Wednesday, February 26, 2014

NEW RELEASE ALERT

Haven't signed up for my new release alert emails? Here's the latest and the freshest. Format could be a bit wonky since it's a cut and paste.

New Release Announcement

Hello gang!
 I have a few things to talk about, and I'll get right to them. I'm all about the facts with very little gab. :)  Three books to tell you about, three different genres.

 BOOK ONE —ROMANCE
Out now!

He's Come Undone
New Adult romance
 Penniless and behind on rent, college student and once famous child actress Ellie Barlow takes on the role of a lifetime when she's hired by a group of young women to break the heart of the campus player who cruelly dumped them.
 Transformed from slob slacker to jaw-dropping beauty, Ellie is dressed, styled, bleached and waxed, her chunky glasses exchanged for violet contacts. Along with physical prepping, she's coached on Julian's obsessions, which include long-distance running, Doctor Who, and J.D. Salinger.
 In no time, Julian is in pursuit of his custom-made next victim, but when Ellie goes off script and begins to fall for her target, the newest broken heart in this risky game could be her own.
 Warning: This book is kinda hot.
Special new release price of .99! 


Soon to be available through iTunes and Kobo.
Soon to be available in print through Amazon.
 ~~~
 BOOK TWO — SCIENCE FICTION, DYSTOPIA, PHANTASMAGORIA
 Out now!

 From the Indie Side
 About this anthology
 Featuring Michael Bunker, Peter Cawdron, Kate Danley, Anne Frasier, Sara Foster, Jason Gurley, Mel Hearse, Kev Heritage, Hugh Howey, Ernie Lindsey, Susan May, and Brian Spangler; and edited by David Gatewood. Includes a foreword by Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of WOOL.
 A man who remembers the future and a veteran haunted by his past. A witch ignorant of her powers and a vampire achingly aware of his emptiness. An unmaimed man, a cursed queen, a troubled marriage, a family just trying to survive.
 From an abandoned convent to a Martian classroom, an open-mic reading to a New Mexico mountaintop, these fantastical and imaginative tales will take you on a journey through impossible worlds, all-too-possible futures, and disquieting glimpses into the other side of reality.
 Packed with original short stories ranging from sci-fi to thriller to the supernatural, "From the Indie Side" brings together some of the biggest authors in independent publishing today. Be prepared for a great ride--and don't be surprised if you discover your new favorite author in these pages.
 "When I read indie fiction, authenticity oozes from the page. Sample some unique and talented voices . . . sit back and enjoy the ride." - Hugh Howey
 ". . . it is a great book. It is one that you will want laying in the stack next to your bed or chair or sofa or desk--wherever you read--because you will want to read it over and over throughout the years." - Michael Bunker, bestselling author ofWICK and Pennsylvania

 In order to generate buzz about the book, we're giving away free download codes to newsletter subscribers via Smashwords.  If you enjoy the book (and I think you will) please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

(FYI: I removed the codes since they're just for newsletter/email alert subscribers.)



BOOK THREE—THRILLER
 Okay, this is an old title, Play Dead, but it's been released by Thomas & Mercer with a beautiful new cover.  The second book in the Elise Sandberg series, Stay Dead, comes out April 22 and is now available for pre-order.  Both books are set in Savannah and feature homicide detectives Elise Sandberg and David Gould. For those suspense readers who like a little romance with their suspense – these books might appeal to you. Especially Stay Dead, where we witness the growth of the relationship between Elise and David.   Will they do it???  Ah, that's the big mystery.

Play Dead
 No one is more familiar with Savannah's dark side than homicide detective and native resident Elise Sandburg. She's been haunted for years by her own mysterious past: she was abandoned as a baby in one of the city's ancient cemeteries, and it's rumored that she is the illegitimate daughter of an infamous Savannah root doctor. The local Gullah culture of voodoo and magic is one that few outsiders can understand, least of all Elise's new partner. Now someone is terrorizing the city, creating real-life zombies by poisoning victims into a conscious paralysis that mimics death. As the chilling case unfolds, Elise is drawn back into the haunted past she's tried so hard to leave behind.


Stay Dead
 New York Times bestselling author Anne Frasier takes readers back to her dark, enchanting Savannah—a place as terrifying as it is mesmerizing.
 Homicide detective Elise Sandburg is traumatized after her run-in with a madman the press has dubbed “The Organ Thief.” As Elise takes refuge in her deceased aunt Anastasia’s abandoned plantation to investigate and recover from her ordeal, she begins to question everything—from her dangerous line of work to her complex relationship with her handsome, tortured partner, David Gould. But with a madman on the loose, and her mother’s claims to still hear from Aunt Anastasia, she may have more immediate problems on her hands. In Elise’s world, where cold hard crime mixes with the local Gullah culture, nothing is ever what it seems, and no one is above suspicion—not even the dead.


But wait! That's not all!  Top of the page to the right you can go to Goodreads and enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Stay Dead. FYI: This book as the coolest back-cover design.

 There you go. I'm done bugging you, but I'll be back in April with a reminder of the Stay Dead release!
 Take care and stay warm,
 Theresa/Anne

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Thursday, February 20, 2014

PERKS OF SELF-PUBLISHING


One big perk of self-publishing?

While I wait to hear from my publisher about a possible new traditional book deal, I can continue writing. I've written three books while waiting. THREE BOOKS. In the old days, I'd just wait. And wait. And wait. But now I can be productive in what used to be unproductive downtime.  Of course this means I NEVER have downtime, which is EXHAUSTING.

My newest self-published title is He's Come Undone (release date approximately March 1). This is another New Adult contemporary romance set in the world of what I think I’m going to call City of Lakes.  If anybody has a better name for this series, let me know! There's of course the whole come thing, because all books will have come in the title, but come is also a sex word, so it doesn't seem a good idea even though it would be the obvious choice.

Come As You Are and He's Come Undone take place in the same location, same year, same month, same days. Characters in both books visit the same areas of Minneapolis, work in the same cafes, drink lattes in the same coffee shops, go to the same movie theaters, and walk down the same streets.

 Why I’m reluctant to call it a series:

In He's Come Undone and Come as You Are there's no character crossover although a main character in He's Come Undone bemoans the fact that the Kurt Cobain class is full (because Molly from Come As You Are took the final seat), and another character in He's Come Undone gets a job at Bad Waitress (where Molly works/worked.)

 If He's Come Undone does well and I continue with the books, I envision some scenes in which characters from the third book interact with characters from the first and second books – IN THE SAME TIME SPACE. Because the books will ALL TAKE PLACE IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF THE SAME MONTH AND YEAR.  So readers who want more of Molly and Ian will be able to experience them through other characters.

What I've done differently with He's Come Undone.

I listen to readers. I don't know if listening is a good thing or a bad thing, but a lot of readers felt Come As You Are didn’t have a satisfying ending.  It had an HEA ending, but I didn't go into details of that HEA. So I kept that complaint in mind when writing HCU. Another comment readers made? They wanted more hero time, so I've given Julian, the hero of HCU, more and longer POV scenes.  Last thing? He's Come Undone is sexier (this was simply my idea. Ha!).  I could also add that listening to readers is another perk of self-publishing. I can watch sales in real time (thus knowing which books are selling and which aren't), I can read the feedback, and I can adjust quickly and accordingly.

And here I must also confess that Come As You Are was an experiment in a genre I knew little about. The book was probably written too quickly because, quite frankly, I didn't think it would sell. Was I ever wrong.

I like He's Come Undone and think a traditional publisher would snatch it up. I briefly thought about submitting it, but when I realize it wouldn't be released for a year or more… Just don't want to wait, and don't want readers to have to wait. (That waiting thing again!)

I came up with this plot last summer, wrote it down, and just couldn't let it go.  I really wanted to write it.

Blurb for He's Come Undone

Penniless and behind on rent, college student and once famous child actress Ellie Barlow takes on the role of a lifetime when she's hired by a group of young women to break the heart of the campus player who cruelly dumped them.

Transformed from slob slacker to jaw-dropping beauty, Ellie is dressed, styled, bleached and waxed, her chunky glasses exchanged for violet contacts. Along with physical prepping, she's coached on Julian's obsessions, which include long-distance running, Doctor Who, and J.D. Salinger.

In no time, Julian is in pursuit of his custom-made next victim, but when Ellie goes off script and begins to fall for her target the newest broken heart in this risky game could be her own.



City of Lakes

New Adult contemporary romances set in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Come As You Are
He's Come Undone