Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "stacy-juba"

I'd like to invite you all to a new forum where you can get to know indie authors and readers and discuss everything about the self-publishing process.

BestSellerBound.com

It's almost like an online reality show featuring new and up and coming authors who have taken the indie or self-publishing route. I am a moderator on the site along with my fellow authors Darcia Helle and Stacy Juba

Darcia Helle
Stacy Juba

Here's the official press release about the site:

Bestseller Bound Message Board Connects Indie Authors and Readers. Readers and indie authors now have a brand new place to interact. The message board, Bestseller Bound, is having its grand opening this week.
Author Darcia Helle created the forum with input from resident authors/moderators Stacy Juba and Maria Savva.

Here, readers will get a behind the scenes glimpse into what it’s like to be a small press or independently published author. Resident and visiting authors will chat with readers about writing a book, how they do research and get their ideas, how they market their books, and the challenges they face. They’ll share articles, stories and poems, as well as
special offers and discounts.

Readers are invited to hang out, ask questions and chat with tomorrow’s breakout writers. Small press and independently published authors are welcome to participate in the discussion, as well as post threads about their titles in the Connection Café, post a book trailer link, and browse the free Help Wanted section, where authors and book lovers can exchange guest blogging and review opportunities. Members can also receive a free quarterly newsletter packed with information about indie books.

Helle is the author of romantic suspense novels including The Cutting Edge, Enemies and Playmates, Miami Snow, Hit List, No Justice and Beyond Salvation. Juba is the author of the mystery novels Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim, along with the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper. Savva’s published novels are Coincidences, A Time to Tell and Second Chances, and she has also published the short story collections Pieces of a Rainbow, and Love and Loyalty (and Other Tales.)

There are already lots of indie authors and a few readers on the board. We need lots more readers to ask us questions and take part. So please join and support your independent authors.
Everyone is welcome!

Following on from my recent blog post about the new message board created by my fellow author Darcia Helle, I am pleased to announce that the official launch party (online) is on Tuesday 7th September 2010. I hope you can join us at BestsellerBound.com.
As I mentioned previously, I am a resident author on the board, along with Darcia and our good friend, author Stacy Juba

To celebrate the launch we will be hosting a giveaway! The launch party giveaway will run until midnight on September 30th. Darcia, Stacy and I will then pick the lucky winners.
You can win fabulous prizes, including the chance to be featured in our December 2010 newsletter.

The message board has been running for a few weeks and is proving to be very popular already.
Click here to read all about the launch party giveaway: Bestsellerbound Launch Party Giveaway

See you on the board!

Many of you will already know that I am a resident author on BestsellerBound.com, a message board dedicated to indie/small press authors and their readers.

BestsellerBound was created by Darcia Helle to give a voice to indie authors and to help readers find new and exciting books to read.

Indie authors are some of the most dedicated and passionate people when it comes to writing. We are often belittled by the literary press. The truth is that the publishing world is changing. Traditional publishing is no longer seen as the best way to enter into a writing career. With the launch of ebooks the indie author is now finding that they are able to compete with the bestselling authors. Overpricing of ebooks by the large publishing houses has caused outrage amongst readers lately. Some bestselling authors have chosen to self-publish their own books. People are starting to look for alternatives to the mainstream. This is an exciting time to be a self-published author and we want to celebrate that.

At BestsellerBound we would like to propel an indie author to the top of the Amazon kindle charts. We want to show that indie authors are commercially viable. We have started up a Facebook page. Please show your support for indie authors by 'liking' our page and recommending it to your friends.

We have chosen Darcia Helle's book The Cutting Edge as the book we would like to use to front our campaign.

Darcia Helle is a very talented writer who has self-published no less than 7 books. Here's the blurb from "The Cutting Edge"

My name is Skye Summers. I'm a hairstylist and I can't stop fantasizing about killing my clients. Not all of them, of course. I only want to kill the ones who irritate me, which, if I'm being honest, is most of them. My occasional fantasies have turned into chronic daydreams. They're bloody and vivid, like watching a slice-and-dice movie on IMAX. I also want to kill my husband's ex-girlfriend. She's not a client but she tops my list. Eighteen years ago, she gave birth to his daughter and she has tormented him ever since. I should be troubled by this growing desire to use my surgically sharpened shears for more than a haircut. Instead, I wonder how I can get away with it.

The idea of the campaign is that when we have enough followers on our campaign page we will announce a date for the download of the kindle book on Amazon. Darcia has kindly agreed to reduce the price of the ebook to 99c on the day of the download. If enough people download the book it should go to No.1. Hopefully on the US and UK Amazon kindle lists.

This campaign has been set up because we as indie authors feel passionately that all books, irrespective of how they were published, should have an equal chance to be read and enjoyed.

I hope you'll join us!


The Cutting Edge Campaign

My good friend and fellow author, Darcia Helle, has just released a new fully revised edition of her novel Hit List. This new edition contains bonus material, including an excerpt from Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba, and Chapter 2 of my latest novelSecond Chances.

As many of you are already aware, you can read the first chapter of Second Chances right here on Goodreads, if you look under the 'Maria's Writing' section of my profile page, or by going to my website The Official Maria Savva Website

You can purchase Hit List by Darcia Helle from Smashwords, here:
Hit List
The new edition will also soon be available on Kindle on Amazon.

Darcia has recently had success on Kindle, with a phenomenal 30,000 copies of her book Enemies and Playmates being downloaded as a free ebook, and it is currently in the top 100 downloads on Kindle books. She is also heading our BestsellerBound Cutting Edge Campaign on Facebook, which I posted about on my blog a couple of weeks ago. If you're on Facebook, please click on the badge below and 'Like' the page.

BestsellerBound: 'The Cutting Edge' Campaign

Promote Your Page Too

I just wanted to remind you all that the Campaign date for the 'BestsellerBound Cutting Edge Campaign' is drawing nearer.

Please let all your friends know about it.

For further information about the campaign, please visit BestsellerBound

Click on the badge below to visit the Facebook page.

BestsellerBound: 'The Cutting Edge' Campaign

Promote Your Page Too


We are asking you to download The Cutting Edgeby Darcia Helle on 20th December 2010 from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Darcia has agreed to reduce the price of the book to $0.99/£0.72 on the day of the download. All proceeds from downloads on the day will go to Darcia's local church which runs a food bank to feed the homeless and poor.

I hope you will join us and support indie authors.

Stacy Juba, one of my fellow resident authors on BestsellerBound, will be taking part in a radio interview on 14th December 2010, talking about the campaign on Indie Book Collective
This will be followed by an interview on 21st December 2010 with author Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick, one of our most active members on BestsellerBound. Joel will be talking about the campaign and discussing how successful it was. Please tune in.

As many of you already know, I'm a resident author/moderator on BestsellerBound.com

Author Darcia Helle has put together an ezine containing all the latest news and views from the members of BestsellerBound.

It's a very interesting read.

Included in this month's issue is an article written by author Jason McIntyre all about Cutting The Fat, the online novel that I co-wrote with him.

You'll also find all the news about the BestsellerBound Anthologies in a piece written by author Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick

Plus: read all about Stacy Juba's new book 'Sink or Swim',a murder mystery, based on a reality show.

There's also a section where you can find information about 5 recommended ebooks each priced at under $5!

Click the link to download your free copy: BestsellerBound ezine

Enjoy!

Two print copies of my latest novel 'Second Chances' are up for grabs in Stacy Juba's blog giveaway. To enter, you need to leave a comment on Stacy's blog:

Enter competition here

There are also many other great books in the giveaway including ebooks and print books

Good luck!

In the past couple of years I have read some fabulous books by authors you may not have heard of.

There are lots of good books out there, and before I joined Goodreads, I really only read books by well known authors, or books I could find in my local bookshops.

Many of you may still do that. Maybe you only buy the bestsellers or you only buy books you can find in bricks and mortar shops. I think most people are probably like that.

I just wanted to open up a window for you, and introduce you to some fabulous writers who are not bestsellers, their books are not easy to find in your local shops, but their books are some of the best I have ever read.

Here are a few recommendations.

I hope you will pick at least one from this list to try. Then, if you like it, I hope you'll come back and read another.
And most of all, I hope you'll tell all your friends about them.

Books are written because there is a story to tell, that story deserves to be read.

I've fallen in love with these books, and I hope you will too:

Breathing into Stone Breathing into Stone by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick

Eighteenth century priest, Father Furio Novia, hates his employer, the Archbishop of Modena; almost as much as he hates Italian master sculptor, Antonio Lisi. When Novia discovers that Lisi uses his beautiful daughter's likeness in nearly every figure he carves, the priest realizes he can make accusations to the Archbishop that the sculptor has an incestuous knowledge of his daughter, Anoria. Novia begins to haunt their lives, and every family in their village of Resceto, not because he believes they have sinned, but because he desires Anoria for himself.For two years their lives twined around one another's, destined to clash in Rome; Novia, committing murder to stay free of the church; Anoria, nearly killing him to escape his lust.(some adult oriented content)

The Day the Flowers Died The Day The Flowers Died by Ami Blackwelder

A Passion set in the time of prejudice. A novel about love and loss. The completed final edition. 1930 Munich. Two Lovers. Different Worlds. A Crumbling Country Book Taste Review: Ami Blackwelder paints her words in this gently narrated historical romance set in Munich, Germany early 1930. The scenes recreate pre-war Germany...

Pixels of Young Mueller Pixels of Young Mueller by Jerry Schwartz

Klaus Mueller dreams of leaving tiny Southland someday to be a rock star. When he chooses stardom over college, however, he learns that his real education is only beginning. He endures a series of god-awful jobs while his music is repeatedly rejected, and he wonders how he will ever achieve success. After moving to the city, where he finds a career and becomes a father, he is torn between the great happiness he has found and the success he still craves. Klaus must reconcile his dreams with reality or spend the rest of his life lamenting what might have been.Pixels of Young Mueller is the story of an artist's growth to maturity and of his revolt against his family's Christian values. The tale of Klaus Mueller, as told in this modern coming-of-age novel, provides new perspectives on classic themes when Klaus confronts the forces that threaten his existence. Readers can listen to Klaus' music online at itsthejerrys.com. (edited by author)

Musical Chairs Musical Chairs by Jen Knox

Musical Chairs explores one family's history of mental health diagnoses and searches to define the cusp between a '90s working-class childhood and the trouble of adapting to a comfortable life in the suburbs. In order to understand her restlessness, Jennifer reflects on years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement. Inspired by the least likely source, the family she left behind, Jennifer struggles towards reconciliation. This story is about identity, class, family ties, and the elusive nature of mental illness.


Horse Latitudes Horse Latitudes by Quentin R. Bufogle

Time is running out for Chester Sprockett. How is an unemployed, aspiring novelist supposed to survive when the thirty grand borrowed off his dead father's credit cards is almost gone, and the only work he can find is hawking toys and cheesy novelty items door-to-door . . . on commission yet?

And talk about woman trouble: There's Pandora, the beautiful magician's assistant who dumped him for an investment banker and the dream of becoming a performance artist; Beth, his true love, the girl he let slip through his fingers at the beach (maybe it was all that baby oil) and the mysterious blond nymph who hurls empty beer bottles at him from a black Z28 Camaro.

If it wasn't for the occasional visit from the ghost of his father, Chester would almost certainly be losing his grip on reality, and never navigate his way out of the . . . Horse Latitudes.


Caviar Dreams Caviar Dreams by Judy Nichols

Your best friend's in love with a lying, scum-bag thief. How do you tell her? Because what she doesn't know could kill her. This is photographer Lisa Watson's dilemma. Lisa has always relied on her plain, overweight friend Debbie to cheer her up when she's down on her luck (which is most of the time). When Debbie falls hard for a handsome stranger named Derek. Lisa is skeptical, believing Prince Charming is more interested in Debbie's money than her kind nature. Derek may be a small-time hustler, but he has big-time plans. He intends to blackmail his wealthy lover, Robert Helton, a conservative industrialist desperate to hide his secret gay life. However, Derek's plan takes a fatal turn when Debbie is found dead in her apartment.


Harmony Bay: An adventurous slice of waterfront life where mystery surrounds history... Harmony Bay by Tom Gahan

Harmony Bay uncovers the rich historical past of a small town through the eyes of newcomers...Detailed description laced with historical references gives the reader a feel for life in a bayside town

Enemies and Playmates Enemies and Playmates by Darcia Helle

When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser's world might just shatter. Lauren Covington's family maintains a grand facade that belies the life they live behind closed doors. Alex Covington, Lauren's father, keeps a tight rein on his family through dominance, abuse, and obsessive control. Consequently, Lauren doesn't believe she could ever trust a man, much less fall in love with one.

When Lauren meets Jesse Ryder, her carefully constructed protective wall shatters. She falls hopelessly and completely in love. It's only fitting that Jesse is a private detective who had once worked for her father, had defied him, and was now the subject of Alex Covington's wrath.

Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father's destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.

Digger's Bones Digger's Bones by Paul Mansfield Keefe

Archaeologist Angie Cooper's colleague and friend, Tarek "Digger" Rashid, is murdered in front of her. But not before giving her cryptic photographic clues to a hidden tomb and the two thousand year old bones within. Angie must battle a ruthless hitman, hired by a U.S. senator with presidential aspirations, and a sociopathic religious zealot while overcoming severe acrophobia. Caught in a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, she works to unravel the secret of Digger's bones. Bones that affect the lives of all they touch.

Digger’s Bones is an action packed thriller that takes you from the churches and burial tombs of ancient Jerusalem to the harrowing cliffs of Bandelier National Monument and the glacier capped Zugspitze in Germany. Angie Cooper, her career in shambles, finds herself on the run from mercenaries, the Holy See, the FBI, and Interpol while trying to solve one of archaeology’s great mysteries. Yet some things are better left in the past.

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba

Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer for a Massachusetts newspaper, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling "25 Years Ago Today" items from the microfilm. She grows fascinated with the case of a young cocktail waitress who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in the woods. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana's suspicious nephew, Eric Soares - until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. Kris soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday's headline is tomorrow's danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris's present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery from Mental Illness My Schizophrenic Life by Sandra Yuen MacKay

Vancouver artist Sandra Yuen MacKay has an abnormality of the brain - a disease called schizophrenia. As she says, "my life is schizophrenic because I have schizophrenia. It will always be there". Much of her life has been a struggle to cope with the symptoms of her disease and the side effects of the medications required to keep those symptoms in check.

Early in her life, Sandra started to exhibit the typical symptoms of this disease which came as a surprise to her unsuspecting family. Her book chronicles her struggles, hospitalizations, encounters with professionals, return to school, eventual marriage, and success as an artist, writer and advocate.

Fade Fade by Darren Smith

"Perhaps the best way to describe just how much this book caught my imagination is to reveal that even almost a year after reading it, there are still scenes that I remember vividly, quotations that I can recall and to confess that I will never think of doughnuts with sprinkles in the same way again."

"Brilliantly written love story captures your thoughts and emotions throughout the whole reading and long after it. The lucid and detailed narration provides multi layered complexity of each character's personality, startling revelations, creative turns of the plot."

"Dramatic and touching, the author does a brilliant job of capturing the reader's attention and reeling them into the depths of his story telling."

What Remains What Remains, by Rosemary Poole Carter

WHAT REMAINS is set on a rundown plantation shortly after the Civil War. In the shadow of live oaks and Spanish moss, Isabelle Ross, who has lost her fiancé to the war, joins forces with journalist Paul Delahoussaye to untangle a web of secrets, lies, and murder.

Road Markers Road Markers by Jason C McIntyre

Dean is a forty-something sales rep for a company that ropes small, mostly blue-collar firms into long term cellphone plans. Heading home from a bad meeting, he begins to see evidence that he can will things to happen just by thinking about them. But will this tantalizing realization lead him to cross the line for good?

* * *

Most of these writers have written more books, and I'm looking forward to reading more of their work.

Give them a try.

Remember, if you like a book, remember to review it, either here on Goodreads, or on Amazon and other bookseller websites. Authors are always grateful for honest reviews. It doesn't have to be anything detailed, just a couple of lines to say why you liked it would be wonderful.

Happy reading!

As many of you will already be aware, I recently wrote a murder/mystery novella with author Jason McIntyre.
This week, author Stacy Juba is featuring the lead character from that novella, the evil reviewer, Nestor Maronski, on her fictional online game show.
The game show is an ongoing contest on Stacy's blog to celebrate the release of her latest novel Sink or Swim which is a murder/mystery based on a reality TV show.

You can help support me and my co-author Jason, by leaving a comment on Stacy's blog interview with Nestor. The 3 fictional characters who get the highest number of unique commenters on their posts will win!

There is also a chance to enter to win a pdf copy of Cutting The Fat!

Click here to read the interview: Nestor Maronski Interview

You can read my latest interview on the 'Notes From an Alien' blog (author Alexander M. Zoltai's blog).

Click here: Notes From An Alien

Earlier in the week, Alexander also interviewed Stacy Juba and Darcia Helle, my fellow moderators on BestsellerBound.com

Read their interviews here:

Darcia Helle

Stacy Juba