What Books Helped Inspire A&R

Every year I say I’m going to get better about posting here and every year I start strong and then, like so many January gym memberships, I slowly forget about it.

But thanks to an opportunity I was given, I can at least start this year out strong and post in January!

I was recently approached to share what books inspired me when I first wrote World of Ash and I am all about sharing the love and helping promote other books so I was happy to join in.

Please head on over to Shepherd to read about what books helped inspire me to delve into the world of Kat and Dylan and the dreaded Pestas and see if there are a few titles you could add to your TBR pile!

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New Release!

It seems like only yesterday I’d started writing this piece of flash fiction for my patrons over on Patreon about a girl in an attic, waiting for the monsters to go to sleep for the day. All she had was a BB gun and a little bit of hope–and a little bit of a smart mouth. But I loved her. And now she’s out in the wild for others to read and get to know.

I really thought this was going to be a novella and a standalone. But once I hit the 40k word mark, I knew there was plenty of story left and when I got to the last chapter, I realized there was, not only a sequel to be had, but other stories from other supporting characters to be written.

I’m not sure if the next book in this spin-off series will be the sequel (though yesterday I thought of a perfect title for it) or if the next will be Maggie’s story. I’m really excited to write Maggie’s story because hers will take place before Containment and mass evacuations, which I think will be very interesting to see.

But one thing I do know is that I’ll be sharing the stories, one flash fiction bit at a time, on my Patreon page. So if you’d like to be able to read before it’s polished and packaged and released, you can sign up to be one of my patrons! Every little dollar helps! And if you sign up for more than $1 there are more rewards to be had! But I do make flash fiction pieces available to all patrons $1 and more.

Anyway. Happy reading if you’ve gotten your copy. If you haven’t, I hope you will. If you haven’t read my Ash & Ruin Trilogy, I think the book is clear enough to stand on its own, but you can always pick up the trilogy at your favorite retailer before starting Dandelions.

Dandelions 1 kobo

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Kobo Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | ibooks

(It, along with all of my other books, are available on all of Amazon’s sites, but there are so many to list, so just do a quick search for it and you’ll find it!)

Cover Reveal and Pre-order Links!

Oof, it has been a minute since I last posted here. I am sorry about that! But at least I’m coming back with something fun and exciting, right?

If you’ve been following me on other outlets then you know I’ve been working on the very first companion novel to my Ash & Ruin Trilogy. I finally have the release day set and the cover is all pretty and creepy, just like we like it for our apocalyptic adventures!

So, are you ready to see it?

At fifteen years old, Gwen’s world has ended. Not because she’s gone through a break-up. Not because her parents are ruining her life with a lame curfew. Not because her grades are struggling. Not in the way a fifteen-year-old’s life usually ends.

At fifteen years old, Gwen has burned the dead bodies of both her parents and fortified her home against the plague-spreading monsters who killed them, waiting for her sister, Maggie, to make her way back home in the apocalyptic landscape that is the world now.

At fifteen years old, Gwen’s world has ended, but she’s not giving up. She’s not giving up on life, her home, or her sister. Because all you have left when the world ends is hope, so that’s what she’s got, a BB gun and hope.

Hopefully it’ll be enough.

Dandelions 1 kobo

You can pre-order your ebook copy now at these sites (more to be added as soon as they’re live):

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Kobo Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | ibooks

(It, along with all of my other books, are available on all of Amazon’s sites, but there are so many to list, so just do a quick search for it and you’ll find it!)

I’ve Kept My Promise About Patreon

If you remember, I posted that I was giving Patreon another go and I promised I was going to be better about posting there and making it worth your while to become a patron of mine.

Well, I think I’ve done a fairly good job about it.

There are some exclusive fiction posts that only patrons can read and I’ve started adding some flash fiction for everyone. Yes, that means these posts are available to anyone to read, without pledging any money.

The flash fiction I’m working on right now is a novella set in the Ash and Ruin universe, which, believe me, was difficult to get into the mood for after the week we’ve had. But I’m pushing through! Fiction is where we find escape and help to deal with the real world around us. So I keep writing.

Supernatural, prophet, Chuck

Anyway.

I hope you’ll check it out, check out the reward levels I have set up for patrons. If you become just a $1 a month patron, you will be included in the acknowledgements of my upcoming book, the seventh Matilda Kavanagh Novel! If you sign up for a higher amount, you’ll get some awesome, tangible rewards!

Check it out here.

Cover Reveal: AGE OF BLOOD

Age of Blood (Ash and Ruin #3) by Shauna Granger

Hope is a dangerous thing, but powerful. Hope keeps you going. Hope can keep you alive.

But hope can shatter your world.

Kat and Dylan have found a home, but the monsters are still out there. The pox and plague still ravage the world. They have hope of finding a vaccine, but their encampment isn’t equipped to develop it.

Dylan is still too weak from the pox to leave the encampment, so Kat must decide between staying by his side and protecting her last remaining family member as he leaves to find supplies. Separated for the first time since they came together, Kat and Dylan will have to fight their own battles to save what is left of their bloody world.

Kat will have to hold on to hope that she has anything left to save and someone to come home to.

If she can survive.

AGEOFBLOODAvailable 5/5/2015

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About the series:

World of Ash – book 1

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There are two inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are real.

The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne, Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance to stay alive.

That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life – if they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles of burning, pox-ridden bodies.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

Time of Ruin – book 2

TORThe world has ended, and hope is the most dangerous thing left.

Battered and bruised after barely escaping San Francisco with their lives, Kat, Dylan, and Blue press north – desperate to reach the possibility of a new home.

But strange, monstrous ravens are tracking the remaining survivors, food is becoming scarce, gasoline is running short, and people are becoming suicidal, making survival almost impossible.

And the Pestas are growing bolder. Somehow, their numbers are growing.

The further north they go, the harder it becomes to ignore the signs that they’ve made a fatal mistake. Kat must face the impossible truth that there is no escape, there is no safe haven, and their worst nightmares don’t come close to their new reality.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

About the author:

6FTWnj-KLike so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. She released the first installment of her Paranormal YA Series, The Elemental Series, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. In December of 2013 she released the first in her Paranormal Post-Apocalyptic trilogy (Ash And Ruin Trilogy), World of Ash. Be sure to also check out her newest series: The Matilda Kavanagh Novels about a spunky witch just trying to pay her rent in West Hollywood. Shauna is currently hard at work on one too many projects, trying to organize the many voices in her head. It’s a writer thing.

Stalkables:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads 

About the Cover Artist Stephanie Mooney:

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I am a 25-year-old graphic designer, artist, and aspiring author currently living in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m a renaissance girl — a lover of all things creative and artistic. From the moment I learned to use my hands, I was writing stories about princesses and sketching ballerinas. I guess I never really stopped.

Most of my training has been informal, and many of my skills are self taught. In 2006-07, I spent a year interning at a church in Louisiana where I worked in their art and design department. In July 2007, they hired me as one of their designers. I worked there for three years, gaining experience in graphic design, advertising, set building, event planning, and product design. From there, I began my career in freelance design.

Many of my clients are indie authors looking for affordable cover designs. I love working with authors and getting excited about their stories with them. I’m still building my web portfolio, but I really enjoy designing and developing websites as well.

Stalkables:

Website | Flickr| Twitter | Instagram 

Title Announcement

I’ve been keeping this under wraps for a couple of months now and it’s been killing me!!! So I am very excited to share this with all of you. I can finally announce the title of my upcoming release, the sequel to World of Ash, which is:

TIME OF RUIN

Book Two in the Ash and Ruin Trilogy

Time of Ruin will be released July 22nd 2014, yes, that soon! And I will be doing a cover reveal on May 13th with YA Bound. If you’re interested in signing up to participate in that or the book blitz when the book releases, keep your eyes on this space and I will provide sign up information!

I’m so excited for this release and I can’t wait for you guys to join me on the continuation of Kat, Dylan, and Blue’s journey through Time of Ruin!

If you’re on Goodreads, you can add Time of Ruin to your TBR list now buy clicking here!

 

WOA (1)

Giveaway time!

Hello my darlings!

WOA (1)As you may have seen on my FB page yesterday, the great and powerful Zon let me down by cancelling a big sale I had planned for last week for World of Ash. I was, and still am, incredibly bummed and disappointed by this. There is every chance that the sale will happen in the future, but until they figure out why they did this and correct it, it’s on hold indefinitely.

So, to make up for that, I’ve put together a giveaway of three signed paperback copies of World of Ash. Just check out the rafflecopter below to see how to enter. You can qualify by completing just one of the tasks, or you can increase your chances by completing all the tasks! If you already liked my FB page, or already follow me on Twitter, you automatically qualify for those and can click on those!  If you choose the “tweeting” option, you can do that one once a day all week to increase your chances!

Good luck to you! The contest closes in one week so hurry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hallowe’en Contest and Book Giveaway!

WOA (1)Alright my lovelies! The contest is now open!

Send me your creepiest, funniest, most creative jack-o-lanterns and I will choose five lucky winners to receive an eARC (electronic advance reader copy) of World of Ash one month before the publication date!

You can post a pic on my Facebook page. You can post a link to your pic on my Facebook page or here in the comments. You can instagram a pic and tag  me @dyingechoes. You can even tweet  me a pic of your grinning jack @dyingechoes! Easy peasy people!

The contest runs through Halloween so you have from 10/26 through 10/31 to get your entries in! Any posted on 11/1 or later will not be considered.

Now for the rules! If you enter the contest you are agreeing to read World of Ash by the release week and you will write an honest review of the book and post it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble (you can post it elsewhere too of course, but those are the minimum). You must post your review no later than 12/7/13. If you cannot or are not willing to do this, please do not enter the contest. Anyone not following the rules will feel my wrath! It burns us, Precious.

Also, for bloggers: I have a blog tour running through YA Bound where all of you are welcome and encouraged to sign up. 148477_1708773278633_1217118393_1914634_6377389_nYou will of course have the option to read and review the book should you sign up for the tour. I would much prefer my blogger followers/readers to sign up for the tour and allow other readers (who are not bloggers) to participate in this contest.

Winners will be announced on the blog and on Facebook on 11/4. Winners will be asked to provide their preferred ebook format (epub, mobi, pdf) and I will personally email the copies.

It’s pretty simple!  Good luck to all!