Help MONARCH Win!

Hello, Lovelies!

Entries are now closed in the Authorsdb cover contest, and the first round of voting will close on Friday, October 23rd.

Please help Monarch win!  I would appreciate your vote so much!  And if you could share this post and invite others to vote, that would be divine!

Just click the gorgeous cover image below to go to the voting page.

Thank you so very much for your help!

I really do have the best, brightest, and most beautiful readers and fans in the universe!

~Belle

The Big Day Has Arrived! Firefly Book Blog Tour Begins!

So much swag! So much amazingness! 

So, it works like this. From March 15th - April 5th you have the chance to win the most super awesome prizes ever via Roflcopter. There will also be surprises, a scavenger hunt, a live Twitter session where fans pick and watch a movie with us, and the new Cicada book cover will be revealed! So many exciting things!

What you should do:

1. Check out more detailed information on our activities. 

2. Search all our blogs for eggs so you can win prizes!

3. Vote for what movie you want to watch with us!

4. Make sure to enter the ROFLCOPTERS below and keep coming back every day to increase your chances of winning!

And, as an extra, super special way to begin the tour I'm posting an exclusive first look at an excerpt of Firefly (oh my!!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Firefly Book Tour Prizes & Events Revealed!

I'm pleased to announce that we have picked out our prizes and decided on the blog tour events. We will have many interviews, reviews, two giveaways, tons of swag, a blog Easter egg hunt, and the reveal of the NEW Cicada cover! 

Swag includes: 1 Texas T-shirt, 1 I <3 Everett T-shirt, Signed Bookmarks, Signed Pamphlets, Cicada magnets, Blair + Everett Book Tote, Window Decals, Stickers, Electric Firefly Jar, and Signed Copies of Both Cicada and Firefly.

We will be accepting people to sign up for the tour up until March 10th. If you're interested, please fill out this form to participate.

To download your own promotional images, right click > save as in the following collection.

Special thanks to www.dryicons.com 

who created the Easter Egg and Bunny icons we will be using for the Hunt.

10 Ways to Stand Out as a YA Indie Author

No one said indie publishing was easy. And if they did, I'd be wary if they really knew what they were talking about.


What acclaimed indie-author Belle Whittington says: 

When LB approached me about co-writing this post, I thought it was a terrific idea. Not only because of the subject material, which is one of my most passionate obsessions, but mostly because I was excited about co-writing something with my very talented daughter. She and I have worked really hard together over the past year-and-a-half on promoting Cicada and Firefly and also promoting me as an author. We’ve learned a lot, to say the least. And, no doubt, we’ll learn a lot more over the next couple of years. However, LB wanted to share what we’ve learned so far, and she gave me the restriction of listing five tips to stand out as an indie author. I can’t tell you how difficult it is for me to smash this swarm of information that’s buzzing around inside my head into five tips. But, here goes!

LB's tips:

1. Be dynamic! Whether you want to come off as magical and sparkly or simplistic and minimal, you want your book and website design to be dynamic. It should not only capture your personality and your book's concept, the designs that represent you should be bold and follow the rules of design. 

If you're not familiar with design principles, start small. For instance, have your name bigger than your book title. That's a big no-no and takes away from your cover. Research what makes an eye-catching cover before you seek out a designer. Look around at other book covers and see what you like. Then bring those covers to the designer you pick so they know what you're looking for.

2. Mold your persona. Even as an indie author, you're still in the spotlight; more-so because you directly communicate with your readers. Brainstorm for a while and figure out what top two or three traits you want to be known for. Perhaps you want to be whimsical and kind like J.K. Rowling, sassy and out-going like Amanda Hocking, or maybe you are more of a recluse like J.D. Salinger.

Burning Stuff and Other Things I Shouldn't Do

It's been a while since I posted a blog... wait, I shouldn't start out like that. I hate when posts start out like that. Let's see, what should I say?

I'm refocusing the blog on reviews in general, not just books. This is for a few reasons. First of all, I read mostly non-fictions and scholarly journals in my leisure time. (I know it's a little shocking.) The second reason is I play video games and watch TV shows a hellavua lot. I'm a junkie, really. And that's cool too, because it's a hobby. This totes doesn't mean I won't review an indie book, it just means I'm broadening my horizons. My first review will be on a game called Little Inferno. Never heard of it? That's okay, you will hear of it soon enough. If you're like me and you like burning things, you'll like the game.

I have a few projects I'm starting up. The biggest one is learning Coral Draw and exploring designing vectors and logos (using vectors, derp). If I can do well at this, I will be hired as a graphic designer for a new sign business that will create advertisements, billboards, and business signs in the greater Houston area. Exciting? Yeah, I know.

I am also taking a Design I class. This isn't really for a degree, since I already have art credits. It's more because I love the professor and I want to sharpen my design "eye". I'm working with a lot of mixed media, NOT graphic art. This is super awesome because I can take what I learn and apply it to my design work.

What does this mean for readers? Well, it means since I'm "learning", my rates for book covers and logos will be cheaper for a while. So, you should probs contact me if you like my work and want to make sweet magic with me. I know you want to. ;)