How To Set Up A Facebook Party- The Alien Mind VBT Post

I am honored to be featured on Writers And Authors today! Have you ever wanted to set up a Facebook party to release your book but you weren't sure how? Maybe you want to have a party to celebrate a special mile stone? Come on over to Writers&Authors and I will be happy to tell you how to do it! I've even included some game ideas to help you get started!


*Tomorrow, I'll be at Frampton Plantation at 1 Low Country Ln, Yemassee, SC 29945  from 8 till closing time signing copies of The Alien Mind! I'd love to see you there!

And... as a side note... This is also my 100th post on my blog! YAHOO!

Different Worlds, Different Minds- The Alien Mind VBT post

I get to do all sorts of interesting things with my characters! Last year, for The Alien Mind's e-book release book tour I was asked if it would be ok for an alien to interview my character Rivi. What an interesting request! Turns out, the alien was actually a character in Clay Gilbert's 'Annah' 

Anyhow... Stop by and see how the two girls got along!
https://portalsandpathways.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/different-worlds-different-minds/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 

 

Writing Science In Science Fiction-The Alien Mind VBT post

Last year, the e-book release virtual tour of The Alien Mind took me to the Amazing Stories website! As a guest, I talked about how I integrate science into my science fiction. You get a sneak peek into a scene in the book as well as the science behind it, detailing how one of Rivi's abilities work. I hope you enjoy it! You can find the post here: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2014/10/writing-science-guest-post-mg-author-v-l-jennings/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 

The Alien Mind VBT Post: Rivi's First Abilities- Flash Fiction

Yesterday my virtual book tour for The Alien Mind took me to the site of author Skye Hegyes. I wrote up a flash fiction piece detailing Rivi's adventure in discovering her first abilities. This particular flash fiction takes place before the events in The Alien Mind. I hope you enjoy it! You can find Rivi's story here: http://skyehegyes.com/2015/06/26/3226/

And please don't forget- The Alien Mind (paperback) is available for pre-order! Those who order in time to get their copy for the release party July 10th and post a picture to www.facebook.com/vljennings of them holding the book (or e-book) will be entered into a drawing for a special prize!

Pre-order your copy of The Alien Mind today! 
 

Jo Linsdell's Top 5 Twitter Tips for Twittering

Jo Linsdell is a best selling author and illustrator and internationally recognized marketing expert. She is also the founder and organizer of the annual online event “Promo Day” (www.PromoDay.info) and the Writers and Authors blog (www.WritersAndAuthors.info). To find out more about Jo and her projects visit her website http://www.JoLinsdell.com.

What Lies Behind Snippit

Excerpt from What Lies Behind

Cass let her eyes wander over the fields and farms they were flying over. The air was clearer here, away from the city. Up ahead, through the bug splattered glass of the windshield, she could see a wall of white billowing up into the sky.

“What’s that?” Cass asked.

“Don’t you know?” Brandon smiled over at her. “Doesn’t your programming show you that?”

“I’m a home unit,” Cass reminded him. “Enlighten me.”

He chuckled. “That’s a cloud whitening facility,” he told her. “Back a couple decades ago, when global warming was becoming a big issue they started this kind of ecological engineering where they could change how bright or dark clouds were to help either cool the planet or warm it.”

“Strange,” Cass said. She looked around at the green fields and the towering trees off to the left of the hover car. “So, what, things were deader?”

Brandon shrugged. “More pollution I guess. I’m not really sure. I haven’t looked too much into it. I just know that this is one of the ways they’ve corrected the issue.”

They were flying closer to the mass of white clouds drifting up from giant smoke stacks and into the sky. “We’re by the ocean,” Cass said.

“Yea, that’s where they work on the clouds,” Brandon said, pointing with one hand over the ocean so she could see the clouds drifting on the wind out to sea. He pulled back on the steering wheel and they began to slow and drop to the ground.

The car alighted in a green field. The wind blew the hay like ocean waves around the car. He turned the vehicle off and stepped out. Cass could hear the wind outside rushing over the tops of the tall grass in fits and starts as if a great inhalation and exhalation of breath. Cass didn’t wait for him to help her out this time. She opened her own door and followed him out into the warm afternoon.

Brandon took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “Makes you wonder what the air was like before they started purifying it.”

Cass looked at him. She couldn’t smell what he was smelling. She could tell the quality of the air thanks to her visual overlay but she had nothing to compare it too. Cass didn’t know what the air used to be like, so she took his word for it.

“It’s so quiet here,” she commented, leaning against the hood of the hover car. “You’d expect there to be a lot of noise from those stacks, but it’s just silent.”

“Very peaceful,” Brandon said.

It was a sight that Cass could live in forever.

“So what about this android thing?” Brandon asked, turning to her.

Cass sighed. The thought made her nervous. She looked behind her as if someone might be there to hear them, be there to hear her talking about going against her owner.

“I don’t see how it’s possible,” Cass said. “I’m someone’s property, and that someone isn’t likely to give me up.”

“Right,” he said and sighed. “I want to show you something tomorrow. Natalia is working late tomorrow so we have time to sneak you out without her knowing it.”

“What is it?” Cass asked, her curiosity piqued.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” Brandon smiled and pushed away from the car. Cass turned to the passenger side door to get in. “Now, how about you take us home?” he asked.

“Me?” Cass pointed to herself. “I don’t have a license, and I’ve never flown before.” Her hand was starting to shake again.

“Yes, you, and I will be right there with you, showing you the ropes. Don’t worry about it, you can do this I’m sure. And how do you know you’ve never flown before? You don’t remember your life before coming to Natalia’s. There could be all kinds of things you’ve done that are secret to you.”

Cass looked to the clouds billowing out of the smoke stacks. “Maybe. Someday they might start coming back.”

“If Natalia keeps knocking you around they might,” Brandon said. There wasn’t any humor in his voice. “Come on, let’s get you home. Or rather, let’s have you fly us home.”

Brandon rounded the end of the vehicle and steered Cass toward the driver side with his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Alright, I can’t make you sit in the seat, so you’ll have to do that on your own,” he told her.

Her stomach in turmoil, so to speak, Cass slipped in behind the wheel. Brandon closed the door, sealing her inside.

He adjusted himself in the passenger seat and closed the door. Cass thought she flinched at the noise, as if it were a tomb sealing her fate.

“Alright, seatbelt,” he told her, buckling his own.

“Afraid I’m going to get injured?” Cass shot a smile at him, despite the nervousness she felt.

“No, I’m afraid that a cop might see that you don’t have your seatbelt on and pull us over, and then he will find out that you aren’t a human with a license, and I’m being an irresponsible adult. And then there is the robot graveyard for you, and I will have my home taken away and I will be put in prison where I will become the girlfriend of a very beefy man named Javier.”

“All that, huh?” Cass looked at him sidelong. She buckled her belt.

“Well, I’m not sure if my prison boyfriend will be Javier or Bruce. I think if I was going to be the man bitch for a prisoner I would like the name Bruce more.”

Cass smiled. “I hope he treats you right.”

“Oh yea, Bruce is a generous lover,” Brandon said.

“Lucky you. Sounds like you might enjoy prison,” Cass said.

Brandon smiled and shrugged. “If it takes a little man love to teach you to fly, I will take my lumps. Alright, start the car,” he told her, clapping his hands together.

Cass knew she’d flown before because the moment he told her to start the car, she entered the correct button sequence on the steering wheel. The hover car rumbled to life.

“Look at that,” he said. “I bet you were a captain in your past robotic life. Let’s see what else you remember. Take us home, Cass.”

Cass pushed down on the steering wheel as she’d seen Brandon do, but the way she pushed down on it, how she eased into the launch sequence was too familiar. The car shivered a couple times, but the engines engaged. The grass rippled away from their hover ports and the car listed up into the air.

“Not as gentle as the fake clouds, but pretty good,” Brandon told her.

Cass saw the green dotted path on her visual overlay that pointed the direction home. She flipped the lever up beside the steering column, and the hover car pushed forward.

“Wow, I don’t have to teach you anything,” Brandon said. “Maybe I will take a nap.”

“I’d rather you tell me what this surprise is tomorrow,” she said.

“I’m going to take you to meet Bruce,” Brandon told her.

“Oh, perfect, I’d love to meet him. Is he as beefy as you enjoy your prisoners?”

“Nah, Bruce is thinner, not so muscular. Javier can’t figure out why I prefer Bruce over him. He calls Bruce a wannabe man,” Brandon shrugged.

“Poor Bruce,” Cass said. “I hope you make it up to him.”

“Yea, I make him feel like a man,” Brandon said.

“So either you’re really nice, or you aren’t very masculine,” Cass joked.

Brandon laughed. “Is it that obvious?” he asked.

“You seem like the type,” Cass told him. “Slender hips. Small hands.”

“Seems like you’ve been getting pretty familiar with my physique while I wasn’t looking.”

The whirring in her stomach kicked up another notch and her hand jerked. The car shuddered to the side and Brandon laughed at her, placing his hand on the wheel to steady the car.

“Bruce told me,” Cass said.

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you certainly aren’t taking us to Natalia’s,” Brandon said. “Where are you taking me? Out in the forest to kill me? You going to introduce me to your secret tribe of robots that are aiming to take over the world?”

“I didn’t know you were a conservative,” Cass told him as she frowned. “And I’m taking us home. The green dot points toward home, and I’m following that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to argue with your green dots, but this isn’t going home,” Brandon chuckled.

Three green dotted path was starting to get lighter and steadier. They were almost there. Cass eased down on the lever, slowing the car to a halt. She pulled back on the steering column and the car drifted down easily onto an old, cracked driveway.

“Where is this?” Brandon asked sitting up straighter. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “I recognize the neighborhood, but I don’t know this place.”

Cass shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she told him.

It used to be a house, that much was certain, before it had burned. Whoever had lived here hadn’t bothered to rebuild. The two-car garage was mostly unscathed, but the house was blackened and crumbled all around the foundation.

Cass unbuckled her belt and pushed open the door. When she stepped out into the open air, it was almost as if she could hear the screams all over again.

“Cass! Save me!”

Cass looked around. “What was that?” she asked.

“I didn’t say anything,” Brandon said. All traces of his mirth were gone. He was looking at her funny again, almost like he did in the doctor’s office.

Her hand began to shake.

“I remember this place,” she said, taking a step forward, but her knees were weak and she had to lean against the car for support. “From before.” Her voice was dull, distant.

“Cass, are you okay?” Brandon asked. His voice was distant too, almost as if she were hearing him through a tunnel. He raced around the front of the car as the air around her darkened. Shadows were settling at the edges of her vision. Cass was lost to darkness before she fell into Brandon’s arms.

About Travis Simmons

Travis Simmons was kicked out of magic school for his refusal to study and his penchant for mundane activities like cooking. While selling his sword he stumbled upon dogs that he wrongly thought were magical and imagined he could commune with them. After a vicious zombie attack in which witches helped him push back the undead horde, Travis found himself apprenticed to a necromancer.


Afraid that winter was coming, Travis tucked into his magical studies, but always chased his dreams of writing tales science fiction tales and fantasy stories where he could explore his wild imagination about life on other planets. Adamant that Travis learn the esoteric ways of the occult his master made his life a horror of practice and studies. But no matter how he tried, he could never conquer Travis' questing mind.

Website/blog: http://travissimmons.net/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Lies-Behind-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B00ZO50OM0
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortravissimmons
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TravisSimmons5

The Alien Mind Paperback Release Party!

Yay! The books are finally here!

If you can't tell, I'm super psyched! In honor of the book's release I have decided to host a facebook party!

Where? Right on my facebook page wall for a change!

When? July 10th - all day

I will be hosting games on my facebook page. Feel free to check in through the day to enter into the games! (Entry in the games will be as simple as commenting with your answer onto the party post threads- all of which will be marked with a *****)

 In the evening, the winners of the prizes will be selected at random and announced on the facebook wall! (Winners will also be messaged privately to arrange for prize delivery)

Bring and POST a picture- to my page wall- of you holding an e-book copy (show the picture on your screen) or the paperback copy (pre- order The Alien Mind paperback before the 4th to get yours in time!) to be entered into a special prize drawing!



 For all of those who would like to make donations for game prizes you can use the contact me form on the About The Author page or you can pm me on facebook. I will be promoting all the donators here and in the party! (I may also tweet about it from time to time ;)

So- come on in and join the fun!
www.facebook.com/vljennings

  Donators/Prizes:

-Aaron Demott is donating a bookmark and bookcover magnet to the games!

The Psygen Chronicles, Book 1: A New Threat 

"A simple diplomatic mission becomes a life and death struggle that could plunge the entire galaxy into a war...

When an alien ship lands unexpectedly in the middle of her clan's territory, Bast is sent to investigate as part of her scout trial. After an accident, she meets these new visitors. She and her senior scout Rrrark are invited to return with the aliens to their home planet to open diplomatic relations. What started out as a simple mission becomes complicated when they discover a pirate scheme that might be more than it seems. Are Bast, Rrrark, and two of the aliens called Psygens capable of stopping the pirates?"

www.aarondemott.com
Also... PLEASE (for me) like Aaron's facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAaronDemott

THANK YOU Aaron!

-Two beach sets donated by Greta King!

(unofficial bio)-> Greta is PDMI Publishing's Marketing Director and author of two children's books entitled Waiting For Santa and The Adventures of Fred and Ted. Go check out her facebook page here:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Greta-J-King/231748616840766?fref=ts

About Waiting For Santa:
Trying hard to stay awake, on Christmas Eve, a little girl begins to wonder what Santa might bring her--- and just how he gets all around the world to deliver all of those present in one night? Maybe it's not always reindeer. Wouldn't it be cool if he used a rocket, an airplane, or even skis sometimes? Or maybe he gets there different ways each year? While she's waiting to see what Santa puts under the tree for Christmas morning, she starts to dream of how he will cross the miles.....

About The Adventures Of Fred and Ted:
"Hi! My name is Ted. Fred and I are two young turtles trying hard to get to the ocean. To get there, though, we will need the help of our friends. 

Come join us as we learn about the ocean’s tide with Sam the Seagull, and explore the wonders of the ocean with Max the Whale."




-Jo Linsdell is donating an e-book copy of How To Be Twittertastic!

Are you ready to be Twittertastic?

Twitter is the most immediate of all social media and allows you to connect with readers and others from the literary industry from all over the world. The fastest growing network with a 44% growth from 2012-2013 Twitter now boosts 255 million monthly active users. How to be Twittertastic teaches you what Twitter is and how to use it to build your author brand, connect with readers, and sell more books. This easy-to-use guide will teach you strategies and tips that will help you leverage your Twitter presence and get the most out of your tweets.

(Jo has also published numerous books including; 'The Box','Fairy May', 'Out and About at the Zoo', 'Italian for tourists' and 'A Guide to Weddings in Italy', 'Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home' Run and check out Jo's page here: https://www.facebook.com/JoLinsdell?fref=ts

You can also find Jo's other social media links on her website atwww.jolinsdell.com !)

- Cindy Koepp - Author is donating three books to the event! Mindstorm and Remnant are available in e-book or paperback (winner's choice!)
1 copy of Mindstorm: Parley at Ologo
1 copy of Remnant In The Stars
1 copy of Lines of Succession (e-book)

Check out her Facebook page!: https://www.facebook.com/KoeppC
Twitter: @CCKoepp

About Mindstorm: 
Psionic healing. Psionic combat. Inside the mind, there's a landscape of glass.
Thomas McCrady, a telepathic negotiator from Haidar Station in Earth orbit, is faced with his biggest challenge yet when he is sent to broker peace with only a rookie partner to help him. Worse, she's the doctor he blames for the death of his last partner.
Calla Geisman's telepathy is not the same as a standard Haidarian's. Some people think she's a waste of space. Some people want her dead. But she's assigned to go with Thomas to Ologo anyway, and must gain his respect before she can play her part in the war's end.

About Remnant In The Stars:
Two hundred years ago, the Aolanian home world exploded and a remnant of survivors escaped. As their convoy combed the galaxy looking for a new world to colonize, they discovered Earth and were given permission to establish a temporary base while they continued their search for a new home world. When an Aolanian exploration vessel goes missing after transmitting a garbled distress call, the uneasy alliance between the humans and the Aolanians is put to the test as two anti-Aolanian groups jockey to use this opportunity to press their own agendas by foiling the rescue mission.

Because his daughter was onboard the Kesha when it vanished, Calonti Sora reluctantly signs on as an astrogator with the Gyrfalcon, one of the ships in the search party. There he meets up with an old human friend, Kirsten Abbott. Together, they work to overcome prejudice and political plots as they race toward an enemy no one could expect.

About Lines Of Succession:
When Princess Elaina refuses an arranged marriage, she flees the court --and her father's fury--for school. Normally, she enjoys practicing rapier combat and training Tiercel, her chatty griffin, but troubling dreams keep her on edge.

After a warning by a prophet, she returns to court only to find her twin taken captive and her father dying. Challenging the assassin leaves her blinded. As the sightless regent of Corby, she must protect her brother’s throne as he completes his studies.

Threats thicken all around her. Her ambitious uncle, mad for the throne, pressures her to abdicate to him. Elaina must find a way to see her path when all is dark. Failure would bring death to many.

Find them all on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Koepp/e/B008QXR2QI

-Nicole Quinn- has offered to donate both of her books, The Gold Stone Girl and It's A Nightmare- both are available in audio, e-book, and paperback! Winner's choice!"



The Gold Stone Girl Series, written and narrated by Nicole Quinn, is an epic, feminist, fantasy, hero's journey, by, for, and about humans, set in the distant future.

It's a Nightmare, book 1, has been nominated for a 2015 Tiptree Award. It's a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Award, and Science Fiction - Honorable Mention, New York Book Festival. http://itsanightmare.blogspot.com/

Find them both on amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/…/B00LHF3C7U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

- Author's Jack Gannon and Cyndi Barnier (also fellow PDMI Authors) have offered to donate an e-book copy of their book Murder In Two's And Threes!

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a collection of domestic crimes provoked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to implement an elite task force to eliminate any future threats. And just in time. When a once-innocent child turned adult psychopath takes his righteous revenge for nearly two decades of abuse on the citizens of Richmond, Virginia, the Task Force is sent to neutralize the threat by any means necessary. Mark Jason of Jason Enterprises is recruited for his specialized military training in an effort to challenge the emotional complexity of the killer that haunts Richmond's streets. His four-man team comes equipped with uncanny, bizarre, and ingenious specialties of their own. As the hunters become the hunted, even the most lethal men in the nation are in danger of becoming victims. This suspenseful thriller will leave the reader griping the pages, as the war of intellect over delusion wages on in a deadly time trap.

Jack and Cyndi are co-authors of six other books. You can find information about all their books on their website: http://www.jandcwordsmiths.com/

Be sure to stop by and check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jandcwordsmiths?fref=ts

They are also the founders of 'The Arts and Literary Festival' (formerly Annual "novel" Wine Tasting, Arts, and Literary Festival) promoting arts and literacy in the SC Lowcountry! Check out the festival's facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/artsandliteraryfestival



*****I also have a limited edition, custom prize planned for those who post pictures in the party of them with a copy of my book! (more details on this prize coming soon!)*****