Lean on Me. . .

I 

know that money is tight, and with so many good books out there, it's hard to choose where to spend your hard-earned dollar. For this blog post, I'm going o tell you why Shattered is different from all of the other new adult books out there, and why I think you'll love it as much as I do.

Flynn McKenna first appeared in Hollow, the first book in the Perfect Little Pieces series. Flynn was Jayden's best friend and confidant. While Nesto was volatile, Flynn was sure and steady, providing Jayden with the emotional support he needed to come to grips with his past. Now it is Flynn's turn, and we learn that he isn't as stable as he appears in the first book.

Flynn is special because there is a little of him in all of us. When things get tough, a lot of people bury their emotions and try to carry on. In fact, this has become so popular that there are tons of signs and memes about how people can "carry on." Sometimes these methods are successful. Other times, like in the case with Flynn, they are not.

That's not to say that Flynn didn't bury his pain successfully in the begining. He found other outlets for his frustration and anger, like boxing and protecting his siblings from the neighborhood bullies.  He was so successful in fact, that for a long time, no one knew he had a problem, including him. By burrying his burden and refusing to deal with the root cause of his pain, Flynn allowed his troubles to fester and grow. When an unfortunate incident ended his boxing career, his safety net was pulled away from him, and his troubles escalated. His behavior became out of control because he wasn't used to facing his fears, only burying them.

In SHATTERED, Flynn meets a cute hospital intern who challenges him to face his fears and why he is so over-protective. He learns that sometimes we can't handle everything on our own--and that's okay. No one is strong 100% of the time. We need that safe place where we can face our fears and start to heal. Mia becomes Flynn's "safe place" and shows him that it's always easier to shoulder a burden when you share it with someone who cares.

Read more about SHATTERED and preorder the book in these venues:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iBooks

Chat with other fans of the Perfect Little Pieces series in my readers' group!

Other News:

My alter-ego, Suzanne Rock, has some new erotic releases!

Pressure Point is now available in PRINT!

Ecstasy Spa: An Erotic Anthology, is now available in AUDIO!

WHISPERS, a historical MMF menage, is now FREE through December 1st. Grab it while you can!

Ava Conway Website

Suzanne Rock Website

A Little Team Building

I'm at an odd stage in my career. While it has been wonderful to see my business grow, it's also been a little scary. Some days I feel as if I've been pulled in numerous directions, and I'm sure a lot of you, both writers and readers, can relate.

One thing I've learned over the past several weeks, is that no one can do everything on their own. We all need a little help sometimes, especially when things start to become overwhelming. Whether it is family, friends or coworkers, a good support system is crucial for not only helping you succeed, but keeping your sanity and humor. :)

Over the past few months, I've been working hard to put a support team in place to help me with my writing career. I feel blessed to be at a stage where I'm able to do this, especially after seven years of doing everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) myself. I'm happy to report that most of these relationships have already started to bear fruit.

Recently, I've gotten all of my self-publishing backlist up on Google Play and itunes, and I'm starting to put many books into print. I've released more audiobooks, and got my backlist up on Authorgraph. I'm also in the process of overhauling and growing my street team. If it wasn't for my administrative assistants, I never would have accomplished so much in so little time. I'm truly thankful for thier help, and hope that with them I'll be able to grow my business in ways that I have only been able to dream about before.

My support team isn't complete, but I'm working on it. At the end of the day, having people help with all of my administrative, financial and legal tasks will free up my time to do more of what I love most -- and what readers expect of me -- writing great books.

Who is your biggest supporter? You know, that one person you go to and can trust when times are tough. Tell me about it in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you!

~ ~ ~ Latest Release ~ ~ ~

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Disaster in this thrilling and sexy debut novel, in which a college student learns her perfect life is a lie and finds new love where she least expects it—a mental institution. 

Now available from the following vendors:

           

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RWA Conference 2014 - Lessons Learned

~ Post by Suzanne Rock/Ava Conway

Whew, what a week. As many of you know, I attended my first RWA (Romance Writers of America) conference in San Antonio. 

It was...amazing. And overwhelming. And exhausting. LOL! I learned a lot about the industry, the craft of writing, and how to be better prepared for conferences. Below, I share a few tips on how to make writing conferences (or any other type of conference) a little less overwhelming.

1) Accept that you will not be able to do it all. There simply isn't enough hours in a day. Even writers who brought their assistants, couldn't see and do everything that they wanted to do.

2) Go with a clear goal in mind. For me, this was networking. I accepted the fact that I wouldn't be able to attend a lot of the workshops or book signings. Instead, I spent a lot of time in the lobby and met a TON of writers. I re-connected with old friends, strengthened acquaintences into friendships, and met some amazing people who are at the cutting edge of the industry.

For me, this was where I needed to be to strengthen my business (and let's face it, writing is a business). Your goal might be to attend workshops, get signed books from your favorite authors, or pimp your latest release. The goal itself doesn't matter, but it's important to have one. Otherwise you might leave the conference wondering if the entire trip was worth the investment.

3) Bring an empty suitcase. This tip was given to me by another author. She is an RWA veteran and always brings an empty carry-on suitcase to fill up with books and swag. Genious! By the end of the conference, I had collected so much stuff that I had to pay extra to cart my suitacse home on the plane. Not cool! Next time I'll plan much better. :)

4) Stay kind and keep it classy. Two of my most vivid memories of RWA happened in the lobby. In the first instance, I was alone and waiting for friends. Kate Douglas saw me and recognized me from a publisher event. Despite her busy schedule, she sat down and kept me company until my friends arrived. Such kindness! The second memory is of a similar thing happening again two days later, although this time the author was Virginia Kantra. It took only 5 minutes, but it made a huge impression on me. They are both classy ladies and I've become thier forever-fan. 

5) Bring pants with elastic waistbands. I'm not kidding. Everything at RWA seemed to revolve around food, and everything is bigger in Texas. Make sure to keep the constrictive clothing (and the diet!) at home. ;)

6) Make time for sightseeing. Let's be honest...when are you going to be in that section of the country again? Be sure to take some time to see the local sights. Not only is it fun, but it's nice to take a break from the conference craziness and relax with friends.

Well, I guess that's it. Hope you enjoyed my lessons. Have you ever been to a conference for work? What lessons/tips did you take away?

Below is my upcoming release, which you can preorder now. It will be available everywhere on August 11th. Enjoy!

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Disaster in this thrilling and sexy debut novel, in which a college student learns her perfect life is a lie and finds new love where she least expects it—a mental institution.

Freaks, misfits and psychopaths. Those are the kinds of people found at Newton Heights Psychiatric Hospital, and high-society girl Lucy White’s new home.

Freaks, misfits and Jayden McCray. Jayden has his own set of rules for life at Newton Heights, and in this contradictory guy Lucy finds a way to live with the events that left her cheating boyfriend and best friend dead and Lucy in the middle of the investigation into their demise.

The problem? Jayden makes her want things she’s not supposed to have, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and making Lucy feel more at home in Newton Heights than she ever did at home. But this isn’t how her life is supposed to be.

Or is it?

Preorder while it's on sale for $1.99 from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ibooks.

Book Trailers, Preorders and Vacations!

by Suzanne Rock/AvaConway

I keep saying that I'm almost done with my hectic schedule, but this time I mean it. :) I just handed in SHATTERED, the sequel to HOLLOW, and will start planning my promotion next week. It's hard to believe that the release of Hollow is only a few days away. I'm so excited to share all of the awesome characters at Newton Heights with all of you!

Recently, I had a friend make a book trailer for Hollow. I thought I'd show you

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Disaster in this thrilling and sexy debut novel, in which a college student learns her perfect life is a lie and finds new love where she least expects it—a mental institution.

Freaks, misfits and psychopaths. Those are the kinds of people found at Newton Heights Psychiatric Hospital, and high-society girl Lucy White's new home.


Freaks, misfits and Jayden McCray. Jayden has his own set of rules for life at Newton Heights, and in this contradictory guy Lucy finds a way to live with the events that left her cheating boyfriend and best friend dead and Lucy in the middle of the investigation into their demise.


The problem? Jayden makes her want things she's not supposed to have, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and making Lucy feel more at home in Newton Heights than she ever did at home. But this isn't how her life is supposed to be.


Or is it?


Special preorder sale on from Amazon. Get it for only $1.99!

In other news, I'm part of a HUGE multi-author boxed set that is releasing tomorrow. Yeah, you have to wait until tomorrow to read it, but you can preorder it today. :) This is a fantasic lineup of authors, some of the best in the biz. Sponsored by Ink Heart, we're hoping that these boxed sets will help showcase some of our work.

 

 

I won't put the book descriptions here, because it will be too long to read, but if you're interested you can read the Sexy and Sweet (Mainstream Romance) set here, and the Steamy and Sizzlng (Erotic) here. Both boxed sts are only $2.99 for a limited time, so that means that you can get both for only $5.98! My addition is an Ecstasy Spa novel, The Great Escape. 

Like audiobooks? I finally got the fifth book in my Ecstasy Spa series up for sale on both Amazon and Audible. I'm a huge fan of audio, so I'm really excited to bring this to readers. :)

You can read more about Pressure Point either on Amazon, or Audible.

To celebrate all of these releases, I'll be taking part of a huge Summer-of-love-a-palooza with the Smutkatters. There will be prizes, contests, behind the scenes information, and much more.

I'll also be taking part in the monthly Ink Heart party over on Facebook, so be sure you watch our Facebook Page for dates and times!

On the personal front, I'll be taking my annual "no work, no internet" vacation with my family starting July 6th. We all unplug every year to reconnect with each other and to break the cycle of internet addiction we all seem to suffer from during the other 51 weeks of the year, lol. We've been doing this for a couple of years, and the first time it was really hard, but now I actually look forward to it. With no distractions, we really focus on each other and create some awesome memories. :)

For our vacation this year, we'll be taking a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It should be a lot of fun. :) The only electronics I'm bringing is my kindle, because I can't go a week without something to read.

How about you? Do you have any books you are hoping to read this summer? How about vacations? Are you planning on going anywhere? Tell me about it. I'd love to hear from you!

New Adult Summer Reads

Written by Suzanne Rock/Ava Conway

If you're anything like me, then when the weather gets warmer you sart thinking about doing more things outside. One of my favorite summer pastimes is sitting out on my deck with a good book. Right about this time of year, I look to fill up my Kindle with some great reads to keep me busy during those lazy days when school is out and the weather is perfect for lounging with a good book.

It's this type of thinking that inspired me and a bunch of other authors to do a large-scale promotional campaign to promote our new and upcoming New Adult releases. We're calling it the "Top Ten" list of New Adult reads for the summer of 2014. On June 2nd, we plan to take to the internet using our blogs and newsletters to help promote our new releases. We're also using a new social media tool called a "thunderclap" and this, my friends, is where you can become a part of the action.

So, what is a THUNDERCLAP?

Basically, you set up a campaign and ask people to join. The campaign can be to promote a contest, a book, a special sale, or anything at all. The lowest amount of people you can have in your campaign is 100, but if your promotion is popular enough, you can have thousands of people signed up to help you with your cause.

After you set up your campaign, its time to promote it through the usual channels on social media. If you meet your goal of “clappers,” or people signed up for your campaign, then on a designated date and time, your campaign will go live. Hundreds of people will tweet your promotional status update at the same time, causing it to rise above the twitter noise and get it trending.

At least, that’s what happens in an ideal world. :) Sometimes you can’t get enough people to join. When that happens, the “thunderclap” fizzles, the campaign is a bust, and you are out of luck. Then again, the service is free, so you really have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

Well, the BASIC service is free. There are add-ons you can pay for to speed things up and streamline the process, but if you just want to try it out–it’s free.

So, here is where you can go to sign up for our THUNDERCLAP. I’d love it if you’d help support us! Some, like mine, are on sale. (Hollow is normally $4.99, but my publisher lowered the price to $1.99 for a limited time.)

Oh, and here is where you can go to learn more about these books.

Thanks in advance for your help!

~ ~ SUZANNE'S MAY RELEASES ~ ~

Price: $2.99

When Jenna Sanders leaves her dead end job and accepts a management position at exclusive spa on the island of Eden, she hopes to put the past behind her and move on with her life. Unfortunately, the past refuses to be buried, and when she discovers that her sexy boss is her former lover, old wounds reopen and shake the walls she has so carefully built around her heart. Caine is offering her everything she’s ever wanted, but can she trust him? As they rekindle their passion in the bedroom, secrets rise up from Eden’s waters and threaten to tear them apart. Only by diving deeper can they move forward, and Jenna must decide if she is willing to risk her heart for a second chance at love.

Buy it from Amazon (Kindle)  Barnes and Noble (Nook), Kobo, Google Play, All Romance Ebooks,  Coffee Time Romance or Smashwords.

Buy it in PRINT from Createspace or Amazon.

Price: $3.99

After months of living with a biker gang in Rio, Manuel recruits a feisty heiress named Reya to help him unite the shifter tribes living in the Amazon jungle and drive the humans from their home. Their passion for freedom turns into lust for each other, and after a hot night of sex, he fantasizes about telling her all of the kinky secrets he learned during his time in Rio. Unfortunately, Manuel could never give the sexy Reya so much power over him, for if she knew his secrets, she could single handedly destroy everything he had worked so hard to gain.

In Manuel, Reya sees an escape from her routine and oppressive lifestyle. She loves to push his buttons, but as she starts to peel back the complex layers of his personality, she starts to change her views about the world—and herself. The more she learns about the sexy off-road motorcyclist, the more intrigued she becomes, and as their connection deepens, she hopes that their fragile relationship won’t fall victim to the deep-rooted prejudice and war that will result from their indiscretions.

Buy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Google Play.

Spicy and Sweet, Mixing Up the Heat - #Hollow Free Esampler

So much has been going on with me in the writing world. Most of it only impacts things behind the scenes, so I wouldn't bore you with it here. What I will tell you about is something very exciting that I learned only a few, short weeks ago.

My mainstream romance alter-ego, Ava Conway, is going to have the first three chapters of her debut, new adult novel, Hollow, in a FREE esampler. This esampler will also have some chapters from other popular new adult authors. At the end of each book sample, links are provided so readers can purchase the rest of the story if they want to learn what happens next. (Hollow won't officially go up for sale until August, but you can preorder it here.)

As you can imagine, I was very excited about this opportunity. There are so many great authors in this sampler! I was a little star struck by some of the names, lol. Unfortunately,  it meant that the editing timeline  for Holow had to be condensed so I could have my part of the esampler ready on time. As a result, I've been doing a lot of editing behind the scenes, hoping to get things ready for the big release day May 1st. (That's tomorrow!)

Are you curious about the esampler? You can check out TORTURED LOVE here. As you can see, I'm with some great new adult authors who write a wide variety of heat levels. This makes me wonder...will the esampler go over well with readers? My story has a sex scene, but it isn't very explicit (hence the different pen name). Other authors are much more graphic, and would probably be more in line with what Suzanne writes.

This topic hits a little close to home for me, because I've been talking to other authors this past week about possibly putting out a boxed set that has multiple heat levels. While none of the stories would have closed door sex scenes, some would be much more explicit than others.

Would something like that interest readers? The authors I spoke with aren't sure. Heck, I'm not sure, so I thought I'd bring the question here to see what readers think. So, let me know...are multiple heat levels okay for boxed set releases? How about esamplers? Tell me about it in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you!

And here's the blurb for Hollow, in case anyone is interested:

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Disaster in this thrilling and sexy debut novel, in which a college student learns her perfect life is a lie and finds new love where she least expects it—a mental institution.

Freaks, misfits and psychopaths. Those are the kinds of people found at Newton Heights Psychiatric Hospital, and high-society girl Lucy White’s new home.

Freaks, misfits and Jayden McCray. Jayden has his own set of rules for life at Newton Heights, and in this contradictory guy Lucy finds a way to live with the events that left her cheating boyfriend and best friend dead and Lucy in the middle of the investigation into their demise.

The problem? Jayden makes her want things she’s not supposed to have, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and making Lucy feel more at home in Newton Heights than she ever did at home. But this isn’t how her life is supposed to be.

Or is it?