New & New-ish Releases On the Way

I’m pretty excited to share that I’ve bundled the Forgotten Chronicles Trilogy into one volume and you can pre-order it for only $2.99.

If you’ve yet to try my young adult sci-fi action/adventure series, there’s no better time to try it out than now. For the cost of one book, you get all three novels in one bundle.

The Forgotten Chronicles: The Complete Trilogy features the books The Selection, Rise of the Forgotten, and The War For Truth and comes out December 15th. If you like fast-paced action set on a human colonized alien world where the natural dangers are almost as bad as the human ones, check out The Forgotten Chronicles and pre-order the trilogy for only $2.99 (after the 15th it goes to $4.99). Click the image or link above and start a new adventure today!

---

 

Several excellent authors I know are in a massive boxed set aiming for a USA Today bestseller status. If that’s not enough to consider their books, just think of the value you get when you buy their collection of over 20 paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels for only .99! Though I’m not normally a reader of paranormal romance, I did pre-order my copy. I know several of the authors and I know they write amazing books, so I figured why not give it a shot? At .99, how could I lose? Even if one of the novels was all that I liked, it was still only .99.

Please consider adding your support by sharing their set or pre-ordering your copy today. It would mean a lot to me to help them out and who knows, you might find a new favorite author to read!

You can get Rite to Reign at all major ebook retailers by clicking the image above or by going here.

 

Do A Kindness For Others

Have you ever found yourself doing the right thing when it was so easy not to?

Years ago while on my way to class at SIU, I stopped at a local McDonald’s for breakfast. I paid the cashier at the drive-thru window with a $20 bill and received a $20 bill and change in return.

My first thought? “Right on! I’ve got some extra money!”

I drove to school grinning at my gain.

But then the guilt got to me.

At the time, I was working at a fast food restaurant as an assistant manager and I knew if any of my cashiers came up at least $20 short at the end of their shift, it might be grounds for dismissal. Was the extra cash worth it for me? Was the greed worth someone else possibly losing their job? What if the cashier was struggling and this was their last chance with their employer?

I wasn’t rolling in money. The extra money sure would’ve helped, but at what cost?

I only had one class that morning so on my way back home, I stopped at the McDonald’s and went inside.

“Can I speak with the manager?” I asked. The cashier looked at me with wide eyes. As a manager myself, I knew almost 100% of the time when a customer asked for the manager, it meant something was wrong.

“How can I help?” the nervous manager asked.

“I went through the drive-thru this morning and the cashier gave me $20 too much money.”

He misunderstood what I was doing and thought I was asking for more money back.

“No,” I said, “He gave me too much in change. I need to return this.” I handed him the $20 and turned to leave. A customer in line stopped me.

“You did the right thing,” she said, smiling at me as I left.

The money would’ve been great, but the cost to the cashier was not worth it. They would’ve never known where the money went and I would’ve gotten away with it. But in the end, I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble it would’ve caused the other person.

I don’t share this to brag or gloat, but to inspire others to always do the right thing, even when no one would know if you got away with the wrong thing. In the end, it’s worth it. I promise.

How about you? Any cool stories when you did the right thing though you knew you could get away with the wrong thing? Feel free to share! Or maybe you were the recipient of someone else’s kindness. Let’s brighten things up a bit, shall we?

 

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo Support

NaNoWriMo is upon us! Who of you are writing a novel this month as part of the annual event? Don’t be shy. Share your intent in the comments so the rest of us can support your efforts.

I’m a long time fan of NaNo and five-time winner. I’m not participating this year as I was in mid-writing on my current project and the timing wasn’t right for me. For the rest that are, I hope you’ve been hitting your word counts so far. What’s working for you? What’s keeping you from achieving your goals?

If you’re part of NaNo this year, I’d love to be your cheerleader. Writing can often be a lonely exercise but it doesn’t have to be. You’ve got a ton of others ready to see you hit that 50k mark and I’m one of them.

NaNo taught me to focus. It taught me to crush through my first drafts and go back to fix it later. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just written. Get those words out, only you can tell your story.

It wasn’t until I won my first NaNo that I realized I could do this writing thing. Before then I wrote short stories, mostly flash fiction, and winning gave me the confidence to push on and keep at it. Now with five novels released since I won, I can honestly say without NaNo, I wouldn’t be a published author. It’s meant so much to me and I want others to experience this joy.

Write on my friends. Keep at it. I invite you to share your tales and your experience with the rest of us. Having a strong support system helps tremendously and I want you to succeed!

Happy writing everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#RiteToReign #iBooks Bundle

Hey readers, I wanted to share a new bundle of amazing stories from fellow authors I’ve known for a while. Read on for more info…

---

Something wicked this way comes…

Willful witches, supernatural sorcerers, cruel queens, and powerful priestesses fall out of favor and rise to rule in this highly sought-after collection of spellbinding stories!

More than 20 award-winning and bestselling authors have come together to curate this bewitching boxed set collection of the best PARANORMAL ROMANCE and URBAN FANTASY books in the genre, each brimming with stories of royal magic.

Journey through worlds of danger and mayhem, where witches and warlocks battle for influence and wizards fight for unrestricted power.

But reader beware: the highly addictive stories in RITE TO REIGN will put you under their spell. One click to secure your limited edition copy today!

June 2018 Author Recap

I hope you enjoyed the previous month’s worth of introductions to authors you may not know. It was my pleasure to share such talented writers with all of you.

I had the idea in late May to do a month long series exposing my followers to other writers who I admire and read. When I started this project, I told no one. I wanted it to be a surprise for all the authors involved. No one knew who I was going to share or when. It was pretty cool to see the surprise coming in from those whom I featured. For those writers, I do hope it was a well-received surprise. For you readers, I hope you found a new author or two to check out and sample their work.

I want to stress that there were many other authors I could’ve included. I don’t want to upset any of my author friends that may not have been included in this first series of Authors You Should Know. Please don’t take it as a slight against you or your work.

For a recap of each author, please click their name below and it will take you to the brief post I published. I encourage you to try someone new and try one of their books. You never know when you might come across a writer you’ll absolutely have to read. It’s difficult finding readers. My hope is that you found something useful through the month of June within these posts.

 

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – June 2018

Amy Hale                    June 1

Leland Lydecker        June 2

Donna McCarthy       June 3

Vince Churchill          June 4

Mirren Hogan             June5

Brian K. Morris          June 6

SA Gibson                   June 7

Mark Pannebecker   June 8

RJ Batla                       June 9

Simon Bleaken           June 10

F. Kenneth Taylor        June 11

Brent A. Harris           June 12

MD. Parker                 June 13

Pamela Morris           June 14

Ray Wenck                 June 15

Stephanie Barr          June 16

Thomas Gunther       June 17

Greg Alldredge          June 18

C.A. King                     June 19

PC3                             June 20

Jay Noel                      June 21

Christa Yelich-Koth   June 22

Eric Asher                  June 23

Diane Morrison         June 24

John W. Smith           June 25

Lucinda Moebius       June 26

Merri Halma              June 27

Bryan Caron              June 28

Leo McBride               June 29

Aaron Hamilton         June 30

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – Aaron Hamilton

Today’s author you should know is Aaron Hamilton.

Aaron is an amazing writer who’s style and fluid writing is something I’ve enjoyed since I first read some of his work. To be honest, his writing is so engaging and well done that I can say I’m a touch jealous of his command of story and the language used to convey it. He’s that good! He writes primarily science fiction but also delves into fantasy and some horror.

We first met over Twitter maybe in 2015 or so. I’m fairly certain it was before I released my first book in 2016. Since then, I’ve gotten to know him better and watch him grow as a writer. I’ve leaned on him for feedback and have been honored to offer my opinion on some of his unpublished work. He was one of my earliest supporters and advocates, something I won’t forget.

Though he has yet to release a novel (something I hope is fixed soon!) he has had a couple short stories published in the Nonlocal Science Fiction anthologies, offering his story Catalyst for issue 1 and his story The Hzeen for issue 3.

You can find more about Aaron at his blog Escalator Shoes or give him a follow on Twitter.

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – Leo McBride

Today’s author you should know is Leo McBride.

Leo is a super-talented speculative fiction author. He writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror from the warm climes of the Bahamas. He’s one of the driving forces behind Inklings Press, the small press responsible for such awesome short story collections such as Tales From the Underground, Tales of Wonder, and Tales from the Tower. His stories are included in all the collections and so worth your time and money. He’s also released a short story collection of his own called Quartet: Four Short Stories, Four Explorations of the Fantastic.

Leo is highly supportive not only of the indie community, but great writers no matter what their publishing history is. He’s been an encouragement to me from almost the beginning, reading and reviewing my first two flash fiction collections and continued support through interviews and shares on social media. He’s a great person to have in your corner and a spectacular writer in his own right.

From his Amazon page:

Leo McBride is a writer of speculative fiction – spanning the fields of horror, science fiction and fantasy. A journalist for more than 20 years, he is based in The Bahamas where he is an editor for the country’s leading newspaper.

He has published several ebooks – although Quartet is the first of his own writing. He has also been published in anthologies published by Inklings Press.

You can find out more about Leo on his blog alteredinstinct.com.

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – Bryan Caron

Today’s author you should know is Bryan Caron.

Bryan is a superbly talented writer working mostly in the science fiction genre, though at times will delve into fantasy. His writing is engaging and well crafted. I’ve read Year of the Songbird and Jaxxa Rakala and loved both of them. If you’re a fan of well-written scifi with amazing characters, you should give his work a try.

I met Bryan through a Facebook group we both belonged to and I’m glad I did. After reading Year of the Songbird, I was hooked on his work. He’s a busy person with a lot on his plate, but his writing is still top-notch.

From his Amazon page:

Bryan Caron is an award-winning writer, director, film editor and graphic designer, who has written and directed many pieces in all forms and genres. His favorite genres include science-fiction and fantasy, however he never limits himself, writing in whatever genre that strikes him at any given time. His interest in film directing and editing give him an extra creative outlet, as does his graphic design work (which you can see on all covers and marketing materials of his work, all courtesy of Phoenix Moirai), but his first love will always be writing and that is where he excels.

You can find more at his blog Chaos Breeds Chaos or his website bryancaron.com.

---

Come back tomorrow for another author you should know!

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – Merri Halma

Today’s author you should know is Merri Halma.

Merri is a talented writer of modern fantasy, especially her young adult Indigo Travelers series. She’s determined and supportive, always willing to lend a hand and share books and posts. Merri is an excellent writer and often infuses her entertaining tales with characters searching for an inner wisdom.

I first met Merri through a Facebook group for authors of science fiction and fantasy. She also participated in the 30 Days, 30 Authors event created by Lucinda Moebius. Through that event, I learned a lot about Merri and grew to appreciate her as a fellow indie author.

I interviewed Merri last year on the blog. You can find that here.

From her Amazon page:

I enjoy writing, talking with readers, learning new things, and meeting with other writers who want to be published. My husband and family live in Idaho. An avid Doctor Who fan, I dream of being able to time travel and hope one day to go to England to see the wonders of the countryside and visit the city Doctor Who and Torchwood were filmed in. Maybe even chance to see it being filmed and meeting the actors.

You can find out more about Merri at her blog.

---

Come back tomorrow for another author you should know!

Jason’s Authors You Should Know – Lucinda Moebius

Today’s author you should know is Lucinda Moebius.

Lucinda is a dynamic writer of science fiction, paranormal, and more. She’s also strongly committed to the indie author community. Her works range from fiction like the vampire novel Feeder to non-fiction works like Write Well Publish Right.

She’s the creator and moderator of several active Facebook groups, mostly for authors to grow their talents and marketing which is how I met her. Last summer, she created a 30 Days, 30 Authors promo group that took many of us out of what we felt comfortable with and forced us to be more open and social with readers and others on social media. It was an awesome experience and I know we all grew from it.

I’ve interviewed her on the blog last year and you can find that post here.

From her Amazon page:

Lucinda Moebius grew up in the mountains of Idaho and Eastern Oregon. Her mother taught her to read when she was four years old and since that time books have been her constant companions. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English Teaching a Master’s in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Education. She supports her writing habit by teaching High School and College. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and their dog and two cats.

Lucinda has been a writer since she was a child and was first published in 2010. Since then she has worked hard to create unique visions and stories. Her work includes novels in multiple genres including: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Children’s Books, Screenplays and Non-Fiction. Lucinda has a Doctorate in Education and loves teaching, but her greatest desire is to help others understand how literature and writing can bring enlightenment and understanding to everyone. She offers book coaching and advice to everyone, whether they want it or not.

To learn more about Lucinda, check out her website lucindamoebius.com.

---

Come back tomorrow for another author you should know!