Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "anthology"

As many of you already know, I am a resident author on BestsellerBound, a website dedicated to promoting independent authors.

One of our most active members, author Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick has put together three anthologies of excerpts from BestsellerBound authors' books. The anthologies include short stories and chapters from books. I am sure that anyone looking for a new book to read will find something in at least one of the anthologies. We have authors of romance, historical fiction, political fiction, thrillers, mysteries, crime fiction... you name it, it's in there!

The first volume contains the full version of my short story 'Forever Blue' from my collection Pieces of a Rainbow

The anthologies have been produced as a promotional tool for our members who are all independent authors and have to do all their own marketing. If you find the anthologies interesting, I hope you will share them with your friends and tweet about them, add links to your Facebook sites, blog about them, etc., etc. This would be very helpful and much appreciated by the authors involved.

You can read the three anthologies by following the links below:

Volume one

Volume Two

Volume Three

Make sure you also check out the websites and blogs of all the participating authors, as some of them are (or will soon be) offering downloads of the pdf files from their websites. I am in the process of arranging for the pdf files to be available as downloads from my website. I'll blog about that when it happens.

We are also trying to find a website where we can publish the anthologies as free ebooks. Watch this space for news on that.

Please take a moment to check out the anthologies. I hope you'll find lots of new authors to read.

The BestsellerBound Anthologies, Volumes 1 & 2 are now both FREE on Amazon Kindle!

Get your copies by clicking the links below:

Volume 1 on Amazon US

Volume 2 on Amazon US

Volume 1 on Amazon UK

Volume 2 is still priced at 86p on Amazon UK, but we are hopeful it will be available free in the near future. UK readers can download a free kindle version from Smashwords.com

Here are the list of contents:

Volume 1:
Wish Upon A Star by Lainey Bancroft
Tears For Hesh by J. Michael Radcliffe
You Can Call Me Ari by Darcia Helle
Flames by Maria Savva
Minor Details by Jaleta Clegg
Ice Cream Man by Neil Schiller
No Eyes But Mine Shall See by Sharon E. Cathcart
The First Texas Twister by Magnolia Belle
Shadow Lantern by Gareth Lewis
Stained by Amy Saunders

Volume 2:
1. What Was Lost by James Sophi
2. The Art of Breathing by Jaime McDougall
3. Soul Windows by Jaleta Clegg
4. I Didn't Know His Name by Darcia Helle
5. Red Route by James Everington
6. Make A Wish by Susan Helene Gottfried
7. The Last Chance Motel and Mausoleum by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick
8. Isolation by Maria Savva
9. Beyond The Green Hills by Tom Gahan
10. From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return by Ami Blackwelder

At BestsellerBound we are all about finding talented indie writers and promoting their work. So far we have produced three short story anthologies and there is another on the way. We're currently collecting stories for Volume 4, so if you're an indie writer who hasn't signed up as a member yet, where have you been? I know, too busy writing, okay, but that's still no excuse ;)
If you'd like to be part of BestsellerBound, our friendly and fun community of writers (and readers -- we mustn't forget them as we would be nothing without them), please join us. The sign up process is easy, we do have to verify your email address as we get so many spammers trying to sign up every day. A word of warning -- if you have an unusual email address, you may need to contact me or the site creator, Darcia Helle, to let us know you're going to apply for membership, or we may reject your application. We get lots of weird and wonderfully named spam email addresses trying to get onto our site each day. We'll probably reject you if your email address looks strange.

Now for the latest news. I'm very excited to announce that the third BestsellerBound Anthology has just been published! At the moment it's FREE to download from Smashwords

Here's a list of the stories and authors who appear in this volume:

Winter Blues by Maria Savva
Skins by Jess C. Scott
Whisperer by Jaleta Clegg
The Wars Within by Jaime McDougall
The Old Bookshop by Julie Elizabeth Powell
Scale of a Dragon by J. Michael Radcliffe
Counting Blessings Along the Horseshoe Canyon by Sharon E. Cathcart
Eve & Ian’s New Love Life by Cynthia Meyers-Hanson
Laundry Day by Stacy Juba
The Day the Lights Went Out by Cliff Ball

We're also trying to make it free on Amazon. The way Amazon works is that it won't let authors who upload books onto the site sell them free; the lowest price we can choose is $0.99. So, our third Anthology is currently $0.99 on Amazon US and 86p on Amazon UK

In the coming weeks it will also be available free at B&N. We will keep trying to get the book to be available free on Amazon, and I'll announce that when it happens. In the meantime, if you have a Kindle ereader, you can download your free copy from Smashwords!

I'm currently reading Volume 3 and I'm really enjoying the variety of stories. I hope you will all enjoy the collection, and if you haven't tried the other two volumes, they are also free to download on Smashwords, B&N and Amazon. We want to get as much exposure for our members' stories as possible and help readers to find new authors, so we will always be offering these anthologies free.

Happy Reading!

I'm excited to announce that my short story collection Pieces of a Rainbow is now FREE on Amazon.com. I had been hoping that it would go free because it's a great way to promote my writing. Amazon is probably the most popular site for ebooks and thousands of people download books every day, particularly the free and low priced books.

I'd be grateful if you would help spread the word about this on any social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Here's the link to the free version on Kindle: Pieces of a Rainbow

I'm hoping it will also go free on Amazon.co.uk and if it does, I'll let you know. In the meantime, UK readers can get the free version from Smashwords: Pieces of a Rainbow

The ebook version also contains an excerpt from my novel,The Dream, and a story from my latest short story collection, Fusion

I hope you'll enjoy the stories :)




Quite coincidentally, the
BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology Volume 3 went FREE on Amazon.com today, also :)
Volume 1 and Volume 2 are already free on Amazon, so while you're there, you can download these as well!

Here's the link for Volume 3: BsB Anthology - Volume 3

I have short stories in all three volumes.

I was looking through my blog posts a while back and came across one that I wrote this time last year about my writing goals for 2012. Here's a link: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

I accomplished 2 out of 3 which isn't bad. Number 3 was my new short story collection. I had planned to publish that last year, but life gets in the way of these things. Anyway, I'm almost ready to publish that collection, so not too far behind schedule.

Here are my writing goals for 2013:

1. Publish my new short story collection, titled, "Delusion & Dreams, an Anthology". I have decided on the stories that will be included in this new collection. The story "Delusion & Dreams" is a story in four parts. The first part I wrote about a year ago, but when I read it over a couple of months ago I was inspired to continue the story. I ended up writing three more parts to it. I banned myself from writing any more because I didn't want to be writing another novel (I'm already working on one!). Two of the stories in this new collection were rescued from an old floppy disk. I'd written them back in the mid-late '90s. There were several other titles of short stories that showed up on the old disk when I tried to copy them on to my new computer, but there was no data, so either they are lost forever or I have just not found a way to recover the data yet. Time will tell. Quite a few of the other stories for this new collection were found on my computer, dating back a few years at least. I'd originally written them for short story competitions. I have edited all the stories. Two of the stories in this new anthology were stories I discarded from the original ones I wrote for Pieces of a Rainbow. When I read the stories again, I liked them, so although they didn't fit in with what I wanted for "Pieces of a Rainbow", they deserve to be published, in my opinion (I may be biased, of course). I'll be including bonus stories; those that have already been published in the BestsellerBound Anthologies. I thought it would be nice to have all the stories in one place.

2. I would hope to at least be almost ready to publish my new novel by the end of the year. The book is very much in the early stages at the moment, so it depends how much time I get to write this year. The working title is "Illusion", but this could change. It's a fantasy/romance with a splash of rock fiction.

3. I will be publishing a second edition of A Time to Tell sometime this year, hopefully. I've ended the contract with the original publisher who helped me publish the book. I will be self-publishing the second edition through Lulu.com as I have done with my other titles. I thought it made more sense to have all my titles in the same place, and also, this way, I have more control over the book and royalties.

4. I am involved in a joint writing project with the BestsellerBound members. I have already written my chapter, and a few other authors have done too. There are a few outstanding chapters left to write for that project. I'm hoping that the novel will be published this year.

5. Last year I started writing an experimental novel with another author. I'm not sure whether this one will ever see the light of day as we are both very busy, but if it does, it will be something different, and hopefully something our readers will enjoy. As you can tell it's in the 'top secret' stage at the moment.

I will of course keep you updated on all the developments.

Sex, Love & Combat Boots

An Eye Candy Bookstore Anthology Benefiting Heels for Combat Boots- 90 day limited release on Amazon ONLY




Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1H4MD6O

Anthology Includes:
Rebecca Brooke — Letters Home
Marissa Dobson — Ace In The Hole
MJ Fields — Irons
Jennifer Foor — Love Survives
Kimberly Knight — Angels & Whiskey
Bayli Lane — What If
Kristen Hope Mazzola — Crashing Back Down
Sarah O’Rourke — Cain’s Salvation
Alexis Noelle — Fractured: Volume One
Sophie Monroe — To Love A Soldier


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To Love a Soldier:

Life is short. At twenty-one, Liz Kane knows this. Having lost her dad in combat, she is well aware of life's cruel twists. Still, working to pay her way through school and cautiously beginning a new relationship, Liz is content.

When an accident brings her brother, John, Stateside from his current stint in the Marine's, life gives Liz another twist, this time bringing in an old friend, new love, and the possibilty of happiness for John when he meets Mandy.
This is a story of love, loss, and new beginnings.

Author link: www.facebook.com/sophiemonroewrites


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Fractured- Vol 1:

Nothing in life is ever fair.

There are wars we battle and face every day.

Some too close to home.

I had it all.

The perfect husband.

The perfect house.

The perfect...Everything.

Then one moment changed everything forever.

Author link: www.facebook.com/authoralexisnoelle


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Cain's Salvation:

Book One in the Passion in Paradise - The Men of the McKinnon Sisters Series
When Dr. Cain Turner's life was literally blown apart in a small province of Afghanistan, it was only the hope and memories of one woman that propelled him forward. But there were more demons to face.

In the small country hamlet of Paradise, Tennessee...Faith waits. Surrounded by her loving sisters, Faith McKinnon had faced her own demons, having thought that the love of her life had deserted her.

But fate...and a few meddling McKinnon sisters...conspired to bring the two star-crossed lovers together again.

Author link: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.orourk...

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Crashing Back Down:

Mags McManus has just become a war widow in her mid-twenties. Her late husband, Randy, left for the Army right after their wedding. Instead of celebrating his homecoming and living in marital bliss with her soulmate, Mags finds herself living in constant agony.

Dealing with the guilt of still living without Randy, are Randy's best friends and parents.

Rising from the ashes of this tragedy, Mags starts to learn how to love and trust again, finally being able to find happiness. But sometimes things really are too good to be true and again Mags learns how cruel the world can be as she crashes back down.

Author link: www.facebook.com/AuthorKristenHope


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What If:

THIS IS A STAND-ALONE, Contemporary Romance: Due to language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

For some people falling in love was a happy, glowing experience. For Briar Kelly and Arrow Donovan it was more like getting hit by a freight train.

Caring for one another was never an easy feat. They constantly fought to hold their feelings inside, not wanting to jeopardize their friendship. Then, Arrow left for the Marines, and everything changed. Briar was shattered. Arrow was hurt.

While Briar told herself she’d never let another man affect her in such a way, Arrow still remained in the forefront of her mind. For Arrow, his memories of Briar kept him alive in both of his near death experiences. When Arrow’s demons threatened to drag him under, Briar was there, pulling him from the darkness.

"What ifs" keep piling up while resentment and redemption battles continue; will Briar and Arrow be able to find their happily ever after, or will this be one war that Arrow can't win?

Author link: https://www.facebook.com/authorbaylilane

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Angels & Whiskey:

Angels & Whiskey is part of a series, however, can be read as a standalone book.

Whiskey, women and sleepless nights…
United States Army Captain Gabriel Hastings knew he would always follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. Serving his country was his destiny.

Until he fell in love…

When Gabe’s love affair is cut short, he turns to whiskey for comfort and swears he will never fall in love again.

Until he bumps into an unexpected angel…

By all appearances, Autumn Jones has the perfect life. Her husband, Richard, is a loving man who wants to be a father to her unborn children. But Autumn knows the truth. Richard has a controlling, dark side that leaves nothing to chance, especially Autumn. He’ll stop at nothing to make her the trophy wife he wants her to be.

When Autumn bumps into Gabe, he consumes her every thought, but she can’t act on her feelings. She’s married to a dark man she can never leave.

When he learns who Autumn’s husband really is, Gabe knows he will stop at nothing to protect her. Or is it too late for him to save his angel?

Author link: www.facebook.com/AuthorKKnight

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Love Survives:

This book follows Love's Suicide. It can be read by itself as a stand alone.
Imagine being in love with the same girl since you were ten years old, only to have her fall for your twin instead.

This story is rocky.

It will rip you apart and possibly put you back together again.

I know this because it's my story.

The pain and anguish experienced in this is what it was like to hold onto hope that some day we'd find each other again. I won't sugar coat the details of what I went through to have her, nor will I apologize for any actions that led me right back into her life.

Sometimes love isn't enough.

For me, it took some bad experiences, a little fate, and a lot of time.

Author link: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferFoor...

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Irons:

Jax

I was born and bred to be the man I am today. My father and his father were both graduates from The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Both went on to become helicopter pilots. Both had seen plenty of action. Both had met and caused devastation. Both men, who I respect more above all, had served and protected the United States and her people honorably for decades.

My best friend, William Cruz, who attended the academy with me, had flown beside me, had lived the same life as I had and shared the same ambitions in life, was gone now. This was not part of the plan. Will and I were supposed to have each other’s backs, support each other and never let anything supersede our bond.

Francesca

I sat on Norfolk Beach needing to feel close to him on the anniversary of his death. It was a beautiful day in May and I was cutting class. I had done the same every year since he passed.

Jaxson Irons was only supposed to be in Pensacola for a year. But now three years later I still hadn't heard from him. I saw a man running down the beach and I knew immediately who it was.

Jaxson didn't respond the way I had dreamed he would. He told me we would catch up someday soon. I stood and watched until he was gone.

Thump, thump. I placed my hand on my chest as I felt my heart beat again for what felt like the first time in three years. Thump, thump. I felt the blood moving quickly through my body. It’s heat once again present. Thump, thump. I looked up at the sky and let out a breath. A breath that I had been holding forever. Thump, thump.

I felt tears fall down my face as I raised my hands in the air and laughed out loud.

Author link: www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Fields-book...

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Ace In The Hole:

Ace Diamond left behind the woman he loved when he joined the Navy SEALs. For years he focused on his career, risking life and limb on missions for his country. Now home on leave, he must face his past and ask himself if leaving her was a mistake.

At seventeen, Gwyneth London gave her heart away only to have it broken. More than a dozen years later, she decides to embrace her single life and have a child on her own. Ready to start over in her hometown, she doesn’t expect to see the man who still holds her heart, but when he walks back into her life she’s unable to push him away.

Can Gwyneth and Ace claim the life they were supposed to have, or will they let love pass them by?

Author link: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMariss...


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Letters Home:

Life is all about the jigsaw, right? Finding the different puzzle pieces to complete your very own picture. A career you love, a house to make a home, a lover to complete you, and keep you warm at night.

Danielle Renton has a life, and she loves it. A recent law school graduate, she’d been floored when her boyfriend, Nate Lewis, enlisted during their sophomore year of college. At the time, she’d been concerned with what that meant for them as a couple, but in the years that followed, they’d learned to adapt to the logistics of an army relationship.

But when life throws her a curve ball, how will she cope? Can she pick up the pieces and make her picture beautiful again? Or does she realize that, sometimes, the pieces can be too broken to fit back together…


Author link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecc...

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Heels for Combat Boots:


HFCB was founded and created by Kati Sorensen AKA 'Riskay Business' and was officially established on February 28, 2014. HFCB sets out to assist Servicemen and women with PTSD/TBI (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury). They assist with helping these individuals adjust back into the world of civilian life, connect them with the correct outreach and treatment programs, help with their day to day struggles and issues; such as assisting them with paying their bills, obtain groceries, etc. They help to get them back involved with the things they enjoy, introduce them to new experiences, and connect them with hunting and fishing trips. Also getting involved with Vet events, visiting the VA's, and sending out care packages.

HFCB Website: http://www.heelsforcombatboots.wix.co...

HFCB GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/hfcb2015year

HFCB Store: http://www.cafepress.com/hfcb


HFCB Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/heelsforcomb...

HFCB FB: http://www.facebook.com/heelsforcomba...

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Eye Candy Bookstore:
http://www.facebook.com/EyeCandyBooks...


Cover Model: Riskay Business: http://www.facebook.com/riskayb

Photographer: Scott Adams Photography: http://www.facebook.com/ScottAdamsPhoto

Mirrored Voices: Best Contemporary Poetry by Paul Morabito

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was keen to read this book as two of my favourite contemporary poets, Helle Gade and Ben Ditmars, are featured. I'm also finding that there's a lot of other great contemporary poetry out there and thought this book would be a good way to find some new favourites. I was not disappointed. I found at least 5 other poets in the book that I would definitely read more poetry from. I have to be honest and say that a few of the poets' styles were not my cup of tea and I did find myself skipping their particular contributions. Poetry, as with any other art form is very subjective, so I'm sure others will love the ones that I didn't really connect with.

As anticipated, I really enjoyed the poems from Ben Ditmars and Helle Gade, they always write passionate, heartfelt poetry. Other favourites included: Regina Puckett, Paul Morabito, Jason P. Hein, Roberto Carlos Martinez, Linda Dobinson, Kristy Rulebreaker, Leesa Abbott,and Nichia Morales. There's lots of thought provoking poetry in this anthology. Worth a read.



View all my reviews

Tales From Alternate Earths by Daniel M Bensen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. I've never read these types of stories before but one of my favourite authors, Maria Haskins, has a story featured in it so I was eager to read it.

I admit to being a bit confused when I read the first story, wondering whether this was a book about different types of worlds as the title suggests "Alternate Earths", but when I got to the end of the story and the author's note explained the idea behind it, I realised what a brilliant tale it was. Very cleverly written and thought-provoking.

All the stories in this collection will make you wonder. The authors have imagined what our world would have been like had certain things happened or not happened. For example, if a meteorite had landed in a different place.

As with all anthologies, it is a bit of a mixed bag and there were stories that I enjoyed more than others because of the writing style and content. My favourites included "Stargazing on Oxford Street", "The Secret War", and "Tunguska". All the stories are well worth reading and will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction as well as speculative fiction.



View all my reviews

I'm pleased to announce that book 5 in the Mind's Eye series has just been published on Amazon Kindle!


Book description:

We are more than what we say
And less than what we wish

Living together, separately,
United by division

Connected, disconnected
Oh, People Are Strange

*12 Stories and 7 poems, inspired by 19 photographs*



I have contributed 2 new short stories to the anthology, "Sand and Water" and "Somewhere In Time".

These two stories are among the 'strangest' I have ever written, which I think goes well with the title "People Are Strange" :)

As with all the books in the series, all the stories and poems in the anthology were inspired by photographs.

The photos for People Are Strange were provided by Martin David Porter and Helle Gade. The photo for the front cover is by Kim Stapf and there is a poem inspired by that photo also in the collection.

The cover design is by Julie Elizabeth Powell.

Other short stories in People Are Strange were contributed by Darcia Helle, J. Michael Radcliffe, Julie Elizabeth Powell (whose names you'll recognise from books 1-4 of the series). Two new writers joined us for People Are Strange: Maria Haskins and Thomma Lyn Grindstaff. I invited them because I love their writing!

The poems in this collection are by Helle Gade and Ben Ditmars.

I've read this book and have to say I think it's one of the best that we've published so far in the series. There's something magical about it. There are so many interesting stories and thought-provoking poems.

Get your copy on Amazon:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/...
Amazon FR: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon IT: https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon NL: https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon IN: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01L...
Amazon MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/...
Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B...
Amazon BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/gp/product/...