Megg Jensen

Afterlife - SPOILER!!!!!!

2012-02-28T09:28:00.001-06:00

I'm writing Afterlife and nearing completion of my first ugly draft and I wanted to give you something whet your appetite.

If you've been reading my blog, you know that all of my books are related. There are strings that travel through them all.

In Sleepers, the reader didn't get any direct connections to Cloud Prophet Trilogy. I wanted my readers to fall for Lianne since she's so different from Reychel. But in Afterlife, the stories start coming back together. Lianne meets a really hot guy (yes, she's still with Bryden at the beginning of Afterlife). Who is he? How is he related to the two trilogies? How does he bring them together?

I'll give you a hint - He was a key player in the plot of Severed, but the reader never actually met him. He was only named in the last chapter....lol....got it yet? (Sleepers & Afterlife take place about twenty years after the end of Severed.)

So if you've read Anathema, Oubliette & Severed - you'll definitely want to pick up The Swarm trilogy, starting with Sleepers. There's time. Afterlife won't be out until summer.

Happy reading!!!!!!!

Here's a discount coupon code for Sleepers, regularly $2.99 on Smashwords, but you can download it for $2.00 with the code good through March 5th - DG27W

Sleepers on Smashwords

Four of the Big Six Kick Libraries to the Curb

2012-02-17T17:37:00.000-06:00

As of this week, many library patrons will no longer be able to check out new ebooks from four of the Big Six traditional publishers.

Penguin

Simon & Schuster

Hachette

Macmillan

All of them will no longer be making their new ebooks available to Overdrive, the system most libraries currently use to provide their patrons with access to ebooks.

I normally don't bitch about publishing on my blog. But today, I am. You play dirty with libraries and I will fight back.

I want everyone who cares about libraries to read this article now. Spread the word. Tell everyone you know what they're doing.

Denying libraries access to materials really makes me angry.

My mom has been a library aide since I was in second grade. I have worked in multiple libraries. My books circulate in libraries and I am VERY PROUD of this.

What the Big Six is doing is driving more consumers toward independent authors. Not only do we charge far less for our ebooks than traditional publishers, but we also make a significantly higher royalty. That will attract more authors to epublish on their own.

If you support libraries, and everyone should, please join in the outcry. In a time of economic uncertainty, publishers are punishing readers - particularly lower-income readers.

Quite frankly, it disgusts me.

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Cherie Colyer

2012-02-14T07:29:00.000-06:00

Cherie Colyer is a really fantastic writer. We met online a couple years ago when we were part of the same critique group. Her novel, Embrace, came out recently so read on to learn more about her!!!!

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Embrace, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

CC: Embrace is a story about a girl whodiscovers there are unseen forces in the world, and she’ll need to embracethese forces to save her friend. When Madison’s spunky best friend becomespanic-stricken, seeing things no one else can and desperately trying to escapethem, she’s taken to the hospital. Madison’s search for an explanation for herfriend’s sudden hysteria leads her to discover supernatural powers. Madisonwill need to believe in the impossible and she’ll need the help of others ifshe hopes to save her friend and stay alive.

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

CC: I’ma pants it kind of girl. I usually have a general idea about what is going tohappen when I start to write a book – the basic beginning, middle and end – butthe characters’ choices along the way determine how they get from chapter oneto the end of the story. Sometimes they even surprise me.

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

CC: Ihad to consult my crystal ball on this one ~~and~~ it wasn’t in a chattymood today so I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to this question. I do have afew queries out for my middle grade ghost story and then I’ve finished a newteen paranormal novel about a brother and sister who must outsmart supernaturalbeings if they hope to remain human and if they are to avoid being pawns in acoming war. I’m very excited about both novels. Fingers crossed, I’ll findhomes for them soon.

MJ: Now for the fun stuff!!!

MJ: Ifyou were trapped on a deserted island and you could only bring three books,what would you bring?

CC: Hmm. This is a hard one because mytaste changes depending on my mood, but since I have to choose: WurthingHeights, Halfway to the Grave (Bones is hot J ), and ahow-to book on surviving in the wild.

MJ: Who is your celebrity crush?

CC: Am I only allowed one? That seems so unfair. Topof the list: Ian Somerhalder (aka Damon Salvatore).

MJ: What is your favorite color?

CC: Blue, a bright brilliant shade like yousometimes see in the late afternoon sky just before the sun sets.

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies?

CC: Vampires, the ones that don’t sparkle please.

MJ: Whatdo you wear when you write?

CC: Nothing……. wait for it……. special.If it’s a Saturday or Sunday morning, I usually have my pj’s on, but other thanthat I wear whatever (shorts, t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, you know, the usualstuff).

MJ: What’s your favorite vacation spot?

CC: Maui, but I would love to visit Europe.

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

CC: Will spring come early this year?

M8B: It is certain. Well, now we know whose butt to kick when we get a snowstorm in late March. Do Magic 8 Balls have butts? lol

Thank you SO MUCH to Cherie for participating in my interview series!!!!

Find Cherie on the web:

Website

Amazon.com

Barnes&Noble.com

Happy Birthday Anathema!!!!

2012-01-31T18:18:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe Anathema has been out for one year. I can't let my baby's first birthday go by without a party, can I?

You're lucky, too, because I have goodie bags filled with some pretty fantastic ebooks from my fellow Indelibles!!!!

I was going to write this long, meaningful post about how fantastic the last year has been (freakin' awesome!), how many ebooks I've sold (almost 10,000), etc, yadda, blah, but....

Screw that - let's just go straight to the goodies!!!!!

GRAND PRIZE (1 winner): All 3 books in the Cloud Prophet Trilogy - Anathema, Oubliette, and Severed in paperback and ebook (and some random swag I toss in the package too)!!!

eBook Goodie Bag #1 (1 winner):

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle
Zellie Wells Trilogy by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon
Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn
Bloody Little Secrets by Karly Kirkpatrick
The Green by Karly Kirkpatrick
The Veil by Cory Putman Oakes

eBook Goodie Bag #2 (1 winner):

Untraceable by SR Johannes
On the Bright Side by SR Johannes
Running Wide Open by Lisa Nowak
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon
Clockwise by Elle Strauss
Watched by Cindy Hogan

eBook Goodie Bag #3 (1 winner):

Exiled by RaShelle Workman
The Book of Lost Souls by Michelle Muto
Bound by C.k. Bryant
The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching
Become by Ali Cross
Loramendi's Story by Angela Carlie

* please note that some of the ebooks are Amazon exclusive titles and can only be given through an Amazon egift. Kindle apps are available for most smart phones as well as a free download on your computer.

Want to enter? Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open internationally for paperback shipping - not all ebooks are available internationally. Contest begins Wednesday, February 1st and runs through midnight CST Saturday, February 4th. Must be fifteen to enter or have parent's permission.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's All Connected...

2012-01-24T19:45:00.002-06:00

I touched on this topic on a post on another blog, but I wanted to lay out my thoughts in a bit more detail.

For those of you who've read the Cloud Prophet Trilogy - CPT (Anathema, Oubliette, and Severed) and Sleepers (Book One in The Swarm Trilogy), you might have thought hmmm....these books seem similar, but I just can't put my finger on exactly how...

Well, they are connected. Quite intimately, in fact. The reason I didn't mention it up front was because I wanted to give my readers a chance to meet Lianne (in Sleepers) and fall in love with her - without worrying about when their favorite characters from CPT were going to show up.

In Afterlife (Book Two in The Swarm Trilogy), characters from CPT will start popping up. No, I'm not going to say who. That's something I want you to discover on your own.

The beauty of these two trilogies is that while they are connected, they do NOT have to be read together. In many ways, The Swarm Trilogy (TST) is a companion to CPT.

If you've read my short story The Initiate, you'll get a glimpse of how these two trilogies are connected. You'll see imagery evocative of all six novels.

By the end of 2012, TST will be complete. I don't know if I'll write another companion trilogy in that world. At this moment, I'd say 'no,' but I certainly won't say 'absolutely not.' I have plans for a middle grade fantasy that I am dying to get out in the world. I also have a contemporary novel that I think my readers would love.

So, for those of you who were wondering ... but weren't quite sure ... the definitive answer is 'YES!' :D

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball - Angela Carlie Edition

2012-01-17T07:20:00.000-06:00

Angela Carlie is, quite possibly, one of the awesomest people on the planet. Seriously. I wish she lived closer to me instead of on the other side of the country. I've known her online for a few years now and last year I begged her to join DarkSide Publishing. She agreed, making me one happy chickie!

Read on to learn more about her!!!!

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Loramendi's Story, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

AC: Loramendi’s Story isthe first novel in the Lords of Shifters series. It’s about a teenage girl namedLora whose mother has been missing from her life since she was one year old.She falls for a hot windsurfer and she discovers that her life has been afaçade. When she begins to go through a physical change, the truth about herlife is finally revealed and she’s forced to accept her destiny.

This novel is full ofadventure, romance, and sexy shapeshifters.

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

AC: 100% pantsed this one.

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

AC: I’m currently workingon the second novel of the Lords of Shifters series. It’s not yet titled, but Ihope it will be available to the public sometime early 2012.

(note from MJ: since this interview, Angela titled her book Spider Wars and it has this amazing cover!!!)

MJ: Now for the fun stuff!!!

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies?

AC: Zomvamplows

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else?

AC: Something else. I wasa loner with literally only one friend who I never saw because she always hung outin the art room while I hung out in the auditorium or … somewhere else. ;) Ihad daisies painted all over my car, wore bell bottoms and leg warmers, but notat the same time, and worked at a veterinary hospital.

MJ: Do you have any pets?

AC: Yes! Four cats and twodogs live with us at the moment.

AC: I recently read onyour FB page how fearful you are of scary movies. I used to be a paranormalinvestigator once upon a time. We investigated hundreds of locations. At onelocation in particular, we investigated a building that had been reportingactivity for years. It’s now a famous haunted location. But, at that time, ataround 1 am, a fellow investigator (a psychic) and I were on the third floorthat once housed a brothel, in a room where abortions were performed and womenoften died. We were alone and setting up equipment in the dark. The air wasthick and we felt like we weren’t really alone at all. In the room next to us,one of our motion alarms went off, screaming at us through the wall. We bothshot up and made a run for it (very unprofessional, I know). In the process, mylarger psychic friend pushed me out of her way to make her escape. My right legfell through a hole in the floor and I was stuck, laughing and crying at thesame time, all by myself.

My question: If youand your best friend were in the same situation, and you were the psychicfriend, would you have gone back for your friend stuck in the hole near thescary room with possible activity or would you have kept running all the waydown the stairs to safety?

(Do you have any idea how long it took me to read all of that to my Magic 8 Ball?!?!?!)

M8B: Outlook Good

MJ: Well, of course that's the answer! I would never leave a friend stuck in a hole in a possibly-haunted house. I grew up in a possibly-haunted house. Not afraid! :D

Thank you SO MUCH to Angela Carlie for participating in my interview series. You have to read Angela's books. Why? (1) Her books rock and (2) She's made of all things fabulous

Find Angela on the web:

Website

Amazon.com

Barnes&Noble.com

Contest Winners & Future Plans

2012-01-12T18:57:00.000-06:00

My three winners for ecopies of Sleepers have been contacted. If you haven't heard from me, then you didn't win ... this time. As anyone who follows me through Facebook or my newsletter knows, I like to give things away a lot, so if you like free things, then follow me. ;)

It's the beginning of the year (well, kind of, since we're nearly a couple weeks in) and I feel like I should let you know what will be happening on my blog.

First, I'll probably be blogging less this year than I did last year. At least here. I've joined three other blogs, Indelibles, Author 2 Author, and The Writer's Voice. Since I'll be blogging in those places, I'll have less to say here. However, that will make what I do say here more important. There'll be less random posts to wade through when what you really want is to know the details about releases, etc. If you want to keep up on my other posts, please follow me on Facebook, which is where I notify my peeps when I have a new post up.

As for writing, I'm working hard on Afterlife and will have it out by summer unless something drastic happens, like I fall off a boat and a shark eats both of my arms. I doubt this will happen since I live in Illinois. You can all relax now.

I plan to release the sequel to Afterlife later in the year. In addition to those, I hope to get at least one more book out, but until I know for sure, I don't want to jinx anything.

I have loved every moment of the past year. I chose to epublish in December of 2010 and Anathema came out in February of 2011. It's been the most fascinating time in my life. Who knew I could make a career out of the one thing I love most in life - creating new worlds. Thank you to each of you who've been on this journey with me (OMG, I sound like a chick from The Bachelor, don't I?).

Love you all!!!!!

~Megg

Introducing the Indelibles

2012-01-08T14:23:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Indelibles Blog Hop!

In celebration of our official launch, we are giving away a KINDLE FIRE! If you’d like to start at the beginning of the INDELIBLES ON FIRE GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP, then please start here: http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/2012/01/indelibles-on-fire-kindle-fire-giveaway.html

If you are already mid-hop, then welcome to your next stop! By following the link at the bottom of this post, you can proceed to the next author (and check out the awesome, individual giveaways we are doing along the way!). If you are entering to win the KINDLE FIRE, don’t forget to make a note of the keyword at the end of every blog post - the words spell out a phrase you will need to enter the contest on the last stop.

Marketing guru Shelli Johannes Wells has teamed up with twenty-four other indie and small press authors to bring you the Indelibles.

“We are indie authors who write middle grade and young adult fiction.

We are dedicated to leaving a permanent mark on the world with our stories and words.

We are the Indelibles.”

Each week, we’ll explore fun, fabulous, and fierce topics for today’s teens, drawing on pop culture and themes from the books we write. Check out our official launch Monday, January 9th for fun giveaways at http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/.

And now with no further ado, I will introduce myself:

I'm Megg - a mom, wife, and novelist. I know a little about a lot of things, like tae kwon do, swing dancing, rollerblading, and dolphins. I write fantasy - not the vamp/werewolf kind - the magic/royalty kind. Finally, I can say that useless degree in medieval history has been put to work. ;) I am a regular contributor at Author 2 Author and The Writer's Voice. You can read more about me on my oh-so-thrilling bio.

This week, along with the Indelibles Fire giveaway, I'm also giving you the chance to win an ecopy of my novel Sleepers (3 total up for grabs!). Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck and hope to see you around the web (Facebook and Twitter)! :D

An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

The keyword for this stop on the hop is: GROUP

Continue the hop and visit the next Indelibles author, the most excellent, and one of my favs, Sarra Cannon!!!!

(enter to win 1 of 3 ecopies of Megg's fantasy novel, Sleepers, in the Rafflecopter form below)

I WILL be verifying entries - so if you mark an entry that you did not complete, you will be ineligible to win. Void where prohibited. No substitutions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win an ebook copy of the ENTIRE Cloud Prophet Trilogy!

2012-01-04T08:49:00.000-06:00

Haven't had a chance to get all three books in the Cloud Prophet Trilogy yet? Now's your chance to win them! The winner will choose from a Kindle (mobi), Nook (epub) or PDF copy of the wildly popular bestselling Cloud Prophet Trilogy!

Just enter below!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favorite eBooks of 2011!!!!!

2011-12-21T08:01:00.000-06:00

Before I start my post, I just wanted to let you know if you sign up for my mailing list, you'll find something special in your stocking Christmas morning! ;)

I wanted to give props to my favorite book of 2011 and I thought it would be a blast to ask others what theirs were too.

My fav ebook of 2011? Easy. Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon. Demons, cheerleaders, magic. Awesome!

Heather McCorkle recommends: Chosen by Denise Grover Swank

Elle Strauss recommends: Kiss Me, I'm Irish by Bella Street and The Clearing by Anne Riley

Cheri Lasota recommends: The Year-God's Daughter by Rebecca Lochlann

Cory Putnam Oakes recommends: Blessed by Cynthia Lietich Smith

Danyelle Leafty recommends: The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris

RaShelle Workman recommends: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Sarra Cannon recommends: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Angela Carlie recommends: Ethereal by Addison Moore

Both Angela and Magan Vernon recommend: Shine by Lauren Myracle

Laura Pauling recommends: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

GP Ching recommends: How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon, Into the Shadows by Karly Kirkpatrick, and Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie

...and a few more recommended on my Facebook page:

Catalyst by Shelly Crane and Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie (both releasing on Dec. 24)

Tangled Tides by Karen Hooper

Escaping Destiny by Jeffrey Pierce

I hope everyone takes some time to relax and enjoy a good book over the holidays! :D

Cover Reveal: Sleepers Rebooted

2011-12-19T07:14:00.000-06:00

When I originally commissioned the artwork for Sleepers from Robin Ludwig Design, I was absolutely in love with it. I still am.

But as I prepared to continue with the trilogy, I had a really hard time coming up with concepts for what I wanted the other two covers to be. I had heard about artist PhatPuppy months ago and knew she designed some cover art for Amanda Hocking. I spent hours going through her website, falling in love with multiple pieces of artwork.

The more I combed through her art, the more I realized that there were pieces that embodied exactly what I was looking for. A couple were perfect, in fact. I decided to take the plunge and use her artwork for my next two books. Yet...it wouldn't match Sleepers original cover and I needed this trilogy to make sense visually. It was agonizing for me, but I decided to recover Sleepers.

Here it is and I hope you love it as much as I do!!!!!!!

Thank you so much to the 83 bloggers who are revealing Sleepers' new cover on their blogs today. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you!!!!!! :D

If you haven't read Sleepers yet, I have it priced at only 99 cents!!!! Check it out now! :D

Severed's Blog Tour!!!!!

2011-11-07T06:59:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can hardly believe this day is here. It's just one in a trail of many to come, but today I'm announcing my stops for Severed's Blog Tour. Yes, I'm that close to release and I'm more than a little freaked out. So instead of dwelling on how this is the beginning of the end of the Cloud Prophet Trilogy, I'm just going to go ahead and stop kvetching. Right? (OMG, totally ignore the tears...please...)

Severed's Blog Tour Stops:

Monday, November 28th: The Bookish Brunette
Tuesday, November 29th: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Wednesday, November 30th: The Caffeinated Diva Reads
Thursday, December 1st: Two Chicks on Books
Friday, December 2nd: The Top Shelf

Monday, December 5th: Can't Find a Bookmark
Tuesday, December 6th: That Bookish Girl
Wednesday, December 7th: Read 2 Review
Thursday, December 8th: Me, My Shelf & I
Friday, December 9th: Hesperia Loves Books

Monday, December 12th: The Writer's Voice
Tuesday, December 13th: Words to Follow
Wednesday, December 14th: Woven Myst
Thursday, December 15th: Smash Attack Reads!
Friday, December 16th: Books with Bite

Ask Me Anything!

2011-11-03T11:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I decided to make one of my Severed blog tour stops a Q & A. But I need you guys to ask me the questions! Ask me a question about my personal life or something about writing. Whatever!

Comment below with a question (no more than three per person) and I will choose 5 - 10 to answer on a vlog tour stop. I'll be giving you credit for the question too (either by first name or user id, whatever you leave in the comment).

Oh - and one lucky commenter below will win an e-ARC of Severed!!!!!! (Winner chosen by random.org)

Contest starts now and ends November 10th at midnight CST.