Merry Christmas Everyone!

To all the people who follow my blog, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and I hope you are spending time with your family but I also wanted to let you know that if you need any books to fill your Kindles, iPad or Nook (including family members who might need to fill theirs), here are some sequels to expect in the beginning of the New Year!

Comes out the second week of January!

Don't forget to read the two novels that precede it:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

AND

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

There is also another surprise because I have another New Adult novel premiering before the end of the January called Undertow. I'm not sure if it will be a series but as of right now, I am writing it as a stand alone book. If the readers request a sequel then I would love to do it but I don't plan for it to be a series. That cover will be revealed within the next couple of weeks but until then, you'll just have to wonder what that novel is going to be about!

Comes out the second week of February!

Don't forget to read the novel that precedes it:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Until the next week, enjoy the time you get to spend with your family and friends. This time only comes around once a year and it is sacred. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and if you aren't religious at all, then look at this as a day to spend with your loved ones and more than that, a time of reflection on a year's past. Next Tuesday, it will be the first day of 2013 and what a year that will be! 

Thanks again for following my blog and thank you again for all the blessings you have bestowed upon me! I am extremely grateful to have fans at all and believe me, as long as you keep reading, I will keep writing!

Thank YOU!!!!!! 

Thank YOU!!!!!! 

&

Thank YOU!!!!!! 

Please be kind...and leave a review! ;-)

I know I try not to bug the few people who come in and out and who are followers of my blog but I almost feel like I am trapped in one of my favorite paranormal shows. I can't prove anything and I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but if you buy my books -- whether you love them or hate them -- and you have spare time on your hands, please leave a review. 

I haven't left "Please leave a review" in the back of an e-book for a long time because I thought it was crass but with the whole scheme of people paying for reviews (which has been discussed ad nauseum so I won't touch on  the subject again), it would be great for the people who like my work to start commenting, whether you buy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, AllRomance or Kobo. I don't care, if you have the time, leave a review.

"Please leave a review if you have read me..."

Who knows what makes people like or love one story while they dislike or hate another? Nothing because reading is a subjective activity and we all know what a group of people might think is absolutely brilliant (Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind), others will think is horrible unreadable garbage. Neither side is right or wrong -- they just share different tastes in what makes a book great and what makes a book awful.

I know this will happen to my books as well and I expect it! If I wrote a book everyone loved, I would be a bit suspicious myself. When it all comes down to the nitty gritty, all I ask is if you read one of my novels and you enjoy it then please leave a review. If you read one of my books and think it is utter crap, please leave a review. The whole point is so there are opinions from every side of  the gambit. 

P.S. And if you haven't noticed, I do NOT respond to reviews (except for a handful of times when a situation was about to get out of hand because I will defend a bad review as quickly as I defend a good one and I will not allow anyone to be bullied into trying to change their review by someone else or perhaps a shit disturber who tries to drop in and cause trouble). I still respect the three reviewers who gave Atonement bad reviews and hope they will take a chance on another piece of fiction by me because my readers know I have a wide selection and although they may have not liked this series, they might like another.

Reviewers are for readers but how do they know what they are about to buy if the book they are thinking of selecting doesn't have enough reviews to actually gage an opinion? This is the main reason why I ask for more reviews -- to help out your fellow readers...not to boost my ego and make me feel good. ;-)

* * * * *

PLEASE NOTE: I am always searching for beta readers and the only condition of being a beta reader is honest feedback and a review once the book goes live. There are three other novels in the Atonement series (coming out Feb, March and April) and the final novel in The Ties That Bind Trilogy is slated to premiere in January of 2013. If you are interested then please contact me at ellechardou@gmail.com and I will arrange for you to view the material once it is in its final stages. I don't look at it as giving a book away as much as I do thanking loyal fans and people who like my work. Again, I couldn't do this without you so a warm thank you all around. ;-)

***Comments are appreciated for either discussion. I promise I won't go postal as I am not that kind of author and I realize if it were not for the readers, I wouldn't have a job. Please be respectful to one another regardless what one's opinion happens to be. This is a free speech blog as long as mutual respect is shown. THANK YOU!***

And now for the fun stuff! Cover reveals for the Next Two Novels that will premiere in 2013.

Ta da! The brand new cover of Killing Me Softly (The Ties That Bind Trilogy) 

January, 2013

Ta da! The brand new cover for Only Love (The Atonement Series) 

February, 2013

The Holiday Blog Hop!

It's that time of the year again! Here are the prizes at stake in the Holiday Blog Hop!

One lucky winner gets a $50 Gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble!

OR

That lucky winner will also get a signed paperback copy of novella series, The Supernaturals, Collection No. 2 as well!

That same lucky winner will also get a signed paperback copy of Hart Attack (The Hart Family Saga) too!

What do you have to do? 

Check out the Rafflecopter below. 

Also, you get 2 Bonus Points for visiting other blogs on the Blog Hop and 5 Bonus Points for following me on Pinterest so just leave a comment to let me know if you have done either one of these activities. Good luck to everyone who decides to enter and have a wonderful day!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Next Big Thing (Part 2 & 3)

Yeah, I know, I did this already but after being tagged yet again by the fabulous Suzanne Tyrpak (yeah, you know that amazing author who actually knows Blake Crouch because they are in the same writer's group?) and the wonderfully talented Cheryl Bradshaw, it just so turns out I realized I have put out three books in the last two and half months so I will talk about the other two novels that didn't get a mention.

Since I have already tagged 5 writers in my first post, I will not be tagging anymore in this one. Thanks.

1) What is the title of your next book?

The Ties That Bind Trilogy was first introduced in September of 2012. Since then, two novels have been published: Killing Time and Killing Desire.

The third and final novel, Killing Me Softly, will premiere in January of 2013.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

Part of the idea came from reading several Annabel Joseph books and also the whole E.L. James Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. It started off as a thought (as ideas often do) and it went from there. All I can say is that I am very surprised and overwhelmed by how well the first novel was received so for all those fans who felt the second novel veered off course, I think they will be happy to know that the third book brings the whole trilogy full circle and since this is talking about the next best thing, the cover reveal happens in this post and is below:

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Although it has been billed as erotica, it is actually erotic romance but the main genres I have placed it under would be romantic suspense and contemporary romance.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Aurelie Segler-DeMarche: Marion Cotillard
Rory Krieger: Cillian Murphy or Ian Somerhalder
Severin Krieger: Either Cillian Murphy or Ian Somerhalder
Tresor DeMarche: Eva Green
Astrid Schmidt: Scarlet Johansson
Nicole: Kate Winslet
Grayson: Paul Walker
Jason: Mathew McConaughey

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Sometimes, you have to lose yourself in your deepest and darkest desires to find yourself and the truth.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published by Midnight Engel Press.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The first draft of Killing Time was written in one month and Killing Desire took six weeks.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

If I Were You, Bared to You, and of course the good old Fifty Shades of Grey. However, I think the only item my book has in common with these might be sex but the plot is nothing similar to any of the books above.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My imagination always inspires me to write a book but now that "mommy porn" is much more accepted, it made it easier for me to write this kind of book and still own it without being ashamed I'd written it. In terms of inspiration, I would look to Anne Rice. I have always admired her because she has written all types of books but at the end of the day, she's always stayed true to her art.


10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

There is a genuine mystery that will be solved throughout the trilogy but despite all the smoke and mirrors, this is at the heart a very unconventional love story that allows people to watch and explore two unique and damaged individuals fall in love.

For those of you who are as visual as me, I have created a Pinterest board located HERE and dedicated to The Ties That Bind Trilogy.

The Next Big Thing!

What is the title of your new book?

Atonement

Where did the idea for the book come from?

I actually thought of the idea while I was writing Killing Time from The Ties That Bind Trilogy. It was a different idea and I thought it would be interesting to explore the whole process of forgiving someone for the unforgivable especially when the person in need of forgiving is the same person happens to be the love of your life.

What genre does your book fall under?

New Adult and Contemporary Romance 

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Deidre: Mila Kunis 

Colin: Charlie Hunnam

Liam: Alexander Skarsgard

Caitlyn: Blake Lively

Drew: James McAvoy

Aubrey: Emma Stone (she makes a great brunette and could definitely pull the role off with enough flair)

Will your book be self published or do you have an agent/publisher?

Self-published by Midnight Engel Press

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

One month

What other books would you compare your book to within the genre?

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

Easy by Tammara Weber

Losing It by Cora Carmack

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired in part by the death of my own father. Although he died from a stroke almost three years ago, the event inspired me to know what inertia felt like. A long time after his death, I felt frozen in place so I can relate to the inertia Deirdre explains she feels in the book. And it was several trips to Western Europe that broke the feeling of not being able to move forward with my life.

What else about the book might pique a reader’s interest?

Well, although I can compare it to the books above, Atonement remains its own story. I would very much like readers to identify with the characters and feel like they could be friends of theirs in real life and not just cardboard cutouts. Each couple gets their own book because Atonement is the first book in The Atonement Series. Unfortunately, Deirdre and Colin's story is the most complicated so they have a sequel in the works called Only Love due out in February of 2013.

For scrumptious visuals on the cast and locations, check out The Atonement Series Pinterest Board!

Authors who could be The Next Big Thing are:

Charles Sheehan-Miles

Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive. He is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestseller Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

He served in combat with the 24th Infantry Division during the 1991 Gulf War, and was decorated for valor for helping rescue fellow tank crewmen from a burning tank during the Battle at Rumayla. Since then, he has been a regular speaker on issues relating to the Gulf War, ill veterans and the impact of post-traumatic stress.

He is a former President and co-founder of the National Gulf War Resource Center and has served on the board of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center. Prior to becoming executive director of Veterans for Common Sense in August 2004, he was director of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC. He continues to serve on the board of directors of Veterans for Common Sense.

Charles currently manages a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives with his wife Veronica and their two children, along with two alien invaders from outer space disguised as small furry animals.

Charles can be found on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/CSheehanMiles and on his blog at http://www.sheehanmiles.com

Mandy White

Mandy White is a Canadian author who resides on Vancouver Island, British Columbia where she is living her dream of being one of those weird, reclusive writer types. She primarily writes fiction in the horror genre, often featuring Canadian characters and locations. She is administrator of the WPaD group (Writers, Poets and Deviants), best known for their charity anthologies.

G.R. Yeates

G.R. Yeates is the author of the critically-acclaimed Vetala Cycle, a trilogy of vampiric horror novels set in World War I. He has been published in the Dark Continents anthology, Phobophobia, and the Horror for Good anthology from Cutting Block Press. He is currently working on two novellas and a short story collection that will be released in Autumn/Winter 2012 and an epic fantasy series that will be released in 2013.

Mike Cooley

I have been writing science fiction and fantasy stories for many years.
My writing has an edge to it. I enjoy exploring the dark and surreal landscapes of the mind.

The first two novels in my Legend Of The Crystals series are out (Crystal Warrior and Crystal Origin).
Book Three (Crystal Legacy) should be out in 2013.

I also have a science fiction short story collection out called Skin Of Giants,
a Twilight Parody called How To Keep Sparkly Emo Vampires Off Your Lawn,
and a poetry book called She Stands At The Precipice.

My Lovecraftian horror novelette, Eater Of Eyes, just came out.

Thanks for reading!
Mike

Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is the new name in horror. His works span genres and weave evil, conspiracy, and fear into nightmarish worlds.

Jack has been given the title "Zombie King" by his readers and fans. He didn't garner that title by dining on the brains of helpless victims. It was only after writing until his fingers and mind were nothing but meat for the beasts that he became a master of the zombie genre. During that haunted hay ride Jack produced works of fiction enjoyable by not just zombie fans, but anyone daring to take a peek into what might possibly become of humanity.

Of course, being of the insane writer clan, Jack isn't just happy with the penning of zombie fiction. Oh no, the nightmare does not end there. Like the late, great Freddy Mercury, Jack wants it all -- so, he will continue twisting the horror genre to meet his disturbed mind as well as write his Fringe Killer and Screampark series, and his joyous celebration of all things diverse -- Shero.

For his inspiration to begin reading and writing, Jack thanks the ever-incredible Clive Barker for penning in a genre with words of grace and horror.