Amanda McNeil's Blog - Posts Tagged "blog-tour"

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

I posted this listing of reviews, interviews, and giveaways so far on Friday on my personal blog. The Waiting For Daybreak blog tour has now officially started!

Most of these folks either are not participating in the tour or had a little something extra to put in before the tour officially started. I'll be posting up links every Friday (or weekend at least) of the tour for you all to stop in and enjoy. :-)

The Chronicles of an Enamored Soul is running an international giveaway that ends July 17th, so you have plenty of time to enter!

Kelsey’s Cluttered Bookshelf says, “This book is recommended for Zombie fans, there are some sexual scenes and violence, but it’s not over the top which is good. This was a great first debut book for the author.” Be sure to click through to see her whole review.

Waiting For Daybreak was also reviewed on Beauty in Ruins, who said, “The writing is solid, the dialogue creatively engaging (even with Freida’s silent cat), and the novelty of the personality issue alone definitely makes this worth a read.”

Nicki J Markus says, “The pacing of this piece is well managed and the tension was maintained perfectly from start to finish.”

And Reflections appreciated Frieda, “Even though Frieda has a personality disorder and periods of extreme depression, the character was still somehow easy to relate to.”

Finally, in addition to a review best summed-up with the great phrase, “Wonderful book!” Love, Literature, Art, and Reason also interviewed me! Be sure to check out the interview to find out everything from how I deal with writer’s block to why I decided to give Frieda Borderline Personality Disorder.

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!

In Waiting For Daybreak blog tour news, this was quite an exciting week! It's the fullest week of the tour we've had so far, and the variety of blogs visited was super-fun for me.

From Me To You... had previously reviewed my novella, Ecstatic Evil , and I was so glad she agreed to participate in the tour for my new, decidedly not paranormal romance, book. She conducted an awesome interview with me that features pictures to enhance various answers plus she was the first to ask me who I would cast in a movie as Frieda and Mike. On the same entry as the interview, she reviews the book, saying, “This is one high-intensity novel that will hold you until the end.”

The Paperback Pursuer offered up a review stating, “I was blown away by Amanda McNeil's ability to develop such a unique and troubled character who every reader can relate to on some level.”

Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf has an interview with me up where you can find out things like my future writing goals and advice for other writers. She is also offering a giveaway!

Bookishly Me also has an interview up in which I talk about the research I conducted for the book, among other things.

Last but certainly not least, Fangs for the Fantasy offers up a review from a social justice perspective stating, “But even better than a realistic and well-presented depiction of mental illness, we also have it become a strength in the zombie apocalypse.”

A big thank you again to all of the participants! I'm so glad folks have been enjoying the tour so far.

This was a quieter week in the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour, but I still want to give a shout-out to these two awesome bloggers!

Gizmo's Book Reviews interviewed me. Check that out to see what celebrity I'd be most distracted by if s/he walked into a restaurant I was in.

Cynthia Shepp hosted a guest post in which I talked about why I chose Boston as a setting. She also hosted a giveaway, which is now closed. Congrats to the winner!

That's it! As I said, a quieter week, but still containing lots of variety. Both of these ladies were also an entire pleasure to work with.

In other writing/publishing news, I had a short story accepted this week! It will be out in September. Check out my publications page for more details.

The weekly update for the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour! This week was slightly busier.

Ellie Hall graciously hosted a guest post in which I explain how the tagline for the tour, "What is normal?" relates to the book.

Eva's Sanctuary interviewed me. Among other things, you can hear many more details about my busy medical librarian job.

Eva's Sanctuary also offered a review, stating, "This is a unique zombie tale, but well worth the read. I think you will be quite surprised."

Last but not least, today Lily Element posted a review, suggesting it to readers, "if you want something different and enjoy zombie books."

The weekly Waiting For Daybreak blog tour updates are here!

It was a much busier week this week, which was of course exciting!

Wickedly Bookish interviewed me. Check that out to find out my self-publishing advice!

Wickedly Bookish also hosted a giveaway that is still open. If you have yet to win a copy, definitely consider entering.

Ellie Hall posted a review (that is also cross-posted to 1889 Labs) where she says, "The story flies by and it is thoroughly engrossing, with periods of action and adrenaline nicely balanced by periods of memory and self-reflection. The sense of danger and suspense is well developed, and the narrator’s doubts and fears are easily understood."

The Book Hoard's review says, "If anyone had told me that I’d enjoy a zombie apocalypse a year ago, I’d have told them they were nuts. However, I have come to enjoy a few zombie apocalypse stories like Waiting For Daybreak."

The Book Hoard is also hosting a giveaway that is still open. That's two! Two chances to win a copy! Ah-ha-ha.

Last but not least, Persephone's Winged Reviews posted a review stating, "At the end of the day, it’s much more about Frieda trying to find out what normal means in a world gone wrong instead of a zombie book. I believe that it is a fresh take on zombies in the fiction genre."

Thanks once again to every single participating book blogger! I truly appreciate you giving me (and my writing) time and space on your blogs.

It's the penultimate weekly wrap-up for the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour! Hard to believe, huh? This was a busy week!

Offbeat Vagabond posted a review where she states, "I would love to see this made into a movie/TV show. This would look and feel great. Waiting For Daybreak will give you such a unique outlook on the world through Frieda's eyes. Highly recommended."

Offbeat Vagabond also interviewed me. Check that out to find out what authors inspire me. She also is running a giveaway that ends today, so be sure to enter that right away if you want another chance at a free copy!

Mervi's Book Reviews posted a review stating, "The story’s strength is definitely Frieda who has to confront her inner demons in addition to the zombies. She also doesn’t go the usual way of becoming somehow cured or getting some powers to survive."

Blood, Sweat, and Books also posted a review where she states, "Waiting For Daybreak has just enough Action, Romance, and Angst to satisfy even the most jaded Zombie fan. I look forward to reading more from this Author."

Blood, Sweat, and Books also interviewed me. Check that out to find out what my favorite quote is.

Paperless Reading posted a review, where he states, "Even though Waiting for Daybreak is a quick read, it has a fully fleshed out story with a fascinating and different lead character and is very entertaining overall."

Last but not least, An Eclectic Bookshelf posted a review stating, "This was an entertaining post apocalyptic zombie novel that also makes the reader think about how the normalcy of life is relative. It isn't always a light and easy novel to read due the characters McNeil has utilised but these characters are what make it unique. I think any fan of post apocalyptic survival horror that is after something a little bit different and thought provoking will enjoy this."

I was also interviewed at An Eclectic Bookshelf. Check that out to find out what books have had the greatest influence on me.

That's it for the tour for this week! Thanks once again to every participating blog!

This was the final week of the Waiting For Daybreak blog tour! I'll be posting my author's wrap-up with thoughts on the tour as a whole a bit later today, but I didn't want the last week of blogs to miss their weekly wrap-up spotlight. So let's get to it!

Just a Lil' Lost posted a review where she states, "McNeil brings a fresh voice with this zombie apocalypse-type story. She has written a character that is refreshing and different from others I have read."

Obsessions of a Library Gurl (who, full disclosure, is my friend but who was able to use her librarian talents to offer a fair, even-handed review), also posted a review stating, "It was an easy read and one I was able to quickly get into."

Obsessions of a LibraryGurl also interviewed me. Check that out to hear what I think about zombies as an analogy for rape.

Reflections of a Book Addict posted a review where he states, "In all, it is an awesome read that really gets you in tune with Frieda’s struggle with the undead."

Reflections of a Book Addict also interviewed me. Check that out to find out more about my own pets. Also, comment on the interview post to be entered in the final giveaway of the tour!

And that's it! Hard to believe the final week of the tour is over. Many thank you's to everyone who helped make the last week varied and exciting!

Wow. It's hard to believe my first book release blog tour is over. Overall, this was a very wonderful experience, and I learned a lot about running a tour, which I will share with other indie authors in future posts. This post though is about Waiting For Daybreak , my future writing, and the wonderful participating bloggers.

I of course was pleased (and relieved) to see that bloggers mostly enjoyed my first novel. Getting so much feedback and opinions let me see what quips and qualms were personal and what were things to bare in mind for my future books.

So what things did people disagree on? The ending was mostly loved, although a few people thought it was a bit abrupt. The length was deemed just right by some and too short by others. Some people found the level of information about the zombies and amount of horror content just right. Others wanted more. These are all choices that are ultimately up to the author, and I'm still pleased with the choices I made (or rather with the direction Frieda dictated the story to go).

The one universal quip, and which I admit I have always known is a fault of mine, was a desire for stronger setting/world building. Although the world is always 100% clear in my mind, I can sometimes struggle to be sure that it is coming through on the page. I have come up with a few strategies to improve this in future books and appreciate the honest feedback from all the bloggers.

The fact that everyone was so honest means I can trust that the one thing that everyone loved is truly good. That is character building. People loved Frieda, and they loved Snuggles. They found her three-dimensional and well-rounded. Flawed, aggravating sometimes even, but ultimately understandable. A few people even mentioned that they came away with more empathy for people with a mental illness. You guys, this feedback blew me away. My whole concept and point was to create a main character in a genre book with a mental illness as a way to fight stigma and ableism. The fact that this worked on any level at all.... Well. It rocked my world. I hope seeing people talk about relating to Frieda and feeling for her will be an encouragement to people dealing with mental illnesses. Plus, on a writer's level, it's just good to know that I can create deeply flawed characters who are still someone readers can root for.

I couldn't've asked for much more from a blog tour for a debut book. It's strong, solid feedback for a first novel. I know more clearly what I do well and what to keep a closer eye on in my editing process.

In addition to the feedback, I got to get to know a bunch of book bloggers. I've never interviewed an author on my own blog before, and participating in interviews made me see how much fun they can be! They gave me the chance to explain where my idea came from, clarify some aspects of who I am and how I write, and just connect on a more personal level with my readers. It was so much fun! Also having the blogs host giveaways of my book brought it to a broader audience. It was so nice for me to see who chose to enter the giveaways and why. I also greatly appreciated the space for guest posts to talk more about my own perspective of my book. It was all-in-all a very positive experience for me.

One thing that came up repeatedly during the tour was people wondering precisely what mental illness Frieda has. I honestly didn't realize people would be so curious about this! I've added an author's note explaining her mental illness to the ebook versions (although I couldn't add a note on to the print version). I will reproduce it here now so those with review copies, giveaway copies, or the print book can satisfy their curiosity. :-)

Frieda has Borderline Personality Disorder, commonly known as BPD. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV-TR, which psychiatrists use in diagnosing mental illnesses, requires that a person exhibit at least five of the nine symptoms associated with BPD. Frieda has all except for number one.

The diagnostic criteria are:

“(1) frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.

(2) a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation

(3) identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self

(4) impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.

(5) recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior

(6) affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)

(7) chronic feelings of emptiness

(8) inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)

(9) transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms”

MICHAEL B. FIRST, M.D., ed. 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 4th Ed. (DSM-IV-TR™, 2000). Washington, DC. American Psychiatric Association. ISBN 0-89042-024-6, ISBN 0-89042-025-4. STAT!Ref Online Electronic Medical Library. http://online.statref.com/document.as.... 8/30/2012 12:18:14 PM CDT (UTC -05:00).

For more information on BPD, please see the DSM-IV-TR cited above.

There were two other things everyone wanted to know. 1) will there be a sequel? and 2) what am I currently working on?

I didn't write Waiting For Daybreak with the intention of it being the start of a series. But. A few weeks after finishing it, the germ of an idea jumped into my head. I believe that Frieda's story is not complete. There are still many questions, primarily about her family, but also about what she will do with winter coming on. I do intend to write a sequel addressing these questions. However, it will require a bit of a road trip or two for research, so it won't be coming out for at least two years. It also has to wait for me to finish my current work in progress.

My current work in progress is a dark fantasy. It is set in the Lovecraft universe and follows four siblings fifteen years after the Dark Ones have taken over Boston. It will examine many themes, but the primary ones will be sibling relationships and what makes family family. Each of the siblings will take turns expressing themselves, and I'm very excited about the opportunity to get into four very different minds. I've had a love for Cthulhu for a long time, so I am truly enjoying getting to bury myself in this world.

I think that's about it for my wrap-up, except for the all-important huge THANK YOU to every single participating blogger!!! Thank you for being willing to accept indie books in general and mine in particular. Thank you for your honesty in reviewing and positivity in hosting guest posts, interviews, and giveaways. Thank you for helping my writing to reach a broader audience. Thank you for everything you did to help make my first blog tour and novel release a success! There wouldn't even have been a blog tour without you all, and I look forward to hopefully working with you all again in the future.

Note: If you would like to see the reviews, interviews, and guest posts, please check out the blog tour and reviews page. It will remain up and be updated with new reviews as they show up, even though the tour is now over. If you are interested in more of my writing, please check out my publications page. Thanks!