EMILYS TRIAL 99 CENT SUMMER SALE!!

Emily's Trial by Natalie Wright
Ashley Phillips, Cover Model
Cover art by PhatPuppy Art
Cover Photographer, Teresa Yeh

Emily's Trial Summer Sale!! 

Normally $2.99, it's on sale now WORLDWIDE for just $.99 (that's 99 Cents) U.S. Click on the link below to see Emily's Trial in the Amazon store in your country:

U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LMAIGE

INDIA: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B009LMAIGE

U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009LMAIGE

GERMANY: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B009LMAIGE

CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B009LMAIGE

FRANCE: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B009LMAIGE

SPAIN: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B009LMAIGE

BRAZIL: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B009LMAIGE

ITALY: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B009LMAIGE

JAPAN: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B009LMAIGE


In the summer, do you read more or less than other times of the year?

When I was a kid and teenager, I lived in the midwest and I spent the summer months outdoors with my friends. I recall one summer of reading my friend's mom's Harlequin romance novels (a very steamy summer!), but mostly I'd say back then I didn't read much in the summer.

But now I live in the desert where daytime temps are in the 100's. For me, summer is like winter for some people. I hibernate, venturing outside only in the very early morning or late evening. And I find that I read more in the summer.

And I love to read on the beach. My husband doesn't get it, but I think it's a guilty pleasure to lay in a chair with the ocean in my ear, engrossed in a completely different world. 

Do you love to curl up in a beach chair and read with the sound of the ocean in the background?
If you love a book with a hint of romance and lots of action, then Emily's Trial is for you. And as a summer gift to readers, I've put Emily's Trial on sale for the month of June. Regularly $2.99, right now you can snag it now for 99 cents on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords (links below)! Sale ends July 15, 2013.

Happy reading :-D

          

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/242466

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/emilys-trial-natalie-wright/1112990363?ean=2940044978607

Cover Time! Help Choose the Cover for Emily's Heart

It feels like we just chose the cover for Emily's Trial, Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicles, but it's time to choose the next cover!

When Teresa Yeh, fantasy photographer extraordinaire, did the cover shoot for book 2, I asked her to also take some photos that may be appropriate for book 3, Emily's Heart. My thinking was that we would then have the same "Emily" on the cover of both books 2 and 3.

And I think Ashley Phillips, the model playing Emily on the cover of Emily's Trial, looks great as Emily.

The third book is titled "Emily's Heart", and although Emily will spend most of the book in a post-apocalyptic world of darkness, love is the theme of the book. So So I wanted Emily to have a softer look to reflect the romance elements of Book 3. We've had two covers with Emily looking fairly bad ass! I thought showing the softer side could be cool.

Here is the photo that I chose from the photo shoot as a possible candidate for Emily's Heart:

Ashley Philips as Emily Adams
Photography by Teresa Yeh

Keep in mind that the cover artist, Claudia at PhatPuppy Art, will work her magic to take the photo from this:

To this:

What do you think of the wistful look of Ashely in the photo above? Does it appeal to you?

But wait, I was looking through photos that Claudia had sent me as possible covers for book 1, Emily's House, and I came across this:

Art copyright Claudia McKinny, PhatPuppy Art

Something about this one is drawing me in. The colors are black and dark - brooding even. Yet there is the flash of her red hair in contrast. Okay, Emily would never wear a dress like that (except for maybe if she was going to prom), but still, I like the feel of it.

What do you think? Which cover idea do you like the best? What do you look for in a cover?

GIVEAWAY TIME! I know y'all are opinionated and probably don't need an enticement to deliver your ideas, but just in case you think about holding back, let me reel you in with a giveaway. I'll leave this open to your comments until March 31, 2013, at which time I'll choose one lovely commenter to receive a digital copy of Emily's Trial :-) Just enter in the Rafflecopter below and boosh! You're on your way.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

COVER REVEAL! Emily's Trial

Print Cover for Emily's Trial, Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicles by Natalie Wright
Cover Design by Cheryl Perez, Cover Art by Phatpuppy Art
Cover Photography by Teresa Yeh, Cover Model Ashley Phillips

It has felt like a long wait! But as they say, good things come to those who wait. Here it is - cover reveal for Emily's Trial!

One step closer to final product. Some last editing, then uploading for readers!!

I'm looking forward to getting this one into your hands. The feel of this book is different, I think, from the first one. In Emily's Trial, though the book is still squarely in the fantasy genre, it focuses more on the characters and their relationships. Yes, there are action scenes - plenty of dagger wielding and sword fighting. You'll meet a nasty new adversary named Ciardha. He makes Dughall look like a choir boy. And I build on the mythology that I began in Emily's House (Book 1).

But relationships are the focus of Emily's Trial, and Emily's relationships are tested here.

Stay tuned and check back often for updates about release as well as giveaways, blog tour stops and other fun stuff. And if you haven't read Emily's House yet, now is a great time to read it so you're caught up on Emily's world before you read Emily's Trial. I've just uploaded a newly revised edition of Emily's House AND gave it a price reduction to 99 cents AND have put it in the Kindle lending library for Amazon Prime members. Click this link to go to the page with all of the buy links so you can purchase from the retailer of your choice.

Emily's House, Book 1 of the Akasha Chronicles
Cover Design by Cheryl Perez, Cover Art by Phatpuppy Art

And as always, thank you dear readers for your support - and for reading! I have the best fans in the world and you are the ones that keep me energized and writing.

Cheers!

Behind the Scenes: Emily's Trial Cover Photo Shoot

Ashley, right, will be Emily; Heather creating the hair and makeup look 

One of the best things I like best about being Indie? Creating the Cover!

Readers may not know this, but when a book is published by a big publisher, the author usually has no say about the cover. Let's face it, after the author has turned in the final manuscript, they don't have a lot of say about anything (title included).

Emily's House, Cover by
Claudia at Phatpuppy Art

What creative fun to create the cover that I want - the cover that fits my vision.

I shouldn't say that I create the covers. That's not quite accurate because I work with wonderful artists who bring my vision to life.

Claudia, of Phatpuppy Art, the cover artist that created the cover for Emily's House, will also do the covers for the other two books in the series. For the next two covers, Claudia has teamed up with brilliant photographer, Teresa Yeh, to create not one but two custom covers for me.

Teresa has been a dream to work with. She asked me lots of questions - ones I hadn't even considered. Questions like: What expression should Emily have on her face? And what would I like her wearing? What color are her clothes? Close up? Or full body? Over the shoulder? How is her hair styled?

Wow! So much thought going into it. When covers are made with stock photos (which most covers are), you don't have to think so much as spend hours scouring photos to find something that is good enough to work.

Teresa then did a casting call and I got to choose which young lady was the best one to "play" Emily for a day.

Ashley was the clear winner. She has the Emily look. 

Behind the scenes, Heather had to create two looks for Emily. For the Emily's Trial cover, we decided to go with a braid, hair a bit mussed, makeup but not too made up. Emily spend most of Emily's Trial fighting for the life of her friends and herself - so we didn't want her looking glam (but also not sweating like a pig and gnarly looking!).

Love that smile! Fun on the set.

For Emily's Heart, we decided to go with a softer look for her hair, a little more makeup. Perchance will Emily find true love in Emily's Heart?

Of course a lot still has to happen to get to the final cover. Choosing the photo, then it will go to Claudia to add her artistic touch to go from photo to book cover. Then another talented lady will add the title, etc. Soon I'll have a cover to reveal!

Manic Monday: Book Trailers, Covers & Arm Jewelry?

What does an author do when she she's not writing or editing her newest novel? She might be spending time meandering through Etsy, trying to find a jewelry artist brave enough to tackle the task of creating an Emily's House inspired armlet.

Emily's Torc, Hand-Crafted by Lady Steel

Isn't this awesome!! Lady Steel of 88Links took up my challenge and created a beautiful, handmade armlet, complete with Celtic twists and braids. Lady Steel has wonderful energy, so who knows, these beauties may be imbued with magical energy, just like Emily's.

I'll be giving some of these away during the release of Emily's Trial.

And when will that book release you ask?

Good question. I'm shooting for mid-October. Ambitious. I'll keep you posted, but you will definitely have a new Emily book before the end of the year.

And when not revising and playing with arm jewelry, I've been creating a book trailer for Emily's Trial. Shall I tease you for the teaser? 

Emily Adams, courtesy Getty Images

And what about this?

And finally, this . . .

Are you curious how romance and a graveyard mix? Me too! ;-)

A great book needs a great cover, right? I love what Claudia at Phatpuppy Art did for Emily's House.

But I think this next one is going to be even better. Claudia is now working with a great photographer, Teresa Yeh, to create original, custom photos for covers. Here are a few samples of the joint efforts of Claudia and Teresa:

And she is going to work on the cover for Emily's Trial! *squee* As I write this, Teresa is putting out a casting call to find the perfect Emily. We'll be working together to come up with an image that suits the flavor of Emily's Trial. Then it will be shifted back over to Claudia to apply her artistic talents to create a kick-ass cover.

I'll keep you posted and perhaps I'll have some fun behind-the-scenes stuff for you from the photo shoot. I feel a contest coming on. . .

As excited as I was for the release of my first novel, Emily's House, to the world last fall, I'm even MORE excited to bring you Emily's Trial. The journey continues . . .