4 Bits of Advice From A New Author-For A New Author

I reached out to Harper the day she started sending out ARCs to the masses and asked her to write this post for me while the pain of birth was still fresh in her mind. There are so many things to learn as a new author and the path to publication is never the same for any of us. Here are the top four pieces of advice Harper has for you based on her own rocky road.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting…to Be an Author

 

Having just hit publish on my first novel, I realized the familiarity of the feeling the experience left me with. I felt like I had just given birth. I did–in a very real way. Up until my manuscript was completed, the idea that I was writing a novel was an abstract and it wasn’t until I had typed those two damning words that I understood what I’d just done. Much like with my first child, now that it was here I realized I had no idea what the hell to do next.

So I’d written a book. Great. Amazing. A huge feat for me. But what now? As a novice on the writing scene, I had few avenues I could take and even fewer resources to get me where I needed to go. A couple of form rejection letters were enough to turn me away from traditional publishing which left me with the seemingly monumental task of going the self-publishing route.

I was a stranger in a strange land.

Sadly, through years of conflict, subversion and mistrust, few within the industry are willing to offer their hard-earned wisdom to the newcomers and understandably so. The self-publishing ocean is full of sharks. Consequently, I learned by trial and error with the help of a few kind souls willing to take a chance on a dewy-eyed publishing virgin and break me in gently. What did I learn? I’m so glad you asked.

First: Expect to rewrite until your eyes bleed. Writing isn’t enough. Polish your end product. Edit the ever loving hell out of it. Make sure every ‘t’ is crossed and every ‘I’ is dotted. This is your first time out of the gate; make sure you’re showing your readers the kind of quality you want them to expect from you. You’re already the new kid on the block in a neighborhood full of writers who have honed their craft and worked their way up the Independent ladder. You have some hard acts to follow, make sure you can keep up.

Second: Expect to go back to school. If you can’t afford professionals, you have a lot you’ll have to learn. Most authors have jobs that pay because, frankly, writing doesn’t unless your last name is King or Patterson. So unless you have a fairy bookmother, you’re going to have to do more than just write. Brush up on your Photoshop skills. Learn how to write blog posts and make teasers. Look up cover design specs and give yourself a refresher on those grammar classes you skipped in high school. You’re going to need them. I offer you this much–if you’ve ever wondered what the 7^th level of Hell might really be like, I recommend trying to read a CS8 manual to figure out where your margins just went.

Third: Expect to shake a lot of virtual hands. The lifeline of the independent author belies the title we’ve been given. We are almost completely dependent on a pool of peers to get our work out there. Readers, bloggers…other authors… all are invaluable when it comes to getting your name seen in the already overwhelming pool of works that hit eBook retailers every day. You are going to have to interact with *gasps and clutches pearls* people. I know–it terrified me, too. Just square your shoulders, take a deep breath and put yourself out there. Word of mouth is a powerful tool so make sure yours is always kind. Be polite. Be professional. You are just beginning to build your image. They say never to judge a book by its cover. However, you are your book’s cover and people will judge. Put your best foot forward and do your damnedest not to put in it your mouth in the process.

Finally: Expect to be in it for the long haul. Perseverance. Resilience. Fortitude. A stiff drink wouldn’t be remiss from time to time. Writing isn’t for the thin-skinned or the faint-hearted. The first book you sell isn’t the beginning of your career and the first bad review you get isn’t the end. It’s not an easy road we’ve chosen to walk. It’s long and full of challenges at every turn. You’re going to have days when you wonder why you bother. Keep going. I promise you, in spite of all the late nights of hard work and hours of networking until your social skills were sore; the first time you hold your work in print it will all be worth it. Just like having a child, you’ll run your fingers along its brand new spine and forget the pain and exhaustion that came with making it. You’ll want to do it all over again. So go ahead. Write another one. I’ll be right there with you.

Born in Southeastern Ohio, Harper L. Jameson has always had an active imagination, first finding her love of books through the works of Stephen King at a young age. Then with her mother’s influence, she found the romantic works of Beatrice Small and Johanna Lindsey and whole new worlds were opened to her. With the encouragement of family and friends, she began to create worlds of her own. Worlds of love and magic, of men and monsters and sometimes, they all intertwine in dark and delightful ways. Come in, she has stories to tell.

If you like to laugh and enjoy gems of insight and advice delivered with a sense of humor, you need to follow Harper. I’ll even make it easy for you:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

For more hints and tips on navigating the Indie world, check out a few of my other posts!

 

5 Things Authors Keep Forgetting

 

Whether you’re self-published or one of the old-school traditionalists, chances are pretty high that you’ve been guilty of at least one of these at some point in your career. They’re easy slip-ups that can pretty easily leave a bad taste in the mouths of your readers and the kick-ass bloggers who make our little world go ’round.

Humility

**gasp** I know, I know. Why would an author need humility? I mean, you wrote the best novel ever, right? Everyone should recognize that and bask in the glory that is your God-like mastery of the written word. Well, chances are good that you didn’t actually write the best novel ever. As a matter of fact, statistically speaking, you probably didn’t even hit the radar for the Top 100. That’s not to say your book isn’t good, or even great, but let’s be honest here: We can’t all be F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hell, we’ll never even be J.K. Rowling.

That being said, even Nora Roberts knows the importance of humility. Staying humble and remembering that you’re just another human being trapped on a spinning ball of rock, hurling through space and narrowly dodging catastrophic collisions with other heavenly bodies, can go a long way.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: People aren’t going to buy a book just because you tell them to. People aren’t going to buy a book because the cover’s pretty (although the chances are much higher if the cover is actually pretty). People are going to buy a book because they want to support the author. Take a step back and ask yourself if you’re being the kind of person people want to like. Is your social media just link after link after link to your chosen POS? Do you give your readers a chance to get to know you?

Friends and Family are the easy sales, folks. Why would you not want your fan base to be made up of friends? Please, for the love of all things holy (to be read as “cheese”), stop chasing your own fans off!

Don’t be this asshole!

Marketing

In stark contrast to humility, we’ve got marketing. Much like the hydra, every time you think you’ve ticked a box off the marketing to-do list, fifteen thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven more checkboxes show up to stare at you with their beady little glowing eyes of doom. I can’t tell you how many times I see authors publish and assume the book will well itself.

For most of us, this is probably the worst part of publication. Writers are, by nature, I think, an introverted species. We love to be around people, but only so we can watch them and dissect how they behave and interact with one another so that we might, one day, write that revolutionary piece of literature that strikes to the heart of human relations and rockets us onto the aforementioned Top 100 list. Alas, the moment our subjects turn their friendly gaze upon us, it’s like we’ve been pinned to the wall with razor-sharp daggers. The panic sets in and we start looking for escape routes and silently cursing ourselves for not taking note of the exits like James Bond taught us. There’s only one option left as the guy you’d been watching smiles and takes that first step toward you: Kill everyone in the room and burn the evidence.

Fortunately (or not), most authors are only trained killers in theory, not so much in practice.

As the invader approaches, your brain shuts down, overwhelmed at the idea of actually holding a conversation with another human being. You’re acting on instinct and your fight or flight kicks in. We’ve already established that fighting isn’t really an option, so you run like hell, clenching your ass-cheeks together and faking a case of explosive diarrhea. So much better than having to deal with real people.

This tactic is great for our personal comfort levels, but not-so-great for selling books. You have to be personable. Even with the backing of a major publishing house, authors need to be able to interact with their fan bases. You’ve gotta talk to people, folks. I know it’s hard. I know it’s terrifying. I also know it’s necessary.

My method is simple: I interact like mad on Facebook (the easy part) and I’ve gone to carrying business cards around in my wallet. All it takes is a simple “Hello, I just published my first (or tenth) book. What are you doing with your life?” (You can probably drop off that last part for the sake of humility, but you get the picture.)

The moment someone finds out you’re an author, there will be one of two responses:
1) “I don’t read. When does the movie come out?”If this is the response you get, all you have to do is remember the time you had to Google self-defense for that one scene and aim for the throat.
2) “You write books? Where can I get them?” BINGO. Hand them a business card, smile, and pull up your Amazon reviews on your smart phone. Chances are good they’ll pull out their own phone then and there and one-click that shiz! (I did this four times yesterday and sold four books.)

Blog

This one is my personal downfall. I forget to blog (I think it’s been almost a year since my last post) and it’s really hard to get into the habit.

My reasoning behind this little piece of advice is simple: It gives readers a free taste of your writing style and it’s a free marketing tool to get your name out there. You can’t really ask for a more effective tool.

Read

This one seems like a no-brainer, but stop and ask yourself how long it’s been since you’ve taken time away from writing to actually read. Personally, I go through a book or two a week. Primarily because it’s easier to read at my day job than it is to write.

You need to read. Especially in your genre. It’s a roadmap to better writing. It keeps your eyes sharp (“Why would you put a comma there?” or “OMG! Typo!”) and it trains your brain to think in a more natural cadence. You’ll find that the more you read, the less you’ll find yourself editing when that first draft is finished. It’s also a fantastic tool for overcoming writer’s block. My favorite thing in the world is when I finish a good book and suddenly can’t wait to sit down at the computer and bang out all the words. Nora Roberts in particular has a penchant for making me want to write.

Review

This one is a touchy subject for many authors and, honestly, I can’t say I blame them. Leaving honest reviews is hard for everyone. Leaving an honest “bad” review is even more difficult. A lot of the authors I know simply refuse to leave reviews because they’re afraid that author will send their cronies out to destroy their reputation.

Here’s my advice: Be respectful, be honest, and be constructive. This community can be brutal. There’s no denying that. However, we know that reviews can make or break an author. We spend a good portion of our time trying to convince people to leave them for us. Why would we not be willing to do the same for a fellow author?

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of leaving a less-than-stellar review, be sure to tell the author why it didn’t resonate with you. Especially if you’re like me and pay money for your books, even if you receive an ARC. I am entitled to my opinion and, if you’re a professional, you can take a little criticism and find a way to make yourself better.

We, meaning authors, have to learn to take criticism. As nice as it would be, we can’t all win a trophy. That’s not how the world works. There are no “safe zones” and yes, words can hurt like a bitch. But they also have the power to create change. As authors, that should always be our goal. We’re in the very unique position of knowing what a bad review feels like and also knowing that we could all use a little advice every now and then. Take the bad reviews with a grain of salt and find the nugget of good advice that can generally be found in every single review you receive. Sticking your head in the sand or throwing a temper tantrum isn’t going to make it go away. It’s either going to make you continue writing poorly or it’s going to make people afraid to leave reviews altogether. Neither option is good for your career or mine.

As always, I hope these tips have been helpful! If you have an aspect of ‘The Biz’ you’d like me to talk about, let me know down in the comments! I’ve been through the process of publishing seven times now and I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned!

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Instagram.

Oh, and BUY MY BOOKS!

Happy writing! ~D

 

DO: Promote

This, my friends, is an endless, uphill battle. It’s also a terrifyingly fine line to walk.

You can only blast your social media circles with BUY MY book posts so many times before people start hiding (or worse, unfollowing) you, right? I mean, we’ve all done it. We all know at least ONE of those people who uses social media for absolutely NOTHING but pushing sales.

This post will, in the long run, be one of those.

For now, let’s talk about HOW you should be promoting.

Instead of scheduling posts with buy links to go live every hour on the hour and then walking away from your page, you should probably try to be a little more engaging. There are MILLIONS of books for your readers to choose from. If they were only in it for the book, nobody would ever be able to make a decision. Successful authors are the ones who remember who pays the bills. TALK TO YOUR FANS, DAMMIT!

It’s insane how often I see fledgling indie authors who don’t do this. People aren’t going to buy your book just because you tell them to. People are going to buy your book PRIMARILY because they like YOU. My fans are fans of ME first and my work second. Why is that? Well, because I talk to them. If someone can take the time to comment on my status, the LEAST I can do is like said comment. USUALLY, I end up having quite a back and forth with them. Our conversations, on a normal day, range from about 5 replies to 20 replies. 10 to 40 seconds of my day was given to that person and chances are pretty good that that alone will land me future sales.

Pretty good investment if you ask me.

Interacting with your fan base is THE most important aspect of being a successful ANYTHING.

Followed shortly by generating word-of-mouth. This is where the actual quality of your work comes into play. Now that you have your die hard 1-clickers, you need to give them something that they can talk about with their friends and family. If one of my friends says to me, “OMG! You NEED to read this book!” I’m MUCH more likely to actually pick it up VS the author of the book telling me, “OMG! You NEED to read this book!” I mean… Of COURSE the author is going to say that, right? Another relatively simple way to get some buzz going is to reach out to book bloggers.

These people LOVE to read and they LOVE to talk about reading. 99.9% of the time all you have to do is go to their Facebook page, read their “About” section to see if they do promo stuff for authors, make sure they cover your genre, see if they have special submission guidelines (EXTRA IMPORTANT!!!), etc… More often than not, the admins names will be in there as well. If you can send them a message that starts with their name, it shows that you actually took the time to go out of your way and get familiar with their blog. That goes a LONG way in beginning a positive, beneficial relationship. Trust me: These people are the people who will make or break you. You WANT them to love you.

Kiss. Their. Asses. It’s worth it. Believe me.

Not to mention most of them are actually REALLY awesome people!

And that leads us into blog tours. You will want to start setting these up MONTHS in advance. Try to get promo posts set up with your participating blogs leading up to release day. Ask them if they do author interviews (these are my FAVORITE things in the whole wide world), character interviews, takeover events, guests posts, etc… ANYTHING that will get some hype going pre-release.

You’re also going to want to get your ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) out to them AT LEAST a month in advance. I don’t recommend going much further out than that, but a solid four weeks gives them enough time with your manuscript to read through it, write a well-structured review, and if they loved it, they’ll be talking about it while they wait for release day. This is what you want. Remember, these people are SUPER busy and they do all of this for FREE. Don’t pester them about it. Don’t freak out if they haven’t sent you an email the day before release day. Most of them won’t. Just watch your POS (point of sale) site on release day and wait for the reviews to roll in.

THEN SHARE THEM.

Most bloggers put a considerable amount of time into their reviews (we’re talking PARAGRAPHS, folks) and they LOVE when you share that hard work for them. It’s WAY better than a “thank you” note. Share the review and tag them where you can. That increases traffic to their page and keeps all of us in business.

I’ll even recommend a few of my favorites to get you started:
Books, Chocolate and Wine
Glass Paper Ink Bookblog
WhirlwindBooks
FMR Book Grind
Wicked Reads
2 Girls Who Love Books
Hopelessly Devoted 2 Books
PBC
These are just a few of the MANY blogs that have supported me throughout my career and they’re honestly an absolute joy to work with. I could go on for DAYS, but these ones came to mind most readily.

I’m not going to blow sunshine up your ass and tell you this stuff is simple. It’s not. It requires a LOT of work and a calendar on your phone that will send you notifications to remember that you have things to do. What I WILL tell you is that it’s worth the time you have to put into it. I WILL tell you that it’s going to take away from your writing time and your family time and your “real job” time. I WILL tell you that even if you do ALL of these things, there’s no guarantee that your book will hit Bestseller (none of mine have yet, but I’ve come VERY close this last time around). And I will also tell you that if you DON’T do these things, your career as an indie author will be very short lived.

Oh, by the way, you NEED to read this book!

You can read it for FREE if you have KU or Prime!
US: http://amzn.com/B00YDVCK50
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00YDVCK50
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00YDVCK50
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00YDVCK50?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

I also do interviews, guest posts, takeovers, and happily let you cry on my shoulder if you’re having a bad day. Feel free to email me at author.david.michael@gmail.com or hit me up in the comments below!

You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

As always, Happy Writing!
D

 

**NEW RELEASE** ‘Porter’ by David Michael

**About The Book**

Cameras don’t catch all of the action…

 Porter Hale is a sex god—The Prince of Porn with dreams of grandeur.

 When he meets Holly Nash, the biggest casting director in Hollywood, the doors to his future are thrown open.

Just one problem: She loathes porn.

Porter is walking into Holly’s world and the price of admission is higher than either of them could have guessed.

 As sparks fly and passions blaze into something wild, they are forced to accept that someone will have to sacrifice their dreams or risk their lover’s heart.

 When dreams collide, the aftermath can be messy.

Now Available Exclusively on Amazon!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU

**About The Author**

David Michael is the author of The United Series – a five-book paranormal romance series – and the Dick Dynasty Trilogy.
His passion for writing was born of his passion for reading. He spent his childhood escaping into the worlds created for him by authors and has always aspired to join their ranks. After the publication of his first novel, he couldn’t be stopped.

David lives in Salt Lake City, hates the snow, loves his pets (two cats and a dog), and more often than not can be found sitting in front of his laptop in his underwear hammering away at the keyboard (usually chatting on Facebook). He’s a firm believer that what you put out into the universe comes right back to you and always looks for the silver lining around the rain clouds in life.

You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Amazon, Goodreads, and WordPress!
He would love to hear from you!
You can email him at author.david.michael@gmail.com or visit his Website: http://www.authordavidmichael.com

 

My Kryptonite

Marketing is the BANE of my existence. I’m genuinely TERRIBLE at it. I’ve always been a helper. Someone needs sharing, I share. Someone needs help with promoting their book, I do what I can to get it done. When it comes to asking for those favors, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m always trying to do everything myself so that, if and/or when I succeed, I can say I did it on my own.

But that’s not how this game works.

That saying “It takes a village”? Yeah…. It applies to a WHOLE lot more than raising children.

I’ve finally got a small street team going, so they pimp me out when and where they can, but I REALLY need to get better about doing it myself. Books aren’t the only thing you sell as an author, come to find out. People are buying YOU as well.

I’m working on getting a website up (finally) so that Facebook and Twitter aren’t my only marketing platforms, so that’s a bonus, but I also need to use every tool I have in my arsenal. Which happens to include this blog. Time to kiss the pride goodbye and get myself and my books out there.

What made me realize this change needed to be made? Well, people started asking me where my books are available… That genuinely shocked me, believe it or not. I thought I was doing a halfway decent job of making that information available.

Apparently, I was wrong, so here it is! A one-stop-shop of sorts!

Blessed: Book One in The United Series (Digital: $1.99 Paperback: $11.99)
Currently available at all of the following locations:
Amazon (Kindle and Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Nook and Paperback)
Apple (iBooks)
Scribd. (Apple, Android, and Kindle)
inktera (ePub format)
CreateSpace (Paperback)

 

Cursed: Book Two in The United Series (Digital $3.99 Paperback $11.99)
Currently available at all of the following locations:
Amazon (Kindle and Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Nook and Paperback)
Apple (iBooks)
Scribd. (Apple, Android, and Kindle)
inktera (ePub format)
CreateSpace (Paperback)

 

Saved: Book Three in The United Series (Digital $3.99 Paperback $11.99)
Currently available at all of the following locations:
Amazon (Kindle [Free to borrow from the PRIME Library!] and Paperback)
CreateSpace (Paperback)

 

 

 

With that being said, take my word for it… MARKET YOURSELVES AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! It’s the only way you’re going to get out there!

And follow me on Facebook and Twitter! 😀

A always, happy writing!
D

 

 

Third Time’s The Charm?

Well, I’ve done it! I’ve published three books! I’m beyond the half way mark in this series and still going strong!

‘Saved’ is the title of said third book and it’s a beast. I broke 100k words with this manuscript and, after formatting, it weighed in at 426 pages in print. (this feels a bit like writing a birth announcement…)

What now?

Well, I keep writing. I’m 47,000(ish) words into the fourth book, Damned, and I’ve got the confidence thing down.

At least where writing is concerned.

Marketing? Ahhhhhhahahahahahaha! I have no hope. I rely HEAVILY on the BRILLIANT friends and fans that I’ve made over the course of this crazy, never-ending journey for that stuff. Sale graphics, promotional teasers, book trailers, blog tours, release blitzes, reviews, interviews, takeovers… It’s seriously a veritable LANDSLIDE of things that I don’t know how to do.

Thank the powers that be for my street team! Those girls keep me going when all I want to do is lie down on the floor and never look at a computer again.

That’s not to mention the readers, bloggers, family members, and OTHER AUTHORS who have supported the hell out of me over the last six months! I love them all dearly.

I cannot stress this enough: IF YOU ARE TRYING TO BREAK INTO THE SCENE AS AN INDIE AUTHOR, FIND A SUPPORT GROUP!!!

You can start with me if you’d like. My Facebook page doesn’t turn people away, and my fan page is always looking for new friends! Not to mention my Amazon Author Profile (where you can also buy this pretty book AND the first two in the series)

As always, Happy Writing!
D

 

BLOG TOUR! Cursed: Book Two in The United Series

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Cursed

By David Michael

Book Two of The United Series

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Cursed Synopsis

In an effort to escape a lifetime of bad luck and worse decisions, Luke decided to take a giant risk and leave Los Hermanos in his past where they belonged. Unfortunately, Los Hermanos took the saying “blood in, blood out” VERY seriously.

When his long lost foster sister and her new boyfriend show up at his hospital bed willing to commit felonies in an effort to commit felonies in an effort to get him out of his guarded hospital room, he suddenly finds himself burdened with the fact that his actions had now brought innocent people into a firefight that he had tried to avoid all together.

As he struggles to push the only family he has left to a safe distance, a heavy sense of dread settles in around him and every instinct he has tells him that something far worse than Los Hermanos is coming.

Pushing them away and sacrificing himself seems to be his only option, but Sarah and Makkar have other plans. For better or worse, they intend on being there to the very end.

The very. Bitter. End.

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Buy the book!

Amazon Australia

Available in Paperback at:

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Blessed

By David Michael

Book One of The United Series

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Blessed Synopsis

Her twenty-first birthday was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter. She had been preparing herself for the moment she would be a real adult for months.

There was no way she could have prepared herself for what happened instead.

As her nightmares became more real with each night and her behavior became less like her own, Ardra fought to stay on the path she had so painstakingly planned for herself with very little success.

When she becomes the owner of a creepily-human dog named Kaiser, she finds herself oddly at peace with the unexpected addition to her household and clings tightly to him when tragedy strikes and shatters her world.

As she fights to put the pieces back together without losing herself in the Darkness that is building inside of her with each terrible step off of her path, a rag-tag band of supporters rally behind her. Each one of them prepared to go to the ends of the earth and back.

She must find a way to defeat the Chaos that has consumed her life or risk losing everyone and everything that she has left. Including her soul.

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Buy the book

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Author Bio

David Michael, author of The United Series, is a self-proclaimed crazy cat lady, a hater of snow, a lover of Star Trek and has an addiction to coffee that is excessive even for an author.

He lives in Salt Lake City where he is currently majoring in Psychology, working a “big boy” job, and writing full time. He shares a living space with his best friend, idolizes his mother, and has a strange knack for making friends with people on the other side of the planet instead of his own back yard.

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Follow David Michael

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Proudly brought to you by:

 

Best Idea Ever! #CockInASock

 

So, with this whole #CockInASock thing encouraging men to strip down and strap socks to their tasty bits in an effort to raise awareness (and money) for cancer, I was forced to sit back and ask myself, “What am I doing to really make a difference in the world?”

Well, aside from telling my stories and hoping that they impact people for the better, I’m not doing a whole lot.

Time to fix that.

Now through April 13th, 2014, 50% of the proceeds from BOTH of my books, Blessed and Cursed, will be donated to The American Institute for Cancer Research!

To raise awareness of my crusade to raise money, I posed a challenge to my Facebook fans. I told them that if my promo graphic could reach 5,000 people (the most people a single status of mine has EVER reached was 2.5 thousand) I would post a #CockInASock photo of my own.

Well, they BLEW ME AWAY!

The post hit 5,000 views in less than 24 hours. As of right now, they have almost doubled that goal! I’m seriously FLOORED by the support my fans have shown! 63 comments, 107 likes, and 61 shares. Just… Wow. That’s a pretty good portion of my fan base! So much, actually, that the Amazon Bestselling Author Lola Stark has agreed to donate 50% of the proceeds from her first book, Tattered Love, to the cause as well!

So, in true David fashion, it’s time I follow through with my end of the bargain. The much anticipated #CockInASock photo!

Pardon the whiteness.

Don’t forget to support the fundraiser and grab your copies of Tattered Love by Lola Stark, Blessed, and Cursed (by yours truly, of course, David Michael). Full links can be found below!

Tattered Love by Lola Stark:

Blessed: Book One in The United Series by David Michael:

Cursed: Book Two in The United Series by David Michael:

As always, happy writing and thanks for your support!
D

 

Do: BE PROUD!

It’s been an INSANE ride for the last few weeks around here! Today is the first crest of the first wave scheduled to roll over me in the next year. As I spend every waking hour cramming for finals at school, I also juggle blog posts, Facebook Fan Pages, Tweets, my social live (however diminished), my family, my work, my writing, cover designers, formatters, two cats, a dog, two “wives” and my needy best friend and roommate.

Then days like today happen and it makes it all worth it!

Today, I reveal the cover of my first book.

Today, I have something tangible to show the world.

Today, my writing is real.

Not to toot my own horn, but toot-motherfucking-toot! (thanks, Lola!)

Heaps of thanks go out to my wifey (and minion) Simone Nicole and her sister-wife Lola Stark without whom, I would be floundering. These two women are amazeballs and if I could give them the world, I would in a heartbeat.

**Cover Art and Design Copyright Louisa Maggio. All cover images remain the property of David Michael.

 

~SYNOPSIS~

Her twenty-first birthday was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter. She had been preparing herself for the moment she would be a real adult for months.

There was no way she could have prepared herself for what happened instead.

As her nightmares became more real with each night and her behavior became less like her own, Ardra fought to stay on the path she had so painstakingly planned for herself with very little success.

When she becomes the owner of a creepily-human dog named Kaiser, she finds herself oddly at peace with the unexpected addition to her household and clings tightly to him when tragedy strikes and shatters her world.

As she fights to put the pieces back together without losing herself in the Darkness that is building inside of her with each terrible step off of her path, a rag-tag band of supporters rally behind her. Each one of them prepared to go to the ends of the earth and back

She must find a way to defeat the Chaos that has consumed her life or risk losing everyone and everything that she has left. Including her soul.

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Add the rest of the series to your  TBR List

 

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

 

 

 

David Michael currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his three best friends, two of which are his cats. He has written several unpublished short stories, and over 200 poems, some of which have been published. He comes from a large family, with three siblings and three step-siblings. He’s a firm believer that there is inspiration in everything, you just have to be willing to see it. He firmly believes that there is nobody more amazing than his mom, Traci.

 

 

 

~ Follow links ~

Facebook ❤ Website ❤ Twitter ❤ Goodreads ❤ Email

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to go to David Michael’s Cover reveal Party

 

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Lola the Magnificent

This is a first for me. I have yet to promote someone individually who hasn’t done a guest post specifically for me, however, Lola has done SO much more than that! I’m going to take you back to my Do: Network post and I am going to make an example out of her.

I met Lola Stark on the Book of Faces (Facebook) through a friend of a friend of a friend’s friend. In the two short weeks that we have been talking, she has become one of the most important people in my life. Not just because of her knowledge of the industry or her connections, either. Our relationship was one of those magical things where we just “clicked”. We make for a fantastic support group for one another (even though she’s in Australia and I’m in Salt Lake Shitty) and I honestly think I would be completely lost without her (and my other Aussie, Simone, but you guys have already met THAT minion and we know I love her to bits).

That being said, I would like to PROUDLY present you with the cover for her newest release and a teaser from the novel!

Be warned, she IS an Erotica/Romance writer, so if adult themes bother you, proceed with caution!

ENJOY!!!!

Happy Writing!
D

Title: Conflicted Love (Needle’s Kiss, #2)

Author: Lola Stark

Release Date: January 2014

Genre: Romantic Comedy/ Erotica

Designed By: Sarian Royal Indie Publishing and Design

SYNOPSIS:

(Conflicted Love is book #2 in the Needle’s Kiss series and should be read AFTER Tattered Love to fully grasp the story.)

Trip’s life motto is simple: get in, get off, get out. His lifestyle works for him, that is until he finds himself in an unexpected situation with the one girl he can’t seem to get out of his mind.

Teeny has been strong for too long. One amazing crazy night, with her best friend’s cocky colleague, leaves her with more than just unwanted feelings and cravings she just can’t seem to quench.

She’s knocked up.

He’s freaked out.

Life is about to get crazy for two people who can’t stand to be close, yet can’t seem to pull apart. Tension and confusion turn into mood swings and midnight snacks. How can things ever go back to simple times when every direction leads to chaos?

ADD TO GOODREADS

TEASER:

I threw my leg over my bike and started for her. The streetlight out front was busted, causing the place to be darker than normal. There was just enough light that as I walked behind her, I could see her sexy little ass encased in those prissy jeans she always wore. I caught up to her at the bottom of the stairs and reached out to grab her arm before she made it any further. Next thing I knew, Teen spun, her fist flying right into my nose; at the same time, she drove her knee up into my groin, dropping me like a sack of shit to the ground.

“F*ckkkkkkkk” I moaned, cupping my junk, rolling up onto my knees, and trying to get my breath back. Pain shot up into my stomach with each attempt.

“Oh, it’s just you.” Teeny breathed hard. I looked up at her through narrowed eyes.

“Oh, it’s just…F*ck, Princess. What the hell’d you do that for?” I wheezed.

“Well, you deserved it. You don’t sneak up behind a chick and expect not to get hit. Now, get up, dipsh*t. You’re making a scene,” she hissed, looking around the complex.

BUY LINK:

Amazon

AUTHOR BIO:

What to say ? Errrr…

Lola hates all things sultanas.

Lola is a little strange and unusual.

Lola has no brain-to-mouth filter (this may

or may not have gotten Lola into trouble – repeatedly).

Lola is keeping Coca-cola in business one

2lt bottle at a time.

Apparently, Lola likes to talk in the third

person about herself.

This here is what my profile says

everywhere:

Lola Stark lives in Australia, Is an at-
home mummy with no filter, raising a hoard of minions. Lola has loved to read for as long as she

can remember. When not wrangling the family, she can be found sitting at her computer, writing,

facebooking or just generally messing around.

I know, I know third person again.

So what else can I tell you about me ?

I have a dog, 3 birds and a pet rock. I

was a teen mum (DON’T DO IT). Right now, I’m alternating writing this and yelling at my kids to stop

jumping on the bed and to go the fuck to sleep before I push them off. I may be a little.. okay, very

inappropriate…often.

Junk food and I have an understanding: I

eat it, it hibernates around my ass and thighs. I love music, almost any kind is fine by me.

I love fiercely and I’m protective of those

that mean something to me, this has gotten me in trouble more times than I can count. I cuss like a

sailor and sometimes smell like one too (hey now, McJudgy, you can’t shower, brush your teeth or hair if

you’re in the middle of writing a book).

I make a mean potato-layer bake and I

have slight road rage. I struggle not to laugh when my kids are inappropriate and say screwy shit. I don’t

really like people…I’m that creepy chick who sits in the corner till she has a booze buzz going on, then

I’m as loud as fuck. I have an addiction to shoes. I smoke like a chimney.

So that’s me!

I’m screwy and funsized (it’s not called short anymore).

You’ll either love me or hate me, but I am always just ME!

CONNECT WITH LOLA:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads