Right now on Goodreads, I will be answering questions from YOU! They can be about Demon’s Prize, A Cursed Soul, or even my soon-to-be short story, Thirst. You can even ask me questions about how I became an author, as well as an independent publisher. Ask me a question HERE!
A special thanks to Goodreads, who will be hosting this question-answer event!
Have you read Demon’s Prize? Care to find out who you are most like? Perhaps you’re Angela Dane. Maybe you’re Dr. Brent Carson. Or, you might just being Irate. Lucky for you, there’s a way to find out!
Click here to find out which character are you from Demon’s Prize
Don’t forget to let us know who you are!!
Ghosts.
They have been on my mind lately; probably since part of A Cursed Soul will heavily deal with the spirit world, and those have long since passed on. What happens when we die? Some go to Heaven, or get reincarnated (I am not one to say it isn’t possible. It’s definitely a possibility). But why do some of the bad ones get taken straight to hell, while other bad spirits remain here to haunt the place they died (or become attached to an object once significant to them)?
Perhaps it is their willpower that keeps them free from their destined afterlife. Maybe their need to stay behind trumps out those who are supposed to take them across. Perhaps they are left behind because evil enjoys that better. Maybe we are all going to become zombies, so those who are supposed to take us to the ferryman decided, “Eh. Why bother?” Maybe Hollywood made a deal with some reapers, asking them to help them out with a good haunting so they can make a new movie/TV show. Truth be told, there are hundreds of reasons why a spirit stays to haunt while others do not. Religion, the way a person died, the area in which they passed, or the potency of their energy can all have very strong factors to how they end up once it’s all over.
But what if you find out, before you die, that you are destined for hell? What if you found out someone you know is destined to go there? Is there a way to save them? Is there a way to make sure they haunt a place, just so they can be spared? But what if the crimes they had done are too irreparable? OR, what if they are actually doing things now that are slowly earning them a place in Heaven, instead? What if, because of that, hell wants to make sure they get them before they are saved?
In A Cursed Soul, you can expect to see (or…read?) such things happen.
Here’s to 2015 or 2016’s coming of A Cursed Soul!
And don’t forget to ask: Who is Bethany Talmer?
Note: Cover is currently unfinished
Alpha Wolf Series is holding a Short Story Writing Contest!!
If you have a paranormal, short story you want to share, please submit it! We are very excited for this contest and have some AWESOME prizes lined up for the winners!!
Please read EVERYTHING on this page! Everything you need to know is on this page, and so please re-read if you have to 🙂
Important Dates
Contest submissions are November 12th – March 20th, 11:59pm PST
Judging is done March 21st – May 3rd.
Winner announced May 4th by me on both my blog (here) and on my Facebook page!
Where to Submit
Send all submissions to lightanddarkimagination@hotmail.com
ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON.
Rules and Conditions:
All submissions may be at a MAXIMUM 8,000 words. Any more and the submission will not be accepted.
Word, Pages and PDF are accepted. No other forms, sorry. We will not let you know if your work is in the wrong format. It just won’t be read, so please be aware of what type of document you send us.
The stories are to be a paranormal or a supernatural theme. It can be paranormal general fiction, paranormal YA, or even paranormal horror. Just need to have a supernatural element. Also, if you’re unsure if your story’s plot and characters fits this theme, then they best way to know is if you’ve ever seen Supernatural, Buffy, Angel, Charmed, the Craft, Ouija, American Horror Story, or Grimm, etc. If you think your story shares the same elements as those, then chances are it is supernatural based.
NO FAN FICTION! We want to see original stories.
Judging
All stories will be read and judged by published authors, and graded on (1) grammar, (2) imaginative originality, (3) ability to keep us glued to the story. We will be grading them on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.
We will not be giving reviews.
PRIZES!!!!
FIRST PRIZE: a handmade, werewolf protection kit (Check it out here), an official Alpha Wolf Series book mark, a personally signed copy of Demon’s Prize (shown to the left), and an Alpha Wolf Series poster(also shown on the left)!
SECOND PRIZE: a free ebook by Carrigan Richards. Check out her author page on Amazon!
THIRD PRIZE: a few free stickers and bookmark from RS McCoy, author of Spirits.
(Check it out here)
Contacting the Winners
The potential winners will be notified on either Email, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within 48 hours, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. If the potential winner is at least 18 but still considered a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian, who will be required to sign the Declaration of Compliance on the potential winners behalf and fulfill any other requirements imposed on winner set forth herein. Potential winners must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning are contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, or cannot be contacted within 48 hours the Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Only two (2) alternate drawings will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded. Prizes will be fulfilled within 14 days from contest day and will be mailed ground shipping.
Other Regulations and Guidelines
In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the contest is unable to run as planned for any other reason, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the contest to address the impairment and then resume the contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) terminate the contest and, in the event of termination, award the prize at random from among the eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages (including attorney’s fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
By participating in the social contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, other companies associated with the contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives, and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the contest or receipt or use of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto), including, but not limited to: (a) any technical errors associated with the contest, including lost, interrupted or unavailable Internet Service Provider (ISP), network, server, wireless service provider, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cellular tower or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; (b) unauthorized human intervention in the contest; (c) mechanical, network, electronic, computer, human, printing or typographical errors; (d)application downloads, (e) any other errors or problems in connection with the contest, including, without limitation, errors that may occur in the administration of the contest, the announcement of the winner, the cancellation or postponement of the event and/or the flyover, if applicable, the incorrect downloading of the application the processing of entries application downloads or in any contest-related materials; or (f) injury, death, losses or damages of any kind, to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrants participation in the contest or acceptance, receipt or misuse of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto). Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Released Parties liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the contest, and in no event shall the entrant be entitled to receive attorney’s fees. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the contest. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.
Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the contests or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in Minnesota. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrants rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Minnesota, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Minnesota.
Information collected from entrants is subject to sponsor’s privacy policy.
TOMORROW IS HALLOWEEN!!! It is also going to be the start of Comikaze in LA!
Whom else here loves Halloween? Man, I am so excited for tomorrow, yet also sad that Halloween technically only lasts one day. But, if you are a weird person like me, you know that Halloween is never truly on only one day.
Tomorrow I don’t think I will be doing anything huge, other than attending the Comikaze convention at the downtown LA Convention Center. I plan to dress up, though I am not entirely sure as what, yet. Maybe I will paint my face up so I look like a skeleton, or something similar. I usually go over the top with scary for my costumes, but this year, since I am trying to sell books, I don’t want to scare away potential customers.
Nevertheless, I know the monster inside of me will feel jipped if I don’t make at least one person jump in a little bit of fear.
What are you planning to do for Halloween? If you are in the Los Angeles area, you should come to Comikaze!
Friday 1-7pm
Saturday 9-7pm
Sunday 9-5pm
At my booth (AA1132), it will be Halloween for the whole weekend! And not only that, but I will also be doing a $1 RAFFLE!!!
I will be raffling off a hand made figurine of a reaper, which has its own electric candle, and a tombstone you can write on with chalk. Also, as a special, if you buy a book, you get 5 FREE TICKETS!!
I hope to see you guys at the event!! AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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This is really awesome!
Okay, back story. A few days ago, I participated at the last minute on an online book party. It was called the Halloween Author Freak Fest, which was hosted by Carrigan Richards, Nicole Cutcher-Hoffmann, Paige Boggs, and Sara Hansen. I was given the 11:00pm-12:00am EST time slot to do a giveaway of my book Demon’s Prize to a lucky winner of whomever both Liked and Commented on my fan page, Alpha Wolf Series. I also did 3 BIG teasers, taken directly from the pages of Demon’s Prize. Well, I could not had been more thrilled by the people’s reaction.
Here’s everyone’s reaction to the teaser I made when Tony, Nathan and Chrissie had become surrounded by a swarm of shadow people.
Click photo to enlarge
Here’s everyone’s response to my book in general, and their excitement for it
Click photo to enlarge
Now with over 3,000 likes on my page, I feel so honored to have such a great reaction from everyone for Demon’s Prize! I cannot wait to see how every will react to the sequel, A Cursed Soul!
The Pancakes and Booze Art show was a lot of fun, and the pancakes were tasty. My favorite was where they cooked slices of fruit right into the batter. The art was amazing, as well. I even bought my brother a piece of art for an early Christmas gift!
When you go to this show, the same place that held the LA Zombie Fashion Show, you have a lot of vendors to shop with, hundreds of art pieces to admire on the walls, and a chance to dance to the music being played by a couple rock bands, and a very entertaining DJ. When you attend, expect to see a lot of very skilled artists, because it is very impressive to see everyone’s talent in one location.
At my booth, I was selling my book, merchandise, and doing a $1 raffle for a handmade wall art of a skull with dripping wax and candles. Over 30 people entered the contest, but it was the very lucky Felicia of Los Angeles who won the raffle! She was very excited to have won, and is thrilled to have the perfect Halloween piece to add to her home.
Like I said, I had a great time at the event. The only thing that I hope they alter next year is the music they play. Being indoors, trying to sell to people and talk to the customer, it was very hard to do so when there was a band or DJ playing music at full blast. The vendor next to me and I had to use ear plugs because it hurt so much to have that loud music blasting at us, even from the other side of the building. Plus, it didn’t help in our sales when our customers couldn’t hear what we were saying. It sucked even more when a customer would ask me a question about my book (mainly ‘what’s it about?’) and they cannot hear my response, even if I am right next to their ear. No Bueno. So, here’s hoping to that one change. Otherwise, the whole time it was a wonderful, fun time!
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I am an independent author who owns her own publishing business (mine is Light and Dark Imagination), and who dedicates herself to getting her book out there to the public. I am sure there are hundreds out there who are the same way, with plenty more wanting to join in on the fun, but have no idea if it is worth doing it on their own. Well, it has only been five months, and already I have learned things that I wish I had known beforehand, but am now all the wiser for it. I can only wonder what I would’ve learned after one year!
Anyway, there are some things I have learned these last few months in regards to events where I try sell my book. First, you do need to do public events; whether it is doing a signing at an independent bookstore, being a vendor at an event, doing a public reading or whatever. The internet only goes so far into getting the public aware of your book. The only person who can really push your book is you, and sometimes the best way to do that is by physically showing it to your audience.
Second, don’t expect to become a millionaire at every event. Go into it with humble thoughts because there is a good chance you might leave with no sales at all. Or, you may be lucky enough to break even on you expenses (the booth, gas, food, parking etc).
Third, be smart of where you choose to vendor. The first few places where I tried selling my book weren’t profitable. I was lucky if I at least sold three copies. That was because I was trying to sell a paranormal, horror-ish, dark book at a very popular, busy art walk. Sure, I went there because I figured (1) there are lots of people that go to this event, (2) those who go to this event come in with the intent of buying independently made things, and (3) OF COURSE THEY WILL BUY MY BOOK! MY BOOK ROCKS!…..No. No, they will not. The people who attended the ever so popular art walk were interested in clothes, tiny sculptures and jewelry. A good chunk of people were also there because they were bored and wanted something to do on a Thursday night, but had no intention of buying anything.
As I continued attending events, I started to get a better feel of where I could find my target audience, and how to market myself to them. I also learned that people liked seeing more than just books, so I started hand-crafting merchandise to accompany the books (wood burnings of werewolves, posters, Wicca boxes). Surprisingly, the merchandise would draw the people to my table, but they would almost 60% of the time leave with a book rather than my merchandise. Hey, that’s fine with me!
There is a lot more to learn to this business, as I am sure, but hopefully all of these lessons will help me achieve my goals. I hope this helps someone else out there, too!
Be sure to check out my Upcoming Events page, and my Etsy shop, to see what I have been making!
GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!! GIVEAWAYS!!!
Okay, everyone! I am doing a giveaway, where some lucky winner will get an official Alpha Wolf Series poster (a Wicca pentagram with moons), and two hand wood-burned pieces of art (a sacred scarab beetle and a skull), made by yours truly. Enter now to win!! This is only for the next 5 days, as of 10/20/14!!
Ah, what a night! I don’t think I got home until some time around 1AM. It was SO MUCH FUN at the Zombie Fashion Show. There were zombies, monsters, artists and performers. The band and DJ they had were awesome. To be honest, the band made me think of Hallowtide (Angela and her friends’ band from Demon’s Prize).
The art was also really amazing. Everything had a dark undertone, relating to the occult or horror genre in some way.
My favorite zombie was this girl:
Her makeup was silicone, and was really believable in person. The makeup artist who did it was 100% a professional, and it showed. I hope he goes far in his career (I forget his name. I have his card somewhere in my stuff. When I find it, I will repost it).
There was also a lot of buzz for the Zombie in the Fog figure I had made and was holding off for a raffle (at $1 a ticket, or 5 free tix if you bought a book). I think about 50 people entered the raffle. I am going to call the winner when I do the drawing later this afternoon. I figured I would wait until then to call, just in case the winner got drunk and needed the morning to sleep in.
Once again, this was an AWESOME event! Thank you to Tom Kirlin, the creator of The Zombie Fashion Show & Creature Art Exhibit, as well as the PANCAKES & BOOZE Art Show! I am already excited for next year!
Check out my Facebook for pictures of the event!
The Alpha Wolf Series 