Showing posts with label Eva Pohler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eva Pohler. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

New Release - Sigils and Spells (Charon's Quest by Eva Pohler)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! And Happy New Year! Today, I'm bringing you all info on a new release from the fabulous Eva Pohler! Bet you're all wondering what's in it for the year 2018, huh? Well, I'll get into that tomorrow. If you're a veteran of this blog, you're aware that I look backward and forward around the turn of the year. There will be some changes around here. Big ones. I'll also be updating my link list of helpful posts, and maybe do some rearranging. We'll see. Anyway, enough about all that! Let's get you to the release info! Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

Book info first!

Title: Sigils and Spells (Charon's Quest by Eva Pohler)
Author: Eva Pohler
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Box Set ~ 5585 pages
Buy Links: Amazon  ~  Barnes and Noble  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  $0.99


Blurb:

The ferryman of the dead is forced to leave the life he’s always known.
Apollo has had a vision: as the life of each soul flashes before Charon’s eyes, the ferryman ages like an old man. Charon needs to experience his own adventures to become youthful again, or he will soon die.
The last thing Charon expects is to fall in love with a mortal woman—someone he can’t take with him when he returns. Charon must decide whether to abandon the love of his life or his duties.

***Charon's Quest will only be available in an exclusive limited time edition of a box set with over twenty other urban fantasy stories with diverse representation. You get ALL THE NOVELS for only 99 cents in Sigils and Spells.

Here's the boxed set cover!


What do you think? Gonna pick it up?

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

Jo

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The Gatekeeper's Trilogy 99 Cent Sale

GatekeeperBox
Readers are calling this series, "Amazing," "Addicting," and "One of the best modern retelling of ancient myth." Kirkus Reviews wrote that it's "sure to thrill Hunger Games fans," and Midwest Book Reviews calls it "a powerful young adult fantasy."  
A teen becomes entangled with the gods of Mount Olympus when one of them, Thanatos, the god of death, wants his chance at love. He makes a deal with his father, Hades, but not all the gods want him to succeed.

Part paranormal romance and part adventure story, this trilogy follows Therese's adventures as she struggles to overcome the challenges the gods dish her in her quest to become like them. For one week only, from September 20th to September 26th, the digital box set of The Gatekeeper's Trilogy, usually $5.98, can be downloaded from any ebook retailer for 99 cents! That's three full-length novels, a total of 230,564 words, for less than a buck!  

The Gatekeeper's Trilogy Promo


Here are the download links:

Kindle Nook iBooks Google Play Kobo Smashword

What do you think? Gonna grab them?

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

Jo 

Sunday, June 7, 2015

The Gatekeepers Trilogy by Eva Pohler

Happy, happy Sunday, everyone! Man, do I have one heck of a deal for you all today from author Eva Pohler. Sit back, relax, and get your clicking finger ready! Here we gooooooooo!

GatekeeperBox

Readers are calling this series, "Amazing," "Addicting," and "One of the best modern retelling of ancient myth." Kirkus Reviews wrote that it's "sure to thrill Hunger Games fans," and Midwest Book Reviews calls it "a powerful young adult fantasy." A teen becomes entangled with the gods of Mount Olympus when one of them, Thanatos, the god of death, wants his chance at love. He makes a deal with his father, Hades, but not all the gods want him to succeed. Part paranormal romance and part adventure story, this trilogy follows Therese's adventures as she struggles to overcome the challenges the gods dish her in her quest to become like them. For one week only, from June 7th to June 13th, the digital box set of The Gatekeeper's Trilogy, usually $5.98, can be downloaded from any ebook retailer for 99 cents! That's three full-length novels, a total of 230,564 words, for less than a buck!
The Gatekeeper's Trilogy Promo
Here are the download links: Kindle Nook iBooks Google Play Kobo Smashwords

To celebrate this one-week sale, Eva Pohler Books is also giving one lucky winner a $40 gift certificate of his or her choice, plus a signed paperback set of the trilogy. Keep reading to find out how to enter. This series was initially written as a trilogy and can end with the third book, or you can keeping reading through all six. This box set includes the first three books. If you want to keep reading, come back here to follow Therese's adventures as she strives to become a goddess in the ancient Greek pantheon. You can find the other three books in the series here:

 Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00023] Kindle Nook iBooks Google Play Smashwords Kobo
 GatekeepersSecretEbookKindle Nook iBooks Google Play Smashwords Kobo
 GatekeepersPromiseEbook finalKindle Nook iBooks Google Play Smashwords Kobo  

After you download your copy of The Gatekeeper's Trilogy, be sure to enter this international rafflecopter giveaway, which ends at midnight on June 13th. You can enter daily!

Then be sure to come back to this page to find out if you won and to get the other three books in the saga!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Did you snag them? Awesome deal, huh? Get to entering!

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

Jo 

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Using Groupon for Book Sales

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Wow, do I have an awesome idea for you all today. Strap yourselves in and grab a cup of coffee, because this is gonna be one wild ride!

As I often do, I was thinking of new and innovative ways to sell/market books. I have a friend named Eva Pohler (find her on Facebook here), and this idea comes from a little snafu she hit a little while back with Barnes & Noble booksellers. No, this doesn't trash B&N (I love that store!); it's just information about what happened with her books. Plus, if you've encountered this particular problem, it might be information about how to unload books.

I'm gonna start with Eva's story, and work my way up from there. Stay with me, folks!

So, Eva wanted to have her book in a brick and mortar store (don't we all?), and she decided that was her goal for 2015. Please understand, when Eva goes after something, she goes after it; nothing gets in her way. Gosh, I admire that. Anywhoooo... So, she speaks with someone from B&N and they tell her, in order to stock her books, those titles need to be returnable.

Quick aside: Books are the only (yes, only) retail merchandise that's returnable for a 100% refund. How crazy is that? Okay, back to the story!

In order to make a self-published book returnable, you must go through a company like Lightning Source. Eva did that, made the book returnable, and B&N ordered a great number of copies of her titles.

Needless to say, she came home one day to find boxes and boxes of her books sitting on her doorstep. This is where my idea begins. I only told you enough about Eva's tale to give you an idea of what we're dealing with: tons of books sitting in your living room that you have no way to sell.

For the rest of Eva's story, check out the interview she did with S. M. Boyce here. It's a long video, but it might save you some money someday, I suggest you check it out.

Moving on!

I started thinking: How the heck is she gonna sell all those books? Marketing is difficult enough without a crapload of inventory sitting in your house. If Amazon can't sell them, how can you?

Enter Groupon. Why this never occurred to me before, I have no idea. But it's been a growing platform for sales for years. If you find yourself in a position like Eva did, why not create a Groupon to help move that stock?

I did a little digging before I started this post, and creating a Groupon is free.

But how the hell does Groupon make money, Jo? I know they charge you something! And how can I guarantee they won't oversell my stuff and me end up scrabbling to get more?

Great questions! I asked them, too. From their site: Groupon charges a marketing fee that's a percentage of the revenue from sales. You can set the number of items available, and they'll only sell that many Groupons. For answers to other questions, check out the FAQ here.

Now, the big question here is (you totally knew I'd look this up, right?): How many people actually buy Groupons? Here's an article from 2011 that gives a pretty good rundown of the numbers then. The projected growth is off the charts (no pun intended). Yes, that's billions with a B.

Can you imagine your book in front of that many people?

It's a huge marketing opportunity, and we Indies have to always be looking for the new idea in marketing. I love my iPhone, and I have Groupon. My husband and I use it often (browsing there created this idea). But I never looked at it as a market for books until now.

*face/palm*

Has my head been up my arse all this time? Or have I just never thought of it because it hasn't been done by anyone else? Either way, it's time to try something new, don't you think?

You may start here. Good luck!

What do you think? Will you try it?

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

Jo

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Otherworlds Blog Tour and Promo Blast

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I had a little computer snafu this morning, but I've managed to drag myself from the quagmire and emerge only slightly irritated. *grin* Today, I'm sharing information about the Otherworlds blog tour. Fun stuff coming your way! Sit back, relax, grab a cup of Jo, and let's get going!

OTHERWORLDS: TWELVE YOUNG ADULT FANTASY BOOKS TO BENEFIT THE HUNGRY

How can a child focus on solving a math problem or memorizing a new word when she or he is trying to ignore the persistent pangs of hunger? 

Across the country, teachers and school nurses have found that in some instances, Monday morning comes and they are forced to compete against hunger for the attention of their students. More than 18 million children qualify for free or reduced price meals through the National School Lunch Program, the fuel that they need to get them through the week. What happens to these children when they go home over the weekend?

For more than 15 years, the Feeding America BackPack Program has been helping children get the nutritious and easy-to-prepare food they need over the course of the weekend. Today, bags of food assembled at more than 150 local food banks are distributed at the end of the week to nearly 230,000 children every year. With your help, we can provide more.

Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. 

For less than one dollar, you can help. 

Twelve young adult authors have come together to form Otherworlds: Twelve Young Adult Fantasy Books to Benefit the Hungry. One hundred percent of the authors' proceeds from the sale of this charitable boxed set will be donated to Feeding America.

Otherworlds Boxed Set Cover Final

For ninety-nine cents, you can help feed America's hungry while feeding your imagination with twelve other worlds:
Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity, #1) by Angela Corbett  
Pawn (Nightmares Trilogy, #1) by Sophie Davis  
The Prophecy (Divinity Stone, #1), by Desiree DeOrto  
Through Glass Novella Series (#4, #5, #6), by Rebecca Ethington  
Final Life (The Transhuman Chronicles, #1), by Rose Garcia Reality 
(The Arie Chronicles, #1), by Dani Hart  
Hunted (Dark Secrets, #1), by Allie Juliette Mousseau  
The Amulet (Custodian Novel, #1), by Alison Pensy  
Betraying Innocence, by Airicka Phoenix  
The Gatekeeper’s Sons (Gatekeeper’s Saga, #1), by Eva Pohler  
Halo City, by Mary Ting  
Blood and Snow (Blood and Snow #1), by RaShelle Workman  

Pre-order date: September 1st Release Date: September 15

Otherworlds is available now for pre-order at Smashwords and Amazon (You may have to wait a few days for Amazon to price match the ninety-nine cents). It will soon be available at your other favorite ebook sellers, so stay tuned and thanks in advance for your support!

Here is a list of bloggers participating in the promo book tour. Please visit these other amazing blogs! Shooting Star Book Reviews 9/1
Platypire Reviews 9/1
Eva Pohler Books 9/1
Seeing Double In Neverland 9/1
Ashley's Bookshelf 9/1
A Little Bit of R&R 9/1
The Power of Three Readers 9/1
Sammie's Book Blog 9/1
Promoting Authors, Books & Reviews 9/2
S & N Books and More 9/2
Page Turners Book Blog 9/2
Paisley Reader 9/3
Dowie's Place 9/3
Escaping Life's Craziness With Books 9/3
cody pimps authors 9/3
Write Away Bliss 9/4
The Crazy Booksellers 9/5
Fairiechick's Fantasy Book Reader 9/5
Word Wenches Guilty Pleasure 9/6
Opinionated Cupcakes 9/6
GIFT 9/6
A Thousand Lives Lived 9/7
Shelves of Books 9/7
Reading For Fun 9/7
Write as Raine 9/8
Book Crazy Gals 9/10
Girls With Books 9/10
Short Side of Tall 9/10
EllieSewSweet 9/12
Eskimo Princess Book Reviews 9/13
Ang Corbett 9/14
Airicka Phoenix 9/15
CrossAngels 9/15
Pure Jonel 9/15

Have fun visiting these blogs and helping out a great cause!

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

Jo 

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Gray's Domain - Huge Giveaway for Active Minds

Gray's Domain Release Giveaway

Twenty-four amazing authors have joined forces with Eva Pohler Books and over a dozen outstanding bloggers to raise money for Active Minds, a non-profit organization devoted to mental health awareness and suicide prevention in young adults. In addition to donating their books, swag, and gift cards, many of these participants have also given cash donations directly to the organization.

This coalition of authors and bloggers wants to help eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and let young adults know there are people who care and to never give up.

You can help, too! One of the entry options on the rafflecopter giveaway is to donate $1 or more to Active Minds. The link will take you directly to the foundation's website, and it's so easy to do!

Here is the list of prizes you can enter to win:

Mercy Amare and K.T. Smith's Legacies
Casey Bond's Reap
Jacinda Buchmann's Indigo Incite
Nely Cab's Creatura Series, Books 0.5-2
Amy Evan's Clicks plus Jelly Bean Kisses
C.R. Everett's I Loved That About Her
A.M. Hargrove's Tragically Flawed
Susan Holmes's Deadly Ties: A Waterside Kennel's Mystery
Laura Howard's The Forgotten Ones
Amy Jones's A Zebra Like Me
Allana Kephart and Melissa Simmons's Uprising
Carlyle Labuschagne: Winner's Choice of any of her books
Quinn Loftis's Grey Wolves Series
Quinn Loftis's Elfin Series
Quinn Loftis's Call Me Crazy
Kelly Martin's Big Is Beautiful
Jo Michaels's Lily (Mystic Vol. 2)
Jennifer Miller's Pretty Little Lies
J.D. Nelson's Night Aberrations
Alison Pensy's Custodian Novels Boxed Set
Eva Pohler's The Gatekeeper's Saga
C.W. Stokes's Second Chances
Felicia Tatum's Intoxicating Passion Boxed Set
Becca Vincenza's Damaged
K.A. Young's The Nephilum Warrior Boxed Set
K.A. Young's The Elise Michaels Series
Deausha Kitty's YA Book Blog: $5 Amazon GC
Lisa's Book Lair: Swag
The Bookworm Blog: $1.99 ebook
Supagurl Books: Swag
Wicked Women Book Blog $3 Amazon GC
Kat's Indie Book Blog: Rachel M Raithby's Lexia The Deadwood Hunter Series, Book 1
From Ravenz Reviews: Heart Attacks: A Valentine's Day Anthology

GraysDomain3Along with the rafflecopter for the prizes above is a tour celebrating the release of Gray's Domain, the second book in The Purgatorium Series.

If you are need in therapy, this is the series to read! It tells of an island off the coast of California where Dr. Gray and her staff use experimental methods on clinically depressed and suicidal patients sent their by family members who have no other hope. Seventeen-year-old Daphne is their newest patient.  







TOUR SCHEDULE:
Michelle's Tells Blitz June 5th
Kristi’s Book Readery Blitz June 8th
A Book So Fathomless Interview June 8th
The Power of Three Readers Blitz June 9th
Escaping Life’s Craziness with Books Review June 10th
My Bookopolos Blitz June 10th
Literary Redemption Blitz June 10th
Lissa Lynn's Reviews Blitz June 11th
Shelf Full of Books Review June 11th
Purple Shadow Hunter Blitz June 12th
Jen's Must Have Books 2 Read Review June 12th
Lisa’s Book Lair Review June 13th
Inside Bj’s Head Blitz June 13th
Word Wenches Guilty Pleasures Blitz June 14th
Book Skater Blitz June 15th
The Book Worm Blog Review June 15th
Deausha Kitty’s YA Book Blog Review June 16th
Supagurl Books Review June 17th
Open June 18th
Open June 19th
Open June 20th
Pure Jonel Review June 21st
Kat’s Indie Book Blog Review June 21st
Wicked Women Book Blog Review June 22nd
Ravenz Reviews Review June 22nd

Winners will be announced on June 23rd! Please enter the rafflecopter below:   

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Look at all the amazing books in that pile above!   You know you want to win one (or two).

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

Jo

Monday, May 26, 2014

Eva Pohler Guest Post

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm proud to bring you a guest post by Eva Pohler! If you missed the interview with this awesome lady, check it out here. Without any ado whatsoever, I give you:

It's a Great Time to be a Book Lover!
by Eva Pohler



Whether you're a reader or a writer or both, it's a great time to be a book lover. Never before in the history of the world has reading and writing been so easy.

You used to have to go to a bookstore or library if you needed a book, and then, there was a chance the book you wanted wasn't in stock. Now you can go on line and have the book delivered to your front door. Even better, you can click a button and have the book immediately downloaded to your reading device. These options are especially nice if you're handicapped and have trouble getting out of the house. If you can't see well, you can choose a larger font on your device. If you're blind, nearly everything can be found in audiobook these days. And if you're a voracious reader, you can download and consume the next book faster than it would have taken to drive to the library or bookstore in the old days.

And let's not knock the bookstore, which provides a better experience for readers than ever before. Not only do you typically find a coffee shop attached with yummy sandwiches and pastries to consume while you read and browse, but you also have more choices in books. New genres, such as steampunk, continually evolve into being, and bookstores have whole shelves dedicated to them. The young adult category is a prime example. A genre that once was lucky to have a single shelf now has an entire section of multiple shelves in most stores.

And don't even get me started on literacy. Suffice it to say that more people can read today than any time in human history. This certainly makes it easier to be a book lover!

books in a stackIf you're a writer, you have a better chance of making a living at it today than any previous decade. First of all, the process of writing has been made easier with technology. Obviously, not having to write out the manuscript by hand in multiple drafts is a plus, not to mention the ability to add, delete, find and replace, and merge formatting, among other perks of using computer software. The research process is a cinch, too, thanks to the internet. It's no longer necessary to travel to learn the intimate details of a specific location. Need to know about a particular date in history? Google it. Need a dictionary, thesaurus, style guide? Google those, too.

In addition to the process of writing, publishing is also easier than ever before. If you are not lucky enough to find an agent and a traditional publishing deal, you have more options than writers as recent as five years ago. Smaller publishing companies empowered by advances in technology can help you, or you can assemble your own team and do it yourself. Professional editors, cover artists, publicists, and other industry professionals can provide you with all the tools you need to succeed. And there's so much free information on line that can tell you what you need to know to make it happen.

Once you produce your book, whether by traditional means or by self-publishing, you can help your readers discover it more easily than you could five or ten years ago. You no longer have to hope bookstore browsers find your books on the shelf or see your ads in a magazine. Social media and email help you reach readers. Services like BookBub and Ereader News alert their hundreds of thousands subscribers to your book, and, just like that, your book is out there, being read.

The fact that more and more people are making a go of it as a writer shouldn't deter you, either. Because more and more books are more easily consumed by readers more quickly than ever before, the market can sustain a higher saturation point. In addition to the ease of consuming books, there's also the cool factor. It's fashionable to be a reader and to have read the book before the movie comes out. So even people who might not be natural readers are jumping on the bandwagon and buying kindles and nooks to keep up with everyone else.

More readers, more writers, more books. How can this not be a great time to be a book lover?
~ Eva

No argument there! *grin*

Thanks for the words of wisdom, Eva! Great to have you on the blog again!

Now for Eva's featured book of the week!

Title: The Purgatorium (The Purgatorium Series #1)
Author: Eva Pohler
Genre: YA Thriller
Length (print): 247 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle FREE

Synopsis:
Seventeen year-old Daphne Janus is floored when her parents agree to let her accompany her best friend to a getaway resort on an island off the coast of California. She doesn't know her parents have sent her to the Purgatorium as a last-ditch effort to save their child.

Her best friend and life-long neighbor takes her to a mostly uninhabited island with a wildlife preserve on one side and Chumash Indian ruins on the “haunted” side. The resort might be beautiful, the beach pristine, and the views from the headland amazing, but strange things begin to happen that soon have Daphne running for her life. At first she finds the therapeutic games thrilling: the ghosts that visit her room, the dropping elevator, and the kayak incident are actually kind of fun once she recovers from them. But when her horse bucks her off during a trail ride and she becomes lost on the haunted side of the island, it’s not fun anymore, and she wonders if her parents have sent her there to help her or to punish her. 

Why not give Eva a follow on the following sites as a thank you for giving you a great book?

Pinterest: Eva Pohler
Goodreads: Eva Pohler

Now, for those of you that forgot, we'll be doing a post on June 1 for Eva's book Gray's Dominion and for Active Minds (a mental health awareness organization). Be sure and come back for that!

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

Jo 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Author Interview - Eva Pohler


Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! In keeping with my Monday theme through UtopYA Con 2014, I bring you another author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews or awesome guest posts, I invite you to check them out here. If you don’t have your tickets to the con yet, you may be SOL! See if there are any more available here and get yours today. Let’s get our interview on! Everyone make some noise to welcome the lovely Eva Pohler to the blog!

Jo: *squeeeee* Hiya, Eva! So good to have you here on the blog. I hope you’re ready to be thrown to the wolves that pretend to be readers of my blog. *grin*
Eva: Wolves? I LOVE wolves. Toss me in!

Jo: You asked for it! Haha! You’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever done a search on, let me tell you. Okay, let’s begin our feeding of the audience! I hear you have a couple of rats as pets (I love rats! SO smart!). Would you care to dispel some common myths surrounding those cute fuzzballs of joy and tell us a little about yours?
Eva: Absolutely. First of all, rats DO NOT carry rabies. My veterinarian assures me of that. They also regularly clean themselves and tend to use the bathroom in one area of their cage, and like cats, can even be litter trained. Like all animals, they aren’t a one-personality-fits-all species. Katniss (who recently died at four years of age—may she rest in peace) was not as social as Prim. When out of her cage, Prim will run right up to you, and she loves to lick your ear and play in your hair. She is so excited to be with you, just like a dog. So I tell people that rats combine the best qualities of cats and dogs to make the perfect pet.

Anyone considering owning rats should make sure they buy two. They get quite lonesome, unlike hamsters (who prefer solitude). It’s best to get sisters. And you want to be sure to let them out of their cage once every other day or so for at least twenty minutes.

We built a rat mansion out of an old chest of drawers. At four feet high and two and a half feet wide with four levels, it has been a great home for them. Here’s a photo, so you can see what I mean.

Jo: I had one named Baby who gave me many years of joy (and screams from women when I took her to the mall). *snort* I heard tell you plan your life six to seven years into the future. Wow. Does that take a lot of time? What’s been your biggest snafu in those plans so far?
Eva: I’m a big dreamer, and I like to think a lot about the future. Writing those dreams and goals down makes them feel more possible to me. So far, I’ve hit all the big ones: earn a Ph.D. in English, find the man of my dreams and marry him, have a few kids, teach on the college level, and become a published novelist. The biggest snafu was not finding an agent. I wasted years looking for one and got close many times only to have things fall through. The revolution in the publishing industry couldn’t have come at a better time. The option to self-publish got me back and track and has even helped me to get further along in my goals than I originally estimated.

Jo: Wow. Sounds like you're on the right track. Admirable, dear! Glad to have you Indie with us! You have a ton of books out. What’s your favorite title so far? Why?

Eva: Gosh, that’s hard. It’s like asking me which of my children is a favorite. Do I really have to answer? I love all of them. I put so much blood, sweat, and tears into writing every one, and they each brought me great joy. It wouldn’t be fair to choose one above another.

Jo: Well, it was kind of rhetorical. *grin* Tell me about the book you’re working on titled Queen of the Bees. What’s it about and where’d the title come from?
Eva: Wow, you really DID do your research! The title is a working title and is a play on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Since reading Golding’s novel, I have liked to imagine how the story might have turned out had the characters stranded on the island been girls instead of boys. How would things turn out differently? Or WOULD they turn out differently? So I created a cast of modern-day American private school girls who have the chance to be exchange students with another private school for girls in Japan. On the return flight, the American plane goes down, and only nine of the original girls survive. The adults are all dead.

In Lord of Flies, Golding emphasizes the importance of social institutions and their conditioning forces in taming and civilizing the natural beast within each of us. I want my story to show how those same institutions can hold us back (with things like gender stereotypes) from achieving self-actualization. Although the girls go through hell on the island, and conflict and betrayal and other bad stuff happens, my story is ultimately one of liberation and of the human capacity for love and compassion in the darkest of times.

Jo: Isn't the internet an amazing place to find information about people? *wicked laugh* Now that's a book I'd totally sink my teeth into. I love stories about the human condition (zombie books, anyone?). You have some new features on your website you’re in love with. What are they, where did the idea for them come from, and what do you see yourself doing with them in the future?

Eva: I enjoy engaging with my readers through a variety of media, so I launched Monday’s Meme, Two-Minute Talk Show, and Fan Art to make that happen. Monday’s Meme is usually a funny play on Greek mythology—like Hermes (the messenger god, among other things) hitting the beach once the gods get cell phones. Two-Minute talk Show was actually my son’s idea. He’s moved on to other projects, but I’ve left the nine videos he produced available to readers because they are so stinkin’ funny. The fan art idea came from Quinn Loftis. I am totally copying her on that. But I’m asking for Greek mythology-related art. I just can’t get enough of those beloved gods!

Jo: I'm a huge Rick Riordian fan and love tales involving the gods. *high-five* Who’s your biggest supporter in your writing and how have they influenced you over the years?

Eva: That’s a tough question, because I have so many supporters—my friends, my parents, my siblings, my grandparents, and my children. My children have been especially supportive, especially during the days of rejection letters from agents. But I’d have to say that my husband has been my biggest helper. He picks of the slack for me around the house when I’m crunching for time for a deadline. He’s also the one that encouraged me to take the leap and self-publish. When my books broke out and started bringing in a regular income, he told me he always knew it was a matter of time.

Jo: Awwww your husband sounds so much like mine. Isn't it great to have a staunch believer? I know your favorite literary character is Mr. Darcy from P&P. What qualities does he possess that make you like him so much? Is your husband a lot like Mr. Darcy (if yes, how so)?

Eva: Actually, my favorite literary character is Fermin from The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I love Fermin because he is so funny and tragic at the same time. Mr. Darcy is my favorite book boyfriend, though. I love how, in spite of the social expectations of his time, he follows his heart by proposing to Lizzy. I also love how he helps Lizzy’s sister and family and is generous to his own sister. My husband is not wealthy like Darcy, but he is very generous with family and would do anything to help a family member or friend in need. When he married me, I came with a lot of debt, so I know he didn’t marry me for my money!

Jo: I agree. Darcy is the every-man. Loving that you’re a huge Harry Potter fan (I am, too)! What do you think about the new attraction going up at Universal Orlando in July? Do you think your desire to visit Hogwarts will be filled anytime soon because of the HP world?

Eva: I cannot wait to go and am so jealous of my friend and fellow writer, Alison Pensy, who is going this summer! I’m not sure when or how, but I WILL get to Hogwarts!

Jo: OMG no way is she going! She didn't tell me that. *huffs* I wanna go, too! Sounds exciting. Time for the alien question of the interview! Being that you’re from San Antonio, Texas, close to New Mexico, do you guys ever see UFOs? Do you have an alien/weird encounter to share with us?

Eva: I don’t, but my husband’s cousin has a story. She refuses to talk about it but swears that personal experience has led her to believe that aliens exist without a doubt. I visited the UFO Museum in Roswell but wasn’t overly impressed. I believe that life most likely exists on other planets, and I do think it’s possible that they have made contact here. Abductions also seem like a legitimate possibility. I’m just skeptical of the typical image we see in the media—kind of like the white Jesus. Doesn’t seem true to life.

Jo: You now owe me a screen cleaning for that answer! *wink* Rapid fire questions! Napkins or paper towels?

Eva: Paper towels.

Jo: Red or Green?

Eva: Green.

Jo: Believe it or not, a favorite color tells a lot about a person. *smiles innocently* Tell me about being a lecturer at the college. Is it fun? How often do you go? What do you talk about?

Eva: Yes, it is fun. I teach on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. This was my last full-time semester (four courses). In the fall, I will teach only three. The following year I plan to go down to one or two courses, so I have more time to write. In five years, I will retire from teaching and write full time.

But, for now, I love it. My favorite class is an upper-division course called Young Adult Literature. Most of my students are junior and senior English majors who love to read. We read six books and they write two literary analyses. This semester we read Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, The Golden Compass, The Giver, Divergent, and The Hunger Games. Talk about fun!

Grading papers can be time-consuming, though—as can the administrative responsibilities. As much as I enjoy teaching, I’m looking forward to writing full time. My next dream is to buy a house with a lake view where I can write and gaze out for inspiration.

Jo: I love that you've nailed it down to five years from now. You go, girl! You had a Kirkus Review done for one of your books. Did that help your publicity at all? What has your favorite (most effective) marketing tool been?

Eva: I am so glad I was reviewed by Kirkus. One line in particular appears in most of my marketing materials: “sure to thrill Hunger Games fans.” That made me jump for joy!

Jo: I bet. I, Zombie got compared to Warm Bodies. I almost passed out! What influenced your decision to do audio versions of your books? How has that gone?

Eva: My own love for audiobooks prompted me to have them made. I absolutely love my narrators. Debbie Andreen has narrated all my Gatekeeper books and will be producing the last one as soon as I’m finished writing it. Coco Bell has just completed The Purgatorium, which will soon be available, and has agreed to produce the other two books in that trilogy. And Nancy Alexander narrated The Mystery Box with her fabulous, character-filled voice. All three of them have been great to work with, and the audiobooks make me proud.

Jo: I've been considering taking the leap myself; but I want to do the reading. We'll see. Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Is there anything you wish I would’ve asked that I didn’t, or parting shots you’d like to leave my readers with?

Eva: I just want to make sure your readers know that they can download the first Gatekeeper book (The Gatekeeper’s Sons) for free where all ebooks are sold [Amazon linky]. Also, The Purgatorium will be free for a limited time (it will go back to full price at the end of June) in celebration of the June release of the second book, Gray’s Domain [Amazon linky for The Purgatorium]. In conjunction with that release, I am raising money for Active Minds, an organization devoted to mental health awareness and suicide prevention in young adults. Your readers can help by opting to donate through the Rafflecopter giveaway. I chose to raise money for this organization because The Purgatorium series deals with teen suicide. It’s about an island off the coast of California where Dr. Hortense Gray and her staff use experimental therapy to terrify their patients into loving life. It’s quite intense, and many of my readers have told me they feel like they got some therapy out of reading it!

Jo: I picked up one (or both) of those! *grin* I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in just a few short weeks! *squeals* Thank you so much for being my guest, Eva!

Now it’s time to tell you about the featured book of the week!

Title: The Mystery Box (The Mystery Book Collection #1)
Author: Eva Pohler
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Length (print): 404 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~  B&N $2.99  ~  Smashwords $2.99

Synopsis:
Soccer mom Yvette Palmer lives an ordinary life in San Antonio, Texas when a box is delivered to her by mistake, and in taking it to its rightful owner—a crotchety neighbor named Mona who shares her back fence—is drawn into a strange and haunting tale.

Mona’s ratty robe, mood swings, and secretive behavior all raise red flags, and Yvette is sure someone else is living there despite Mona’s claim to live alone, but Yvette is unable to break away as she listens to how Mona transformed from a young college woman about to be married to the odd, reclusive, ghost of a woman she is now.

As Yvette listens to her neighbor's tale, she discovers a shocking connection, but doesn't know whether Mona's come to help or to harm her and her family.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Ms. Pohler a follow on social media?

Facebook: Eva Pohler
Twitter: @EvaPohler
Blog: http://www.evapohler.com

Be sure and come back June 1 for more information on Gray's Dominion and the Active Minds campaign!

If you have questions for Eva, pop them into the comments section below.

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

Jo

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Eva Pohler's 2000 Likes Extravaganza

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm bringing you all an awesome Facebook milestone for the fabulous Eva Pohler! She has a lot of really great prizes to give away so get on over to Facebook and join in the fun!

2000 Likes Header (2)


It's that time again! Time to celebrate another Facebook milestone: 2000 likes at Eva Pohler's Book Page. To help with the celebration, twenty-five authors and fifteen bloggers have joined together to offer readers an ebook extravaganza! Enter the rafflecopter below to win, and stop by the Facebook Event for additional Flash Swag Giveaways (t-shirts, buttons, pens, and other fun swag) going on from March 20th to March 24th. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 25th!

And don't forget that release day for The Gatekeeper's Secret: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Five is April 1st! We will be celebrating that day, too, with my April Fool's Isn't Just for Fools Party with the Olympians! Details to come.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It starts today, so get on over there and check it out!

Enter the Rafflecopter and have some fun.

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

Jo