by Angela Smith | Dec 1, 2019 | Books
Forget Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Dark Justice is on sale throughout the entire month of December!
If you need a break from shopping, Dark Justice is on sale throughout the month of December!
If you bought someone a new Kindle or other type of eBook reader, Dark Justice is on sale throughout the month of December on every platform where available, except paperback.
And if you would like a signed paperback for $10 plus $2 shipping, be sure to CONTACT ME!
I’m taking a break throughout the month of December. Although I haven’t worked much on my blog in a while, my BIG goal for 2020 is to work on that and actually provide my readers valuable content regarding information about me and my books. For now, I wish you a very happy holiday season.
Enjoy the last few weeks of this decade!
And here’s to a Happy 2020!
With love,
Angela
by Angela Smith | Nov 10, 2019 | Books
Dark Justice has received the Crowned Heart Review from InD’Tale Magazine!
It’s a highly coveted crown.
This review, among so many others, make the blood, sweat, and tears of writing this novel worth it. I admit that every time I have a new book published, I think of giving up. This is why I don’t.
by Angela Smith | Oct 22, 2019 | Guests
by Lynn Crandall w/a Kelynn Storm
Angela’s note: Today I welcome a fellow writer and friend, Lynn Crandall, to my blog as she talks about her newest release and where she finds inspiration. Welcome, Lynn/Kelynn! So happy to have you here!
Writing is often referred to as a passion, and it is just that for me. I love the process most of all, but of course I also enjoy learning that readers find something they like about the stories I write. But writing is a business too. It can take a lot of me to write the kind of thought-provoking, multi-layered stories I strive for. Some days self-doubt may claw at my motivation and I drag myself to my computer and feel like an empty pit. I try to nourish my writing soul on a regular basis, but during those empty-feeling days, I turn to a list of inspiring tactics to juice my muse.
- Pinterest – Not to plug any particular program but for me, Pinterest is a place to visit to take a break from thinking in words to view life through images. I love finding fun, beautiful, quirky, whatever is the need, pins for my boards, particularly boards for my books. It’s easy, it can be instantly gratifying, and it’s fast.
- Fresh air – There is very little that nourishes the soul as easily and fully as immersing in nature. I like to start the day with biking or hiking or just sitting in my back yard no matter the temperature. Even a few minutes of nature can boost my muse.
- Pay attention – I have a few things in my writing space that help me feel connected to writing, so it helps me focus down to look intentionally at those things. For instance, I turn on my aroma diffuser, take notice of the hearts strung near my desk, and read some of the sayings and quotes that ground me. My present favorite is You’ve Got This!
- Playlist – Whenever I start a new book I always make a new playlist of songs that align with the story. I can turn on the playlist and drop right into the tone, setting, and pace of the story. The music helps me experience the story as if I were one of the characters. In Touch of Breeze is releasing today (Yay!). It is a fast-paced drive from beginning to end. The characters are tossed into intensity and danger and must fight their way to their happy ending. I wanted music that would take me along just as fast and furiously as I built the story. Here’s a short-list of the songs on the Touch of Breeze playlist:
All of these ways help me stay in tune with my writing. But writing itself, for me, is what draws me back to the page to pound out a story. When I’m particularly despairing about how to go on or how to find the story worth writing, or how to find an audience, I may even think I’ll stop writing for good. But soon, the quote I heard once proves true: If you’re truly a writer, you can’t quit. Barring injury or illness, it seems true, but maybe not even then.
Touch of Breeze Blurb:
A rare white were-jaguar, she’s on a mission to save her twin brother from certain death. She didn’t plan on teaming up with a Jag Guardian who would just as soon break her heart.
Mortician London Satos works with the dead by choice. Using her were-jag ability to witness their final moments, she helps them pass over in peace. Those special moments contrast greatly with the life she leads haunted by an ancient Japanese spirit with revenge on his mind. On top of that, her twin brother is missing. Just when she thinks she has enough on her hands, Breeze Dawson stumbles into her path. Compelled by a guilty conscious, she thinks she must help him survive the evil spirit, but it doesn’t stop there. She is forced to team up with him to rescue her brother from an evil madman intent on using him to fulfill a diabolical prophesy.
Recently suspended from his job as a Jag Guardian, were-jaguar Breeze finds himself looking for anything to distract him from his troubled life. So when the beautifully captivating mortician needs help fighting battles on several fronts, he finds himself embroiled in a murderous plot that not only threatens his Guardian team but the supernatural community in general. Together, Breeze and London race to locate the mad man’s stronghold where he’s holding London’s brother, all the while fighting mutual attraction that will only complicate everything.
Excerpt:
“I am a Guardian of the Jag Council. Do you know what that is?” Breeze lifted his brows.
“Of course I do,” London said. “The Council is an organization of seven elders who govern our kind and work in concert with other shifter councils to promote peace, justice, and protection among supernaturals. Under the elders, the Guardians serve our community of jag-shifters.”
“You sound like you’ve read our website.”
“Funny. I’m Japanese American. My parents taught me to keep informed.” She knew there was no website or any other way to trace the presence of her jag community. She didn’t belong to a prowl of jaguars, but her parents did. Their group was a source of information. “Does knowing you’re a guardian tell me who you are?” she asked. She caught the little drop in his eyelids when she asked the question.
The air in the room got thin. She held her breath, waiting.
“To know who I am would take a lot longer than I have,” he said, his voice muted. He looked away. “That thing that follows you around attacked my team while they were attempting to make a rescue. It and the Crew wounded members of my team and kidnapped one.” He turned back to look deep into her eyes and her blood pumped hard in her body. “Are you familiar with Wentworth’s Crew?”
“I know the stories.”
“Then you know Wentworth is a treasure hunter turned trophy hunter. He’s killing and kidnapping shifters. The word from the Council is he’s following a prophecy. On one of his treasure hunts he found an ancient script that promised immortality to those who complete certain tasks. We believe Wentworth’s recent activities regard that prophecy. What about your brother might have attracted the attention of Maxwell Wentworth?”
“My brother and I are white jaguars.” She watched for her news to register.
Breeze sighed heavily. “Rare. So you know what happened to your brother,” he stated rather than asked.
“I saw the men take him. They’ve come after me and tried to capture me in my home. But I do not know where the men have taken him.”
Bio:
Lynn Crandall writing as Kelynn Storm lives in the Midwest and writes in the company of her cat. She has been a reader and a writer all her life. After cutting her writing teeth as a feature writer for commercial and trade magazines, a reporter for newspapers and radio, and an executive editor for a communications company, award-winning author she tuned her voracious appetite for stories to writing contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. In her books, she enjoys taking readers on emotional journeys with relatable characters who refuse to back down, and face challenges and tribulations with heart and soul. She believes every love has a story, and hers is with one handsome husband and a large, beautiful circle of family, including her cats, Willow and Winter.
Buy Links:
All other buy links:
Find Lynn Crandall aka Kelynn Storm on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KelynnStorm/?modal=admin_todo_tour, Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19477691.Kelynn_Storm, Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lynncrandallwriter/touch-of-breeze-the-common-elements-project/, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lcrandall246/ @lcrandall246, BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelynn-storm, and her website at https://www.lynn-crandall.com/
by Angela Smith | Oct 1, 2019 | Books
Be sure to follow the PUMP UP YOUR BOOK BLOG TOUR for DARK JUSTICE from October 1-31st!
It’s going to be so much fun, with excerpts, reviews, and interviews! And you’ll read never-before interviews and guests posts regarding me and DARK JUSTICE.
by Angela Smith | Sep 23, 2019 | Books
Exclusive Blog Post from me on the Coffee Time Romance & More page today!
Be sure to check it out!
Coffee Thoughts, The Book Blog
by Angela Smith | Sep 22, 2019 | Books, Guests
A link to a video interview from Romance Devoured.
And be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY!
by Angela Smith | Sep 16, 2019 | Books
September 17 is release day! Let’s kickstart it with a month-long blog tour!
Follow tour here:
http://www.readingaddictionvbt.com/2019/09/tour-kick-off-dark-justice-by-angela.html?showComment=1568666139038#c8664685508387429756
by Angela Smith | Aug 31, 2019 | Books
by Angela Smith | Jul 23, 2019 | Books
She’s in love with her sister’s killer…
Lauren has loved Luke since first grade. They planned to marry—until he murdered her sister. The moment he was sentenced to prison, Lauren fled with her secret baby and made a new life. Now she’ll do anything to keep their daughter safe. But her hard won peace shatters when Luke is exonerated, and it sets her on a path of mixed emotions to discover the truth. Letting a killer into their tightly knit family is out of the question. Or is it?
She almost destroys her life by threatening his…
Prison stole his future with Lauren and twelve years of Luke’s life, so the last thing he needs from her is a knife in the back or a gun in his face. Lauren believes he killed her sister, and he has no plans to pick up where they left off. Luke can’t afford to trust her, but he wants nothing more than to convince her he’s worth fighting for.
Their daughter is in danger…
Luke is heartbroken when he learns they had a child together. Now his daughter is in danger. Lauren trusted the wrong person for far too long, but he hopes she’ll now trust him. Luke will risk everything to keep them safe. And Lauren will risk everything if she lets him into her heart.
PREORDER NOW FOR 99 CENTS!
by Angela Smith | Apr 13, 2019 | Books
Wanna help me choose my title?
Wanna help me decide how often I should send newsletters and if I should change my blurb?
Please, I am looking for help.
Click this image below (or find link Here) to be taken to Survey Monkey.
A few questions it will ask you is what you think of my blurb to my newest book releasing soon.
Here’s the blurb:
Prison has already stolen twelve years of his life with the woman Luke loved. He didn’t kill his ex-fiancée’s sister and, even after his exoneration, she still doesn’t believe him. Luke has no plans to pick things up where they left off, until he learns they had a child together. Now, he wants nothing more than to convince her he’s worth fighting for.
The ups and downs of raising a daughter whose father committed murder hasn’t been easy on Lauren, especially when their love weighed heavy on her heart. When he is cleared, released, and exonerated, it sets her on a path of mixed emotions to discover the truth. Can she trust her heart to the man who broke it once before?
It’s clear someone wants to frame him and wants their daughter dead. Luke will risk everything for his family even if that means going back to prison, and Lauren discovers he’s worth the fight.
Another question it asked is your opinion about the title (from the few I have chosen).
Another question is if you think I should change my cover to Dark Ride to be more romantic. In case you need a reminder, here is the cover:
Everyone who takes this survey is entered to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card. If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you have double the chances! So be sure to SUBSCRIBE if you aren’t already.
Please note, taking this survey does not add you to my newsletter subscription and I will not spam you or email you unless you are a gift card winner. If you do want to be subscribed, make sure you go to my subscription page. Otherwise, I’m only collecting email addresses for those who want to be entered to win.
Thank you. I am loving the responses I’ve been getting so far!
by Angela Smith | Apr 8, 2019 | Introspective
As writer’s, we’re lucky. If we’re not productive, we can blame it on ‘writer’s block,’ an ailment that doesn’t seem to exist for other professions. For instance, shoe salesmen do not get ‘shoe salesmen block.’ -Neil Gaiman
I’ve been writing again. Slowly but surely. Something completely different than my usual.
Sometimes changing our perspective, changing our goals and even changing the type of things we write (or paint, draw, sing) can help us push past that block of resistance.
Maybe Neil Gaiman doesn’t believe in writer’s block, but I absolutely do. I believe it’s our own resistance that blocks us. Sometimes when I’m in the middle of a story, I get blocked if I’m not following the story’s path. But lately I’ve been blocked because I got a little burned out and needed a break.
Burn out is absolutely real, and for me comes in the form of writer’s block. I’ve experienced burn out more than once and haven’t experienced it for the last time.
I work in an emotionally draining job. As an officer manager for a prosecutor’s office who sees some of the worst of the worst types of cases, my brain is on overload most days, every day during the work week. That while trying to enjoy my own life doing the things I love can get emotionally taxing.
There are days I don’t feel I get away from my job. I wake up on Sunday wondering where the weekend went and then remember it isn’t Monday yet. I dream about my job at least once a week, but usually more than I would admit. I often joke with my husband that I can’t get away from my job because I dream about it when I’m not there.
Sometimes, my burn out is quick and I overcome it after a day of rest and relaxation. Other times, it can last for days or even weeks. Or, I hate to say, months.
Burn out is different than just being tired and needing a break. A nice vacation can fix that, but it might not be able to fix burn out.
The first time I experienced burn out, it wasn’t well known or talked about. The internet was different, barely in existence, and there wasn’t a lot of information about it. I lost interest in the things that used to interest me, and I didn’t know what was wrong. I feel like I was in a rut, a large black hole, and it felt like something dark and heavy was on my shoulders.
Burn out is different than depression but can sometimes feel a lot like it and can even make you depressed. So how do we overcome burn out?
It’s easy to do an online search now on burnout and get instant results on what to do about it, but it isn’t always that easy, is it? Yesterday, I had plans to work on some creative goals, but couldn’t muster the energy to do so. Then I thought if I colored, that might get my mind into creative mode without having to think. I couldn’t muster the energy to do that either. I love to read but sometimes when I’m in that mode, I can’t even handle words!
So what do I do when I’m facing the worst of all burnouts?
Sit in silence. Take a bath. A shower. Get away from the noise, unless it’s noise of nature (birds chirping or frogs croaking is the best!)
Take a walk. Even a short walk down to the mailbox.
Go outside. Even if you just sit under a shade tree, a porch, or a rock. Soak up that Vitamin D! There’s nothing better than sunshine when you’re feeling burned out.
Stop overthinking. I’m no doctor, but in my experience overthinking and worrying can lead to burn out. Sometimes the best way to stop overthinking is to get a pen and paper and write down whatever is in your mind. I can’t always do that when I’m burned out, but even doing a mind map or brainstorm can help ease the thoughts in your mind leading to burnout.
Have a good cry. I don’t cry much, and sometimes when I really want to I just can’t. But there are times when having a good cry washes away all the humdrum feelings of burnout.
Do something different. Get away from your reality and do something completely different than normal. I’ve heard people say take a different route to work, but that doesn’t always work well. Still, getting out of town and doing something different can work wonders on your burnout!
There are a lot of other ways to overcome burnout, and an online search will point you there, especially burn out from work. But I’m not here to talk about work burnout (which I experience all the time) but burnout from your creativity, your life and just everything. Nipping it in the bud before it gets you down is important, and thankfully I’ve learned to do that since I experience it often. I know when it’s time to take a break, and if that means not writing for a day or two or working on my creative projects, so be it.
How do you best handle burnout?
Thanks for joining. Bye for now!
by Angela Smith | Apr 1, 2019 | Introspective
Last week I posted about giving up on your dreams. This week, I wanted to talk some about fear and resistance.
Because fear and resistance can seem like standing in the middle of a black hole with nothing but the universe staring back at you.
If your dream points you toward the image of where you want to be when you’re 80 (thank you, Lara Casey, to pointing me to this), but you aren’t making progressive steps forward, why not?
Fear? Resistance? I’ve lived with those both myself. Sometimes enough to believe I really didn’t want that dream in the first place.
Oh man, battling fear and resistance is the worse. Steven Pressfield talked about it in his novel, WAR OF ART and blogs about it now.
How many people have actually given up because of this?
From my experience, I know the resistance one can face when it comes to their creativity and sharing their creativity with others. Some people really do just get lucky, in my opinion, but some people are just really good at it. And times have changed so much. Some people embrace social media, some people not so much.
I’m one of those not so much people. Live video? Forget it!
Don’t give me wrong. I love a lot of aspects of social media. I learn so many things and I have always loved learning what makes others tick. Social media is a great way to meet new people. But when you’re a creative and you don’t feel like you have anything important to say but your current work-in-progress, it can get hard. Or when you don’t have time every single day.
But see, this is fear speaking. And I’ve battled fear my whole life. But more than fear, I’ve battled resistance, and I’m still not certain why. Fear of the blank page. Fear of having nothing to say. Fear of not being good enough? Who knows. I could go on and on.
Marianne Williamson says it best:
Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
I’m a big fan of Ruth Soukup and her DoItScared brand. I took her test and it rated my biggest fear based on PESSIMISM. What? No way! I am not a pessimist at all. I’ve always been a believer of dreams and try to inspire others. And yet as I read, I noticed some tendencies that have really been hurting me lately. Her pessimist fear assessment says I’m afraid of adversity. I see hardships as a stopping stone, not a stepping stone, as if this hardship is there to stop me from going further. I haven’t always been that way but I see that in me now. And I can see it’s because I’ve battled a lot of disappointment in my life so now I struggle to see hopeful possibilities. “It probably won’t work out for me” isn’t something I’m proud to admit I tell myself even when I’m affirming positive qualities.
Wow, so I guess I am a pessimist after all here lately! Why bother writing this story, it isn’t going to sell. Why bother publishing this, marketing that. Goodness what a negative state I’ve been in without even realizing it. No wonder I’m against a block of resistance!
For me, I believe it’s a season I’m going through. My natural state isn’t pessimism, never has been, so I will push past it. What about you? What fear holds you back?
