Category: Contests

For Writers: The Audacity of Optimism

Note that this is a drawing. Not an actual female person.
Note that this is a drawing. Not an actual female person.

There have been several articles lately about how complicated writing female protagonists can be. We want them strong but not too strong. Amazingly competent but not unrealistic. Gritty but not abrasive.

Blech.

By my count, I have now written thirteen female protagonists (maybe more depending on your definition of protagonist) in my novels and novellas. Here’s some of the reader and reviewer feedback I’ve gotten about my female protagonists:

“clever” “boring, plain, over-emotional, and kinda stupid” “kickass!” “pathetic” “spineless ninny” “awesome” “relatable” “no personality” “one-dimensional” “all-time favorite heroine” “weak” “brilliant”

And ladies and gentlemen, this is all feedback for the same character! I’ll leave you to guess for which because honestly, this could be for any and all of them. Reader perception ranges SO wildly (and always has) that I tend to stick with the philosophy that has guided me from the beginning of my writing career. It’s simple, actually. It’s one single question:

“Do I know anyone that acts or has acted this way?”

If the answer is yes, then it’ll probably show up in a character somewhere. Which means my protagonists (both male and female) are kickass! And weak. Often in the same book. They’re so clever! And also dumb. Because that happens in real life. See, the same situation where one person can feel competent will make another, equally intelligent person do something stupid.

Because we all have our strengths and our blind spots. We all have our moments of weakness and moments to shine. That’s life. And even though I write fantasy, I need to ground my characters in reality. There are no real-life superheroes. Or maybe we can all be superheroes if we really need to be. (<-I pick that option personally.)

Waking Hearts - Ebook SmallAnd yet, all that said, I find myself nervous about my next release, Waking Hearts, because I have created a character more open to criticism than perhaps any other. Ladies and gentlemen, I have written…

An optimist.

A real, honest to goodness optimist.

I can already feel the metaphorical lips curling. Because how banal. How trite. A perky mom of four who always tries to look on the bright side? Her children are even (mostly) well behaved?!

Clearly a fantasy character, the cynics sneer. The pending echoes of “Mary Sue!” chase me off the interwebs.

Okay, I’m probably exaggerating. After all, I’m writing a paranormal romance, right? Everyone expects the happy ending in romance, whether it has shapeshifters or vampires or mermaids. Everyone has read this story before! HEAs aren’t real after all, are they? Romance heroes don’t really exist.

Feel that pat on the head, romance writers? That’s the patronizing pat of dismissal from the “real” writers. The ones who write those “strong female characters” who fear nothing. The cynics and the realists. The scarred NOT-Mary Sue who know that happy endings don’t exist. Continue reading “For Writers: The Audacity of Optimism”

Immortal Descendants Cover Reveal and a BIG contest. (Win signed paperbacks from meeeeee.)

So if you’ve been wandering around on Facebook at all, you might have seen this graphic…

Cover Reveal1

And wondered whaaaaaat was going on?

See, there’s this series I love called the Immortal Descendants series. It’s by April White, and it’s one of the few YA series I’ve ever gotten into. It has great characters and world building. (Time travel! Street art! Free-running! Vampires! Shifters!) Basically, it’s pretty damn awesome all around. And all this awesome used to have covers that (they were okay, but…) didn’t quite capture the feel of the series for me. BUT NOW THEY HAVE NEW COVERS. And they are awesome. Want to see?

Immortal Descendants Cover Graphic

Full disclosure: April White IS a friend of mine, but I just don’t recommend stuff that I have not read myself and genuinely feel like you guys would love. And I think this is a series you guys would love. Especially those who like the Elemental Mysteries series. There’s a lot of history built into the series because the heroine, Saira, is a time-traveler. The plotting is complex and layered. The characterizations are far more complex than the average YA series. I really, really like it, and I think most of you would, too.

And SWEET!

Marking Time is currently FREE for all e-readers!
→ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1LS9PFD
→ Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Mf7dkv
→ B&N: http://bit.ly/1P1gnpL
→ Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Mn3UxZ
→ iTunes: http://apple.co/1LSb2gh

So once you read the first book for free, you can check out the rest of the series on Amazon.com! In fact, if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can get them free.

Tempting Fate and Changing Nature are currently FREE to Kindle Unlimited subscribers!
→ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1LSbj2F
→ Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1H4Vaok

The paperback versions of all three books are available here: http://amzn.to/1kIpBfs

And to celebrate all this awesome, April is giving away a bunch of stuff. (SOME OF WHICH IS MY STUFF!) This looks like a really nice contest, so check it out at the link below.

Giveaway

★ GIVEAWAY★
Enter the rafflecopter below to win a three-book signed paperback set of The Immortal Descendants series with new covers, plus a $50 Amazon gift card, and signed copies of Truth or Beard, by Penny Reid, and The Scribe, by Elizabeth Hunter
→ http://bit.ly/1k7jmkJ

★ Covers designed by Penny Reid ★

IN OTHER UNRELATED NEWS:

Waking Hearts 1

Both Shifting Dreams and Desert Bound are Kindle Daily Deals today! Usually, these books cost $4.99, and today they are only $0.99 each! Which is a huge deal obviously. This sale will ONLY last for today, so if you’ve been waiting to try that series, now it the time to do it before Waking Hearts comes out on November 24th.

Waking Hearts #teaser, random book news, and a BIG #giveaway.

35 Days of Ollie-5I have a delicious new teaser for you from Waking Hearts today. I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS TO READ THIS BOOK! I mean, I’m always excited for you to read my books, but Cambio fans have been waiting a looooong time to get Ollie and Allie’s story, so there’s extra anticipation in the mix. So without further ado, here’s the Waking Hearts teaser!

WITH three quick phone calls, Ollie had Vicky cleaning at her house, his cousins picking up the younger kids from the bus while Kevin did his shift at the feed store, and Jim covering the bar until Ollie and Allie could get there at six. Then he’d piled her in the truck and headed toward the Blackbird Diner.

“I’m guessing you haven’t eaten today.”

“I’ve had coffee.”

“Coffee is not a meal, Allison.”

“Now who’s acting like a mom?”

He smiled. “Don’t pout. Or do. It’s kinda cute.”

Allie couldn’t help that her body heated, she just hoped he didn’t notice.

“You need to stop. Talking like that is just going to fuel the rumors that are probably already flying.”

He shrugged. “Let ‘em fly. I don’t care.”

“Men never do.”

“And women care too much.” He parked at the diner and turned to her with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. “Tell the truth: are you ashamed of me, Allie? Is it my… rough reputation?”

“Oh please…” She reached for the door handle, only to have Ollie grab her hand. “Ollie, what—”

He’d leaned across the cab of the Bronco, reaching one tattooed arm to the door while he grabbed her other hand and held it between them. She was trapped against him, her mouth inches from his and his chest pressed up against her racing heart.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

“You should let me open the door for you.”

Breathe, breathe, breathe, Allie. Do not tackle the giant grizzly and wrestle him into the backseat to have your way with him.

“Why? I can open my own door.”

“Because it’s nice. I like being nice to you,” he said a moment before he brushed a feather-light kiss over the corner of her mouth. “And that door can stick.”

With a hard shove that pressed their bodies even closer, he shoved open the passenger door.
But he didn’t move away.

“Ollie,” she said, glancing at a couple walking into the diner that had stopped to watch the show.

“Yeah,” he whispered, “you definitely care too much what other people think.”

“We can’t all be big bad grizzly bears like you.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “Who said I was bad?”

“I did.”

“And I haven’t even done anything to earn it.” He leaned back to his side of the truck. “Yet.”

And there it is, ladies and gentleman. The bear does have his moves, even if they’re the quiet, somewhat grunting type of moves. But he’s Ollie, so we love him. You can preorder WAKING HEARTS at the link.

Random Book News

I was telling my assister, Gen, the problem with having an active author page on Facebook and a blog at the same time is that you never really know what you’ve announced where. I DID announce The Scarlet Deep audio here, but I did not announce that I have two new paperbacks available. These are both for shorter works, so they’re exclusive to Amazon and Createspace so that I can keep the price down.

BronzeBlade_3DBaWM 3D PNGOne is my Gothic Romance novella duo with Grace Draven, Beneath a Waning Moon, and the other is The Bronze Blade, which has been available in e-book for over a year now, but I’ve held off on putting out in paperback. It’s available now, so you can buy it if you want the whole Elemental World collection.

~

Beneath a Waning Moon paperback is HERE.

The Bronze Blade paperback is HERE.

~

And that’s it! I just ordered extra paperbacks of both of these, so I’ll be giving one of each away to someone here on the blog. Just leave a comment to enter, and I’ll be picking THREE winners tomorrow evening. One for The Bronze Blade paperback, one for the Beneath a Waning Moon paperback and one for an ARC of WAKING HEARTS. (Open to international entries.)

All the best, Elizabeth

Things I Am Excited About This Week

Confetti_in_Toronto

1. Reception for The Scribe has been phenomenal. I’m incredibly grateful for all of you who have bought the book, recommended it, shared it with friends, etc. To answer the most common questions I’m getting:

  • YES, I’m working on the second book right now! I’m about a third of the way in. Maybe a little more. But I’m not going to give an exact release date for it. Spring of next year is about as specific as I can get right now.
  • NO, I haven’t abandoned either the Elemental series OR the Cambio series. I have stories brewing for both, but when all you can think about is one book, it’s pretty useless to try writing a different one. Therefor, I’m working on THE SINGER: Irin Chronicles Book Two at the moment.
  • NO, there’s no audiobook for The Scribe yet, but I’m definitely looking into doing one. I might try producing this one on my own. We’ll see. (No, that doesn’t mean I’d be narrating.)
  • YES, there’s a giveaway for a signed paperback over on Goodreads, but NO, it doesn’t cover all countries. I will, however, be doing a giveaway here on the blog next week that will be open to everyone.
  • YES, the book really did have to end there.

2. Trip to Houston!

I’ll be at the Black Lab this coming Saturday to meet you guys. I’m also doing a reading/signing at The Honors College at University of Houston on Thursday evening. (But I’m not sure if that one is invite only. I’ll find out and let you all know.) Very, very excited to be back at my alma mater and meeting with old friends and new readers. Can’t wait! I should probably pack a suitcase or something, right?

UPDATE: The very helpful Lucy Bonner with The Honors College left this response in the comments:

“Hi Elizabeth and fans,

The event here at the Honors College is open to all! We would like to have anyone interested come join us.

7:30- 9:00 pm
The Honors College Commons
212 MD Anderson Library
Houston, Texas 77204

If anyone has questions, please contact 713-743-9010. We hope to see you all there!”

Thanks, Lucy!

3. Audiobooks with SmallBoy.

In addition to my own audiobooks of the Elemental Mysteries series (which you can buy here from Audible!) I’ve been listening to a bunch of audiobooks with SmallBoy in the car. Being as he’s an 8yo ninja, reading is not always his most favorite thing to do, but he loooooves the audiobooks. His favorites so far have been How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, narrated by David Tennant. (Doctor? Doctor!) I bought the audiobook from Audible, but for some reason, it’s no longer for sale anywhere except on CD. Which bums me out majorly, because SmallBoy wanted to listen to the rest! And the other one he absolutely loved with Odd and the Frost Giants, written and narrated by Neil Gaiman. Fantastic book!

Also, just putting this out there for bloggers out there who review audio. If you would like review copies of any of my audiobooks, please do let me know! I’d love to get some to you. Email me at ElizabethHunterWrites@gmail.com if you’re interested.

That’s what’s happening with me this week. What are you all up to?

First Contest Thread: Elemental Mysteries

Okay, here’s the first thread! Leave a comment here to enter to win your choice of signed paperback in the Elemental Mysteries series: A Hidden Fire, This Same Earth, The Force of Wind, or A Fall of Water.

Open to international readers. This contest will end on Friday, August 9th!

August wrap-up: Writing updates, Chicago news, and get ready for BLOODY SEPTEMBER!

I may have been a little bit happy about our seats…

The month of August is ending and what a month it has been! Lots going on, lots of new readers, and WAY more blog traffic. Hi to all the new readers! *waves like a dork* Welcome to my blog and I hope you hang around. Press the subscribe button if you like. I promise not to flood your inbox. I only post a couple times a week, max, but this is the best way to keep up with new releases, teasers, and other stuff like that.

WRITING NEWS!!! 

I’m finishing up revisions for Carwyn’s book this week, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I’m also continuing with the first draft of the new Cambio Springs book (you can read the first chapter here). Life is fun in shapeshifter-land.

What have I been up to personally? Well, work mostly, but I was at the last Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Monterey last weekend. Mumford & Sons? Yeah, they’re as amazing live as everyone says. Do yourself a favor and go to a show if it’s humanly possible. You’ll be glad you did. Crazy fun festival. Well run and not too big. If they do it again, I’m there. Also, if you haven’t discovered Gogol Bordello, fix that. Gypsy punk. That is all.

I was also able to attend an event last Friday with Mumford & Sons hosted by the National Steinbeck Center in downtown Monterey. Great tribute to a writer who was a huge part of my childhood and personal literary heritage. Like all writers from Central California, Steinbeck holds a special place, and Cannery Row is one of my favorite books of all time. It was also great to hear from the band on what some of the literary influences in their music have been. I use music a lot for inspiration in my writing, so it was awesome to see the other side of the coin.

What’s coming up in September? Well, I think I’m going to extend the free book promotion for A Hidden Fire. The series as a whole has been doing amazingly well, so I want to thank all my readers, new and old, and if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? I’ve always said that happy readers are the best advertising money can’t buy and you all prove me right every single day. Once I get done with revisions, I’ll be able to burrow into the writing cave and tear things up in shapeshifter-land so I can get the new books out faster.

~~~

I also want to remind everyone about Chicago! Seriously, you guys, the line up at this event is going to be amazing. NYT bestsellers, Colleen Hoover and Tracey Garvis-Graves will be there. Abbi Glines, Elizabeth Reyes, and a bunch of the hottest names in indie and traditional pub are meeting and the event is open to the public. I’ll be there meeting you all, selling the new editions of the paperbacks (they’re gorgeous), and signing whatever for anyone that shows up. The event website is here. Like I said, it’s open to the public and I’d love to meet anyone that could make it.

~~~

Saving the best for last, are you ready for Bloody September? This is a new contest/blood drive that was the brainchild of the awesome Laura Bradley Rede, and I’m thrilled to be lending a… vein to the cause. (Along with some signed books.) Blood supplies in the US are at a fifteen year low and some of your favorite paranormal authors (including yours truly) are taking action! And we hope our readers do, too! Donate blood in September and get a chance at an awesome prize pack and some great runner-up prizes, as well. We just need photographic evidence of non-vampiric blood donation and you’re entered to win. I’ll be posting more about this later in the week.

Lots to do, so I’m out for now. Have a great week, everyone!

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

First Week Round-up: A Hidden Fire

So, at the end of the week, I wanted to let you know how this crazy thing called a book launch went.  The short answer is, I’m really pleased.

A Hidden Fire has stayed fairly high in the Kindle store rankings, and after only four days has a 4.81 out of 5.00 rating on Goodreads.  It has also been ranked in the top ten Best Independent Novels at Listopia on Goodreads, which is incredibly flattering.  It’s gotten some amazing reviews and some really flattering write-ups.  I even did an author interview about the book and series.  More reviews are scheduled to publish this weekend, but I’ll be putting any further information about that at ElementalMysteries.com.

Most importantly to me as a writer, people are e-mailing, tweeting, and reviewing telling me they have bought the book and they loved it.  This crazy story I cooked up in my brain and devoted so many hours to writing has found its own audience.  Readers are connecting with Beatrice and Gio.  They like the supporting characters.  (I think Carwyn already has his own fan club.  He’s such an attention hog.)  In short, past the sales numbers, readers are enjoying the book, and that means more to me than anything else.

Thank you to everyone who made this launch week a success.  If you have read the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or both!)  Be honest, I know it won’t be everyone’s favorite, and that’s fine, but readers and shoppers really do read reviews, so they make a huge difference.

If you read the book and enjoyed it, tell a friend!  (If you hated it…well, you can e-mail me and I’ll listen, I promise.) I’ve always found the best books by word of mouth and you’re probably the same.  And if you have any questions about this whole crazy process, let me know, I’d love to answer.  If I can publish a book, probably a lot of you can, as well!

I’m going to try not to blog too much here about THE BOOK and all that.  This site is really more about writing and other things I love, but I’ll be posting more teasers for Book Two, This Same Earth, and other book news over on the Elemental Mysteries website, so take a look over there, if you get a chance!

Also, I’m still running a give-away over at the Elemental Mysteries Fansite on Facebook. If you “like” the page, you’re entered to win! (Easiest give-away ever.) I’m running it through the weekend, so head on over there if you’re a Facebook fan and check it out!

As always, thank you so much for reading,

Elizabeth

Tis the season…

photo by: Tomas Castelazo

For spooks, goblins, skeletons, and give-aways!

I am announcing the final publication date for my book, A Hidden Fire, on October 18th, 2011! I won’t belabor the point here, but if you have any other questions, I hope you’ll check out the site for the books, ElementalMysteries.wordpress.com for book news, teasers and contests.

Here’s some advance praise for the book:

“A sophisticated, intelligent, story that will leave you in love with its characters. This is a must-read for lovers of paranormal romance looking for something that has real substance.” —Nichole Chase, author of Mortal Obligation, Book One ofThe Dark Betrayal Trilogy

“I am in love with this story! It is beautifully crafted and moves at the perfect pace to suck you in and keep you coming back for more. …I am eagerly anticipating the next installment of this series, and I am grateful for the chance to read an ARC copy of this one. If only I had the patience of a vampire to get me from now until it’s release.”—Rachel, Goodreads reviewer

Currently I am running a contest for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for all my new subscribers over at the book site.  That’s right, if you sign up for email updates over at EM.com, you are automatically entered to win a free copy of the book a week before it’s on sale to the public! Contest ends this coming Tuesday.

I also have a seasonal post up there about Dia de los Muertos, a fascinating holiday that is celebrated more and more in the United States and is featured in the book.  Hope you check it out!

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

A Hidden Fire is on Goodreads!

Just a quick post to let you all know that I have created a Goodreads page for A Hidden Fire, the first book in the Elemental Mystery series! Please, pay no attention to the author link for right now, I’ve emailed Goodreads in the hopes that I can get the name thing straightened out. Amazingly, there’s more than one Elizabeth Hunter writing books. Imagine that …

Also, friend me over at Goodreads if you’d like. Same name, here’s the link to my profile.  I’m still getting the hang of stuff over there, and I don’t have tons of books up, but I know some of you are pros.  Also, the never-ending book quiz is very addicting. Just putting that out there.

Moving forward, (okay, maybe this isn’t such a quick post) I will continue to blog here about my journey to independent publishing, fangirl stuff, and writing in general, but more detailed information about the book, and any other teasers, contest info, etc. will be found on the Elemental Mysteries website.  My intention is to keep this blog focused on writing, publishing, and opinion while giving book fans a place to go for more detailed information about the series.  I’m not trying to alienate anyone here, and I understand that readers have different interests, so I’m trying not to shove the new book/series down everyone’s throat. Hope that makes sense!

But, for those of you who are interested, I’ve posted Chapter 2, just to give you another taste of the story, along with some other little “bonus features” to pique your interest (hopefully).  I’ll also be starting a contest next week to give away three Advance Reader’s Copies of the book to three subscribers over at the new site. So, head on over and sign up for email updates! I promise I won’t inundate your inbox begging you to buy my book. At least … not after the first week or so.

The closer I get to publication, the more stressed out I get.  But I want to take a moment to say “THANK YOU.”  No lie, you can’t imagine how much your encouragement and support mean to me.  It’s easy to get nervous.  I’ve invested a lot of time and (for me) money in this project, and I’ve really worked to make it the kind of quality writing that I know you deserve.  This is not a whim or a hobby to me, writing and publishing is something I’m really serious about, and your support and attention has been instrumental in giving me the courage to put myself out there. I’ve said this before, but thank you for the gift of your time and attention.  It means so much to me.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you over at the new site, on Goodreads, or over on Facebook. (Yep! I’m there, too!)

Elizabeth