Blogger Issues and Shimmerspell Review

Hello everyone in bloggyland. Is anyone else still having issues with blogger? Whenever I try to respond to comments, it makes me log in a bazillion times. Then tells me I'm anonymous. :/

But anyway, Urban Fantasy Author, Shea MacLeod (Whenever I see her name, I think of Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.)was awesome enough to read and review Shimmerspell. Here's a tiny snippet of what she had to say:

"Shimmerspell is a lovely paranormal YA story about a girl who discovers that neither she, nor the world around her, is exactly as it seems. There's a little touch of romance, quite a bit of magic, and a few surprises along the way."

You can read the entire review @ here. And while you're there, make sure to check out chapter one of her upcoming novel, Kissed by Darkness.

Dieting and new blurb

Does anyone else think that stevia is the worst tasting crap ever? That stuff is horrible, like super sweet baking soda. I'm trying to stop consuming so much sugar, but stevia/truvia and the like just aren't going to cut it. Any suggestions?

Oh and here's a new blurb. I know it seems like I change it every week, but I'm trying to figure out how to make it more appealing. Let me know what you think:

When sixteen-year-old Jensen Meadows finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient faerie war, she quickly learns that faeries aren't made of sparkly goodness like Disney would have the mortal world believe. They're vicious. And worse, they're after her.

With the help of Liam Casey, she searches for her missing sister and begins to suspect that her whole life has been nothing more than a faerie tale.

But what if the truth turns out to be more than she can handle?


***ETA: I've given up on the row80 challenge. Yeah, I'm a quitter. :(
I'm still aiming to finish my book in June. I just don't think I can keep up with word counts, etc. And as you can see, I got rid of the row80 button thingy. Everytime I saw it, I felt bad, so it had to go. Hope I'm not letting anyone down.

Win a copy of Shimmerspell!

Okay you guys, it's that time again. The incredibly sweet Donna @ Book Passion for Life is hosting a giveaway for two ecopies of Shimmerspell. You can fill out the entry form here. Winners will be announced May 30th, so don't miss out.

Also, make sure to check out my author interview and Donna's review of Shimmerspell. Here's an excerpt:

"Even though this was a novella, don't let that put you off from reading it. Kimberly Spencer has definately got the nack for story telling and creating magical worlds in a short amount of time and I was pleasantly surprised that so much detail came out of this story. Not only were the characters well developed but the back story involving King Arthur and Lady of the Lake was a great addition too.

The story is fast paced, full of action, mystery and of course, there's that small romance that starts which you can't help will turn into something so much more. A enjoyable read, one I will be recommending and one I will look forward to continuing in the future."

RIP "Macho Man" Randy Savage

Rest in Peace Randall Mario Poffo. You will be missed! :(

CubicleBlindnessReviews: Shimmerspell

Krista @CubicleBlindnessReviews recently reviewed Shimmerspell and here's what she had to say:

"It was around 73 pages long and with all the action and adventure going on felt like it flew by. I really enjoyed Jensen and her reaction to this new world. She was fantastically funny and courageous.

The world building was well built and very descriptive. A lot of great characters and intense situations that kept my heart beating fast. And before you know it the story is over leaving you wanting more.

Jensen of course has more to her than a normal human, one day while at school (breaking into someone's locker) her ability to see others for what they really are is triggered unexpectedly and before she knows it she's on her own having to explore a whole new world. Of course Liam has to witness this transformation in her and all crazyness breaks out.

A very thrilling ride."

Cracked the Top 100 for Mythology

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,358 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#95 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology

I'm sure my stay will be brief, but seriously, how cool is that?

<------My baby

Lookie What I Got :)

The amazing Claudia McKinney of Phatpuppy Art was nice enough to make me this 3D render of Shimmerspell. Isn't it pretty?

She's such a sweet person and so awesome to work with. You can check out some more of her drool worthy art here:

http://phatpuppyart.com/specialpreview

Two Readers Reviews: Shimmerspell

I just woke up and saw that Missy @ Two Readers Reviews posted her full review of Shimmerspell this morning. Here's a snippet of what she had to say:

"Along with the brilliant characters and dialogue was the plot. It was interesting and totally original. It was such a fun read and I HIGHLY recommend it!"

You can check out the full review here:

http://tworeadersreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-shimmerspell-faerie-tale-girl.html

I am so grateful for bloggers like her who take the time to read and review indie books. When you're not traditionally published, many people automatically assume you're trying to sell them a steaming pile of doo doo. I blame writers who don't take the time to edit their work, find beta readers, listen to actual readers, etc for that. Not saying I'm all that because I'm far from it. I'm still learning and hoping to get better. And you can tell from these blog posts that it's definitely a work in progress, lol. But as a reader, I have to admit, it's hard to see the diamonds out their for all the crud.

So it's awesome when someone like Missy, Tiger, Cassandra, etc makes a little extra room in her TBR piles for Shimmerspell when I don't have some big name publisher backing me. That's really all I ask for anyway. Just try it out, read the sample on amazon, read the excerpt here, because it might just be your cup of tea.

Shimmerspell Included in Awesome Indie Spotlight

The wonderful Missy @ Two Readers Reviews recently read Shimmerspell and decided to include it in her weekly spotlight for Awesome Indie/Self Published Reads.
Check it out here: http://tworeadersreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/awesome-indieself-published-reads-2.html

Also included were Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie and The Advice Girl by L.A. Shaw. So make sure to check out them out as well!

Wickedly Delicious Tales: Review of Shimmerspell

Cassandra @ Wickedly Delicious Tales is another blogger who was nice enough to read and review Shimmerspell. Here's a snippet:

"Kimberly has an amazing talent for imagery. The scenes came to life with her artful descriptions. The story has a wealth of great lines. Jensen is a pretty kick-ass girl and a remarkably believable character."

Read the entire review here: Wickedly Delicious Tales

The Book Nympho's Review of Shimmerspell

As you can see, the reviews have been coming in lately, including one from Jennifer @ The Book Nympho. Here's an excerpt:

"Ms. Spencer does and excellent job of using imagery in her story. She totally sucked me in and made me feel like I was there with the characters. And the fact that she did it in only 14 chapters is a real testament to her writing skills. She has introduced some great characters and done some great world building with this first story in what I hope to be a continued great series. And the way Spencer ends the story it just keeps you wanting more. Kimberly Spencer has enormous possibility as an author and I just hop that I don't have to wait too long for the next installment in Jensen's world."

You can read the entire review here: The Book Nympho

New Blurb for Shimmerspell

Sixteen-year-old Jensen Meadows hands out tall tales like a vending machine. After all, with a con-artist for a big sister, she knows the value of a well executed lie. But when she overhears a murder confession at school and is abandoned by her sister, Jensen learns three new things:

Drinking Red Bull isn't the only way to get wings: The faerie realm is real, and it still hasn't gotten over King Arthur's death.

Shimmerspell, the power to move between the mortal and faerie realms, is lost.

And somehow, her sister is tied to it all.

With the help of a few teenage light-elves, Jensen searches for the truth in a sea of lies and begins to suspect that her whole life has been the tallest tale of them all.

********************

So what do you think?

Two Chances to Win Shimmerspell

Want to win your own ebook copy of Shimmerspell?

Well, you have two opportunities to do so by heading on over to Tiger's All-Consuming Books and Paranormal Opinion.

Rules to enter for Tiger's Giveaway:
Mandatory entry: +1 Leave a comment with your contact email
Optional entry: +2 For following All-Consuming Books
The winning name will be drawn on May 8th, so don't miss out!

Rules to enter for Tishia (Paranormal Opinion):
Comment on the review with your name and email. It's an awesome book blog so be sure to follow her. (This is not required, but I'm sure you'll love her honest reviews.) The contest will run until May 11th, and winners will be announced on May 12th. So hurry up before it's too late!

Shimmerspell Reviewed by Tiger's All-Consuming Books - B+

I contacted Tiger a couple weeks ago about reviewing Shimmerspell and she posted her review today. She gave it a B+. *Smiles* And her review was freaking awesome. Seriously, she explains the story better than I do lol. Has anyone else noticed that with their reviews?

Another reader reviewed it on Amazon and described it as a mix of genres: romance, action, mystery, and fairy-tale, which is a perfect description and one I could have never come up with on my own. I guess that's the curse of the crazy writer lol.

But anyway, here's the link to Tiger's review:
Tiger's All-Consuming Books - Shimmerspell

She also gave it 4 stars on Amazon and 3 on Goodreads. (I'm assuming the 3 was a mistake lol.) Tiger is a really nice book blogger by the way, and a fellow Alabamian. And I may be wrong, but by the look of her banner and pseudonym, I think we're both alumnae of the same school, Auburn University. Go Tigers!

**ETA: I just found out that Tishia from Paranormal Opinion has just posted her review as well. She gave it 3 stars, but the actual review was nice. She described the plot as original and exciting, with good characterization. Here's the link to that: Paranormal Opinion

Click Here for Free Ebook

Lately, I've been reading different indie blogs, trying to figure out ways to gain more exposure for Shimmerspell. Everyone seems to agree that the best way to do so is by getting reviews. I've actually contacted book bloggers, but none have gotten around to it yet. :/

Now, I might be having delusions of grandeur, but I really do believe in Shimmerspell. I think it's a fun read, with awesome characters. So I've decided to borrow this idea from Susan Bischoff's playbook.

I'm offering 100% off coupons to anyone willing to review Shimmerspell on Goodreads, Amazon, on a blog, etc. All you have to do is comment below with your email, or contact me at spencer.kimberly@ymail.com. The offer ends 11:59 pm, May 4th. :)

Oh and let me know what you think of the new and improved cover.

Super Quick Post - Trailer Tuesday

Just wanted to let you guys know that Megg Jensen, author of Anathema, included Shimmerspell in her Trailer Tuesday post today. So be sure to check that out. :)

Book Cover

Here's the book cover I created for my next novella, Limerick. I purchased the stock photo from Dreamstime and used gimp to alter it. Please let me know what you think.

April Sales and More Nixie Nails

Those of you who have already read Shimmerspell will know who this represents. :o)

Products used:
Cosmetic sponge
Wet n Wild - Wild Shine in Caribbean Frost
Orly - It's Up to Blue
Sephora by OPI - Teal we meet again
Orly - Shine on Crazy Diamond (silver glitter)
OPI - Dazzle Me (green glitter)

I know I've been kind of quiet these past few days. Honestly, I've been sleeping. A lot lol. And when I'm not dead to the world, I'm working on novella number 2 and its cover art. Yes, you heard me. I've decided to try my hand at creating my own book cover, which I'll show you very soon, maybe even tomorrow. Oh and it you follow me on goodreads, you know that I've also started reading Eternal Hearts by Jennifer Turner, which was recently released on kindle.

Also, I know some of you are wondering about my sales for the month of April, so here it goes:

From April 8th to April 30th
Amazon US - 43
Actual number - 35 (excluding the books bought by relatives and the ones I gifted to book bloggers)
Amazon UK - 4
Smashwords - 1

It's not a lot compared to more well known self pubbed authors, but it's a start and I'm happy about it. Hopefully that number will grow each month to come. :)