Lexa Cain: February 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016

Choose Your Favorite Cover

Welcome to my cover poll! Thank you very much for taking the time to view the 8 covers below and choosing your favorite.

If you have trouble deciding, the poll allows you to make 2 choices before submitting, so you can choose your top 2 favorite covers.

Bloodwalker

Thriller/Mystery

When Zorka Circus performs, its big top roars with laughter and cheers, but when it moves on, there are fewer children in the town it leaves behind...

The poll is now closed.

Thanks for your help!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Celebrate: Wickedly They Dream & Lots of Giveaways!

This week I'm celebrating:
1) I was doing great with my 1000 words-a-day writing schedule. I had 1ok of COLDEST NIGHT in the bag -- woohoo! -- till I was struck down by an abscessed tooth. My dentist refuses to mess with it until the infection is gone, so now I'm waffling between in-pain-and-can't-write and loopy-on-painkillers-and-can't-write. Ah well... I'm sure I'll get back on schedule next month. :)
2) The covers for my novel BLOODWALKER are ready to go! They'll be posted here on Monday Feb 29th with a survey/poll so people can choose which TWO they like best. (Sometimes it's hard to choose, so I'm giving everyone two votes.) I'll make sure to include the link to the post on other blog hops that week (IWSG & Celebrate) so that everyone will get a chance to pick their favorites!
3) Celebrate's own Cathrina Constantine has re-released a new version of Wickedly They Dream! Read on for more details:

Blurb:
Jordan hoped her life would change after the fiery death of the devious sorcerer, Asa Trebane. She was wrong. The Black Order of the Cult is gearing up to select a new Supreme Leader, and Lucifer will be judge and jury.
Seeley, Jordan’s mother, is possessed with a curse, and even the priests can’t find a solution to defeat the evil devouring her. Jordan must dig deeper into the Satanic realm and joins forces with a wicked witch to save her family from the clutches of Hell.
However, when things go awry with her guardian angel, Markus, Jordan is shrouded in her own longing as she faces the darkness without his light.
There’s trouble in paradise and souls are at stake as Jordan fights to hold onto a normal teenage life ~ the angel she loves ~ and a family that hangs in peril.

Buy Links: AMAZON ~ BLACK OPAL BOOKS

Author Cathrina Constantine resides in Western New York. When not with her family, you'll find her in the forest behind her house walking the dogs and conjuring a new tale.

You can find Cathy here:
Amazon Facebook Goodreads

Regarding toothaches, why do pictures always show people with a bandage tied around their head? Is that some pain relief thing I don't know about? Do tell!

My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:

Grab the Linky html-code here:

** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **

Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is visit the Celebrate page on Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful for that week. It can be about writing or family or school or general life. This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! (Originated by VikLit)

Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net.

When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -

Free short stories, novellas, and novels
Giveaways for books and swag
Free services for authors

Here are Foxy's suggestions for Feb 26, 2016:

Free Guide to Amazon Key-Words – Download a free PDF copy of “Unlock Your Amazon Keywords” published by Bookbaby. This is essential info for all authors about getting their books ranked well on the Amazon search engine. You have to give the publisher your name, email, and address, and they’ll connect you to the page to download the guide at Bookbaby. (Thanks to Michelle Wallace for the link!)

Free New Adult Dystopian eBook – Win Revolution by Jessica Frances, about a human world enslaved by the “Superiors” they invented to serve as their army. Enter via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. Few entries = Good chance to win! (ends Mar 5)

Free Paranormal Urban Fantasy eBook – Win Liar’s Game (Paranormal/UF) by Anna Wolfe about angry witches, lies, and murder plaguing a young man with special powers and an important destiny. Enter via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends Mar 7)

Free Military Romantic-Suspense eBook – Win an ebook of The Asset (Wounded Warrior #1) by Anna Del Mar about a battle-scarred soldier who falls in love with and must protect a woman running from a drug cartel. Enter via rafflecopter on the Mythical Book blog. (ends Mar 20)

Free Regency Romance 4-Paperback Bundle – To celebrate the release of The Rogue by Katharine Ashe, she’s giving away 4 paperback novels: When a Scot Loves a Lady, How to be a Proper Lady, How a Lady Weds a Rogue, and I Loved a Rogue via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (US only; ends Mar 5)

Free YA Mystery/Thriller Book – Win In Place of Never by Julie Anne Lindsay about a girl investigating the death of her sister with the help of a soulful gypsy musician. Enter via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends Mar 5)

Free $20 Amazon or Barnes&Noble Gift Card - To celebrate the release of Getting it Right The Second Time Around (Romance) by Jennifer Frank, the author is giving away a $20 Amazon card or B&N card via rafflecopter on the Romance Novels Giveaway blog. (ends Mar 20)

Free $20 Amazon Gift Card - To celebrate the release of The Healing Frequency (Non-Fiction, Spirituality) by Julio Consiglio, the author is giving away a $20 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends Feb 29)

Free $25 Amazon Gift Card - To celebrate the release of Atone (Contemp Romance) by Beth Yarnall, about a man imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and the woman-on-the-run who needs his help, the author is giving away a $25 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Romace Novels Giveaways blog. (ends Feb 28)

Free $30 Amazon Gift Card – To celebrate the release of The Midnight Sea (New Adult Fantasy) by Kat Ross, the author is giving away a $30 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Mythical Books blog. (ends Mar 5)

Free $100 Amazon Gift Card - To celebrate the release of Deep: Chicago Underground (Romance) by Skye Warren, about the head of a crime syndicate who’s betrayed and needs help from the cute college coed he can’t forget, the author is giving away a $100 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends Mar 3)

For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here! Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com

Friday, February 19, 2016

Celebrate: Writing Again & Giveaways

I wrapped up another week on the plus side!

I'm celebrating:
1) With the ever-patient help of my CPs, I finally found a poll app that works! It's from SurveyMonkey, and although it's a "survey" not a "poll" and won't show the voters the results (boo!) it works internationally and has a special link so people can use mobile devices (yay!), plus it's affiliated with MailChimp---a very reputable email marketing service---so I expect no problems when I do the cover poll at the end of the month!
2) At long last, this week I started my new WIP, Coldest Night (the one set in Alaska). I'm trying really hard to write 1000 words-a-day and have done it for 4 days now. Crossing my fingers I can keep it up.

Do word count goals or deadlines work for you? Or do you just work when you have time?

Though I hated to do it, it was time to cull the list of those people who haven’t posted for the Celebrate hop in over three months.
Removed From the Celebrate Linky---Update Your Blog Rolls
The Beveled Edge (http://bev-thebevelededge.blogspot.com)
Entertaining Interests (http://danibertrand.blogspot.com)
Writing By Marilyn/On Becoming a Writer (http://www.onbecomingawriter.com/blog/)
Desiree Yearning (http://desireeyearning.weebly.com/desiree-yearning-blog)
DandiLyonFluff (http://dandilyonfluff.com/)
Peace, Love and Books (http://gomezkarla.blogspot.com)

My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Celebrate The Small Things Linky:

Grab the Linky html-code here:

** To see who’s posted for the hop look at my Celebrate The Small Things Blog Roll, left sidebar bottom **

Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net.

When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -

Free short stories, novellas, and novels
Giveaways for books and swag
Free services for authors

Here are Foxy's suggestions for Feb 19, 2016:

Free Sci-Fi/Fantasy Anthology Hardback – The SFFWorld site, featuring Sci-FI authors and books, is giving away Ecotones, an anthology (a $24.95 value), to 5 winners. Enter HERE. (ends Feb 29)

Free Romantic Suspense Hardback – Win The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl, about a newly divorced woman getting her dream job as reporter on a NYC TV channel but who wonders if someone is engineering the disaster that see to follow her around. Enter to win by following the blog and leaving a comment on the Stuff and Nonsense blog. (US only; ends Feb 21)

Free YA Historical Romance – Win Midnight in St. Petersburg by Vanora Bennett, about young woman living in Russia in 1911, where she meets Bohemians, revolutionaries, a Faberge Egg artisan—and Rasputin! Enter via rafflecopter on the YA Books Central blog. (US only; ends Feb 21)

Free Kindle Fire, $50 Amazon Card, & 4 Romance-novel Omnibus – To celebrate the release of Burning Rivalry (romance) by Aubrey Parker, she’s giving away a Kindle Fire device, a $50 Amazon card and 4 copies of the Trevor’s Harem series (books 1-4). Enter via rafflecopter on the Romance Novel Giveaway blog. Hurry! Ends Saturday! (ends Feb 20)

For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Celebrate: Big Thanks to Lynda & Lots of Giveaways!

This has been a good week for me! I'm celebrating:
1) In response to my IWSG "Cover Fear" post, Lynda Young (WIP It blog) did such a kind thing -- she offered to look at my covers and give me some professional feedback on the art. She even offered suggestions and examples. She was loads of help. Huge thanks to Lynda!
2) I've tested one poll app, which only accepted 3 of 4 CP's test votes. Uh-oh. Time to try out a new app -- but better I discovered it by testing now rather than when the cover poll goes live at the end of the month.
3) In the past few months I've noticed that several of my loyal blog visitors and blog hop members have bought and reviewed some of my ebooks, even though I wasn't promo-ing or yelling "Buy it!" from the rooftop (which would be a bad idea anyway since I'm scared of heights. LOL!). I'm pleased and so touched to be surrounded by supportive and generous people!!
4) To make up for no giveaways last week, I found a bunch for you this week! :)

Have you ever published something on your blog only to discover later that the app or links or images were messed up? Did you rush back to fix it or take a C'est la Vie attitude?

New Celebrate member – Update Your Blog Rolls

As The Fates Would Have It (Ravyne Hawke) https://asthefateswouldhaveit.wordpress.com/
Welcome Ravyne!

Foxy's Friday Freebies!

Foxy has been nosing around the net.

When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Friday Freebies posts -

Free short stories, novellas, and novels
Giveaways for books and swag
Free services for authors

Here are Foxy's suggestions for Feb 12, 2016:

Free 5 Novels – the fabulous TB Markinson is sponsoring a new giveaway for the month of February and you can win all 5 of these books, Looking for Love by Ashelyn Drake, Getting Back by Cindy Rizzo, Cloaked by TF Walsh, The Ghosts of Aquinnah by Julie Flanders, and Invoking Nonna by Sage Adderley. Find the link to the rafflecopter giveaway on Making My Mark blog. (ends Feb 29)

Free Thriller eBook Download on Amazon – TB Markinson’s Claudia Must Die is now FREE ON AMAZON. Get this exciting thriller—but HURRY! The free download ends on Sunday Feb 14. Download your free copy here: Amazon (US) or Amazon (UK)

Free YA Fantasy Paperback – Win Earth’s End (Book 3 in the Air Awakens series) by Elise Kova, about a servant forced to fight in a war to win her freedom and save the lives of those she loves, Giveaway includes paperback, ebook, and swag via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends Feb 23)

Free YA Paranormal Romance eBook – Win Crossing the Barrier by Martine Lewis, about a high school athlete who falls in love with a band member who’s an empath but can no longer shield herself from the destructive emotions around her, via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends Feb 17)

Free $15 Amazon Gift Card, Signed Bookmark, Custom Playing Cards – To celebrate her Villain’s Academy Trilogy including the first book, King of Bad (YA Fantasy) author Kai Strand is giving away a $15 Amazon card and swag via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. Few entries = good chance to win, but hurry ‘coz it ends soon! (ends Feb 14)

Free $25 Amazon Gift Card – To celebrate the release of Elysium Dreams (Horror) by Hadena James about a serial killer stalking his human prey in the wilds of Alaska, the author is giving away a $25 Amazon card via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends March 30)

Free $25 Amazon Gift Card – To celebrate the release of The Proving (Sci-Fi) by Ken Brosky, about a planet invaded by specters that devour humans who venture outside their protected cities, the author is giving away a $25 Amazon card via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends Feb 22)

Free $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash – To celebrate the release of Pimpernel (Secret Agent/Suspense) by Sheralyn Pratt, about a secret agent trying to dismantle a financial scam in Las Vegas, the author is giving away a $25 Amazon card or $25 Paypal cash via rafflecopter on Mythical Books blog. (ends Feb 28)

Free $50 Amazon Gift Card – To celebrate the release of Into the Fire (Erotica) by E.L. Todd, Amazon bestselling author of Romance and Erotica, the author is giving away a $50 Amazon card via rafflecopter on Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends Feb 14)

Free $100 Amazon Gift Card – To celebrate the release of Love’s Timeless Melody (Paranormal Romance) by Cindy Irish, about a successful pop-star pulled into a supernatural mystery involving an American medium and Stonehenge, the author is giving away a $100 Amazon card via rafflecopter on Romance Novel Giveaways blog. (ends Feb 14)

For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.