Guest Post by Vicky Savage + Giveaway

 Hey Everyone!

I am honored to be participating in the Transcender Blog Tour today.

My good friend Christina has been taking about this series and it's amazing author Vicky 

from the day I met her. So when she contacted me about participating I was super eager to get involved. Vicky so graciously send me a copy of her book and I can't wait to read it! 

Today I am excited to be hosting Vicky as she shares her advice for aspiring authors.

So read down below and make sure to enter the very generous giveaway!

TRANSCENDER: First-Timer

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DR94EI

Description:

Suddenly plucked from her quiet Connecticut life and dropped into a post-disaster parallel world where most of the earth's population resides in enormous domes, eighteen year old Jaden Beckett lands in the middle of a kidnapping—her own!

Undercover Agent Ralston of the Inter-Universal Guidance Agency helps Jaden escape from her captors and promises to return her home as soon as he can arrange it. But he conceals from her the fact that she is really a Transcender, capable of traveling among alternate worlds at will. While waiting for passage home, Jaden assumes her parallel identity as a princess in the nation of Domerica. She discovers her mother is alive in this world—a miracle she never dreamed possible. But perhaps even more compelling is her blossoming, breathtaking romance with Ryder Blackthorn, her once and future soul mate.

When it comes time for Jaden to leave, she flatly refuses. IUGA claims the welfare of the entire galaxy depends upon her timely return. Jaden contends that, in this case, eternal love trumps destiny. Who will prevail?

STREAMING STARS

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVY3FXY

Description:

Jaden Beckett makes the journey once again from her home in Connecticut to the nation of Domerica on an alternate earth. The Inter-Universal Guidance Agency has granted her thirty days within which to choose her ultimate destiny. She may remain in Domerica, return to Connecticut, or join the other Transcenders in Arumel.

On her arrival, Jaden finds that all is not perfect in paradise. Her mother, Queen Eleanor, is ill and grows frailer with each passing day. Her scheming uncle has moved into the palace and assumed the role of Lord High Steward of the land. But even more troubling are events that took place in Jaden’s absence which have caused her to question the depth of her fiancé’s love.

All the while, Jaden's friendship with a handsome, young Transcender from Arumel deepens. He teaches her how to use her astonishing gift to travel to exotic parallel worlds and introduces her to others in the Transcender community.

When the time draws near for Jaden’s final decision, her choice is anything but simple.

ILLUMINOSITY

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC7IVPW

Description:

Jaden Beckett has a secret unknown to those in her adopted homeland of Domerica: she is a Transcender, capable of traveling among parallel worlds at will. When the powerful Inter-Universal Guidance Agency's sophisticated computer models predict that Jaden will eventually cause the downfall of that agency, IUGA decides to destroy her first. In order to save herself, her family, and the man she loves, Jaden must fake her own death and leave Domerica for good. The plan seems sound, but on the day of IUGA's attack, things go terribly wrong.

Heartsick and alone, Jaden ventures to Arumel, a progressive nation on an alternate earth, where Transcenders conduct valuable inter-universal research. Just when she thinks she's found a safe, new life, IUGA makes its presence known. This time, Jaden is determined not to be driven away. She will fight to discover her place in the multiverse, the true meaning of destiny, and the keys to the mystery of eternal love.

TIPS AND ADVICE FOR INDIE AUTHORS by Vicky Savage

Hi Everyone! I’m thrilled to be a guest here today. You know, we live in exciting times. Today, if you want to write a book and see it published in an international forum, you can! That’s the beauty of being an indie author. No story needs to go untold. But, if you want to be a successful indie author, there are a few rules you should follow:

1. Do Not Publish Junk. If you follow no other advice, follow this: Make certain your product is professional, polished, and the best it can be before you put it out there. Do not self-edit. Period. Hire a professional editor. Amazon reviews complaining of typos or sloppy writing will kill your book. Don’t make that mistake.

2. Have a Professionally Designed Cover. Experts say your cover must connect with your target readers instantly or they will move along to the next book. Think about it, if your cover looks amateurish, a reader will most likely conclude that what’s inside is more of the same. An attractive, professional cover will at least get you a look inside.

3. Build an Author Platform. Your platform is your social media presence—your brand. Indies need to be highly visible, readily accessible, and closely connected with readers, bloggers and other authors if they want to sell books. Generally, a platform consists at a minimum of a website, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter account, blog, and, optionally, accounts on LinkedIn, Pintrest, Google+, and/or Instagram. Relax. It’s not as daunting as it sounds, and it can be built over time.

4. Do Not Use Social Media to Ceaselessly and Obnoxiously Promote Your Book. Social media is for building relationships with readers, bloggers, and other authors. No one will read your tweets and posts if they only promote your books. Endorse other authors and bloggers, talk about the books you’re reading, and make important announcements about your upcoming events. Let your personality shine through in your posts, connect with your readers.

5. Have an Up-to-Date Marketing Plan. Fact: You can’t slap your book up on Amazon and expect it to sell—no matter how good it is. Unless you are relentlessly marketing your books, they probably aren’t selling. The internet has tons of great ways to get your books noticed, but things change rapidly online. What worked yesterday may not work today. Scour the web for marketing blogs and other reliable sources to find the most effective and up-to-date methods for promoting your work.

6. Respond to each and every fan contact. I know you’re busy with your marketing plan, building your platform, and writing your next book, but if a fan takes the time to contact you and tell you how great your book is, take a minute to thank them. Ask them to recommend your book to friends and to consider posting a short review on Amazon. When you’re as big as J.K. Rowling, you can afford to snub fans, but right now they’re your front-line marketers. Treat them with loving care.

7. Do Not Respond to Bad Reviews. Bad reviews hurt, and it’s tempting to lash out at the ignorant schlump who didn’t understand your book or obviously didn’t read it. Don’t do it. Flame wars with reviewers are never productive and only emphasize the bad assessment of your work. Every great author receives lousy reviews at one time or another. If the reviewer has a point, take note of it and move on. Rhino skin is a must for successful indies!

8. Support and Cultivate Relationships with Other Authors and Bloggers. Mutually supportive relationships are vitally important for indies. Not only can you exchange reviews and commiserate over common author woes, but you can cross-promote your books, share advertising costs, and even do book tours together. Bloggers are your main line to readers. A blogger who loves your books is like gold. Cherish and nurture these relationships, you might even make some friends!

9. Read, read, read. I can’t say it better than Stephen King: “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Hey, this is the fun part. Read both inside and outside your genre. It’ll make you a better writer. Really!

10. Write more books. This is the most valuable advice I ever received. Don’t wait for the first book to take off before you write the second one. Show people you’re more than a one book wonder. If you’ve done your job building your fan base, people will buy your second book, and your third, and on and on!

Good luck to all you aspiring writers! What’s some of the best advice you ever received?

SAVAGE AUTHOR BIO

Vicky Savage grew up gazing upon the beauty of the Wasatch Mountain Range right outside her family’s kitchen window. She thought the Rocky Mountains would always own her heart, until she moved to sunny Florida for law school and instantly fell in love with the ocean. Her passion for new adventures and exotic locales led her on a circuitous path to writing science fiction/fantasy about strange new worlds and parallel universes. Although she has lived in seven different states and London, England, the siren call of the ocean always brings her back to her beloved Florida, where she currently lives with her husband, son, and two dogs.

Contact Vicky through her website: https://www.vickysavage.com, follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SavageVicky, and visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vickysavageauthor.

GIVEAWAY

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