Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Leal's Return: welcoming new and returning cast

It's been four days since the release of Shadows and Embers, and now you are able to purchase the paperback on Amazon as well as the Kindle edition. I also recently added SandE to Authorgraph, meaning that you can now get a FREE autograph to go along with your ebook copy. If you stop my page you'll also see that you are able to request an autograph for Cursed With Power as well (in case you didn't know before).
It's exciting to think that with this book we're welcoming a whole new cast as well as some returning cast from CWP.  One of the biggest struggles I had writing Shadows and Embers was getting along with Leal enough so that we could agree on something. By the end of it all we got together well, and now it's sad to think that once again with the next book in this series I will be saying goodbye to Leal.  I really enjoyed writing this book, had certain songs I played on repeat through certain chapters, and at the end I was eager for the next part of the story.  As I've mentioned, though, the third book is not for either Celestria or Leal to tell.  I will be revealing the main character and the title of the third book later on; I don't know exactly when yet.
For now I'd like to focus on the present.
What was surprising with this book (and not originally planned) was that a new villain came about. So besides the new cast, including members of Destin we've never met before, there is also a new villain who rises and threatens the Dark magicians.
Something else you might have noticed is that all of the promos have had the same female model, who as I said earlier represents Nicia. I realize this is Leal's story, and I'm not trying to shine the light away from him, but I think he would have liked for people to see this was as much her story as it was his. No one in Destin had an easy life, and certainly did not simplify once the downfall of Dark magicians occur.
Lastly, I leave the interpretation of the title up to the readers. For different people it will mean different things. For me personally I chose it for several different reasons, but one of the main ones being because Leal mentioned seeing himself and other Dark magicians as "shadows and flames," and in all honestly I think he was right. (Specifically the quote was "In the darkness we are shadows; in the daylight we are flames.")  He saw that the world viewed Dark magicians in a negative way, and thus the way he described them was not far-fetched. Again, though, this is not the only reasoning for the title for the sequel.

That's all for now. I'll be later on this week when I have more to share. For now enjoy the summer while it lasts, and remember to read some good books!
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Friday, July 26, 2013

RELEASE DAY: Shadows and Embers

It's June 26th, and release day is finally here! Shadows and Embers, sequel to Cursed With Power, is now available through the Createspace store. It will also be available for Kindle later this afternoon and in Amazon stores worldwide in a few days, so I'll come back in a couple days with both of those links. If you're friends with me on Facebook or liked the CWP Facebook group you can expect the update much sooner. For those of you who already pre-ordered your copy I'll be placing those orders in tonight so you can expect your copy very soon.
 Photo: RELEASE DAY is finally here!
After 10 long months a lot has changed, but the sequel is finally here to stand by Cursed with Power and have its place.

You can now order copies via my published, Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4310183

Links for Kindle and directly to the Amazon store will be posted later on. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
I'll admit that in the ten months it took to get this book to publication I had my fair share of doubts and then some. I had originally hoped for a spring release, yet here we are late summer with the actual release. Even so, I'm actually glad that I waited and put more time into the book. A lot of fans and readers have been telling me how eager they are to read this second book, so I'm excited and anxious to hear what you guys think now that you can actually get a copy.

Anyways, a huge thank you to everyone who helped me make it this far. I dedicated this second book to my boyfriend, Eric, because he has been so supportive of my work and never stopped believing in me even when I was ready to give up. Hope everyone enjoys this book; remember to send in pictures when you buy a copy -just like we did with CWP.
We'll be talking more about the development of the book and other aspects throughout the month.
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Last day to Pre-Order

 
First off I want to thank everyone for their patience and continuous support for the upcoming sequel, Shadows and Embers. My proof arrived today, and though it's not officially the first copy of the book it is the first hard copy I've been able to hold with my hands. It's always a really great feeling when you can finally hold your book in your hands and say "I wrote this." I apologize that the pictures above are a bit fuzzy; I took them with my phone and the room wasn't bright enough to show it off well. I'll be posting better pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

Tomorrow is release day, and I hope you're as excited as I am for this big day. It has been a long ten months writing and waiting and editing, and now it's finally done and I am thrilled to be sharing the next story in the Magicians series. For those of you who can't wait, remember today is your last day to pre-order.  You can pre-order through PayPal -the link is also on my sidebar where it says "buy it now"- and when you pre-order you will receive a signed copy of SandE as well as a signed bookmark that goes along with it. This opportunity will not be available again until a giveaway begins or a book signing, so don't miss out! I've heard a lot people telling me they need something new to read this summer, and now is your perfect chance.
Also, you can now add Shadows and Embers to your Goodreads bookshelf. The links that lead to Amazon and so forth where you can buy the book do not work yet since the book has not released, but they'll be working tomorrow.

As for release day, the book will be releasing in paperback format as well as Kindle.  Nook format will be coming on when I purchase expanded distribution. Paperback costs $12.99, and remember for a limited time now the first book in the series, Cursed With Power, is at a discounted price of $17.06 on Amazon.

Fun facts about the book that you might not now:

  • The book was first titled New Life based on the promises Celestria and Leal made to each other in CWP. Then the title was changed to Punished With Destiny, and was finally altered to Shadows and Embers which made it all the way through to publication.
  • The second book was always intended to be Leal's story.
  • Nicia, Leal's best friend in the book, was originally not meant to become anything more than a minor character. It was a bit shaky as to whether she would even have any role after part one, but in the final versions she made it all the way through and earned a role as a major character.
  • Originally Leal was meant to be on the cover of the book, but instead Nicia won him over -and perhaps the real story behind that is in the ending of this book.
  • SandE is split into two parts -the first focusing on Leal's life in Destin, and the second focusing on his life after the events where CWP ended.
Tomorrow I'll be back with all of the links to where you can purchase the book, as well as more talk about it. Again thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of this book. It's good to see that Cursed With Power is no longer alone. The wait ends tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen!
Lindsey R. Sablowski


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

COVER REVEAL for Shadows and Embers

It's finally Tuesday, and you know what that means: cover reveal time!  Ten months ago I finally became a published author with my first book, Cursed With Power.  Since September of 2012 I have been working hard on Shadows and Embers, the sequel to CWP.  It hasn't been easy, and some nights it takes more than just a bit of determination to get everything done, but release day is only 10 days away and everything is finally coming together.
So now without any further of a wait, here's the cover you've been waiting for....

Summary:
It's 1569 in Transylvania; Léal Irvine has committed to a powerful man all for the sake of revenge. Handsome, young Irvine is a high-ranking magician working for Esmour's organization, Destin, which is composed of Dark magicians from around the local areas. However, one by one magicians vanish or die, and suddenly the world of magic is not as safe as it once was. One of the members and Léal's best friend, Nicia, betrays the organization before the downfall. Unfortunately no one realizes the act of treason might have saved her life. 
A year later Destin has fallen, and Léal sees the world through icy blue eyes. With only five Dark magicians alive his survival is constantly threatened, and he has no great leader or trusted allies to turn to. After infiltrating Belsgar and killing a member of the Magic Council, a war between darkness and light is no longer something anyone can walk away from. A new villain rises with a secret that could be deadly; meanwhile Nicia works to prove her loyalty to Léal while trying to revive their friendship.
Sides will be chosen, relationships will be at stake, and in the end the balance of the magical world will depend on the outcome of the war. When you're walking on a thin line between revenge and forgiveness how do you choose the right path without stepping too far over the crack?

About the cover:
You can clearly tell that the second cover was not designed by the same person who did the artwork for Cursed With Power.  Shadows and Embers has its own unique look, and that's what really drew me to saying "yes!" as soon as I saw the cover (CL Smith designed it). I love that is has a different look, that you can clearly tell that while this is a part of a series, SandE has its own story to tell.
There was a lot of talk about Leal being on the front of the cover, so if you've been wondering how our handsome and devious MC didn't make it on the front here's how that changed. I actually really love the cover how it is now with a female model, and she represents Nicia, one of the new characters in the book. If you've read past posts you might have heard how Nicia is either the best thing for Leal or his downfall. I think the fact that she shows up the minute you have the book can change your perspective. Personally I've always been rooting for her, but regardless of how Leal and I feel about her you're able to make your own decision. I think the cover really shines some light onto her (literally), and when you read the book you might see how that can make a difference.
Also notice the difference between dark and light in the two covers?  Cursed With Power had a very dark and somewhat scary -or so I've been told- theme/feeling to it whereas Shadows and Embers is brighter and perhaps even hopeful. I might try to see that with each new cover this theme continues on where we're able to see changes between darkness and light.

10 days until RELEASE DAY!
I didn't realize it until this morning, but we are only 10 days away from release day. I'm very anxious and excited for the release, and I'll post pictures as soon as the proof arrives at my house. (I'm going to try to not mark up the proof so I can always have it to show around). It's a very exciting time of the year, and I hope you'll join me once again as we jump into the adventure. 
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Upcoming: COVER REVEAL for Shadows and Embers

 
I have some very exciting news that I decided on today and am eager to share with you.  As you might have already heard, the official cover for Shadows and Embers has been finished for quite a while now.  It brings me great pleasure to announce that the date for the official cover reveal has been decided -and you're invited to join!
It's official!
The official cover reveal for Shadows and Embers (sequel to Cursed With Power) will be on Tuesday, July 16th.  For the first time the official cover as well as the summary for the book will be revealed -and with your help!  The cover reveal will be taking place on various social network websites, including Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and more.  For those of you interested in revealing the cover via Twitter please use #SandEReveal in your tweets (this same hashtag can also be used on Instagram and Tumblr).  Facebook friends, you can either share the cover reveal you see of SandE onto your timeline or post the image as your own status and share with your friends -remember to include the summary with the cover!

There will be prizes
If enough people are willing to participate in the cover reveal, there will be a prize for whoever pulls off the best reveal.  Maybe this simply means just presenting the information in an accurate and interesting way or becoming creative, but it's up to you to show off the book to your friends and viewers.  The top prize will include a FREE signed copy of the book (upon release) as well as a signed bookmark. If there's anything extra I can add in it'll be announced a little later on.

And the RELEASE DATE will be....
Along with the cover reveal, I will also be revealing the official release date for Shadows and Embers.  This will be including in all posts and etc. that include the cover reveal, so make sure to share it with your friends so they know when to expect the book.  This also means pre-ordering will become available after the cover reveal.  Anyone who pre-orders the book will receive a signed copy, so this is definitely an opportunity you don't want to miss.

Are you a shadow or an ember?
I hope you join us on July 16th, and remember the cover reveal will be going on all day -so it's never too late to join in on the fun.  I'm really looking forward to this and would love to have your support.  We didn't have a cover reveal for CWP, but I'm really hoping it works out for the best for this second book.
If you're interested please contact me (by whatever means is easiest for you) and I'll send you all of the necessary details.
Until then here's a sneak peak at the new bookmarks that have arrived. The one on the left is for CWP and the one on the right is for Shadows and Embers (it's on the reverse side so you can't look at the cover yet -sorry!).


And then the black and white sides are showing both the reverse sides to each bookmark (left is CWP and right is SandE).  Remember to come out and say hello this Saturday at BookFestPA -see you there!
Lindsey R. Sablowski