Charity

Hi folks!

So, I have a question for you--do you support any specific charities, and if so, which one(s)?

I've tended to support education and scholarship funds, animal rescues, and international aid societies like Doctors Without Borders. But I really like Nothing But Nets (http://www.nothingbutnets.net/). They focus on malaria prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, and they're now launching an initiative to help Sudanese refugees. So, I'm sending out this appeal:

Make a donation to Nothing But Nets between now and April 5th (midnight, EDT), and then leave a comment below. On Friday the 6th, I'll use random.org to pick a winner, and send that person his/her choice of an ARC or first edition of any Spencer Hill Press book out now or scheduled for release in 2012, including:

Don't worry--I'll make sure the author gets royalties! 

I'll donate a dollar for each "I donated!" post we receive (although I'll cap it at $100, so Mr. Bear doesn't have a coronary). Please spread the word--we all could use the good karma.

Writing as Magic

Does anyone else have this amazing sense of magical creation from writing? Kosmogenesis--the creation of a new world--there's a real thrill to it, and it can be terribly addicting. I do think Stephen King had it right, too--writing is a form of telepathy, of transmitting the contents of one's own head into someone else's. In any case, it's fun being a wizard, of sorts.  :)

BETRAYED Book Trailer

Coming in June from SHP:



Didn't Ednah do a great job with this?

ELEMENTAL Book Trailer Premiere

Elemental will be released by Spencer Hill Press in May, and the book trailer has just gone live. Check it out!

Cover by Victoria Caswell

Elemental by Emily White

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Pre-order through:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Elemental-Emily-White/dp/1937053040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315750924&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elemental-emily-white/1102777107?ean=9781937053048&itm=1&usri=9781937053048

PERFECTION Cover Reveal!

We have an upcoming release at Spencer Hill that's really different, unique... and goosebump-raising awesome!

The personification of Aryan purity, Ellyssa's spent her whole life under her creator's strict training and guidance; her purpose is to eradicate inferior beings. She was genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier: strong, intelligent, unemotional, and telepathic.

Only Ellyssa isn't perfect.

Ellyssa feels emotions--a fact she's spent her life concealing. Until she encounters the epitome of inferiority: a dark-haired boy raised among renegades hiding since the Nazis won the war a century ago. He speaks to her telepathically, pushing thoughts into her mind, despite the impossibility of such a substandard person having psychic abilities.

But he does.

His unspoken words and visions of a place she's never visited make Ellyssa question her creator. Confused and afraid her secret will be discovered, Ellyssa runs away, embarking on a journey where she discovers there is more to her than perfection.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Title: Perfection

Author: J.L. Spelbring

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.SpencerHillPress.com)

ISBN: 978-1-937053-34-5

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Formats: paper & e-book

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Happy Weekend, everyone! 

ARCs

I love ARCs. I love receiving them. I love giving them.

(prepare for a mild rant)

But some people don't seem to understand WHY publishers send them out! 

ARCs are "Advance Review Copies." So, if you don't have a review platform (blog, magazine, etc.), PLEASE don't expect us to send you Advance Review Copies! They are expensive (about three times more than the first editions), and we send them out to REVIEWERS so that they can get the word out about a forthcoming release.

It's not a free book program!

I hope I don't sound mean, but I just cleared several emails from my inbox from people with no review platform who were requesting books. I'm happy that people love our books and want to read more from our authors, but please understand that we'd be even happier if those people would BUY our books, so we can keep publishing more awesome titles.

(end of mild rant)

RWA Conference

I've just arrived at the hotel here in New Orleans, where it is close to 80 degrees.

*waves at Mr. Bear and the cubs back under 9 inches of snow in NH*

I love writing conventions--people spend all day talking about books, and then go out to dinner and talk about books more.

I'll post pix and stuff next week--now I'm off to replace the small bottle of Scope that airline security claimed was large enough to be a weapon.

Happy Weekend!