Writing a Strong Female Character

I've been lucky in the many friends I've gained in the past eight months. Sometimes I get asked how I get such amazing guest bloggers on Finding Bliss. I actually have to pinch myself once in a while to make sure I'm not dreaming when authors agree to come write for me. 

I was introduced to the author of Gifted, Liz Long, by my friend Allie B in May of this year. I was quick to fall head over heels for Liz's quirky humor and smart style. Welcome Liz!

COVER REVEAL: Elder by Raine Thomas

COVER REVEAL!

Elder (Firstborn Trilogy #3)

by

Raine Thomas

The cover was created by the amazing Devan Edwards of Nimbi Designs.

What Agents Look For In a Self-Published Author

The most popular post I've had on this blog was Are Self-Published Books the New Query Letter?  It features author Erin Kern and her story of being picked up by an agent and eventually signing with a big New York publishing house.

People with varying opinions weighed in- from Self-publishing is the only way! to I won't consider myself successful unless I'm traditionally published. 

How to Market your Book if You're Not a Marketer

This is my first time ever as a Blog Tour Host for Heather of SupaGurl Book Tours! I'm kind of excited about being a Host, because I love having authors on here, for spreading the love, but for what I learn too! As a Tour Stop, I just pick a date and everything is arranged for me. For the future, I'm contemplating a tour of my own, so hopefully this experience will also give me some insight into that.

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard of her- today's guest is the amazing Nancy Straight. She is on tour promoting her book Blood Debt, which I hope you'll check out!

Six Questions with Devyn Dawson

Devyn Dawson caught my eye when I first saw the cover to her novel The Light Tamer. I'm sure you'll agree it's a gorgeous book.

The sequel to The Light Tamer- Enlightened- has just been released, so I invited Devyn onto Six Question Saturday during her blog tour!

Which E-reader is On YOUR List?

Image from freedigitalphotos.net

A new e-reader is on the top of my list for the Holiday Season. With so many choices, I decided to ask some of my favorite authors what THEIR favorite e-readers are and why.  Hopefully you'll find this list helpful, too!

5 Areas of Publishing Every Indie Should Adopt

In my writing journey, I've been VERY fortunate in learning and working with some extremely wise and talented individuals. Today, one of my mentors ~Erin Reel~ is here to remind us, since we're taking the reigns on our publishing journey, we're responsible for the quality-control of our books!

Picking a Cover Designer

I met Priya Kanaparti on Facebook. I have been finding some great new friends there which is very exciting! 

Priya will be releasing her first novel, Dracian Legacy, in January of 2013. I've asked her to tell us a bit about how she came up with the cover of her design, which is yet to be unveiled!

Six Questions with Katie Jennings

No matter what you'd LIKE to believe, the truth is that we DO judge books by their covers. Twice now, Katie Jennings has been featured on Pixel of Ink and before I totally knew what her books were about, I had clicked through to Amazon! Turns out the books sound amazing, complementary of their covers! Welcome to Finding Bliss Katie!

The Un-sexy Side of Self-Publishing

I met Victoria Smith on the Twitter Chat #NALitChat. It's put on each week by NA Alley and although I can't always make it, it's always fun to meet with other writers that are excited by the emerging New Adult genre. Victoria released her first NA novel The Crimson Hunt last week.

Priceless by Shannon Mayer now on Amazon

I was asked by my friend Shannon Mayer to announce her newest release, Priceless.

It's an honor to reveal this to you, and also share this fun contest!

Self-Publishing on Wattpad

Have you heard the buzz about Wattpad? I saw an article on IndieReader a few months ago by Brittany Geragotelis on her experience publishing her writing on Wattpad and eventually signing for a three book deal with Simon & Schuster. It was a great article, especially for those who have hopes for eventually going the traditional route. Welcome to Finding Bliss, Brittany!

Six Questions with Cally Jackson

One thing you always see social media experts preaching is to engage with your audience. Today's guest is one of the first blog visitors I started to recognize as she became a regular commentor. It's been great following Cally Jackson from my blog to Facebook and Twitter. And now she's released her first novel, The Big Smoke and I'm thrilled to have her on Six Question Saturday!

Getting Your Book in Front of Readers

As you probably know, I'm a huge fan of Laura Pepper Wu of 30 Day Books. She featured today's guest a few weeks ago on BOTH of her blogs, so naturally my ears perked up. Jenny Ladner Brenner must be one to watch! 

And, now since Laura was gracious enough to introduce us, I am proud to present Jenny, author of The Dinner Party, to you!

Hook an Author Up! GIVEAWAY

As a reader and someone who only wrote for fun, I didn't understand the significance of a book review on Amazon or GoodReads. I would usually leave a review on Goodreads just to share with my fellow book lovers, not thinking about how it affected the author. I think that's pretty normal.

Well, I've since learned how much a review and rating on Amazon can influence a book's success. I think that most of the book lovers of the world would be glad to leave a quick review if they realized how much it impacts the success of an author. Not a seven paragraph, professional review-- but just a sentence or two stating how the book made them feel.

Harness the Power of Words

In April, I took part in a fun challenge put on by Robert Lee Brewer to help build a writer's platform.

It turned out being so much more than I expected as I met some wonderful friends, one being today's guest Julia Tomiak. Julia does a fun weekly challenge on her blog that I encourage you to check out-- The Word Nerd Workout!

Without Thinking Too Hard- Just Write! Week One

Like it Doesn't Even Matter Anymore

Six Questions with PJ Young

It's Saturday, and you know what that means- Time for Six Questions!

Today's esteemed guest is the lovely PJ Young. PJ, author of the YA novel To Be Honest is here to share some gems that you're sure to love.

Welcome to Finding Bliss, PJ!

Why Bad Reviews Don't Scare Me

In the spirit of Halloween week, Young Adult author Nikki Jefford is here to tackle a subject that frightens many a writer: Bad Reviews.