Over 25,000 sales!
Chained has now sold over 25,000 copies and I just wanted to say how grateful I am to everyone for reading! If you haven’t joined Maya in her story yet then you can get book one Chained for free on kindle now! The entire series is avalaible on kindle and kindle unlimited so why not find out what the Cage of Lies is hiding?
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, they hide behind The Wall. In a time when fear rules and the unknown is always a threat, Maya lives in a city cut off from the outside world. But when fate sets her free the cage of lies will slowly be unraveled. In a story of true love, friendship, bravery and adventure nothing is ever as it seems. Danger lurks around every corner and everything Maya ever thought she knew about the world will be thrown into question.
The Cage of Lies saga is a nonstop heart pounding adventure from the first page to the last.
Don’t miss your chance to grab a free book!
Hey guys, I just wanted to do another quick post about ARCs of Broken (book 3 in my Cage of Lies saga). It’s a young adult dystopian filled with action, adventure and romance.
The book is out on January 31st and if any of you would like to get your hands on it early and free then just email me at susanne3587@hotmail.com and let me know if you’d prefer a PDF or ePub π All I ask in return is that you review it for me on Amazon when you’re done!
And if you havn’t had a chance to read the first two books in the series I’d be more than happy to give you a copy of those to review too πxoxo
My life in books tag π
I was actually tagged to do this one! So thank you Caroline for tagging me and you should check out her blog too!
1. Find a book for each of your initials
S: Switched by Amanda Hocking. If you haven’t read these books yet then it’s about time you crawl out from under your rock and get on with it! Plus Amanda Hocking is very inspirational to me so this is the obvious choice βΊοΈ
V: Voice of the Gods by Trudi Canavan. I LOVE this series! If you’re into ya fantasy then you should definitely check these out. It’s been a few years since I’ve read it but the characters and their story have stayed with me
2. Count your age along your bookshelf – which book is it?
I’m an alphabetiser so there’s nothing random about my shelf but at number 28 sits this little beauty. If you haven’t read this prequel then I definitely recommend it (I just wish it had been a trilogy too)
3. Pick a book set in your city/state/country.
I went for the Slated books by Teri Terry, they are set in sunny England and are a really great dystopian read.
4. Pick a book that represents a destination you would love to travel to.
Hogwarts. I want to go to Hogwarts *stamps foot impatiently* my owl must have gotten lost…
5. Pick a book that’s your favourite colour.
I like grey. Maybe this is strange but I just like grey and I love Game of Thrones so here’s my winner.
6. Which book do you have the fondest memories of?
My dad used to read The Hobbit to me when I was very little and it’s where my love of books began.
7. Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?
I can’t really think of one that I would call difficult but I tend to find classics kinda boring π³
8. Which book in your tbr would give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finish it?
The Game of Thrones books. Im about half way through A clash of Kings (book 2) and I’m loving it but I watched the tv series first (I know that’s not okay but it was on my tbr and the series looked so good and I caved) I’m reading them now that the series has caught up with the books but because I already know the basic plot I’m not rushing to read and find out what happens next so it’s taking me a little while to get through. Plus this is by far the biggest series on my tbr which I’m not already at least part way into yet!
I hope you enjoyed my answers βΊοΈ As usual I’m tagging everyone who wants to do this!
Free!
Tomorrow, my second book Linked is going to be released and in celebration my first book Chained is going to be free for the day!
And if you feel like really helping me out, I’ll be doing a post about this tomorrow on my Facebook page and a like and share would really help me get the word out! π it’s tough promoting a new book and I’ve been very lucky so far with my sales and reviews but I would love for even more people to find out about Chained and even better: for them to get their copy for free!
Here is the blurb for anyone who needs to know more:
Terrified of the contamination and the creatures it has created, humanity hides behind The Wall. No one knows what lies beyond the wasteland. Maya has never thought much about what might still be out there, lurking in the forgotten places. But when she’s thrust into the unknown, she is forced to question everything she has ever been told. Not everyone outside died, some of them became something… else. As her heart is torn in two, every choice she makes is harder than the last. What she discovers will change her forever. She knows she will probably die, but Maya has seen enough of death and she won’t let it have her without a fight
Thank you guys in advance and I’ll be reminding you all to get your freebie tomorrow βΊοΈ xoxo
Mean Girls Book Tag ππ»
In the general tradition that I have created for myself of just doing tags I haven’t been tagged to do, I’m doing this one! So here goes…
1.“It’s pronounced like Cady” – which fictional character’s name do you get completely wrong?
Hermione π she was Harmony to me for a long time lol
2. “She doesn’t even go here!” – which character would you like to place in a fictional world from another book or series?
I’d like to stick Celeana Sardothian in The Hunger Games because let’s be honest, she would be the best contestant ever!
3. “On Wednesdays we wear pink!” – Repetition. Repetition. Which book gave you dejavu of another book while reading it?
50 Shades of Grey gave me Twilight dejavu for obvious reasons lol. A friend of mine bet me I wouldn’t be able to guess what happened in the end and I laughed as I told her how the whole thing would play out. π
4. “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores.” – which book gave you the complete opposite of girl power feels?
Watership Down. They’re all rabbits. And boys. (Also did the cartoon give anyone else nightmares? π±)
5. “You go Glen Coco!” – name a character you felt like you wanted to cheer on while reading.
Katniss Everdeen! I mean yeah it was a trilogy so I was fairly sure she’d survive the Hunger Games but I was cheering her on all the way! π
6. “Get in loser, we’re going shopping!” – how long do you typically spend in a book shop?
If I’m alone or with my sister we could be talking hours, if I’m with my husband I’ll be lucky to get 10 minutes *sigh*
7. “It’s not my fault you’re like in love with me or something!” – which fictional character would have to get a restraining order on you if they were real?
Probably Chaol Westfall and Edward Cullen π³ Also if Dwayne Johnson ever got too close to me he might have a problem…
8. “I can’t help it if I’m popular.” –which overhyped book were you cautious about reading?
Twilight. I hated the idea of it and even let someone ruin the whole plot for me before eventually deciding to give it a go and loving it lol
9. “She’s a life ruiner. She ruins peoples lives.” – we all love Regina George. Name a villain you couldn’t help but love.
Eric in Divergent. π so maybe I fell for him a bit too hard but I stand by it!
10. “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.” – your favourite fictional parents.
I generally hate parents in everything lol they’re always trying to be downers on everything (Clary’s mom π‘) but there is an obvious exception to the rule – Molly and Arthur Weasly! (Not movie Molly though π‘)
11. “That’s so fetch!” – which book or series would you love to catch on?
I think this series is already fairly popular but I never seem to find anyone else who has read it and it’s great!
12. “How do I even begin to explain Regina George?” – describe your ideal character to read about.
I think I just love a badass. Someone tough and in control who knows what they like and what they don’t and goes after what they want in life
13. “I just have a lot of feelings.” – what do you do when a book gives you a bad case of ‘the feels?’
Try (and fail) to explain it to my husband, get frustrated, search for someone who has read it and knows, usually fail, get frustrated, read on lol
14. “Nice wig Janice, what’s it made from? Your mom’s chest hair?” – which characters one-liners would you love to claim for yourself?
The one that springs to mind is Effie from The Hunger games
15. “Boo, you whore.” – name a time a character’s decision has made you roll your eyes
Tris. She made a great decision to be Dauntless and the rest of them often made me want to scream lol
If you’d like to do this tag then please do! Xoxo
Confessions of a writer tag…
I was tagged to do this by Melanie so thank you! This looks fun and a little daunting but here goes nothing…
This tag was created by a little bookish a little writerly and the rules are listed there!
1. When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always wanted to do?
I first started writing my Cage of Lies books in August 2013 but have been writing on and off since I was a kid. I always wanted to be a writer and it was something I always just said and bpnever really did much about so one day I just decided to stop talking about it and stat doing it!
2. What genre do you write?
So far Dystopia but I have an apocalyptic series running around in my head which will probably follow and I’d love to do fantasy one day too!
3. Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?
I’m currently working on Broken, the third instalment of my Cage of Lies saga. I’m in more of an editing stage with it than all out writing and as it’s the third book I won’t give too much away but this one is emotionally more difficult than the others. Maya, my protagonist, is dealing with a lot of difficult issues in her personal life as well as the ongoing struggles that run throughout the series. I’ve been working on the series for a few years but can’t be sure exactly when I started in this book!
4. What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?
The first piece I can actually remember writing was a fantasy with lots of dragons and people who lived in cities in the clouds. It started off with this little hermit guy who was guarding a town in the middle of the city. Some people came and kidnapped a girl from the town and killed the hermit… I didn’t finish it but maybe one day I’ll find it and see if there’s anything there that I can use going forward lol
5. What’s the best part about writing?
I get go on an adventure every day!
6. What’s the worst part about writing?
Killing off characters you love because the plot demands it π
7. What’s the name of your favourite character and why? (This can be from another author or your own work. Book crushes are perfectly acceptable here as well.)
Today, it’s Harry Potter I don’t have to tell you why because you already know!
8. How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?
Time of day doesn’t make much difference to me. I tend to write when I get in from work in the evenings or on my days off and I’ll squeeze some into my lunch breaks too. When I’m in all out writing mode I have a minimum of 2000 words a day to write but on my days off I make that 8000 and I’ve managed 12000 a few times βΊοΈ
9. Did you go to college for writing? Or if you haven’t been to college yet, do you plan to?
I didn’t. I don’t think it matters as I think writing is a passion and you can either do it or you can’t. Everyone’s routes to it are different but for me college wasn’t part of my journey.
10. What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors or grammar errors?
They all bother me but I’d go for grammar because I can’t bear it when people get their there and they’re muddled – it sets my teeth on edge!
11. What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?
Write what you love. If you love the story you are trying to tell then you will get it written, edited and out there. If you don’t love it you’ll lose momentum along the way…
12. What advice would you give to another writer?
Write the book you want to read. Don’t try and please anyone else, don’t compromise your vision and when you finish it you’ll be proud of it!
13. What are your favourite writing sites or blogs that you turn to for help, tips or encouragements?
To be honest I’ve never used any π I just do what feels natural and I have my sister to discuss any issues with or offer encouragement!
14. Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
Reading lol I love working out and watching movies and playing video games if I get the chance too.
15. What is the best book you’ve read this year?
Ahhhh this is so hard but I think Queen of Shadows pips it for me!
16. What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?
Ahhh this is hard too π¬ maybe the new Terminator as that sounds out in my mind
17. What is your favourite book or series of all time?
I don’t know I don’t know! I’m going for Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and the Twilight saga oh and Lord of the Rings and probably more too because I have too many!
18. Who is your favourite author?
I can’t pick. If I do a list it will have more than ten names on it so I just won’t lol
19. What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?
I’ll be editing and trying to release Broken and I think I’ll try to write and release another novella called Embers (I can’t give away anything about that one for spoilers lol)
20. Where else can we find you online?
Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and my books are available on Amazon π
I’m just nominating any authors out there who would like to do this, I’d love to head your answers too! Xoxo
Another offer of ARCs!
Hey guys! October has been a crazy month for me so far and it’s about to get a little crazier! The second book in my Cage of Lies saga is going to be released later in the week and I’m looking for anyone who would like an ARC π
It is book 2 in the series so I’d advise you to have read Chained first π
Here’s the blurb to give you an idea of what you’re in for…
In a world she never knew existed, Maya is coming to terms with how much her life has changed. Danger lurks around every corner, nothing is as she expects and she’s never felt so alive. But the choices she makes could change everything and jeopardise the things she cherishes most. There is so much to learn and so much to love but her heart is pulling her back. The Guardians are hiding in the shadow cast by their Wall, concealing the truth from the people inside. It’s a shadow that darkens her happiness and she can’t stop fighting until the truth comes to light. It would be easier to walk away but Maya has never run from anything and she’s not about to start now.
Just send me an email at Susanne3587@hotmail.com if you’re interested and let me know if you’d prefer an ePub or PDF! βΊοΈ xoxo
Linked Cover Reveal!
So it’s not long now until my second book Linked will be released and the time has come for the cover reveal π so here it is…
In a world she never knew existed, Maya is coming to terms with how much her life has changed. Danger lurks around every corner, nothing is as she expects and she’s never felt so alive. But the choices she makes could change everything and jeopardise the things she cherishes most. There is so much to learn and so much to love but her heart is pulling her back. The Guardians are hiding in the shadow cast by their Wall, concealing the truth from the people inside. It’s a shadow that darkens her happiness and she can’t stop fighting until the truth comes to light. It would be easier to walk away but Maya has never run from anything and she’s not about to start now.
I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support, interest and love I’ve been receiving for Chained (the first book in the series) and am so excited for the release of Linked. If you’d like to take a look at Chained then you can grab your copy (or read it for free on kindle unlimited) at Amazon! You can check out the reviews or add it to you shelf on Goodreads too π and you can like my page on Facebook too if you fancy it hehe
And here’s a sneak peak at an excerpt from Linked too π
“Ripples!” Taylor yelled from my left and we all stopped and turned towards the line that was zipping through the mud. Everyone grabbed weapons from holsters and the air was filled with the sounds of safety catches being removed and rounds being pumped into place.
We froze, unsure what we were aiming at.
The bubbling line of movement drew level with us, squelching sounds reached out to our ears and no one dared to move. We waited with baited breath and then the bubbles ran past. We watched as whatever it was flew by and headed for two men who were well ahead of us.
We started shouting warnings and moving towards them as quickly as we could. The ripples moved at an impossible speed.
“Behind you!” I screamed and my throat felt ragged as I tried desperately to get their attention.
“Behind us!” Laurie yelled.
We all clamoured to a halt and turned to see another line heading straight for our little group.
We held our breath and aimed our weapons as it approached but then it turned sharply. We spun to watch as it followed the first line and headed for the two men.
We all just stood still for a moment then we started screaming and moving towards them again.
One man turned and raised a hand to us.
We were shouting and waving our arms and I had no idea how he would know what we were trying to warn them about. Then, he glanced down and noticed the ripples. They were upon them a second later.
His scream was so loud that I felt my heart skip a beat. Three sharp jerks later and he disappeared into the mud.
I hope you enjoyed it βΊοΈ
The Ultimate Book Tag π
So I’ve seen this tag floating around the blogosphere and I really wanted to do it! No one tagged me but I’m taking a tag from the universe as I’m guessing he universe would really like me to do it π
1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?
No ππ» I’m super lucky and I can read in the car (my husband refers to it as unsociable but that’s his problem lol)
2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you?
Moira Young wrote Blood Red Road phonetically with a Deep South accent and no speech marks. NONE. At first I was all WTF but I pushed on and I ended up loving the whole series! I can honestly say I’ve never read anything written like it and it takes a bit of getting used to but it’s brilliant and I definitely reccommend it π
3. Harry Potter series or Twilight saga? Give 3 points to explain your answer
I do love them both but it’s always going to be Harry P
1. Because there’s magic
2. Because their postmen are owls
3. Because Hagrid. ’nuff said π
4. Do you carry a book bag? If so what’s in it (besides books)?
Erm no lol. I carry a handbag (some would say my collection of handbags is bordering an unhealthy number but they’d be wrong π³) in my handbag I’ll have my book or kindle plus my money and boring stuff like keys and hand gel because I’m a germs freak plus some make-up and my phone and sometimes my cat climbs in it when I’m not looking but I don’t take him out of the house…
5. Do you smell your books?
Not really, but I can’t say never
6. Books with or without little illustrations?
I probably prefer without because I love to let the words paint the pictures in my mind and if I see a picture I’ll just have that in my head instead although I do love illustrations too lol so maybe I can just look at them after I’ve finished reading and then I get the best of both worlds π
7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later is wasn’t quality writing?
Erm, I can’t think of one π I know that I’ve noticed little things sometimes but generally speaking, if the story has got enough going for it then I can be pretty forgiving!
8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!
Not really, that’s not to say there aren’t any but I can’t think of them right now π¬
9. What is the tiniest book on your shelf?
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. It’s skinny mini but that’s okay βΊοΈ
10. What’s the thickest book on your shelf?
I’ve got a stupidly old copy of Lord of the Rings which is all three books in one and it’s a hardback. So it’s biiiiig (and I used to take that into school with me every day for about a year when I was ten) It’s my one book to rule them all π
11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as an author?
I do and I am π³ it’s the best thing I’ve ever done!
12. When did you get into reading?
My dad used to read to me every night and as soon as I could take over I did βΊοΈ
13. What is your favourite classic book?
I’m not really one for the classics (I know that’s not okay) I did enjoy Bleak House by Dickens though so I’d go with that!
14. In school, what was your best subject?
English and Drama, so basically reading/ writing stories or acting them out lol
15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?
Erm, probably tell them I’d read it and let them get me something else but I probably wouldn’t admit to having hated it (people usually gift books that they love themselves and I’m waaaaay too non-confrontational for that π)
16. What is a lesser known series that you know that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?
This is such a random question! I dunno if I can think of any that are similar to them but I guess you could get yourself a DVD of Battle Royale if you want something like the hunger games!
17. What is a bad habit you always do while blogging?
I dunno, maybe doing tags I wasn’t tagged for π³
18. What is your favourite word?
Troglodyte. Hands down. Troglodyte.
19. Are you a nerd, dork or dweeb? Or all of the above?
I don’t think I’d refer to myself as any but I am a total fan-girl over many many things and I’m not afraid to show it!
20. Vampires of Fairies? Why?
Vampires. Vampires are cool and immortal and dangerous and fairies are…. Fairies. That said, I’ve read/watched many vampire based things and loved them (starting at The Strain and following the spectrum through to Twilight) and I can’t say I’ve had much to do with anything fairy based beyond Tinkerbell so maybe I could be won over
21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?
Can’t say I’ve read much of either sadly but I’d go Shapeshifters because I’d rather be one!
22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?
Werewolves, mostly because they always seem to be pretty hot and I’ve not read books on either *sigh* Oh and Lupin was a werewolf π
23. Zombies or Vampires? Why?
Zombies! Becuase I LOVE The Walking Dead and I totally think I could make it in a zombie apocalypse π but if you’re talking about what I’d rather be then it would obviously be Vampires because being a zombie would suck
24. Love triangle or forbidden love?
I’m happy with either if done right!
25. And finally: Full on romance or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?
I’m all for the action with a great love story thrown in π
I hope you enjoyed my answers and if you’d like to do the tag then I tag you! Xoxo
Susanne Valenti 