Showing posts with label Carrie Butler. Show all posts

COVER REVEAL: As We Know It, by Carrie Butler

Title: As We Know It

Author: Carrie Butler

Category: Adult

Genres: Action / Adventure (Disaster) & Romantic Suspense

Release: December 2016

About the Book: Deep beneath the ocean, stretching hundreds of miles alongside the Pacific Northwest coastline, lies the Cascadia subduction zone—a fault on the verge of unleashing a catastrophic earthquake, thirty times more powerful than the San Andreas. Unfortunately, like most tourists, Elena Cordova is oblivious.

She’s got her own pent-up stress to deal with, a humiliating breakup that’s driven her to end her tenure as a human doormat once and for all. So, when a pickpocket makes off with the last remnant of her relationship, she takes action—only to get trapped with him when disaster strikes.

Now, if either one hopes to survive, they’ll have to get past their initial impressions and work together . . . because in fifteen minutes, half the town will be underwater.

Book Trailer:

Geeky Science Resources: http://www.carrieabutler.com/cascadia.html

About the Author:

Carrie Butler is an award-winning author and the owner of Forward Authority full-service studio—not to mention an inbound-certified marketer with a penchant for superhero socks and Firefly. Time away from her desk is spent playing with her rescue pup, yelling at the TV during hockey season, and indulging in target-based recreation. Otherwise, you’re likely to find her glued to her chair, discovering new ways to share her daydreams...

Connect:

Carrie’s Websites: CarrieAButler.com | ForwardAuthority.com

Cover Reveal: Loyalty, by Carrie Butler

Last month, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the cover for the final book in Carrie Butler's Mark of Nexus Series, Loyalty.

Today, Carrie has reveal the cover to the world. Isn't it awesome?!

And here's the blurb:

Rena Collins should be busy planning her happily-ever-after. Instead, she’s working for the enemy—or so they think. With the help of her fiancé Wallace and his unscrupulous brother Cole, she’s been struggling to hone her powers in secret. If they can stop Faye, the leader of ERA, the prophesied end to their war could be within reach...

Too bad they don’t get the chance.

The human experimentation project has moved forward, thanks to the help of an outside group of supernaturals, and it’s about to explode across the country. With lives on the line and a violent clash of wills suddenly at hand, Rena, Wallace, and Cole must decide where their loyalties lie. Now. Is the future of humanity worth dying for, when they aren’t even a part of it? Just how far are they willing to go?

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24566460-loyalty

About Carrie Butler:

Carrie Butler is an award-winning author, the owner of Forward Authority Design Services, and a co-founder of NA Alley—not to mention a recovering marketer with a penchant for superhero socks and Firefly. Time away from her desk is spent playing with her rescue pup, yelling at the TV during hockey season, and indulging in target-based recreation. Otherwise, you’re likely to find her glued to her chair, discovering new ways to share her daydreams...

The Mark of Nexus series has appeared on Amazon bestselling, top-rated, and hot new release lists in various genres. It has also been mentioned in publications like USA Today and Writing New Adult Fiction—a recent how-to from Writer’s Digest. If you’d like more information on Carrie’s work, please visit www.carrieabutler.com.

Links:

How I Found The Write Path Bloghop

Happy Monday, Folks!

Today I'm taking part in the How I Found The Write Path bloghop, hosted by the awesome Carrie Butler, who is celebrating her third blogiversary! Congratulations, Carrie!!

The idea for this bloghop is to create a free ebook to help new self-publishers on their journey to publication. Which is a fantastic idea, and I'm sure will help not only self-publishers, but those seeking traditional publication, too.

THE PROMPT:
Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication.
The only thing I ask is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:
- A lesson you learned the hard way
- Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)
- A writing-related resource you could never do without now
- One thing you’d change about your journey
- One thing you’re glad you did
- Your number one tip for pursuing publication
- Anything else you feel is worth passing on

INFORMATION:
- The name you wish to be credited as
- The title (if any) you wish to follow your name, i.e. author of the series
- One major link where people can find you, i.e. website, blog, Twitter, etc.

PLEASE INCLUDE:
- Whether or not you give me permission to use your entry in the e-book compilation. Don’t feel bad if you don’t want in. We’d still love to read what you have to say!

Hey 2010 Clare,

Even though you're still unpublished, you're getting ever closer. But more importantly, you're happy where you are as a writer. So here's my advice to you, gained from the experiences of the last three and a half years, since you moved away from fan-fic and started branching out with your own original stories, and NaNoWriMo.

First and foremost ... don't rush and don't compare yourself to others. This isn't a race to see who in the blogging world can be published first. Just because some of your writing friends publish before you, that doesn't mean you're not as good, or that you're lacking in skills. Your time will come when you and your stories are ready, so don't sweat it.

Accept that your first story will suck. Hell, even your second and third won't be perfect. But no words are wasted words - those shelved manuscripts can be resurrected, and even if you decide not to, every novel is experience. Every MS is another step towards honing your skills. So, keep at it. And if you have to start over a bunch of times, don't worry, eventually all the aspects you're seeking will fall into place.

Never discount an opportunity. If there's a contest, or a blog hop, or a job opening, go for it. Even if you don't think you'll get it. Putting your name out there not only builds confidence, and connects you with awesome writerly people, but the end results might just surprise you.

Just because something worked/ didn't work for someone, doesn't mean it's right or wrong for you. Sure, ask other writers for their opinions based on their experiences, but know everyone's path is different. Seek your own truths by doing your own research and looking deeply at all aspects of something. Couple your own instinct with the advice of trusted friends, and you're sure to find the right way.

Hang in there, and know that in 2014, you're happier with your writing, and closer to publication than ever before.

Love,

2014 Clare

(Carrie, please feel free to include this in your book if you'd like, with a link back to my blog. Thanks. ^_^)

How I Found the Write Path Blog Fest Announcement

To celebrate her third blogiversary in May, the awesomely talented Carrie Butler wants to do something different—something to pay it forward—but she needs our your help.

It involves a blogfest, new writers, and pretend time travel. Intrigued yet?

She wants to compile a free e-book for writers who are just starting on their road to publication, using advice from the most brilliant, up-and-coming voices in the industry: you guys!

Here’s what it would involve:

THE PROMPT:

Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication. The only thing Carrie asks is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:

- A lesson you learned the hard way

- Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)

- A writing-related resource you could never do without now

- One thing you’d change about your journey

- One thing you’re glad you did

- Your number one tip for pursuing publication

- Anything else you feel is worth passing on

INFORMATION: - The name you wish to be credited as - The title (if any) you wish to follow your name, i.e. author of the series - One major link where people can find you, i.e. website, blog, Twitter, etc.

PLEASE INCLUDE: - Whether or not you give Carrie permission to use your entry in the e-book compilation. Don’t feel bad if you don’t want in. We’d still love to read what you have to say!

Please note: Carrie won’t be editing the entries, other than to proofread for misspellings or duplicate words. Try to have it pub-ready when you post it. :)

Anticipated FAQs

Q: Do I have to be published in order to participate?

A: It may be easier to answer the questions if you’ve been published (either independently or traditionally), but it’s certainly not a requirement. We’re just looking for friends with experience navigating the authorial waters. You do not have to be published.

Q: Do I need a blog to participate?

A: No, you do not need a blog to participate. Feel free to e-mail me your letter directly or post it via a social media like Facebook or Google+.

Q: How will the book be available?

A: Carrie will format it in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB, and then Carrie will make those files available for us all to share. If you guys want, Carrie could also make it a free EPUB on Smashwords, and then distribute it to a few other retailers that accept free titles.

Q: When should I post my letter?

A: Anytime during the week of May 19th!

Q: What can I do in the meantime?

A: Kindly spread the word! You can do this by posting, utilizing your social media channels, rocking the button in your sidebar with a link to this post, etc. Also, Carrie would really appreciate it if you used the link-up on her blog to sign up. It will help her compile everyone's posts the week of May 19th. She would hate to miss anyone!

Courage Blog Tour - Teaser Images: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Post

Today the multi-talented Carrie Butler is visiting as part of her Courage Blog Tour, to discuss to topics I find fascinating and think Carrie excels at - marketing and graphic design!

Take it away, Carrie!

Let’s start by making something clear: You are a professional.

It’s true! If you’ve written something for publication, you’ve chosen to represent yourself as such—even when it comes to support tasks. So, imagine this: After years of working on your novel, it’s finally time to do a little promotion. You skim over your social media feeds and notice a growing trend. Teaser graphics are everywhere... and you want one.

Your next move is to spend hours poring over stock sites until you find the perfect image. It would probably be expensive to hire a designer, so you decide it’s best to do it yourself. After all, you don’t know whether or not the teaser will actually help sales.

So, you bring up your favorite photo editor, paste your excerpt, and switch it to a curly font for a little personality. Then you shift the photo’s colors around to make it look artsy. Awesome! You lean forward, anxious to click the button that will plaster your masterpiece all over the—

Crash!

I burst through the window beside your desk—you know, since you don’t have a skylight for me to live out my Batman fantasies—and rush over to your computer monitor. Ignore the glass. Ignore the bleeding. This is a scenario, and we have bigger fish to fry. Let’s take a look at that teaser graphic...

5. Color - Does the color scheme evoke the right emotions? Is it representative of your genre? Take a step back. Do the colors “play nice” together? Should we bust out the color wheel?

4. Space, balance, etc. - It’s not a wall of text, is it? Oh God, it is. It’s a wall of text over the models’ faces, and it’s bumping against the edges of the image... *shudder*

Okay, what can we adjust? Where can we create white/negative space to make this more pleasing to the eye? Is the excerpt too long? Does the overall image look balanced?

3. Contrast - Dear, sweet contrast...

This plays into the next point. Because this is a teaser, we need to actually be able to read the excerpt. Is it easily distinguishable from the background?

2. Readability - How easy is it to read that font from a distance? If you’re sharing the teaser via social media, it’s probably not going to be huge. Try a few different fonts/sizes (not on the same image), and then ask a friend for their opinion.

1. Odds and ends - Is it fuzzy? Did you buy a stock photo that was too small? Wait. Did you buy a (licensed) stock photo, at all? What about a public domain image or a royalty free texture? There are no hard and fast rules here. It’s okay to play around with things until you have something you’re proud of.

A hiss snaps you back to reality. The room is quickly filling with thick smoke, and I’m making a swift exit. Best of luck with your teaser! :)

Title: Courage
Author: Carrie Butler
Series: Mark of Nexus #2
Expected publication: October 15th, 2013
Category: New Adult (NA)
Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Making a deal with the bad guys wasn’t the highlight of Rena Collins’ semester, but, hey, it saved her boyfriend. Now, in order to appease the human-altering organization known as ERA, she’ll crawl under their microscope while they study the Mark of Nexus and plot their eye-glazed version of the future—until she realizes that’s not all they’re plotting.

Wallace Blake has always known his girlfriend is unlike most girls. But now that information has surfaced regarding the two bloodlines that balance his supernatural race, he finally understands why. Rena belongs to one of them. She’s been augmenting his power, all along...

Enter: Corynn Catley. Brought into the country under the guise of an internship, she’s intended to become ERA’s secret weapon. Kind of. Her abilities cancel out Wallace’s, rendering him powerless, but that’s exactly what he’s always wanted. Too bad it only works when his girlfriend’s not around.

All the while, Rena fails to notice the crush her geeky best friend, Aiden Ross, is nursing. He’d give anything for her to see him in a new light—even reinvent himself through questionable means--but there’s a reason people are told to be careful what they wish for. Finding the courage to tell her could put everyone’s lives in danger. Amazon: Barnes & Noble: The Book Depository: Kobo: Smashwords: iTunes: Sony Reader Store:

Courage (Mark of Nexus #2) is a New Adult paranormal romance that features four unique points-of-view. While the novel stands alone, it is best enjoyed after Strength (Mark of Nexus #1).

Trailer | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One (1) signed paperback of Courage by Carrie Butler {US only}

Five (5) eBook copies of Courage {INT}

One (1) limited edition Mark of Nexus pillowcase {US only}

Carrie Butler daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market.

Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Her passion for New Adult fiction led her to co-found NA Alley—a widely recognized informational hub for the category.

She is the author of STRENGTH (Mark of Nexus #1) and COURAGE (Mark of Nexus #2).

Find Carrie Online: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | YouTube | Goodreads

Memorable Mondays; Hire Carrie Butler, and join Cassie Mae's How to Date a Nerd Blog Hop!

Happy September, Folks! The summer is behind us, and the kids are about to return toschool, if they haven't already, so I'm back from my blogging break.

And what a fantastic way to return, sharing news from two of my favorite people in the blogosphere! Yes, I'm here, once again resuming my weekly posting schedule with Memorable Mondays!

So, what's memorable about today?

First, we have Carrie Bulter, and her awesome new author service Forward Authority!

Those of you who've seen the covers for Carrie's books Strength and Courage, as well as her website, CarrieBulter.com, will know what an awesome graphic designer she is. So, it makes sense that Carrie is expanding into the world of Design Services.

In the words of Carrie herself:

"Please feel free to look around the website, because I've tucked away all sorts of fun and helpful things. For example, I know what a pain it is to contact each and every designer you research for a quote—so, I nixed that. Forward Authority has a loose price list to help you budget, and it's broken down by hours. That way, regardless of your budget, you know there's a way to make your project happen. I've worked with Big 5 authors, small presses, self-published/indie authors, and book bloggers. There's no project too big or small. Seriously. If all you want is for me to touch up your author photo, I'm down with that. ;)"

And if that's not a big-enough incentive to check out Forward Authority, Carrie is also holding a giveaway!

The winner will receive a:

$100 Credit!

To help you start planning your epic win, here are some things you could do with $100:

You could get an e-book cover (4 hours) for $100.
You could get a digital art piece depicting one of your book characters (3+ hours) for $100.
A basic brand logo (2 hours), a matching FB cover photo (1 hour), a blog button (30 minutes), and a 3D render (5 minutes) of your book for $100.

Check out the fabulous giveaway on Carrie's blog!

You know what else is memorable about today? Cassie Mae and her How to Date a Nerd Blog Hop!

Doesn't How to Date a Nerd just look awesome?! I can't wait for September 24th, when it's released!

I don't know where Cassie Mae finds the energy to parent three kids, and release, like, a gazillion books in one year!! It's no wonder she's decided to forgo a blog tour for Nerd, but that doesn't mean we miss out on all the fun!

Instead, Cassie Mae is hosting the How to Date a Nerd Blog Hop, and here's what she had to say about it:

"My bloggy buddies have seen this Nerd journey of mine since it started, and I want to celebrate with you by doing a nerdy blog hop!

Rules:

Post an answer to this question: What is the nerdiest thing about you?
Post the blog hop picture on your post and on your sidebar.
Post the Goodreads link to How to Date a Nerd (oh look, here it is! I'll make it easy :)) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17976672-how-to-date-a-nerd

That's it! To join, put your blog right there in the linky list at the bottom of Cassie Mae's post.

And the prize for one of the participants! A Nerd swag pack! Including NERDS candy, Nerdy t-shirts, a signed copy of How to Date a Nerd, How to Date a Nerd keychains and buttons, and Spiderman 3 on DVD, because for some reason, I have two copies of that movie, haha!"

Those are my memorable things for Monday 2nd September! I hope they're memorable for you too!!

And if you're so inclined, please drop by for Working Wednesday, when I'll be updating about my WiP New Adult Paranormal Romance, and my marketing job at Curiosity Quills Press.

Memorable Mondays: Carrie Butler's Courage (Mark of Nexus #2) Cover Reveal

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your week gets off to a wonderful start!

Thanks to those who dropped by my personal blog last week for Working Wednesday.

Continuing with the posting schedule this week, and back to Memorable Mondays: book releases, cover reveals, blog tours & blog hops etc. from around the Blogosphere.

And today news from the Blogosphere I'm crazily excited to share ... the cover reveal for Carrie Butler's Courage; Book Two in the Mark of Nexus series.

I read Strength back in March when it was released, and thought it was awesome; a real benchmark for paranormal romance, so I'm really looking forwards to what comes next, and the cover and blurb have whetted my appetite even more!

So, without further ado, here is the cover for Mark of Nexus Book Two: Courage ...

Title: COURAGE

Series: Mark of Nexus - Book 2

Author: Carrie Butler

Category: New Adult (NA)

Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Release: October 15, 2013

Formats: E-Book & Paperback

Description: Courage (Mark of Nexus #2) features four unique points-of-view. While the novel stands alone, it is best enjoyed after Strength (Mark of Nexus #1).

Making a deal with the bad guys wasn’t the highlight of Rena Collins’ semester, but, hey, it saved her boyfriend. Now, in order to appease the human-altering organization known as ERA, she’ll crawl under their microscope while they study the Mark of Nexus and plot their eye-glazed version of the future—until she realizes that’s not all they’re plotting.

Wallace Blake has always known his girlfriend is unlike most girls. But now that information has surfaced regarding the two bloodlines that balance his supernatural race, he finally understands why. Rena belongs to one of them. She’s been augmenting his power, all along...

Enter: Corynn Catley. Brought into the country under the guise of an internship, she’s intended to become ERA’s secret weapon. Kind of. Her abilities cancel out Wallace’s, rendering him powerless, but that’s exactly what he’s always wanted. Too bad it only works when his girlfriend’s not around.

All the while, Rena fails to notice the crush her geeky best friend, Aiden Ross, is nursing. He’d give anything for her to see him in a new light—even reinvent himself through questionable means—but there’s a reason people are told to be careful what they wish for. Finding the courage to tell her could put everyone’s lives in danger.

Where to find Carrie:

Where to find Courage (Mark of Nexus #2):

BOOK PAGE | GOODREADS | BOOK TRAILER

Book Bloggers may start requesting e-ARCs via this form.

Blog Tour:

Participate in the Courage blog tour, happening October 14th–26th!

Book Trailer:

Countdown Clock:

Cover Credits:

Design: Carrie Butler

Photography: Subbotina Anna & Yuri Arcurs

Blog Tour Post: Strength - Carrie Butler

Good day everyone!

I'm here today as part of Carrie Butler's blog tour for her début novel, STRENGTH, a new adult paranormal romance published by Sapphire Star Publishing.

I've been intrigued by Carrie's book ever since I heard about it last year, and when the cover was revealed I was doubly sold. Not least of all because Carrie designed it herself. As a bit of a Photoshop novice, I'm obsessed with cover design and what elements go into a great cover. Carrie's cover for STRENGTH is excellent - and not just because of the hot shirtless guy on the front (although it helps)!

I've invited Carrie here today to discuss five elements that make a great cover.

5 Elements of a Great Cover

Thank you for having me over, Clare! As you know, I design (and am obsessed with) book covers. So, today, I thought it would be fun to discuss the elements of a great one. :)

5. Great covers use distinctive, legible fonts. This is part of your book branding, so choose a font that complements your genre and is easy to read. Remember, your book cover is going to be tiny on most retailers' websites.

4. Great covers don't look like they were 'Shopped in MS Paint. You've seen a bad cover. I know you have. So, why would you do that to your own book? You've worked hard to make this happen. Don't cut corners now.

3. Great covers use quality stock photos or professional artwork. Please, please work with images that have a decent resolution. Otherwise, it's going to fuzz/pixelate, and I shudder just thinking about that...

2. Great covers have easily identifiable genres. Take Alex J Cavanaugh's Cassastar, for example. Is there any question that it's a science fiction novel? Of course not. The imagery, the fonts, the affects, the color scheme—they're all consistent with the genre and give the reader an instant feel for the story. Which brings me to my next point.

1. Great covers are true to the story within. Think of it this way: If you bought a box of Girl Scout cookies and found crackers inside, wouldn't you be angry? You might like crackers, but the packaging set you up for something else—something you did not receive.

Similarly, you wouldn't want to take your adult suspense and dress it up like a YA contemporary. You'll give your readers the wrong expectations, and they will be very vocal about their disappointment.

Excellent tips, Carrie. Thanks for including me in your tour, and sharing your cover designing tips with us today! I can certainly see how these five combined would give a great jumping off point for any cover, and you've worked them together seamlessly for STRENGTH.

About STRENGTH:

Title: STRENGTH
Series: Mark of Nexus - Book 1
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Category: New Adult (NA)
Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)
Release Date: March 07, 2013
Formats: E-Book & Paperback
Paperback ISBN: 9781938404351
E-book ISBN: 9781938404368

Long Synopsis:

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

Links:
BOOK PAGE | GOODREADS | PUBLISHER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | BOOK TRAILER

Praise:

“Carrie Butler is now on my must read list.” ~Lynn Rush, author of Violet Midnight

"I carried Strength with me everywhere. Grocery shopping, the dinner table, you name it. The storyline was addictive, and the characters were hilarious. I couldn't put it down." ~Jessica Therrien, author of Oppression

"...Carrie Butler’s debut novel is brilliant, riveting, imaginative and seamlessly written." ~Lisa Regan, author of Finding Claire Fletcher

“This is definitely one to buy for the bookshelf.” - All's Fair with Pen and Paper

“I love that Carrie took so much time in building the relationship between them. Yay for no instalove!” - Read It, Reviewed It

“I freaking loved every last word on every page.” - Scelest's Journal

“I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who's interested in reading a bloody good book. :)” - The Life of a Total Book Nerd

“I devoured this book in two days - staying up until the early hours because I didn't want to stop reading!” - Kyra Lennon, author of Game On

“I love when a ‘bad guy’ has me feeling unsure about his ‘bad guy’ status. I won't say more, as to not give anything away, but Butler does a fabulous job walking this line.” - Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

About the Author:

Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Links