An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Sarra Cannon

Welcome back to my interview series An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball! I'll be bringing you a new author and a new giveaway every Monday this year. I hope you'll stop by to check out these  authors and enter to win some prizes!!!! :D

Please welcome best-selling YA paranormal and NA contemporary author Sarra Cannon!!! Read the interview, then enter to win: 

(1 winner) Peachville High Demons t-shirt and swag pack and a Beautiful Demons Box Set (ebook)

(2 winners) Beautiful Demons Box Sets (ebook) 

(1 winner) copy of Death's Awakening (ebook)

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

SC: Right now I'm working on a book called Sorrow's Gift (sequel to Death's Awakening). It's the second book in my Eternal Sorrows series and it's a story I have wanted to work on for forever! Basically, it's a zombie apocalypse story with a paranormal twist.

The world has been struck with a virus that killed billions, but unlike a lot of zombie stories where it's a government experiment-gone-wrong, this virus was caused by an ancient evil. The series follows five teens as they struggle to not only survive but also to understand what's happening to them. As the zombie horde grows stronger and larger, these teens gain powers that are also growing. How do they fit in? What is their purpose? Will they survive? These are the questions they're asking through these books.

Sorrow's Gift is a journey story. The teens are on the road throughout most of the book. It's been amazingly fun to write and Parrish, the true heroine of the story, is a real bad-ass. I love her so much!

MJ: I love all of your books and am so excited you're writing more! What's your next release?

SC: After this, I'll be working on Emerald Darkness, the first book in my Peachville High Demons continuation series. This series picks up shortly after where the final book in the PHD series left off, but this time it follows the points-of-view of both Harper and Lea. I cannot wait for this series to start!

MJ: YAY! More Peachville Demons!!! (It's my favorite YA paranormal series.) If you were trapped on an island, what three books would you want to have with you?

SC: Ahh, only three?? Is there a Harry Potter Omnibus edition that could count as just one of them? Let's just go ahead and say there is :). So, 1. Harry Potter Omnibus. 2. Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier. and 3. Stephen King's The Stand.

I guess I should probably have chosen some kind of island survival guide, but I've never been very practical.

MJ: YES the omnibus counts. :) Who is your celebrity crush?

SC: Ewan McGregor. I love him so much!! I never knew how much until he started singing in Moulin Rouge. I was hooked for life. Of course, it might be a triple-way tie between Ewan, Dave Matthews and Justin Timberlake. <3

MJ: Um, sorry, Justin Timberlake is on my list. Not sure I'm willing to share. ;) What do you wear when you write?

SC: Yoga pants and tank tops. Always. And I have these pink and black striped fingerless gloves with skull and cross-bones on them that I wear a lot. Oh, and glasses. Duh.

MJ: We would be twins then. Well, except my arm socks are orange. What's your favorite vacation spot?

SC: VEGAS, baby!

MJ: I've never been there. Maybe someday! Do you have any pets?

SC: No. A husband and a son are enough for me right now. However, I really super want a hedgehog.

MJ: A hedgehog? LOL! LOVE IT! 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 all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

SC: Would I have any chance of surviving the zombie apocalypse? 

MJ: I certainly hope so!

M8B: Don't Count On It

MJ: Uh oh, looks like you'd better start running, Sarra!!!!! ;)
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. It was great hosting you.

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Favorite eBooks of 2011!!!!!

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

Exceeding a Goal & Setting New Ones

When I decided to self-pub, I worried about sales. A LOT. I worried that my  mom would be the only person to buy my book. I worried no one would ever find my novels and I would be a sad, pathetic failure.

Luckily, someone (not my mom) bought my book on the first day it uploaded to Barnes&Noble. I hadn't announced it was there and I still have no clue who that person was, but wow, what a mental boost.

Success stories swirled in my head: Amanda Hocking, Joe Konrath, John Locke, LJ Sellers. I never once thought I'd be in their ranks. Did I want to be? Sure. I still want to be a famous rock star too, but it's not like I'm focused too heavily on it (particularly since I can't sing).

My goal all along has been to be a solid midlister - never a superstar. I wanted to build a solid fanbase of readers who like what I write. Simple? Ha, well, not as simple as it might seem.


Over the first month, a number appeared in my head: 1,000. I wanted to sell 1,000 books. That, I decided, would be my goal.

Well, earlier this week I surpassed 1,000 sales. It took me nearly seven months, but who cares? I DID IT! 1,000 paid sales of my books. It's unreal.

Now that I'm on the other side of 1,000, things don't look too awfully different. There's no BMWs, no champagne and caviar parties, no afternoons lounging by the pool while I watch the pool boy from the corner of my eye.

I'm looking forward. I want to be like my friend Sarra Cannon who has sold over 35,000 books. 35,000. Makes me seem like small peanuts, but it also reassures me there's a market out there for kick-ass YA novels. (You'll read more about Sarra on my blog in a few weeks - she's amazing and I know you'll love her as much as I do.)

Someone, who shall remain nameless, suggested I shouldn't tell anyone that I just hit 1,000. Why? Because there are authors out there doing better than me and some people might assume I'm not good enough because I'm not among the elite.

I call foul on that. There will always be someone better than me at everything I do. That doesn't mean I shouldn't celebrate what I have accomplished. Let's all stick our our tongues at that person and blow!!!!




 My eyes are focused ahead. I have great things in the works - new YA fantasy novels, a MG fantasy, a contemporary YA, and a series that will make you question everything you believe in. As for a sales goal, I'm now looking towards 5,000 sales. It could happen next month (yeah, right), or in two years, but I'm not giving up until I get there.

Thanks for riding this crazy roller coaster with me!!!!