Strings Release Day!

Sometimes the strings that tie us down are the same strings that set us free...

"Strings is a wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story and a heartfelt coming-of-age tale.  I was pulled in by young Pia's determination to free herself and her father, and I simply couldn't put this book down." –Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND

After over a year without publishing a book, I'm so pleased to release STRINGS, my new dark YA SciFi Pinocchio retelling! I was exceptionally honored and fortunate to have the amazing bestseller, Rysa Walker, read and blurb STRINGS; and she loved it so much that she decided to partner with me and our incredible narrator, Kate Rudd, to produce the audiobook.

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below, you can win tons of prizes, from signed books to gift cards to artworks, and a whole lot more!

Thank you all so much for your support and kindness, you've literally changed my family's life for the better! Links to buy:

Buy on Amazon Kindle
Buy Amazon Paperback
Buy the Audiobook narrated by Kate Rudd
Add Strings to your Goodreads To-Read List

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Pia has always lived in a mysterious facility where mechanical strings control her existence. She plays apprentice to her father, Gio, in performing nanotech designs for the Company, and she soon suspects there are diabolical human forces behind the manufactured reality of her world. 

Though her childhood memories and the origins of the strings remain strangely elusive, she begins to find solace with the introduction of two unlikely friends: daring, irrational Sofia, and calm, tender Marco. 

As the truths of the past and present unravel together, Pia must find a way to free herself from her strings and escape the facility before facing the wrath of the unstable head of security, Mr. Davis. But to gain her freedom, she must navigate the dangers posed by Davis and by her suspicious new friends to find the real identity of the puppeteer. 

If Pia can succeed in revealing the secrets of the Company, she may very well find the independence she so desperately seeks. But in her controlled world nothing is as it seems, and the closer she gets to the truth, the graver the consequences.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Strings Cover Reveal- WIN a SIGNED advanced proof copy dual-signed by me and cover designer, Rysa Walker (author of Timebound)

 

The cover for STRINGS has finally been revealed! The cool thing: this cover was designed by bestselling author Rysa Walker (author of Timebound)! AND Rysa and I are going to be dual-signing an advanced proof copy of the book and giving it away to one lucky winner, just follow the link to Instagram for instructions on entering the giveaway. OR for ten bonus entries, if you preorder the book and comment on this post that you've preordered it, you'll be automatically entered :) Best of luck, my friends! 

Instagram Giveaway HERE

Preorder Strings HERE 

Self-doubt and Inspiration

SELF-DOUBT

I can't do this.
I can't do this.
I can't do this.

We've all heard that voice in our head. I know I have. When you don't have confidence in yourself, the voice is sometimes all you hear. You wake up and you hear it. You even hear it just before you go to bed. The problem: you believe the voice's message, even though it's not true.

I'm here to tell you...you CAN do this. Whatever this is, you ARE capable. You ARE talented. You DO have something to offer.

Trust me, I know. Over the last five years, I've gone from a safe, well-paying job as a financial auditor to a fulltime career as an Indie author where most of the time I don't have the slightest idea how much my next paycheck will be and whether it will cover the rent. And, yes, there's plenty of self-doubt. Not just at the beginning, when I'd sold zero books and wondered whether I'd ever sell any; now, too, after selling more than 60,000 books, publishing 23 novels, obtaining a literary agent, inking an audiobook publishing deal, and having one of my series listed on Buzzfeed as one of "15 Series to Read if You Enjoyed The Hunger Games."

Despite all of the success I've had, my agent and I haven't been able to land the elusive traditional publishing deal that's been my goal since the moment I wrote my very first word.

I can't do this.
I can't do this.
I can't do this.

The voice is relentless sometimes, but I refuse to listen to it, refuse to succumb to the temptation to give in, to say "You're right," to stop writing and get a more sensible job doing something I hate. Because you know what? The voice IS WRONG, just like the voice in your head, the one telling you to doubt yourself.

You CAN do this. And here's how:

INSPIRATION

Inspiration is out there, in the experiences we have, in the people we meet, in the sunrise and sunset and the rain. It's in the words we hear, the thoughts we think, in the way our children play. And guess what? Inspiration is the key to defeating self-doubt. Although the source of our individual inspiration changes over time (as often as daily sometimes), it is like building a soundproof room around your brain, where the nagging voice of self-doubt can't be heard. When you're feeling inspired, nothing else will matter except taking that inspiration, listening to its message, and letting it drive you to greatness.

Find your source of inspiration. Write it down. Keep a list of the things that inspire you, whatever they may be. And when that voice comes a-knocking, go back to your list and build your soundproof wall. You'll be amazed at the results.

#GetInspired