Men and Monsters is now in the editing stages, and I’ll have eARCs and paperback ARCS available months before publication.
And I have decided to give eARCs to everyone who has reviewed Kingdom of Ashes on Goodreads!
The rules are very simple: Continue reading
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…
So, let’s look at the changes one by one: Continue reading
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
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.
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! ❤
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
Congratulations to Ciro, who won a signed Kingdom of Ashes paperback, sighed character cards, and more!
To 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:
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! ❤
The Men and Monsters cover is out! Go to Betwixt the Pages to check it out and come back to tell me what you think :D:D
And don’t forget to enter the Giveaway! You can win a signed Kingdom of Ashes paperback and more!
Just 3 days left until the Men and Monsters cover reveal at Betwixt the Pages!
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!
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! ❤
Check out my interview at The Genre Minx Book Reviews 🙂
I have been most pleased to have been introduced to up and coming author Elena May. I have had the pleasure of reading her debut novel, Kingdom of Ashes, that has recently been published and I wanted to do this post so that you would also have the opportunity to learn more about Ms. May. I enjoyed reading Kingdom of Ashes and you can read my review here.
Q. Tell us a little about yourself, what do you want us to know about you?
I’ve always been obsessed with books. When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was read 24/7, and I was very annoyed when my parents made me do boring things, such as, you know, playing outside with the other children. 😀 On some days, I was even happy I had hay fever because I could use…
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