Men and Monsters Excerpt Reveal

/ Elena / 2 Comments

Hi everyone! As always, I’m observing my favorite Hobbit tradition of giving other people gifts on my own birthday. And here is my gift to you today: the first three chapters of Men and Monsters and the artwork for Part One!

The chapters below haven’t gone through proofreading yet. Any typos are expected to be fixed in the final version.

Men and Monsters is a direct sequel to Kingdom of Ashes. If you haven’t read Kingdom of Ashes yet, it would be better to go back and start there. You can find a free sample here.

Men and Monsters is split into four parts:

  1. Crossroads
  2. Dance with the Devil
  3. Birth of a Monster
  4. Red Dawn

Each part has a relevant vector graphic to go with it. See the artwork for the first part and read the first three chapters below the cut! Continue reading →

What’s up with the new rules for Goodreads Giveaways?

/ Elena / 4 Comments

Starting January 9, 2018, the Goodreads Giveaways rules are changing, and it makes me worried. Right now, the Goodreads Giveaways program is perfect and welcoming to all readers and writers, but the new rules have the potential to turn it into an exclusive club for a select few.

I honestly see no improvements, and the change seems designed to benefit Amazon, and, possibly, big publishers, but will ultimately end up hurting both readers and authors. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts and if anyone sees any bright side.

Let me preface this by saying I love Goodreads Giveaways, which is why I care so much about this. I’ve run multiple giveaways in the past, and they’ve given me the opportunity to connect with readers I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Also, I love gift-wrapping and mailing books and chocolates. Maybe a bit too much…

giveaway

So, let’s look at the changes one by one: Continue reading →

2017 Hugo Awards: Novellas

/ Elena / Leave a comment

A big day is coming up for fantasy and science fiction fans! Less than a month from now, Wolrdcon 75 is taking place in Helsinki, and, among other things, the Hugo winners will be announced. This is the first year I’m eligible to vote, and I’m taking it very seriously!

First of all, I’ve decided I’m not going to vote in any category where I’m not familiar with every single one of the nominated works. It just doesn’t seem fair that I vote for a book just because I’ve read it, without giving the others a chance.

So, as soon as I saw the voting deadline was this coming weekend, I knew I couldn’t go through all the novels. Sadly, I rarely get the time to read nowadays – in between working on Men and Monsters, writing a brand new book, a full-time career in an unrelated field, and some family stuff, my reading time is limited to public transport, flights, and, occasionally, reading while walking down the street, with nose stuck in a book, Belle-style. So the “Novels” category was out, but I could still go through the novellas, novelettes, and short stories.

And I’m so happy I decided to do it! All six novellas were by authors I’ve never read before, and now I can’t wait to dive into their other works!

Some overall thoughts on the nominees before I dive into the specific books:

– 5 out of 6 were weird. And I mean it in a good way! Continue reading →

It’s the season of gift giving!

/ Elena / Leave a comment

I’m in the mood for gift giving!

A couple of things have been happening:

1) Today, April 30th, Kingdom of Ashes celebrates its half-year anniversary. Time flies!

2) My birthday is coming up next Friday, May 5th. And, since I’m a huge Tolkien fan, I want to honor the Hobbit tradition of giving gifts to your guests on your own birthday.

What does this mean for you?

I’ve set up a giveaway for a signed Kingdom of Ashes paperback. The winner will also get exclusive character cards, fun bookish gifts, and, of course, chocolate.

Enter here!

Unlike Goodreads giveaways, where thousands of people enter, my giveaways are small and cozy and you have high chances of winning 🙂

Also, for those of you who haven’t read Kingdom of Ashes yet, but would like to, I’m giving away free ebooks between May 1 and May 30. Just message me your email and preferred format.

Happy reading! ❤

#LetsReadIndie 2017

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I posted this on my Goodreads blog a few days ago, but then I decided to repost it here as I love the idea so much and want to spread the word 🙂

Earlier this year I came across something I’d like to share with you. Two wonderful bloggers, RaeAnne and Tina, are hosting the #LetsReadIndie 2017 challenge, and you should check it out!

Why is it a great idea to participate in #LetsReadIndie?

1) You can discover great books you might miss otherwise. We often pick up the books we keep hearing about from multiple people. With indie books, chances are you won’t hear about them unless you are actively looking. But if you do look, you might end up discovering your next favorite book!

2) RaeAnne and Tina are offering badges, bingos, giveaways, and other goodies.

3) Indies need your support and will appreciate it! Your love matters.

Why and how can you help? Here are some of the challenges that indie authors face: Continue reading →

Goodreads giveaway goodies on the way!

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Congratulations to Ciro, who won a signed Kingdom of Ashes paperback, sighed character cards, and more!

giveawayTo be honest, I wasn’t planning another Goodreads giveaways until the book’s one year anniversary. Then I thought that maaaaaybe in the super unlikely case that 4,000 or more people enter the giveaway, I should really do another one.

How many do you think entered?

5,691

I’m humbled and blown away. And I’m sooo doing another Goodreads giveaway right now! It opens next week!

Okay, I realize the chances to win a Goodreads giveaways may be pretty slim. But you know what Giveaway is super easy to win? My much smaller and cozier Cover Reveal Giveaway! It’s open until Feb. 15th! And if you win, you’ll get not just a book, but also fun prizes, such as this bookish bag:gifts

Guys, have I mentioned I send chocolate with my books?

In case I haven’t, let me say it:

I SEND CHOCOLATE WITH ALL MY BOOKS!

None of the chocolates you see on the pictures are for me. They are all for YOU!

If you’re expecting goodies for me and can’t eat chocolate for whatever reason, please let me know and I’ll replace it by whatever you prefer!

Happy reading and good luck in the giveaways! ❤

Men and Monsters (Nightfall, Book 2) Cover Reveal coming in 3 days!

/ Elena / 6 Comments

Just 3 days left until the Men and Monsters cover reveal at Betwixt the Pages!

coverreveal

I’m really really happy with how the cover turned out, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!

To celebrate the reveal, I’m running a giveaway with fun prizes. Like all my giveaways, it’s open worldwide:

One lucky winner will receive:
– a signed paperback copy of Kingdom of Ashes
– two signed character cards (Armida and Prince Vladimir)
– a surprise selection of fun bookish gifts

Three more winners will receive:
– a signed character card of your choice
– an ebook copy of Kingdom of Ashes in your preferred format

Check out Betwixt the Pages on Feb. 2nd for more details!

In the meantime, I’ve been working on the flashback chapters in Men and Monsters (the rest is mostly done). I hope you liked Tristan’s backstory in Kingdom of Ashes because a lot of similar stuff is coming up.

Oh, and remember that part in Kingdom of Ashes when Vlad says, “I saw the Vikings sow fear throughout Europe and joined their nightly raids“?

We get to see it. I was planning just a short scene but then got super inspired. I hope you like Vikings — unless I do some major cutting during editing, we are stuck with lots of vikingy stuff!


vikingcat

 

 

Men and Monsters (Nightfall, Book 2) cover reveal coming in one month!

/ Elena / 4 Comments

Exciting news! I have the Men and Monsters cover, and I’ll be ready to share it with you very soon! The cover reveal is coming on February 2nd and is hosted by Betwixt the Pages. If you’re unfamiliar with the heap of penguiny goodness which is this book blog, you’re missing on so much.

To celebrate the reveal, I’ll be running a giveaway for a signed Kingdom of Ashes paperback, signed character cards, and other bookish gifts. Stay tuned for more!

Also, in case you missed it, Men and Monsters now has a draft blurb:

The stakes have changed. For fifty years, Prince Vladimir has tolerated the Resistance, but now they threaten what he holds dear. The vicious vampire will no longer hold back. A plan he has been working on for decades will finally reveal itself and entangle everyone standing on the way.

For the first time after the Nightfall, the Resistance holds a true bargaining chip. For the first time, they have a chance to tip the scales of the war and ensure humanity’s survival. But Myra has made a promise, and breaking it will destroy all that is human in her. She is loyal to the Resistance, but nothing is black and white. Long-buried secrets emerge, teaching her that vampires can be more honorable than humans, and humans can be more monstrous than the beasts.

A desperate nobleman, fighting to save a doomed culture. A reclusive poet, choosing art over immortality. A vampire, rejecting her raw nature. Past and present weave together in an action-packed tale of power games, hopeless fight for survival, and the indestructible human need to create art.

Happy reading! ❤

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