Holiday Romance Gift Haul Giveaway

HOLIDAY ROMANCE GIFT HAUL GIVEAWAY

November 7-27

Grand Prize Haul Includes Gifts from 40 Authors!

https://bookwrapt.com/gift-haul/

Christmas is coming early for one lucky winner. 7 gift cards, 17 paperbacks (most autographed), a light diffuser and essential oil collection, a T-shirt, 2 literary-themed mugs, Godiva chocolate, 3 gorgeous pieces of jewelry, book-themed ornaments, a book tote, and swag galore from some of your favorite authors. Enter Nov 7-27 for your chance to win the haul!

Then pull in your own book haul with page-turning reads from our book fair. Ebooks in all romance genres, 2.99 or less, or FREE. While you’re shopping, play our scavenger hunt game with a bonus gift box of holiday goodies up for grabs!

https://bookwrapt.com/gift-haul-book-fair/ 

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Amanda Uhl • Amy Knupp • Angelica Kate • Angelica R. Jackson • Aubrey Wynne • Brooke Warren • C.D. Gorri • Calinda B • Callie Bardot • Crystal Dawn • DB McNicol • Debbie White • E.B. Black • Eichin Chang-Lim • Eliza Watson • Elizabeth Rose • Ellen Mint • Em Petrova • G.K. Brady • Holly Cortelyou • Jacqueline Diamond • Jennifer Wilck • Joanne Dannon • Josie Riviera • Judith Sterling • Karina Kantas • Kat Drennan • Kat Samuels • Kerry Blaisdell • Leeann Betts • Linda Mooney • Lori Herter • Lucy Lakestone • Melissa McClone • Michelle Dalton • Michelle Jo Quinn • Mona Sedrak • Nikki Lynn Barrett • Penelope Wylde • Renee Ann Miller • S.L. Sterling • Sabrina Kade • Soraya Naomi • Stephanie Queen • Stormy Legend • Susan Jean Ricci • Tammy Andresen • Tana Stone • Theresa Paolo • Tracy Ellen • Zoe Dawson • Aileen Harkwood

Secret Magicks Giveaway for PNR, FR, and UF

Paranormal romance, fantasy romance and urban fantasy lovers, how would you like to

take home a Kindle, Amazon gift card, or ebook prize pack where you get to choose the

list of books you want from Amazon? Enter now for your chance to win!

Plus, check out the Secret Magicks Book Fair for a scavenger hunt game with a

personal, leather-bound spell book up for grabs, and a huge shelf’s worth of page-

turning vampire, angel, shifter, witch, fae, and other reads for 2.99 or less, some FREE!

Secret Magicks Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Giveaway

October 11-31

Kindle Fire 7 • Amazon Gift Cards • Ebook Packs • Leather-Bound Spell Book

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks/

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angelica R. Jackson • Bernadette Rowley • C.D. Gorri • Carrie Pulkinen • Christa Paige • Christina McKnight • D. Lieber • Dawn Marie Hamilton • Denise D. Young • E.B. Black • Eichin Chang-Lim • Elizabeth Rose • Erica Monroe • Greg Alldredge • J.L. Myers • J.C. Andrijeski • Judith Sterling • Karen Michelle Nutt • Karina Kantas • Katherine Gilbert • Kerry Blaisdell • L.E. Harrison • Lisa Voisin • Megan Starks • Mimi Barbour • N.D. Jones • Rebecca Hefner • Sedona Venez • Sharon Ashwood • Stephanie West • Zoe Dawson

Lean into Love giveaway and book fair

I'm participating in a fantastic romance book promo with Crow's Rest and Merlin's Stronghold both on sale ($.99 and $1.99 respectively). Great prizes for the giveaway and don't forget the book fair and scavenger hunt. Details and links below my graphic

LEAN INTO LOVE ROMANCE GIVEAWAY

Enter for Your Chance to Win August 1-21!!

https://bookwrapt.com/lean-into-love/

Romance means leaning into someone you love and knowing they’ll be there for you. Over forty romance authors are here for you, too…with an amazing giveaway! Enter now for your chance to win a Kindle Fire, Coach wristlet, ebook prize pack, or Amazon gift card.

Plus, don’t forget to shop our book fair and enter the bonus giveaway. While you’re there, score a fab freebie, a short story download by A.K. Shelley exclusive to this event!

https://bookwrapt.com/lean-into-love-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

A.K. Shelley • Aileen Fish • Allyson Lindt • Amanda Uhl • Amy Knupp • Angelica R. Jackson • Anna Durand • Aubrey Wynne • Bernadette Rowley • Betty Shreffler • Callie Bardot • Connie Dave • Crystal Dawn • Eichin Chang-Lim • Em Petrova • Inge-Lise Goss • Isabella Thorne • J.C. Andrijeski • Jacqueline Diamond • Jami Denise • Jean Jacobsen • Jennifer Faye • Joanne Dannon • Josie Riviera • K.A. Servian • Karen Michelle Nutt • Kristy Tate • Linda Mooney • Lori Sizemore • Margaret Tanner • Mariah Stone • Melissa Belle • Michelle Jo Quinn • Mona Sedrak • Naleighna Kai • Nikki Lynn Barrett • Nina Crespo • Penelope Wylde • Soraya Naomi • Susan Jean Ricci • Tamara Ferguson • Theresa Paolo • Tracy Ellen • Zoe Forward

RONE Award voting is open for Merlin's Stronghold

Merlin’s Stronghold is up for a RONE award from InD'Tale Magazine in the Young Adult category! Your vote will help it move on to the final round.

Please take the time to register and get your vote counted by April 21! Go to
https://www.indtale.com/2019-rone-awards-week-one

Join the Booklover's Spring Facebook Scavenger Hunt

I've signed up to participate in Bookwrapt's Booklover's Spring Facebook Scavenger Hunt! That means you can play by matching up my name with a graphic I've shared on my Facebook page for Crow's Rest Books, and then doing the same for the other participating authors. Prizes include a massive selection of See's candies, or Amazon gift cards.

Plus, most of us are running giveaways during the hunt! With the link on my Facebook page, you can enter to win a copy of my award-winning audiobook of Crow's Rest--and we even have one copy that's open internationally!

AND, if that isn't enough, I've dropped the price of the ebooks on all platforms: Crow's Rest is .99 and Merlin's Stronghold is $1.99! Merlin's Stronghold is nominated for a RONE award through InD'Tale Magazine, and reader voting will open on April 15th. So anyone who hasn't read it yet should have time to buy it and read it before the voting opens, or don't forget you can request it from your local library.

Authors Participating in the Hunt

Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angela Roquet • Angelica R. Jackson • Angie Wilder • Anna

Durand • Anne McClane • Ben Westerham • Cailin Briste • Casi McLean

Christine Grabowski • CM Lally • Donna R. Mercer • Honey Phillips • J.M. Walker •

Jacqueline Diamond • Jacquie Biggar • Jim Stein • Joanne Dannon • Judith Sterling •

Katherine Gilbert • Kathryn Knight • Kerry Blaisdell • Kristine Smith • Lia Davis • Lisanne

Harrington • Michelle Jo Quinn • Shae Banks • Shereen Vedam • Soraya Naomi •

Stephanie Queen • Taylor Marsh • Viola Calvary • Zoe Dawson • Zoe Forward

Award news for Crow's Rest

Exciting news! The Crow's Rest audiobook is a finalist in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards!

Here is a snippet of their press release: "Today, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) officially announced finalists in its prestigious IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™ program, recognizing excellence and innovation in independent publishing. All finalists will be recognized during an awards ceremony on April 5, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois where one Gold winner in each of fifty-four categories will be named. The remaining finalists in each category will become Silver winners.

The full list of finalists in all fifty-four categories is available here."

Considering that this is the first audiobook my Crow & Pitcer Press has produced, and narrator Brenda Scott Wlazlo has only been doing voice work for a year, this is a great honor for our joint project. Brenda is attending the awards banquet in Chicago on April 5th, so everybody cross their finger on our behalf please!

Plus, award season is only starting! 

Crow's Rest and Merlin's Stronghold print and ebook editions are also entered into other competitions. The Northern California Publishers and Authors book competition, where Capturing the Castle took second place in the Pictorial category last year, will be announcing this year's winners on April 14th.

And Self-Publishing Review announces their SPR Book Award winners on April 10th, with Audio Book Reviewer announcing their finalists in April also. In the majority of these competitions, the series is entered in the young adult category, or in Fantasy if there is no YA-specific category. It's going to be nerve-wracking to wait to find out for all these awards!

So why did Crow & Pitcher Press/I enter these competitions? For reviews and for competitions, it can be difficult for indie or self-published authors to get a fair shake (which is why reader reviews can be lifesavers). These competitions are all reputable organizations and competitions, and have standards to evaluate the entries. Not that others don't have standards--it's just that some of those standards mean that indie books aren't even allowed to enter. So this is a way for me to compare the quality of my work against my peers, which may include traditionally-published as well as indie.

The Merlin's Stronghold Blog Tour Starts Today!

The next book in the Faerie Crossed series,  Merlin's Stronghold, comes out October 23rd!

 To celebrate, YA Bound Book Tours helped me set up a blog tour and giveaways, and here's the schedule:

And some of the tour stops are sharing my artwork from A Compendium of the Faer Folke, and if you're not familiar with it, it's a book Avery uses in Crow's Rest to learn about the Fae and how to protect herself against them. The pages being shared have an odd history and origin story:

"Specimen #1132 was a wholly unremarkable geode, one of a dozen donated geological samples that made their way from a private collection in Cornwall to a university in the United States. About the size and shape of a sleeping cat, the stone’s secrets abided until a research student detected the shifting of an object inside.

With the aid of the latest imaging devices, she was able to peer past the tabby-colored crust and into the interior of the geode. A nebulous form, one with edges too regular to be anything but manmade, intrigued her enough to flout protocol and cut open the specimen. The hollowed interior contained a remarkable array of sphalarite and ferruginous quartz crystals—along with the remnants of a peculiar tome.

The spine still attached to the hand-painted, leather cover suggested a much thicker volume, but only a fraction of loose pages were extant. Inked on various types of unknown skins, the pages contained drawings and descriptions of fantastical creatures: mythological beings and faeries  treated as genuine subjects for field study. The title, A Compendium of the Faer Folke, could not be found in any database of historical or contemporary books, however.

Suspecting a prank, the student used radiometric dating methods on the geode, and radiocarbon dating for the book. Test results showed an age of approximately nine million years ago for the geode’s creation, and two hundred years for the book’s materials. It was obvious that the specimen exhibited no signs of tampering, other than the cut she herself made.

Before she could publish her findings, the student herself, plus all her notes and samples, disappeared from her locked basement office. Fortunately, before their loss, she invited a local photographer to document the find, and they were able to post images of the now-lost remnants of A Compendium of the Faer Folke to relevant websites.

Requests to confirm the existence of an entire volume in the private library of one Thomas Flynn of Crow’s Rest, California, have been met with silence. It is unknown if any other manuscripts—full or partial—of this fascinating guide to the “Faer Folke” exist. One can only hope that they will eventually come to light."

Crow's Rest named a Best Book for Young Adults with Dragons

The blog Epic YA compiled a list of The Best Books for Young Adults with Dragons (which made me laugh, because if you're a young adult with a dragon, how would you have time for books?) and Crow's Rest is on it (for the wyverns). The books aren't ranked, so you have to scroll down a bit to see my title, but there are some other fantastic reads listed on there so you could easily fill up your Kindle or e-reader with a bunch of them.

The list announcement was perfect timing, since Crow's Rest e-book is still on sale for $.99. Plus, I had to laugh when I got the message my book had been included, because I had already made Finn a dragon costume and was doing a photo shoot with him in it this morning.

Psst, and for those of you who have read this far, this picture of Chloe is a clue to a character we'll meet for book 3 in the series, Spellmeet.

Sale price for Crow's Rest Ebook!

Surprise! As the release date for Merlin's Stronghold approaches, I wanted to celebrate with a special price for the Crow's Rest ebook, across all platforms. Click the photo below to go to my website, where you'll find buttons for Amazon, Kobo, Nook, and so on.

Praise for Crow's Rest

The 4-star review for Crow's Rest that just came out from San Francisco Book Review reminded me that I never posted an excellent review from my local paper, The Mountain Democrat. So I'm posting a few quotes from each, along with the links to read the entire reviews.

On June 4, 2018, Wendy Schultz of The Mountain Democrat said:

"A haunted castle (one everybody knows), a clash between realities, changelings, fairies and teenage hormones make for a combustible tale that is just beginning. If you love fantasy and characters who continue through a series of books, you’re going to enjoy Angelica R. Jackson’s young adult fantasy adventure series, “Faerie Crossed.”"

You can read the full review in The Mountain Democrat's Between The Covers feature.

In the September 2018 issue of San Francisco Book Review, reviewer Elizabeth Konkel also had praise for Crow's Rest:

"The story focuses on a small group of characters, each one well-defined, whose actions drive the plot forward, even the lovable dog next door has a part to play...Jackson has delightful and often flirty humor woven into a story of courage, adventure, love, secrets, and strength."

You can read the full review on the San Francisco Book Review site.

I'm so happy that Crow's Rest is getting some love, as we're barely a month away from the release of the sequel, Merlin's Stronghold. You can click on the cover below to pre-order Merlin's Stronghold on Kindle (the other formats won't be live until October 23).

Cover Reveal for Merlin's Stronghold

Merlin's Stronghold is book 2 in the Faerie Crossed series and releases October 23, but I'm revealing the cover here today!

First, the cover for book 1, just to remind you what it looks like

And now, the cover for Merlin's Stronghold

And to help celebrate, and get you caught up on the series, I'm giving away an audiobook of Crow's Rest! Enter through the widget below

Book trailer for Crow's Rest from Crow & Pitcher Press

The book trailer for Crow's Rest got a refresh with new photos!




Note: It says it's available in Audiobook because I didn't want to have to redo it in a month, but I'm on track for getting the audio version out in mid-July!

Gieveaway of Crow & Pitcher Press Books

To celebrate the release of Crow's Rest from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22, I'm giving away signed copies of Crow's Rest and Capturing the Castle: Images of Preston Castle (2006-2016), plus a goldtone Celtic knot necklace! This giveaway is open only to U.S. mailing addresses, sorry.

Again, this giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Thank you for your understanding.

Giveaway for Crow's Rest Plus Swag

To celebrate the release of Crow's Rest from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22, I'm giving away a signed copy of Crow's Rest plus swag! Giveaway includes the signed paperback, two beautifully-illustrated cards by Cathy McClelland, plus a goldtone Celtic knot necklace!

Click on the photo below to go to the KingSumo entry form for rules and to enter (sorry, I know that's an extra step but it's not embedding properly for this post for some reason) This giveaway is open only to U.S. mailing addresses, sorry.

Again, this giveaway is open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Thank you for your understanding.

Giveaway! E-book of Crow's Rest

You can win 1 of 3 ebooks of Crow's Rest, in your favorite format! Click on the photo below to go to the KingSumo entry form for rules and to enter (sorry, I know that's an extra step but it's not embedding properly for this post for some reason) 

Enter from May 5th through May 13th. THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

Pre-Order Crow's Rest

The release of Crow's Rest from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22 is going full steam ahead!

That means that you can now pre-order it in print and e-book (the audiobook version will be starting up soon) by following these links:

All e-book formats

Kindle

Paperback

And, as always, you can add it to your Goodreads shelf

While we're talking all things Crow's Rest, don't forget that subscribers to the Crow Tracks newsletter get all the news first. You can sign up here.

Behind the Crow's Rest Cover Art

So by now you all have likely seen the cover for the Crow & Pitcher Press edition of Crow's Rest, due to be released on May 22. But just in case, here's what it looks like:

What may be news to you is that the cover features my own artwork, as well as a little Photoshop magic from my designer. I scheduled a shoot at Preston Castle in July 2017 with model Renee Sprouse, with an eye to getting some shots for the covers of all three planned books in the Faerie Crossed series. (The view through the arch is another of my photos from Bunratty Castle in Ireland, incidentally)

I wanted to use my own artwork for the creative challenge of it, but also to avoid licensing conflicts or fees. It made it slightly more challenging for designer Kelley York of X-Potions Design but I'm well pleased with the results. The photos we've selected for Merlin's Stronghold and Spellmeet are going to be fantastic too!

I've been holding back on sharing some of the photos while we made our final decisions on which ones to feature on the next two books, but I wanted to share some of my other favorites from the shoot here. Enjoy!

As you can see, we edited out Renee's tattoo in the cover--it just didn't fit Avery, although it's a cool design. And Renee looks remarkably composed, considering it was 106 degrees the day of the shoot! We were both so tired by the end.

There is one more photo that I'm using to make an all-new teaser in May. So check back for that one! Pre-orders for Crow's Rest should be live soon too, and the best way to get the inside info is to sign up for my newsletter, Crow Tracks.

Throwback Thursday Teaser 5

The re-release of Crow's Rest is coming from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22, 2018! As a way to pay tribute to its previous life as my debut novel, I'm sharing teasers and material from those early blog tours for the next several weeks.

Then, as the release day approaches, I'll switch gears and drive us right into the new release with all new teasers. So remember to check back here on the blog on Thursdays!

Throwback Thursday Top Ten List 4

The re-release of Crow's Rest is coming from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22, 2018! As a way to pay tribute to its previous life as my debut novel, I'm sharing teasers and material from those early blog tours for the next several weeks.

Then, as the release day approaches, I'll switch gears and drive us right into the new release with all new teasers. So remember to check back here on the blog on Thursdays!

Top Ten Places Where the Border Between Our World and Faerie Is Weak

1. Las Vegas: think about it—it would explain so much. What better place for the Fae to hide in plain sight than where people walk around in elaborate costumes every day?

2. Arch in Balboa Park: okay, so I can’t remember exactly where this was, but as teenagers, some friends and I were wandering around by the outdoor theater in Balboa Park at dusk. I swear that one of the arches was not just an arch, but a doorway.

3. Barton Woods: with views like this, how could it not be a glimpse into Faerie?

4. The cave on Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland: our family had annual passes to Disneyland, and lots of summer days were spent on the island (partly because I didn’t have much patience for lines at the rides). Back when it was known as a racially insensitive _____ Joe’s Cave instead of Dead Man’s Grotto (as I believe it’s now called), all kinds of spooky, unexplainable things happened in there

5. Belvedere Castle in Central Park: you might think this is just a 19^th-century folly, but I’ve always suspected that it’s a mirror castle, meaning there’s a corresponding (but oh so much better) castle on the Fae side of the border

6. Davis Arboretum: the arboretum on the campus of University of California, Davis, is a pleasant-enough place to stroll and study plants, but there’s this one spot where the path passes under the road, and I don’t think it’s just empty shadows under there…

7. Hope Valley Aspens: the aspen trees around Carson Pass and Hope Valley truly do have an otherworldly beauty about them. This spot is actually near a main road, but within a few short steps all you can hear is the sound of trickling water and twirling leaves

8. White Wells baths: this historic bath house in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, has a documented visit from the Little People, back in the 19^th century. They scampered about the walls like squirrels when they were interrupted.

9. Preston Castle: Built as the Preston School of Industry in Ione, California, the hauntings at this castle could also be signs of a weakened Faerie border

10. Hollywood: same situation as Las Vegas—it explains so much about the beautiful, Hollyweird celebrities, that they’re actually from Faerie

(All photos by Angelica R. Jackson)

Throwback Thursday Teaser 4

The re-release of Crow's Rest is coming from Crow & Pitcher Press on May 22, 2018! As a way to pay tribute to its previous life as my debut novel, I'm sharing teasers and material from those early blog tours for the next several weeks.

Then, as the release day approaches, I'll switch gears and drive us right into the new release with all new teasers. So remember to check back here on the blog on Thursdays!