#SonofaPitch Success Story!

As we approach Son of a Pitch time again, I'm excited to share with all of you a success story from February's competition! Since honing pitches and writing is what Son of a Pitch is about, it's an absolute delight to see success from the hard work of the participants. So, it's my pleasure to share with you Abby's success.

Hi Everyone!

It’s time for Son of a Pitch again! Whoo hoo!!  I wanted to share my Son of a Pitch success story from last season to give you some encouragement:

When Planets Fall isn’t my first book. I wrote another YA Sci-Fi before it. Between the two, I’ve clocked about 100 rejections, easily 100 writing-induced migraines, and way over 100 cups of caffeine-riddled tea. I had been working on When Planets Fall for a fat two years, gotten many full requests, omg-I-love-it-but-just-don’t connect with ___. After a full year of querying and contests, I was on the verge of shelving it to fully focus on yet another new project.

Then I entered Son of a Pitch.

I didn’t land slide the competition with all my awesome writing. In fact, I barely slipped in thanks to a tie for the last couple top 20 spots. I didn’t receive the highest amount of comments either. But I did get a full request from Soul Mate Publishing. I figured Soul Mate would just add another no to my massively growing rejection folder. I sent the full off, not thinking much of it.

About two weeks later, I received Soul Mate’s answer. I read the email right before I turned off the light, so I was 93% asleep. Honestly, my first thought was, aww. What a great dream. Soul Mate wants to publish my book. Then a couple minutes passed before I realized I hadn’t fallen asleep and This Was Real Life.
I panicked, scaring my husband with all my jumping and punching (I mean, I legit happy-punched him), and then woke my friend downstairs who was staying with us to shriek the news.
*Enter more screaming.* *flailing* *eating celebratory fro-yo* *screaming some more*
I can now tell you When Planets Fall is going to published in April 2017!

I can’t even express how excited I am. Whenever I think I’m going to be a published author I get all cheek-cramp smiley. I love this book and the characters so much. It’s been such a long journey, and I’m SO EXCITED to share Breaker’s story with you :)

If you’re on the fence about Son of a Pitch or about to give up. Don’t. Because maybe, maybe this chance will be the one.
Good luck to all you Son of a Pitch-ers!

Blurb:
Breaker's home is cleaved by blood. The three tribes on the planet Scarlatti, whose only difference is their blood color, each want to exploit Breaker's valley for themselves. The feudal tension has already claimed red-blood Breaker's leg and his older brother. Now all this 18-year old wants is to maintain the tenuous peace in order to keep his little 'stroid of a brother alive. Malani, a red-blood raised blue, is a kidnapped POW and only wants to return to her adoptive home with her dangerous blue secrets. Luka, a red-blood stewing for trouble, wants to right wrongs done to his family and bath his home in justice.

All three intersect when Breaker discovers a wrecked starship and is given seven days by the green-bloods to fix and hand it over as a weapon. Breaker must decide if aiding his enemies is worth the home he knows and his family's life. War is coming. And war respects no boundaries. And war leaves no survivors.

Bio:
Abby J. Reed writes young adult science fiction and fantasy novels that ask what if. She has a degree in English Writing and is drawn to characters with physical limitations due to her own neurological disorder called Chronic Migraine. Her debut novel, When Planets Fall, will be published in April 2017 by Soul Mate Publishing.Abby lives in Colorado with her husband and two fluffy pups. If her hands aren’t on the keyboard, they are stained purple and blue with paint. You can find her online at www.abbyjreed.com.

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30801623-when-planets-fall?ac=1&from_search=true

A New Book Deal with REUTS

That's right! I signed again with REUTS who published the Cadence Duology. I was so happy working with them, that I'm doing it again.

REUTS Press Release

Here is a rough description:

Adele grew up running wild around her family's property, but with the arrival of a finishing mistress from England, her wild days are over. Being the only daughter with five brothers, Adele learned to work hard, and being "finished" seems pointless in the convict colony of Sydney.

But Adele has a secret; she's in love with the handsome and mysterious drover. The problem is, he's not considered an option, especially against her older brother's stable farmer friend, Thomas, who wishes to pursue her. With the drover coming and going with the seasons, Adele struggles to maintain their romance, but when her oldest brother discovers them, he runs out the drover permanently.

Furious at her brother, Adele keeps Thomas at arms length, despite her feelings softening toward him. But there are secrets to be uncovered; who is the father of the mix raced aboriginal girl they keep hidden? And now, the father of the convict woman's unborn baby? When a note arrives hinting Thomas has fathered the children, Adele is torn and confused, and things only get worse when the drover returns to take her for himself.

It's a New Adult Historical Romance. I don't have a name for it, I'm currently calling it New South Wales, but hopefully it will be changed here soon. This should be another light, fun read here for you all soon! I'm excited!

My New Book Deal With Soul Mate Pub!

I said I have more contracts in the works, and now I can officially tell you about this one!

Set in Australia, "Brownlow Medal" as I signed it as, but the title is subject to change, possibly "Brownlow Baby" or something to do with AFL and babies, the book comes from my love of Aussie Rules and the hot men who play it!

So, here's a quick blurb:

Julia Saxon has been in love with her best friend since the moment she met him. The problem is, Lachlan Daniels was already in love with his model girlfriend. But she just dumped him, and the night of the Brownlow medal ceremony--the most prestigious award in Australian Rules Football--Julia is determined to win him over.
For one night, she believes she has succeeded, until in the morning he runs out in a panic, apparently regretting their passionate night together.
With the support of her friends, she tries to move on, and even manages to snag herself a boyfriend. Then, the vomiting starts.
When the pregnancy test shows up positive, Julia knows exactly who the father is; Lachlan. But that is all kinds of complicated as he continues to pine after his ex, who has moved on, although, she still toys with him.
When she makes the decision to keep the baby, her boyfriend leaves, unable to watch her carry his team mate's child. This results in Lachie finding out he will soon be a father.
As the following months ensue, Lachie vows to stand by Julia, and the pair struggle through a tumultuous and complicated relationship. When it comes down to it, Lachie will be forced to choose between Julia and their baby, or his ex, leaving Julia alone and brokenhearted.

Yay! More details to come, like release and such, but for now I'm excited!

Book 2 of my Fairytale Galaxy Series is Officially Signed!

You heard it here, folks! With Book 1, Princess of Tyrone, mere weeks from release, Book 2, Myths of Mish has begun its journey down the road to publication, having signed on with Curiosity Quills Press. The goal is to have the books release a year apart, so hopefully you will get to read this baby in March 2017.

With no further ado, here's a short description:

Hansel and Gretel Herrscher survived the witch in the woods, but the experience made Hansel paranoid for the past ten years. He sees dark magic at every turn, and when Gretel has a marriage arranged to a much older man, and Hansel discovers he's about to be sent halfway across the galaxy, he knows something sinister is afoot. 

Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel's quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she's discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back. 

The problem is, Hansel's paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they're all being hunted.

Yay! This is Hansel and Gretel meets.... well, you'll just have to wait and see! If you've been following along, you will know that, along with being fairy tale retellings, this series uses the seven deadly sins, one for each book. With Princess of Tyrone focusing on Wrath, Myths of Mish has... Gluttony! I wonder if that's a nice little teaser for you to ponder over for the next 12 months or so.

Anyway! I'm excited to keep this journey rolling and hope you follow along with me with these fab characters.

Announcement! Cadence Now Signed with REUTS!

Cadence awakes in a hospital to find her husband and daughter dead, killed in an earthquake. So when her guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time with all the knowledge she has, she accepts, desperate to prevent their deaths.

She shoots back eleven years to her fourteen-year-old self, and faces high school all over again. She is determined to do everything better, including preventing the loss of her best friend and not dating any of her original, drama-inducing boyfriends. Her main focus is on her future husband, who she won’t meet for several years.

But James Gordon crosses her path. While she wishes to remain single, the bad boy pursues her. He threatens to disrupt everything that is to come as she begins to develop unwanted feelings for him, and distract her from her original goal: to save her future family.

I am so excited to announce this! Deceptive Cadence is now signed with REUTS! Deceptive Cadence is a manuscript I loved every second writing and the characters just burst to life in my mind. With elements from my own life entwined in the pages, Cadence is very much like me.

Find the official REUTS announcement HERE, and look out for book 1, Deceptive Cadence to be release in June.

Dancing in the Athenian Rain: Contract Signed and Sent!

That's right! My oldest manuscript, Dancing in the Athenian Rain, which I originally wrote in the 12th grade, is now signed with Soul Mate Publishing, the same publisher as Branded.  Since both the main characters are Aussie, they'll go well together!
It's been a long journey to get Athenian Rain up for publication. After many rewrites, as the original was quite cheesy, and much struggling, I'm so excited to see this baby lined up for print. Donna and Peleus hold a special place in my heart, and I'm so excited to share them with the world. They're a special pair, both unique for their times, both coming together to overcome their pasts.
More details to come, and I'll definitely keep you posted on this one!

Cheers!

Oh, and P.S!!!
So, in the works now we have the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles Book 1, The Princess of Tyrone, signed and in the pipeline with Curiosity Quills. Don't have any more details yet.

The first of the novellas to follow Papina, Loving Avery, will be released early 2015. The cover reveal will come shortly.
And Cadence... still waiting on that.

My New Book Deal - The Princess of Tyrone

New Book Deal: The Princess of Tyrone has signed with Curiosity Quills Press. The Princess of Tyrone is the first of seven books in the FairyTale Chronicles, based in a magical and technologically advanced galaxy.

The query -

Apolline is happy hunting magical creatures on her pirate infested outer-perimeter planet. She is a fantastic shot, and doesn’t flinch at the blood and guts of her kills. Never once did she consider she could be the missing Princess of Tyrone.

All her life, she has heard the story of the Princess, cursed to sleep for eternity, unless her betrothed, the Prince of Oran, gave her true love’s kiss. Although Apolline knows she is betrothed, she thinks her fairy guardians arranged it out of ignorance of human ways. The thought she could be a princess is inconceivable.

Then Allard appears. Handsome, charming—But he’s not hers to have. He’s betrothed, too. Her guardians warn her against her new found friendship, but she and Allard meet in secret anyway. Despite her rough exterior, he sees beyond her gun-slinging bravado, and their love blossoms.

But the deadline for the sleeping curse is approaching. If Apolline falls in love with the wrong person, she could end up sleeping forever. 

So yes, a fairytale retelling. All them them are loosely based ion fairytales, thus the name of the series. Some follow the fairytales closer than others. But they're all fun, adventurous and with great heroes and Heroines. Princess of Tyrone was originally a stand alone novel I wrote when I was eighteen/nineteen ish, but recently, I wanted to expand the world and use it to develop a deeper string of plots.

I'm excited to get this endeavor up and running. The whole series is already well under way and planned out... and half written lol! 

I hope you all enjoy, and I'll keep you up to date with this crazy, fun read: The Princess of Tyrone.


photo credit: MaxChu via photopin cc
photo credit: Express Monorail via photopin cc

Kiya Trilogy Updates

To start with, Kiya 3 (Rise of a New Dynasty) is due for release in just over a month! Crazy right? The time has flown by and I've been blown away by the outpouring of support. On that note, I am setting up a Going Out With a Bang blog tour for Kiya 3. Please sign up on the form below and I'll get in contact with you soon.

My editor also contacted me and said she has begun going through the Kiya 3 manuscript. Yay! Thankfully I think most of my Branded edits are done, so when these come through they won't overlap. I was terrified of that happening. So right now I'm writing out guest posts for the Branded tour, and getting the Kiya tour lined up so I'm not overloaded.

On another note, the entire Kiya Trilogy has been signed with Audible for audio book. Sometime in the next few months they will be available. I am terribly excited by this because it will take my book to a whole new audience. It's crazy to think my work has got to this point.

It makes me think though, I really need an agent... any recommendations?

#Pitcharama success!

If you remember back in June Aussie Owned and Read had a pitching comp, Pitcharama. For this comp. each of the AoaR ladies picked their favorite three entries for editors of small presses to make requests on. Well today I'm excited to share the success of on of my picks, The Making of Nebraska Brown by Louise Caiola.
She has been signed with Immortal Ink Pub, and they are looking at an early 2014 release. Check out her post here. Also, she has a COVER! Check it out! It's so perfect.

So Congrats to the lovely Louise, and I hope it does well for you!

My Shiny New Book Deal!

Yup, I'm very excited to announce I got a new book deal. It's for Branded, which I mentioned once before during the Next Big Thing blog hop, as well as two Six Sentence Sunday posts (Here and Here) The deal is with Soul Mate Publishing and I'm excited to see what a different publisher has to offer since I've loved Curiosity Quills so much. But don't worry, the rest of the Kiya trilogy will still come out with CQ. As I said, I love them!
But Branded is different from CQ's normal genres, which is why it's going with Soul Mate. It's a Romantic Suspense with religious and racial themes. I love it, and worked hard to keep it from being racist while also touching on real and sensitive matters.
So anyway, keep an eye out for it and I'll definitely keep you posted!