Interview: What It's Like To Be a Self-Published Author

Today, my friend and critique partner, Kristi Wientge, is interviewing me on her blog about my self-publishing experiences. If you're interested, go ahead and check it out. But if you're not, I still encourage you to stop by anyway. Why? Because Kristi recently had some awesome news -- she signed with agent Patricia Nelson of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency! You guys will love Kristi's book! It's incredibly heartwarming and sweet and so true to life. So, I highly recommend that you head on over and say hi to Kristi (even if you ignore my rambling, it's okay, haha.) Chances are, you'll be hearing a lot about her book in the...

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Upon A Time: Excerpt & Guest Post by February Grace

I am ecstatic to feature February Grace on the blog today! February Grace is not only an extraordinarily talented writer with the most amazing ideas, but she's also one of the sweetest people I've ever "met." Today, she's here to talk a bit about her newest release, UPON A TIME, and to share an excerpt of the book. The floor is yours, my friend! “For every soul whose heart defies the limits of their body.” It is with that dedication that UPON A TIME begins, and those words are more than just words to me. Why? Because I myself am...

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Nerds Rule! Guest Post by Stephanie Faris

Today, I'm swapping blogs with the super cool & fabulous Stephanie Faris! Stephanie is the author of 30 DAYS OF NO GOSSIP and 25 ROSES and the creator of a very fun blog! We're both blogging about nerd-related topics today. I'm over at her place, talking about nerd conventions. Meanwhile, she's here today to talk about how much nerds rule! The floor is yours, Stephanie! * * * Thank you for having me today, Shelley! Since the first time I saw the Internet, I’ve questioned the use of the term “nerd.” After all, the guys behind...

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The Winner Could Be You!

To celebrate my latest book release, I'm offering several chances for readers to win free books (and more)! The Release Day Party giveaway via Rafflecopter has just ended, and the winner is: a Rafflecopter giveaway Congratulations, Tiana! (She was chosen at random, but I'm happy because she's super awesome!) But just because that one giveaway is over doesn't mean there are no more chances to win. I'm currently running a Goodreads giveaway for the print version of One Hundred Thirty Stars: .goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color:...

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Visiting Friends This Week -- Come Join Us!

A bunch of my wonderful writer friends are featuring me and/or my book on their blogs this week! Today I'm over at Jemi Fraser's blog, talking about the difference between the two genres I've focused on: middle grade and romance. Jemi is one of the sweetest and most thoughtful people you'll find in the blogging community (and, possibly, in the entire world. She's that nice!) If you haven't been to her blog yet, I highly recommend it! On Wednesday, I'm excited to be on Tyrean Martinson's blog, where I'm answering questions about my writing life! Tyrean is SO incredibly nice, and she's the author of many books and short...

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We're All Fans

Today, I'm doing a guest post over at Heather Holden's blog! You may know Heather Holden from her totally fun and adorable comic series, Echo Effect. You may also remember her from the Otto's Quest drawing she did for my upcoming book. I'm talking about being a fan of something, so hop on over and tell me what you're a fan of! If you missed my Release Day Party a couple of days ago, don't worry -- it's still going on! You've still got a chance to win some prizes: a Rafflecopter giveawa...

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ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS Release Day Party!

Thank you so much for attending the virtual release day party for ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS! (Even if you didn't know this was going on today, you're still invited! Come on in and cut yourself a giant slice of cake!) Happy birthday to this brand new contemporary middle grade book! Here's where you can find it: Paperback: Amazon E-Book: Kindle (Nook version is still being processed and will be available soon.) And you can add it on Goodreads here. After we've all sang to it and made it feel awkward, it's time for presents! Don't...

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Spotlight on THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS

Today, I'm happy to feature Medeia Sharif's middle grade novel, THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS! Check it out if you have the chance. I absolutely loved mysteries as a kid, and reading this brought me right back to being a 10-year-old wannabe detective. It's awesome! In THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS, the main character, Lily, has a learning disability. Her mother has been kidnapped and she plays the sleuth, meanwhile many doubt her. She even doubts herself. This is a quote from the book regarding her disability: “[Although] she was average...

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I'll Share!

Because I like you guys so much, I'll be sharing a few things in the coming week. Right now, the first three chapters of ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS are on Wattpad for everyone to check out! And on Wednesday the 11th, the release day for STARS, there will be a giveaway for a free e-book and a 20 page critique! I'm also planning a Goodreads giveaway of the paperback version of STARS for the near future. Stay tuned for chances to win free stuff, and if you're looking for something to read, feel free to hop on over to Wattpad. Besides free books, what other prizes do you like to see in giveaways? I'm looking to do more of them...

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Cover Reveal for ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS

Today's the day! I'm sharing the cover for my upcoming (3/11) release, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS. Fellow MG writers Kristi Wientge and Stephanie Faris are featuring my cover as well! Be sure to drop by and say hi to them, if you can. If you missed it a few weeks ago, here's the back cover summary: Eleven-year-old Kelly “Birdie” Knotts has the perfect summer vacation planned: she’s finally going to visit her dad, Arthur. Birdie hardly knows him, but she has high hopes that he’ll be the one family member who understands her. Too bad...

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