Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

Speaking of free books...'cause we were, weren't we? My critique partner and dear friend, Mary Waibel's book is free for a couple more days. If you like kick butt heroines, twisted fairy tales, and princesses, this is the book for you. The whole series is great, but you can take it for a test drive for free with Quest of the Hart. Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon. Devlin's own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee's blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving mor...

The tough part of self-publishing is that it all falls to you. ALL being the operative word. Because I publish independently as well as with small press, there is always something going on that gives me an excuse to put off that which I don't know. This is my official excuse for why it took more than a year for me to publish my Worth the Effort series in ePub. But ALAS-the deed is done! And to celebrate, I've decided to offer Ella's Story for free. Forever. Or at least for now, since this industry can change faster than my underwear, which I promise I change daily. Here are the links for the Worth the Effort series on all the major ePub retailers. Ella's Story Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo Ayden's Story  Barnes & Noble iTunes Kobo And an exciting bonus: while I slept Amazon did their amazing price match thing for Ella's Story and by the time I woke up, she'd already started to climb the charts. Seriously, it'...

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love to introduce readers to the people involved in children ’ s publishing. Today we welcome middle grade author, Rita Monette. Rita, can tell us a little about yourself? I was born and raised in the bayous of Louisiana, and I write stories set in my home state. I retired to the mountains of Tennessee, which is above sea level. Yep, no swamps or gators! I stay busy writing and doing face and body art at local festivals. I enjoy painting, visiting waterfalls, and being entertained by the birds and other wildlife around my humble pad in the woods. I ’ m sure you weren ’ t sad to leave those alligators behind. Can you tell us more about your most recent release, please? The Curse at Pirate ’s Cove is the second in the Nikki Landry Swamp Legend series about a young girl growing up in a houseboat in the bayous of Louisiana in the 1950s. The stories are based on the many legends told surrounding the swamps of southern Louisiana. There’s al...

Ripples in the Inkwell  is a monthly meme hosted by  Mary Waibel ,  Katie L. Carroll , and me,  Kai Strand . We post on the second Monday of every month. If you would like to participate compose your own post regarding the theme of the month, include any of the images displayed on this page, and link back to our three blogs. Feel free to post whenever you want during the month, but be sure to include #inkripples when you promote so readers can find you. The idea is that we toss a word or idea into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There is no wrong interpretation. Themes remaining in 2015: December:  Celebration /Gifts *** I'm feeling really pathetic here. My #InkRipples post is supposed to go live in a few hours and I'm having a heck of a time coming up with the content for it. The worst part is that this month's topic is Remembrance/Thankfulness. Seriously - what is wrong with me? It isn't as if I'm not thankful for anything or anyone in m...

The lovely and talented Beverly Stowe McClure has a new book coming out and I'm excited to help her show off the stunning cover and share some information about the story. I'm even more excited for the book to release. I've read this book several times during its creation process and I love it.  The four main kids really find their way into your heart. Their struggles are so relateable and I love how their friendship grows when they begin to trust one another. Even when it isn't your own book, it's always so fun to have the final version in your hot little hands. But it isn't out yet. So I'm: Waiting...waiting...waiting... Under a Purple Moon By Beverly Stowe McClure No Love in the Garden of Eden... Eden Rose has learned to deal with her mother’s criticism that she can do nothing right. What she can’t deal with are the arguments between her parents. To escape their angry words, she finds refuge in an old abandoned house. She always returns h...

For more info & for a complete list of blogs, visit the #IWSG site Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! The co-hosts for November are: Tyrean Martinson   http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/ Karen Walker   http://karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com/ Denise Covey   http://dencovey.blogspot.com/    Stephen Tremp    http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/ Please be sure to visit their sites to thank them for hosting! *** Today I'm insecure about book signings! I have an event coming up in a real live bookstore. I've done bookstore events before and I really, really enjoy them-when people show up! Those of you who've had events before know it's hard to attract guests to book signings, plus this one is t...

Another treasured find from our recent garage purge brought a huge smile to my face. Since The Peanuts Movie releases Friday, this is a great time for me to share this book. The Snoopy Festival by Charles M. Schulz Snoopy was one of my all time favorite characters when I was a child. Ah, what am I saying? He still is! I even received a 3 foot tall stuffed Snoopy when I was barely taller than that (I'm guessing I got it for Christmas 1968 or 9.) I used to drag him around by his ear because he was too tall and wide around for me to pick up. There is a picture of me with him somewhere in this world, unfortunately I'm not in possession of it. My 3 foot tall Snoopy perished in a garage fire about fifteen years later. He was threadbare. His head drooped and he listed to one side because his stuffing was so compacted. But I still loved him. Happily, he lives on in my memories. Now I can revisit my favorite character on a regular basis through the book I received from my mom ...