Sunday 30 September 2012

Happy, Happy First Anniversary Musa Publishing!

It’s been one wild ride this past year! It started with signing my book contract for my MG/YA book, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis last September. High fives! Then moved to many revisions and rewrites. Ugh. Then switched to edits. Groan. And then more edits. Flinch. Moving along to line edits. Sigh. Hitting the mark with book cover approval. Thumbs up. Getting my website launched. Cheers! Activating a Twitter account. Grumble. Then finally my long-awaited book release. Yay! Followed by my book release party. Double yay! Then onto book blog tours, blog hops, and contests. Followed closely by receiving my promotional paperback books. Doing library readings. And continually promoting and marketing on the social media and my blog. Boom, boom, boom! The life of a newly published author never stops, and certainly never surrenders! Whew!

And now my publisher, Musa Publishing celebrates their first year as a full fledged epublisher. The fact that this new publisher gave me a chance to spread my wings and fly into the publishing world is awesome. They took a gamble on me. They rolled the dice on this new author. And I’m so grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me. If you haven’t had time to check out, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, here’s the blurb:
When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

Contest time! All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog, and a way I can contact you. That’s it. And if you feel inclined to follow my blog, then that’s a double entry! At the end of this week-long blog hop, you’ll be entered in a draw to win an ebook of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis. Oh yeah, did I mention the Kindle Fire you could also win?
Double bonus! Every time you comment on any blog in the Musa Blog Hop, you’ll be entered to win a Kindle Fire (US and Canada only), compliments of Musa Publishing. International winners will receive a $50 Musa Publishing gift card. That’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned!  

Here are the Musa Blog Hop Rules:

1) HAVE FUN!!!
2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: October 1, at Midnight (PST)
THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 7, at Midnight (PST)

Winners will be drawn and posted October 9th! ***
4) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP and COMMENT ON, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

5) Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire is for US and Canada mailing addresses only. International winners will receive a $50.00 Musa Gift Card. Winner will be announced on October 7th 2012 at 11 EST at The romance review forum.
6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? ***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***


 

54 comments:

  1. Hey, Sharon! What a wild ride, huh? Best of luck with all of your books. Hopefully you'll get a chance to write them! ;)

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    1. Hey, Mags! I don't think I fully realize the hard work ahead of me! Though, I'm planning to have loads of fun writing the series! Cheers, and best of luck!

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  2. When you write down everything you've achieved in a year, Sharon, it does seem quite a journey. Congratulations to you and Musa!
    Don't enter me into the draw, I already own my copy of your wonderful book!

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    1. As you wish, Ms. Ison! It truly has been a journey, and I'm looking forward to new adventures in the publishing field with my eyes wide open! Salute!

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  3. I keep picturing the little alien creatures from "Toy Story" in their funny voice. "Mystic portal!" :) Sounds cool, Sharon! Grrr...why does blogspot make me anonymous? It's Laini, btw.

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    1. OMG! Cute, Laini! Hey, you never know, Disney may want a piece of The Last Timekeepers! Cheers!

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  4. This Blog hop is taking up my whole morning--in a fantastically amazing way! I love finding new authors. Thanks for all the chances to win some awesome prices!

    Sarahkaye89(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Sarah - I know what you mean! Had to take a break. The good thing is that we can spread it over seven days! High fives!

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  5. Sharon
    The novel sounds brilliant. I always wanted to have a food fight.
    I had loads of rewrites to do during editing which came as a big shock to me at the time and I was muttering and moaning at my keyboard quite a lot. But looking back it was a great learning experience.
    Susan

    Susan

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Susan! I learned a heck of a lot through the editing process, and did a few head bangs now and then. Cheers!

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  6. WOW!! You've been through it all, Sharon. Glad to see you still have your sense of humor. Love, love, love The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.:)

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    1. Sloane, it was like taking apart a car, then reassembling it without a manuel! It's my humor that got me through all that! The prequel is written and needing more editing. The sequel is written, but again, must take it apart, bit by bit and reassemble. Grrrr. Salute for stopping by!

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  7. I can't believe it's been a year. I loved your post about your trip to publication and promotion. It doesn't ever stop, does it? Good luck with the Hop and have fun writing.
    Patti

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    1. No, the path to publication seems to go in circles with each book you sign a contract for! Whew! Fun times! Cheers, Patricia!

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  8. I loved your thoughts about the last year. It is a whirlwind, isn't it? But, you do an amazing job in promoting not only yourself, but also other Musa authors. Thank you!

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  9. Shared and tweeted! Thank you for always being so helpful and supportive to the rest of us. *hugs*

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  10. Mindy, Mary Jo, and Liz, cheers for your kind and supportive words. I love helping my fellow authors succeed. You win, we all win! Simple outlook. High fives all around, gals!

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  11. The Last Timekeeper is next on my "to read" list, Sharon! Looking forward to it too (:

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    1. Thanks for your support, Clarissa! Hope you enjoy it! Cheers, girl!

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  12. I'm so glad I decided to follow this blog hop because I've discovered SO many books to add to my TBR list, The Last Timekeeper included!! Thanks so much for participating so I could find out about it:)

    GFC follower: Julie Witt

    jwitt33 at live dot com

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    1. I so appreciate your support, Julie! Thanks for surfing by! Cheers!

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  13. Happy Anniversary! Just the kind of celebration I like...You get a year older and we win things. LOVE IT!
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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  14. Hi Sharon--Congrats on an arduous but also rewarding year. Hope the next one is even better! And thanks again for your help and advice.

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  15. Sharon, you're such a model of great professional behavior! Talent and class, what a combination. Congrats on the anniversary and best of luck with the books!! (And get some rest, will ya!)

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  16. Your book looks very good.

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  17. I came, I saw, I followed, Sharon. :-D

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  18. Congrats on the anniversary and continued success with your books.
    GFC follower JeanP
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

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  19. You seem to have energy to spare, Sharon! When I opened my first round of edits I felt like giving up. Thank goodness I didn't! Thanks for rallying round at the crucial moment, and good luck with your Timekeepers.
    Jane

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  20. Looks like I have some catching up to do in the 'REPLY' department! Thanks to Jane, Jean, Suzanne, Hannah, Annie, Paul, and Catherine for all your kind and supportive comments! I don't think I've ever had this many comments before on my blog! Cheers and whistles to the lot of you!

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  21. Congratulations on your writing success and thank you for the opportunity to gain another entry in the Musa contest! My email is randjurban@gulftel.com

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  23. Congrats on the anniversary and thanks for the chance to win.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  25. JanSu - you go for it! Love your perseverance and tenacity! Hope you win! Cheers for stopping by, Yvette! You're in the running!

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  27. It's been quite a ride hasn't it, Sharon. Happy Anniversary from a fellow Musan.
    E :)

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    1. You bet, Eleni! A wild and fast ride! Cheers!

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  28. You know, as much as I read I have never read anything based on Atlantis. It would be interesting to see how you combined Atlantis with Robin Hood and time travel. It sounds like a great read! Thanks for participating in this awesome blog hop

    Donna @ The Happy Booker
    ahappybooker at gmail dot com

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  29. Hello, Sharon. I thought I had joined to follow your blog a while back. Lo and behold, I hadn't. I have now rectified the situation. You say the sequel to your book is written; I hope all goes well for you with it from here on out.
    dhvs01 at gmail.com

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  30. I love the premise of your book, I am a huge fan of time traveling.

    Follow-BLHmistress

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  31. Donna, Devin and BLH, thank you for stopping by on this blog hop, I really appreciate it! Cheers and best of luck on winning some prizes!

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  32. GFC Follower: Cassandra Hicks
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

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  33. Hope your years with Musa continue to be as productive and exciting as this first one. I wish you the best of everything, Sharon. Your enthusiasm, hard work, and generosity are an example to all of us.

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  34. Awesome giveaway!!

    susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

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  35. Cassandra, Cordelia, and Susan, thanks for stopping by, as well as for your support. You all rock!

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  36. Thanks for sharing about how you got published with Musa. It's always interesting to learn about new authors and their books.
    May you have many years ahead. Happy Birthday Musa.
    following your blog by gfc: Julianne
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. Thanks for hitting my blog, Julianne! Much appreciated! Best of luck! Cheers!

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  37. You are not kidding on how much work getting published is! I just had my first ebook published and it took soooo much work. Promoting is just as hard, but in different ways. Congrats on your success!

    Cia Nordwell
    my email: anordwell@live.com

    New GFC follower too!!

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  38. Cheers for checking in, Cia! Consider yourself entered twice! Best of luck with your publishing venture!

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  39. Happy Anniversary! I think I saved your blog for last, and it was worth the wait. As always, a good one.

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  40. What a fun blog hop I'm always looking for new authors and books to read! Thank you very much for the great giveaway!
    Latisha D
    tishajean@ charter.net

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  41. Hi!! Happy Anniversary! Very awesome! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you! And thank you for the fun hop and giveaway!! Many blessings to you!
    GFC: shadow_kohler
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  42. Tricia, Tisha, and Shadow, thanks for taking the time to comment and enter! Wishing you the best of luck for a win! Cheers!

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