's Suspense-Thriller earned three and a half stars with a generous amount of intamacy, Trust me girls, the 'bedroom door' doesn't shut on this one.

 

And yes, I think I fell for this guy.

 

Anderson quickly transports her protagonist, Abbey Wright, from a quiet setting in Iowa to the contrasting world of New York City with descriptive finesse. While Sloan is created to 'Wow' the reader with his alpha-male persona, his shortcomings make him human and believable.

 

Check out the full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/black-irish

Swept to Sea Review

Heather Mannings Inspirational does not have cover art available at this time. It earned three stars with little if any sexy scenes.

Ms. Manning has a knack for feminine characters who are well drawn and life-like... Manning does a beautiful job of describing unsettling scenes without being overly graphic, a task whose balance deserves praise.

For the full review, please visit http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/swept-sea

Wedding Gown Girl

This one earne three and a half stars with little if no sex and violence.
Kathy Bosman exercises that indispensable tool of the classic, "What if?” in this fun “Wedding Planner” type story... The location of Fish Hook Beach feels real with the frolicking dogs and Ms. Bosman uses the slightly different dialect to her advantage, showing the reader a place many will never have the chance to visit in person.
For the full review by Erin Murdock, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/wedding-gown-girl

(Sorry, no cover art available.)

The Texas Cowboy Review

 

This contemporary Western earned three and a half stars with a few steamy spots.

 

 Lane does a good job of showing the contrast between the very affluent in Dallas to those considered less than, proving that first appearances can be deceiving and often misleading. She also does a nice job of steering clear of the intimate details while making the immoral actions necessary to the story quite clear with dialogue.

To read my full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/texas-cowboy

More Beginnings Review

Three thumbs for Iris Blobel and her novella, More Beginnings. I truly wish she had drawn it out more with descriptions of the area and deeper examination of her characters.
Blobel captures a feel for the Australian lifestyle in Hobart... in this Contemporary novel. Blobel's effort to cross readership lines of young adult and adult is very well done. 
For my full review, visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/more-beginnings-beginnings-2

Heart River Inn Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full review in InD'Tales for the month of May.

 

Heart River Inn

Jocie McKade

This Contemporary Comedy earned probably my highest accolades in recent memory!

 No kidding 4 Thumbs up and a Fingernail too! Yes, you will laugh or at least chuckle. I know I did. My biggest complaint is the cover art, but hey I dare you to furnish the author with a picture that fits what she describes.

Visit http://indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/heart-river-inn for my complete review and while you're there, sign -up for a subscription. It's free!

A Taste for Killing Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

A Taste for Killing (Chasing the Taste)

H.K. Sterling

A steamy  4 Thumbs up read! Suspense/Thriller without the gory details in this novella. Read my full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/suspense-thriller/taste-killing-chasing-taste 

Bogota Blessings Review

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

Bogota' Blessings

E.A. West

4 Thumbs up with this clean read (which means very little if any skin.)

You can find my review for this Inspirational at http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/bogota-blessings

Enjoy it. I did!

What I've read/reviewed recently

I'm not a chocolate fanatic so cocoa bites and nibbles aren't my style and I think (personally) star rankings belong to a few other bloggers and professional review sites so how about we go with thumbs? I have awesome 'hitch-hiker' thumbs So I'm giving thumbs just as if they were stars ---as in 5 thumbs are fantastic, 1 thumb not so good and all the ones in between. Fingernails for halves-ies too!

So here we go with the ones linked to the full reviews in InD'Tales for the month of May.

Elsa (The Secret Heritage Series, Book One)

By Allison Bruning

I give it a 2 thumbs review and remind readers that the bedroom door on this one is NOT firmly shut in this historical.

You can find my full review at http://indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/elsa-secret-heritage-series-book-one

Screenwriting isn't as simple as writing a book, as if that is easy...

Mags LC:

Have you ever wanted an amazing book made into a movie? Check out Hollywood Screenwriter Aaron Notestine's great 3 part series in InD'tale magazine starting in this month's issue!
www.indtale.com

News Worthy Notes

For weeks, okay, maybe months, I've been silent here on my blog. (I do that when I have little of importance to say.)

News worthy note #1:  My son just got married! Yes, the colors are pink and black.

News worthy note #2: The whole family was together for the very first time. (Visit my Facebook timeline for tags.)

News worthy note #3:  I attended the American Night Writers Association (ANWA) Conference in February. Phoenix was a very welcome change of scenery, especially the sunshine. While there I pitched my current project - Duplicity of Love Trilogy, to Victoria Curran with Harlequin. She loved it and asked for the two novels I have completed. (Her Promise and In Her Hands) Her request is the reason I have tucked myself away as much as possible in my writing cave to work on the third in the trilogy, His Journey. It isn't completed yet, I'm working on it. But you see I have had reason to get sidetracked for a bit with this wedding.

Of course there is always the demand of my time to do the reading and reviews with InD'Tales e-magazine. You won't find my reviews here but you are welcome to follow this link https://plus.google.com/communities/102849317807537724903?gpsrc=gplp0&partnerid=gplp0#communities/102849317807537724903 to follow on Google or this link http://indtale.com  to subscribe and find out what I've been reading and what I think of each novel or novella.

I must admit that I am a bit hard on the authors and their books that I read, maybe even tougher than the other reviewers at InD'Tales (A tough call as we don't read/review the same books.)

So, there is a summary of what I've been up to. I wouldn't recommend you hold your breath until my next post, but then again, I tend to go in spurts so you might want to check back again soon.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The good news is that 'The Drive the Thrive,' which contains a short bibliography by yours truly is moving forward and closer to the publication date. For those of you watching and waiting for this one, please remember that all proceeds go to fighting cancer.

The bad news is that my baby, as in latest novel, 'Her Promise,' didn't get a date to the publishing ball in this first round of submissions.

More good news, the second book, 'In Her Hands' and companion to the afore mentioned book is back from the really mean check, fix or die reader/critique.

Now for the ugly news…'In Her Hands' just got a major hair cut that left her roughly 4000 words short of where she needs to be. Not all is bad as much of what was cut can be reattached elsewhere or reworked. With no deadlines and beta readers breathing hard on my heels, this will be done in a timely manner. When she (In Her Hands) is ready, she will go to beta readers. From there we polish her up until she shines and send her out to find a hot date to the publishing ball!

In the mean time, I'm going dancing…

Death holds more than Darkness.

Even death holds Dark Days of Promise…

Newly widowed Vicki Laramie is struggling to make ends meet. While her three children grapple with the death of their father, she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys.

Excitement Brewing, Praying the Publisher is able to make the Deadline.

Exciting news!

Just got the word (okay, I got it late Wednesday night)--- The Drive to Thrive will be available Mid- February! That's right! I'm excited because it includes my biographical short. We will be signing copies at the ANWA Conference so if you want to be able to read what I might write on the anthology ask early before my writing become illegible to all (even me. Lol)

Post Script: My hubby and I are actively working to be able to fulfill the last scene of the anthology. (I Wanna Dance All Night, I wanna Dance All Night…)

Offering you a Taste of "His Journey"

Trevor adjusted his goggles and jumped. He might as well have hit sheer ice. The bone chilling water enveloped him, slicing through his flesh with numbing clarity. The painful cold caused every hair on his muscular body to stand on end and set his teeth to chattering. His breath effectively stolen by the freezing water, he managed to fight for the surface of the pool.  

He stared at his work crew in shock, unable to think of a single cuss word.

"Cold, ain't it hombre?" Rufus, the only Mexican on the crew asked. Rufus stood a mere five feet four inches tall with jet black hair that always seemed to stand in disarray. He held Trevor's towel in a wad of disheveled terry cloth. Trevor eyed the towel anxious to wrap it around himself.

He tried to glare at each of his three employees in turn. Was his face frozen solid? His eyes seemed the only organs in his body answering his instructions to move. No wonder they refused to inspect the pools. What had he been thinking? He'd been thinking of how to get a jump on the competition and show some much needed profit on the company's ledgers at the same time. The company wasn't in trouble, but Trevor lacked his father's head for business.

His father had discovered many years ago that Trevor had a propensity for designing beautiful pool areas. It was the part of the business Trevor did best. Since his father's untimely death he'd unwittingly strangled most of the life out of the company. He must find a way to prove to himself and others that he was more than his father's screw-up.

The outdoor temperature in the sun at this hour boasted 52 and rising. Not bad for a brisk walk, but not the overly warm triple digits this same pool area would boast in three months time. Problem was that people wanted to use their pools as soon as the temperatures hit the mid seventies and that meant inspecting and repairing the pools in cooler temperatures.

"Ready to get out Boss-man?" Brodie, the smart-alec on the crew crossed his arms over his chest. Not an easy feat for a guy with a chest circumference of fifty inches and arms to match.

Anxious to get out of this fix without losing face should have been Trevor's first concern, but survival preempted his leadership skills. Both far outweighed the business' needs at the moment. His gaze fell on Darin. At the tender age of eighteen, Darin was the youngest man on the crew and Brodie's "little" brother. He also had a tender side that Brodie often beat out of him whether physically or by shear intimidation of muscle and strength. Darin didn't let Trevor down this time.

Inspirational Thriller

Widow finds the perfect role model for her children in a returned soldier, but finds the lingering post-war issues he deals with might kill her.

Professional Reviewer has this to say:

Written in the first person, this is an engaging romance, a story of family, and of life involving military personnel. The respect and admiration for those who serve in the military shines through, as well as the care and sympathy for those suffering from the effects of combat PTSD.  With barely a hint of prayer or religious overtones, “Days of Promise” manages to be inspirational without being preachy. …This is a winning and uplifting contemporary romance!
To read full review, visit http://www.indtale.com/reviews/inspirational/dark-days-promise

Book 3 earns Praise of Young Reader

Not sure this is true for all authors, but it is for me. I received a nice compliment this morning. My son, age 13 going on 30 stopped in his tracks this morning to listen to me read. It wasn't that he yearned to be 3 and hear a bedtime story, it was the story that I was reading…Go Trevor!

I've lived and worked with this character for over five years and am now working on "His Journey." Trevor has waited patiently for me to tell the story from two female's point of views and now it is his turn to tell his story. I love the guy, he is continually surprising me and this morning, well, let's just say-- his actions held my son in the palm of his hand with the rest of his audience!

"His Journey" will be Book 3 in a trilogy that I'm writing. "Her Promise" is out shopping for a date with a publisher while "In Her Hands" is off to her first of many polishing sessions. When "In Her Hands" is complete with all her polishing done, it too will go shopping for a date to the publishing ball. I have no doubt that it will find one easier than her sister as "In Her Hands" is a romance while "Her Promise" has a different twist.