Check it Out: Sharon Nelson

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading through all of the previous blogs in this series! I hope that you've now got a good glimpse at these books, companies, & authors! Hopefully there's one of these that you really like & have downloaded! :)

In any case, finishing up this series is a guest blog from Sharon Nelson, author of Pursuit of Midnight, a romantic mystery full of dashing Dukes & sinister goings on! I also have the trailer to the book, so if you're a fan of romance or mystery then it'll be worth checking out. (Click on the book to go directly to Sharon's website!) You can purchase Sharon's book at either Smashwords or on Amazon to get sent directly to your kindle!


Society believes that her twin brother is dead but the recently widowed Lady Cadence Cooper was given reason to believe otherwise. A message delivered by a mysterious veiled woman has led her to suspect the involvement of the Midnight Club in his abduction. In order to keep her sisters out of danger, Cadence has no choice but to enlist the aid of a perfect stranger to help her. The Duke of Remington owed her father his life and she is hoping it will be enough to convince him to aid her. Little does she know that the current Duke of Remington is not the same gentleman her father once called friend and getting this dark stranger to help her may cost Cadence more than she is willing to offer.

Blake Morris, Duke of Remington has his own reasons for investigating the Club and when a very audacious Lady with surprising information about the club demands his assistance, he has no choice but to succumb to her demands. Before long he is caught up in her crazy plans and swept away by her courage. When a plot is uncovered that could destroy London they will risk everything to save the city, their families and each other. Will they be able to unravel the secrets of the Midnight Club? Or will they lose more than just their hearts in The Pursuit of Midnight.

Where to begin? I find that since publishing my book and muddling through the promotion process the hardest thing to do is to write about me. I have no problem creating characters and fantasy worlds and I could tell you every last detail about them. But me… that’s another story.

I don’t have a degree in writing or English; I went to school to be a nanny and again for business management. There isn’t anything that makes me particularly qualified to be a writer other than the fact that I love to do it. I have been writing for as long as I can remember, when I was little my brother and I used to staple pieces of paper together and write books. I have several completed books in many different genres but had never even thought about publishing. Then a couple years ago my mom talked me into joining a writing group a friend of hers was starting. It was great fun; we would meet at a local restaurant and do writing exercises, critique each other’s work and enjoy a good Ruby Red beer.

About a year later one of our members passed away suddenly, she was only in her early 40’s and it was an enormous shock to everyone. She had been a vibrant and amazing person and it really made me wake up and take a second look at my life. While I liked my job I loved writing and everyone told me it was good enough to publish. So I kicked myself into gear and got to work, polishing off the best of the bunch and started sending it out to agents.

As any aspiring writer knows waiting for replies to come is the most excruciatingly horrid part of the process, quickly followed by the receipt of the rejection letter. I have a whole stack of them and they haunt me still. Oh, they are always nice and even encouraging but still each one is like a knife through the heart.

Finally I decided I would take one of my books and publish it myself. I had a friend, who is fabulous at editing, run it through the wringer and muddled my why through the e publishing process. Book uploaded into iPub, KDP and Smashwords, I was elated; there was my book available to the world.

Sitting back congratulating myself I had no idea what to do next. I quickly found that the work had only just begun. Promoting your book and yourself as an author is an uphill battle, or as my grandpa used to say, “5 miles, in the snow, uphill both ways.”

It has only been a little over a month so I am trying not to despair. I have talked to some amazing writers and other professionals in the industry. Several blogs are doing reviews of my book and I have gotten some great feedback about my book that has encouraged me. I have read everything I could get my hands on about self publishing and promotion but I still feel like such a beginner.

I guess if I could tell someone considering indie publishing one thing it would be this: There is more to being an indie writer than uploading your book. I have found some great resources which I am happy to share and post on my blog bysharonnelson.blogspot.com. I am trying to stay active in the writing community and post to several different forums, learning and sharing as much information as possible. So if there are any writers considering indie publishing come find me I’m happy to answer any questions.

I would like to add a special thanks to Shalor and Book Goggles. I know how hard it is to run a successful blog and Shalor has been fantastic.





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Don't forget- today is the last day to enter to win a copy of one of Jim Bernheimer's ebooks! Tomorrow I announce the winner! (Click here for details.)

Check it Out: Jeff Thomason & Monica Leonelle

Hi everyone! This is my next to last post in this series. I'll have one more author to spotlight & then I'll announce the winner of the giveaway on Saturday!




There's no better way to describe Jeff than through his own words: (Click on the above image to visit his website!)

Jeff is the author of the Wandering Koala tales and the creator of the Cully Koala comic strip. Jeff's dream has always been to be a rock star. Unfortunately, he can't sing, he can't dance, and he doesn't look good in tight leather pants. So he decided to pursue his second dream and become a writer and artist. When he isn't working on his own creations, he also provides graphic design, web development, and illustrations for companies all over the country.

Jeff wrote this book for people of all ages, especially those who loved books along the lines of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, & Tom Swift when they were younger, yet are looking for something a little more oriented towards older readers.

He loves how many of the older books used to include illustrations & wants to bring illustrations back for the more mature reading set. After all, pictures aren't only for kids! (As a fan of light novels I can vouch that illustrations can work in a non-child oriented book.)

He’s done it! Brent Jakes has discovered the Unified Field Theory, the Holy Grail of Physics! It will provide unlimited energy, new medical breakthroughs, and other advances only dreamed of before. There’s just one on catch: it’ll cost three men their careers, and they've vowed to prevent it at all costs. Science is not immune to the corruption of greed and politics. Only the intervention of a silent wanderer can stop them.... The Scientific Method is a young adult science fiction novel with over a dozen gorgeous illustrations. It is available in paperback and all eBook formats from all popular online bookstores. (Click on the book image for a sneak peek!)


You can purchase not only this book but several of the other books written by Jeff, including a graphic novel adaptation of the series! This is available not only through amazon but also through smashwords & Jeff's own storefront!




Next up is Monica Leonelle, author of two great series: Seven Halos & Socialpunk. Like me (as well as a good deal of us) Monica was & still remains a great fan of YA! She lives in Chicago with her husband & an adorable Westie, with one of her life goals being to sell a billion books in her lifetime.

15-year old Brie van Rossum wants to know what caused her mother's death, but she's trapped in Honolulu under the watchful eye of her rock star father James, her overprotective older brother Pilot, and the relentless paparazzi who would love to capture her breaking down on film.

A clue about her mother's death finally comes in the form of four teenage girls--or at least, that's what Brie thought they were when she met them on the first day of high school. The girls are not normal teenagers, but Hallows--descendants of archangels and humans--with supernatural powers that allow them to manipulate matter and cross miles of beach in seconds. Brie learns that she is a Hallow too, just like her late mother.

But Brie's family has enemies--specifically the New Order, a group that killed most of Brie s family before the last survivors went into hiding one hundred years ago. Brie's new friends don t think the New Order killed Brie s mother, but that begs the question--who did?

Now, Brie faces a choice--she can follow the clues her mother has left behind, and risk exposing her family to a death sentence from the New Order; or she can stay in Honolulu and keep her family safe, but forsake the Hallows to the New Order's firm fist.

The Seven Halos series consists of seven books about seven humans who are descendants of archangels and archdemons. Each of them must uncover the chilling (and sometimes sinister) mysteries of their lineage in order to save two races of superbeings from an all out war that no one can win. It is a story of love, death, heartbreak, betrayal, and the one thing that matters most--allegiance.

You can find this intriguing new book on amazon (available in paperback, hardback, & kindle editions) as well as on smashwords!

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Make sure to check out our contest where you can win an ebook copy of one of Jim Bernheimer's works! (Click here for details.)

Check it Out: Marc Johnson & Val Gunn

Hi everyone! Today's Check it Out authors are Marc Johnson & Val Gunn. They're both writers of fantasy, so if you're a fan of the genre you'll have to check them out!



First up is Marc Johnson, author of Catalyst: The Passage of Hellsfire. This is the first book in an ongoing series & I have to say, I was pretty impressed when I read an excerpt of it. While I love fantasy I'm more of a fan of stuff along the lines of Kim Harrison. This is just an expertly penned novel that I'm honestly surprised hasn't been snapped up by a publisher yet. His advice for new authors is to save up for the professional editors & cover art. He admits that it's expensive, but well worth it. I have to say that his excerpts definitely back up what he says- this looks to be one fantastic book!

For centuries, the kingdom of Alexandria has protected Northern Shala from the monstrous creatures lurking in the Wastelands. Now, a dark force threatens that fragile peace. A young villager named Hellsfire rescues Alexandria’s princess, alone and unarmed. His fear and fury unleash an uncontrollable magical force that grants him the power to save the princess—and change the world.

You can find Marc's work on the kindle as well as on smashwords.



Next up is Val Gunn, author of the fantasy novel In the Shadow of Swords. It's a fantasy tale full of murder, magic, & adventure. Val is a fan of both sports as well as the written word. He's not only penned a novel but he's also had a career in football & coaching!

When the assassin Ciris Sarn, murders Hiril Altaïr, he unwittingly leaves behind the legendary Books of Promise. They come into the hands of Hiril's vengeful widow, Marin, and she becomes a target even as she hunts for her husband's murderer. Meanwhile, Fajeer Dassai, a brutal kingmaker, plots to retrieve the fabled treasure to make himself wealthy beyond imagination. His only obstacle is Pavanan Munif, a capable, but drug-addicted tracker. Soon assassins, sheikhs, spies, and viziers are all embroiled in a potentially world-shattering conspiracy racing to an inevitable showdown where violence and murder is the only path to true redemption.

Val's book is currently published via Errant Press & you can purchase a copy of this book on amazon! (Click on the book picture to be taken there.)

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Don't forget to check out our ebook contest to win one of Jim Bernheimer's books! (Click here for more info.)

An upcoming blog series: books to look out for!

Hi everyone!!

I've been hearing about a lot of great books lately but for one reason or another (school, not being the target audience, etc) I've not been able to really get a chance to read them. That's why I'm going to run a series of blogs showcasing indie, self-published, & new authors (and one publishing company) who deserve a little shout out!

Even better, one of the authors (Jim Bernheimer) has offered to give away an ebook copy of one of his books! I'm going to be running about a week's worth of blogs since there's a lot of good stuff to mention, so I'll start the contest at the beginning of the week, starting today.

My first post will be about Bernheimer himself & his books, so check it out!