June Newsletter -

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~Tortured Souls~ My big news for June is the official cover reveal for Tortured Souls. I’m so excited to share it with you! The cover was designed by Amanda Matthews at AM Design Studio. I loved this cover so much I actually re-wrote parts of the book to match. I think she did an amazing job capturing Kacie Ramsey. Big hugs to Amanda for designing such an awesome cover! I am now taking sign-ups for the Tortured Souls blog tour running August 4 to August 22. You do not have to have a blog to participate! You can sign-up to review, post to Facebook, or Tweet to your heart’s content. As a bonus, there will be a $25 Amazon gift card host-only giveaway for everyone who participates. If you’re interested, please send me an email or you can sign-up directly at: http://bit.ly/TorturedTour Here’s an exclusive excerpt from Tortured Souls: Chapter One Something Wicked Deafening music shakes the walls, vibrates the floor, and pounds a rhythmic beat in my skull. Gyrating bodies turn every bit of space into a dance floor. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and my heart races. Strobe lights flash, teens dance with wild abandon. Shrieking laughter bubbles around me. "Gotta take a leak!" my dance partner shouts over the music. He races off, weaving through the thick wall of bodies. Mike or Mick or something—I didn't catch the name he yelled when he asked me to dance. Doesn't matter, he wasn't my type at all. I mean, the guy guzzled beer while dancing. After grabbing a diet soda from a nearby cooler, I'm about to search for my friends when a dark feeling washes over me. My feet refuse to move, and I stand rooted in place. The once loud music is now hollow in my ears. I gasp for breath, choking on the lack of air around me. Tiny hairs on the nape of my neck rise to attention. Something wicked is behind me. I know I'm the only one here who feels a difference in air pressure. An oppressive weight presses against my skin, making me feel as though I'm underwater. I blink a few times, watching the people around me continue their manic dancing—oblivious to the bogeyman that just entered the room. Afraid to turn around, I stand my ground, sipping my soda. I pretend I'm unaware of the shuffling noises behind me, sounds I shouldn't be able to hear over the blaring music. Swaying my hips, I hum along with the music, trying to ignore the ominous presence crushing me. Whatever it is, I can't let it know I sense it. Evil pours off it in waves, blanketing the entire room. I close my eyes, willing the creature to go away, return to whatever mausoleum or grave it calls home. Malevolent spirits feed on fear. I must control mine at all costs. When I open my eyes, I'm gazing into the face of an angel. Not literally, but he may as well be in my book. Logan glances behind me, and I know he sees the spirit. He doesn't gasp or scream or faint dead away. His golden eyes narrow as though he's in a staring contest with the specter. "You're not welcome here," Logan says to the presence behind me. He meets my gaze again. "You know it's there." It's not a question but a statement. I nod, a weak bob of my head, unsure whether this intimate moment with my dream guy is a good thing or not. Meeting over a nasty phantom is not my idea of romantic. And yet I can't stop staring at the way his blue t-shirt hugs his broad shoulders and chest—how his light brown hair curls around his earlobes. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. For six weeks I've wanted out of the friendship box with Logan, but I was hoping for girlfriend, not crazy girl. "Kassandra," a voice rasps behind me.  Bitter cold lances through me, raising goosebumps all over my body. Cold liquid spills over my fingers from the soda can as I crush it in my fist. Logan places his hand on my shoulder, the simple gesture driving away the biting cold. He pries the can from my fingers, dropping it to the floor. I take a step closer to him, desperate for comfort, still too scared to turn and look upon the evil presence. Everyone in the room continues to go about their business, dancing and laughing. Logan and I are the only ones aware of the evil presence affecting the entire room. *********************************

 ~What I Learned~

I am now a hybrid author, meaning I both traditionally publish and self-publish. My first two novels went the more traditional route and were bought by a publisher. My contribution consisted of three rounds of edits, a round of proofreading, and input into the cover. So, yeah, it was nerve-wracking and a ton of work (especially the edits). Book 1, Shadow Fire, was released February 25 and book 2, Stolen Moon, is expected to release August 19. While I found the experience satisfactory and am happy with my publisher, I kept wondering what the grass was like on the other side.

Back in February, I decided to give self-publishing a go for Tortured Souls. If I thought the query-go-round was exhausting, I was in for a shock when it came to self-publishing. Sure anyone can publish a book… it’s quite easy to do it the wrong way. Type up a story, slap some mass-market cover art on that puppy and you’re good to go. But serious authors need to consider that the publishers jump through all these hoops for a reason.

The easiest part of the endeavor was hiring the same cover artist who works with my publisher. She made an awesome cover, and all I had to do was sit back and gush over how much I loved it. Seriously, no changes—it was perfect the first time. All books need to be edited and proofread. Content editing is extremely important. As the person who wrote the story, the author can be blind to little inconsistencies that are glaring to everyone else.

Believe me you don’t want to discover your issues in a bad review on Amazon. Then there’s line editing which will fix smaller issues like grammar, repeated words, spelling, etc. And don’t forget the final proofing. Nobody will catch all errors. Our minds tend to read what we think should be there. But it’s important to catch as many as possible prior to publication. Who knew books needed to be formatted?

Not only for Kindle and Nook but for print as well! I read numerous books and articles on formatting before deciding I just don’t have the expertise to try it. So I hired two formatters, one for ebook and one for print. I won’t bore you with all the minute details of the business side of publishing—there are so many!

The main thing I did was establish a business through LegalZoom: Sea Dragon Press. This gives the project a more professional veneer. After all the work I’ve been through, I want everyone to know that I consider this a career and a business. So do I prefer traditional or self-publishing? I’ll let you know in a few months! Have any questions about self-publishing? Feel free to email me: cymberle1@gmail.com

Thanks for reading! Happy Summer Solstice!