Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Or happy hump day!


I hope everyone is having a fantastic day. As I sit still in my pajamas by the warm fire cuddling with my dogs and staring at the aftermath of present opening while sipping on my warm apple cider in the peaceful glow of the tree, I am contemplating what a fantastic year it has been and how blessed I am to have all of you in my life.



But on to good bits. Good Tidings. This is Baker’s Christmas short story. I have a few reasons why I chose to write this year’s Christmas story from Baker’s point of view. Some of them I can tell you and others I can’t because of spoilers.

Baker’s Christmas story starts while he is helping Olivia decorate the Christmas tree in Be Light. She asks him about his past because he is one of the few people she knows in the Abyss who still celebrates Christmas. After that we go back to 1929. For all you history buffs you know what a terrible year that was for our country and especially for Baker (St. Valentine’s Day massacre, prohibition was still in effect, and of course the stock market crash in October). I chose the year for these very reasons.

You see Baker was about to make a change in his life. A change that would determine the direction the rest of his life would take. If you remember when Baker and Olivia first met, she didn’t like him at all. She thought of him as simply Holden’s criminal friend. What she didn’t know what were the complicated layers that make Baker who he is and how he really isn’t all that he appears to be. However, the more she gets to know him, the better she understands. By the time you see them in Ember, Baker and Olivia are quite close and often team up against Holden.



This particular short story gives you a glimpse into the why and some of the blocks that began building Baker into the person he is in Ember.

I hope everyone has a great week. See you next year!

Liz

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Book 1 of the Jinn Trilogy and Baker's Christmas short story are here!

Ember has finally released! Woohoo! I am so relieved and happy to have the book out of my hands and into yours so I can stop keeping secrets. :-)

Olivia and Holden are back and with them, more impossible problems. Lots happens in this book and sets up even more for the series which I hope to have released in its entirety by spring (New Years resolution, give up sleep). 

Anyway, here it is!


Holden told Olivia it was only a matter of time before Hell came for them. After all, one doesn’t just walk away from the life he lived unscathed, but the longer Hell waited, the more Olivia let down her guard. She believed maybe happily ever after was possible—he knew it wasn’t. 
But when Baker shows up beaten and bloody on their doorstep with a message, all hope evaporates. The jinn make Holden an offer he can’t refuse: convince Olivia to free them all and the jinn will fight Hell alongside them. However, if their past has proved anything, it’s that the jinn cannot be trusted. When Olivia starts hearing a voice that no one can identify and Baker isn’t acting like himself, he is forced to make a decision. 
With Heaven staying hands off, Holden considers accepting the jinn’s offer behind Olivia’s back. One thing is clear, with their lives and the lives all those they hold dear at stake, something has to be done. If it were as easy as Holden going back to the jinn, he would do it in a heartbeat, but Hell wants more than his soul this time—they want Olivia’s too.


Also Baker's Christmas short story, Good Tidings, is also out. Yay! This story is special to me. I have loved Baker since I introduced him in Choices. I know readers don't know much about hi yet, but I promise the more you know the more you will fall in love with him. This short story takes place in 1929 and sort of gives you a glimpse into who Baker is as a person. 



Good Tidings by Liz Schulte 
1929 was a terrible year for Baker McGovern. The Chicago mafia was in upheaval, the stock market crashed, and prohibition was still in effect. However, life as he knew it was about to change.Ready to give up his career in the mob, all he needed to do was tie up a few lose ends and plan his exit strategy then he was home free. However, nothing ever goes as planned. Three little orphans cross his path and sets Baker on a road he couldn’t have anticipated.Trying to give them a Christmas they would always remember, they end up giving him the best gift of all. 


That's all I know! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Liz

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The Jinn Trilogy


The release of the first book in the Jinn Trilogy, Ember, is just around the corner, so I thought I would tell you why I decided to expand the Guardian Trilogy.



It actually happened while I was writing the Guardian Trilogy. The closer I got to the end the more I didn’t want to write. I had been with Olivia, Holden, Femi, and Baker for so long it was hard to end it. Thus the idea for the Jinn Trilogy started taking root.

The Guardian Trilogy was Olivia’s story. She figured out who she was and where she fit into the world. We saw snippets of Holden’s world but not much beyond that. Mostly, the story dealt with the guardian and Heaven side of things, the light.

The Jinn Trilogy picks up after the Guardian Trilogy. About a year has passed and Baker is attacked. Did you really think Hell would let Holden just walk away after investing decades into him. *raises eyebrow* This series will be about the darkness. The players are more powerful and infinitely more dangerous, the stakes are higher, and the losses are more devastating. It is told from Olivia, Holden, and Baker’s point of view.



Any time I write a book there are certain songs that make me think of the characters and the emotions they are going through in the story. I can’t always listen to music while I write (I find it distracting), but I will listen to songs on repeat before I write a scene to set the emotional mood in my mind. The songs are always chosen for their emotional impact and how they make me feel in relation to what is happening in the story.

With the Guardian Trilogy my songs were:

Secrets: Samson- Regina Spektor



Choices: Jar of Hearts- Christina Perri



Consquences: Goodbye My Lover- James Blunt



For Ember the song I listened to the most because it spoke to me on many different levels about different relationships in the story is I Know You Care by Ellie Goulding.



That’s all I have for today. Check back next week to hear about Baker’s Christmas short story Good Tidings and how it relates to what’s happening in the Jinn Trilogy.

Liz

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

How Much Can Indie Authors Realistically Make?

BadRedheadMedia.com
Guest post by Liz Schulte

Have you ever wondered if writing is the “get-rich-quick” scheme that you thought it was? Simple answer – nope.

I shared my insights on authorship, self-publishing, marketing, writing and income in my guest blog post at
badredheadmedia.com.

Briefly, there is no cookie cutter formula to writing success and book promotion. You have to carve out your own voice and promotion strategies. It’s not easy but it’s possible. You cannot count on being a one-book wonder either. It takes effort and investment to get your book out into the market.

For more insights and my three years of numbers check it out here.
 
Blog Design by Imagination Designs all images from the Scare Dee Doo kit by Irene Alexeeva