The Winner of the Hot Russian and a New Contest is Coming!

The winner of the hot Russian as chosen by Random.org is...

Kristi Walker!!!!

Congratulations!  Send me a message a chelleauthorstalker@gmail.com letting me know what email address you'd like to receive the gifted copy.

If you didn't win, you can still get a copy of "Drive" by Brenda Rothert by clicking here.  You won't be disappointed.

And keep checking in for a chance to win in my "300 Likes Giveaway" later this week!

WIN A HOT RUSSIAN HOCKEY PLAYER! Ok, Fine. Win an EBook About One. That's Almost As Good.

It's really interesting watching an author put a book together.  Everyone has a completely different process.

Some authors outline the entire story and keep getting more detailed until it's all filled in. Some sit down at the computer and have no idea where the book is going until it gets there.

Some authors write their books in pieces and them put it together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Some write it all in order.

Some authors take weeks, months, maybe even years to complete their work.  Others, like my Diamond Brenda Rothert, like to work under pressure.  When the deadline is just two weeks away, she'll sit down and finally start working.  

What does that have to do with "Drive"?  Well, I was one of the lucky few that got to beta read it.  That means in the last 10 days, I've read the rough draft, discussed it in detail, read revisions, discussed those in detail, and now I've read the final draft.  And you know what?

I still want more of this book!  

Niko is an amazing character from a small immigrant family.  Sadie is an amazing character who has no family.  Together, they are just amazing.  And fun.  And sexy.  And everything an enjoyable book should be. 

I liked it so much, it put me in a giving mood.  So I'm going to give away a copy to one lucky winner.  

Here's how to enter:

1)  Go download "Bound", the first book in the "Fire on Ice" series by clicking here.  It's a freebie so you don't have anything to lose.
2)  Copy the link for this blog post and pimp it on Facebook so others can have a chance to win.
3)  Then come back and comment that it's done.  

See?  Easy.

On a related note, since I know it's always a concern, rest assured the "Fire on Ice" series isn't full of cliffhangers leaving you cursing the author for making you wait to find out how everyone is going to get through.  

No.  

It's a series that makes you want more because you just like everyone so darn much!  And while you really should read them all, they can be read as stand alone books as well.  So to read "Drive', just click here.

With all that being said, any book that can keep me interested and engaged for 10 straight days, despite my ADD tendencies deserves

Playing with Words Has Never Been So Fun

Sometimes, it's fun to make fun of ourselves.  I draw the line at cutting remarks or really hurtful things. But finding humor in ourselves is just flat out fun.  

Like those caricature drawings we used to get at Six Flags.  Did you ever get one of those?  I know I have a big forehead.  But not that big!

That's why I like my next Diamond, Amalie Silver and her book "Word Play".  It is a story about the literary community....authors, bloggers, publishers, street teams, yes, even trolls.  You name it, there is a character for it!    And when you look at it all from Ms. Silver's perspective, it can be pretty funny.  

But the literary world can also charming and endearing. And that is also something Ms. Silver does a wonderful job portraying.  Her characters are book nerds in their most genuine form.

When I started reading this book, I was in a bad mood.  And I'll admit, I almost put it down. But by 10% I was really interested.  By 25%, I was completely engaged.  And by 41%, I was laughing out loud at how much it actually reminds me of several author events I have attended.  Ms. Silver nailed it and the crazy things that happen when you get a bunch of literary lovers together in a room.  Who knew?

So click here to take this book with you to the beach.  Make sure you take it all at face value. Don't look for angst and life changing meaning.  It is a satirical comedy after all.  Look for heart and fun and a little bit of romance.

If you look close enough, you might even be able to find a fun caricature of yourself!

I'm not joking or satirical when I give Amalie Silver's "Word Play"

Mad Dog's Got Nothing on These Guys...

Travis Maddox was my very first book boyfriend.  I loved his protective personality.  I love that he made a living by fighting.  I loved that he loved so intensely that it bordered on psychotic.  Ahhhhh.....Travis.  He will always have a special place in my heart.  

Enter my Diamond, JB Salsbury and her cast of MMA fighters, including:

Jonah "The Assassin" Slade

Blake Daniels

Rex Carter

Travis may have been my first love.  But these guys could kick his ass with their thumb.

Let me start at the beginning. 

I only had a certain amount of cash to buy books at Book Bash a couple weeks ago.  By the time I was down to my last $15, I had already purchased everything I absolutely had to have.  And I had found a couple Diamonds along the way.  I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rest of the money that was burning a hole in my pocket.

I ran into my friend Danielle and told her my plight.  She looked around, snapped her fingers, and led me directly over to meet this woman:

That is JB Salsbury, the Diamond I'm speaking of today.  And yes, she is as tiny and beautiful in person as she looks in pictures.

After talking to her for a few minutes and discussing her sales, I bought the first book in her "Fighting" series, called "Fighting For Flight".  

I am so glad I did.  These books are addicting.  

The entire series is about a group of MMA fighters who work together, train together, and start building families together.  As with any good MMA character, there is all kinds of drama.  So much so that each of the three books took me less than 24 hours to read because I just couldn't put them down!

Here is my one quick disclaimer:

Do not give up on "Fighting for Flight" until you are at least a third of the way through.  I will admit, I sent Danielle a Facebook message a few times saying, "I'm not sure what to think yet."  She kept responding with "Keep going.   You'll get there."  Then all of the sudden, BAM!  I was there!!  And it was so worth it.

One of the things I love about Ms. Salsbury's stories is that once the happily ever after happens, the story isn't over yet.  There are real issues to work through.  And we get to see it happen.  

You can also see growth in her writing, which is something I always love to see.  Authors whose writing keeps getting better, tell stories that keep getting better.

Which leads to my only heart ache in this whole series.  

I have to wait until October to get the next installment.  Why, JB?  WHY must you torture me so??  

(If you haven't read them yet, at least you don't have to be tortured.  You can get "Fighting For Flight" by clicking here.)

I give JB Salsbury and her "Fighting" series a soaring, and growing

To Kindle Unlimited or to Not Kindle Unlimited....That is the Question.

There's been a lot of chatter about Kindle Unlimited since it was revealed a couple of days ago.  For just $10 a month, you can read all you want for free!

Sounds like a great deal, right?

Well, it might be depending on your reading habits.

I know my own personal opinion on this new service.  But my point here is not to stand on a soap box one way or another.  My goal is to give you some facts about Kindle Unlimited so you can make an educated choice.  Because this really is having an impact on the world of Indie authors.  

Please keep in mind, there are two very different thing happening here.  One is on the reader side.  The other is on the author side.

So let's start with the reader side.

First off, Kindle Unlimited is a very new service.  From what I can see, there's not much available that I either haven't read already or isn't already offered for free.  From a financial perspective, I can see that I need to be very, very careful to make it worth my while.

For instance, I haven't read "Alpha" by Jasinda Wilder yet.  Nor have I read "Shame on Him" by Tara Sivec.  (Don't judge.  They're on my TBR)  "Alpha" retails as an ebook for $5.99.  "Shame on Him" for $3.99.  So if I purchase those on my own, I've spent my $10 already.  

However, you can't get "Wife Number Seven" by Melissa Brown through Kindle Unlimited.  So if you wanna read it, you still have to pay $3.99.

By my totals so far, I've purchased 3 books.  I'd say for the average reader, that's probably about accurate for the month.  Either way, I'm spending $14 for the month.  So far, it makes no difference if I enroll in Kindle Unlimited or not.  And I suspect, for the average reader, the number totals will vary by a few cents months to month.

Now, from the author perspective.  Here's where it gets interesting because Kindle Unlimited has changed all the rules.

In order for an author to post a book on Kindle Unlimited, they have to join KDP Select.  It stands for something that I can't remember.  But what it stands for isn't the important part.  The important part is, if an author enrolls a book in KDP Select, they are no longer authorizing that book to be sold anywhere else other than Amazon.  That's the contractual requirement.  No Nook, no iTunes, nothing.  It must be sold EXCLUSIVELY by Amazon.

Initially, that might sound shady, but it is business, after all.  It's common practice to try and drive the other guy out of business.  So I don't feel bad for Barnes & Noble.  I do, however, feel bad for the reader that still prefers their Nook and can no longer get some great books because of their choice of ereader.

The other interesting fact is that if a reader does not read past 10% of whatever book they have chosen, the author doesn't get paid.  

Why is this a huge deal?  

Think about it.  How many of us are serial one-clickers?  We see "free" and we click on it, only to have it sit on our device for months and months before we finally end up reading it?  I'm not an author.  But if I was, that would really suck.

It appears Kindle Unlimited is already making an impact on sales.  Several authors I have spoken to are freaking out because their sales have dropped significantly since KU launched.  Even new releases that have been highly anticipated and people have been waiting for aren't selling the way they should.

Case in point, "Sex Unlimited: Volume 1" by Kathryn Perez hit that coveted best seller category within the first couple of days.  There has been a ton of buzz about "SU: Volume 2" and people have been waiting for it to be published.

Well, here it is. Close to 24 hours after release, and "SU: Volume 2" has barely broken the top 1000 list.  

Same issue with "Wife Number Seven".  People have been pimping it for days and counting down.  It hasn't yet broken the Top 1000 by the time this blog published.

I'm not saying these numbers are being skewed by Kindle Unlimited.  And let me make my disclaimer here....I haven't spoken about the sales to either Kathryn Perez or Melissa Brown. These aren't bad sales numbers at all.  They are just surprising to me when taking into consideration their previous new releases and current pimping trends.  (Updated on  July 21, 2014....as of this afternoon, Ms. Brown's book is now ranked #292 in sales and steadily climbing.  Way to go!!)

(By the way, you can get "Sex Unlimited: Volume 2" by clicking here.  It definitely lives up to the kind of writing I expect from Ms. Perez.  And it's only $0.99.  You can get "Wife Number Seven" by clicking here.  I'm dying to read it after talking with several friends who say it is like nothing they've ever read.)

My point in all this?  Before signing up for Kindle Unlimited, you have to ask yourself 3 questions...

1)  Is this actually going to save me money?
2)  Who is actually going to make the money with this deal?
3)  Do I care who makes the most money with this deal?

The answers are going to be different for everyone and that's ok.  Some are going to really like Kindle Unlimited.  Some aren't.  But at least you can't say you didn't know.

Happy Reading!

A Beach Read That's Actually Safe for the Beach

If I had to describe the one thing most New Adult books focus on these days, I'd have to say it was sex.  Sex, sex and more SEX!  

Sex in a bed. 
Sex in a shower.
Sex on a motorcycle.
Sex in a limo.

Good lord!  Give my girly parts a break!

I think that's why I like Jamie Carie's "Rush to the Altar" as today's Beach Read.  There's just no sex.  Obviously, from the title, you know at some point they get married.  But even the honeymoon scene only eludes to the fact that the newlyweds get busy.  There's no actual descriptions.  

And I like that.  It was a refreshing change.

Now, "Rush to the Altar" does have a few ridiculous scenes that are enjoyable if you like that kind of humor.  But overall, the book just made me feel good.  And the fact that I don't need to read the synopsis to remember the story line, despite the fact that I read it months ago, means it left a nice happy face imprint on my book loving heart.

Extra bonus points for the fact that if your teenager grabs your kindle while sitting on the beach so she can see what it is you're reading, you won't have to freak out and pray she didn't read that part.  You know which part I'm talking about.  (insert bed/shower/motorcycle/limo here)

You can get this fun, easy, breath of fresh air by clicking here.  It gets a fun, easy

This Blissful Series Starts With a Freebie!

Several years ago I got married to a wonderful man that I just knew was going to make me happy.  He was adopting our two children with me.  We worked in the same industry so there was no shortage of conversation.  We committed to going on a trip together once a year just to strengthen our bond.  

Ok…so where did that go?  Shouldn’t we always get along?  Shouldn’t issues be resolved after just a couple of chapter breaks?  Isn’t he still supposed to desire me when my legs aren’t shaved and I have morning breath?  MY BOOK SAID HE’S SUPPOSED TO MAKE OUT WITH ME AND MY MORNING BREATH!!!

Ah yes, it’s the lies we all fall for.  That there really is such a thing as a drama free happily ever after.  Don’t misunderstand, I’m a firm believer that your attitude can make or break the happiness of any situation.  But there are relationship lies we willingly take in every time we read a book with a happily ever after.  And if we’re not careful, they can make us expect way too much out of the other imperfect human sleeping in our bed.

Enter my Diamond in the Rough, Nina Lane and her “A Spiral of Bliss” series.

Her stories are based on a couple who are not trying to fall in love.  No, they’re trying to stay in love after being married for a while.

Ok, fine.  So I don’t remember reading any farting in bed scenes or underwear being left all over the house in these books.  But what I do remember is the overwhelming feeling of, “Holy crap.  She TOTALLY gets it!”  And, “It’s like she climbed into my head!!”

Ms. Lane tackles problems that are relatively common in marriage;  kids, loss, job transfers and infidelity (don’t worry.  There are no major love triangles here.  Everything is pretty much on the up-and-up.).  Her writing made me appreciate the problems in my own marriage more;  And made me want to be a better wife to my husband.

To have me walk away from this series with my book loving soul satisfied and while still appreciating my own life drama…well, I’d say that’s a series worth reading.

The first one, "Arouse" is currently a freebie.  Which means, you have no reason not to give this series a chance.  You can get it by clicking here.

Nina Lane and her "A Spiral of Bliss" series get an arousing