DreamKiller 2: Fight or Flight, Available Now

I'm so excited to tell you that DreamKiller 2: Fight or Flight is FINALLY available!

Here's what you can expect:

In the last thirty-six hours, Marlena’s entire world has shifted. She trusted her gut, and the word of a stranger, defied the only parental figure she’s ever known, and went up against the most powerful tracker the ‘Specials’ had ever seen.
Now Korian is dead and Azura has named Marlena the number one suspect. She has no choice but to hide. In a seedy apartment in the slums of downtown, Lukas tells her the truth about how she became an orphan.
It’s time to decide where Marlena will place her loyalty and whether the truth warrants a fight or flight…

DreamKiller 2: Fight or Flight is the second installment in the Specials Series. It is a short story totaling 10,000 words.

Fans of X-men and Heroes, this is for you! If you haven't already read DreamKiller 1: The Longest Day, both are available as an ebook for just .99 on Amazon and other retail stores. Check it out and be sure to leave a review when you're done. You can read a short except from DreamKiller 1 at the end of Dirty Blood or stay tuned for a teaser that will be posted here in a couple of days. If you want to read more about the series and where to find it, click the link above, for the DreamKiller page.

Oh and something new to check out: Angeline Kace, author of Descended by Blood, due out in August has posted pics of the new bookmarks she's ordered which are hotness (I'm Team Mirko!) and a counter that will countdown and let you know when the book will be available to purchase. You can check it out here and start deciding whether you will be Team Mirko or Team Jaren.

Also, if you haven't already, don't forget to click on the link in my sidebar for the Great Indie Summer Read Giveaway and enter to win one of dozens of free books and swag being given away this summer. Thanks, Katja, for hosting this!

Contest Winners and SPAM

 I am so excited to announce the winners of the Race to Reviews contest for Dirty Blood!! Just yesterday we reached a total of 20 reviews between the three major retails sites (Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Amazon). I tallied entries and have your winners so the grand prize winner is ... *drum roll*.....

TEE!!!! 

Tee will receive the following books in her prize pack: a signed paperback of Dirty Blood, an ebook of Across the Galaxy, an ebook of DreamKiller 1 and 2, an ebook of Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby, an ARC ebook of Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace, and an ARC ebook of Cold Blood, due out this fall.

The two runner ups, who will receive two books of their choice from the list above are....

Heather at Nightly Reading

A Book Vacation

All winners must contact me by Thursday at midnight to receive their prize. You can email me at heatherhildenbrand@yahoo.com. Otherwise, we will go to the next runner up. *All winners were selected randomly with www.random.org.*

Congratulations!!!

Also, stay tuned for the announcement coming soon. I am in the process of uploading the 2nd installment of DreamKiller, my urban fantasy mini-series. DreamKiller 1 is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords for .99 and is a short story of about 5000 words. You can read about it by clicking on the DreamKiller tab above. The story follows Marlena, a 'special' with the ability to literally make her dreams come true, as long as she plays it out exactly as she dreams it. So far, she's been forced to use it to silence her enemies...

DreamKiller 2: Fight or Flight is longer (11,000 words I think) and should be available by the end of this week. I am making it available on its own first and then I will be offering a combined version for $1.99. I will let you know when it's available.

The Race to Reviews contest for Across the Galaxy is still running, so as I mentioned in my last post, if you would like a copy of it in exchange for an honest review, please email me and let me know. (ebook format only)

Also, just a quick headline I want to share. I read an article recently that even your Kindle is no longer safe from SPAM! There have been reports of people buying books, only to download it and open it on their Kindle and find it was an ad for something or a blank file. Here's what the article said:

"Reuters reports that spam has taken form on the self-publishing platform for several factors - namely how cheap and easy it is to republish another work already available, or to just make something else up altogether:

Aspiring spammers can even buy a DVD box set called Autopilot Kindle Cash that claims to teach people how to publish 10 to 20 new Kindle books a day without writing a word..."

You can read the entire article here. It's something to watch out for and honestly, makes me a little nervous. But I also think that Amazon is well aware and expect a solution or at the very least, some sort of tweaking or tightening up of their KDP publishing process very soon. What do you guys think?

Giveaways and the definition of stupid

I wanted to be sure and announce this giveaway going on now. Not just because my books are being included, but because there are so many awesome books being given out. You won't want to miss this. The giveaway is being hosted by Mindy in honor of her 30th birthday and you can enter on her website at magicalurbanfantasyreads by filling out the form. Good luck!

A quick update on my Race to Reviews giveaway. We are inching closer to 20 reviews for Dirty Blood. Currently, we have a total of 18 combined between Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Amazon. If you want to get entered between now and the drawing, all you have to do is post a review OR click on tags and email me which tags you've used and you'll get an entry.

*Side note: For whatever reason, Barnes and Noble seems to only be showing star ratings instead of the reviews I know were once there. Not sure if this is a change to the site overall or what. I am still counting the two reviews that are there, because I know who they are from, and because I did see them with my own eyes when they first went up. Going forward, if you want to be entered for Barnes and Noble, you can click and give a star rating. Just email me and let me know.

Now, to review the prizes:

Grand prize: signed paperback of Dirty Blood, ebook of Across the Galaxy, ebook of DreamKiller part 1 and 2 (part 2 is not out yet but its ready enough that I'm adding it to the list!), ebook of Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby, an ARC of Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace, due out later this summer.

Across the Galaxy is lagging behind in the review department, with 8 total reviews between the three sites. I blame myself, since I've been so caught up in Dirty Blood's release these past few weeks. So- I am having a reviewer call. If any bloggers would like to receive a complimentary copy of Across the Galaxy in exchange for posting an HONEST review, please contact me at heatherhildenbrand@yahoo.com. I am also thinking that Across the Galaxy needs some more love since its been neglected for awhle, so I will be thinking up some giveaway ideas and stuff to make it feel better.

BTW - personal update: Still no news about the job situation. My hubby found out they have given him one more look-see in the magical fate-deciding computer, so we will have to wait another month to see what will happen with that. We were originially told that June WAS his last chance and so we braced ourselves, but now, at the eleventh hour, we find out that July will actually be his last chance. Apparently that's standard procedure, though the person in charge of knowing this information didn't actually know this information. At least not until last week. So, we are going back through the whole process again and hoping we get picked up to stay in the Navy, because in an economy like this, job security is highly coveted. Personally, I wonder if any one of them knows all the ins and outs of this process we're going through, including the guy whose job it is to know.

Now, I know what you're thinking, but I can't say it. I cannot sit and say, or type, that the Navy is stupid because as a military wife, that could get me in trouble. And that could get my husband in trouble. No seriously. If your smiling like I'm just being funny, I'm not. Sailors have lost a paygrade for wives that broadcast their personal, and not always exactly positive,  feeling of the military. So, I won't say the Navy is stupid. Even though the official definition is this:

stu·pid  (stpd, adj. stu·pid·er, stu·pid·est

1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.

2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.

3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake.

4. Dazed, stunned, or stupefied.

See number one? Slow to learn? Yes, and number two. Well, anyway, I just wanted to refresh myself of the definition. No particular reason. Nothing to do with the Navy. Nothing to do with the fact that I'm frustrated about having to wait another month. Or the fact that lots of my stress could've been avoided had I known we HAD a whole other month to wait. Nope. Not me.

Alright, so we'll all wait with bated breath until mid July. *sucks in huge gulp of air, hoping to make it last*

World News on Twitter

Whew. Ohymygosh. Thank Goodness!! One of my two computers is back up and running. Going almost a week without a computer has been really hard. My palms go sweaty at random times and all I can think is that the rest of the world knows tons of new stuff that I haven't heard about yet because I can't get on Twitter or Facebook. Anyway, my hubby is a super smart nerdy genius (I say that with lots of love because sometimes being a nerd is HOT!) and he's fixed one of the two. The other is on the list for this weekend so keep your fingers crossed for me because that was the one that held all my zillion notes and spreadsheets having to do with book reviewers and contests, etc that I may or may not be doing for my books at any given time. YES, I've heard of backing up your work. NO, I never got around to backing up Excel spreadsheets. YES, that makes me an idiot, now. SHUTUP.

And since I feel out of the loop, I dont even know what to talk about because I don't know what's going on right now. I mean, I know about the yucky Twitter comments made by a certain NYT author several days ago. Are all the indies still pissed about that? And I know that Amazon suddenly, and with zero warning, added 'tagging' back, and kept the tags that were already in place before they'd removed the tags in the first place. Does anybody else have an opinion on that?

Here's the big news on Planet Heather: Today's going to be a big day for my family. As I've said before, my hubby is in the Navy, and right now, the Navy is cutting back. Which means, even if you don't want to get out, some of us are getting 'pushed out' at the end of our enlistment. The civilian world would call it 'laid off'. We've put in a request to stay in at the end of his term in December and so far we've been denied. You can only re-submit your request so many times and today we will hear the answer for our FINAL submission. If they say no, he's out in December. Like I said, laid off. So I'm stressing because that's what I do, and because I'm a mom, and because I'm PREGNANT and due in, yup, DECEMBER. Great timing right? So cross your fingers because all I can think is 'I do NOT want to get a day job again!' Which means: I need to sell A LOT of books. Starting right about... now. Which also means I need to write more and since my computers are having issues, which prevents that, the least you could do is buy a book in the meantime. =)

So. Now that I'm sitting here bouncing my knee up and down to the rhythm of my stressed out heartbeat, I'm going to go. I would've written more but I'm too stressed and I don't want to keep rambling about my own personal crap. Plus, I need to go surf Twitter and find out all the world news I've missed in the last few days and get caught up. Maybe then, next time I blog, I'll have something interesting to add to whatever current events are being discussed. Maybe. Or maybe I'll make something up. That's really my motto:

If you don't have anything nice to say, make it up.

Or something like that. Oh one last thing: There's a massive giveaway going on at http://www.coffeemugged.net/ with Katja. Lots of books being given away (at least 30 I think) including a signed paperback of Dirty Blood and an ebook of Across The Galaxy, so head over there to enter for one or five or whatever. It's going on through July so check it out and tell a friend.

Goodreads Winners

My contest on Goodreads ended yesterday and I am so excited to announce the winners. Each one will receive a signed paperback from me in the mail very soon! The giveaway was a huge success, with over 1000 people entered for each book. For everyone who entered, don't forget to go purchase your copy and leave a review. My Race to Reviews contest is still going on, with the grand prize including a copy of Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby and an ARC of Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace. Now, on to the winners:

Congratulations to KRISTEN for winning Dirty Blood!!

and

Congratulations to Ann Marie for winning Across The Galaxy!!

Another cool thing that I found this weekend was a recent review posted on Goodreads for Dirty Blood. Here's an excerpt:

"...Dirty Blood has a really great plot. It was simple yet complex. There were layers to the story that unfolded as you read. When I got to the middle of the book I could not put it down, I was hooked. It is not your run of the mill werewolf story, but it still held firm to all the things we love about werewolves..."

You can read the entire review here. She even lists rules a werewolf story should have and I loved it! And the best part? The review was posted by Cambria. The same Cambria who will be named as a character in Cold Blood, book 2, after winning a contest over at Nightly Reading a couple of weeks ago. So, yay! Thanks, Cambria!

You want to boycott Amazon??

Lots of fun things going on right now that you should be checking out. So let's talk about them before I go all ranting and serious on you:

First, YAY to Angeline Kace. Her trailer reveal for Descended By Blood is happening NOW. Click here to find out which bloggers are participating so you can go watch it! It rocks! Also, she is giving away some ARC's of the book AND a Kindle skin with her cover art on it. THAT is a cool prize!

So make sure you watch the trailer and enter the contests.

Also, speaking of contests, only three days left to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a signed paperback of Dirty Blood and Across The Galaxy. Contest ends June 5th for each of them so GO NOW!

Also, June is Indie Author Month! Ramona over at the The YA Fairy is sponsoring a blog hop this month and each blog will be featuring a new author each week for the month of June. There will be reviews and author interviews and giveaways, so check it out. The books/authors being showcased are:

 Dirty Blood by.... ME!  (I'm sure you already figured that out, though)

Sleight by Jennifer Sommersby

Six Moon Summer by SM Reine

Silky by Lazette Gifford

This week, it's SM Reine being featured, along with a giveaway of Six Moon Summer. I loved that book, so you should enter to win if you haven't already!

In other news, aka news that affects more people than just me and my books...

I read today that Amazon has removed the tagging feature from their site. Angeline sent me this blog link about it, which I found interesting, regarding the writer's view of things regarding boycotting Amazon. That's a little extreme to me, but hey, some people like to think of this e-publishing thing as a "revolution" because it makes them feel a part of something. I guess I get that. To be honest, sometimes I get those same stirrings when I read JA Konrath's blog, because his posts always make me feel so united in a business that is mostly solitary. But I also know that I am in business by myself, for myself, regardless of how many friends I make. And I am here to make money, not fight a war.

Anyway, I went straight to Amazon and checked and sure enough, the search tags are gone. And As far as I can tell, Amazon hasn't said why.

Maybe it was because of indies manipulating the search engines and rating systems, and if that's true, I'm just as guilty as the next guy since my Race to Reviews contest involved getting entries for 'tagging' my books. Whatev. I do see the point in removing them, though, since I could just get all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and pets to go tag me and then voila! I show up higher in the search results when someone types in Para Romance or something. So I get it, I do.

Doesn't mean I like it. I mean, us indies don't have all the advantages of the legacy publishers when it comes to marketing and advertising and brand recognition, etc, so if manipulating search tags was what we could do, then I wasn''t going to feel bad about doing it. Sort of evens the playing field in my opinion. Okay, well, no, it doesn't. It doesn't even come close to evening the playing field, but it was step in the right direction.

Bottom line: it sucks, but I don't feel like boycotting Amazon. They are trying to run a business, same as me. And one thing I know for sure: you can't please ALL the people ALL the time.

What do you think?