Kristie Cook's Blog, page 3

Today’s Soul Savers World Tour stop takes us to one of my favorite places that I’ve had the blessing to visit twice so far, but Alexis and the gang only get to see once, on a rainy night as they pursue their mission in Book 5. Do you know where we’re headed? Let’s go see! Click here to visit the Facebook page of the incredible and dynamic Denise Grover Swank. Yes, the DGS! Denise was one of my very first writer friends on Twitter, 6 years ago. We had lots of fun together traveling through the UK earlier this year while we were on tour. You probably know her through any of her fantabulous books, such as the Rose Gardner Mystery series. If you don’t, you need to!

Travel to today’s stop on Denise’s page to see the new cover for Book 5, enter the daily giveaway, and be sure to Like her page while you’re there. Also, take note of the souvenir for today’s stop. You’ll need that for next week’s big grand prize giveaway.

I hope you like the new cover of Book 5 as much as I do! It’s my second favorite of them all.

Today’s Soul Savers World Tour stop brings many of us a little closer to home, to a country Alexis and her unexpected new friend travel through on their way to Hades in Book 4. Do you know where we’re headed? Let’s go see! Click here to visit the Facebook page of the seriously sweet and prolific Mary Ting/M. Clarke. Although they’re not related to Tristan, you’ll find some more sexy Knights in Mary’s books, including her upcoming release Twas the Knight Before Christmas.

Travel to today’s stop on Mary’s page to see the new cover for Book 4, enter the daily giveaway, and be sure to Like her page while you’re there. Also, take note of the souvenir for today’s stop. You’ll need that for next week’s big grand prize giveaway.

I hope you like the new cover of Book 4 as much as I do!

Today’s Soul Savers World Tour stop takes us way around the world along with Alexis and Tristan in Book 3. Do you know where we’re headed? Let’s go see! Click here to visit the Facebook page of the AH-mazing Shelly Crane. She’s another New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with an upcoming Young Adult scifi release, The Other Side of Gravity.

Travel to today’s stop on Shelly’s page to see the new cover for Book 3, enter the daily giveaway, and be sure to Like her page while you’re there. Also, take note of the souvenir for today’s stop. You’ll need that for next week’s big grand prize giveaway.

I hope you like the new cover of Book 3 as much as I do!

Now that she’s received her extraordinary powers, Alexis has much to learn about her new life, her new world, and the people in it—vampires, mages, shifters, and more. Nothing is what it seems on the surface, including the matriarch’s council members, who are hardly different than their human counterparts—seedy, power-hungry, greedy politicians. Alexis’s first assignment is to use her gifts to identify the traitor who lurks among the council. Not an easy task when she learns that everybody’s hiding secrets, including information about a girl who just might be her daughter.

When the enemy attacks, Alexis and her family are forced to run, so they set out to find the girl who might offer hope for the future. But the search for answers leads only to the revelation of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test—devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people, and to her beliefs—leaving her to question whom she’s fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won’t fight . . . who will?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/DDzon

Nook: http://smarturl.it/DDnook

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/DDkobo

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/DDit

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/DDitaudio

Audible: http://smarturl.it/DDaud

Today’s Soul Savers World Tour stop takes us somewhere Alexis goes to in Book 2 of the series. Do you know where it is? Let’s go see! Click here to visit the Facebook page of the fantabulous and completely badass L.P. Dover. She’s a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with an upcoming New Adult paranormal/fantasy release, Resisting the Moon. Yay for #TeamWolves!

Travel to today’s stop on L.P.’s page to see the new cover for Book 2, enter the daily giveaway, and be sure to Like her page while you’re there. Also, take note of the souvenir for today’s stop. You’ll need that for next week’s big grand prize giveaway.

I hope you like the new cover of Book 2 as much as I do!

Change is coming.

Having learned to cope with her grief, Alexis has settled into a quiet and predictable life. Until now, when a vampire appears in her room, ordering her to stop exposing his secrets in her blockbuster books or he’ll come for her family. Although the threat feels uncannily real, it has to be a dream. Because monsters may exist, but vampires do not.

Change is inevitable.

Erratic thoughts suddenly consume Alexis’s mind, inexplicable impulses overcome her body, and her evil inheritance simmers in her soul. She begins to question her sanity, because what she sees couldn’t possibly be real. Like the vampire who keeps threatening her.

Change is here.

But Alexis discovers there’s a fine line between fact and fiction . . . and between insanity and reality. Especially while going through the Ang’dora. She’s changing, and just in time. The enemy has exploded in a fit of rage, targeting her and her family.

In the transformation that gifts her with supernatural powers, not even she knows which will prevail in the battle for her soul—the goodness she was born into or the evil that flows in her blood. And the consequences for everyone she loves prove to be unimaginable.

Buy links:

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/AAPzon

Nook: http://smarturl.it/AAPnook

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/AAPkobo

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/AAPit

iTunes Audio: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/purpose-soul-savers-book-2/id644836987?at=11l6dI

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Purpose-Audiobook/B00BOXGWCC/

Today we kick off the Soul Savers World Tour, which means I finally get to share this! I’ve been sitting on this beauty for months, and it’s about killed me. But now, without further ado, I introduce to you the new title and cover of what was formerly known as Promise, Book 1 in the Soul Savers series. When you’re done drooling, head over to my Facebook page for the first stop in the Soul Savers World Tour. There are daily giveaways of signed books and a big giveaway at the end of the tour next week. Hint: Be sure to collect the souvenirs at each stop.

Fabulous cover photography and design by the always amazing Regina Wamba at MaeIDesign.com.

First book in the New Adult paranormal Soul Savers Series discovered by over 1 million readers  

Over 4,000 Five-Star Reviews (Goodreads/Retailers)

“An exciting and fascinating fantasy of demons and angels, highly recommended.” – Midwest Book Review

“Keeps the reader spellbound to the end, eager to discover what comes next.” – The Charlotte Sun

“A fantastic epic love story. The paranormal Romeo & Juliet.” – Ex Libris Book Reviews

Amazon Overall Top 100 Bestseller. Recommended Read by Midwest Book Review, RT Book Reviews, and USAToday.com. #1 Bestseller in Fantasy and Paranormal.

College freshman Alexis Ames wants nothing more than to tuck away her freak flag and pretend it doesn’t exist. Career, family, and true love. That’s the normal future she yearns for. But when she falls for classmate Tristan Knight, everything changes. Behind his disguise of perfection, he’s not exactly normal, either, and their secrets begin to unravel.

She’s the future leader of a matriarchal society that serves as the Angels’ army on Earth, and he was created by the very Demons they fight. Legend says their souls were made for each other, but that doesn’t mean love comes easily. While Tristan battles the darkness bred into him so he can be with her, she must conquer her own inner demons of past betrayals and learn to trust again.

If their relationship can survive, their union will bring hope and promise to the world. But Hell’s minions want the couple for themselves and will stop at nothing to have them. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven—and in Hell.

1st Place Winner – 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award – Fantasy (Published) – Florida Writers Association

Best Supernatural Hero Award – utopYA Con 2014

This is the first book in the series about the paranormal romance between Alexis and Tristan. You’ll meet vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, and a new type of nephilim. The further you get into the series, the more creatures you’ll discover, including shapeshifters, fae, sorcerers, angels, and demons.

(This book was formerly titled Promise. The covers and titles have changed for Books 1-7 in the series. This book has some content changes, with a new scene added in November 2015.)

NOTE: This is a paranormal series that crosses from New Adult to Adult. It contains mature content meant for 16 years and older. This series is not a YA.

Buy Here:

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/ADPzon

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/ADPib

B&N: http://smarturl.it/ADPnook

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/ADPkobo

Does anybody remember these covers?

Five years ago this week, I was getting ready to release my second book ever, Purpose. Although it feels like yesterday, I can’t believe how much has happened in that time. Life is all about change, and sometimes those changes are huge and unavoidable, and other changes we barely notice until we look back. And then there are some things that remain the same as time slips by, whether for good or not.

Certain relationships stand the tests of time, and there are people in our lives we know will always be there for us as we will be there for them. We have habits and routines formed long ago that keep life moving smoothly. We rely on certain landmarks, whether literal and physical or figurative, for always being there to guide our way, a solid part of our foundation.

Then there are those things that should change, whether because they’re outdated or have become obsolete. Grandma’s brown and gold couch, for example, or Uncle George’s leisure suit. Styles evolve. Technology progresses. People grow. That last one is really important – if we’re not, as humans, growing and changing individually, then we are not truly living. We’re only existing. We do, we learn, we improve, we do again but better, we grow … and then we do it all over again. If you can look back at yourself 10 years ago and say you are exactly the same, you’re doing it wrong.

This idea also translates into the business world, including writing and publishing. Obviously, my writing has improved since my first story written in elementary school, but in the last 7 years, since I began this path of becoming a published novelist, it’s evolved tremendously. Any writer will tell you, even the greatest, that they still have much to learn about the craft. There is always room for improvement, and when you start believing you can’t possibly be any better, you may as well put away the pen (or the keyboard) for good, because you’re done. You’re already a has-been.

Not only has my writing and storytelling evolved, though. The industry has been through (and continues to go through) an era of volatile shifts, altering the landscape on an almost daily basis. I look back on the last five years with amazement at the transformation and applaud those of us who have survived and thrived. Yet, there is still so much to come, and we must continue to adapt.

And then there were these…

All of these changes and shifts and alterations have been heavy on my mind for months. Actually, for about a year, as I prepared to release the last two books of the Soul Savers series. I knew those two books would be the end of an era for my readers and also for myself. Except…they really weren’t. There are still millions of readers to reach, so many to discover the story for the first time. There is much potential for the series in various formats. My brain, my heart, my soul wouldn’t let me just put the series up on the shelf and forget about it while I moved on to new and supposedly better. I couldn’t leave the series as it was, forever unchanging as life marched on. The story is too much a part of me, and as I learn and grow, I know it can, too.

So for many months now, I’ve been investing much time and money into Alexis and Tristan’s story. The current covers of the first couple of books have been out for over 4 years now. They were beautiful then, and although I still love them, they’re outdated. What catches readers’ eyes has changed, and these covers were no longer serving their purpose. I knew the covers would need to be updated a long time ago, but out of respect for those readers who like to collect a full series with matching covers, I wanted to finish out the series with the same look. They’ve had nearly a year now to complete their collections.

I’ve also learned over time a lot about publishing and book marketing and came to realize that my titles weren’t necessarily the best they could be. Each one was painstakingly chosen for the book, and some even changed a few times before publication to be the best they could be for the story. But you have to read the story to get them, and until then, they’re not necessarily meaningful. They do little in piquing a potential reader’s interest. Readers of certain genres, including urban fantasy, have expectations, whether they realize it or not, for covers and titles, and mine did not meet those expectations.

All of this to say that the Soul Savers series is getting freshened up. It’s being rebranded with new covers and new titles. And while I was at it, I’ve made some new revisions. Some of the books, like One and Seven, have more extensive changes (Book One has a whole new chapter), while others have simply been cleaned up. Please don’t worry if you are a fan of the existing story – it was very important to me that the original story and everything you love about the characters remained intact. Early readers of the new versions say it’s the same story they fell in love with, only better.

“The story hasn’t changed, there are a few tweaks, but nothing that will change how you feel about them! Honestly, I fell in love all over again! And Faith? Absolute perfection!! I was nervous to start, but now I’m more excited than ever!” ~ Christina

“This story is still the same one we fell in love with. I was scared, too, but I read and remembered why I feel so hard and deep for this series.” ~ Stacey

“I was lucky enough to have been a part of reading the new changes and was ashamed of myself for doubting the señorita badass that we know as Kristie Cook. I have never loved characters in a book as much as I do these. They stay with you long after the last page has been turned. I get it! The changes are NOT taking anything away from the story. So  I say wait with greedy anticipation for the rerelease of Tristan and Alexis.” ~ Heather

In other words, the Soul Savers series is still everything you love, but hopefully less of what you don’t.

Now there is… Well, you’ll just have to wait for it.

Now here’s the fun part! We’ll be revealing and re-releasing the new versions starting this Friday, Dec. 4, through next Thursday, Dec. 10 with a special Soul Savers World Tour. It’s a virtual tour that includes stops with six amazing authors, one per day. Then, on Friday, Dec. 11, I have an exciting announcement to share. So pack your virtual bags and be sure to join us every day as we reveal each jaw-dropping cover and give away some awesome prizes. Be ready to be wowed.

It’s Monday! Which means another Supernatural Chronicles release! This week, The Witches come to New Orleans.

Ash Sabien, a born mortal witch, was meant to be an immortal guardian, as was Soren Wade. But they were never meant to be lovers, which is why Ash fought the pull to him, sometimes venomously.

Days before the sacred holiday of the Day of the Dead a message was sent to their coven: diairoúmeno aíma enós epistrofí̱ sou.

It was a call to rise, a call to hunt what was revered by their coven and use it to stop evil. The honor of the hunt was given to Ash and Soren. When Ash rushed to tell Soren of the mystery before them the last thing she expected was to walk in on Soren with another girl. She bolted. He chased her.

Neither one of them saw the truck.

Neither one of them felt the pain.

Death came like a thief in the night.

Ash knew as she stared at the tragic scene that she’d failed her fate, they both had. She let herself feel, care—and now there was no telling what could happen because she had. In death could they rise? In death could they finish the hunt and save more than them, more than their coven…?

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What would you be doing right now if you were not an author? I would be in a deep, dark pit of depression! (JK, maybe…) Before writing I was a field executive for an international retail company. I adored the fast pace of the business world, but nothing makes my heart quicken like the untold story of a whispering character.

5 years ago: what were you doing? Five years ago, I had been published for one year and was daring to think I could write and leave the executive world far far far behind me!

Do you have a certain writing ritual? I do not stand behind the saying ‘writers write, if you are not writing then you are not a writer.’ I think if you chase a world count you abandoned the romantic, magically side of writing. My ritual when characters are whispering to me is to write as fast as my fingers can take me—sun up until my eyes fall shut! When I’m not writing, I’m living my life and finding inspiration in every thing.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? All criticism is hard to hear, but each ounce of it is a chance to learn. I take what I can use and leave the rest behind.





Ever fangirled over another author? Who was it? In person, not yet ☹ One day soon though I will meet my idols!!!





Is there an author you’d like to meet? Ah! So many! Kresley Cole, JR Ward, Francine Rivers, Steven King, Nora Roberts…





Biggest writing pet peeve? …I can’t think of one.





Do you read other’s reviews of your books? Sparingly… I mainly just hear the chatter in my author groups ☺

When I sit down tomorrow with my family to give thanks for all of my blessings, please know that you will be close to the top, only after my Savior and my family and friends. I am so grateful for you and am glad to have you in my life, even if I’ve never personally met you. I hope you have a blessed day full of love and good times.

I have something new coming! I’ve been working on it hard for months, and the time to share with you is almost here. I can’t wait! So watch this space and my Facebook page for more info coming soon. If you’re a newsletter subscriber, you’ll be the first to know. And…that’s your tease for today. Hehe.

Who needs to wait until Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday for an awesome sale? Not me. My entire shop is on sale now. Everyone gets everything 50% off! If you’ve been wishing for signed books or maybe a Soul Savers coffee mug, now’s the time to get it. In fact, I’ll add to the tease – if you want the Soul Savers series with their current covers, now is the only time to buy them. When my inventory is sold out, they’ll be gone forever. #justsaying So hop on over to my Shop page and put your order in fast. Everything is on limited quantities, so the sale ends when stock runs out or Dec. 15, whichever comes first.

It’s Monday, which means it’s another Dynamis in New Orleans release day! Today, the succubi arrive in NOLA. This is an awesome story with a little bit of sexy and will leave you hoping for more. In case you don’t know her, I’d like to introduce the author, Julia Crane.

*What would you be doing right now if you were not an author?

I’m not sure. Probably be more involved in alternative healing.

*5 years ago: what were you doing?

Living in Dubai with so much free time on my hands I started writing.

*Do you have a certain writing ritual?

I set aside from 10-2 to write and I get kinda cranky when life throws a wrench into my plans.

*What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

There is a lot of negative feedback in this world. At first it bothered me until I put it in perceptive, not everyone is going to enjoy your work. Emails and messages from fans make any bad review seem very insignificant.

*Ever fangirled over another author? Who was it?

Not that I can recall. I know authors are just people like everyone else.

*Is there an author you’d like to meet?

Probably Jennifer Estep. She’s super nice on social media and I love her writing.

* Do you read other’s reviews of your books?

I appreciate all reviews

Julia Crane dreamt of elves and teen androids long before she captured them and put them on paper. She’s written and released over fifteen young adult and new adult titles over the past two and a half years. From science fiction adventures to succubus,

HOW CAN READERS REACH YOU?

https://twitter.com/JuliaCrane2

https://www.facebook.com/juliacraneauthor/

www.juliacrane.com

https://www.instagram.com/yajuliacrane/

When a cryptic letter is left at the doorway of her dormitory, nineteen-year-old succubus Skylark Quinn is sent in place of her nemesis, Alexis, on a top secret mission. Why she has to go with Kragan Kane—the biggest jerk, and hottest incubus on campus—is beyond her, but the decision’s well above her pay grade.

All Skylark knows for sure is the ancients are keeping secrets and the supernatural community is on edge. Rumors claim immortals’ powers are at risk, but burdened by a supernatural power she despises, why should Skylark even care?

You can pick up a copy here…

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