Here it is! The cover for Eyes Ever to the Sky my new paranormal romance/heroes origin story due out this winter. Here's the pitch to get you enticed. 

When Hugh wakes up in a smoldering crater – no memory, no clothes – a single thought echoes in his head…trust no one. Frightened and alone, with no memory of who he is, he stumbles upon a grisly murder scene and is fatally shot.  But then he wakes, only to find he can heal himself. He has superpowers, and he’s going to need them.

Desperate and bleeding, Hugh stumbles upon fifteen-year-old Cece, who’s got enough troubles of her own. Between caring for her bipolar mother and trying not to get evicted from her run-down trailer, Cece may be the only person struggling as much as Hugh. Drawn to Hugh, Cece finds a love she’s never known. But when the real killer  –  a man-hunting beast –  chooses another victim, Hugh and Cece realize they must unlock the clues to their past if they have any chance at a future.

My good friend and critique partner, Amy Trueblood, has a new anthology out. I read her story "Eminate" as she was preparing to send it in, and it grabbed my attention from the first. I am not surprised that she was chosen to be part of this anthology. I'd like to take a minute to celebrate with Amy and tell you a little about her exciting new anthology The Fall. Please welcome Amy Trueblood!


Katie:  An anthology of stories about the Apocalypse and events after sounds very intriguing. Tell us about the premise of this anthology. What kinds of stories are included?

Amy: The premise behind the anthology is to get many different perspectives on how the world might end and how it affects life itself.  The thirteen stories included in THE FALL are incredibly diverse. They range from a story about the destruction of government, to the hope of love after a brutal war, to a unique screenplay-version piece featuring judgment day, God and an iPhone.


Katie:  Tell us about your own story. Where did the idea come from? What's the story about?

Amy: I’ve always had a soft spot for stories about siblings and I wanted to delve into the lengths a family would go to protect one another.

“Emanate” follows the journey of thirteen-year-old Austin and his sister, Sunny, as they navigate a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by an alien species.  What makes the story unique is the only way the species can survive is through stealing “energy” which only comes from young girls like Sunny.  It’s a story not only about survival, but illustrates how strength can come from the most unexpected sources.


Katie: Tell us about the process for submitting your story for publication. How did it feel to find out you would be published? 

Amy: The submission process was two-fold.  I first sent in my original piece and it came back with an R&R (revise and resubmit). I worked for another few days to polish the story before re-submitting.

I wish I had a glamorous story for how I found out the piece was going to be included in the anthology, but I actually got an email when I was grocery shopping.  Yes, I was in the produce aisle, but that didn’t take away from the excitement of knowing something I’d worked so hard on was finally going to be shared with the public. It was, and still is, an exhilarating feeling!


Katie: What else are you working on?

Amy: I am in the final edit stage of my third manuscript which is a YA Contemporary Thriller.  I’m hoping to begin the query process with it in early 2013.


Katie: Any advice to writers considering submitting to anthologies like yours? 

Amy: Do your research.  Find a publisher who is not only committed to the project, but also surrounds themselves with great editors, who really want to make your story shine.  Matt Sinclair, publisher of Elephant’s Bookshelf Press, and editor of The Fall, was very “hands on” with this process. I was really impressed by how he worked with each of the contributors to ensure each piece was a credit to this anthology.  I must also give a “shout out” to my fellow authors, Cat Woods and Jean Oram, who encouraged me to edit and refine this piece until it was the best work I could do.
 
Thanks, Amy. 
You can find The Fall here. 
You can find Elephant Press here.

Amy Trueblood is a freelance writer who spends most of her time penning press releases for her favorite non-profit. When not “chasing the crazy” dream of being published, you can find her reading her favorite YA books, running, or slurping down her favorite mango iced tea. For interesting musings on writing, in-depth author interviews, and agents’ perspectives on those “first five pages” of a manuscript, check out her blog www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter @atrueblood5.

My stint as a published author is about as long as I project Honey Boo Boo’s TV career will  be. However, in my short three months of author-dom I’ve learned a lot. I wanted to take a moment and share with you my experiences as I see them in case some of you are thinking of diving into self publishing, too.  

First, it’s hard to know how much success is enough to make me satisfied. Sales have been okay. After the first surge, I’ve made enough money to buy myself lunch every day. I have hovered at 30,000 in the Amazon rankings every day. Now if you consider that is out of almost 4 million books, 30k doesn’t seem all that bad. However, when you are an overachiever like I am, sometimes I feel disappointed that I haven’t rocketed to stardom yet. However, with my cognitive behavioral training I have reframed my disappointment into a real sense of accomplishment. Have any of you seen the movie Fight Club? Of course you have. Now remember the scene where Tyler Durden asks every man in the car what they want to do before they die and then lets go of the steering wheel? Well, my answer was always publish a novel. Now I can let go of the wheel and know that a major box has been checked. My children and their children on until the apocalypse comes (I write dystopian, remember?) can read a piece of me. I like that thought.

Second, there is never enough times one can check their Kindle Direct sales page that will satisfy. It has become a bad habit of mine. I check it before I go to bed, when I wake up and many, many times in between. I am thinking about going and checking it right now, so if you will excuse me... There. I’m back. You see, it’s a bad, useless habit. If only my keyboard could give me a mild electric shock every time I type in Amazon, I might get more done.

Lastly, I was blown away, by the outpouring of support from my friends, family and surround community. I compare it to attending my own funeral without all the crying (only a few tears were shed and all by me). I knew my family would like it. I knew my friends would give me an atta-girl. What I didn’t expect was everyone (and I mean everyone) I know coming out of the woodwork to fawn over me. People I hadn’t spoken to since high school reposted my facebook posts to get me sales. Colleagues told all their students to go out and buy my book. Friends of friends of friends wrote me and told me how much they enjoyed reading it. If nothing else comes from publishing, these last two months have been worth all the love I have received.

There is so much more I could reflect on, but as I said, I’m still an author-ette cutting my baby teeth on a sequel. I can smell good things ahead, and if you are willing, I’ll take you along for the ride. Thanks to everyone out there that has supported me. Lots of love coming your way.