Fight Song

Recently discovered this new song, and now I'm obsessed:



Doesn't it just make you wanna go write like a billion words and be amazing?!

Free ARCs! Going once... going twice...

Hello, fellow read-a-holics!

I am searching the kingdom, near and far for four or five brave souls to read and review my book--coming June 15th... EEEEeeek! *happy dance* You have all been so kind in the past, offering advice and support and much-needed cheerleading, that I thought I would see if any would like a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Here's a summary:

Kade Finley, of the Scottish Isles, was raised on legends of the sea. His Gaffer, Toran Finley said, that beneath Muireall’s wind-swept cliffs, deep under the waves, there lived a legend as old as the Highlands themselves. Of Manannán Mac Lir, the sea god, and his beautiful sea maidens, the maighdean mhara, who swam the tides, luring sailors to their deaths.

But they’re not just legend. 

Kade saw one on his ninth birthday. On that day, a fierce storm swallowed half the island, and his da, Aidan Finley, was never seen again. 

It’s been nine years since Da disappeared, and Gaffer is dying. 

Desperate to save him, Kade decides to capture a maighdean mhara, of whom the stories say will grant one wish if caught. But Admiral Gilbert Owen, commander of the island’s WWII naval base, complicates things. In his quest for power, the Admiral has enraged the maidens, making it dangerous to be human in maighdean mhara infested waters.

If you're willing, I'd gladly impart you with massive amounts of good karma, magic charms, luck potions, and, of course, a MOBI file for your handy dandy e-Reader. If interested, email me at: julietuovi (at) gmail (dot) com (no spaces) or just leave a comment below. 

As always, thank you for your kind words and encouragement! The online writing community is seriously the best. No joke. 

XO

Waiting on Wednesday...

Hello, lovelies! 

Today I joined a blog event called "Waiting On" Wednesday, which is hosted over at Breaking the Spine, and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. As I'm constantly on the lookout for delicious new books to read, naturally, I thought this was a smashing idea. Bring on the books!!

My chosen pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection TECHNICALLY came out just yesterday, so I know, I know--it's already published. But Since it was JUST yesterday, and I haven't read it yet, I figured I'd put it up anyway:

End of Days, Susan Ee

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other? 

You guys, I love this series in a bad way. I randomly picked Angelfall up in the store one time, not having any idea what to expect--and was hooked by page 2. I then proceeded to devour the first two books, only to find out the third wasn't due out for a looooong time. (Gah! CURSES!) Anyway, if you haven't read this gem (which, incidentally, started out as a self pub-ed book... YEAH!) definitely check it out. You won't be sorry!!

What about you, lovely readers? Any wonderful books to recommend? (Anticipated OR published??) Lay 'em on me!

A Rose by Any Other Name...

While perusing the internets the other day, I came across THIS article on the Huffington Post about authors who change their names.... even further, authors who change their sex! 

Okay, not ACTUALLY, but via pen name for sure.

Possibly the most famous to do so, is our beloved J.K. Rowling herself. I guess technically, she didn't do a complete overhaul on her name, but in the face of the big, scary, literary world, she DID opt for gender neutral initials. On her website, J.K. herself says this: 

"The use of a pen name was suggested by her publisher, Barry Cunningham. He thought that young boys might be wary of a book written by a woman, so Joanne chose ‘K’, for ‘Kathleen’, the name of her paternal grandmother."

My little feminist feathers get a little ruffled when I hear this. I mean, WHY SHOULD IT MATTER if the author is male or female? Harry would have sold either way, right... RIGHT?! 

Okay. I hope he would have. But the truth is, you're right, I know that he might not have. 

*sigh*

But it isn't just lady authors changing their epithets to more masculine sounding names or initials. As the article points out, male authors do it too! (Which, by the way, I had no idea there even WERE incognito guys who wrote romance until I read this article.... which just goes to show how much I know, I suppose. Haha!) But it does make me wonder about the guys who write romance who DON'T change their names... 

... ahem... Nicholas Sparks, anyone?? 

I mean, if there was ever a person to write a better romantic, sappy, cheese dripping novel, I haven't heard of this person. (And I'm totally not mocking, by the way... I love me some Nicky Sparks just as much as the next gal!) But Nicholas Sparks... he's a GUY!! I wonder if HE ever gets irked that he's a man trying to his hawk his wares in the female dominated market of literary romcom? And I wonder if he ever considered changing HIS name (I mean... you know... back BEFORE Nicholas Sparks was Nicholas Sparks...) It makes you wonder what his secret is... HOW he sells chick books to chicks so successfully when he's was a guy... And if his agent ever had a similar J.K. Rowling conversation with him in those pre-publishing days.  

Anyway, I suppose in the end, if we can't expect people to NOT judge a book by it's cover, then we can't very well expect them not to judge names either, right? 

What are your thoughts? Do YOU use a pen name? Why or why not? 

Self Publishing . . . here I come!

Well... I'm finally doing it. I'm self publishing! 

WAHOOOOOO!!!!!

My book, The Sirens of Falkeld, is already available for pre order on Amazon (HERE, if you're interested), and will be coming out June 15th. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!!!

You guys. Despite all the extra stress and work... I'm actually crazy excited about this! Which is weird, cause, I'll be honest... self publishing wasn't exactly an avenue I originally considered for myself. Because it kinda has a stigma... you know? (Come on. I KNOW you know.) The stigma that "Well obviously she wasn't good enough to publish the REAL way, soooo .." << Yeah. THAT one. 

I admit. I bought into that sentiment for a long time.

*ducks the rotten tomatoes* 

I WAS WRONG, OKAY?! I ADMIT IT!!

Over the years, I've gotten to know many self published writers--a few of which have become very good friends!! They're brilliant wordsmiths. Their books are amazing. And they are SO courageous!! Though them, I quickly began to see self publishing in a very different light. (Though, it still took me a little while to work up the courage to do it myself!) 

Listen, you guys. The industry is changing. Amazon and its e-book warriors are causing a massive shake up in the publishing world. And WHO KNOWS where things will all end up? Isn't it exciting?! I think so! I loved what THIS Forbes article had to say about things. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do! It wasn't like this article made my decision for me or anything. But it DID help tip me over the edge solidly into "Yes, this is the path for me!!" territory!

That and a couple of really awesome already-well-on-their-way-to-greatness self pub-ed authors (ahem, here's lookin' at you, Barb and Sarah!) who were incredibly inspiring and who bent over backwards to help me in my own process!! (Thanks ladies... you're AMAZING!!)

So I'm doing it. I'm self publishing. Already, I love having the final say in what goes into my work . . . I love designing the cover art . . . I love not having to worry about freakin' word counts . . . I love that I don't have to wait three years to see my work out there . . . I love, love, LOVE that I'm going to be able to start getting readers NOW!! It's all so exciting, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it! 

Goodbye query letters, hello readers!! 

What are your thoughts on self publishing, dear readers? Are you as excited about all the industry changes as I am?