Egypt & KIYA: Hope of the Pharaoh @katieteller1

A Hieroglyphic for Katie's blog hop! Can you decipher the code? ((Click here to play!!))

I have always enjoyed the architectural aspects that are heavy within the Egyptian culture. Recently, I tried to pinpoint the exact time in my life when I became interested. In grade school, we learned about mummies, and pyramids, and all of that but I think what interested me the most was the folklore, ancient traditions and artifacts, and hidden tombs. Being a huge nerd and museum lover, these tales greatly interested me. Plus with movies like Indiana Jones and The Mummy, how could a kid not be interested in Egypt?

One tale that really made me love the Egyptians was the depiction of cats. Yes, that's right, CATS! An animal used for protection. Not only were cats highly respected but they were also depicted in lots of Egyptian art. I could go on and on about this (seriously, do a google search about it!!) but instead, wanted to tell you the real reason why I am talking about Egypt.....

 KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH by Katie Hamstead is now available for purchase!!!! Check out the synopsis and awesome cover below!

When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…

The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.

Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood.

Add to Goodreads - Purchase on Amazon - Purchase on KOBO - Purchase on Barnes & Noble

Choose Your Own Adventure: Broken Forest @elizatilton

 

Broken Forest is Eliza Tilton's amazing DEBUT novel that was released on May 1st. You may be wondering what this post is all about. If you want more info or want to start your own adventure, go here!

May The Creator bless you on your journey.

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Going east is the dangerous choice, and even though you want to run in the other direction, you don’t.
The village is running low on nectar and if the hunts aren’t successful in collecting vast amounts, you risk going through the winter season with none. You remind yourself of how important this is as the trees’ crowded branches begin to close off the moonlight.
Silence fills the forest, and there’s nothing but the cold air to comfort you. You search for water, knowing the flowers tend to grow nearby. It isn’t long before a small stream crosses your pathway.
You hop across and follow the stream deeper into the forest.
A thunderous noise replaces the silence.
You sneak behind the next tree and search the area. In front of you is a small waterfall, not large. The clear water plunges into a pool, and around the pools edge are black flowers.
The wolves are known to roam this area, yet you don’t see any. Could it be luck? You think so, and slowly walk to the water. You manage to collect all the nectar you can find without incident. It’s a victorious night!
With a bounce in your step, you head back to the clearing, thinking of all the ways you can brag about your bravery until you spot a wolf print. The wolf print doesn’t look fresh, but maybe you should be careful, or start running!

A)    Running sounds like a fantastic idea. Go here

B)     No need to fret. It’s only one print and winter wolves hunt in packs. Go here

 
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Make sure to ADD Broken Forest to your Goodreads!

Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

To Purchase the eBook of Broken Forest:
B&N - Kobo - Amazon

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Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications.

When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing.

Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

Eliza is totally stalker worthy! Follow her all over the interwebs.

Twitter - Tumblr - Website - Pinterest -Facebook - Goodreads Author Page

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A to Z is over and I didn't make it to Z :( #AtoZchallenge

The A to Z challenge is over and I didn't make it to Z!

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

Waaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Next year, A to Z, next year.... you are mine! :)

I enjoyed hoping around the webs and visiting all the different blogs. And, I am not finished yet. Throughout May, I am going to play catch up and read some of the amazing posts that I didn't have time to read during April. I've gained new followers, and I've found new blogs that I absolutely adore. I have laughed, cried, and been inspired by all the different posts.

Although I didn't make it to Z, I don't consider it a failure. It was fun blogging through April and meeting new friends which is one of the core value of A to Z.

Thanks so much to the hosts and to Arlee for dreaming up this challenge and continuing to be a part of it each year. I will be A to Z'ing in 2014! :)

S - Social Media #AtoZchallenge

S- Social Media

We live in the internet age and being active on social media is very important for authors. Currently, I am the social media mastermind at my publishing company and I occasionally help newbie authors get started. One of the main questions I answer is, where do I start?  

There are a handful of social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus, Goodreads, and all of the different blogging outlets. The biggest thing is to not overwhelm yourself at first. If you aren't used to social media, sign up for the main sites (twitter, facebook, goodreads, and get a blog) and see which one you *enjoy* doing and ease into the other ones. Go to your favorite authors social media accounts and see which ones they have and how they manage them. One of my favorite things to do is look at their accounts before they were known authors, newer best sellers. What types of things did they tweet/blog/facebook about? Editing? Writing? New story ideas? All of this is game. Just make sure you recognize who your audience and future audience will be and have fun but don't forget to keep writing.

I could write a 10 page post on Social Media and the different things one can do but it may not be appropriate for an A to Z post because we are supposed to try and keep it short and sweet! :)

*

I am so super behind right now! Geez! But instead of filling this post full of the reasons why I am so behind (excuses), I will continue moving forward with the challenge and TRY to catch up. Regardless if I make it to Z by April 30th, I am going to post until the very end...because I can.

R - Reading your own reviews. #AtoZchallenge

R - Reading your own reviews

I am not yet published but I have come across several different articles, tweets, facebook updates, and general advice from published authors about reading reviews on your works. Most say don't do it. There are others that will say, read them but pick and choose what you listen to. I came across an article about a woman who read the reviews and then called the reviewer out in an open forum. 

This should be an author no-no. The truth is, some people will not like our baby. They will call it ugly, or say it cries to much, or falls in love to quickly, or looks stupid in that cute little outfit we dressed it in. Is it the end of the world? No. As writers, all we can do is IMPROVE and keep writing. Don't get me wrong, I love creative criticism as well as the next guy, but there is a difference between criticizing someone's work and berating. 

I've been on goodreads for a while and I love it as both a reader and writer. But some of the reviews that are posted are downright mean. I read a review a few months ago that read something like this: "(Name removed) should just go kill themselves and never write again. Horrible!" 

Not kidding. I contacted goodreads to see if that could be removed because honestly, that isn't an opinion about the works and not to mention it is rude. Sometimes the reviews are very helpful and the reviewer actually gives reasons why they liked and disliked it. Those are the ones I enjoy! Reading them could be discouraging or encouraging. It seems to be a flip of a coin.

So published authors, do you read your reviews? Why or why not?