New Books, Sale Books, FREE Books!

Happy Summer, reader-friends! 

It's the season for great books and books on SALE!

But first, let's wish a Happy Book Birthday to fellow Indelible Karen Hooper whose new book Taking Back Forever releases today!

whoop whoop!!! *throws confetti*

Taking Back Forever is the exciting sequel to her book Grasping at Eternity, which I read about a month ago and LOVED. I'm reading TBF right now, and it's just as awesome.

I highly recommend this one!

On Amazon

Taking Back Forever (Book 2 of The Kindrily series)

Forever is worth the fight.

Maryah erased all memory of her past lives, but she couldn’t erase her soul mate Nathan, or his undying love. Now, Maryah and Nathan have a second chance at a future together, but first Maryah must remember the person she used to be and embrace her supernatural gifts—more than one kindrily member’s life depends on it.

Maryah’s power is Harmony’s best hope of finding her kidnapped soul mate, Gregory. But Harmony isn’t big on asking anyone for help, and she’s tired of waiting, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. 

Heaven help anyone who stands in her way.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

And visit Karen's website (link) where she's having a Huge Party with prizes and giveaways. Hooray for Karen!

Now for the Books on Sale!

Playing with Matches by Elle Strauss

On Amazon

Was: $3.59
Now Only: $1.99

On Amazon









The Truth About Letting Go by Leigh Talbert Moore

On Amazon

Was: $2.99
Now Only: $1.99

On Amazon | Barnes & Noble

* * *

Want FREE books? Be sure to check out our Indelibles Free Books listing here (link)!

And have a super reading weekend!


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Leigh Talbert Moore is a wife and mom by day, a writer by day, a reader by day, a former freelance editor, a former journalist, a caffeine addict, a chocoholic, a beach bum, a lover of any great love story, and occasionally she sleeps.

-THE TRUTH ABOUT FAKING (link) is her debut young adult romance.
-THE TRUTH ABOUT LETTING GO (link) is her newest book available now!
-ROUGE (link) is her mature-YA/new adult romantic suspense novel.
-DRAGONFLY (link), Book 1 in her new contemporary romance series releases June 6!

Leigh loves hearing from readers; stop by and say hello:
Blog * Facebook * Amazon Author page * Goodreads

IT'S ALL SUBJECTIVE

As humans,

As writers, why do we let negativity affect us so much?

Why can one negative remark stick with us, upset us, deflate us, ruin our mood or even our whole day?

Why is that we can receive dozens of compliments and not obsess over any of them, but when a stranger says something negative we let it fester?

I don’t have the answer.

But as an author who has my beloved stories “out there” for strangers to love or hate, I have developed a cardinal rule, a mantra, a declaration that every writer/artist/human should keep in mind at all times: You can’t please everyone.

You can’t. I promise you; YOU CAN’T.

Stop trying. Stop worrying about the people who don’t like what you’re doing, saying, or writing. Readers have different tastes and expectations. Over six billion people exist on this planet. That’s A LOT of opinions. Don’t focus on the people who don’t like you, your book, or whatever. They are entitled to their opinion--even if it’s negative.

Focus on the positive. Focus on what makes you happy and keep doing it. Authors, embrace each and every tweet, email, review, or comment from readers who say they loved your book. Let those comments be the ones you replay in your mind as you go to sleep each night. Focus on the positive. Brush off the negative.

Art is subjective. Life is subjective. Opinions are subjective. Books are most certainly subjective. Go read reviews of the most popular book you can think of, I assure you, there will be people who didn’t like it. It’s normal. It’s expected. It’s a given. Because it’s all subjective.

I’m reading an indie book that I adore. I think it’s brilliant. The writing is great. The concept makes my eyes light up with wonder as I read. I contacted the author and told her how much I love her story.

Her reply was: You have no idea how much this email means to me. I've had a lot of hot and a lot of cold with this book, so I never know how people will react. They seem to either love it or hate it.

I wrote her back and said pretty much the same thing I said at the beginning of this post.

She replied with this: You are so right, Karen. My skin is VERY thin. I hear only the negative and don't pay enough attention to the good. I'm working on tuning the haters out, but sometimes it's a struggle.

Oh, look at that, another human author with real feelings. Another artist who is hurt when strangers think one of her babies is ugly. Every writer has been through this struggle--or will at some point in their career. We all take the negative comments to heart--even though we shouldn’t.

Now, here’s an eye-opening fact about the above author’s book. I looked up her reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Between the two sites, her book (the one she’s had so much hot and cold with) had over one hundred twenty (120) four or five star reviews. Less than a dozen 3 star reviews, less than ten 2 stars, and less than five 1 stars. NINETY (90!) percent of people liked her book on Goodreads.

But as she admitted, she hears only the negative. Tuning out the haters is a struggle.

NINETY percent of readers liked her book. Many REALLY liked it. Many LOVED it. Some said it’s the best book they’ve read in a long time. But this brilliant author still has thin skin. As many of us do.

Why? I have no idea.

It’s one of the great mysteries of the world.

Maybe it’s because we put so much heart, soul, and passion into our writing. When someone says our heart, soul, and passion is crap; it hurts like hell.

I know. I get it. I’ve been there. I still occasionally read a negative review and reach for a cocktail to help me cope, but then I remember my number one rule. I repeat my mantra.

I can’t please everyone.

Then I reread fan mail and positive reviews, and focus on the proof that many people out there DO love my work. Those readers make this crazy roller coaster ride of writing the best and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Haters and all.

Karen Hooper writes young adult paranormal and fantasy, and is the author of TANGLED TIDES and GRASPING AT ETERNITY. She is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. Some of her addictions include coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters.

You can find her at www.KarenAmandaHooper.com or on Twitter at @Karen_Hooper.

I HAVE A DREAM

I’m not a leader. I’m not a follower.

I am an artist. I am a dreamer.

I dream of writing and sharing great stories. I dream of meeting amazing and supportive readers. I dream of interacting with and supporting my fellow authors.

I don’t care which path leads to me my dream. For me, it’s about the journey and the destination, not the vehicle in which I travel.

I personally know many “big” traditionally published authors, small press authors, self-published authors, and writers-who-will-one-day-be-published-somehow. I do not classify them by their path, or their vehicle. I learn their names and respect them for pursuing their dream.

Sometimes I read and watch quietly from the sidelines, as some (not all) authors, agents, editors, readers, reviewers and others in this storytelling business, argue or defend or scheme or belittle or throw stones, and I think, “Why?”

For the love of books, why can’t we all just get along?

I’ve heard some ambitious people talk about how they want to knock down the walls that separate traditional and indie authors and publishers. I understand the concept, but I don’t want to knock down anything—or anyone.

Instead, I want to throw a grand and beautiful garden party. Fantastic music and twinkle lights will lure everyone out from behind their walls to gather together under the same big sky. Competition and negativity will melt away as people smell the flowers and breathe in fresh air, meet and mingle, dance like no one is watching, and eat dessert first.

Name tags are optional, labels aren’t allowed, and no one cares how you were published, how big your deal was, your number of sales, how many followers you have, or the number of comments you receive. The simple fact that you are an artist, and a dreamer, and an eternal work-in-progress means that you are welcome and—as if there was ever any doubt—you are a VIP.

One of America’s greatest leaders, Martin Luther King Jr, was also a dreamer. I’m going to borrow the groundwork of his most famous speech, but adapt it to fit my dream for the world of storytelling.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the current stereotypes and upheaval of the publishing world, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this world will rise up and understand the true meaning of writer: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all authors are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the drama-filled pages of the internet, the sons and daughters of former slaves to the Big-Six-Is-All-That-Matters way of thinking will be able to sit down together at a table of readerhood.

I have a dream that one day even indie and self-published books, which currently exist in a world of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into a reader's paradise of justice and originality.

I have a dream that my fellow authors, no matter how they are published, will one day live in a world where they will not be judged by the name and size of their publisher, but by the content and quality of their stories.

I have a dream today.

Tell me, dreamers, what’s your dream?

Karen Hooper writes young adult paranormal and fantasy, and is the author of TANGLED TIDES and GRASPING AT ETERNITY. She is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. Some of her addictions include coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters.

You can find her at www.KarenAmandaHooper.com or on Twitter at @Karen_Hooper.