Progress Report (And A New Collection Coming Soon!)

Things are finally moving forward for this author! The printed proofs are finally on the way for Midnight Sky, now that I know the limitations of Scrivener for print formatting. So note to anyone thinking about buying a paperback for Midnight Sky– you get some bonus content! I'll go more into it when I officially launch my new website next week. It will likely happen Monday (possibly Tuesday, depending on some other tweaks I want to do), and it's come together really well. The newsletter signup isn't quite ready yet (though I can't wait to do that), and the shop isn't ready, but I'm still very excited about its look. The blog will stay up to redirect traffic, but nothing new will be posted.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Midnight Sky promotions starting in July. I'm really excited for this novel and have heard some good feedback from early reviews, so hopefully the pre-order sales will go up. *hint hint wink wink nudge nudge look below*

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Media Kit

Chapter One

Preorder Links

Kindle | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads

If you're a book blogger/reviewer interested in reading Crimson Sky and/or Midnight Sky, you can enter the signup sheet below! 

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

Now, updates on the new projects, since there's quite a bit. First, I'm super excited to announce that I'll be working with the wonderful team at Mocha Memoirs Press again. I was ecstatic when they emailed me with news that the four short stories I have published with them– Call From The Grave, Hotel Hell, Lost Sky, and the upcoming Engineered Deceit– will be put together in a single collection! I've always wanted to do this, and to have it offered is nothing short of awesome. The collection will be called The Shadow Omnibus and is scheduled for an early September release in both ebook and paperback. I can't wait to see the result!

That's the most I have to say for now. I'm a little stuck in a scene for The Iron Gargoyle and might want to sneak a few minutes of editing in for Storm of the Gods before I have to go to the Real Job. There will be a couple more posts on the blog before I move to my new website, so stayed tuned for a little while longer!
Cheers!
Amy

Weekly Recap (Upcoming Plans And New Website Coming Soon!)

I wish I could say I was very productive last week, but the major stuff I wanted to do wasn't accomplished. Mostly because I'm having issues with it. Of course they're little simple things that must have an easy fix I'm just not seeing *frowns*. That said, I still managed to get some goals crossed off, or at least started:

• Format Midnight Sky for print and order author copies

• Plot remaining books for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
• Continue writing The Iron Gargoyle, the first Iron Gargoyle novel

• Beta read edits for Storm of the Gods  (Finish them up)
• Formal edits and minor tweaking for Storm of the Gods (Finish them up)
• Make list of publishers accepting new authors and sending queries for Storm of the Gods 
• Look through Scrivener tutorials and begin working from there

And here's what I want to do this week, bullets one and two being the most important:

• Format Midnight Sky for print and order author copies
• Complete and launch website

• Plot remaining books for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
• Minor plot alterations and continue writing The Iron Gargoyle

• Edit Storm of the Gods 
• Make list of publishers accepting new authors and sending queries for Storm of the Gods 

I'm still going to promote Damnation's Door, though the tours I had going on have winded down, though I recently did my first ever character interview, which was even more fun than I thought it would be. Recently, I've been using Kindle and Kobo's services to promote my books, which is a trial and error thing I need to get better at. 

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I fully completed a book series. How crazy is that? I definitely learned a lot from the Cursed series and couldn't be happier that I put in the effort to see it through to the end. 

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...

Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

Media Kit

Chapter One

Buy it here:

Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Nook | iBookstore |  Goodreads | Smashwords 

***

As things wind down with Cursed and Damnation's Door, I'm turning my energies to Dark Sky and the upcoming sequel, Midnight Sky.

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Media Kit

Chapter One

Preorder Links

Kindle | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads

I've heard very positive feedback so far, but if you're a book blogger/reviewer interested in reading Crimson Sky and/or Midnight Sky, feel free to enter the sign-up sheet below! 

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

Looking at those covers rocks my world, and I can't wait to see what they'll look like when they're placed next to the prequel novellas in the fall and the final novel next year. 
Now, onto the news. I've been keeping it under wraps for a couple months, but I should let frequent readers of the blog know that I'll be moving to a brand new website *hopefully* at the end of the month. I'm familiar with Blogger and it's been working so far, but the simple fact is that I have a new novel I want to send out in another month or two. I want to show publishers that I take my career seriously, and what better way than to have a crisp new website? I'm using Wordpress and while it's been throwing me for some loops (seriously, it should not be that hard to make more than one drop down menu under the main header!), I love the way the site is coming together. I don't know if they'll be on their when the site launches, but I'll be working on setting up a mailing list with occasional, exclusive bonuses for those who sign-up, and an online shop for readers to buy my books. However, I intend to spend less time blogging and focus on my writing. I won't continue doing weekly/month recaps or Thursday posts (GIAM bloggers, you'll get the basics). That said, when something big happens, it will go on the blog, and I'll likely continue with review posts and will definitely keep up with Weekend Writing Warriors. 
I've started the edits for Storm of the Gods, which will need way more work than even I expected. That said, I'm looking forward to working with the new world and have so far been very impressed with my new editor. I'm hoping this new series goes far, and will be working hard to give it all the promotion and spotlight it deserves, regardless of whether it gets accepted by publishers or not. I'm hoping that will be the case *dreams about writing as a full-time hybrid author* but if not, then Storm of the Gods will be written, fully edited, and potentially formatted for a new release in 2017. I'm even thinking about adding graphics to the chapter pages. I know– it'd be pretty cool. 
Also gaining ground is The Iron Gargoyle, another new post-apocalyptic urban fantasy series that will go through the same process Storm of the Gods and the Areios Brothers series is currently undergoing. I recently discovered that I needed to alter the world history and therefore my plot, but thankfully it hasn't really affected what I've written so far. Still, the sooner I make the changes, the better and stronger the story will be.
So that's what I have coming up! I'm really hoping to have at least the paperbacks for Midnight Sky or the final version of my website finished today. It's killing me that I have to do all that boring stuff when I'm actually aching to write, but I do need to prioritize my time, and both of those tasks have been nagging me for weeks, and the sooner I have them done, the more time I'll have for my writing! Which means I need to get to work! 
Cheers!
Amy

Sunday Snippet: "Don’t do that again.”

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly blog hop where indie authors get to share 8-10 sentences from their current/upcoming release or work in progress. I'm still posting from my newest release, Damnation's Door, the last book in the Cursed trilogy, which has been going crazy with the blog tours I have set up with the generous help of XPresso Book Tours and En Pointe Author Services. Last week was full of action, so this week I thought I would tone it down a notch and add some romance. In this scene, main character Constance is sulking from the aftermath of her fight and the exasperation it drew from her friends. She expects her lover Warrick to do the same, but...

Instead of berating me, Warrick slipped onto the staircase with me and opened his arms. I stayed in place, but let him curl his arms around my back and pull me against his chest. The moment I felt the warmth of his body and inhaled his musky pine scent, I began to relax. I started to feel safe, comfortable, loved.

In the three weeks we had been together, Warrick had shown me more kindness and compassion than Mateo had done in two years. Clearly my choice in men had improved.

“Don’t do that again,” he whispered into my hair. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...

Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

Media Kit

Chapter One

Buy it here:

Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Nook | iBookstore |  Goodreads | Smashwords 

I'm going to take some time next week to do more promoting for the Cursed trilogy as a whole, but I also need to take some time and prepare my next release, which I know some people are anxious for: Midnight Sky, the second Dark Sky novel coming August 2, 2016. But rejoice! The buy links and a new teaser image are below!

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Media Kit

Chapter One

Buy it here:

Kindle | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | iTunes | Goodreads

And if all that wasn't enough, there are open giveaways and sign ups for both Damnation's Door and Midnight Sky:

The Bookish Crypt Damnation's Door and Cursed series giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sign Ups:

Book Blitz for Damnation's Door
Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damnation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

In writing news... I have a lot going on. The Beta edits for Storm of the Gods are back, and I'm sending them to an editor to look over. I'm eager to get back into those books and tinker around before I take the big leap at the end of the month and send them to publishers. Writing the first draft of The Iron Gargoyle is also going really well. As in "holy crap I love this story and these characters why do I need a Real Job I want to do this all day for forever!" *breathes* Finally, I'm going to tackle Scrivener for print. I was lucky earlier this week when a guest who frequents my Real Job gave me the best tip I've ever gotten. Long story short: Last week, we talked for easily twenty minutes about our love of books and my writing career and Writers Tears Irish Whiskey. A couple days ago, I saw him again and not only did he give me a file to read on Scrivener and a writing app that will connect to it, he gave me a mini bottle of the very whiskey I wanted to try!  

Has anyone from WeWriWa ever tried this? I'm not much of a whiskey drinker. Gin and tonic is my drink of choice. Speaking of WeWriWa, be sure to check out the other Weekend Writing Warrior websites and leave them some love in the comments. I guarantee you'll find a new genre and author to spark your interest. 
Cheers! For once, I can take that literally!

Amy

Cover Reveal: MIDNIGHT SKY

The time has come! I've been teasing at it for a while, but today is the day I reveal the cover of Midnight Sky, the second novel in the Dark Sky series. Are you ready? I know I am!

10.
9..
8...
7....
6.....
5......
4.......
3........
2.........
1..........

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Preorder Links (More on the way!)

Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords | Goodreads

I'm not kidding when I say the cover Deranged Doctor Design put together couldn't be more perfect. The colours are what I'd hoped for, the key is perfect, and the metal background is identical to how I picture it. Why is the background so important, you ask? Well, you'll just have to preorder the book and find out!

I wish I were a little more prepared with the media kits and chapter sample, but Real Life and new tactics have made it difficult to keep pace with all I want to do. Rest assured though, I will have more links and an updated Dark Sky page by the end of this week. In a few hours I'm going on a delayed long weekend vacation, but I would love to hear feedback on the cover! Major, massive thank you's to all the blogs that took part and to Janet of En Pointe Author Services for helping set it up.

Cheers!

Amy

Weekly Recap (And MIDNIGHT SKY Synopsis Reveal!)

Busy busy busy! Those were my words of the week. I honestly didn't sleep well at all last week, but I'm hoping that today will be a little more relaxing. I got most of my goals finished last week, though!

• World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series

• Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods 

• More promotions for Storm Born

• Begin promotions for Damnation's Door/Cursed series and book reviews/spotlights

• Quick edits for Dark Sky novellas, then send to Beta readers

• Continue to work on new website (a slow moving project happening when I decide I have time)

Since I got the edits back for Midnight Sky, I'm going to focus on those for the next couple days so I can get that part over with and move onto the bane of my existence, formatting. This week's goals are:

• Edit Midnight Sky
• Midnight Sky media kit and pre-order setups
• Format Midnight Sky

• World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)

• Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods 

• More promotions for Storm Born

If you swung by my blog yesterday for Weekend Writing Warriors/8Sunday, you might have heard me mention that I'm going to reveal the official synopsis for Midnight Sky, set to be released August 2. Since the cover is on its way (excited squeal) and pre-order links are *hopefully* coming next week, I think now's a suitable time to share the official synopsis of the second Dark Sky novel...

***

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices… 

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

***

What do you think? I can tell you that I'm super excited about Midnight Sky. I had a great time writing it and hope that it will live to the standards I set in Crimson Sky. 

I've still got some promos surrounding Storm Born, as well as opportunities for bloggers interested in promoting new books:

Giveaways:

Goodreads | The Bookish Crypt |

 Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for the Cursed series

Book Blitz Sign up for Damnation's Door
Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

Now, writing news. While my priorities are shifted to Midnight Sky for the time being, I'm still working on the second Areios Brothers novel. I'm about halfway through, and am hoping to have it done by the end of the month/mid June so I can move onto The Iron Gargoyle. I'm at the point in the story where I need to actually know more about the world and its history, and as much as I want to, I haven't had the time to dedicate to writing out the details I need. Between writing, preparing for two more releases, and the Real Job, I have to prioritize. Sucky, I know, but such is life. Still, I know that if I suck it up and do the work, I'll have more time to dedicate to my novels and the work I really love. Wow, it really must be a Monday.

Stay tuned for more details on upcoming work! Cheers!

Amy

Weekly Recap

Last week was crazy for writing... And I loved every second of it. I got to release a new book, continue writing one that I love, played around in the new world for another new series, and planned ahead for future novels. I achieved all my goals, though they're not *really* complete...

• World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series

• Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods 

• More promotions for Storm Born

• Begin promotions for Damnation's Door and book reviews/spotlights

Still, I'm glad I was able to get through everything, and tacking on some projects with approaching due dates. I swear, I live by my calendar. So while most of my goals are going to remain the same because I have to expand on them, I'm hoping to get a couple other things done:

• World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series

• Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods 

• More promotions for Storm Born

• Begin promotions for Damnation's Door/Cursed series and book reviews/spotlights

• Quick edits for Dark Sky novellas, then send to Beta readers

• Continue to work on new website

Yup, all of that is on my plate this week, and it's going to be a short one for sure. Real Life catches up with you when you least expect it, so I think I'm only going to have time for promotions and editing/emailing. I do want to work on the second Areios Brothers novel, but I'm at a phase where I'm integrating some of the old novel into the new, and unfortunately I can't work on it away from my house. With my free time, I've been writing some of my other new series, Iron Gargoyle. I actually started the second chapter not too long ago, and I love it so far. 

But my priority is of course my new release!

A single night can change your life… for the worst.

It’s been a century since the last Centennial Storm, the calamitous phenomenon that covered the world in disasters– tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, and dust storms– caused not by nature, but by alien creatures from another realm. The Stormkind.

Ava Reid tries not to think about that night, when she was caught in a hurricane and brought face to face with one of the Stormkind, the man with a dagger, and the agony she felt when he stabbed her with a crystal blade. Yet as she and the rest of Florida’s citizens begin to rebuild their lives, Ava can’t help but notice strange things happening around her. Things she seems to be causing. The gusts of wind and sudden floods attract the attentions of a mysterious stranger who leaves her clues, and the deadlier men following her.

It isn’t long before Ava is swept up into a wild conspiracy, led by a secret society that knows the truth about the Stormkind– and what their enemies have planned for the world she loves. If she wishes to protect her friends and her family, Ava must harness her strange new abilities and become part of the Stormkind society. Because if she loses control, there will be no force strong enough to stop her…

Buy it here:

Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Createspace | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Smashwords | iBookstore | BookLikes | NoiseTrade | Bublish |

Reviews:

Ramblings of an Awkward Anastasia | The Blonde Bookworm | We Said It | The Bookish Crypt | One Book Two | Boundless Book Reviews | 

Giveaways:

Goodreads | The Bookish Crypt |

***

It's so thrilling to have another standalone novel written and published. I love this feeling, and am eager to see it continue in the coming months. I've gotten great feedback on Storm Born so far, and couldn't be happier with the enthusiasm surrounding it, given how nervous I was about the release.

So I'll be riding the book-release-high for a while, though I'll have to bring attention to the other two major releases I have coming up this year. I decided to work with XPresso Book Tours and En Pointe to help me schedule book tours, reviews, and the like, since it takes a lot of time and I can only send so many emails in a day. I'm super excited about the blitzes and tours for Damnation's Door and the Cursed series, as well as for  Midnight Sky, the second Dark Sky novel. There are already a bunch of sign ups that anyone with a book blog or love of books can sign up for!

 Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for the Cursed series

Book Blitz Sign up for Damnation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

I've also got a lot of editing coming my way. The edits for Midnight Sky should be back in the next few weeks (along with the cover!), and I need to prepare the Beta edits for Amber Sky and Smoke Sky, the two prequel novellas for the Dark Sky series. It will be interesting to see how the stories hold up, since I haven't looked at them since I finished my initial drafts last year. 

And that's what's going on! I'm really excited to continue with all these projects and improve as an author. Hopefully I can find a way to clear off most of that list! 

Cheers!

Amy