Category: Reading

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

During Memorial Day week, from the 22nd to 29th of May, more than 70 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their book royalties to their favorite charities.

Once again, I will be participating in the Vets Give Back charity challenge, this time for Memorial Day. My organization of choice is Helping Paws, a local organization that has a pilot program to provide veterans with service dogs. I am pledging $100 as a baseline PLUS all royalties I earn for the week.

While I will donate all royalties, my pledge book is The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath because of its military theme.

Fine Art_blue

MacKenna’s mother died when she was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.

Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother—who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.

While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns—with a life-threatening secret of his own.

If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?

Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Print

Be sure to check out all the books on the challenge site. There is something for everyone. And if you’re a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, you can even give for free by borrowing many of the authors’ books. So you can donate and grow your to-be-read pile all at once!

Happy reading and thank you!

YA Spring Fling Blog Hop with H.S. Stone

The YA Spring Fling is still going strong and there’s plenty of time to enter the giveaway. Want to know what you might win? Well, keep reading to learn a little more about one of the authors, H.S. Stone.

YA Spring Fling med

What’s your favorite thing about spring?

The fact that it’s not winter anymore! Cold weather and I don’t get along very well.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

I love coming up with new story ideas. I’ve been inspired by dreams, books that I read, or just from taking a walk. Whenever a good idea hits me, I write it down in a notebook. As a result, I can’t wait to finish my current manuscript because there are so many new ideas beckoning me!

What’s the worst thing about being a writer?

For me, the revision process is the most painful part of creating a book. After the first draft, I’ll go over my manuscript several times before sending it to an editor, and by then, I’m usually sick of reading my story.

Tell us more about your books.

I write young adult speculative fiction. About half of my books can be classified as dystopian or post-apocalyptic, while the remaining ones fall in the realm of science fiction or fantasy.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee, but I also like tea. I like coffee-flavored anything: ice cream, cake, candy, etc.

Plotter or Pantser?

I used to be a plotter, but now I’m somewhere in between. I start out each story by writing an outline, and while I try to follow it when I write the first draft, the characters invariably lead me in a different direction. I then revise the outline to match and continue with the draft, iterating when needed until I’ve completed the story.

Are there any books involved in the YA Spring Fling that you’re secretly lusting after?

Oh yes, there are several! But since I’m secretly lusting after them, I won’t reveal which ones. I think there are lots of great books being offered, and I’m grateful to be part of it.

What are your top tips for surviving a bad review?

Remember that everyone has an opinion, and even the best books aren’t for everyone. Re-read your positive reviews to remind yourself that there are readers who enjoyed what you wrote.

What are your top tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse?

Zombieland provided some very useful tips, so I’ll refer to that list: http://www.zombielandrules.com/.

Remember the double tap.

Where can readers find your books?

You can find a full list of my books from my website with links to the retailers that carry them:

H.S. Stone’s books

 

YA Spring Fling! Win books, swag, and more!

It’s here! The YA Spring Fling! Enter to win a whole bunch of books: print, e-books, and audio. There’s swag and other prizes as well.

The giveaway is open between now and April 3rd, so head on over and win some books!

YA Spring Fling Logo

 

 

For Valentine’s Day: The Burden of So Many Roses in audio

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! The Burden of So Many Roses is now in audio over at Toasted Cake.  Having a bad day? Well, have a listen. It could be much, much worse.

roses

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the best in category

The Kindle Countdown Deal for The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is wrapping up. If you want to grab a copy for 99 cents, you have about a day and a half to do so. Also, maybe this just happened:

bestseller

 

So. Yeah. That was fun. Otherwise, I had a good writing week of about 1,000 words a day, and a good writing month as well. I’d love to inch that monthly word count up to 40,000. I don’t have that far to go, so we’ll see.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 7,554 words
    Monthly total: 37,377 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Fine Art_bluePick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents. It’s also available in print.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MazeThe Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future! But hurry. This one ends in a day and a half too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now and Later ebook coverIf you’re in a short story sort of mood, you can pick up eight young adult short stories in one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Two countdown deals and a new release

That’s right. Two countdown deals this week and a new release. Why? Because I can? Because I’m crazy? You pick.

Fine Art_blueYou can pick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents this week. It’s also available in print.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The MazeAnd, just for fun, The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now and Later ebook coverLast, I have a new/old release out. I’ve compiled all my published young adult short stories into one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with incriminating evidence

issue-004-cover-smallNot as much writing this week, but I’m not turning up my nose at ~4,000 words either. I also did the page layout for a +300 page book in Adobe InDesign. That … takes time.

I received my gift card and a very nice note from the women at WOW, Women on Writing for my honorable mention. Plus, I sent the story on its way again.

Issue #4 of Fantasy Scroll Magazine is out and it includes my story Incriminating Evidence (links below). So all in all? Not a bad week.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 4,393 words
  • Page layout +300 pages

Submissions:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies 

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Weekly writing check-in: the one at the end of November

More proofing this week, revising, and other whatnot. Even so, I managed to eke out 3,200 words. I mentioned at the start of the month that I wanted to do the equivalent of National Novel Writing Month, or 50,000 words. I ended up with 30,000, which considering I switched gears and did a few other things during this month, isn’t too bad.

Switching gears like … organizing a promotion for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet (see links below). Between now and December 14th, I’m having a 99 cent sale on the electronic version. Or! If you buy the paperback via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free.

So? November? You didn’t turn out too shabby at all. I think I’ll keep you.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 3,200 words
  • Revising, editing, proofing, oh my!

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

None, but! The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is now on sale! If you buy the print version via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free. Just in time for the holidays. Buy early, buy often.

Print, Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo

Keeping Quiet

Weekly writing check-in: the one with a stretch goal

ProudtobeVol3

Oh, but it’s cold out there, what we call real writing weather. Because what else are you going to do but stay inside and write? (Or read–that’s acceptable.)

My submission tracker is looking mighty thin these days. That being said, I have made fifty submissions so far this year, so that’s not exactly slacking. As I mentioned in last week’s post, I concentrating more on longer works or ones that don’t quite fit with the short story market, and I will find other ways to send them off into the world.

Still, I’d love to get a few more submissions out this year, and I have a couple of stories that need a once-over before I send them out the door.

In other news, Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 3 is out. It’s in paperback only. I wish they’d publish an electronic version as well (I bet they’d sell more copies that way).

Looking at my writing this week, I realized that I’m 14,000 words away from 250,000 words written this year. New goal! Dare I add a stretch goal of 300,000 words? Maybe … maybe I will.

Writing Work:

  • Writing ~ 8,500 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Abandonment Issues

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Veteran’s Day 2014 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

Keeping QuietToday’s the day! You can read more about the challenge below and follow the link to see all the books available. Get a jump on your holiday shopping!

Below are the links for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. I’m donating royalties from all sales, print, e-book, and audio, so buy early, buy often. I will be donating to Veterans in the Arts, a local organization.

Plus, if you buy the print version via Amazon, you can pick up the Kindle version for 99 cents.

Print, Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo

Audio: Amazon, Audible, iTunes

Veterans Day 2014 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

On Veterans Day 2014, 50 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their print, e-book and audio book royalties to their favorite veteran’s charity. In most cases, these are organizations that assisted the authors personally and they are trying their best to give back.

Veterans from each service branch and every conflict period, from Vietnam to even one author deployed to Afghanistan at this moment, are pledging. This diverse collection of works includes New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers and covers most genres. From romance to action-adventure and everything in between, there’s something for every taste here!

The ultimate goal of this event is to raise at least $10,000 for the 15+ veterans charities they’re supporting. If you aren’t interested in any of the books available, they have a page set up ranking the money raised for each charity and spotlighting bonus donations here. Whether you contribute to the best performing or the least performing, either way your donation will be put to good use!

The complete collection of participating books and charities can be found here:

Veteran’s Day 2014: Gone, but Not Forgotten!