#RRBC Springtime Block Party -- Shattering Time Book Cover Reveal and Pre-Sale

Welcome to the Rave Reviews Book Club #RRBC Springtime Book and Blog Party and 

Cover Reveal for Shattering Time!

Virtual Location: British Virgin Islands

 Here is what I’m giving away today:

$25 Amazon Gift Card

1 Signed Copy of Stealing Time

1 ARC copy of Shattering Time

# of winners for this stop: 3

To enter please comment below and the winners will be randomly chosen by #RRBC today (April 24)

Shattering Time Book Cover Reveal

Welcome to the shores of the British Virgin Islands. Please join me by the beach I wanted to give you a warm sandy welcome to cover reveal of my second novel, Shattering Time! 

See more here: https://dxnews.com/vp2vvv/

Isn’t it spectacular here? Catering is bringing snacks in a few minutes in the meantime please gather round. I wanted to share something exciting with you. 

Shattering Time

With such an esteemed group joining me today I wanted you to be the very hear the news! 

The BIG SURPRISE that I teased on my facebook page yesterday is that right now you can PRE ORDER Shattering Time my much-awaited sequel to my #1 Best-Selling novel Stealing Time! 

The price will go up after release so take advantage of it now! Click here!

Order Here!

Cover Reveal and Vote

Also I wanted your advice on two potential cover choices for Shattering Time! I designed this cover myself, with my Blondie's Custom Book Covers business partner, Jody Smyers. You can see more about my business here. Please let me know if you need help on a cover or if you just want some friendly advice. 

Please click on the vote button below and let me know your thoughts in the comments. I have shared my two other books covers at the top of this post so you can get a sense of my brand theme. There are four difference between the covers. See if you can spot them all. 

Which Cover Do You Prefer?

Cover 1

Cover 2

survey

Blurb for Shattering Time:

The number one best-selling thriller Stealing Time continues it’s “breathtakingly original” journey.

Ronnie Andrews returns from eighteenth-century London shell-shocked from her first terrifying time travel encounter. Her boyfriend, Jeffrey Brennan, casts doubt on her sanity leaving Ronnie wondering if she went back in time or is having a mental breakdown.

To add to the tension, Hurricane Francis, a storm the size of Texas, is barreling towards Florida and her fears of a repeat time travel experience mount. Ronnie’s best friend Steph, along with her friend Nick and Steph’s younger brother Ian, shield Ronnie from the dangers of Francis but cannot save her from traveling back in time. Unfortunately, their meddling brings Ronnie to the brink of destruction as they are caught in the throes of the hurricane’s wrath.

Once again, Ronnie is transported to dangerous places and plagued with desperate situations, while experiencing perilous cultures including one of America’s first mysteries -- the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.

A stunning conclusion brings Ronnie face to face with a dangerous ally who may hold the key to her past while offering salvation for her future. 

Newsletter Sign Up

Please sign up for my newsletter to receive the first five chapters of Shattering Time free, plus other special offers and contests.  https://www.kjwaters.com/.

Shattering (Island) Time Blog Series

This is the first post in my blog series that will continue weekly until the release of Shattering Time on June 27th. We will follow the path of Hurricane Francis, the driving force of Shattering Time, on it's journey to the east coast of Florida and a few special locations that appear in the book. Join me next week for a continuation of a beach party on the British Virgin Islands. Please follow my blog (to the right) so you don't miss a thing!

Catering is here please enjoy a snack and a cool beverage and join me in that beautiful water.

Be sure and join Suzanne Kelman on her #RRBC Springtime Book and Blog Tour tomorrow here! She is giving away $15 Amazon card and 2 eBooks!

More About Me:

Check out my other books here. They are all available on Amazon and are free with Kindle Unlimited.



AMAZON LINKS:

                                         

Blondie and the Brit Podcast:

I am also the co-host of the fun and fabulous Podcast Blondie and the Brit, Writing, Publishing, and Beyond for authors with Suzanne Kelman. Check out our informative and entertaining author interviews and marketing advice. Here is our latest episode with the hilarious Martin Lastrapes.

#RRBC

This tour is brought to you by the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB – a community of authors and readers who are constantly creating new ways to PROFILE, PROMOTE & PROPEL our members.  If you'd like to join click here. You’ll not find another organization like this anywhere on the planet.

1.  Stop 1 -- Cover Reveal and Vote -- You can vote on two book cover choices on the first blog in the tour! 

2. Stop 2 -- British Virgin Islands -- For a sneak peek of another chapter of Shattering Time click here in the second blog in the tour!

3. Stop 3 -- San Salvador Island -- Enter my #MUGSHOT Contest, submit a #MUGSHOT of you with your favorite mug on that blog post or my facebook page to win one of my books and a coffee of your choice. June 1 the winner will be selected! Feel free to follow me while you're over there! Below is the link.

4 Invaluable Tips for #Indie Authors

4 Invaluable Tips for Indie Authors

This is a re post from a guest blog I did on Word Bank Writing and Editing, Jeri Walker's Blog last September. To see the article on her site click here. There are loads of great comments that came along with the post. 

I began my indie author career as a creative outlet after I quit my job to raise my family.  In 2005 the only legitimate option an author had to get their book in a reader’s hands was to spend two years chasing a publisher and hoping against hope that someone would pick up your book. Rather daunting prospect after writing the book, right? I ignored that fact and kept plugging away at my novel, Stealing Time, until 2012 when I discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing as an indie (independent) author. Thank goodness times have changed.

  

I have learned many lessons as an indie author. Here are some of my top tips:

1.  Build Your Social Media Presence Well in Advance of Your Book Release

When I started on Twitter my lofty ambitions were to connect with celebrities in some odd pipe dream that out of the thousands of tweets they received in day, mine would magically glow and they’d respond to me. My life would be transformed. Now I couldn’t give a rat’s patootey about celebrity tweets.

Obviously, I hadn’t considered social media as a tool for selling my novel, in fact, I hadn’t even heard of an indie author at that point. Now three years later I have built a decent social media platform with over 18,000 followers across four platforms (2 Twitter accounts, 3 Facebooks, Pinterest, and Instagram) and will continue to grow it.

Why is this so important? Let me tell you what happens when you don’t. I have an author friend who spent a year writing his book. When he finished he published on Amazon and began promoting to his 100 followers on twitter.  The first week he sold 20 copies and that was that. He had a few people re-tweet, but he’d tapped out his potential readership in a week. If he’d taken that year to grow his following by adding 20 people a day he’d have 7300 followers as a potential customer base. When growing your presence find other authors and promote their work by sharing their links and striking up conversations. They will be invaluable when you want to get your work into as many hands as possible because, if you have chosen well, you will have a large number of readers and other authors who will promote your work in their circles.

How do you know which platforms to use? You need to pick a few and do them well. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and spread too thin. For me the most interactive have been Facebook and Twitter. But don’t just push your agenda! Social media is exactly that–social. You have to invest some time talking to people about their interests and lives. There are writers out there who just tweet their books and never connect with people. This is not the venue for your typical marketing push. Your social media empire is built on your personality and charm, so use it and create a following that will find your posts worthy of more than a sales pitch to be ignored. Interact and have some fun.

I would love to know what social media platforms you use and what have you found the most helpful to market your work.

2. Continually Perfect Your Writing

I look back at what I wrote 8 years ago and have to laugh at the clumsiness of it all. To make it as a writer you have to work at improving in all areas of your writing. I am always reading helpful blogs, like Jeri’s, and other articles on writing, social media, and marketing, and strive to learn as much as I can to improve my skills as a writer and promoter of my work.

Every writer has a bag of tricks they use to create the magic of their craft. I’d love to know what you have used in your writing. Along my journey I found two books extremely helpful. One of the first things I did when I decided to write my novel was find a book to help me organize the storyline. I used The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall throughout the story development and writing stages. It also has a workbook you can buy separately that helps you finish each section with a bang, adding to the tension and pace of the novel.

The other book that has been a huge help to me in the editing stage is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King. Written by professional editors it teaches you how to fix the most common mistakes made by new authors including, exposition, point of view, interior monologue and dialog.

3.  Pay For An Editor

If you want to be taken seriously as a writer you must have your work edited by a professional.   Unless you’re amazing, magical AND a good editor you can’t possibly see all the issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, keep track of your characters, their dialog, and their story lines. There are just too many things to sort through. A fresh set of eyes on your manuscript will make a world of difference, and I don’t mean your fabulous auntie who was an English major.

The very first indie author book I picked up was a time travel story I found at a bookstore “meet the author” event. I was so excited to meet a local self-published novel in my genre until I read the darned thing. The story caught my attention but Jeeze-Louise she should have edited it, if not only for her sake but to preserve the broader reputation of the indie author. It made me pause and think about what I was getting into. Did I want to be associated with the likes of  this indie author and her badly written drivel?

Indie authors have come a long way since then, but don’t be that putz that makes it hard for the rest of us by putting out low-quality work with simple typos and storyline problems. Any editor worth their salt can clean up your work and help you sell a lot more books. I have two author friends who have pulled their first novels off the Amazon shelves to re-edit their books. You simply can’t undo the damage to your reputation as an author by putting out sloppy work. Just like making a great book cover, why not put forth your very best professional work and keep that high standard as you move through your writing career? It is so much easier to start right than it is to try to fix it after a poor product is already out there. Yes, it is not cheap, but as an author don’t you owe it to yourself to put out your very best work and build a positive relationship with your readers and fans?

4.  Create a Professional Looking Cover

You’ve finished that amazing novel, poured your heart and soul into it, and now you’re ready to release it! Don’t make the mistake of a lot of indie authors and create what looks like a homemade cover.  You are competing with the rest of the publishing industry and the first thing a reader will know about your book will be what you’ve given them on the cover. If it is lame an unprofessional how do you expect someone to buy your book when they have James Patterson a few clicks away? Your book cover should capture the reader’s attention, evoke emotion, hint at the story without being cluttered, be visually pleasing, and be simple. I address these five book cover tips in my last guest blog that you can read here.

You can get a professional cover made for a few hundred dollars. There is no better return on your investment to get your book noticed and into the hands of your readers. Think of it as an investment for your social media sites as well because it is the perfect background photo to help promote your work. If you're not sure where to start, please check out my cover business, Blondie's Custom Book Covers on facebook and at www.blondiesbooks.com.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Jeri, thank you so much for allowing me to guest blog on your site again. I’m still in awe of your massive following of intelligent and talented writers. Great job on your social media strategy, too, because blogging is another important tool to reach readers and conspiring writers.

What additional pointers can you share regarding tips for indie authors and bloggers alike? I’m eager to learn from you!

Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIME

Paperback:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429544342&sr=1-2&keywords=stealing+time

Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254

Ebook: 

Amazon:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6S

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005

inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408c

kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12

scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time

When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.

• Check out my website: www.kjwaters.com

• Follow me on twitter at @kamajowa

• I'm on facebook at 

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39

• I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!

• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/

• Audioboo voice messages:  http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters 

• All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwaters

• Brand Yourself Profile: http://brandyourself.com/

• Check out our website here.

• We are on twitter here.

• Facebook link here.

Seumas Gallacher Author Spotlight - Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF)

Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF) Author Spotlight on Seumas Gallacher

My new author spotlight feature offers my lovely readers a water splash each Monday with booky goodness from some of my favorite author friends. When you see my blog with the BFF title it means you're in for a treat. If you would like to be featured on my blog contact me at any of my social media sights below.

My paperback should be available this week as soon as I get the a-okay from createspace. Stay tuned for a blog with links and pics of me holding my gorgeous Stealing Time proof copy! 

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card

How? Simply leave a comment below and I will pick one random winner this month. It's that easy.

Author Spotlight on Seumas Gallacher and his Re-release novel SAVAGE PAYBACK

Seumas Gallacher
Author and Blogger of the Year

I am beyond thrilled to share the dashing and massively entertaining Seumas Gallacher on my author spotlight this week. 

I found Seumas on twitter a few years ago and was initially attracted to his Scottishness but soon discovered the big heart and willingness to support a fellow author. In fact, Seumas put me up for a beautiful blogger award, which was quite an honor. You can find the link here.

Seumas has quite the resume that began in the world of inter-national finance spanning three continents over five decades. His background provides superb fodder for his greatly successful Jack Calder crime-thrillers -- THE VIOLIN MAN'S LEGACY, VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK and SAVAGE PAYBACK. He has more than 80,000 e-book downloads to date a number that I can only drool upon.  He is now represented by Crooked Cat Publishing. 

Early in his writing career Seumas began developing his author platform and it has grown to a be an award winning powerhouse in the world of social media. He started a Scottish humor laced self-publisher's blog three years ago and rose to the rank of 'Blogger of the Year 2013.' 

Seumas is up for a Shorty Award for his blogging and we would both love if you would throw a vote his way. Here is the link: Seumas for Shorty! But hurry the deadline is February 19, 2015.

Show some love for one of my favorite social media icons and follow his sites, buy his books, and tell him I sent you.

Here are the links for Seumas:

Blog:        www.seumasgallacher.com

Twitter:   @seumasgallacher

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/seumasgallacher

Email:      seumasgallacher@yahoo.com

Synopsis:

SAVAGE PAYBACK

A series of coordinated lethal bomb attacks on a dozen jewelry stores in London’s West End drag former SAS officer, Jack Calder and his specialist security firm, International Security Partners, into a deadly mesh of murder and international drug running.

A black ops explosives expert, an ex-colleague turned renegade mercenary with a twisted lust for revenge, emerges from the past to join forces with a powerful and dangerous drug baron from Eastern Europe.

A major cocaine trafficker from South America compounds the threats as competitive turf issues straddle international territories.

Attacks close to home heighten the urgency for Calder and his team to find and deal with each of the three sinister adversaries in a final savage payback. 

AMAZON LINKS for SAVAGE PAYBACK

UK           amzn.to/1CHhw01

US            amzn.to/15zUsD9

Canada    amzn.to/1yXWRli

Australia bit.ly/1yGJ5ok

Smashwords

 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/514352

SAVAGE PAYBACK Excerpt:

   The dinghies carried normal outboard engines. The distance to the rear of the house needed nothing more powerful. Paul climbed in beside Jack. Donnie and Malky boarded the second. They slung the AK 47s across their backs and carried grenades in the overalls’ pockets. Calf-strapped daggers completed the weaponry, with no intent on taking prisoners. A hunt and kill mission.

   A long, slow arc brought them opposite the house. More lights showed through the curtains upstairs at the back, to all appearances a full house. Paul steered his dinghy ten metres left, cut the outboard and let it drift into the bank. Donnie did the same ten meters to the right. First out, Jack and Malky covered the others as they pulled the dinghies upside. From a crouching position they had a clear view of the outside perimeter. Malky pointed toward a guard sitting alone on a bench near the back door. A modern version M16 lay alongside a clutter of empty beer bottles and a full ashtray on the small table at the side. The remains of supper plates sat next to the bottles.  The guard hadn’t produced all that litter by himself. Where was the backup?

   The sentry raised another beer bottle to his mouth and tipped his head back. The man heard nothing as Jack covered the few metres to his quarry. A sharp karate blow to his exposed throat interrupted his swallow and seconds later a snapped neck sealed his fate. The other three approached. The sound of two men talking filtered toward the doorway. Donnie and Paul met them in one movement. Their unexpected presence gave the two former cops the edge as dagger slashes to the throat stifled any noise.

   They dragged the bodies outside to join their dead companion and entered the corridor as a foursome, AK 47s at the ready. The hallway extended three metres toward an opening into a large sitting area, passing a stairway leading to the upper floor level. The four-man chevron crept closer. A quiet buzz of conversation mingled with the sound of a television program. Jack estimated eight men in the large room as the team stepped in. He and Paul fired off from the centre to the left, Malky and Donnie taking from the centre to the right. In such a tight area aiming wasn’t needed. The combined fire-power swept the area in seconds. Bodies slumped where they sat or fell to the floor where they’d been standing. Paul and Malky waited at the door of the room in case they’d missed anybody. Jack and Donnie covered the two paces back to the stairwell. The clatter of boots thudded toward the top of the wooden banister. Jack lobbed a stun grenade up as he and his partner stepped to the side wall to avoid the blast.

    Screams of panic mixed with the sound of further movement. Three men lay across the upper landing and top stairs, disoriented by the stunning. A short burst from the AK 47 ended their confusion. Further noise indicated a hasty retreat of three or four others. Donnie passed Jack on the stairwell and threw another grenade up and along the upper hallway. Moments later the blast rocked the place again. The attacking pair mounted the stair in double steps, firing non-stop on the way. Only two men lay on the carpet, already felled by the deluge of bullets. Near the end of the corridor, a door slammed tight. All the other room doors were open. The prey was trapped in one chamber.

  Jack aimed at the door handle and let loose several bursts. The locking mechanism and the wood surrounding it disintegrated. The door swung inward a couple feet. Rapid fire from inside the room splintered more of the door as bullets ripped outward, causing it to slam shut and open again as it bounced against the lintel rim. The range of shooting from inside was confined to the borders of the door. Jack eased along the wall and threw in another grenade. Silence followed the explosion. Donnie crouched and peered into the room. One man was dead already, another dying beside him. Two shots to the head hastened his departure.

   Jack and Donnie covered each other in rote as they cleared each of the remaining three upstairs bedrooms, even checking wardrobes. Satisfied to find no further occupants, they joined their partners downstairs.

   “Anybody still breathing?” Jack asked Malky.

   “One guy over here, but he’s not gonna last more than a few minutes. He’s the only one,” said Malky, pointing to a badly injured man, sprawled across a blood-stained sofa. Jack knelt beside him.

   “Which of you is Ahmed Fadi?” he said.

   The man stared back at him and tried to shake his head.

   “Tell me, which one is he?” Jack repeated.

   The man moved his head again and tried to speak.

   “Viktor? Viktor? Viktor left yesterday. Fuck you,” he managed to whisper.

   A grotesque half-smile twisted at the man’s lips. His head lolled to the side as blood trickled from his mouth and the stare of death fixed across his eyes.

   Malky walked across to where the man lay and tugged at his sleeve.

   “You missed something, Jack. Look at his hand.” The right hand stuck out from the sleeve, the bare skin showing all the way to the wrist.

   “Well I’ll be damned,” said Jack. On the skin was a defined birthmark they’d seen before, resembling a large spilled coffee stain. The killer of Martha Compton and ISP’s accountant in Berlin would kill no more.

Connect With KJ Waters

When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.

·        Check out my website: www.kjwaters.com

·        Follow me on twitter at @kamajowa

·        I'm on facebook at 

·        http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39

·        I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!

·        Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/

·        Audioboo voice messages:  http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters 

·        All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwaters

·        Brand Yourself Profile: http://brandyourself.com/

I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.

·        Check out our website here.

·        We are on twitter here.

·        Facebook link here.