What's Left of Me, by Amanda Maxlyn

Life works in mysterious ways.

Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer.

I refuse to cry.

And I refuse to give in.

A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants.

Me. 

He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile. 

But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him. 

What if it changes everything? 

Tragedy found me when I was seventeen. 

Love found me when I was twenty-one. 

My name is Aundrea McCall, and this is my journey.

___________________________

The heartwarming conclusion to What's Left of Me:
What's Left of Us 

Love found me three years ago.

I’m cancer free, happily married to the love of my life, and working toward my dream career.

Our life is complete. Perfect, really.

Or is it?

I’ve always wanted a family of my own, but never dreamed I could have one. Now Parker’s ready to make my dream our reality.

But sometimes our dreams are haunted by our deepest fears. Fears of failure, having a child, and in our case … death. How do I help the person I love get over his fear when I’m still trying to overcome that same fear myself?

Together we must learn What’s Left of Us.

"The book made me laugh out loud and cry my eyes out."
With an average of 4.8 stars out of 390 reviews, this series must be pretty dang amazing! 
Check out both books on AMAZON today! 
--Currently on sale for $3.99 at the time of this post.

Happy Reading!

SALT, by Danielle Ellison

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own. 

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.

Find SALT on AMAZON (currently on sale for $3.99!)

I AM THE WEAPON, by Allen Zadoff

(Book 1 in the Unknown Assassin Series)

They needed the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone to die -- of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when The Program assigns him to the mayor of New York City, things change. Somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and a girlfriend; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.

In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.


I AM THE WEAPON (book 1), is currently on sale on Amazon! 

I AM THE MISSION (book 2)

He was the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody: No name. No past. No remorse. At least until he began to ask questions and challenge his orders -- until he fell in love with his target. Now The Program is worried that its valuable soldier has become a liability.

Boy Nobody, haunted by the outcome of his last assignment, is given a new mission. A test of sorts. A chance to show his loyalty.

His objective: Take out Eugene Moore, the owner of a military training and indoctrination camp for teenagers. One target. Limited time frame. Public place. It sounds simple, but a previous operative couldn't do it. He lost the mission and is presumed dead. Boy Nobody is confident he can finish the job. Quickly.

But when things go awry, Boy Nobody finds himself lost in a mission where nothing is as it seems: not The Program, his allegiances, or the truth.

The riveting second book in The Unknown Assassin series by Allen Zadoff delivers heart-pounding action and thought-provoking characters, as well as a new, exotic setting; a new mission; and new secrets to be revealed.

Find it on Amazon! 

Blood Bound, by Keshia Swaim

Starting college a year early is hard. Starting fae college and learning to protect the world from the Unseelie is harder. 

Brielle Reed has always been an over-achiever, but this time she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Between her crash course in fae politics, struggles to control her new mind-reading ability, training sessions with the demanding Dr. Schwartz, and discoveries about the father who is still a mystery to her, Brielle finds herself longing for a chance at a normal life. But she may not get that chance. Or chance at a life at all, for that matter.

Find Keshia on FACEBOOK
Find Blood Bound on AMAZON

Angus MacBain Series, by Angela Townsend

 Angus MacBain and the Island of Sleeping Kings
Angus MacBain is unaware that his ancestral roots hail from an ancient sect of Scottish kings. When his dying grandfather gives him a dragon pendant, thirteen-year-old Angus learns of a legacy that will take him across an ocean to the island of Iona and thrust him into a heritage he did not know he had. 

He soon discovers that his mother, whom he had believed dead, is really a seal fairy, in hiding from a dangerous enemy. To save her, Angus must undergo a perilous journey of destiny and power to battle an evil Dacian knight and those who serve him. 


With only his family shield and the advice of a wizened vampire hunter to protect him, Angus must navigate dangerous terrain and dark enemies, in a land where the past and the present mingle, and sleeping kings wake.

Angus MacBain and the Agate Eyeglass (Book 2)
When Angus MacBain finds that a Sea Hag has cast a deadly spell on Vanora’s father, he must once again set aside his life in the outside world to plunge into danger to save his friend’s father. But when he seeks out Fane, advisor to the MacBain Kings, Angus discovers that Vanora’s father is not the only one in dire peril. 

Now with two souls in mortal danger, Angus and Vanora must face the unknown challenges of Fingal’s Cave alone this time—without the aid of his trusted advisor. But what new and dreadful dangers lurk in the Hall of Kings? Armed with only the ancient weapon of the MacBain Kings, the heirloom amber eyeglass, Angus is about to find out.

Find Angus MacBain Book 1 on AMAZON
Find Angus MacBain Book 2 on AMAZON

Follow Angela Townsend on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

Enough Already, by Barbara L. Roose

Winning Your Ugly Struggle with Beauty

Most women know that God loves them, but might he love them more if they finally lost that last ten pounds, or got their hair to lay right, or finally found a pair of jeans that looked good and let them breathe? Well, maybe God doesn’t care about jeans, but women do, and all the talk about inner beauty hasn’t kept all of us from staring into a mirror and taking an inventory that never quite measures up. Enough Already will:

--Elevate the soul-freeing, spiritual truth that God is the Creator of beauty and that women are called to appreciate and care for themselves as his own.

--Enable women to accept God-given beauty so that when they look in the mirror they see his handiwork, not their flaws.

--Equip women to win the ugly struggle with beauty once and for all.

Find it on AMAZON
or

GOODREADS

And check out this inspiring book trailer! 

Adventures of Hodgi Brigman, by Joann Clark-Jackson

Along for the journey, young Hodgi Brigman accompanies his dad on a thirty-year-old cold case expedition to Lake Nakuru, Kenya. How could Hodgi possibly know that an afternoon of taking photos, gathering stones, and scouting dusty trails would lead him to a run-down shack full of secrets, bringing him face to face with the killer?


Find it on Amazon!

And check out the fabulous reviews on Joann's website 

Congratulations, Joann! Sounds like an exciting story and I hear Book 2 will be available soon! :-)

Mini Booklets -- Author Swag

These mini booklets are the perfect way to get potential readers interested in your novel, without you sending them somewhere else to do it. Give them a beautiful booklet they won't want to throw away, and let your opening pages do the selling for you!

These mini booklets feature YOUR cover. The inside pages are comprised of up to your first 1250 words, with a final page to thank a reader for reading the sample and inviting them to read the rest, and to follow your platforms to stay in touch... (or whatever you want it to say).

Great for book signings (have you written other books a potential reader might like a sample of?), conventions/expos/book fairs full of browsing buyers, and for anyone who might want a better taste of your novel.

There is a one-time typesetting cost of $10, but the files will be kept on hand for future reorders.

Things I need from you:
-Your first 1250 words in a doc or docx or rtf format. The amount of words in the booklet might vary on whether or not it's all dialogue or long paragraphs.

-Full cover art files-- highest resolution possible. (I'm happy to create a back cover/spine if you don't have one)

-A picture of your signature if you want it included on the thank-you page. If not, I can leave it off or pick a handwriting font for your name.

-Tell me if there are graphics being used for scene breaks in that first 1250 words and I'll squeeze them in where needed.

-I'll let you know where the text cuts off-- in case you want to make changes to what the final words are.

-Expect a few back and forth emails to approve everything.

-Once we go through this typesetting process, I'll keep your files on hand and you can reorder as often as needed. I'm happy to make adjustments to the original file if any information changes at no charge. (such as, if the the cover is updated, or if you start a website at a later time and want it included on that final page, or if a crazy typo snuck in while no one was looking.) :-)

-Turn-around time might depend on how quickly we can communicate with files and questions. Expect 1-3 days for production, possibly a few more if my workload is heavy. (shipping from the west to east coast rarely takes more than 5 postal days.)

Any questions? Please ask in the comments, or contact me by email: tkartistry (at) gmail (dot) com

Below is the rundown of volume orders, at the reorder price. (The original typesetting is a one-time $10 charge)

16 booklets $36 ($2.25 each)
32 booklets $64 ($2.00 each)
48 booklets $84 ($1.75 each)
64 booklets $96 ($1.50 each)
80 booklets $120 ($1.50 each)
100 booklets for $125 ($1.25 each)

Key West D.O.A. by Mike Pettit and Casey Ward

COVER-TO-COVER HARD HITTING GRITTY ACTION. D.O.A. Is Pettit’s most ambitious work in his Key West Action Thriller Series. 

Jack Marsh takes on a salvage job to recover one of Egypt’s most treasured antiquities, the sarcophagus of the last pharaoh. Egypt is on the verge of collapse after the Muslim Brotherhood squandered the country’s treasury leaving it financially broke with tribal loyalties tearing the country apart. The government arranges for the sarcophagus to be auctioned off by Rothschild’s, a prestigious auction house in New York City. The secret shipment of the sarcophagus is discovered by Egypt’s enemies who want the antiquity for their own gain. Soon the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, the Mossad, CIA, and various loners are on the hunt. 

The Freighter with the sarcophagus aboard is lost in a hurricane off the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Rothschild’s send their best recover agent, Briar Malone, to find the treasure and deliver it to the auction house safely and intact. Agent Malone hires Jack Marsh to help in the recovery, and the treachery begins. The betrayals, the duplicity, the double-cross, the lies, all unravel as the Island Queen plows her way south. Jack Marsh and Briar Malone take on assassins, terrorists, secret agencies, loners and opportunists. Some live, some die, but no one gets away unscathed. The finale is a heart-pounding, breath-holding, shocker. 

Find KEY WEST D.O.A on Amazon! 

Beautifully Unexpected, by Trish Williford and Carrisa Gordon

When cousins Brynn and Kami Morgan visit New York City in search of a dance studio for Kami to purchase, neither of them expected the events that were about to unfold. Recently single Brynn meets construction manager Gage Kyle, a tall, handsome and charming New York native with every intention of helping with more than just the studio. Surprisingly, Kami reconnects with an old crush who broke her heart, Liam Cooper. Brynn and Kami face joys and heartache during their journey towards their dreams, taking unexpected twists and turns along the way. 

Beautifully Unexpected is a story of love, hope, heartache and loss, proving not everything in life goes as planned. Warning: Includes adult content, recommended for readers 18+

Find it on Amazon! 

Dark Days of Promise, by Shaunna Gonzales

Even death holds Dark Days of Promise...

Newly widowed Vicki Laramie is struggling to make ends meet. While her three children grapple with the death of their father, she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys.

When her best friend's, brawny son, Kelly Chase, returns from the sand box of war it doesn't take long for Vicki's children to encompass him with their affections. But Kelly has secrets that could harm those who love him most.

When tender empathy meets deadly reflexes, the attraction explodes into lethal violence between opposing forces. Vicki must choose who she will trust, with her strongest ally absent; she has no one to lean on but herself. If she chooses poorly her children will be deprived of both parents.

Find it on Amazon!

Meeting Freedom, by Cynthia Belmer

How I Let Go of Who I Thought I Should Be and Revealed My Authentic, Unstoppable Self

Finding one’s true self is a journey we all must take . . . 

Seeking to untangle herself from a society based on appearances and perfectionism, a young Lebanese woman made a hard choice to turn her back on all she knows to move to the United States where she could explore the deeper meaning of life, freely express herself, and find her authentic voice. 

In Meeting Freedom, you will journey alongside Cynthia as she faces her hardships head-on, including defining herself through the eyes of society, feeling stuck in her past experiences (financial crisis, loss, shame, and guilt), and looking for love outside of herself in her romantic relationships. With Cynthia as your guide, you'll discover how we all have the same fears, needs, and feelings regardless of our backgrounds. 

The author beautifully uses her engaging life transformations to offer you inspirational coaching questions to help you reflect on your own life story and begin to fall in love with your past, to let go of what others think of you, and to reveal your true self in every aspect of your life.

Find Meeting Freedom on Amazon and check out the author's website. 

Don't Fall, by Rachel Schieffelbein

In this contemporary retelling of Rapunzel, seventeen-year-old Anya leads a secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to public school, doesn't even have a best friend. But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams and would do anything to please her mom. Until one day at the library, the only place Anya is allowed to go alone, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy. Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she's going to have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.

Find it on Amazon or Goodreads!

Message on the Wind, by Barbara Lieberman

Would you follow your heart, if it meant leaving behind everything and everyone you've ever known? Board a train with Ellen Price and travel to a new life. Even as she begins a new life, she'll change the lives of all she meets.


Find it on Amazon
and
Mark it To-Be-Read on Goodreads!

#BulliesSuck, by Adam Sand

After the success of his first book, Adam has decided to continue with a second, #BulliesSuck. This book explores the issues brought on by bullying, or hazing, and what can be done to stop these situations. #BulliesSuck, which is told from Adam's viewpoint, takes readers on a mental journey and makes them questions the laws and principles that guide not only our education system but the social system all together. Join Adam once again as he fights to bring justice to bullying!

Find it on Amazon 

The Drive to Thrive

The Drive to Thrive Anthology is the publication of winning entries in the 2nd Annual Writers Unite to Fight Cancer 2013 Writing Contest. Writers Unite to Fight Cancer Entry fees for the contest were donated to the Arizona State University Cancer Research Program at the Awards Ceremony held at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona on September 24th, 2013. Judges, editors, and publishers for the WUFC Writing Contest donated their time and talents to this effort. 

The Drive to Thrive Anthology includes contributions by some of the judges and editors, some cancer patients, and other WUFC supporters. The collection of inspirational literature on the theme: The Drive to Thrive.

Fiction and non-fiction stories as well as poetry demonstrate the human spirit while overcoming various life challenges including cancer and multiple sclerosis by individuals, families and communities. The reader will experience triumph as each author shares their own unique voice.

Find it on Amazon! 

RESCUED by Felice Stevens

Ryder Daniels has spent the last year recovering from rejection. His parents rejected him because of his sexuality and his lover decided drugs were more important than his love. The only bright light in his life is his younger brother and his rescued pit bull, But now his mother's punishment for the lifestyle she doesn't approve of has cut him off from his brother he loves so desperately. Devastated, he throws himself into the work of the Pit Bull Foundation he and his friends started. 

Jason Mallory can no longer hide the dissatisfaction of his relationship with his longtime girlfriend. Her ultimatum to get married pushes him to break off their relationship and he's determined not to jump into the dating scene. When a group of injured pit bulls are found on his construction site, he calls the neighborhood rescue for help.

After adopting one of the dogs, Jason finds he can't forget Ryder, and the two become fast friends. Then one night, Ryder lets down his guard and Jason recognizes his desire. After Jason devises a plan to bring Ryder and his brother together, they can no longer deny the passion between them. Will family differences and ugly prejudices keep them apart, or can they fight to prove that love is precious, no matter the gender?

4.4 OUT OF 5 STARS WITH OVER 100 REVIEWS!

Get Rescued on Goodreads or Amazon
and check out her Website. 

FAT GIRL Walking

I bet that title caught your attention!

Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love, and Being Comfortable in Your Skin...Every Inch of It

by Brittany Gibbons

Told through a series of larger-than-life snapshots, a hilarious memoir in essays about love, sex, marriage, motherhood, bikinis, and loving your body, no matter what size you are from the acclaimed blogger and body image advocate.

Brittany Gibbons has been a plus size her whole life. But instead of hiding herself in the shadows of thinner women, Brittany became a wildly popular blogger and national spokesmodel--known for stripping on stage at TedX and standing in Times Square in a bikini on national television, and making skinny people everywhere uncomfortable.

Talking honestly about size and body image on her popular blog, brittanyherself.com, she has ignited a national conversation. Now in her first book, she shares hilarious and painfully true stories about her life as a weird overweight girl growing up in rural Ohio, struggling with dating and relationships, giving the middle finger to dieting, finding love with a man smaller than her, accidentally having three kids, and figuring out the secret to loving her curves and becoming a nationally recognized body image advocate. And there's sex, lots of it!

Fat Girl Walking isn't a diet book. It isn't one of those former fat people memoirs about how someone battled, and won, in the fight against fat. Brittany doesn't lose all the weight and reveal the happy, skinny girl that's been hiding inside her. Instead, she reminds us that being chubby doesn't mean you'll end up alone, unhappy, or the subject of a cable medical show. What's important is learning to love your shape. With her infectious humor and soul-baring honesty, Fat Girl Walking reveals a life full of the same heartbreak, joy, oddity, awkwardness, and wonder as anyone else's. Just with better snacks. 

Expected publication is May of 2015-- by Dey Street Books

Add it to your Goodreads "to be read" list! 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22934474-fat-girl-walking

And follow Brittany on her blog at--  http://brittanyherself.com/

Getting Started!

Welcome to the new Artistry for Authors blog...where I attempt to pull all my creative aspirations into one spot for easy reference.  YAY me!! (you can roll your eyes or cock an eyebrow, but this has been on my 'list' for well over a year now! :-)

Just be warned, there will be a lot of blank pages for the next few days while I play around with backgrounds and templates and colors, and compile a bunch of past client images. :-)

WOOT for PROGRESS!