Showing posts with label Christina Mercer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christina Mercer. Show all posts

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Author Earnings - Indie, Indie Press, and Big 5

Happy Thursday, everyone! It's a radio show day. *grin* Join me on A Daily Cup of Jo at 11AM EST!


Here's what I'm talking about today:

Author Jo Michaels discusses earnings of Indie authors and those published with a small press as well as those published with one of the big five.


If you've ever wondered why you should go Indie, this radio show gives you one reason: author payouts. If you take marketing and all the other jazz out of publishing, and just focus on the earnings numbers, it might give you some insight into just how many books you have to sell in order to make a certain amount of money.

I'll be breaking it down for you. Be sure you have pen and paper handy. This is going to be fun!

Our base numbers will be $4.99 for the ebook against earnings of $5k. I will NOT be factoring in KU pages read numbers or earnings.

Book mentioned on the show can be found here: Bean Counting for Authors: Helping Writers and Creative Business Owners Grasp Accounting and Taxes by Christina Mercer

I do hope you all check it out! Listen closely, and have a pen nearby.

What do you think? Did you know all this? Does it change anything for you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, July 11, 2016

My Utopia Con 2016 Book Haul - On the Air with A Daily Cup of Jo

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm over on Blog Talk Radio with the blurbs of allllll the awesome books I picked up at Utopia this year. I know, it's SO exciting!

If you're ready, here's the link to the show that will go live at noon EST AND a summary of the description:


My Utopia con 2016 book haul. Blurbs, authors, and all things bookish. Here are the books I'm talking about today:

You'll hear the blurbs today, and I'll be doing a brief reading from each of these books at a later date on the show.

~~~~

You can also get access to my show via iTunes! Just search for A Daily Cup of Jo in the search function for PodCasts and subscribe. Your app icon looks like this:


I hope you all enjoy the heck out of the show today! Let me know what you think.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Bean Counting for Authors - Helping Writers and Creative Business Owners Grasp Accounting and Taxes



Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, I have an awesome takeover post by the lovely Christina Mercer. YOU WANT TO READ THIS! Get it here on Amazon.

Here's an extra tidbit! If you're coming to Utopia con this year, Christina will be discussing this very topic in a panel! Title: The War Chest. Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016. Time: 3PM CST. See it on the sched app here!

Description:
For those who want to make a living as an author, it’s imperative to know the accounting side of the career path you’ve chosen. You gotta keep track of it all – the cost of swag, the travel, the conferences, the paperbacks, the promotions and advertising, and on and on.

This session will help keep you sane and your budget balanced (hopefully). Get tips from accountants and authors on how to keep track and manage your money, reveal the goods on what you can write off come tax time, and how to report it to Uncle Sam without losing an arm and a leg.

If you're not planning to attend the conference, change your mind now. There are tons of great panels, just like this one, for you to learn from! Get your tickets HERE.

Authoring books is amazingly fun and creative and never, EVER dull. . . However, along with all that imaginative wonderment, Authors come closer to becoming mini-accountants than they realize. Why? Because once anyone becomes an official business owner, he/she crosses into the realm of accounting and taxes.  

Oh, the horrors of it, right? But never fear! 

When Authors Mean Business, they have propelled themselves from merely writing for “fun” to reaping well-earned monetary rewards. AND THAT IS A GOOD THING, RIGHT? Authors are not only wand-waving story weavers, but also real-world professionals running businesses that earn money. And, yes, along with that comes accounting and taxes. If that causes some of you Authors out there to squirm, just remind yourselves that it’s a sign of monetary success if your books are earning ENOUGH profits to generate said taxes. And you don’t have to figure it all out on your own!

In order to help fellow creatives with all of this business and accounting stuff, I offer a handy little guide with some important must-knows of accounting, taxation, budgeting, and planning for the future. Learn the differences between a hobby and a business; get a handle on different business structures; learn about proper bookkeeping, sales tax, common and complex tax deductions, retirement options and more! 

 
NOW AVAILABLE!!


Counting each and every “Bean” earned may not be the idea of fun and adventure for most, but having lots of beans in the bank is a pretty great way for Authors to keep on doing what they do love most—WRITING BOOKS! And understanding some important business and financial basics is a big step toward making that happen.

Once-upon-a-time, Christina Mercer worked as a CPA. Though she retired that formal hat, you can still find numbers buzzing around her head. She is also an award-winning author of fiction for children and young adults. She currently resides in Northern California enjoying life with her husband, sons, pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees.


What do you think? Plan to check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Book Review - Honey Queen

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you another book review. This one wasn't on my TBR for the year, but I won a paperback at Utopia and took it on a trip with me. I devoured it. This title will go into the 2015 Time for Books Review Team pool. As of today, there are 373 book reviews posted there. You must check them out. Amazing authors on that list! Anyway, enough of my gabbing! Here's the book up for review today:

Title: Honey Queen
Author: Christina Mercer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Mythological Romance
Length (print): 284 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Paperback $11.99

Blurb:
A Regional SCBWI "Best in Show"

Love is honey sweet, but it comes with a fatal sting . . .
Melaina Maris needs wings to fly the gap between loving Sam and her family's ancient curse that forces carnal love and then kills the male lovers. She won't let the same fate that killed her father befall another. She refuses to allow her goddess-created bloodline to continue. But there's no easy way out, specially after the curse turns her into the Honey Queen--savior to honey bees--intensifying her charms.

To help her fulfill the curse's demands in the least harmful way, her grandmother takes her to mate with terminally ill Boyd. But Boyd's gay. And an expert in mythology. Instead of having sex, Melaina learns how she might summon the goddess who created the first ancestor bee-charmer and cursed her bloodline. Melaina's magic--tears to save honey bees from endangerment--could be enough to persuade the goddess to end the curse. But an unexpected discovery soon changes that hope, spinning Melaina into a swarm of love, friendship and death.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Let me tell you, the cover and interior of this book blow me away! What a wonderful job by the designer. Love the branding with the bees. So amazing! I'd like to see the author's name a bit more prominently, but that's just a nitpick of mine :)***

Let's get to the review!

I won a copy of this book in a drawing at Utopia, a conference for women writers. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was, because I'd had my eye on this novel for a long time, but hadn't had an opportunity to add it to my TBR. Well, having a paperback turned out to be the thing that got me reading it (on an airplane, no less). I dove in and devoured this book in a little over twenty four hours. Now that you know how I came about a copy, let's get to my thoughts on what's inside.

From a Reader's Perspective:
What an interesting premise for a novel! I have to say, I've never read anything quite like it. Mythology, sure, but honey bees? I fell in love with the main character right away. Watching her struggle through the curse made me smile because she's funny when she's frustrated. Melaina's grandmother was awesome. I adored the interactions with her and the guys chasing her granddaughter. Quite a spry old lady. Tears of the Honey Queen being the savior of the bees was a great twisty idea.

Romance in this novel was a slow burn that had been building over the years. Take two characters that have known one another since childhood (and seem destined by the gods to be together), and you have a recipe for perfection. However, the romance didn't play front and center, even though it was the reason Melaina wanted to be free of the curse. It was beautifully complex.

Another thing I got into was the description of the cars. You can tell the author likes American classic muscle by the way she describes Melaina's vehicle. Roaring, even. I loved it!

Pacing was awesome, and didn't let up on the action from page one. Like I said above, I read all 200+ pages in just over twenty-four hours. There was never a time I felt like things were dragging.

One detail threw me off, and I mention it because it was questioned, clarified, then stated again several times. Melaina talks about how she's the last in the line of descendants from the goddess Aera. But the last daughter has always been the last in line--the only one left--until she procreates. There's one place where the characters mention how Iliana had two daughters, but then it's clarified when we find out one of those daughters died. So there's always been just one. Gran was the last when she was a teen, Melaina's mother, then Melaina. I just didn't quite understand why this girl was the most important "last" one.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Plot, grammar, and punctuation were all on the up and up. Nicely done!

Rating:
1 Star for making me love the main character and her Grandmother
1 Star for the fresh idea
1 Star for pacing and wonderful humor
.5 Star for the slow romance
-.5 Star for the confusion
1 Star for editing
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars! I round up, so this book gets a 5. Recommended for those who like a good dose of gods and goddesses and a fresh story idea.

What do you think? Have you read it? Plan to?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, June 26, 2015

UtopYA 2015 Deets and Utopia 2016 Announcements

Happy Friday, everyone! Wow, I've been in a funk since returning from the con Sunday, and I haven't really had the ability to get on here and blog. But, no worries, it's all happening right now!

Before I get started, I have to announce that tickets for the 2016 con--forever more known as Utopia--are on sale NOW for VERY low prices! $80 is the basic one. This year, we'll also have fan tickets that will allow fans into the exhibitor halls to meet the authors. So many changes! Very exciting. Get your tickets or exhibitor space here.

When I set out for Nashville I was raring to go, promising myself I'd blog while I was at the con. That didn't happen. I, somehow, forgot how overwhelmingly busy the conference is. Minus five pounds by the time I got home should give you a good idea. Anyway, let me get to the details of awesome!

I left early Wednesday morning so I'd have the chance to see and talk to a couple of people I knew were already there before things went nuts. I had a lunch date with Regan Claire, and I was hoping to run into Carlyle Labuschagne, Katie John, and Carol and Adam Kunz. I got to see Carlyle and Katie, and low and behold, Ginny Gallagher showed up, too, but Carol and Adam were nowhere to be found. This is the lovely Katie:

Anyway, I squealed and hugged new friends and old ones, and barely had time to breathe. I did manage to get a couple of shots outside the hotel this year:

Regan, Ginny, my niece, and I, all went to Hattie B's for hot chicken and snagged some cupcakes from Gigi's. It was soooo crowded, but we had great food and a wonderful time. Pics!

As we were returning to the hotel, I find we're right behind Bella Roccaforte. I brought back cupcakes, and I handed them out in the HUGE line in the lobby of people waiting to check in. Surprise! It was the birthday of one of my fans (Terri Barber)! Need I say that she got the first pick?

Well, the Fractured Glass ladies (Kelly Risser, Casey L. Bond, Tia Silverthorne Bach, and N. L. Greene) arrived not a moment later. Once everyone got checked in and we hauled all our stuff up to our rooms, I asked the dreaded question: Should we wait an hour to load in to the exhibitor space, or should we eat first? They were starving, so the answer was:

"GIVE US FOOD! NOW!"

Rachael Brownell, Ginny Gallagher, a fellow IBGW editor named Karen Robinson, and Lindsay Lewis came along, and we ate amazing food and had a drink or two at Margaritaville. Pictures? Okay then:

Because we didn't get everything out of the car and into the room until almost six, and because the hotel shuttle was slow, we didn't get back until tenish. Setting up/load in time was up at eleven.

Well, the dynamite five had a book to plan, and I didn't want to be up all hours, so we decided to meet in the room I was sharing with Tia so we could get to business and just set up the next morning.

You guys are going to DIE over the book idea. If it's half as good as we see it in our heads, well... Anyway...

Up suuuuper early the next day (Thursday), I went in search of a cup of coffee to wake me up and a trolly to carry all our junk to the exhibitor room after my shower while Tia was in the bathroom doing the same. I scored one. Whew! We had a bunch of boxes and stuff, and it was all soooo heavy.

After six, we were in the space putting our stuff up (this took about an hour). Then it was off to a very speedy breakfast and on to the keynote speech for the day given by Denise Grover Swank. As she talked about the losses in her life and how they'd brought her to where she is today, I cried. It was so moving. We got out right before the exhibitor hall opened, so I boogied back downstairs (elevators took a LONG time). Here's a shot of Crystal Bryant, me, and Janet Wallace, as well as Denise and the IBGW booth:
 
 

We gave away allll those books you see on the center of the table in the first shot, and I snagged a copy of Lex Talionis by S. A. Huchton (read it already, review to come).

I attended two talks that day: When Marketing Globally, How to Act Locally by Stormy Smith and Slaying the Demons (Dealing with PTSD as a Writer) by Chelsea Starling (this second talk ran wayyyy over, and I didn't get out until right before lunch). See our pic!

Lunch was crammed down between talking with people and chewing. Then, it was back to the exhibitor hall.

I moderated a panel that day about being a book blogger/tuber. We gave away a book, and everyone who attended said they loved it so much. I was sweating, so it thrilled me to hear that bit of info. On the panel were (from left) the lovely Maria Pease, Chris Canon, and Tammy Blackwell. It was fun! Here's a pic Christina Marie took from the audience:

Then it was back to the exhibitor hall until four. Everyone didn't clear out until almost five, but we managed to escape eventually. I headed back to my room to freshen up and change clothes for the keynote speaker dinner at seven.

As always, I was a little early (6:30ish), and I ran into one of the women I'd been dying to meet but hadn't gotten the chance: Regina Wamba. She's an amazing photographer, and she does cover shoots for many of the attending authors as well as headshots and promo pics. I finally got to drink some water, which was amazing, by the way, and ten minutes later Denise Grover Swank came in. I spoke with her for a little bit, and then Liz Long, Janet Wallace, Kim Holden, Lindsey Miller (the backbone of the con), the winners of the dinner (Myra Lang and Meg Farrell) showed up along with Lauren Miller. This is Lauren:

We were shown to our tables. Oh man, I got to sit with her! Denise was at another table, and Kim was at yet another table.

You guys, Lauren is SO down to Earth. She's such a real person. And, we got to eat amazing food! Yes, I took photos:

Jamie Anderson (also one of the vertebre of the con), showed up, and he and I talked about his upcoming release (news to come later). I saw a photo of this somewhere. I can't find it now. Gah! 

Anyway, after the dinner (which ended around nine), I headed downstairs to find Tia. After stopping in the lobby and chatting with folks milling about, I located her and we headed to bed. Earlier than most, but later than I would've liked (like I said, I love my sleep). I tossed and turned all night, and woke up early the next day (around fiveish). Fun! No, not really. I'm crabby when I can't sleep.

So, it was off to the races once again. After locating coffee and having breakfast, we headed upstairs to listen to Lauren give her keynote speech. Wow did it resonate. I'm so elated to have gotten to meet her. I skipped the shaking of hands and rushed down the stairs (see previous note about the elevators) to get back to the exhibitor hall.

There I was all day until lunch (which I again inhaled between conversations) and my panel right afterward. This one I was sitting on, and it was moderated by Rick and Amy Miles. It was a good debate there for a minute, because it was called: How to Make Your Blog Tours Run Like Clockwork. You all know me.

Moving on.

After that, I hoofed it back to the table because we had to start breaking down soon. An hour later saw us unloading in the room, separating stuff so we could set up the next morning, and getting ready for the Afterlight ARV-3 short film premiere that night. I have a bunch of pictures and videos that I'll be sharing Monday. For a little teaser, here's the author and the crew:

Man, I do loooove me some zombies.

Once the film was done, we headed back downstairs to get food. We were dead on our feet. I inhaled dinner once it made it to the table (slowwwwwwww) and we skipped karaoke in favor of our beds. It was late, and with two women and two teens in our room needing to get changed/ready for bed, we finally crawled into bed around eleven.

Up again at five on Saturday, we had to shower, eat, set up for the day (again), and be upstairs for the last keynote speech by eight-thirty. I had a bit of a rough start that day because I was so tired, but I got through it and pushed on. All day was spent at my table, with an hour for lunch where I sat and talked with S. M. Boyce. Here's my table, and B. Kristin McMichaels's beautiful little girl!

Once again, breaking down and stuff happened around four thirty (people were difficult to clear from the signing hall), then it was back to the room to get ready for the awards and the cocktail hour that began at six. Dinner was pizza, courtesy of Casey L. Bond, that she had sent to the room. It was crazy. CRAZY with seven females getting changed, doing makeup and hair, and trying to eat. I got one piece of pizza.

Then, downstairs for the awards where we had a lip sync battle, and Casey L. Bond won an award for Sin for best serial series! Pics!

Once the main event was done, I cleaned all the crap off my face, changed into jeans and a tank top, and went to the after party. I danced with B. J. Sheldon and all the other ladies, but we only stayed about an hour. Again, I was so tired!

I can list the drinks I had over the four days on one hand. Okay, so I'm lame, but water was always, ALWAYS needed, and I don't like to have cocktails when I'm dying of thirst. *grin*

Up again super early on Sunday to head to the closing ceremonies and pack everything up so we could check out of the room and head to the Parthenon.

Big announcements happened that morning, and Janet Wallace revealed the theme for year five: Revolution! She also announced that utopYA will be changed to utopia and will expand to include middle grade and adult paranormal and contemporary. Wowzers!

It was my nieces first (and maybe only) visit to Nashville, and I wanted her to see all the things. Besides, I wanted that extra hour with Tia, who I only get to see once a year. Here are some photos!


After that, I dropped Tia and Jackie back at the hotel and started the drive home. It wasn't too bad (just about three or four hours), but I was exhausted and traffic sucked because TDOT decided to put some cones in the road. Yeah, no construction, just cones.

Finally, I made it home! Today was the first day I've felt anywhere close to being a human, so it is what it is. I've been busy today rounding up the bloggers for next year, so expect me to be back to my regularly scheduled program on Monday.

Still on the fence about doing written author interviews for 2016, but we'll see.

Did you enjoy them last year?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, October 20, 2014

Author Interview - Christina Mercer

Happy, happy Monday, everyone! Today, I have the lovely Christina Mercer on the blog. Can I get a shout out of love for this awesome lady, please? I met Christina at the Friday night signing event at UtopYA Con 2014. I was lucky enough to get to sit right next to her (we were arranged alphabetically); and, me being me, I struck up a conversation. Her first image below is her at the signing. Awesome display, huh? She's one amazing person. If you don't have tickets to UtopYA 2015 yet, they go back on sale in November. You can get one here. Grab your pajamas and a cup of coffee, relax, and read on to the end where you'll have a shot at winning a book!


Jo: Welcome to my little piece of Heaven, Christina! I’m so excited to have you on my blog today. I loved researching you for this interview; you’re quite the interesting lady! Ready to get into it?

Christina: I am so ready and sooo happy to be here!

Jo: Awesome! Let's jump in there. I'll start with a book question. *grin* Your books have gotten some serious attention in the competition world. Arrow of the Mist has two significant awards (Semi-Finalist in the ABNA, and an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 21st Annual Indie competition), and Honey Queen was awarded one (Best-in-show at a California SCBWI Regional Con) so far. Congratulations on those huge achievements. I have to ask you how it felt when you were notified.

Christina: The ABNA contest was my first novel award and it really helped give me the validation I needed to keep going, keep writing, keep persevering toward author-dome. Positive acknowledgement in any form is huge for writers because we are constantly wondering if our stuff is “good enough,” so I was/am utterly grateful to have had my work honored in these competitions.

Jo: Yup, I've felt the exact same way you do about validation. Sometimes, it's just awesome to hear someone say how much your work moved them, eh? I know you’re a beekeeper, and I ran across some interesting tidbits about them on your website, but I have to know the exact moment you formulated the idea for Honey Queen.

Christina: Honey Queen came to me the beginning of the summer in 2011. I was tossing the idea around with my teenage son and he actually came up with the title before I’d written a word of the story. The book is a mix of my passion for writing young adult stories and my love of honey bees. And I’d never read anything else like it!

Jo: I've never heard of anything like it, either. I already bought it, and it's on my early 2015 TBR list! *grin* Why are you driven toward Celtic lore? Irish roots?

Christina: My mother’s side is Irish, but more than that is a life-long fascination with mythology. Celtic countries in particular revered nature, trees, herbs and also the unicorn (my child-hood obsession). Many of our nature-based paths today stem from Celtic traditions that speak to me on a deep level. I will also say that Greek mythology provided my imagination with visions of Pegasus and beautiful oceanic goddesses, and so where my first two books honor my love of Celtic mythology, Honey Queen showcases inspiration from Greek myths.

Jo: Um, what little girl doesn't dream of having a unicorn? *giggles* Guilty! I love mythology. Took a class in college for the heck of it. We should talk about it sometime because I'm not as familiar with the Celtic lore. Your books all have awesome reviews on Amazon. That rocks! Are you nervous about what every author dreads (the low rating)? What do you think you’ll do?

Christina: LOL. I’ve already had that first “bad” review (though not on Amazon), and it put me in a total funk for a day. Then I realized that every author gets them, even the big players. It’s bound to happen because our stories simply won’t appeal to everyone the same and everyone has a right to their opinions. Constructive criticism is good because it helps us grow, and I appreciate a well-thought-out review, even if it’s a “low-rated” one. But I do take comfort in the fact my books have received mostly great feedback! :)

Jo: Explains why I didn't see it. I love that outlook. I remember the first low review I got for I, Zombie, and it was well thought out and concise. I appreciated the reviewer taking the time. Plus, she was super sweet about it. Let’s talk about your brain child, Indie Visible, for a moment. What’s the goal of IV, where did the idea come from, and what are some of your future plans for the group?

Christina: Indie-Visible 1.0 actually began in the fall of 2012. I joined the group a couple of months after its inception and worked alongside some super dynamic women. We had a good routine for blog posts and book reviews, with our overall aim to eventually provide a site where Indie authors could gain advice and referrals to Indie publish their books. A variety of factors contributed to the re-launch of Indie-Visible 2.0 (watch for it on February 1, 2015!) with three of us from the original group plus a few other awesome additions to comprise the core crew, along with a list of bloggers and freelance experts to make up our larger membership. Our greatest mission is to provide a one-stop, extremely interactive site where Indies can build their publishing teams and where readers can find quality Indie books while having fun with the authors they love.

Jo: I'm super excited about it. IBGW is so honored to be part of your group. Indies banding together? We may take over the world. *grin* So, you say you’re naturally shy, so how do you force yourself to open up and meet people? Do you put that shyness trait into any of your characters?

Christina: Boy, it has been a slow process overcoming my shyness. Publishing my first book and having my first signing was a big step (it helped that lots of family and friends were there). The more I actually put myself “out there” with signings and interviews, the easier it became. Public speaking is perhaps the truest test and when I had my first speaking gig at a high school, I surprised myself in how calm I felt. I believe the camaraderie I have found within the writing community and the support given from those who enjoy what I write has done wonders for this once painfully-shy girl to overcome her fear.

Jo: I would've never guessed you were shy! So, you're doing a great job. Time for some rapid fire questions! Circles or squares (you can’t say hexagons! LOL)?

Christina: No hexagons? Okay, then Circles :)

Jo: Disposable or reusable?

Christina: Reusable

Jo: Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry?

Christina: ALL! Oh, all right, Vanilla


Jo: Time travel question! I love these. So much fun to see what people say. Here we go: If you could go back and change one major event in history, what would it be and what impact do you think it would have on the world? I know, I’m tricky. *innocent grin*

Christina: Oooh, that question could generate an entire essay from me! Everything in history has had a domino effect in causing the next big event, and the next after that, so that the true roots of events causing devastation actually stem from things set in motion way, way before the events take place, so choosing one thing, one root thing is HARD! I mean I could go back as far as the time of Christ or Constantine or when the Black Death hit or less far back to Slavery in America or the Stock Market Crash or when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany or the Vietnam War or 9/11 . . . And I’m not even going into the fact that out of many horrific events, great things have also been born (inventions and human interactions that might not have happened otherwise). So, changing history is VERY TRICKY indeed!

BUT in keeping with the question, I’ll stick to the 20th Century and go back and abolish WW I as the major precursor to events (the biggest one being WW II) that caused massive devastation and forever changed our modern world.

Jo: Sweet answer. I'm a tricky type of person. *evil-laugh* I know you and Chelsea Starling are very close. How did you guys meet, and what makes you work so well together?

Christina: We actually met right after the launch of Indie-Visible 1.0 in 2012 when I jumped on board with the group. We really got to know each other soon after that when Chelsea created my web site and the cover for my first book. We “clicked” right away, as if we’d known each other forever, and when I learned her birthday was the same day as my husband of 27 years, it made perfect sense :)

Jo: She does some awesome website work. I love her designs! Isn't it funny how there are those people you just mesh with? Well, before this post gets too dang long, I’ll have to end it here. Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had, or any little nuggets of shame you’d like to share with my readers?

Christina: I’m honored to be here amid such a fantastic audience!

Jo: We're honored to have you! Thanks so much for joining me today. I can’t wait to see you at UtopYA Con 2015!

Christina: Thank YOU for having me!! And I am counting down the days until UtopYA 2015 :)

Jo: Aren't we all?

Now, it’s time to reveal the featured book of the week!

Title: Honey Queen
Author: Christina Mercer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Length (print): ~185 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99 ~ B&N $2.99 ~ Kobo $2.99 ~ iBooks $2.99

Synopsis: Love is honey sweet, but it comes with a fatal sting . . .

Melaina Maris needs wings to fly the gap between loving Sam and her family’s ancient curse that forces carnal love and then kills the male lovers. She won’t let the same fate that killed her father befall another. She refuses to allow her goddess-created bloodline to continue. But there’s no easy way out, especially after the curse turns her into the Honey Queen—savior to honey bees—intensifying her charms.

To help her fulfill the curse’s demands in the least harmful way, her grandmother takes her to mate with terminally ill Boyd. But Boyd’s gay. And an expert in mythology. Instead of having sex, Melaina learns how she might summon the goddess who created the ancestor bee-charmer and cursed her bloodline. Melaina's magic—tears to save honey bees from endangerment—could be enough to persuade the goddess to end the curse. But an unexpected discovery soon changes that hope, spinning Melaina into a swarm of love, friendship and death.


While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give this lovely lady a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Twitter: @cwritebuzz
Facebook: Christina Mercer Writes
Pinterest: Christina Mercer
Website: Christina Mercer
Blog: Christina Mercer
Goodreads: Christina Mercer
Google +: Christina Mercer
LinkedIN: Christina Mercer
Instagram: cmercerbuzz

Christina has been so kind as to grace us with a GIVEAWAY! Holla! Enter with the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below! Christina will be happy to interact with you.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo