BIG New Year's Eve Book Blog

      In terms of my favorite books of 2015 I'm calling this year "The Year of the Indie", because out of my top 12 favorite books 42% are written by Indie Authors and of the 13 authors I discovered and loved this year 62% are Indie or Semi-Indie Authors. Note: Not all of these books were published in 2015 - they are just books that I read and enjoyed in 2015!

My Top 12 Favorite Books for 2015:

12. Finding Cinderlla by Colleen Hoover

This is a novella I picked up for free on my Nook. I've heard of Colleen Hoover before but I hadn't read anything by her before. Her writing does remind me of a number of other authors like Abbi Glines and K.A. Tucker. Finding Cinderella is a really great story and I devoured it within hours. Daniel and Six's story is romantic and bittersweet all at the same time. If you like Sky and Holder's story in Hopeless and Losing Hope you'll love this novella. 

11. Just A Little Crush by Renita Pizzitola

Just A Little Crush is a great book. Another one of those quick reads I couldn't put this book down. Brinley Dawson doesn't want to like Ryder Briggs, but the more she gets to know him the less she can resist... until she learns she was part of a cruel game. Is falling for Ryder a huge mistake or could Ryder be someone to hang onto?

10. Chasing River by K.A. Tucker

This book makes me want to buy a ticket to Dublin and fall for a sexy Irish Bartender. Enough said. K.A. Tucker continues to be an amazing author, one of my favorites!

9. Anew (Archers of Avalon #1) by Chelsea Fine

Three curses. Two brothers. One love triangle. Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes...love is the death of you. This book and the following two books in the trilogy are soooo good! I can read this trilogy over and over again. 

8. Ghost Hand (PSS Chronicles #1) by Ripley Patton

This book is a whole other level of paranormal. What do you do when you're born with a phantom limb and people are out to get you? Ripley Patton is a great author and I'm happy I discovered this series. 

7. The Haunting of Springett Hall by E.B. Wheeler

What happens when you wake up as a ghost with no memory of how you died or your life before you died? This book reminded me of the movie The Haunting with a love story added in. 

6. Oblivion (Nevermore #3) by Kelly Creagh

The perfect conclussion to Kelly Creagh's Nevermore trilogy and one more trip into the world of Poe's imagination. Will Isobel and Varen get a happy ending?

5. Blur (Night Roamers #1) by Kristen Middleton

A sexy vampire - paranormal romance novel for older teens. This book draws you in from the first page and will have you downloading the rest of the series the minute you finish. 

4. Second Hearts (Wishes #2) by GJ Walker-Smith

Follow Charli as she heads to New York to find her wonder boy Adam. But life in New York won't be easy.. and Adam hasn't told her everything he left behind in New York when he arrived in Australia. I love all of the books in this series by GJ Walker-Smith. They're addictive and you feel like you're part of Charli and Adam's world. 

3. Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I can't gush enough about this book. One of my absolute favorites this year and quite unlike anything I've read before.

2. Play (Stage Dive #2) by Kylie Scott

Mal Erikson will forever be my favorite guy in the Stage Dive series. He's just plain awesome. Read this book about how bookish Anne and rockstar Mal fall in love. 

1. The Hotter You Burn (Original Heartbreakers #2) by Gena Showalter

Who wouldn't have a soft spot for resident bad girl Harlow Glass after reading even a little bit of this book? Beck Ockley is just plain dreamy, so prepare to fall in love with your new book boyfriend. 

Authors I Discovered and Love in 2015:

1. Kristen Middleton (Author of the Night Roamer books)

2. Gena Showalter (Author of the Original Heartbreakers series and more)

3. Kylie Scott (Author of the Stage Dive series)

4. Ripley Patton (Author of the PSS Chronicles)

5. E.B. Wheeler (Author of The Haunting of Springett Hall)

6. Kelly Creagh (Author of the Nevermore Trilogy)

7. GJ Walker-Smith (Author of the Wishes Series)

8. Chelsea Fine (Author of the Archers of Avalon Trilogy & the 'Best Kind of" trilogy)

9. Susan Vaught (Author of Insanity)

10. Kim Liggett (Author of Blood and Salt)

11. K.E. O'Connor (Author of the School of Exorcists Series)

12. K.A. Robinson (Author of Toxic & it's series)
13. Kimberly Loth (Author of the Thorn Chronicles)

Series / Trilogies That Ended in 2015:

The Marked Men Series by Jay Crownover (6 books)

Stage Dive Series by Kylie Scott (4 books)

The Nevermore Trilogy by Kelly Creagh (3 books)

Dark Elements Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout (3 books)

Original Heartbreakers Trilogy by Gena Showalter (3 books)

That's a wrap! I read a ton of amazing books in 2015, unfortunately if I listed them all this blog would never end. What were some of your favorite books that you read in 2015? Did one of my novels make the list? Let me know in the comments!

Happy New Year! See you in 2016!

My Writing & Publishing Goals for 2016

        2015 was a big year for me. My career as a published author was officially launched, I published two novels, and I started and finished writing the second book in my Eternals Trilogy.

       With those accomplishments under my belt, what do I have in store for 2016?

        1.) Publish Out of Darkness (Eternals Trilogy #1)
                   I finished writing Out of Darkness at the end of 2014 and I'm excited to get started on the publishing process for Out of Darkness. I have a mock cover created with the stock images I want to use (yes I do my own covers with the exception of The Haunting Love, which WCP did) and I'll begin rounds of edits after January 1. Tentatively I'd like to publish Out of Darkness in either April or May 2016.

       2.) Write and Complete Through the Fog (Eternals Trilogy #3)
                   I have started the final book in the Eternals Trilogy. I have the first chapter or two planned out and the overall storyline together, it's just a matter of putting pen to paper. Once I finish my post-NaNoWriMo relaxing I'll dive right in. Hopefully I'll be into the third chapter by the first week of January.

        3.) Publish Into the Light (Eternals Trilogy #2) 
                  At this point this is nothing but a pipe dream. If I do publish Into the Light in 2016 it will probably be toward the end of the year (November or December).

         4.) Participate in NaNoWriMo 2016 
                    I had so much fun doing NaNoWriMo this year, I can't wait to do it again and I already have a great story idea.

         5.) Do a Writing Residency / Retreat or Go Somewhere to Write for a Week or so
                    It would be a dream to be in a cottage in New England or somewhere writing by the ocean. A girl can only dream. Maybe I can have a weekend getaway to Door County (the Cape Cod of the Midwest). 

         6.) Attend a Writing Conference
                    I'd love to attend a writing conference or book festival either here in Wisconsin or somewhere in the Midwest to meet and connect with other authors. 

How My Writing Career Changed in 2015

        With 2015 being only twenty-seven days away from being nothing more than a memory, it is time to begin looking back on all that happened to me in terms of my writing career.
  
      I went from an unpublished author waiting for my first novel to be released to now being the author of not one, but two novels; The Haunting Love (WCP, February 17, 2015) and Finding Elizabeth (Self-Published, September 15, 2015), with the first two books in a new trilogy on deck for release in 2016.

       It's been a great year for me creatively and I continue learning more and more about the publishing world every day. It feels like I've grown so much in the past year, the seven months in between The Haunting Love's release and Finding Elizabeth's release in particular. 
  
     I've made mistakes and I've learned from them. I've been lucky enough to have experienced publishing through both a small publisher and self-publishing.
  
     Marketing didn't come naturally to me. I had to learn the fine line between promoting my book and turning people off by over promoting. It was shocking to learn it took more than my early efforts of promoting my novel on Twitter and *hoping* my publisher would promote my book to bring in sales. I guess it's true what they say: if you want something done right it's best to do it yourself.

       During the process of self-publishing Finding Elizabeth, I learned to make connections with fellow indie authors and bloggers. I can't emphasize that enough. Build a support group, make friends, and always help others whenever possible. It makes you feel so good when you can help other indie authors and it's good karma in your favor. 

        Another area of growth for me in 2015 was interacting with the public and my readers at book signings. I am quite possibly the shyest person I know. Talking in public terrifies me. I like to think of my book signing for The Haunting Love (May 9, 2015) as a trial run. It was held at a small coffee shop in a small town near where I live and 80% of my sales were to people I have known most of my life. I am grateful for their support and patronage, but I needed more exposure. My book signing for Finding Elizabeth was held at a bookstore chain I love in a medium sized city (See my blog post "A Great Place for Authors to Hold Book Events") and I thrived. It was such a positive experience. I connected with and sold to a broader group of people that I had no prior meetings with. I smiled so much I thought my mouth was going to be frozen like that forever, but I felt so empowered afterward.

       One of my favorite accomplishments of 2015 was participating in and completing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month - November 1-30, 2015). 50,000 words in a thirty day period seemed daunting at first, but I am so proud that I reached and surpassed the goal and completed my novel.

        Fellow writers/indie authors: how did your writing career change in 2015? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to head what you got up to this year!