Cover reveal: Infiltrator (Contributor trilogy, book 2)

First, I owe some of you an apology. Several amazing people have read and reviewed Contributor and reached out to me to tell me how much they liked it. You've been waiting anxiously for the second book, and I took my sweet time getting it out. Truth is, I was scared to write it, but I made myself conquer that fear, and I'm excited about this book. I hope you will be too. I'm also making you this solemn promise: you will not have to wait nearly as long for book three. The first book I publish in 2014 will be a new adult romance, and after that I will publish the last Contributor book, so plan on a release in the first half of 2014.

Without further ado, here is the cover and description for Infiltrator. (Warning: If you haven't read Contributor, the description of Infiltrator is a little spoilery. Sorry, but it was unavoidable!)

Infiltrator will be available for Kindle on December 20, 2013.

YA post-apocalyptic/dystopian

Surviving her apprenticeship was just the first step. Now that Dara has joined the Free Thinkers, her life is about to become much more dangerous.

Frustrated by her seemingly pointless efforts to prove her worth to the Free Thinkers, she wonders if she made the right choice. Yet she can’t go back to her old life, can’t forgive Magnum for what it did to her mother. Then she discovers a crucial piece of intelligence: Andersen has been hard at work on a clandestine project that’s caught the attention of the Creators.

At last Dara is made a Free Thinker operative, trained and taught the truth about the Great Famine and its aftermath, but she must conceal her knowledge at all cost. Andersen must believe she’s no more than the sacrificial lamb he thinks she is.

But as the Creators’ interest in the project deepens, Dara is placed under surveillance and cut off from her Free Thinker lifeline. When she makes one last, desperate attempt at exposing his secret project, the repercussions are enormous.

Click here to add Infiltrator to your to-read shelf on Goodreads! 


Haven't read book one, Contributor, yet? Get yourself a Kindle copy here! And click here to add it to your to-read shelf on Goodreads.

 YA post-apocalyptic/dystopian

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.

This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.

But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.

Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves? 

Read it already? What do you think of the new cover and revamped blurb?

What's in Store for 2013

2012 was a great year for me, one that exceeded my wildest dreams. Confession time: I had this secret hope that I could sell 100 copies of my books in a year. Well, as of  December 29, 2012, I've hit 1,000 sales (and this doesn't include borrows) and counting! To say I'm happy and excited about this is the understatement of the century.

I've made some rookie mistakes and learned a lot in 2012, so I'm going into 2013 feeling like I finally have some idea of what I'm doing. That's been great, because it's helping me to focus and set some good, solid goals. So, here is what I'm looking to accomplish in 2013:

1. More books: First will be Asleep, book two in the Fairytale Collection., followed by Infiltrator, the second book in the Contributor series. I'm also going to try my hand at an 8-episode romantic comedy serial. I have most of it outlined and I'll share more details once I'm closer to having it ready for publication. Other possibilities: a companion book to Phoning It In that will focus on one of the secondary characters and another novella in the Creators sequence, which takes place prior to Contributor.

2. Expanded distribution: when my exclusivity period lapses with some of my works, I'm going to expand to other markets, such as Kobo and Barnes & Noble. I've had limited success with these in the past, but I want to give them another shot because I really dislike the idea of restricting the outlets where my readers can get my books.

3. Mailing list: I'm planning on quarterly newsletters with exclusives for members: giveaways, access to extended excerpts, etc. I'll also use the mailing list to alert readers of new releases. One thing I will never do: spam my readers. Ever.

4. Author website: This blog is limiting, and I'd like to have a central presence on the web for my bibliographies, blog posts, etc. I'm also the author of a fairly popular work of fanfic, and I think I'm going to out myself and host the fanfic on my site. In addition, I have ideas for some fun stuff: short daily stories, a forum for interacting with readers and getting feedback that will influence the way serials pan out, etc.

5. Social media presence: Though I'm still planning on Tweeting, pinning things that interest me on Pinterest, and posting to FB, I'm going to be devoting most of my efforts to Google+ and Goodreads, as I feel that these are the outlets that allow me to best interact with readers. I'm a big fan of Google+ Communities, and I'm thinking about dabbling in the Hangouts. As for Goodreads, well, I fell in love with that site a couple of years ago and use it daily as a reader, so it goes without saying that I love the idea of what I can do with it as an author.

6. Physical copies of my books: Several readers have expressed interest, and I'd love to offer the option to them. Since I already have covers for my books, I need to look into having these changed so they'll meet physical copy requirements. I've used several different cover designers, and I'm hoping to be able to negotiate with each of them so that I won't have to change any covers.

7. More group promotions: I love working with other authors and have found some amazing books thanks to my self-publishing journey. I already have one promo lined up for late January/early February, and I will try to participate in others throughout the year.

That's it for me! Thanks to all my readers for making 2012 such a memorable year for me. I wish you the best for health, happiness, and good fortune in 2013!