Summer Giveaway Hop! Who Likes to Win?

Who doesn't like to win? Okay, put your hand down, Debbie Downer. The rest of us are here for some prizes and fun. So, let's get right to it.

First of all, thank you for stopping by. I'm verra, verra excited to share my brand-spanking new release, Heart of Mercy, the second book in the Mercy Series. I know I'm biased, but it is action-packed, suspenseful, blended with a little romance. I'll let you judge for yourself:

Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when things can’t possibly get worse, they spin completely out of control.

With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, a monster of a human being. Forfeiting the safety of the community, they leave and begin the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place Charlie knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the assumption Mercy is a place of protection could be the most dangerous risk of all.

Interested? Link to an excerpt here. Just don't forget to come back and enter the drawing.

Just in case you want to start with book 1, Edge of Mercy, I want to let you know that it is currently on sale for the bargain price of $.99. That means you could get both books for less than $5. Here's a little about EoM:

Charlie hides her true identity inside a community made up only of males, but her presence places everyone around her in danger. This community is surrounded by Draghoul, once-human creatures bent on infecting others. Left with no other choice but to remain, she fears her secret will be discovered, and she’ll be thrown to the creatures she dreads. Yet, the longer she stays with these survivors, the less benevolent they appear.

In this new and dangerous version of the world, where the friend beside you might be an enemy and an enemy might be your only friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie protects her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?

And if you just need a taste to see if you might like this series, you can get "Mercy," a short story of about 30 pages that introduces you to Charlie's world. Oh, and it's FREE.

Charlie’s true identity is a secret, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this short dystopian romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie must protect her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?

Around 9800 words. Part of a larger work titled Edge of Mercy.

All three can also be found at Barnes and Noble: "Mercy," Edge of Mercy, Heart of Mercy

Kobo: "Mercy," Edge of Mercy, Heart of Mercy

And Smashwords: "Mercy,"

Now, on to the good stuff: a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to look for more great giveaways on the list:

Edge of Mercy Goodreads Giveaway and Story Cartel

Winner, Winner, Reading Through Dinner! I just snail-mailed paperback copies of Edge of Mercy to five different winners of my very first Goodreads giveaway.  I love that I get to share this amazing cover in real-life with reader-peeps.  So cool!

Don't worry if you didn't get a chance to enter to win.  It was a little bit of a surprise to me that the giveaway was approved and going on (that'll teach me for not checking my e-mail).  I have another opportunity for you to get Edge of Mercy for FREE! All you have to do is go to storycartel.com, sign up, and if you feel compelled, submit an honest review.  That's right.  I want your honest opinion.

Okay, so let's be real a minute.  You might not have time (or the inclination) to sign up for an account at storycartel.  I aim to please, so I've dropped the price of EoM to $.99 for a limited time.  It's to celebrate the release of Heart of Mercy, the second book in the Mercy Series.

I've also decided to start on some bonus material while I'm working on book 3, and I'm so excited about these stories.  The series is told in first person, from the main character Charlie's point of view.  But two secondary characters have particular interest in her.  What if we could go inside Thomas's and Zeke's heads?  I'm seriously so anxious to get working on two short stories that coincide time-wise with Charlie's account, but their told from the boys' POV's instead.

If you'd like to be notified when new reads are available, sign up for my news-only newsletter here: New Release Newsletter or it's also on the side panel of my blog.

Happy Reading and Writing!

C. C. Marks
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No Room for Oneitis-Or How to Get Your Books Noticed

According to Mo'Urban Dictionary, compiled by Aaron Peckham, Oneitis is "the dreaded ailment of liking that 'one special girl' and wanting her more than any other woman on earth.  A want so intense that it's actually painful."

That's all well and good, and I'm sure it's a real phenomenon, but I suffer from a different kind of Oneitis. Many authors do.  Though I've finished multiple manuscripts over the years, I only have one book/short story published under each pen name.  I've spent too much time promoting the same book with very little to show for it. At one time, it was part of my plan to only publish short stories so I could continue to enter contests, but somewhere along the way, I figured out I'm not really a short story writer.

Unfortunately, I'm hesitant to put my work out there myself, so I still have one manuscript on submission, and I'm hanging onto another until I finish at least one more in the series.  So, this puts me in the awkward position of still suffering from Oneitis.

Let's face it though, if an author is going to get noticed, the more books, the better the chance. Wallowing in a sad case of Oneitis is no longer an option for me.

However, that is soon to be rectified.  The medicine is coming fast.  I'm about to publish the second in the Mercy series of books, titled, Heart of Mercy.  It's in the final editing stages, and I will be purchasing a professional cover at the end of the month.

Here's the blurb for the book:

Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when it seems things couldn’t get worse, they spin completely out of control.

With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, the self-proclaimed leader of the community, and begins the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place she knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the protection of Mercy could be a costly lie for them all.

I'll also be dropping the price of Edge of Mercy for a month, so hopefully some folks will take a chance on a new author, and I'll soon be cured of my Oneitis.

To completely eradicate Oneitis from my writing career, I'll be releasing a series of novellas, beginning in August.  And I can't wait to share those.

Do you suffer from Oneitis?  If so, what's your plan to move past it?

Happy Writing and Reading,

C. C.