Friday, July 31, 2015

So You Want to Be an Indie Author?

Let's hear it for Alina Popescu!!!


Hello everyone!  A pleasure to be here on the blog of one of my favorite indie authors.  And that’s the key word in this exercise: author. Do I see myself as one? I am more comfortable saying I am a writer. Am I published? Yes, I self-published some books and shorts, and I also release gay fiction works through an independent publisher, Wayward Ink Publishing.
Why am I more comfortable saying I am a writer? Well, cause being a writer is the fun part. You write your stories and have fun with your characters. You follow what’s in your mind and heart and enjoy the creative aspect of your life.
Being an author? Now, that’s the real life thing. It’s like the difference between childhood and adulthood. You have to worry about editing, publishing, marketing, sales… All the real life stuff that happens after a story is completed. When you’re an indie, especially a self-published one, all of that real life stuff is mostly your responsibility.
Rewarding as it is, it’s still a tough endeavor. You’re vulnerable and open when you write, then you’re all fun, games, and thick skin when you take on your author persona. Yet it still is the best thing I ever had to be! And trust me, I went through a long corporate career before switching to writing and promoting books. I even was a tech support rep for about a year. That gives you perspective on a lot of things. Especially interaction with customers (translated to readers in the case of books).
Does it take special skills to be an indie author? Nothing other than those required to take the plunge and be published in any way. It does take passion, effort, and quite a lot of determination. What makes it better? The community, of course! Meeting amazing people every day, from authors and readers to editors and cover designers, models and photographers and… in some cases porn stars! Yup, that happens.

So a quick conclusion after about a year and a half where I’ve published three novels, a novella, and a few shorts? Totally worth it! In many, many different ways than I’ve originally imagined. So join the team, we want you!

Strength to let Go - by Alina Popescu


A little excerpt from wonderful Alina Popescu's Strength to let Go. Review  to come later (spoiler alert: I loved it!)

Also, Alina will be making an appearance later on today, so  don't miss it!



My swords swished through the air, making sharp sounds as they cut down thick branches. I glided in a tight circle, keeping the first attackers at a safe distance and slicing through them, one at a time. My muscles bulged and contracted, my grip changing as the blades danced around me, and I could feel the cold trickle of sweat down my arms, chest, and back.
They quickly figured out that too many of them meant too wide of a circle and they could not approach without poking each other’s eyes out, so they switched to attacking two or three at a time. I smirked and continued moving at the same pace, attacking just when they were counting on a defensive move, trimming down their numbers. Swordplay wasn’t something anyone but the Japanese practiced much these days. Everyone focused on close combat and making do with whatever they found nearby. That was a great strategy for times when you were surprised and needed to be confident in your victory. I supposed one wolf mocking your rules qualified for that, unless said wolf was me.
The last group approached, anger and murderous thoughts making their eyes burn. They had seen their pack-mates fall and I knew they wanted to tear me to pieces. They were going to do just that eventually, but I wasn’t planning on making it any easier for them. I wasn’t looking for an easy out. What I wanted was one last stand, one more chance to be the samurai I’d always seen myself as. Fight many, die with honor. Like my parents had done before me, I wanted to find my death on the battlefield. Sure, they hadn’t gone looking for their untimely demise, but then again, they’d been together until the moment they died. They’d only thought they’d have to face the world without the other and did the craziest things they could in that short amount of time.
As the last one got wounded badly enough to cease the fight, I placed each blade on one side and sat on the ground, my legs crossed in front of me. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, clearing my mind of the battle I had just survived and focusing on the next one. The second wave was getting closer, I felt it, and that some of them had already started shifting to their human forms, trying to find the best potential weapons, just like their tribe mates before them.
Not all the wolves that had been in the first attack had died. Some were just wounded and I saw them crawling away, dragging their bodies over the unfriendly terrain and away from me. If they had any brains, they’d use whatever energy they had to shift. It would still hurt like a bitch, but the wounds would heal faster. They might even get their chance at revenge before the fight was over.


If you liked this, you can see more here.










Strength to Let Go Blog Tour
Title: Strength to Let Go
Series: Tales of the Werewolf Tribes, Book One
Author: Alina Popescu
Genre: gay romance, paranormal, werewolves, paranormal romance, supernatural
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis


After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.
Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.
His death.
StrengthtoLetGo-smallpreview
Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.
Instead, he saves him.
Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.
Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.
Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?

Book Trailer



Buy Links


Don’t miss the Tickle Me Pink sale on the Wayward Ink Publishing site – 25% off all list prices till July 21st.
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/strength-to-let-go-by-alina-popescu/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B010ITT1VG/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-strengthtoletgo-1840807-145.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strength-to-let-go-alina-popescu/1122233801?ean=9781925222555

Giveaway


Prizes: $10 WIP Gift Card, 3 signed Bookmarks, and 1 ecopy of Strength to Let Go
a Rafflecopter giveaway

StrengthtoLetGo-banner3

About the author


Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
Social Links
Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+:  https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Guitars and Cages by Layla Dorine

Guitars and Cages Blog Tour
Title: Guitars and Cages
Author: Layla Dorine
Genre: gay fiction, urban drama, contemporary, M/M fiction
Length: Novel
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

My honest review:

To be honest, when I picked up this book, I didn't expect much. I loved the blurb, but I've read o ton of books which didn't live up to the expectations set by their description. I'm happy to say this was different.
I started reading, and what it seemed like a minute later, I was 250 pages in.
One of the things I liked the most about this is that it's not a love story, or not a typical one at least. The MC, Asher, is flawed, unlikable at times, but all his actions are justifiable. I could relate with him throughout the book. I laughed with him, cried with him, and hoped, despite his own doubts.
The story flows nicely, the characters are rounded and well written, and everyone has a purpose, a role in the book. There was the occasional missing word or repetition, but  these were few and far between.
This is a beautiful story, especially if you're looking for something different. I can say in all honesty that I can't wait for Layla's next book, not only because I fell in love with her writing, but because this book is a tough act to follow and I want to see if she can keep the bar this high. 





Synopsis


Asher Logan is a bartender and a pretty wicked guitar player, when he isn’t wrecking his hands fighting in a cage. With a past he keeps hoping to outrun, Asher’s been on a downward spiral for longer than he can remember. When his sister-in-law leaves Rory, his eight-year-old nephew, in his care, Asher is forced into two things he’s never been good at: sobriety and responsibility. As he struggles to care for Rory, his own life begins to unravel.
When Asher’s brother, Alex, turns up, presenting as a girl and announcing her new name is Alexia, it further complicates matters, as does the arrival of his new neighbor, Conner. Both, in their own way, compel Asher to look at his own closely-guarded views on sexuality.
Guitars and Cages by Layla Dorine
When the siblings’ older brother, Cole, reacts violently to Alexia, Asher is placed squarely in the middle of a family conflict which compels him to confront who he pretends to be versus who he really is.
Asher must choose who to trust and who to finally walk away from.

Buy Links


Don’t miss the Wayward Ink Publishing Tickle Me Pink Sale – 25% off all list prices!
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/guitars-and-cages-by-layla-dorine/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Guitars-Cages-Layla-Dorine-ebook/dp/B00YWD9PVQ/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Guitars-Cages-Layla-Dorine-ebook/dp/B00YWD9PVQ/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guitars-Cages-Layla-Dorine-ebook/dp/B00YWD9PVQ/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/Guitars-Cages-Layla-Dorine-ebook/dp/B00YWD9PVQ/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guitarsandcages-1838198-341.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guitars-and-cages-layla-dorine/1122098430?ean=9781925222463

Book Trailer



Giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prize: $20 WIP Gift Card and 1 ebook copy of Guitars and Cages

About the author


LAYLA DORINE lives among the sprawling prairies of Midwestern America, in a house with more cats than people. She loves hiking, fishing, swimming, martial arts, camping out, photography, cooking, and dabbling with several artistic mediums. In addition, she loves to travel and visit museums, historic, and haunted places.
Layla got hooked on writing as a child, starting with poetry and then branching out, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Hard times, troubled times, the lives of her characters are never easy, but then what life is? The story is in the struggle, the journey, the triumphs and the falls. She writes about artists, musicians, loners, drifters, dreamers, hippies, bikers, truckers, hunters and all the other folks that she’s met and fallen in love with over the years. Sometimes she writes urban romance and sometimes its aliens crash landing near a roadside bar. When she isn’t writing, or wandering somewhere outdoors, she can often be found curled up with a good book and a kitty on her lap.
Layla Dorine can be found at:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005197938547&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/layladorine
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/layladorine/

Guitars and Cages - by Layla Dorine

How about a short excerpt from Layla's wonderful Guitars and Cages story?


I scrubbed a hand down my face, tired. I wanted to go home. I drank the beer and he gave me another; didn’t take long for me to drink that, too. “So why the boobs?” I blurted out.
“Because I wanted them,” he said simply, handing me another beer to drain. “I never felt right as Alex; I never liked being a boy, looking like a boy. I wanted curves and breasts and hips. I like myself this way, Asher.Simple. I can’t help it if you don’t.”
“But I mean...” I scowled, ’cause I sucked at words and I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to ask or say first. “Why would you want people to point and laugh and stare?”
Alex shook his head. “They don’t; most don’t ever even notice.”
“That’s ’cause you make a wicked hot chick,” I muttered, and then blushed and glared as he had the nerve to giggle at me.
“You should know; you were checking out my ass on the steps of your apartment,” he said cheekily, and a part of me wanted to hit him.
“Yeah, but how the hell are you gonna get a job that way? I mean, don’t you gotta tell them you ain’t a girl? Don’t you gotta tell people who hit on you that you’re a guy? You’re gonna end up getting your ass kicked.”
He grinned, and I didn’t get what was so goddamned funny.
“Thanks,” he said, while I sat there confused. I finished my beer, and he shook his head and handed me another.
“I was thanking you for still giving a shit, doofus.”
“Do people even call each other doofus anymore, dork?”
His grin grew wider, and the next thing I knew he’d chucked a pillow at my head, spilling a bit of my beer on me.
“Oh, that’s it—that’s alcohol abuse,” I informed him before I guzzled the beer down, snatched up the pillow, and attacked.
“Hey!” he yelped as I thwacked him on the side of the head with it. “Ack!

I hit him a few more times as he fumbled for the other pillow, finally bringing it up as a shield. He wrapped my arm in a blanket, trapping it so he could beat me with his pillow for a bit before I could get free. I thwacked him with the pillow again; he socked me in the face with his, and we went back and forth until the pillow I’d thrown at his head smacked the lamp on the bedside table and sent it to the floor with a crash. My eyes got wide and so did his, and we knelt there on the bed, frozen like we were little kids again, waiting for Mom to come in. 

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Strength to Let Go - by Alina Popescu

StrengthtoLetGo-banner2
Title: Strength to Let Go
Series: Tales of the Werewolf Tribes, Book One
Author: Alina Popescu
Genre: gay romance, paranormal, werewolves, paranormal romance, supernatural
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Synopsis


After being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.
Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.
His death.
StrengthtoLetGo-smallpreview
Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.
Instead, he saves him.
Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.
Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.
Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?

Book Trailer



Pre-order Links


Don’t miss the Tickle Me Pink sale on the Wayward Ink Publishing site – 25% off all list prices till July 21st.
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/strength-to-let-go-by-alina-popescu/
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B010ITT1VG/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B010ITT1VG/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-strengthtoletgo-1840807-145.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strength-to-let-go-alina-popescu/1122233801?ean=9781925222555

Excerpt


Growling low, the sound vibrating into my chest, I stood up as the wolves I had been searching for flared in my mind’s eye. There were a few dozen that could reach me soon if they started running toward me. They would do just that, they just needed the proper motivation. I reached into the depths of my being, tapping into all the fae power Kieran and Kayden’s blood had regaled me with, and used it to spread my scent farther across the lands I had single-handedly invaded. I used the wind to bring the trail to them. I could feel their fur bristling as their nostrils flared with the foreign scent. Snarls and growls followed, then piercing howls, calling to each other and beckoning their pack mates, spurring them on to give chase and come find me.

I chuckled, knowing I’d finally accomplished my first task, getting the Siberian Killers to come to me. The rest would be much simpler. The enemy werewolves would only have to follow their ancient rules and kill every wolf that stepped foot on their territory. Rule breakers had to pay, and I had broken their one rule for foreigners. No better way to get yourself killed than getting ferocious killers all riled up.
StrengthtoLetGo-3Drender
I took another step forward, adjusting my grip on my swords and rolling my shoulders. I then tilted my head left and right, hearing my bones crack and set in place. I could feel the cold ground and fading grass under my feet, the wind blowing my hair out of my eyes, and hear the sounds of birds and small game running away from the path of the oncoming wolves. They’d reach me within minutes and my muscles tensed, adrenalin spiking and making my blood roar with excitement at the fast approaching fight. I let my head fall back and howled, a long, deep sound that made the forest around me go quiet for about a minute.
I knew my attackers had stopped in their tracks, raising their muzzles and sniffing the air. Disbelief was a strong ally in a grossly unmatched fight. I imagined they’d have a hard time understanding why a lone wolf who had just been caught on their territory would howl in challenge like that. I assumed the distance had also puzzled them. As they’d caught my scent, they had thought I’d be closer. Surprise, surprise!

About the author


Writer, traveler, and coffee addict, ALINA POPESCU has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
StrengthtoLetGo-banner3
Social Links
Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+:  https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu