I would like to thank everyone, bloggers and readers, that participated in my month-long blog tour.
For all of the bloggers that so graciously had me as either an interview guest or as a guest author I can’t thank you enough for inviting me into your world and including me. For all you readers out there who happily traveled from site to site with me each day to read along, I hope that my experiences have in some small way touched you or inspired you. If you have any more questions or if you just want to reach out and connect – please don’t hesitate to visit my site as often as you like and leave comments – I will respond!
Like so many others, writing is a passion of mine and I feel truly blessed for having experienced this tour, and am so grateful for everyone that participated.
NOW FOR THE EXCITING NEWS!!!
Revenge, book 3, is NOW AVAILABLE!
Revenge ~ a Blood Angel novel ~ book 3
by Nina Soden
Life hasn’t been easy for Alee. Having almost died as a young child and then losing both of her parents shortly after her junior year in high school, all she wanted was a normal senior year. Little did she know that with the development of her powers, Atlanta’s founding members had taken notice of her and were watching her closely. And to top things off, an all out war between the lycanthropes and the members of The Underground erupted at the annual Founders’ Celebration, leaving Alee caught in the middle.
Dying in her father’s arms only to awaken in a pool of blood, surrounded by the mutilated corpses of those she loved most, who could blame Alee for what she did next? Wouldn’t you seek REVENGE?
I am excited to announce that I will be doing a BLOG TOUR in August 2014!
Below is a list of my stops along the way. I hope that you will join me and follow along throughout the tour. Yes, there are a lot of ‘author interview’ posts, but I will assure you everyone asked different questions. That means that over the course of the tour you will be learning A LOT about me and the many hats I wear (mom, wife, daughter, employee, actress, adventuress, driver, and of course AUTHOR… and many many others)!!!
The Blood Angel Series Kickstarter Project was a Success!!!
I want to say a special thank you to the following Kickstarter Project donors for helping to make this series a reality:
Kathryn Dougherty
Harvey Howell
Mom & Dad (I love you both)
Smith Family
Grandma June
Michael Mullin
Arlene
Jamie Young
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WHAT IS THE BLOOD ANGEL SERIES ABOUT?
The Blood Angel series is set in a world very much like our own, yet Atlanta isn’t just an ordinary city and Alee Moyer isn’t just an ordinary girl. Having barely survived her childhood, it will take the death of her father for the truth of her bloodline to come out, even if it means losing her life or her identity. Watch as Alee struggles to understand her true destiny as the first surviving Dhampir in history. Surrounded by a new world ,where the horror films she grew up watching have become her reality, the most unlikely characters have become her lifeline. Follow as Alee discovers herself and her purpose.
Camouflaged by the mundane happenings of a high school existence, Alee would never have guessed what was happening below the surface in, “The Underground”. If she thought hunting in the wild and drinking blood was bad, what will she think when she becomes one of the hunted?
Will Alee be able to survive her destiny, or will it prove to be more powerful than she is?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nina Soden, Author
I have always been creative, be it art, theatre, film – anything but singing…trust me, you don’t want to hear that! I earned my bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Military Science from Eastern Michigan University where I spent most of my time either on stage, rappelling down buildings, or working one of three jobs. After college I moved to Los Angeles like so many other starry-eyed actors in pursuit of fame and fortune in tinseltown. While there, I worked to pay the bills but my love was always acting. I was able to achieve some level of success, mostly in commercials and independent films, and I consider those experiences as some of the best of my life.
After some major life changes, I self-published my first book entitled PRIVATE WORDS UNSPOKEN, a compilation of self poetry. Since then, my literary interest has grown and I would like to think my storytelling ability has improved. I have done everything from office administration, to business development, to being the Director of a private preschool. I have jumped out of a C130 aircraft, fired a M16 machine gun, and given birth – TWICE! But I always return to my art.
Though I’ll forever be a Michigan girl at heart, I now live in the South where I am married with two wonderful children. If I’m not working on my latest story you can find me lounging with a good book, playing with my kids, or indulging in my unhealthy addiction to Starbucks coffee.
To learn more about me and my books you can check out my website, or follow me on one or all of the various internet/social media sites.
I hope that you will take the time to visit my KICKSTARTER project and maybe even donate a little to help me reach my goal. Every dollar counts and for your donation of $5 or more you’ll even receive a special reward directly from me!!! You’ll have to click on the link above to find out the details of all the available rewards.
The Blood Angel series is set in a world very much like our own, yet Atlanta isn’t just an ordinary city and Alee Moyer isn’t just an ordinary girl. Having barely survived her childhood, it will take the death of her father for the truth of her bloodline to come out, even if it means losing her life or her identity. Watch as Alee struggles to understand her true destiny as the first surviving Dhampir in history. Surrounded by a new world ,where the horror films she grew up watching have become her reality, the most unlikely characters have become her lifeline. Follow as Alee discovers herself and her purpose.
Camouflaged by the mundane happenings of a high school existence, Alee would never have guessed what was happening below the surface in, “The Underground”. If she thought hunting in the wild and drinking blood was bad, what will she think when she becomes one of the hunted?
Will Alee be able to survive her destiny, or will it prove to be more powerful than she is?
The Blood Angel Series by Nina Soden
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nina Soden, Author
I have always been creative, be it art, theatre, film – anything but singing…trust me, you don’t want to hear that! I earned my bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Military Science from Eastern Michigan University where I spent most of my time either on stage, rappelling down buildings, or working one of three jobs. After college I moved to Los Angeles like so many other starry-eyed actors in pursuit of fame and fortune in tinseltown. While there, I worked to pay the bills but my love was always acting. I was able to achieve some level of success, mostly in commercials and independent films, and I consider those experiences as some of the best of my life.
After some major life changes, I self-published my first book entitled PRIVATE WORDS UNSPOKEN, a compilation of self poetry. Since then, my literary interest has grown and I would like to think my storytelling ability has improved. I have done everything from office administration, to business development, to being the Director of a private preschool. I have jumped out of a C130 aircraft, fired a M16 machine gun, and given birth – TWICE! But I always return to my art.
Though I’ll forever be a Michigan girl at heart, I now live in the South where I am married with two wonderful children. If I’m not working on my latest story you can find me lounging with a good book, playing with my kids, or indulging in my unhealthy addiction to Starbucks coffee.
To learn more about me and my books you can check out my website, or follow me on one or all of the various internet/social media sites.
Although I have been writing for quite some time, the Kickstarter Project opportunity is very new to me. I am the author of the Blood Angel Series. Book 1: AWAKEN and Book 2: BEGINNINGS, have already been published and are available to the public. However, with the steady increase of positive feedback I have received of late, I realize that my books will need additional editing in order to have a significant impact in the world of Young Adult Supernatural Fiction.
With that in mind, I have put together this Kickstarter Project in order to raise money to do the following:
Professional Editing, formatting, print and re-release of Awaken (book 1 ~ the Blood Angel Series)
Professional Editing, formatting, print and re-release of Beginnings (book 2 ~ the Blood Angel Series)
Professional Editing, formatting, print and release of Revenge (book 3 ~ the Blood Angel Series)
Marketing for the Blood Angel Series
I have found some amazing editors and formatters on elance.com and plan to work closely with them to ensure that my books are properly edited and formatted in order to give my readers the most enjoyable reading experience possible.
HOW WILL THE MONEY BE USED?
Traditionally, published authors receive an advance from a publisher in exchange for the chance to publish their book. Unfortunately, I have not been afforded this luxury – I’m an Indie Author. So, Kickstarter is my advance. It is a way for me to fund my literary project and produce a much higher quality product.
Here is an estimated breakdown of where the money will go:
$1050 for professional editing fees ($350 per book)
$400 for print and e-book formatting
$400 for the first paperback print run
$150 for fees and shipping costs
Any/all excess funding will go towards marketing/promotion of the Blood Angle Series, as well as, investment into the future of the series.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T READ YOUNG ADULT (YA)?
That’s okay!!! Even if you don’t read or even like Young Adult Fiction or the Supernatural Genre, I can guarantee that you know or love someone who does! Every reward level of this project can be given as a gift to someone else. Just pledge the amount for the reward you’d like to gift to a friend, and when the surveys are sent to collect your information you can let me know whether or not it is a gift and who to send it to. I’d even be happy to write a special gift message for you as well.
WHAT TO DO NOW?
So, you’re convinced and want to be a part in making the BLOOD ANGEL SERIES a reality? Awesome! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! All you have to do is click the button that says “BACK THIS PROJECT” at the top right of this page and pledge any amount over $1.00. Then, choose your reward, follow the instructions to pay, and I’ll keep you updated on the project every step of the way!
Even if you can’t pledge today, I would like to personally thank you for stopping by and giving me your time. Please feel free to share this project with your friends and family!
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to my wonderful husband, Eric and my beautiful children, Sydney and Ethan, for all of their love and support.
There are days when I feel so creative that my fingers can’t keep up with my thoughts.
Today is one of those days!
I have a new book editor and she is awesome! Trust me… I hate to see my pages covered in red just as much as any author. However, I also can appreciate that all those edits, comments, deletions, additions, etc. etc. etc. are only going to make my manuscript better.
So I say, BRING IT ON!
Since I was getting some great feed back on my books AWAKEN and BEGINNINGS (with the exception of a reoccurring negative comment about some minor grammar issues) I decided to re-edit and re-release the books. I hired a wonderful editor out in California and am now doing a thorough edit (round 10+) of Awaken, Beginnings, and my soon to be released Revenge (book 3 ~ The Blood Angel Series).
I can’t wait to re-release Awaken and Beginnings and see what type of difference the new edits will make on their reviews.
MORE SO… I can’t wait to announce the release of REVENGE…
RELEASE DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!!
Revenge ~ a Blood Angel novel (BOOK 3) by Nina Soden COMING SOON
REVENGE:
Having died in her father’s arms only to awaken in a pool of blood surrounded by the corpses of the mutilated, her true love among them, who could blame her for what she did next? Wouldn’t you seek REVENGE?
Edit: To prepare (written material) for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it.
Editing: The act ofputting something (a written work such as a literary work) into acceptable form.
When you decide to rightwritea book… you have to understand and accept that editing is all part of the process. The worst WORSTpart! YET ESSENTIAL!!!
Yes in the end the editing process makes your book storynovelthe best it can be. However, the moment you get your manuscript back from the editor… and it is coveredCOVEREDin RED ink INK… WOW!!! Your heart stops!
At least mine does.
I imagine my editor sitting at her desk stacking piles and piles of red pens… brand new – fresh out of the box on the desk in front of her.
I can almost feel her excitement, from a thousand miles away, as she gets ready to strickstrikethat first line across the page. Yup, her joy is my pain!
The waiting… that time between sending her the manuscript and getting her mutilatedimproved mutilate yet improved copy back… is almost as bad as the first ten seconds after opening the package after it arrives in the mail.
I SAID ALMOST!
But, I won’t lie, after I’ve spent the next few weeks reading and rereading all of her edits, comments, deletions, additions, etc. etc. I do have a better understanding of what will is needed to make my book betterthe best it can be. Then, after spending a couple of week on rewrites… well, I feel more confident that sending the manuscript off to the editor AGAIN isn’t going to be as painful.
My process is this: write – edit – rewrite – edit – rewrite – edit – rewrite – edit – rewrite – final edit – final rewrite – final review by editor – final review by me – format – review – format edits – review – and so on… until publication!
I do not don’tuse only one1editor… I have a team of editors. Why? Well, because if you read someone reads the same thingdocument over and over youthey start seeing what the words should be instead of what they are. I like to have a fresh set of eyes to edit at different stages of the process.
THAT IS WHERE I AM TODAY!!!
I have gone through all the edits, all the comments, all the changes my editors could come up with. Yes, I accepted most of them but not all! I am now ready to move forward with the final round of edits. This round is purely for grammar – spelling – punctuation – etc. NOT TO CHANGE THE PLOT, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, OR THE STORY! I want the book to have my voice – not the editor’s voice.
I don’t normally reblog posts, but this one I felt was important. As a writer I use Gmail to send my manuscript back and forth to my editors, and the way I read this new google policy it seems that google is claiming that anything they find in my email (sent, received, stored, etc.) they have free rights to. I DON’T LIKE THAT ONE BIT!!! Does that mean I need to delete all my book content from my Gmail account? Should I worry that my manuscripts can be stolen and published under the name of someone else… someone that works at google that just happens to see them?
This post was eye-opening, and has got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, leaving google… and Gmail… is the right option.
Before I do anything drastic… what are your thoughts? Am I going too far or do you agree?
While perusing another blogger’s site, I came across this information which might be of importance to Google Gmailusers.
On Tuesday Google updated its privacy policies to make it absolutely clear that it is scanning your email.
It added these sentences:
Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored.
It also tweaked a few sentences that warn that all the stuff you upload to Google is considered fair game. (Google included the editing marks, to show you exactly which words it changed):
When you upload,or otherwise submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify…
Okay everyone… this is a first for me and I am SUPER EXCITED!!! What better way than a BOOK GIVEAWAY to discover great new books from the latest authors???
In the spirit of discovering new authors I want to discover new readers. I will be giving away one copy of each of my books…
So, if you would like to enter to win… please leave a comment below telling me:
which book you would like to win: AWAKEN(book #1) or BEGINNINGS (book #2),
why I should pick you as the winner, and
your email address (so I can contact you directly if you win to get your mailing address).
It is no secret that becoming a successful author, one who can quit their day job and fully support their lifestyle through their writing, is about as likely as stumbling across a big pot of gold on Saint Patrick’s Day. Okay, maybe it’s not quiet that rare, it does happen… but not very often.
So, why do I write?
Believe me, it isn’t about the fame and fortune! The fame… hasn’t come. The fortune… sure, I have sold a few books. Actually, I have sold more than a few, but nowhere near the number I would need to sell in order to quit my day job. I’ve sold enough to make back the money I spent on developing and publishing my first two books… So, breaking even, is that the reason I write? NO!
No one wants to put their heart and soul into something they are passionate about just to “break even”. But, like I said for me it isn’t about the fame and fortune. For me it is about the story!
I write because I have stories that fill my head and are itching to come out. I have characters that my imagination has made up… that feel so real to me that they need to have a voice. Okay, maybe you’re thinking that right about now I sound a little crazy… maybe I do, maybe all authors are a bit crazy, but I’m not really saying that I have imaginary friends that talk to me or anything. So, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m just saying that I have, and I think many authors do, an active imagination that presents itself to me through stories. I could keep them all bottled up in my head, but how fun would that be? No much. For me the fun is putting them on paper and seeing if anyone else, no matter how many or how few, thinks they are as cool as I do. If authors didn’t write we wouldn’t have books, plays, movies, TV shows…
Have I had success? That is a hard question – first you have to understand what success really is!
the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.
the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors: The play was an instant success.
a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc.: She was agreat success on the talk show.
Okay, so I may not have success in the financial sense, but YES I feel I have had success, and let me tell you why… (1) I have accomplished a goal of mine – PUBLISHING A BOOK… Not only one, but two – and I’m getting ready to publish number 3!!! (2) I have a few “fans” that ask me on a pretty regular basis, “when is the next book coming out?” WHAT A GREAT FEELING!!! I love the fact that there are actually people out there… not many but some… that are eagerly waiting for my next book. I’ve only published two books (I did publish a book of poetry before the two novels… but I’m not counting that) but those two books have been read and enjoyed!!! Success!!! (3) Another reason I believe I have had success… There is a girl… in Michigan… who actually wrote a BOOK REPORT for SCHOOL on Awaken, the first book in my Blood Angel Series! SUCH A COOL FEELING!!! Yup, an official school book report about my book was written, turned in, and graded! She sent me a photo (see below) and everything. It was one of my proudest moments as an author. The idea that she enjoyed it that much.
So yeah, I might not have financial success from being a self-published author… but I still feel successful, and even if I only have a couple dozen avid readers… I will continue to write for them, and for me!
So, you know my passion and why I do it! What is your passion and why do you do it?
prog·ress [n. prog-res, -ruhs or, esp. British, proh-gres; v. pruh-gres] Show IPA
noun
a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage: the progress of a student toward a degree.
developmental activity in science, technology, etc., especially with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
advancement in general.
growth or development; continuous improvement: He shows progress in his muscular coordination.
the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
For the purpose of this post I am going to talk about progress as referenced in #1 above.
In my post titled 2014 – New Year’s Resolutions!!! I stated that one of my new year’s resolutions was to publish my third book; Revenge – the 3rd book in the Blood Angel Series. Well, today I got one step further in that process.
Let me explain.
What steps do I take when writing a book, well… since I am only on book 3 I haven’t really figured all of that out, but here is my basic process:
Decide on a topic
Map out a basic outline (I don’t write this down – I just want to know where I think the story will go)
Start writing… This is when I find out that my characters were laughing at me when I was thinking through the story line, and that they actually have a much different story in store for me.
Once the first draft has been finished I send it off to editor #1
Re-writes
Send it off to editor #2
Re-writes
Send it off to editor #3
Re-writes
Reread (I normally go through the book cover to cover two or three more times to see if I catch any more edits that need to be made or to make final rewrite changes that I feel are important).
Publish
Okay… where am I in the process now? The answer is PROGRESS!!! I just did the re-writes after receiving my edits from editor #2. Now I am just waiting for the edits from editor #3 so that I can do the final re-writes, read through two or three times, and then publish.
I know it doesn’t seem like I’m almost done, but trust me I am. That makes me a very happy girl… BUT…
After getting the edits back from Editor #2 I am seeing a trend… so far 2 out of 3 editors have told me that there now needs to be a BOOK 4 in the Blood Angel Series. When I started this series the plan was to write a trilogy… it looks like, unless some major changes happen, the trilogy isn’t going to be a trilogy any more. I guess I have some thinking to do before I get the book back from Editor #3.
What do you think? Have you read books 1 and 2? If you have I would love to know your thoughts… Where would you like to see the story go? Do you want it to continue or do you like the idea of a trilogy?
Either way… progress is progress and I have made movement toward my goal – I AM A HAPPY GIRL!
