I am going to be late with the YA Indie Carnival post this week. I'll get it up tomorrow. In the meantime, do you have a Kindle? Do you love autographs? You can go to Kindlegraph dot com and get autographs from your favorite authors (as long as they've signed up). Check it out here:
http://www.kindlegraph.com/
It is the COOLEST thing ever. I hope as the word gets out that my fav authors will sign up for it.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
YA Indie Carnival: Nastiest Characters in YA
This week at the Indie Carnival we are writing about the nastiest characters we've created and the meanest, natstiest characters in YA. I am taking this to mean the best villain I've ever written about. Mine would have to be Jersey Clifford of the Rule Series. Vampires Rule had more than one villain. There was the evil werewolf that had killed Jack's parents and Pagan, Jersey's assistant, but Jersey himself was the greatest at being bad.
The second book Werewolves Rule adds a few more bad guys. Since I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has the book but hasn't read it yet, I won't name names. Jersey still seems to be the favorite villain even after book two, and I'm sure he'll remain number one in the third book (coming out this fall).
What makes Jersey such a nasty piece of work? Well, there's no one worse than someone evil who sees themselves as the good guy. He's convinced that he needs to save the world by enslaving humanity, killing some and turning a lucky few.
Personally I love Jersey. He is smart, witty, and attractive. One reviewer said, "He is a gentleman. He will quote Robert Frost and then rip your heart out." What's not to love about that?
The nastiest character in YA that I didn't write would have to be Voldemort. He doesn't have a single redeeming quality about him. He used Jenny Weasley to unlock part of him in the diary and planned to kill her so that he could be whole again. There are other bad guys out there, but he has my vote.
Check out these other carnis to see what they have to say about the nastiest characters they've ever written.
The second book Werewolves Rule adds a few more bad guys. Since I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has the book but hasn't read it yet, I won't name names. Jersey still seems to be the favorite villain even after book two, and I'm sure he'll remain number one in the third book (coming out this fall).
What makes Jersey such a nasty piece of work? Well, there's no one worse than someone evil who sees themselves as the good guy. He's convinced that he needs to save the world by enslaving humanity, killing some and turning a lucky few.
Personally I love Jersey. He is smart, witty, and attractive. One reviewer said, "He is a gentleman. He will quote Robert Frost and then rip your heart out." What's not to love about that?
The nastiest character in YA that I didn't write would have to be Voldemort. He doesn't have a single redeeming quality about him. He used Jenny Weasley to unlock part of him in the diary and planned to kill her so that he could be whole again. There are other bad guys out there, but he has my vote.
Check out these other carnis to see what they have to say about the nastiest characters they've ever written.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Review for Witch Hunt
This is one of the first reviews for Witch Hunt. It was on Goodreads so I copied it. This is by A Diary of a Book Addict, the blog.
"Witch Hunt was one of those books where I could not put it down because every turn of the page captured me and I needed more. Then I had to put it down because of school. If your in school you know how hard it is to do homework and papers and read all at the same time. So I was glad when I was able to pick it back up and finish it.
Starr Hughes is the school reporter and she loves to tell the news, especially the news that no one wants people to know. Then Starr stumbles upon a rumor that a new group called the IT-Squad is going to be doing something really big and she wants in so she can report on it and spy on her crush Dylan Winchester. She has a HUGE crush on Dylan and anything that gets her close to him she will do.
Then Starr realizes that something is wrong with this game. Someone is trying to steal peoples memories and powers. At first Starr didn't believe in witches but in the end she does and she has to figure out who is hurting her fellow classmates. As she unravels the secret game and the person responsible for hurting her classmates she is surprised by who it is. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be able to help her classmates. What will happen to Starr as she uncovers this mess? Will she get Dylan in the end? What will happen to her BFF?
Come along on a magical ride and read Witch Hunt. It is a fast and easy read. You can read it at the beach in the grocery store shopping or on the ferry. Pick this book and and have fun in the sun!"
"Witch Hunt was one of those books where I could not put it down because every turn of the page captured me and I needed more. Then I had to put it down because of school. If your in school you know how hard it is to do homework and papers and read all at the same time. So I was glad when I was able to pick it back up and finish it.
Starr Hughes is the school reporter and she loves to tell the news, especially the news that no one wants people to know. Then Starr stumbles upon a rumor that a new group called the IT-Squad is going to be doing something really big and she wants in so she can report on it and spy on her crush Dylan Winchester. She has a HUGE crush on Dylan and anything that gets her close to him she will do.
Then Starr realizes that something is wrong with this game. Someone is trying to steal peoples memories and powers. At first Starr didn't believe in witches but in the end she does and she has to figure out who is hurting her fellow classmates. As she unravels the secret game and the person responsible for hurting her classmates she is surprised by who it is. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be able to help her classmates. What will happen to Starr as she uncovers this mess? Will she get Dylan in the end? What will happen to her BFF?
Come along on a magical ride and read Witch Hunt. It is a fast and easy read. You can read it at the beach in the grocery store shopping or on the ferry. Pick this book and and have fun in the sun!"
Thursday, June 14, 2012
YA Indie Carnival: Father's Day
Originally I planned to skip this week because my father was MIA most of my life, but then I decided to talk about my heavenly father. God has been there for me when no one else has. When someone asks if I believe in God, the question seems so ridiculous to me. It's like asking a married woman if she believes her husband is real. Believe is not a strong enough word. I used to 'believe' in God when I first started my walk down that path, when I was a teen, but now I 'know' Him.
I've also heard people say stuff like "If He's real He can show me and I'll believe." But the Bible clearly says you have to believe first. Then you will see Him. (I'm talking about seeing in the sense of seeing Him around you and knowing Him, not Him popping up in your living room). The Bible also says if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. Not the other way around. Some people get upset over this, puff out their chest and say, "Well, that's not how I want to do it. He needs to prove to me that He's real."
No, he doesn't. He's God, our creator and father and He can do whatever He wants.
Now I will share a little story with you of how He helped me start writing YA. For years I'd been writing romance novels and mysteries for Harlequin. But I didn't feel right about it. So I started praying, asking Him earnestly what I should write. It finally hit me that He knew what I should write and how to write it. Before this I hadn't thought much about it, thinking that He didn't care what we did on earth as long as we weren't sinning. When you ask God a question, you need to listen closely for an answer. Sometimes He tells you in your spirit. Sometimes he answers you through people and once in a while He gives you it in a dream. I was not paying attention. For a few weeks every time I passed Twilight in the store I had the urge to buy it, but I didn't. I didn't want to spend the money.
So God started having people talk to me about it. Several people in one week brought Twilight up. You have to keep in mind that this was before the movies and all the hype. I still was not paying attention. Finally God had my nephew call me. To understand this you need to know that my nephew NEVER called me unless he was told to. So he called and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Have you read Twilight?" Then it hit me. This was God trying to answer the question of what type of book I should write. Then my nephew asked if I was ever going to finish the vampire book I had started months earlier and gave up on. This book turned into Vampires Rule.
Now you might be asking yourself why God would tell someone to write a paranormal book. I asked myself that several times. And I asked Him. I wasn't sure I had even heard from Him, so I prayed about it. I said if it was really from Him then I need a heroine for my book. I asked if I should use Silver, a werewolf hunter from another book I had halfway written or if I should use a Bella type girl who has no idea what's going on. For a week I did not get an answer. Then I called a friend in Boston and started to tell her. Before I got two words out. She interrupted with, "No, I need to tell you what book to write."
My first thought was Since when do you tell me what to write?
She had had a dream about my book and I hadn't even mentioned it to her before. It was about a town overrun with werewolves and a girl trying to save them. She was a Buffy like characeter with a silver bullet necklace. This was the answer to my question. I needed to use Silver as the girl in my book. And my friend said a deep voice from above kept repeating, "Tell Kasi this is the book she should write.:
Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever heard? I got chills when it happened. Of course there are people at church who shake their heads at me and think I can't be a Christian and write about things like vampires. I would love to tell them all to take it up with God. I am convinced He not only told me to write them but helped me do it. Before this I had trouble putting together a story. Sometimes it took me a year. Now I can write a story in less than a month. God is great.
The other carnis will be writing about Father's Day or books with fathers. Check them out.
I've also heard people say stuff like "If He's real He can show me and I'll believe." But the Bible clearly says you have to believe first. Then you will see Him. (I'm talking about seeing in the sense of seeing Him around you and knowing Him, not Him popping up in your living room). The Bible also says if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. Not the other way around. Some people get upset over this, puff out their chest and say, "Well, that's not how I want to do it. He needs to prove to me that He's real."
No, he doesn't. He's God, our creator and father and He can do whatever He wants.
Now I will share a little story with you of how He helped me start writing YA. For years I'd been writing romance novels and mysteries for Harlequin. But I didn't feel right about it. So I started praying, asking Him earnestly what I should write. It finally hit me that He knew what I should write and how to write it. Before this I hadn't thought much about it, thinking that He didn't care what we did on earth as long as we weren't sinning. When you ask God a question, you need to listen closely for an answer. Sometimes He tells you in your spirit. Sometimes he answers you through people and once in a while He gives you it in a dream. I was not paying attention. For a few weeks every time I passed Twilight in the store I had the urge to buy it, but I didn't. I didn't want to spend the money.
So God started having people talk to me about it. Several people in one week brought Twilight up. You have to keep in mind that this was before the movies and all the hype. I still was not paying attention. Finally God had my nephew call me. To understand this you need to know that my nephew NEVER called me unless he was told to. So he called and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Have you read Twilight?" Then it hit me. This was God trying to answer the question of what type of book I should write. Then my nephew asked if I was ever going to finish the vampire book I had started months earlier and gave up on. This book turned into Vampires Rule.
Now you might be asking yourself why God would tell someone to write a paranormal book. I asked myself that several times. And I asked Him. I wasn't sure I had even heard from Him, so I prayed about it. I said if it was really from Him then I need a heroine for my book. I asked if I should use Silver, a werewolf hunter from another book I had halfway written or if I should use a Bella type girl who has no idea what's going on. For a week I did not get an answer. Then I called a friend in Boston and started to tell her. Before I got two words out. She interrupted with, "No, I need to tell you what book to write."
My first thought was Since when do you tell me what to write?
She had had a dream about my book and I hadn't even mentioned it to her before. It was about a town overrun with werewolves and a girl trying to save them. She was a Buffy like characeter with a silver bullet necklace. This was the answer to my question. I needed to use Silver as the girl in my book. And my friend said a deep voice from above kept repeating, "Tell Kasi this is the book she should write.:
Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever heard? I got chills when it happened. Of course there are people at church who shake their heads at me and think I can't be a Christian and write about things like vampires. I would love to tell them all to take it up with God. I am convinced He not only told me to write them but helped me do it. Before this I had trouble putting together a story. Sometimes it took me a year. Now I can write a story in less than a month. God is great.
The other carnis will be writing about Father's Day or books with fathers. Check them out.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Indie Writers
I've heard people say they don't want to read Indie books because the author obviously couldn't find a publisher because their book isn't good enough. Not true. Take a look at these famous books/authors and see how many times they were rejected.
Need a Book for your Nook
Witch Hunt is now available at Smashwords.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171249
This means you can get it for your Nook, Kobi, Ipad, etc. You can even download it to your computer and print it out to read.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171249
This means you can get it for your Nook, Kobi, Ipad, etc. You can even download it to your computer and print it out to read.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Round Robin at the Carnival
This week at the Carnival we have something exciting for you. We took the first paragraph from one of our books and let other Carnis add to them. So I am going to post the story I got back from the Carnis. Then I will put the story, how it actually appears if you read it, down below that. Be sure to check out what the others have done. I think it's going to be a hoot.
And if you would be interested in having a Round Robin on here, leaving your additions to one of my stories in the comment section, let me know. We'll arrange something.
Vampires Rule (Round Robin Style)
The vampire stood in the shadows and stared up at the farmhouse he used to call home. No longer the bright sunny yellow his mom had chosen, the exterior had been covered by a muted olive tone. The small difference knocked Jack off balance. For a fraction of a second he thought he might be at the wrong address. Had his brother sold the farm? His gaze skimmed over the dark windows, two on the bottom floor and four on the top, searching for signs of life. The porch light glowed with an eerie, almost palpable presence that warned Jack to stay hidden, but he had to know if his brother was gone. Focused on the task, he walked into the light and crept up the porch steps. He slowly crossed to the huge bay window. He leaned in to peer through the dirty glass.
It was Isabelle that his gaze found first. Her memory had been his constant companion since the curse took him from this world. But he'd fulfilled his vow. He had returned. It was always Isabelle. It would always be Isabelle. She put aside her needlework and sank back into her chair. Sick or exhausted, he did not know. He only knew one thing for certain-- he needed her. In his arms. This need had consumed him. Just as the vampire backed away from the window, just as the thrill of claiming her chilled his veins, his brother sat beside his one true love and gave her a kiss.
Jack's rage warred with the churning black of betrayal, surging emotions firing his vampire blood. He felt Margaretta reach for him, his creator's fury lashing against his already tortured mind, but not even her power could break through the control just the sight of the two lovers together had over him.
Jack! Margaretta's magic slammed against the wall of pain and the growing need to kill rising inside of him. You must return. Now! Her tone softened only a little as she struggled to regain control over him. I warned you, my newest child-- once you cross over to us, you can never cross back.
Murderous, Jack would have followed through with his plan to take Isabelle back with him. He would have callously ignored his little brother, Rand, and his backstabbing feelings, but he'd seen the way Isabelle kissed Rand. Jack still remembered how it felt when she put her whole heart into a kiss, and the one she'd just giving Rand told Jack she loved him. Her feelings were not those that he could betray, never again.
Knowing she loved Rand now presented Jack with an obstacle he would have to overcome. He was immortal and up to the challenge. What he didn't expect was the way his knees buckled when Rand tenderly stroked her stomach, the telling bulge beneath her dress. The two of them giggled as if they shared a precious secret.
Before Jack knew what he'd done--unable to control his anger--he'd thrust a fist through the glass pane, pulled the window from it's hinges, and bound into the glass-strewn room with ease as if he'd only just demolished a playhouse.
***
This was the story that I got back, and I had to type it in by hand because copy and paste didn't work. I will try to return in a day or two to put up the original story. Or you can go to Vampires Rule (the page) above and read it. This was very interesting to me because my vampire's name is Jack, he does have a younger brother, and there is an Isobel in the second book. Other than that, this is totally different than what I wrote. Check out the other carnis and see what they put up.
And if you would be interested in having a Round Robin on here, leaving your additions to one of my stories in the comment section, let me know. We'll arrange something.
Vampires Rule (Round Robin Style)
The vampire stood in the shadows and stared up at the farmhouse he used to call home. No longer the bright sunny yellow his mom had chosen, the exterior had been covered by a muted olive tone. The small difference knocked Jack off balance. For a fraction of a second he thought he might be at the wrong address. Had his brother sold the farm? His gaze skimmed over the dark windows, two on the bottom floor and four on the top, searching for signs of life. The porch light glowed with an eerie, almost palpable presence that warned Jack to stay hidden, but he had to know if his brother was gone. Focused on the task, he walked into the light and crept up the porch steps. He slowly crossed to the huge bay window. He leaned in to peer through the dirty glass.
It was Isabelle that his gaze found first. Her memory had been his constant companion since the curse took him from this world. But he'd fulfilled his vow. He had returned. It was always Isabelle. It would always be Isabelle. She put aside her needlework and sank back into her chair. Sick or exhausted, he did not know. He only knew one thing for certain-- he needed her. In his arms. This need had consumed him. Just as the vampire backed away from the window, just as the thrill of claiming her chilled his veins, his brother sat beside his one true love and gave her a kiss.
Jack's rage warred with the churning black of betrayal, surging emotions firing his vampire blood. He felt Margaretta reach for him, his creator's fury lashing against his already tortured mind, but not even her power could break through the control just the sight of the two lovers together had over him.
Jack! Margaretta's magic slammed against the wall of pain and the growing need to kill rising inside of him. You must return. Now! Her tone softened only a little as she struggled to regain control over him. I warned you, my newest child-- once you cross over to us, you can never cross back.
Murderous, Jack would have followed through with his plan to take Isabelle back with him. He would have callously ignored his little brother, Rand, and his backstabbing feelings, but he'd seen the way Isabelle kissed Rand. Jack still remembered how it felt when she put her whole heart into a kiss, and the one she'd just giving Rand told Jack she loved him. Her feelings were not those that he could betray, never again.
Knowing she loved Rand now presented Jack with an obstacle he would have to overcome. He was immortal and up to the challenge. What he didn't expect was the way his knees buckled when Rand tenderly stroked her stomach, the telling bulge beneath her dress. The two of them giggled as if they shared a precious secret.
Before Jack knew what he'd done--unable to control his anger--he'd thrust a fist through the glass pane, pulled the window from it's hinges, and bound into the glass-strewn room with ease as if he'd only just demolished a playhouse.
***
This was the story that I got back, and I had to type it in by hand because copy and paste didn't work. I will try to return in a day or two to put up the original story. Or you can go to Vampires Rule (the page) above and read it. This was very interesting to me because my vampire's name is Jack, he does have a younger brother, and there is an Isobel in the second book. Other than that, this is totally different than what I wrote. Check out the other carnis and see what they put up.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Books in Print at Barnes & Noble
This was news to me. I know that my books are available at B&N as ebooks, but I had no idea they are also offered in print, and at a reduced price. I found out when a book reviewer added the link at the end of her review of my book. So here it is: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witch-hunt-kc-blake/1110296400
If you want Witch Hunt in paperback form for a reduced price, you can get it here.
Crushed is also in print at Barnes & Noble here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crushed-k-c-blake/1032372676
They even have one copy that is used.
If you want Witch Hunt in paperback form for a reduced price, you can get it here.
Crushed is also in print at Barnes & Noble here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crushed-k-c-blake/1032372676
They even have one copy that is used.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Marketing 101: F is for Fan Page
Facebook offers a cool option for authors (not to mention other people). You can set up a fan page. When people come across it and click LIKE, they will get your updates on their home page. It takes a while to build up a following for your fan page. Most of the people who have LIKEd my pages have found them by accident. I have one set up for Vampires Rule. That was my first page. Then I decided I should have used my name instead. So now I have two pages.
Every time I publish a new book, I tell people about it using these fan pages. You can add the link to your book. This usually makes a thumbnail of the book cover appear.
Here is my Fan Page for Vampires Rule: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vampires-Rule/184193604955442
Here is my Fan Page for K.C. Blake: http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-C-Blake/246146215412824
If you've enjoyed my books and have a FB account, please LIKE the fan pages.
Thank you, and happy marketing!
Every time I publish a new book, I tell people about it using these fan pages. You can add the link to your book. This usually makes a thumbnail of the book cover appear.
Here is my Fan Page for Vampires Rule: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vampires-Rule/184193604955442
Here is my Fan Page for K.C. Blake: http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-C-Blake/246146215412824
If you've enjoyed my books and have a FB account, please LIKE the fan pages.
Thank you, and happy marketing!
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