Holiday Giving x3

The holidays are upon us and I've decided to participate in three fundraisers I feel very passionate about. I invite you to join me.

The first one is being hosted by Nathan Bransford, who is holding his fourth annual fundraiser for Heifer International.  Nathan is an awesome writer who also keeps the publishing community inspired and informed on everything going on in the industry on a very regular basis.

Click here to find out more about Heifer International.  If you want to join the fundraiser, leave a comment on this blog post and for every comment I get, I will donate $1 to Heifer International, up to $100.

Second, if you haven't already heard, OneRepublic is raising money to help the families of shooting victims from Sandy Hook School recover from their tragedy.  You can help their effort by donating on indigogo.com.  Third, on the same site (indigogo.com), I was overwhelmed when I saw Elyse Bogacz raising money for art supplies so kids can use their creativity to heal from the tragedy and feel safe again in school.  You can donate here and contribute to her efforts as well.

'Tis the season for giving and I appreciate you helping me reach out to help people all around the world in need.

Cheers,
Shari

Release Day for Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

 

One of the best things about being a novelist is celebrating release day with  other authors. Today I'm thrilled to spread the good news about Susan Kaye Quinn's third book in her Mindjack Trilogy, Free Souls.  Keep reading to find out more about her latest novel and the whole series.  And the best part is at the bottom of this post, where you can sign up to be entered in her Rafflecopter giveaway. It just doesn't get better than this.

Congrats Susan!

Oh, and did I mention these are awesome stories, with awesome characters?  Yep, they are.  Trust me.  You have to check these books out!

 Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

                                 (Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now Available!

When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.

Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian’s worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there’s more to Julian’s concerns than she knew, but she’s forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian’s revolution and the jackers she’s come to love.

All Mindjack stories available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes (Note Free Souls is not yet available on iTunes)

Early Praise for Free Souls

“Quinn paints a picture of a not-too-distant America where politicians inflame the hatred of one section of the populace for another—all for their own gain—and you worry that her world is not so far off from our own.”

— Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and the forthcoming The Eighth Day

"Free Souls starts with a bang and doesn't let up. Like a mash-up of all your favorite science-fiction adventures from Star Wars to The Legend of Korra, it blends nonstop action, nail-biting escapes, and great romance. I absolutely loved it! A great series conclusion—a must-read."

— Leigh Talbert Moore, author of Rouge and The Truth About Faking

“Susan did it again. Free Souls was WOW! I expected Kira to step up to her role as heroine but not like this. Surprises kept coming until the very end which tied up more loose ends than I knew existed. Warning: Don't start reading until you have time to finish. I didn't want to put Free Souls down for a second. It's that kind of book.”

— Sher A. Hart, Goodreads Review

Interview Susan's over at Amy Saunder's blog today (12.14.12), answering questions about how she came up with the mages' abilities, what kind of mage she would be, and all about her future works. Digital Box Set Since Free Souls is out, there is now a Digital Box Set of the Mindjack Trilogy for those of you who want the whole series!

Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

Mindjack Origins Collection Want more Julian? Wondering how Sasha's ability really works? Looking for EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls? This collection of novellas, scenes, and other goodies is for those craving a bit more of the characters and drama of the Mindjack series.

Includes: Mindjack Novellas Mind Games (Raf's story) The Handler (Julian's story) The Scribe (Sasha's story) TWO EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls (published nowhere else!) PLUS Mindjack flash fiction, an (imaginary) conversation between Raf and Julian, and other goodies for readers who want just a little bit more of Kira, Julian, Raf, and the Mindjack crew.

Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

ENTER TO WIN one of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collection

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another Award & Big Things on the Way!

Okay, November is totally gone and December is upon us.  It's been a month since my last post so I want to get you all caught up on what's happening in my little corner of the world.

First of all, last week I was notified Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye earned two awards in the Royal Dragonfly Book Award Contest (scroll down the page to see results).  The book took second place in the Newbie Fiction category and third place (honorable mention) in the Young Adult category.  Not only am I completely thrilled and excited, but like the Moonbeam, it gives me recognition and honor within the writing community and among educators and librarians.  Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye is also being pitched to (and accepted by some) Chicago area high schools as mandatory or summer reading and I have been booked to do some speaking engagements within high schools and other organizations as well.

Second, I've made the decision to do a series with my next book (All the World's a Stage). I'm so excited to work on multiple books with these characters. They are hysterically quirky, and have so much to offer.  I think they will bring a breath of fresh air into the young adult market with their stories and their passion for the arts.  To put it into an extremely simple concept, think of Fame meets Glee: Four teens in performance based high school try to navigate real life issues such as a love triangle, friendships, parents, extended family, family economic crisis...you get the idea.  All this while feeling the pressures of needing to always be on the top of their game.  The working title for the series is called My Shakespearean Life.  Obviously (or not), the series title will be decided before All the World is released (Spring, 2013).

Third (and totally exciting) news.  All the World's a Stage has already been edited by my editor (in New York) who I am so over the top thrilled to work with, I can't even tell you.  So for the next two months, I'll be in my "writer's lair" completely immersed in edits/revisions to get this puppy spit shined and ready for the world to see.  Spring is my target release date, and there will be more to come on all that fun stuff later.

Stay happy, stay sane and thanks so much for your support.
'Till next time,
Cheers!