Amanda McNeil's Blog - Posts Tagged "announcement"
Publication Announcement: Short Story in Down in the Dirt magazine February 2012 volume 103
Hello my lovely readers!
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that my literary short story “The Most Lovely Morning” is now available in the February 2012 volume 103 issue of Down in the Dirt magazine!!
Tag along on an elderly woman’s morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Also, there’s a surprise ending. ;-)
You can read it for free electronically or get a print copy of the magazine for $7.67. Happy reading!
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that my literary short story “The Most Lovely Morning” is now available in the February 2012 volume 103 issue of Down in the Dirt magazine!!
Tag along on an elderly woman’s morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Also, there’s a surprise ending. ;-)
You can read it for free electronically or get a print copy of the magazine for $7.67. Happy reading!
Publication Announcement: Waiting For Daybreak
Early this morning I received the official email from Amazon. Waiting For Daybreak is now available! Yay!!
The blog tour will be in July and August, but I just wanted it out there and getting read sooner. :-)
What is normal?
Frieda has never felt normal. She feels every emotion too strongly and lashes out at herself in punishment. But one day when she stays home from work too depressed to get out of bed, a virus breaks out turning her neighbors into flesh-eating, brain-hungry zombies. As her survival instinct kicks in keeping her safe from the zombies, Frieda can’t help but wonder if she now counts as healthy and normal, or is she still abnormal compared to every other human being who is craving brains?
The blog tour will be in July and August, but I just wanted it out there and getting read sooner. :-)
Announcement: New Cover For Ecstatic Evil (And Coupon For Free Copies To Celebrate!)
Hello my lovely readers!
One thing I believe as an indie author: it's important to pay attention to constructive criticism. If you hear something over and over about a book from various sources, then it's probably a valid critique. Now, most things I won't go back and change on an old book; I'll just apply them to future books. Two exceptions to that rule are: formatting and cover.
Well, Ecstatic Evil got fairly good reviews, but almost everyone commented on how much they didn't like the cover. Since I discovered Smashwords and their clearer formatting guidelines, I redid the interior formatting. (It is so much prettier now on the kindle! One thing you can say for Smashwords: they are a bit more helpful to authors when it comes to formatting than kdp. But I digress).
In any case, I decided that A) I want to call attention to the fixed formatting issues (none of the story itself was changed) and B) I wanted to show readers and reviewers that I listen and C) I want my books to all have a certain vibe to them for branding purposes, even if they aren't a part of the same series. So. I made an entire new cover!
This is the old cover:
And THIS is the new one:
:-D
I think this reflects the series better. The scale shows the choice between demon and fairy that Tova is faced with, the moon reflects how much of the story takes place at night (and involves shifters), and the silhouette style goes nicely with Waiting For Daybreak>.
To celebrate I am offering up unlimited FREE copies of Ecstatic Evil from now until the end of June!!!!! The ebook versions available are: Kindle, epub, pdf, Sony Reader, RTF, plain text, palm doc, html, and javascript. Simply go to Ecstatic Evil's Smashwords page, put it in your cart, and enter the 100% off coupon code at check-out:
I really do help you will join me in celebrating how much I've learned in the year since Ecstatic Evil first came out and that you like the new cover as much as I do!!
One thing I believe as an indie author: it's important to pay attention to constructive criticism. If you hear something over and over about a book from various sources, then it's probably a valid critique. Now, most things I won't go back and change on an old book; I'll just apply them to future books. Two exceptions to that rule are: formatting and cover.
Well, Ecstatic Evil got fairly good reviews, but almost everyone commented on how much they didn't like the cover. Since I discovered Smashwords and their clearer formatting guidelines, I redid the interior formatting. (It is so much prettier now on the kindle! One thing you can say for Smashwords: they are a bit more helpful to authors when it comes to formatting than kdp. But I digress).
In any case, I decided that A) I want to call attention to the fixed formatting issues (none of the story itself was changed) and B) I wanted to show readers and reviewers that I listen and C) I want my books to all have a certain vibe to them for branding purposes, even if they aren't a part of the same series. So. I made an entire new cover!
This is the old cover:
And THIS is the new one:
:-D
I think this reflects the series better. The scale shows the choice between demon and fairy that Tova is faced with, the moon reflects how much of the story takes place at night (and involves shifters), and the silhouette style goes nicely with Waiting For Daybreak>.
To celebrate I am offering up unlimited FREE copies of Ecstatic Evil from now until the end of June!!!!! The ebook versions available are: Kindle, epub, pdf, Sony Reader, RTF, plain text, palm doc, html, and javascript. Simply go to Ecstatic Evil's Smashwords page, put it in your cart, and enter the 100% off coupon code at check-out:
HB93D --100% off coupon code
I really do help you will join me in celebrating how much I've learned in the year since Ecstatic Evil first came out and that you like the new cover as much as I do!!
Waiting For Daybreak Blog Tour Schedule
I'm beyond pleased to be able to announce the schedule for Waiting For Daybreak's official blog tour featuring reviews, guest posts, interviews, and giveaways!!!! A huge thank you to every single participating blog for their support of not just myself, but indie authors in general.
July
13---Earth's Book Nook guest post and giveaway
14--The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul review and giveaway
15--Tabula Rasa review and giveaway
18--Nicki J. Markus interview and giveaway
22--From Me To You... interview and review
23--The Paperback Pursuer review
25--Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf interview and giveaway
26--Bookishly Me interview
27--Fangs for the Fantasy review and giveaway
30--Gizmo's Book Reviews interview
August
1--Unabridged Andra review, interview, and giveaway
2--Cynthia Shepp guest post
3--Pocketful of Books guest post
4--NovelOpinion interview
5--The Book Blurb interview
6--Ellie Hall guest post
Eva's Sanctuary review and interview
7--Kindle Fever interview and giveaway
10--Lily Element review
11--Wickedly Bookish interview and giveaway
13--Ellie Hall and cross-posted to 1889 Labs review
14--Blood, Sweat, and Books review and interview
15--The Book Hoard review and giveaway
16--Persephone's Winged Reviews review
17--Offbeat Vagabond review, interview, and giveaway
18--Mervi's Book Reviews review
20--Paperless Reading review
21--An Eclectic Bookshelf review and interview
22--Book Stacks On Deck review and giveaway
28--Pure Textuality review, interview, and giveaway
29--Just a Lil' Lost... review
Reflections of a Book Addict interview and giveaway
30--Obsessions of a LibraryGurl review and interview
Reflections of a Book Addict review
31--Opinions of a Wolf author's wrap-up!
Thank you again to all the tour participants!!
I also want to take a moment to thank blogs that accepted review copies but couldn't participate in the tour. I've listed them below and will link to their review of Waiting For Daybreak in parentheses as they write them. Accepting a review copy is just as supportive of indie authors as participating in a blog tour, so thank you very much, bloggers!
Beauty in Ruins (review)
Book Reviews From the Basement
Eastern Sunset Reads
Love, Literature, Art, and Reason
Nylon Admiral
Pinuccia's World of Books
Reflections
Story of Paperclippe
Waiting For Daybreak Now Available in Print!!
That's right, you can now choose between an ebook or a print book when reading Waiting For Daybreak! The print book is printed up by CreateSpace and shipped by Amazon. It costs $7.99. Check it out here.
Interesting fact: the print version is 172 pages, and the kindle version is about 104 pages.
Interesting fact: the print version is 172 pages, and the kindle version is about 104 pages.
Second round of reviews, interviews, and giveaways in the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour!
The first full week of the blog tour for Waiting For Daybreak is now complete! Check out all the awesome features these great book bloggers have offered up this week:
Earth’s Book Nook hosted a guest post in which I talk about why I made “What is normal?” the theme of the novel and tour. She is also hosting a giveaway!
The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul posted her review, and she said, “The reason it gets FIVE STARS, is because I simply loved how well-realized, and well-developed author McNeil’s characters were, ESPECIALLY Frieda. Amanda writes about mental illness with sensitivity, and yet never fails to make it interesting.”
Tabula Rasa‘s review said, “The book is, on the one hand packed with thrill and action, and on the other, has a very emotional and thought-provoking side. What I really appreciated was how none of it is overdone; I specially liked the subtlety of the relationship between Mike and Frieda.”
Tabula Rasa also hosted an interview! Be sure to check that out to find out everything from whether plot or characters come first in my writing to what my next project is.
Nicki J Markus also interviewed me. Check that out to find out what my favorite zombie book and zombie movie are.
Last but not least, Nicki J Markus is also hosting a giveaway. Two chances to win this week!
Thanks once again to all the participating blogs!
Earth’s Book Nook hosted a guest post in which I talk about why I made “What is normal?” the theme of the novel and tour. She is also hosting a giveaway!
The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul posted her review, and she said, “The reason it gets FIVE STARS, is because I simply loved how well-realized, and well-developed author McNeil’s characters were, ESPECIALLY Frieda. Amanda writes about mental illness with sensitivity, and yet never fails to make it interesting.”
Tabula Rasa‘s review said, “The book is, on the one hand packed with thrill and action, and on the other, has a very emotional and thought-provoking side. What I really appreciated was how none of it is overdone; I specially liked the subtlety of the relationship between Mike and Frieda.”
Tabula Rasa also hosted an interview! Be sure to check that out to find out everything from whether plot or characters come first in my writing to what my next project is.
Nicki J Markus also interviewed me. Check that out to find out what my favorite zombie book and zombie movie are.
Last but not least, Nicki J Markus is also hosting a giveaway. Two chances to win this week!
Thanks once again to all the participating blogs!
Publication Announcement: Short Story in Crack the Spine Literary Magazine
Hello my awesome fans!
Just a quick post to let you all know that my literary short story "Closest Thing to Heaven" published today in issue 40 of Crack the Spine literary magazine.
Here's the blurb:
I do hope you all will check it out!
Just a quick post to let you all know that my literary short story "Closest Thing to Heaven" published today in issue 40 of Crack the Spine literary magazine.
Here's the blurb:
Mama’s sleeping, and it’s super-hot out, so Brother says he’ll take me to the swimmin holler.
I do hope you all will check it out!
600 Followers Freebie Celebration!!
Hello my lovely readers!
To celebrate my blog reaching 600 followers, I’m offering up ebook copies of my novel, Waiting for Daybreak, for FREE for three days! And that’s an unlimited number to everyone who wants one!!
Still not sure if you want this bad-ass free book? Check out the reviews from the blog tour, on Amazon, and on GoodReads.
In order to get your FREE ebook, go to this page, add it to your cart, then put in the coupon code at checkout for 100% off. You may choose a version compatible with any ereader, computer, and many phones. That’s right, read it for free on your kindle, iPhone, Kobo, and more!
I’m so excited to have so many followers, and you all definitely deserve some special access to my work. So are you ready to grab the coupon code and check it out?
Your coupon code is……
LC57W
Again, just go to this site, add the book to your cart, then enter the coupon code at checkout for 100% off!
Feel free to share the coupon code with your friends. It will expire on Sunday. And thank you to one and all for being my followers!
<3
To celebrate my blog reaching 600 followers, I’m offering up ebook copies of my novel, Waiting for Daybreak, for FREE for three days! And that’s an unlimited number to everyone who wants one!!
What is normal?
Frieda has never felt normal. She feels every emotion too strongly and lashes out at herself in punishment. But one day when she stays home from work too depressed to get out of bed, a virus breaks out turning her neighbors into flesh-eating, brain-hungry zombies. As her survival instinct kicks in keeping her safe from the zombies, Frieda can’t help but wonder if she now counts as healthy and normal, or is she still abnormal compared to every other human being who is craving brains?
Still not sure if you want this bad-ass free book? Check out the reviews from the blog tour, on Amazon, and on GoodReads.
In order to get your FREE ebook, go to this page, add it to your cart, then put in the coupon code at checkout for 100% off. You may choose a version compatible with any ereader, computer, and many phones. That’s right, read it for free on your kindle, iPhone, Kobo, and more!
I’m so excited to have so many followers, and you all definitely deserve some special access to my work. So are you ready to grab the coupon code and check it out?
Your coupon code is……
LC57W
Again, just go to this site, add the book to your cart, then enter the coupon code at checkout for 100% off!
Feel free to share the coupon code with your friends. It will expire on Sunday. And thank you to one and all for being my followers!
<3
Publication Announcement: Short Story in Dark Fire Fiction
Hello my lovely readers!
Just a quick post to let you know that my dark fantasy short story "Freedom Freerunner" published today in Dark Fire Fiction. They're a rolling publication, so there's no issue or volume numbers. My story will be on the front page for at least a month.
Here's the blurb:
Also be sure to click through to Dark Fire Fiction's homepage to see the illustration they gave my short story!
To anyone wondering due to the Dark Ones mention, yes this is Lovecraftverse and yes there are tentacles. :-)
I've added the links and information to my Publications page, so you can easily find it again later.
I do hope you all will check it out!
Just a quick post to let you know that my dark fantasy short story "Freedom Freerunner" published today in Dark Fire Fiction. They're a rolling publication, so there's no issue or volume numbers. My story will be on the front page for at least a month.
Here's the blurb:
The Dark Ones have taken over the city. Come along as a band of freerunners battle them with parkour skills and swords.
Also be sure to click through to Dark Fire Fiction's homepage to see the illustration they gave my short story!
To anyone wondering due to the Dark Ones mention, yes this is Lovecraftverse and yes there are tentacles. :-)
I've added the links and information to my Publications page, so you can easily find it again later.
I do hope you all will check it out!
Second Edition of Novella - Waiting For Daybreak - FREE Until Midnight Pacific Time July 22nd
I am thrilled to announce the publication of the second edition of my novella Waiting For Daybreak. I published the first edition 10 years ago in 2012. I have completed major updates throughout the second edition, as well as added an author’s note and a content note. You can view both of the notes in their entirety by using the preview book feature on its Amazon page.
Here is the updated blurb:
"I just want to live like normal people. But my Borderline Personality Disorder fills each day with emotional pain. And drives other people away. Not that there’s anyone to drive away anymore…
Frieda’s a struggling twenty-something young professional when the apocalypse comes. Overnight, Boston falls apart as a rapidly spreading virus makes her neighbors crave brains. Enough to kill for them.
She survives alone for a whole year in her urban studio apartment. And she surprises herself by managing her mental illness better than she did before. When her beloved cat becomes ill, Frieda goes on a quest to save her. It sets off a chain of events that challenges everything.
Reviews of the first edition call this a “dynamic” read that’s a “great story with a twist I didn’t foresee.” This places a character you’d expect in a women’s fiction novel at the heart of a zombie apocalypse."
Today and tomorrow (July 19th-20th, 2022, Pacific Time), the ebook is free for everyone. Please consider downloading your copy today!
If you previously purchased the first edition, note that Amazon does not automatically send the second edition to your kindle. Please take advantage of these two free days to get the updated version. If you missed the free days, you can sign up for my newsletter to get notified of future ones. I hold them periodically.
Please be sure to check out my Publications Page for my other work.
Here is the updated blurb:
"I just want to live like normal people. But my Borderline Personality Disorder fills each day with emotional pain. And drives other people away. Not that there’s anyone to drive away anymore…
Frieda’s a struggling twenty-something young professional when the apocalypse comes. Overnight, Boston falls apart as a rapidly spreading virus makes her neighbors crave brains. Enough to kill for them.
She survives alone for a whole year in her urban studio apartment. And she surprises herself by managing her mental illness better than she did before. When her beloved cat becomes ill, Frieda goes on a quest to save her. It sets off a chain of events that challenges everything.
Reviews of the first edition call this a “dynamic” read that’s a “great story with a twist I didn’t foresee.” This places a character you’d expect in a women’s fiction novel at the heart of a zombie apocalypse."
Today and tomorrow (July 19th-20th, 2022, Pacific Time), the ebook is free for everyone. Please consider downloading your copy today!
If you previously purchased the first edition, note that Amazon does not automatically send the second edition to your kindle. Please take advantage of these two free days to get the updated version. If you missed the free days, you can sign up for my newsletter to get notified of future ones. I hold them periodically.
Please be sure to check out my Publications Page for my other work.
