To learn about how important the jaguar is to the Maya, stop by Embrace the Shadows today. Bonus: another exclusive excerpt!
Year: 2010
Another Use for Notecards
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you (or whether I’m the only obsessively anal neurotic writer out there), but I recently faced a problem where I could NOT make a decision. I had two choices for how a story could unfold. I knew each path pretty well, and both had their positives and negatives. But which was the BEST? I couldn’t decide. I waivered back and forth, stewing about the right choice, and meanwhile, I couldn’t make progress down either path, because OMG, what if I was going down the wrong one and had to start all over again?
I finally decided to write out an outline, sort of, for each option so I could step back and try to objectively make a decision. Since I had two options, I decided to use colored notecards so I could compare and contrast by color.
First, I wrote down a few key story points that were the same no matter which option I used (general points — of course there were many details that would work for one but not the other depending on which direction I went). The first was “Miss Charlotte refuses the Sheriff’s proposal.” I used blue for these so they’d stand out easier and I could quickly identify my notes vs. the next plot point.
Then I selected two other colors (neon yellow and cream, not exciting, but I was trying to use them up). For each plot point (blue), I wrote several key details about each option. In A, Charlotte is this type of character. In B, she’s someone else entirely. In A, her motivation is to project the sheriff from the forces hunting her down. In B, she’s ashamed of her past. etc. Some elements were very similar, and I made note of them. e.g. in A, she’s ashamed of her past, too, but for entirely different reasons.
I was really surprised how well — and how quickly — this worked. From the very first blue card, I could see that story A would be much stronger. The character’s motivation was deeper. I have very powerful forces chasing the protagonist from the very first scene, and there’s really no way she can defeat them if they find her. The conflict is obviously much higher, and the premise is more unique.
There was nothing wrong with B, and maybe if I hadn’t had this other thought, it would have been okay. But compared to A, it was just that, okay, and as Conn would say: I’m not the sort of person who’s satisified with okay.
On the plus side, I now have my story outlined and I threw out all those boring cream (B) options!
On an entirely different note, I foresee several word wars or timed writing stints in my near future. In several 15-20 minute intervals today, I was able to write over 3K, even while responding to comments for Writer Wednesday. Whoo! Just a few more days like that and this novella will be done!
P.S. And yes, I did have to start all over again, but the story is much better for it.
Review and a Note about Tomorrow
First, an incredible, tear-wrenching review from My Beloved Sister Molly Burkhart for THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN:
This book isn’t a page-turner. It’s a page-devourer. The demons and their hell are chilling. The sense of danger surrounding the hero and heroine is suffocating. And yet, in all of that darkness, there is a light. And that light is always Joely’s gift to her readers. It shines in all weather, and it cannot be quenched, though her characters sometimes lose sight of it.
Hugs, wipes tears away. Thank you so much, Sis! Read her entire review and watch me blush. Also, she got an incredible review herself for My Gigolo over at Whipped Cream Reviews!
Tomorrow I’ll be Tia’s guest for Writer Wednesday at Debuts & Reviews. My workshop will be On Writing Sex, covering the basics from LB&LI Transformative Sex from last year and the Coyote Con panels with an exclusive sexy scene from THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN. Please stop by if you get the chance and share a transformative sex snippet or ask questions!
Blog Swap with Toni Anderson
Please welcome fellow Carina Press author Toni Anderson to my blog today, while I trade spots and blog over at her place.
Toni’s novel, Sea of Suspicion, was released on 6/14!
Thanks for letting me be on your blog today, Joely.
JSB: From as early as I can remember, I loved books. As a young reader, my favorite book–the first one I can remember reading myself over and over–was Heidi. What’s the first book you can remember falling in love with?
TA: The Silver Brumby books by Elyne Mitchell. I think I was about 12 when I discovered them and I read them over and over and could never get enough of them. I was a horse-mad child who had to make do with the fantasy, plus they were set in Australia and even back then I needed to travel the world through other people’s words.
JSB: I love books that make me FEEL: laugh out loud, cry like a baby, or even kick the hero (at least until he grovels enough). Can you list a book or two that have made you emotional?
TA: Susan Elizabeth Phillips books do that for me. Both Heaven, Texas and Kiss An Angel made me cry. I also loved Elizabeth Vaughn’s Warprize books. Sometimes you just fall in love with characters and what happens to them, happens to you!
JSB: What popular book has everyone else loved but you just didn’t care for? (I’ll tell you a little secret: I refuse to read or watch the Twilight saga.)
TA: I haven’t read the Twilight saga either J and to my great sadness I can’t get into vampires in general. There are a lot of literary novels I’ve tried and failed to read. And to most people’s utter disgust I’m happy to watch the movie before reading the book.
JSB: Much has been made about the Maya “predicting” the end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012. (If–when!–our readers check out The Bloodgate Guardian, they”ll learn the truth about the Maya calendar cycle.) If you knew the world really was going to end on that date, what’s the one thing you’d make sure you accomplished before then?
TA: There’s not I’ve put on the backburner as far as ‘things I want to do’ in terms of life experience. My passion is travel and I have traveled—on a shoestring with kids in towJ. One thing I wish I could do is take care of my parents more. I live so far away from my family that I don’t get the chance to do much for them. So I’d lavish more time and money (and if the world’s ending Visa can help) on my family!
Thank you, Toni! See an excerpt of Sea of Suspicion below!
About Toni Anderson…
I write Romantic Suspense/Romantic Mystery and my latest book, SEA OF SUSPICION, was released by Carina Press this week and I’m so excited! It’s a moody atmospheric sexy romantic mystery set on the misty shores of contemporary Scotland.
I’m a former marine biologist and conducted my Ph.D. at the Gatty Marine Laboratory in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland where SEA OF SUSPICION is set. I worked there for 4 years and was lucky enough to meet my husband over the pH meter in my supervisor’s laboratory. Now we live in Canada with our two children. I set my stories in some of the stunning locations I’ve been lucky enough to live and work—the blustery east coast of Scotland, the remote isolated mining communities of Northern Labrador, the rugged landscapes of the U.S. and the Red Center of Australia. I love to travel vicariously through reading other people’s experiences and hope readers feel the same way. I think the most unique aspect of my writing is the use of so-called ‘foreign’ settings.
My first Romantic Suspense, HER SANCTUARY, was released in 2009 to some great reviews, but I was thrilled to be part of the Carina Press launch. I found out I’d sold on Christmas Eve and it was the best Christmas present ever. Although publishing is a team effort, writing that initial first draft is a solitary enterprise. One of my favorite things is connecting with like-minded readers and writers online. I write about my travels on my blog and give updates on Twitter. Readers can sign up for my newsletter on my website, or friend me on Facebook. I’ve also set up a fan page for SEA OF SUSPICION with location photographs and anecdotes. Let me know what you think of it!
SEA OF SUSPICION
Blurb…
Marine biologist Susie Cooper traded her life in America for a dream job on the rugged Scottish coast. Now all she lacks is the right man to start a family with. After their first meeting, she knows sexy Detective Inspector Nick Archer isn’t what she’s looking for. He’s the type of guy whose idea of commitment is staying the whole night.
Nick has returned to St. Andrews for one reason only—to fulfill his vow to find his wife’s killer. Relentless in his twelve-year quest for justice, he has no problem using Susie to get close to his primary suspect: her boss. But the passion between them smolders, and as it ignites, Nick finds himself torn between his past and his present—with Susie.
When one of her boss’s students is murdered, Nick’s investigation draws Susie into a web of madness and betrayal. They will have to learn to trust each other if they’re going to catch a killer…and come out of this alive.
********************************************************************************
Excerpt…
The kitchen door flew open, the wind smacking it against the inside wall with a crash. Susie dropped the colander in the sink, shock stealing the moisture from her mouth. There, filling the portal, having to dip his head beneath the lintel, was Lily’s boyfriend, the same guy who’d stared at her in the bar last night.
If the devil was blond, he was standing ten feet away in Leanne’s kitchen.
“Nick! I haven’t seen you in ages.” Leanne bounced toward the tall, sharp-featured man and threw her arms around him and gave him a noisy lip-smack. Susie’s stomach bottomed out.
“Get your hands off my wife.” Dougie ducked through the door and shoved a case of beer into the guy’s side before grabbing Leanne and bending her over his arm for a passionate kiss.
Susie averted her gaze and inadvertently caught Nick’s.
It wasn’t just the packaging that made him attractive. It was the sharp features and intelligent eyes that emanated risk like the Big Bad Wolf checking out Little Red Riding Hood on that wooded trail.
But no matter how tempting he looked, Susie did not want to get gobbled up.
Heat rose in her cheeks as his eyes swept her bare feet, her tight jeans and the big Mickey Mouse transfer plastered to her T-shirt. She crossed her arms.
Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes as he noted her response.
“If you two lovebirds have finished, I’m waiting for an introduction to your guest.” His eyes pierced her. She’d thought nothing could be more unsettling than that soul-hunting gaze, but his voice… He wasn’t Scottish. English perhaps, some northern city with a regional accent she couldn’t place, but his voice. It was deep and smooth and strong, with the power of wind shaping granite and as warm as the summer sun sinking deep inside her like some magical spell that spun music into gold.
“I bumped into Nick in the offy, gave him a ride out.” Dougie, six-foot-four of adorable dark-eyed male, crossed over to Susie and gave her a squeeze. “How’s my favorite bridesmaid?”
She snorted. “Your only bridesmaid. What’s an offy?” She tensed as Nick came toward her, wondering how best to deal with the man. The guy was Lily’s boyfriend, but he made her intensely aware of every part of her body and every possible escape route.
“What you’d call a liquor store.” Nick pushed aside the garlic bread, slid the box of beer and wine onto the counter next to Susie. Their shoulders brushed, but she didn’t flinch. She forced herself to remain still even though he was invading her personal space. He gifted her with a half smile when she didn’t flee.
Dangerous and pushy.
Leanne’s eyes sparkled. “Dr. Susie Cooper, meet Detective Inspector Nick Archer. Susie and I go way back. She just got a lectureship at the Gatty.”
“You’re a cop?” Susie knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t believe Nick Archer was anything peaceable or law-abiding.
His quick smile told her she’d made a common mistake. People must often figure him for a bad boy, a renegade, whereas apparently the opposite was true—he was a twenty-first century knight. Still, he emitted hazard like a pheromone, and instinct told her Nick Archer would be ruthless at getting what he wanted. Poor Lily.
Yeah, right. Lily ate policemen for breakfast.
He inclined his head. “At your service, Dr. Cooper.” His eyes drifted over Mickey Mouse’s ears, letting her know exactly the sort of service he had in mind.
“How’s Lily?” she asked pointedly, conscious of the effort it took to hold his gaze. She wasn’t falling for the charm or pretending she didn’t know he already had a girlfriend.
The kitchen suddenly felt as though it had been dropped into liquid nitrogen. Every particle of oxygen was sucked out of her lungs by the rapid chill.
Leanne slapped herself on the forehead, at the same time rescuing the cheese sauce she’d made for the lobster thermidor. “I forgot you two had a connection.” Leanne wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention to dynamics; she was now looking for a corkscrew. “You’re getting a taxi home, by the way, unless you want a sleepover.” She waved vaguely over at Susie, or it could have been Nick, or both.
“A connection?” Susie frowned.
“Lily is Nick’s sister-in-law, or I should say…” Leanne paused, looking uncomfortable, a rare thing for the self-confident girl who’d grown up dirt-poor and desperate. “Former sister-in-law?”
Rays of light cut oblique angles through the old farmhouse window and highlighted tense skin around Nick’s mouth. When he spoke, there was an odd glint in his eyes that was more complex than sorrow. “Lily was the flower girl at our wedding.”
“You’re divorced?”
“My wife is dead.”
Download SEA OF SUSPICION at http://carinapress.com
Review: The Bloodgate Guardian
From Susi of Book Lovers Inc and the Geeky Bookworm (entire review):
…she knows how to make the couple “perfect”. They aren’t all the same but they are unique in their own way but every time I read one of her books it feels like: Yes, that’s the way they should be. They aren’t without flaws or an easy fit but just never could imagine one of them with a different character. Her couples are more real than most in romance novels- they always speak to my heart and touch me deep inside.
The story building is masterly done and I’m so intrigued by the whole setting that I can’t wait to get book 2 in this series.Highly recommended for everyone who likes a thrilling plot, breathtaking action and touch of romance.
Thank you so much, Susi!
Read Chapter One (pdf) and Chapter Two. Don’t forget to review or rate The Bloodgate Guardian (or any of my books) by July 31st to win at least two $50 gift certificates! (Details)
The Bloodgate Guardian is Available!
At Carina Press, Amazon, B&N, All Romance E-Books, and Books-On-Board!
Don’t forget: if you review or rate The Bloodgate Guardian (or any of my books) before July 31st, send me the link to be entered to win at least two $50 gift certificates! (Details here)
To celebrate, here’s:
Chapter Two
If men were as easy to decipher as Maya glyphs, then perhaps Jaid would have been able to translate “beware” carved in her boyfriend’s handsome forehead and saved herself the trouble.
Watching Dr. Geoffrey Malcolm, golden boy of the Mesoamerica Center of the University of Texas, she wanted to march to the podium where he was schmoozing the audience and plant her fist on his perfect aristocratic nose. He hadn’t cheated on her with another woman. No, he’d done something much worse: he’d stolen her research, and then compounded that theft by getting it wrong.
“As you can see, this glyph speaks of Sky, the three-stoned Hearth,” Geoffrey said in a southern drawl as smooth and rich as a shot of Jack Daniels whiskey. “The Jaguar God rises toward Sky each day, but then dies each night and paddles his way through the Underworld. Xibalba is known as the Place of Fright, full of demons called cizins, which derives from ‘fart.’ Evidently, all demons in hell have a gas problem.”
Jaid rolled her eyes. Out of all the things he could talk about, he’d chosen farting death gods. Of course, the chuckling audience loved every minute of it. An annoying voice in her head that sounded remarkably like her father couldn’t resist pointing out that they hadn’t asked her to speak.
“Now here’s another important glyph from the creation story. This one is Tulan Zuyua, which means Seven Caves, Seven Canyons, sometimes also called the Place of Cattail Reeds. It’s supposedly the place of origin for the Maya, but the location differs widely among the various tribes. Some people think it refers to Teotihuacan in Mexico; others speculate it’s the Candelaria Caves in Alta Verapaz. All we really know is it was a wet and swampy place.”
He doodled on the transparency, making a shaky but identifiable glyph for the Guatemalan ruin, Utatlan. “The Maya loved building new cities and calling them some derivative of the Place of Cattail Reeds. Even Copan has a few symbols that refer to it as the place of creation.”
Every word drew her step by simmering step down the aisle until he finally noticed her approach. Instead of guilt that his little impromptu lecture on her stolen research material had been discovered, he smiled to disguise the next poisoned barb. “In fact, there are so many places of creation that some archaeologists feel compelled to visit them all.”
Murmurs buzzed excitedly from the audience. Those who recognized Dr. Jaid Merritt knew her very famous father, Dr. Charles Merritt, who’d spent his entire life tromping through the jungles of Guatemala and highlands of the Yucatan searching for lost Maya secrets.
She gave Geoffrey a hard, tight smile. “Do you care to expand on that commonality, Dr. Malcolm?”
To hide his discomfort, he upped the wattage of his million-dollar white smile and blinked at her innocently. “All people have creation stories. The commonality shows that each Maya city wanted to be the center of the world.”
Even now, the stark contrast of the exotic dark eyes he’d inherited from his Spanish mother and his shining golden hair caught her attention. His good looks and charm had baited the hook, but what had pulled her to the shore were the long talks they’d shared about the Maya. Other couples talked about movies, books, or sports. They’d shared a love for Mesoamerican history.
Too bad he couldn’t decipher a glyph to save his life.
“Surely if you understand the creation story and how the Jaguar God travels through day and night, then you know that this glyph–” She took the dry-erase marker out of his hand and corrected his drawing. A few dots and marks, who would notice if one was missing or out of place? Only someone who knows what she’s doing! “Seven Caves, Seven Canyons in this situation doesn’t refer to the Place of Cattail Reeds, the place of creation, but to Xibalba. You’re in hell, Dr. Malcolm, not heaven.”
Chuckles from the audience made him flush hotly. “At least I’ve been to the center of the world.”
Inept he might be, but as her lover, he knew how best to hurt her. She lowered her voice and leaned closer, keeping a polite smile on her face for the audience. “If I left anything at your place, I’ll pick it up tomorrow. Next time, you might want to make accurate copies of my translation so you don’t make such an obvious error.”
Turning, she sauntered up the aisle, smile firmly in place. “Who needs to muck around in the jungle with snakes and mosquitoes to translate a glyph when we have computers and digital cameras? All the prestige, none of the malaria.”
Laughter and applause followed her out the auditorium, but she wasn’t elated. She wasn’t even hurt, not really. She hadn’t convinced herself that she loved Geoffrey, so losing him was no blow to her heart.
She no longer had a heart, because it’d been sacrificed long ago in a Maya ruin.
#
Ignoring the dull twinge in her right knee, Jaid trudged upstairs to her office. If she hadn’t forgotten the midterm composition books on her desk, then she’d never have returned to campus and learned about Geoffrey’s lecture. Okay, forgotten wasn’t exactly the right word. Deliberately avoided was more accurate.
The only thing she hated more than grading was lecturing. However, if she wasn’t actively researching a dig for the university, they wanted her to teach. Publishing research with her father was good, but it wasn’t good enough.
“Do you know what the students have started calling you?” Geoffrey strolled down the hall as relaxed as though he promenaded in the park. “The Un-Indiana Jones, because you never go on a dig.”
The name stung but she refused to show any emotion. None of them knew what she’d gone through on that last dig over twenty years ago. No tremendous discovery was worth such a terrible price. “I was called Jaid ‘the Ferret’ Merritt as a kid, too. I thought you were above such grade-school games.”
Sighing softly, he nodded. “We can’t be at each other’s throats and hope to work together.”
“I’m not at your throat.” Jaid unlocked her office door. “I was very polite. I’ll continue to be polite, no matter how much I want to hit you.”
She flipped on the light and set her leather carryall on her desk. Opening the bag, she shifted her current research notes aside to make room for the towering stack of composition books. This would take her the rest of the night to grade, and at least a glass or two of wine.
Maybe she’d grade half tonight and half tomorrow.
Or wait until the weekend and do them all at once. She heaved a long-suffering sigh. This might take the whole bottle of wine.
“I really am sorry, you know.” Geoffrey propped a shoulder against the door. Even slouching, he managed to look elegant. “You’re always doodling glyphs and leaving them lying around. Even when we’re at dinner you draw on your napkin, or reach into that pack and pull out the latest photograph from your father. I can’t help but see and be intrigued. I love the Maya as much as you do.”
“The Maya are all I know. Thanks to my father’s research, I was practically born on a dig, so I can’t help living and breathing glyphs.”
“Do you translate glyphs because you love doing it, or for your father?”
She shot a glare at Geoffrey. “Don’t bring him into this.”
“You translate one new glyph and the first thing you do is send it to him. Meanwhile, he’s scanning in a dozen more for you to translate. Don’t you get tired of doing all your work for him?”
He stepped closer and reached out to touch her, but she flinched away. His hand dropped to his side and he actually looked hurt. The bastard stole her research and he managed to look hurt.
“I understand the desire to dedicate yourself to a cause in honor of your parents. You know what happened to my mother.”
Biting her lip, she nodded but didn’t meet his gaze. His mother had been killed at the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City when Geoffrey was just a boy. His father had never forgiven himself for being away at a dig when the massacre occurred, and he’d refused to ever return to Guatemala, even after the civil war had ended.
“I honor my mother’s memory, but I don’t study the Maya because she was killed by a corrupt government trying to wipe away the last traces of their indigenous people. I study the Maya because they fascinate me. When was the last time you allowed yourself to enjoy what you’re doing, instead of slaving away for your father? Don’t you see that he’s using you? If you spent a fraction of your time writing up your own research, you wouldn’t have to teach so much.”
“He puts my name on all his research findings.”
“So you’ll settle for always being the famous Dr. Charles Merritt’s daughter, not Dr. Jaid Merritt who singlehandedly translated and documented hundreds of glyphs. Do you know what a treasure you’ve created in that database? How easily you could publish your own definitive book on the Maya written word? And you’re only twenty-seven! You’d be the most famous epigrapher in the world, and you’ve still got an entire lifetime of research ahead of you.”
“This isn’t about me. This is about you stealing my research.”
“Oh, give me a break, Jaid. You left one scribbled note at my place, half wadded up and thrown on the floor by the trash can. I unfolded it, smoothed it, and immediately saw how I could use it. It was your trash. You’re too brilliant to waste time on something as insignificant as what I presented tonight and you know it.”
“Don’t turn this back on me,” she retorted. “You never loved me at all, did you? You were merely biding your time to steal something.”
“I never took anything from you.” His brow creased and he held his hands palms up. He certainly appeared to be confused and honest, but she’d been blinded by his smile and charm before. “I do care for you, but you’re right. I don’t love you. How can anyone love you when it’s impossible for you to love anybody back? But I am worried about you, Jaid. For the last few months, you’ve been running yourself ragged. How many times have I helped you catch up on grading this semester? Or covered your office hours so you could cram in one more translation? You’re killing yourself to make another great discovery for your father.”
Jaid picked up her satchel, marched to the door, locked it, and headed for the stairs without a word.
Following her, Geoffrey said, “At least let me give you a ride home.”
“It’s not far,” she replied stiffly, refusing to look at him.
“Jaid, please. I know it’s only a few blocks, but it’s dark.” He touched her elbow, and when she didn’t jerk away, he settled his hand more firmly. “I’ll drive you home and pick up anything I might have left at your house.”
Ah, her knight in shining armor. She’d yelled at him, dumped him, yet even now, he insisted on seeing her home safely. A cold, hard lump swelled in her throat, trying to choke her. Why did she insist on seeking out every little tarnish and ding in any man’s armor? She knew why, and so did Geoffrey.
Some things a girl never outgrew, let alone forgave, once she finally realized nothing she did would ever win her father’s love.
A Monsterless Week & Craft Update
Mark this week down in history: the monsters are going to be gone this week. They’ve spent a night or two away before, but never all three gone at the same time for this long.
Princess is going to church camp Tuesday – Friday with her older cousin, over on Lake of the Ozarks by Grandma & Grandpa. It’s close enough that Grandma plans to go see them at least once. When she heard that Princess was going, she invited the other two monsters to come spent time with them at the lake too.
So we dropped Littlest and Middle off today. Princess leaves Tuesday afternoon. Then we’ll be childless through Friday afternoon when she comes home. Grandma & Grandpa will bring the two youngest home on Sat. when they drive over for Father’s Day.
That Man and I are celebrating………by working. *rolls eyes* Actually, I’m taking Wednesday off so I can dedicate most of the day to writing and Writer Wednesday.
I’ve promised some craft pictures since all our fun classes this summer. The monsters aren’t here to model their finger-weaving scarves, but I have completed several kitchen scrubbies, crocheted from nylon netting:
Supplies from the class: strips of nylon netting and size J crochet hook. One yard is supposed to make about 3 scrubbies.
Two completed scrubbies made with one strip each of blue, red, and white (the class had an Independence Day theme). They’re supposed to be great for cleaning glass stove tops without scratching — which I severely need.
Immediately after the class, Princess and I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought some more netting in various colors.
Want one? Comment here and I’ll draw a name.
Review: The Bloodgate Guardian
From Pearl’s World of Romance:
This was my first taste of Joely Sue Burkhart’s non-contemporary/erotic work and I definitely want to read more of it. I absolutely loved the extensive look into the Mayan world of mythology. It was truly fascinating and worth reading through the few violent scenes. THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN is suspenseful and brilliantly set up. Romance is not the focus of this book in the first part of the book and that was absolutely okay with me as I was entranced and captivated by mythology, magic and plot. However, this doesn’t mean the chemistry between Ruin and Jade wasn’t impressive. It was definitely there, threaded through everything else going on in a subtle, clever way.
There are definitely some very violent scenes in this book. Blood Gatherer, a Lord of Death straight from Xibalba, has a terrible dark power. Ruin’s twin is beyond desperate and will do absolutely anything, kill anyone, to save his woman. And of course, the Maya did practice blood sacrifice, so naturally it is pretty bloody. Hopefully the romance between Ruin and Jaid make all the violence more than worth it!
Don’t forget she’s running a giveaway this week, so head on over and comment on her blog for a chance to win some Carina Press gift certificates!
Also, watch for my interview I did with Pearl (edited: link ) — we’ll be giving away a copy of the THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN!
Thank you so much, Pearl!
The Bloodgate Guardian Review
The first review and it’s a fantastic one! Soleil at Black Sun Reviews says:
Ruin’s arc is extremely tragic and in overcoming that tragedy, extremely rewarding. I bawled my freakin eyes out over the heartache and suffering he had to go through for his HEA. He literally fought tooth and nail (and blood) for it. (Remember how I said I love sadistic authors? Joely makes those suckers EARN their endings. This usually means I have to keep kleenex close by. You’ve been thoroughly warned.)
Read her entire review here. Thank you so much, Soleil!
(Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!)
Bribery AKA My Biggest Giveaway Yet
8/5/2010 Update – it’s not too late to enter!
I’ve always tried to be pretty laid back about promoting myself. e.g. I really want the work to speak for itself. I do like to give away stuff here on the blog, and free books are almost always welcome, aren’t they? If some kindly reader posts a review or rating somewhere, I’m incredibly thankful.
Let’s face it: reviews and ratings matter. The more ratings and reviews a book garners, the more attention will follow. It’s a gradual snowball effect, especially when you’re a very small fish in the big world of millions of available books.
Thanks to Kait Nolan, I found this article Why Your Review Matters on Amazon and I’m curious. Really curious. Will a high number of reviews help a new release like THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN? Will more reviews help some of my older releases, especially the ones that so far haven’t won any ratings on Amazon at all?
But Amazon is only one piece of the puzzle.
So here’s the scoop (I’ll create a clean page for this contest, but here are the details):
1. Rate and/or review ANY of my releases on any book site, including but not limited to Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, B&N, Audible, etc.
2. Review any of my releases on your blog or website.
3. Advertise this contest on your blog, website, Facebook and/or Twitter.
4. Send me the links. One link = one entry.
Prizes: We’ll begin with two $50 gift certificates to ANY online book retailer of your choice.
Optional Prizes: If we hit 20 Amazon reviews or more on THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN before July 31st, I’ll throw in another $50 gift certificate to any online book retailer. If we hit 20 Amazon reviews or more on any of my other releases before July 31st, I’ll throw in an additional $25 gift certificate for each book that breaks the 20-review threshold.
To Enter: send an e-mail with subject BREAK 20 GIVEAWAY to joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com with your link(s) to each review and/or rating (or capture a screen shot of your Tweet). You may enter as many times as you wish before July 31st, 2010 midnight CST.
Please do write HONEST reviews for my books that you’ve actually read. The more real and thoughtful the review, the more impact it’ll have on future buyers. Obviously I hope you love my books, but I don’t expect raving fangirl 5 star +++++ reviews. Honest!
Please note: the reviews and/or ratings can be old! (e.g. previously submitted on any of my earlier releases) Please do send me the links, even if I’ve blogged about your wonderful review before. I simply don’t have the time to go searching across the ‘net because I’m writing a new book. I definitely want to reward people who’ve already reviewed me in the past.
THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN is available for reviewers to download at NetGalley. For any of my other releases, if you have a blog/website for which you’d like to review a book, drop me an e-mail and I’ll hook you up.
Any questions, comments, etc. that I should address before I write up the main contest page?