All Things Fall...And Pumpkin

This past weekend, Kyle and I made a point to get some fresh air and walk around the neighborhood. We've been sick the past couple of days. Low energy, cold weather, headaches, and stuffy noses do not allow for many fun adventures.

Anyway, I had this terrible aching feeling that I was missing out on experiencing the change in season. Fall is my favorite time of the year. The colors, the food, the family bonding. Thanksgiving kicks off a slew of back-to-back celebrations. Sadly, this means we're nearing the end of November. I'm worried that it will be winter all too soon. So I grabbed my camera, bundled up, and we went for a sunset stroll.

Lots of turning leaves in our neighborhood.

Lots! 

Not sure if this is a birch tree, but look at the cool bark on these trees.

And November skies...just breathtaking.

Can't. Stop. Staring.

How beautiful is that sky? By the way, I think I've settled on a title for the third and final book in the Modi Series. How does Indigo Sky sound? That or Indigo Fire.

I can't stop craving pumpkin. Pumpkin pastries all day every day.

What do you crave the most during the holidays?

Hugs,
Anna

And because Happy wanted to let you know how he was doing. Grand. He's always grand.

Anna Soliveres is the author of the Modi Series. Crimson Earth, Book Two releases Dec. 10th.
Pre-Order you copy today!



KINDLE

NOOK

iBOOKS

KOBO

PAPERBACK

SIGNED PAPERBACK

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Aeva Storm finally has the answers she’s been looking for since the night she was struck by lightning. She knows who she is—and more importantly, what she is. But her secret isn’t hers alone to keep, and some of those who know the truth will do anything to control her.

In the sequel to the acclaimed Violet Storm, Aeva must decide how far she’ll go to protect her identity and to find her missing sister in a world she hardly recognizes. She must embrace her new life—and her strange new body—if she hopes to save the only place she and her family have left to call home.

Filled with action, mystery, and heartbreak, Crimson Earth finds Aeva, Ruven, and Karth on opposing sides as the war between The False Alliance and the Monarchy draws near.

Can they band together to fight against the evil threatening the City? Or will they destroy each other before the war has even begun?

5 Creative Podcasts Worth Following

I have a thirty to forty minute commute in the mornings and evenings. I can't listen to the radio anymore without feeling peeved for one reason or another. I tried audio-books but my mind wanders a little more than I like. So for the past year, I've been listening to Podcasts, looking for inspirational gems, educational and entrepreneurial discussions, most of which revolve around creative endeavors. I learn something new every day!

Here are my top five: 

• Creative Warriors - by Jeff Shaw

• Creative Warriors is a twice weekly series of inspiring, motivating, and informative podcasts with today's greatest thought-leaders. Geared specifically for creative entrepreneurs, Creative Warriors is aptly named as Jeff believes that being in business doing what you feel you are meant to do in life is an true act of bravery. Putting yourself out in the world, sharing your talents, your creative thinking, and making the world a better place. It takes a warrior spirit of balance and inner strength.

• The Accidental Creative - by Todd Henry

• Where do great ideas come from? For creative pros, the pressure continues to mount to produce better work, faster. We live in a create-on-demand world. The Accidental Creative podcast shares how to build practical, everyday practices that help you stay prolific, brilliant and healthy in life and work. Host Todd Henry (author of the books The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and Louder Than Words) interviews artists, authors and business leaders such as Seth Godin, David Allen, and Steven Pressfield, and offers tips for how to thrive in life and work. 

• 99% Invisible

• 99% Invisible is a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.  Each episode is a sound-rich deep dive into a single topic. With more than 3 million downloads per month, we routinely rank in the top 10 arts podcasts and top 20 podcasts overall in iTunes.

• The Introvert Entrepreneur - by Beth Buelow

• Launched in 2010 and hosted by Beth Buelow, ACC, the podcast is a lively space for conversation, learning, and sharing. Through interviews and discussions, we’ll talk about business and life from an introvert perspective, providing resources, advice, and inspiration.

• The School of Greatness - by Lewis Howes

• Lewis Howes is an author, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, former pro athlete and world record holder in football. The goal of the School of Greatness is to share inspiring stories from the most brilliant business minds, world class athletes and influential celebrities on the planet; to help you find out what makes great people great.

There are a few others I listen to: Criminal and Serial as well. Just because I love juicy mysteries. 

Check them out and let me know what you think! Are there any other podcasts that you would recommend? 

Xoxo, 
Anna

Releasing Dec. 10, 2015

Crimson Earth Cover Reveal!

Yay! It's here! It's really, really here! This is the result of six months of the hardest work of my life--definitely puts a new meaning to "labor of love." Not complaining or anything... but definitely ready to pop a bottle of champagne, or ten.

Please allow me the pleasure of introducing you to CRIMSON EARTH, book two of the Modi Series. 

I am so grateful for all the help of my friends, family, and fellow bloggers. You guys kept me super motivated. Thank you for the support and for helping me get the word out on the Modi Series!

Book Description: 

Aeva Storm finally has the answers she’s been looking for since the night she was struck by lightning. She knows who she is—and more importantly, what she is. But her secret isn’t hers alone to keep, and some of those who know the truth will do anything to control her.

In the sequel to the acclaimed Violet Storm, Aeva must decide how far she’ll go to protect her identity and to find her missing sister in a world she hardly recognizes. She must embrace her new life—and her strange new body—if she hopes to save the only place she and her family have left to call home.

Filled with action, mystery, and heartbreak, Crimson Earth finds Aeva, Ruven, and Karth on opposing sides as the war between The False Alliance and the Monarchy draws near.

Can they band together to fight against the evil threatening the City? Or will they destroy each other before the war has even begun? 


Audience: Older Teens & Adults
Fast-paced. Action-packed. Interesting plot twists. Memorable characters. 

Releasing Thursday | December 10, 2015

Pre-order your copies today!!

Kindle | Kobo | iBook | Nook | Paperback | Signed Paperback

New to the Modi Series? Read starred reviews of the first book: VIOLET STORM

Enter the raffle for a chance to win some awesome prizes! 

I'm giving away a Jawbone Move, Promo Card, and a $10 Amazon Card. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Huge shout out to the blogs hosting the cover release today! You guys rock!

Leandra Wallace	www.leandrajwallace.blogspot.com
Meradeth Houston	meradethhouston.blogspot.com
Stephanie Faris	http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
Sandra Cox	http://sandracox.blogspot.com
Ali - The Dragon Slayer	http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/
Diane’s Book Blog	http://dianes-book.blogspot.com
Book-o-Craze	http://book-o-craze.blogspot.gr/
Cover2Cover	https://chocomeiske.wordpress.com
Books and Authors	http://bookreviewsandauthors.blogspot.com/
Please Pass The Books	https://pleasepassthebooks.wordpress.com/
Cat's Guilty Pleasure	http://www.facebook.com/catherinewrightbooks
Share My Destiny	http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com
CBY Book Club	http://cbybookclub.blogspot.co.uk/
The Voluptuous Book Diva	http://facebook.com/voluptuousbookdiva
JeanzBookReadNReview	http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.co.uk/
Driftless	http://ayokongaeh.com
The Hoarding Readers Corner	http://thehoardingreaderscorner.blogspot.com/
Buried Under Books	https://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Nocturnal Predators Reviews	www.nocturnalpredatorsreviews.blogspot.com
Live Laugh & Love Books	https://livelaughandlovebooks.wordpress.com/
A Book Addict's Bookshelves	http://jesswatkinsauthor.blogspot.co.uk/
Escape Into A Book	http://escapeintoabookblog.blogspot.com/
A British Bookworm's Blog	http://britishbookwormblog.com
Reading Addict	http://readingadd.blogspot.com/
The Book Lounge	http://gbshortcake.com/
Just Us Book Blog	http://justusbookblog.blogspot.com/
The Reading Diaries	http://www.thereadingdiaries.com/
Indy Book Fairy	http://paranormalbookfairy.blogspot.com/
Read, Write, Ripley	http://www.readwriteripley.com
Evermore Books	http://evermorebooks.weebly.com/
JuviaBooks	juviabooks.tumblr.com
VAMPYRELADYS FAVE BOOKS, REVIEWS & OTHER LOVES	https://vampyreladylaura.wordpress.com/
Cover Reveals, Blog Tours, New Releases & All Things Bookish	https://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=1232450301138482613
The Page Unbound	http://thepageunbound.com
Mythical Books	http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
Red's Midnight Readers	http://redsmidnightreaders.blogspot.com
Country Gals Sexy Reads	http://www.countrygalssexyreads.wordpress.com
The Book Addict	http://jbthebookadict.blogspot.ae
anastacia reads	anastaciareads.blogspot.com
Extreme Bookaholics Blog	http://extremebookaholicsblog.blogspot.com/
Those Crazy Book Chicks	https://www.facebook.com/Thosecrazybookchicks

3 Lessons I learned Writing My Sequel

Oh my goodness, I haven't written a post since August. I am a terrible blogger. But the good news is that I had a fantastic excuse for my MIA status--I finished Book 2 of the Modi Series! Hip-hip-hooray!

Crimson Earth is coming out Thurs. Dec. 10th!! Watch out for links to pre-order your copy. The cover release is set for next week, Tues. Nov. 17th, so definitely keep an eye out. Add it to your Goodreads--and if you want the first two chapters before anyone else, just sign up to the Newsletter on my site! 

Would you be interested in blogging about the cover release? Please let me know!! I'd be ever so grateful for your help in spreading the word. Here is a link to the blurb on Goodreads.
And because I'm all about sharing experiences and knowledge, I also wanted to share my top three lessons writing this novel: 

1. Setting Realistic Deadlines 

Listen, I'm probably crazy about deadlines. I am an over-achiever and my excuses are... that I have none. I have no children, I have pets that require the least amount of responsibility (cats), and my only other hobbies are hiking, gym, Netflix, and reading--all of which, I'd hold off doing in order to finish a novel. My friends know my routine and understand that when I crawl out of the novel-writing rock, that I'm ready to socialize and create more fun memories together. 

That said, I realized that creative endeavors are not like other straightforward projects. My fiancee, who is an artist by trade, let me know that the best way to map out your deadlines is to consider the achievable timeline, divide it in half, and then add that other half to the total. For example: if you think you can finish a book in three months, probably best to say your deadline should be closer to 4.5 months. Because I didn't really have any prior experience, I set my goals a bit too high. Overall, the best thing to do is give yourself a little cushion and wiggle room. Though, I didn't make my original goal (I wanted to have 1.5 months to market between finishing the book and marketing it), I'm glad I had that extra time and got around 3.5 weeks to market the book before it released.
There are definitely things I could have done to help meet my goal, and the next bullet is one of them. 

2. Outline - Do you need one? 

I have a full-time job. One that requires a lot of travel between Sept - Oct every year. I decided to be in the thick of finishing my novel during that time. Probably too ambitious, of course. If you're a writer trying to juggle two careers, the best tool in your writer's kit is outlining. You don't have to adhere to every aspect of what you outline, but the exercise alone makes you consider your entire plot, your subplots, your ending, and if there are any holes. It makes you consider every scene, chapter by chapter, and know where some scenes lag, and which ones are going no where. When I finally began to outline, I was already halfway through writing my novel. And what a creative release it was! Really, it was incredibly freeing for me. Writer's block was simply non-existent because of it. I knew what I wanted to achieve with a scene, and then I sat down to flesh it out. 

So is outlining for you? Listen, at the end of the day, do what works for you--do what makes writing fun for you. I'm someone who doesn't like to wade through uncertainty. So outlining became my greatest tool. I know that it will help keep me on track to meeting my deadlines, and I knew where I was in the story at all times. When you're busy, the less ambiguity there is, the easier it is to be creative. I didn't believe this before, but now I do. 

3. Last Stretch - Dig deep

The editing... In my personal experience, that's the hardest part about writing. Lets say the first draft is done. For me, that means I'm only a third of the way finished. Polishing, cutting, trimming, re-organizing scenes, and tightening the writing is a whole other level of skill. It tests your patience and your sanity. I worked with an editor to give me the low-down on my story, only to find that my writing was killing what was otherwise a very interesting story. Ouch. Right... so I tried not to be discouraged, because it was a prime opportunity to take my writing to a whole new level; to learn and to grow, so that I may write better and faster in the future. 

I tried not to waste too much time crying over how hard it was (but boy, there were some serious tears shed over this book), or how down to the wire it was--and how impossible it would be to finish in time with all the edits that needed to be done. That's when I had to dig deep and remember why I was doing this in the first place. 

I was doing it for me. At the end of the day, I couldn't forget that this endeavor gave me personal joy and that no matter what, I wouldn't give up. So when you're at the home stretch of whatever passion-project you're working on, remember that. This is all for you... 

And don't forget to celebrate each milestone! 

--

Well, that's all for now guys. I'll be back next week for the cover release! Again, please let me know if you're interested in sharing on your blog. I'd be ever so grateful! :)

Love,
Anna