October 30, 2017 – Sincerely Karen Jo

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A Monster Like Me
Pamela Sparkman
(Heart of Darkness, #2)
Publication date: Spring 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

“I love the peculiar silence of shadows. They exist, but leave no mark.”

Zeph had been a child, thrust into a war that wasn’t his. When he was older, he discovered he had landed on the wrong side of everything.

He’d been fighting for sweet revenge, because of lies he’d believed—and those lies proved to be his ruin. Falling into despair, Zeph decides living is too painful. So, he writes his final act with poison and chooses to end his story.

But Fate has other plans for Zeph and when he finds himself in the hands of his enemies, he has to decide: Does he want to live? Or does he want to die?

Or maybe that choice is no longer his to make.

Ruled by shadows and armed with secrets he never intended to share, Zeph will be put through his toughest battle yet: the war within himself.

“He isn’t a lost cause. He’s just—lost.”

That’s what Arwyn believes. She sees the monster he has become, but what she also sees is someone worth fighting for. Armed with secrets of her own, she’s determined to help Zeph fight his demons, because there was more on the line than Zeph’s soul. So much more.

Revenge may be sweet. But redemption is sweeter. The question is, can Zeph find the boy he used to be, or will he always believe that no one could ever love—a monster like him.

“You are everything good. And I am everything children are afraid of.”

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Sequel to:

Author Bio:

Pamela Sparkman grew up in Alabama. She became an avid reader at a young age. The written word has always fascinated her and she wrote her first short story while still in elementary school. Inspiration for her stories always begins with a song. She believes music is the pulse of life and books are the heart of it.

When she isn’t writing, however, she’s spending time with her family and taking one day at a time.

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RotDKTour

Hello lovelies and welcome to my stop for the Rage of a Dragon King Blog Tour. If you’re new to my blog, welcome to Sincerely Karen Jo. Today, I have a special guest post from the lovely author, J. (Jenny) Keller Ford. She’ll be sharing 10 awesome writing tips for aspiring authors

Hope you enjoy reading and don’t forget to leave your comments at the end!

When you’re first starting out as an author, there is no doubt you can become overwhelmed. There is so much information out there on how to write, how to edit, how to find an agent, should you find an agent, etc., that a lot of really good writers give up before they’ve ever written a word. This business, just like any other, especially in the arts, is filled with competition, contradicting information that it’s easy to find yourself trying to stay afloat in a sea of confusion. When I first started out, the main tip I always got from other authors was “Don’t give up. Authors who give up never get published.” While true, it really didn’t give me what I was looking for when I asked for writing tips. I have since come up with a few tips of my own for aspiring authors and I hope this helps in even the smallest way.

Never give up. Authors who give up, never get published. It’s true. I had to get it out of the way, to there. 🙂
Never, ever, ever compare yourself to other authors. More times than not, it will lead to massive amounts of self-doubt. Authors have enough of their own doubts without adding more. Remember, you have your own voice, your own style, so let it shine through.
Read, and read a lot. Read in the genre you want to write. If there is an element of romance in your Sci Fi, read romance, too, not just Sci Fi. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.
Surround yourself with beta readers and listen to them. They are worth their weight in gold when you find good ones. Receiving criticism is hard. No one likes to hear their baby needs work, or is ugly in its current form. Put on your big girl/boy pants, don your thick skin, and really look at the suggestions they give you. Listen to those things that are similar across the board. If more than 2 people bring up the same thing, it usually is a good sign you need to take notice of their suggestions.
Start connecting with people who can help you when the time comes to market your book. Join Facebook groups, be active. Sign up on Absolute Write. Scan the forums. Participate in other messages from other would-be authors who are looking for advice, too. Follow your favorite authors. Sign up for newsletters. You want to strategize yourself so people know you and see you as a serious contender and someone they like.
Social Media – get involved, but don’t make it all about your book. Your future fans want to see you’re human and have a life outside of books. Help others, promote others. When the time comes, they’ll promote you.
Arm yourself with books that can help you. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have written a whole series of Thesauruses. There are six or seven in the series and I suggest you get every single one of them. These books will show you how to take your stories from “tell” to “show”. They are a must for every author’s library of How-To books.
Think about if you want to go the traditional route or the self-pub route of publishing. Each have their goods and their bads. Talk to other authors. Narrow down a list of agents and publishers. Research them. Make sure they deal in your genre. The last thing you want is to send your space opera epic adventure to an agent who publishes cook books. Again. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Writer’s Marketplace and Writer’s Beware are two great sources.
Writer’s block got you down? Sit at your computer or with our pad and pen and start writing anything that comes to your mind. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense. The point is to get the words to flow. Before you know it, there is a story coming out of you. It’s an amazing thing. All you have to do is kickstart the old brain.
At some point, you have to stop editing. There will always be something you want to change, something your characters said that you think you can make better. A scene that could have used an extra punch, but if you keep editing, you’ll never get published. At some point, you have to be happy and content with what you have. It will never be perfect. Nothing ever is. Love your baby. Know you’ve done your absolute best. When your beta readers love it, your editor and publisher love it, then you’ve accomplished something wonderful. Bask in it, and move on to the next. Keep writing.

Rage of the Dragon King

(The Chronicles of Fallhollow #2)

J. Keller Ford

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Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

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David and Charlotte paid their dues. They traveled to another realm, battled the Dragon King, recovered the all important magic key to the mage tunnels, and found the heir to the throne of Hirth, as promised. Now it’s time to go home. There’s just one problem: the powerful crystals needed to activate the tunnels have been stolen…and David’s parents have mysteriously disappeared along with them. Guess who’s not going home to Havendale anytime soon.

Eric Hamden, squire extraordinaire, survived the poisonous knick of a shadowmorth’s blade, rescued the king of Hirth from the bowels of the dragon’s lair, and confronted a heartbreaking betrayal that nearly got him killed. Still reeling from the news, Eric sets his sights on a daring rescue only to wind up in a prison of his own with David and Charlotte at his side. But rescues come in strange ways, and before they know it, the three end up in David’s hometown of Havendale…and Eric gets a quick schooling in Modern Life 101. He’d rather fight a dragon.

With secrets, lies and betrayals meeting them at every turn, David, Charlotte and Eric soon discover that Havendale isn’t the sanctuary they’d hoped for. Even their best-laid plans can’t prepare them for the danger that stalks them. This time, no amount of magic or prayers can save them. War has been declared, and in the final battle, someone must make the ultimate sacrifice. Let the battle begin.

Other Books in the Series

Book 1

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About the Author

(Jenny) Keller Ford is a scribbler of speculative fiction and YA tales. As an Army brat, she traveled the world and wandered the halls of some of Germany’s most extraordinary castles in hopes of finding snarky dragons, chivalrous knights, and wondrous magic to permeate her imagination. What she found remains etched in her topsy-turvy mind and oozes out in sweeping tales of courage, sacrifice, honor and everlasting love.

When not torturing her keyboard or trying to silence the voices in her head, Jenny spends time collecting seashells, bowling, screaming on roller coasters and traveling. She is a mom to four magnificent and noble offspring and currently lives in paradise on the west coast of Florida with a menagerie of royal pets, and her own quirky knight who was brave enough to marry her.

Published works include The Passing of Millie Hudson, a paranormal short story that can be found in READING GLASSES. IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING is her debut novel and the first installment in the Chronicles of Fallhollow Trilogy. Book 2 in the series is slated for Fall 2016.