Following the Heart and Bravery

There's been something on my mind for a long time. Well, you know that there's always something constantly running through the neurons up in my noggin, haunting, but this one thing has been persistent and comes back frequently no matter how many times I try to clamp it shut. I feel you should know. In fact, I stopped this morning's run short to come home and write to you.

Back in 2008, I was inspired to start and finish my first full-length novel. My main inspiration? To write a book I thought would sell based on what was selling in the market then. One I thought you'd be interested in, instead of a story I could put my soul into. Okay, okay, you can stop laughing now. My point in telling you that dark secret is so you can understand why I'm pulling the Lords of Shifters series.

That first book I wrote is titled Loramendi's Story, A Lords of Shifters Novel--it had several titles as it was morphed into what it is now. It's actually my best selling novel, though not in any way a best seller as far as best sellers lists are concerned. After I wrote it and moved on toward the next books in the series, I wrote them to shift into what I felt were more important themes that also entertain. Originally though, my intention was to mimic what readers were buying at the time. Loramendi's Story wasn't about anything I'd ever be interested in reading then until I was able to shift the series a bit like I did.

The second and third books (Spider Wars and Dark Horse) head more toward what I would enjoy writing and, in fact, the rest of the books will end up exactly where I would want them to be, with a message and a story I'd be interested in sharing. I'm not sure if I intentionally knew they were going that way or if it was my conscious making its way out through my fingertips subconsciously.

Since 2008, I published three other stories outside of the Lords of Shifters series. I feel good about sharing these three, Dream Smashers, Jenny's Blue Velvet, and Still Nights, with you. They may not be about subjects I'm heading toward in my writing at present, but they have important messages and/or observations that will make some think and wonder and, perhaps, inspire.

The Lords of Shifters series will be unavailable after September 7th until further notice. While I contemplate on how I can turn the series into stories I believe contribute to the world instead of taking, I'm moving forward on some other projects that have that potential.

Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your support. I will do my best to get back to the Lords of Shifters as soon as it is right, and I hope the stories will then have the ability to move you and be worthy of your time as I put more of my heart into them.

 Music:

Spider Wars Now Available

Finally! The second Lords of Shifters novel--Spider Wars--is now on Amazon and Smashwords. Eventually, peeps can get it wherever ebooks are sold.

What happens when a species is tired of being stomped on?


Jess' life has never been ordinary. After all, life on the road with an immortal family of gypsies is hardly predictable. Living in the small town of White Salmon, Washington has brought some normality to her life. But when her cheating, sometimes boyfriend, Nicu, gets involved with a group of arachneshifters, life gets a little sticky. Will she be able to save him from the web he's spun? More importantly, how much is she willing to risk to get him back?

This novel is meant for mature readers.

Here's the link to Amazon <------
And Smashwords <------

Haven't read the first book yet? No problem. 1. Spider Wars can stand alone. 2. Loramendi's Story is now FREE on Amazon, so you might as well go pick it up now, right? -------> Free Loramendi's Story

Enjoy!

Introducing The Indelibles

THIS HOP IS NOW OVER. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED! I'll email the winner of my giveaway this weekend.

Welcome to The Indelibles Blog Hop!

In celebration of our official launch, we are giving away a KINDLE FIRE! If you’d like to start at the beginning of the INDELIBLES ON FIRE GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP, then please start here: http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/

If you are already mid-hop, then welcome to your next stop! By following the link at the bottom of this post, you can proceed to the next author (and check out the awesome, individual giveaways we are doing along the way!). If you are entering to win the KINDLE FIRE, don’t forget to make a note of the keyword at the end of every blog post - the words spell out a phrase you will need to enter the contest on the last stop.

Who are we?  Marketing guru Shelli Johannes Wells has teamed up with twenty-four other indie and small press authors to bring you the Indelibles.

“We are indie authors who write middle grade and young adult fiction.

We are dedicated to leaving a permanent mark on the world with our stories and words.

We are The Indelibles.”

Each week, we’ll explore fun, fabulous, and fierce topics for today’s teens, drawing on pop culture and themes from the books we write. Check out our official launch on Monday, January 9th, for fun giveaways at http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/. We’ll also be having a “blogger” chat on January 11th and a writer/author chat on the 18th to answer questions about self and indie pubbing. See our blog for details.

  *The hop begins at 12:01 AM EST on Monday, January 9th and ends 12:01 AM EST Thursday, January 12th.

 ________________________________

This is the part I introduce myself. My name is Angela Carlie. I write fiction about young people. Hanging out with my almost thirteen-year-old son and my forever thirty-year-old (ha!) husband, reading, hiking, kayaking, and traveling are some of the other activities I enjoy most.

  We can hangout together too! Just follow my blog, or join me on Facebook.

I'm giving away two of my ebooks this week: Loramendi's Story -- A Lords of Shifters Novel and Dream Smashers. To find out more about these books, click on the titles. If you'd like a copy of either of these books, please comment below. Tell me which book you are interested in and leave your email so I may contact you if you win. I'll enter your name in a drawing and announce the winner on Saturday, January 14th. 

This blog will self-destruct on Thursday, January 12th, at no particular time.

The keyword for the stop on this hop is: WORLD

Continue the hop and visit the next Indelible author here: Melanie McCullough

 Good luck! :) 

 

 THIS HOP IS NOW OVER. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED! I'll email the winner of my giveaway this weekend.

A Shiny New

I'm pounding away on Spider Wars and it's turning out to be quite different than Loramendi's Story. It's dark and creepy, just what you'd expect a story with spider shifters to be, but not in a heebie jeebie sort of way. In a totally stellar, rock your socks off way.

For now, I'll tease you with a blurb and a fantastic cover--you're going to love this cover. I do. ♥ Robin Ludwig has wooed me again with her cover art skills.

Jess' life has never been ordinary. After all, life on the road with an immortal family of gypsies is hardly predictable. Living in the small town of White Salmon, Washington has brought some normality to her life. But when her cheating, unofficial boyfriend, Nicu, gets involved with a group of arachno-shifters, life gets a little sticky. Will she be able to save him from the web he's spun? More importantly, how much is she willing to risk at a chance at love?

Spider Wars 

A Lords of Shifters Novel

by Angela Carlie

Coming 2012

Forks and Other Stuff Happening

When you hear the word "Forks" what do you think of? The utensil. Choices in life's journey. The town in Washington where vampires and werewolves reside. I want to mention two of those conjured thoughts now.

I recently tested into a nursing school. Apparently my scores were in the top percentile, which surprised me. Well, even though the test said I can go to that school, I'm unable to because of financial reasons. I mean, if we scraped and stressed for the next two years, maybe, a very slight maybe, there would be a chance we could come up with the money. But realistically, I'd get halfway through the program, and I wouldn't be able to pay for the rest. So, it's probably best to go to community college. Sure, it will take triple the time to finish, and it's severely competitive to get into the program once the prerequisites are done, but that's a chance we'll have to take. I'm excited to begin my first class in September. Chemistry. Ooooh. Aaaah. Wish me luck!


And now for the town in Washington where vampires and werewolves reside. Did you know it rains there, like all the time? Ha! Not all the time, but it did rain when we stopped by last Monday. I'm told it was sunny and 70 degrees the day prior and the day following our visit. Figures, eh?

We also visited a beautiful rainforest on our journey north. Of course, it rained there, too.

Now to the other stuff. October is going to be an exciting month. It's always full of awesomeness, but this year will be even greater because I'll be going on tour with three other YA authors, Stacey Wallace Benefiel, Lisa Nowak, and Rebecca Knight. We are in the scheduling venues and thinking up really cool tour name stage, but it's going to be rad! Here are a few of the stops already confirmed:

Cover to Cover Books

WordStock 2011

Beaverton Library

A Children's Place Bookstore

Interzone, Inc.

We are working on finalizing a few other locations, so check back for a list of dates in the near future.


One more thing -- Starting Monday, I'm going on a juice fast. I will most likely be grumpy and irritable the first few days, so if my presence seems sparser than normal on the social networking sites, this is why. The fast will only last about two weeks, and I'll be adding cooked and raw fruits and veggies on the third day, so it won't be so bad.


Another one more thing -- Don't forget that Loramendi's Story went on sale this month! It's still only 99 cents for the ebook on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. The paperback will probably be available on Amazon in the next week or two, too.


Peace out for now! Be safe and healthy!

Now Available and Heebie-Jeebies

To be extra sure that Loramendi's Story shows up on August 7th, I decided to hit the publish button today. Sometimes it can take a couple days and sometimes, like today, a few hours to become available. Barnes and Noble is still thinking about it while Amazon is already complete. Here's the link!

If you have a Kindle, you can now purchase Loramendi's Story for only .99 cents! Since this is the first book in the series (Lords of Shifters), I'm keeping the price low. It hurts, but I'm hoping it will help gain new readers.

I've been doing a lot of research into spiders lately for my next novel. They totally creep me out, but the research must be done. So, after spending a few hours reading and looking at pictures of the eight legged creatures, I crashed in the recliner for some much needed time with my Kindle.

My big pooch, Cookie, fell asleep at my feet.

Out of nowhere, a ginormous hairy spider scurried across the floor, straight toward Cookie. I pushed her head so she would stand, but she was out and didn't budge. The spider bolted straight for her cute pooch nose. I pulled her heavy face up to save her from the spider attack. She finally woke and helped me out by standing.

The spider stopped.

I maneuvered my Kindle toward the spider to capture it and then I brushed it off into the front yard.

Afterward, I danced around to make sure it wasn't crawling on me even though I clearly saw it scurry off in the other direction.

Whew.

I pretty much saved my dog's life. I'm a hero.

Have a great night. I hope you enjoy Loramendi's Story!

I should feel busy,

but I don't. There have been some happenings in the works. Yep, happenings. Things that are going to happen.

First happening: I've been asked to participate in an event this weekend called "Art in the Heart." I'll set up my little table to display a stack of books and then sit my bottom in a chair. If you are in the Vancouver area, please come see me! I'll be sitting with some other awesome authors in front of the Angst Gallery.

Second happening: Loramendi's Story will be available for purchase this coming weekend. August 7th to be exact. It has received some lovely reviews thus far.

Third happening: Dream Smashers will be on a blog tour the week of August 8th! The Teen Book Scene has put together this awesome tour. I'll announce the stops this coming weekend.

Fourth happening: I received a letter in the mail last weekend informing me that I've been accepted into nursing school. Woo hoo! I begin this fall.

Fifth happening: Wordstock is just around the corner. I'm sure you read my whine in the previous blog about not being able to participate. That has changed! Although I won't be speaking, I'll be there with a few other fantastic local authors, ready to sign books. More information to come. (I'm really, super elated and hope I get to meet Maggie Stiefvater and Ellen Hopkins.)

Sixth happening: After Wordstock, I'm going on a regional tour with a group of authors including Stacey Wallace Benefiel and Lisa Nowak. I'll share the complete list of authors and dates closer to October.

A lot of happenings right there. How does all this make me feel? Happy, elated, stoked, nervous, scared...


I hope you'll stay with me for the ride! It should be pretty wild. :)

Sample Sunday -- Loramendi's Story

I'm so excited to be able to participate in Sample Sunday with a new novel. Today, for the first time ever, I give you a glimpse of my upcoming YA Paranormal novel, Loramendi's Story -- A Lords of Shifters Novel.

Enjoy and check it out here.

Home Again

We survived Disneyland! It was great fun and nobody wanted to return to reality. But we did, and here I am working hard to get the final edits of Loramendi's Story done. If everything goes as planned, e-ARCs will be emailed tomorrow to those who requested one. If you are signed up to receive one and don't by Saturday, send me an email. My brain is frazzled and I may have missed one.

Loramendi's Story is on schedule for an August 7th release through Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Enjoy!

Loramendi's Story e-Arc Giveaway!

You've heard about my upcoming series, right? No? Well, let me tell you a little about it.


Loramendi's Story is the first novel in the Lords of Shifters series.

Lora wants nothing more than to be the wind behind sexy windsurfer Chance's sails. But fulfilling that wish just became...complicated. After seventeen years of normal life, someone wants Lora and her family dead. And the attempted massacre isn't nearly as strange as the reason behind it.


Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: DarkSide Publishing
Publish Date: August, 2011


While reading Loramendi's Story, you'll want to pay close attention because there will be clues woven into the web of words about another series in the works. 


I'd like for you to enjoy Loramendi's Story for free before it's published. That's right, I said free. Fill out the form below to receive an Advance Reader Copy in PDF form. Copies will be emailed about two weeks prior to the official release (by the end of July).


A limited number of e-ARCs are available, so sign up today and tell all your friends. Sit back, relax and enjoy Loramendi's Story on your eReader. Please fill out the form prior to July 8, 2011.


If you plan on reading Loramendi's Story, please remember to add it to your Goodreads list


The form is now down. Thank you everyone who requested to receive an e-ARC. PDFs will be emailed to you at the end of July.

If you choose to be added to the DarkSide Publishing newsletter mailing list, you will receive a confirmation in the email soon.


All efforts will be made to email eArcs to everyone requesting one up to 100 copies. If more than 100 people request a copy, a drawing will be held to choose the 100 recipients. We have the right to rescind this offer at any time. Dates are not guaranteed. Please feel free to leave any comments in the comment section below. I also retain the right to change anything about this giveaway that I choose -- just in case I forgot something. :) Thank you!

Loramendi's Story - A Lords of Shifters Novel

It's time to tell you about my next novel. LORAMENDI'S STORY is the first book in the Lords of Shifters novels. It will be out this August. I'll announce some awesome opportunities on how peeps can get their paws on an e-Arc soon! For now, just check it out and enjoy.

 

Lora wants nothing more than to be the wind behind sexy windsurfer Chance's sails. But fulfilling that wish just became...complicated. After seventeen years of normal life, someone wants Lora and her family dead. And the attempted massacre isn't nearly as strange as the reason behind it. 

Available on an eReader near you in August, 2011.