Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Sweet September Giveaway!

 


Are you ready to fall for one SWEET giveaway? From September 15th to the 30th, you can enter to win BIG in the Sweet September Giveaway!

Young Adult Romance Authors Jade Lazlow, Jane McGarry, Jessa Russo, and Krysten Lindsay Hager, and Sweet Romance Authors A.K. Morgen, Rose B. Mashal, Sydney Logan, and Tami Franklin have teamed up to bring you an extra dose of sweet this fall!

Win a Kindle Fire 7, Amazon Gift cards, and ebooks by following participating authors on Bookbub and Amazon, or by signing up for their mailing lists. Check out all the details and enter below!


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

A.K. Morgen a self-professed mythology nerd, writes upper YA/New Adult paranormal romance that include modern takes on mythology and fairytales from around the world, alpha males, and fated mates.

Her Book: FADE

One Line Blurb: An ancient Norse prophecy of destruction has begun…and Arionna and Dace are all that stand between the world and those called forth to end it. Can they figure out who they are and what they're destined to do, or will they be forced to watch the people they care about die?

Get the Book: http://books2read.com/FADE

Like Ayden on Facebook: http://facebook.com/akmorgen1

Follow her on Instagram: http://instagram.com/AydenMorgen

Stalk her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/akmorgen


Tami Franklin writes clean and wholesome romance that will sweep you away. A former TV news producer and freelance writer, she now enjoys sharing stories about people destined to be together... they just might need a little help getting there. Franklin also writes contemporary and YA fantasy under the penname T.M. Franklin.

Her Book: Falling for Her Best Friend

One Line Blurb: Kade's carried a torch for Violet since high school, but putting the “boy” in front of “friend” was never an option. When Vi moves back to town, it could be Kade’s big chance to prove he’s more than the boy next door. Maybe he's the man of her dreams.

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Her-Best-Friend-Junction-ebook-dp-B07N7517ZS/dp/B07N7517ZS

Like Tami on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamiFranklinAuthor

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmfranklin

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TM_Franklin 


Jane McGarry cannot remember a time she did not love reading and this progressed into a passion for writing. In her quiet moments, she can be found curled up with her cats and a good book.

Her Book: Not Every Girl

One Line Blurb: Olivia Davenport makes an impetuous to sneak on a mission with the knights. When her deception is revealed, she is sent home in disgrace. An unexpected turn of events puts her at the center of a dangerous plot against the King, putting both her life and her heart at risk.

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Every-Girl-Jane-McGarry-ebook/dp/B00WT7DQTY

Like Jane on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jane-McGarry-Author-712005068914626

Follow her on Instagram: http://instagram.com/janemcgarryauthor 

Stalk her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JMcGarryauthor

 

Rose B. Mashal, a lifelong storyteller, specializes in crafting thrilling romantic stories that grab that reader and pull them into the book. Her one wish for the world is peace and understanding for all.

Her Book: Black Keys

One Line Blurb: Marie's life is turned upside down when her brother forces her into an arranged marriage with an Arab Prince. Could she open up her heart to a life so unlike her own or tries to escape?

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DY9ZLMX

Like Rose on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rose.b.Mashal/

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosebmashal/

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rose_B_Mashal 


Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values in the Landry’s True Colors Series, the Star Series, the Cecily Taylor Series, and Dating the It Guy. Krysten's work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily News and on Living Dayton.

Her Book: In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety

One Line Blurb: Cecily feels like she has it all: the beginnings of a career as a model/actress and she's dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday, but dating a celebrity and modeling is a lot harder than she thought it would be. Cecily wants a big life, but can she handle it?

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRYS65N/

Like Krysten on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/ 

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay   

 

Jade Lazlow: The graveyard overlooking Jade Lazlow's hometown is visible from everywhere, like an ever-present reminder of mysterious forces beyond the veil. The town had been a station on the Underground Railroad, so it's steeped in history and legend. It's also not far downriver from Mothman country. It was against that backdrop that Jade discovered her love of writing and all things creepy.

Her Book: Viral Dawn

One Line Blurb: Senior, Casey Williams shelters at her high school with friends and other survivors of the zombie outbreak. They're safe for now, but supplies are running short, and tempers are running shorter.

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Viral-Dawn-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0099YS2AI  

Like Jade on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadeLazlowauthor/  

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadelazlowauthor/

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WoodlandMediaCS


Sydney Logan writes heartfelt romances that feature strong women and the men who love them. She is a Netflix junkie, music lover, and a Vol for Life.

Her Book: Such Great Heights

One Line Blurb: He’s her boss. She’s the nanny. Love's not an option . . . right?

Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089ZL4F8S

Like Sydney on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SydneyLoganAuthor

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyloganauthor/

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SydneyALogan

 

Jessa Russo writes mainly young adult fiction with a strong romantic influence. She's obsessed with young love and all that goes with it, from the sweetest first kisses to the pain of that first devastating heartbreak.

Her Book: DIVIDE

One Line Blurb: Beauty and the Beast meets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in this epic fairy tale retelling.

Get the Book: https://amzn.to/3aat5Cr

Like Jessa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessaRusso/   

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjessarusso/

Stalk her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/author_jessa



ENTER THE GIVEAWAY


Monday, August 24, 2020

My first ever NEWSLETTER! (And a lengthy update...)


This is the content my newsletter subscribers received in their first newsletter today! Be sure not to miss the next one! 

Sign-up HERE today! 



Thank you for signing up for my newsletter!

I'm working on something very special for you! Sometime in the next few months, I will have a new story that is EXCLUSIVELY for my newsletter subscribers! I want to say thank you and make sure you all know how much I appreciate you, and what better way to thank you than by giving you free and *exclusive* content!? 

So, please stay tuned, and make sure you don't miss any future emails from me by adding emailjessarusso@gmail.com to your approved senders list. 

It's been... a year...

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that 2020 has been a dumpster fire. I keep wishing for it to be over, but frankly, I'm worried about 2021 walking in like, "Oh, you thought that was bad? Hold my beer."

I hope this email finds you healthy and happy, or at least not completely consumed by the weight of the world. 

Assuming you signed up for my newsletter because you're interested in my writing and not my worldview, I will keep this update focused on what's been going on with me. More specifically, what's been going on with my books and my writing. Although, you probably know by now that my views are easily obtained on any of my social media platforms, because I am not one to keep my opinions to myself.

But I digress...

As many of you know, after having had it up to HERE with self-publishing, I made a very difficult decision back in June to take all of my YA titles down. At the time, I was beyond frustrated, completely worn out, and disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it. In all honesty,. I was hurting. I felt like a failure, and after ten years of trying and failing, I just couldn't figure out what else to do. I just wanted to walk away from it all and call it a wash. I can't tell you how many times I've daydreamed about leaving the publishing world altogether, just deleting all my social accounts and disappearing into the ether. *Poof* But that's not realistic, and it certainly wouldn't bring me happiness in the long run as I am, first and foremost, a creative person, a writer, an artist. Walking away from this passion because it's not panning out how I hoped would only be biting my nose off to spite my face.

On one hand, I know I should be quite proud of my accomplishments. And I am, so please don't get me wrong. Eleven books written in under a decade is not a small feat. I know that. I do. But... at some point, I also want to earn an income off of my hard work, and my goal with self-publishing was to do just that. So, nearly ten years into this journey, not making an income feels like a slap in the face. I know many people are content with writing because they're passionate about it and not trying to monetize, but is it too much to want to contribute to my family's income? I don't think so. But I wasn't contributing. In fact, self-publishing often costs me more than it brings in, so you can imagine my frustration after doing this for nearly a decade and feeling like I have nothing to show for it. Passion only takes you so far, you know? 

Which is what brought me to pull my YA books in June. 

If you're not aware, I also write adult romance under a pen name, which is important to this story because I have four self-published YA novels and four self-published adult romance novels, bringing my total to  eight books for sale. (You'd assume I'd have *some* income off eight books, but you'd be wrong. I made $2.04 in May, and that was a big month, and that's not counting any fees I may have incurred. Hahaha, punch me.) Anyway, after I pulled my YA books, I gave myself until the end of this year to keep my adult titles live and turn things around for my career and *essentially* my income. I had my first novella set to release in July, so I just wanted to see if that would do anything for my sales.

And, just like that, it was as if the universe saw that I wanted to give things one last push and dropped a free marketing course in my lap. (In truth, my longtime friend Ayden K. Morgen shared the course and I happened to see it pop up on my news feed.) And then another course popped up. And then an advertising webinar. And then it snowballed, and I am now part of two Facebook groups I had never even heard of before, groups that are filled with people who are actually making money off self-publishing, who know how to market and advertise, where to list their books, how to basically DO this whole self-publishing thing. I'm exposed to more resources through these groups, more courses, more webinars, more tips and tricks. For the first time in these ten or so years since I began really writing, I feel fully supported. Am I overwhelmed? Yes. There is SO much to learn, SO much I didn't know, and SO far to go. But, with each little baby step, I am making changes, and I know I can do this. 

I am learning how to market and advertise my books, how to successfully go wide with my books ( which means selling them on every possible platform), and how to get readers to come back for more. Things that may seem simple to some but were completely foreign to me are now becoming part of my business plan. Frankly, just having a business plan is new and uncharted territory for me. 

After I took that initial advertising course, and in the spirit of someone who desperately wants to be the type of person who addresses problems head on instead of running from them, I quietly submitted my YA books back onto all platforms and started to advertise them. I began learning how to get more clicks and hopefully someday turn those clicks into lifelong readers--the ultimate goal. So, if you were following along, and you saw me pull my books in a moment of complete despair and frustration, I am happy to tell you that my books are all back up for sale, and I am giving this one last final push. I am hopeful that I can do this. God knows I've been trying for a long, long time, but now, after having taken the courses and watched the webinars, and put the blood, sweat, and tears into not just the writing, editing, and polishing but also the marketing aspect of self-publishing, at least now I'll know I truly did give it my all. 

In short, I am just so so grateful for the people who have helped me along over these last few weeks, grateful for the knowledge I've gained and the things still left to learn, and hopeful--finally hopeful--for the future of my self-publishing career. 

Related: If you haven't yet noticed, DIVIDE got a makeover! In hopes of fitting with the genre aesthetics, I did a little research and updated the cover to be more reminiscent of the rose theme in Beauty and the Beast, and I'm hoping that makes for a more eye-catching cover. So, ta-da! 

(Have you read DIVIDE yet? If not, CLICK HERE to grab a copy) 

Currently on submission...

In case you didn't know, I am currently four months into being on submission with my favorite novel to date: CRUSHED. This is a story that has spent quite a few years in revisions as I worked with my agent to truly create a book that I could be proud of. CRUSHED is a F/F YA contemporary romance that I would pitch as a mash-up of Grease and Mean Girls--an idea that came to me in the shower (the best place for random creative bursts, apparently). 

After feedback from my agent. I started revising CRUSHED in 2017, and after many adjustments, we went on submission in April of this year. Being on submission is HARD, friends. I am quite full of self-doubt as it is, but as each day passes and I don't get "the news" I'm hoping for, I fall deeper inside my own rabbit hole of doom and gloom. But, I believe in this book. My girls are strong, and their love story is even stronger. I can't wait to share them with all of you. 
 

In the meantime, here's the rough blurb: 

 

When seventeen-year-old Renata Carpenter hijacked her stepdad’s classic car, she hadn’t planned on totaling it and landing her best friend in a cast from hip to heel. She definitely hadn’t planned on being sent to a work program in New Orleans as punishment. And she certainly hadn’t planned on falling in love. But Ren’s summer of forced manual labor has a bright side: her name is Brit, and she’s everything Ren never knew she needed. 

First love becomes first heartbreak when their summer romance comes to a crashing close earlier than anticipated. Adding insult to injury, Ren’s break-up with Brit is followed by a big move to a small town. 

As if starting senior year completely alone isn’t bad enough, Ren soon discovers that the Hell on Heels mean girl who rules Sun Ridge Prep with an iron fist and a vicious tongue is none other than her first love. Too bad this Brit far from lovable.

But Ren knows the girl beneath the façade, and she refuses to give up on rekindling their relationship. Secretly, the girls pick up where they left off, falling deeper in love and risking it all to be together, but when their affair is exposed by Brit’s boyfriend, Ren and Brit are faced with the ultimate choice: love or acceptance. 

Because they certainly can’t have both.


So, there you have it! My favorite book, and the one that will hopefully see my traditional publishing dreams come to fruition. Fingers crossed!


EVER is FREE on ALL platforms!

Yes! You read that correctly! Your eyes are NOT deceiving you! EVER, the first book in the Ever Trilogy, is not only now live on all platforms, but it's also FREE on all platforms! Be sure to CLICK HERE to download your copy today...  and tell all of your friends! 

And, as always, if you read a book, please review it. Authors need your reviews. 


Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Are you ready to HEAT up your summer? Enter this RED HOT Readers Giveaway!


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Are you ready to heat up your summer? From July 15th to July 31st, you can enter to win BIG in the Red Hot Readers Giveaway!

Romance authors Ayden K. Morgen, B.L. Wilde, Carrie Elks, Cee Perkins, Jami Denise, Jeanne McDonald, Jessalyn Jameson, Nichole Rose, S. Valentine, & SJ Hooks have joined forces to bring you one hot giveaway. 

Win a Kindle Fire 7, Amazon Gift cards, ebooks, and swag by following participating authors on Bookbub and Amazon, or by signing up for their mailing lists. Check out all the details and enter below!


ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Ayden K. Morgen writes steamy romantic suspense featuring alpha male cops with protective streaks, the fierce, independent women who love them, and the difficult, heartrending cases that unite them.

Her Book: Kill for You
One Line Blurb: To build a future with a homicide detective, a cartel slave will put her heart and her life on the line. Can Faith & Octavio stand against the dangerous men willing to die to get her back, or will the dark secrets she holds destroy them both?
Like Ayden on Facebook: http://facebook.com/akmorgen1
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/akmorgen


B.L. Wilde is a British author who has always loved the written word, and takes great pride in bringing her stories to life. Let your imagination run Wilde today.

Her Book: Wonderlust
One Line Blurb: Surrendering your soul to a rock star never hurt so good.
Like B.L. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/B.L.Wilde1/
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/beewilde


Carrie Elks writes sweet yet sexy contemporary romance. Her latest series, Let Me Burn, is set in a small town on the Southern Californian coast.

Her Book: Let Me Burn
One Line Blurb: He's a broken firefighter. She's his sweet escape.
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarrieElks



Cee Perkins runs on coffee and imaginary donuts. Writes for her own sanity.

Her Book: Corrupt Love
One Line Blurb: She wanted to corrupt me. Instead, I made her love me.



Jami Denise is an author of gritty Contemporary and Romantic Suspense, including the best selling Jayne Series.

Her Book: Tiny Threads
One Line Blurb: Knights in shining armor tend to tarnish after 20 years. Jenna is far from being the wide-eyed princess she'd once been. They will fight to find their fairy tale happily ever after.
Like Jami on Facebook: Https://facebook.com/JamiDeniseAuthor
Follow Jami on Twitter: Https://twitter.com/jamideniseo



Jeanne McDonald enjoys writing contemporary romance filled with spice, drama, and humor. As JM Dodd, Jeanne's creativity explores the supernatural, relishes in the world of fantasy, and dabbles in contemporary fiction.

Her Book: Politically Incorrect
One Line Blurb: Some lines are meant to be crossed and some rules broken, but for Elizabeth and Liam is it worth the cost of being politically incorrect?
Like Jeanne on Facebook: http://bit.ly/JMMFacebook
Follow her on Twitter: http://bit.ly/JMMTwitter



Jessalyn Jameson specializes in happily ever after... with a little bit of chaos and a lot of heat between the sheets!


Her Book: Some Like it Hops
One Line Blurb: Badass female brewery owner Irresistible alpha male Undeniable chemistry Something is brewing, and it's not just the hops...
Like Jessalyn on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessalynjameson
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessalynejameson


Nichole Rose writes short romance novels featuring sassy, curvy women and the alphas who love them. She enjoys fine wine, cute shoes, and everything supernatural.

Her Book: Her Alpha
One Line Blurb: When these alphas want something, nothing stands in their way. Get ready to laugh, cry, and swoon when these older alphas find the curvy women meant for them.
Like Nichole on Facebook: http://facebook.com/authornicholerose
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/authnicholerose


SJ Hooks is a working single mother with no time for real-life romance but she has plenty of book boyfriends.


Her Book: Crossing the Lines
One-Line Blurb: Crossing the Lines is a taboo romance featuring a reclusive Sir and a young single mother in desperate need of financial security. Love was never meant to be part of their arrangement.
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/She_viking


S.Valentine writes many sub genres of romance & loves rule-breaking alphas.

Her Book: His Confession
One Line Blurb: Dare you go beyond the black door and discover Darion Milano's confession....
Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sophiavwrites





ENTER THE GIVEAWAY