Cover Reveal for Dare to Dream

It's here!

I'm so thrilled to be able to share the absolutely stunning cover for my upcoming YA novel, Dare to Dream!

I hope you all love it as much as I do as I think it is stunning and perfectly reflects the themes of the book! Speaking of which, check out the official blurb below;

“The world was going to end. Of that, Maggie Trafford was certain.”


Fourteen-year-old Maggie Trafford leads a normal life. Well, as normal as being crammed in a three-bedroom house with four siblings and a single parent can be, anyway. But despite being somewhat ignored at home, Maggie excels, earning top grades, a best friend who would do anything for her, and stolen looks from a boy in Maths. 

It’s not until the dreams start that Maggie realizes “normal” is the least of her problems. Every night, she lives the same nightmare—red lightning, shattered glass, destruction. But nightmares are just that, right? No one believes her when she says it’s an omen. At least, not until the already mysterious pillars of Stonehenge start falling. 

No longer alone in her fear, Maggie and the world watch with bated breath as one after another, the historic stones tumble, like a clock counting down. But only Maggie knows what it means: when the last stone falls, destruction will reign. And when the world ends, there’s only one option left—survive.

Horrifying and raw, Dare to Dream is equal parts tragedy and hope, detailing the aftermath of apocalyptic catastrophe, the quest for survival, and the importance of belief.

If that has piqued your interest then you'll be pleased to know that book is available for download via the Reuts website and my editor and I are busy frantically working to get the book out in the big wide world as soon as possible!

http://www.reuts.com/store/books/dare-dream-electronic/

I must extend a massive thank you to everyone who has been involved in the cover reveal today. You are all truly awesome and I'm sending numerous virtual hugs your way! 

So do check out these amazing blogs to hear what other people have to say about Dare to Dream's haunting cover;

http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/cover-reveal-dare-to-dream-by-carys.html

http://bookreviewsbyem.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/i-am-delighted-to-be-able-to-take-part.html

http://beccasbooooks.blogspot.co.uk/

http://melodywinterbooks.blogspot.co.uk/

https://hollymartinwriter.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/cover-reveal-for-dare-to-dream/

http://busybrunettesbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/cover-reveal-dare-to-dream.html?spref=tw

http://bookbuddiesph.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/cover-reveal-dare-to-dream-by-carys.html

http://nicoleatone.com/cover-reveal-dare-to-dream/

https://misswishlade.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/coverreveal-dare-to-dream-by-tiny_dancer85-reutspub/

http://whathappenedtothewallflower.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/cover-reveal-dare-to-dream.html

http://www.seriouslydaph.com/?p=952

http://www.juliaessenburg.com/?p=157

xoxo

Cover Reveal for Sachael Dreams by Melody Winter

Today I'm really excited to be helping out a member of the Reuts family with a fantastic cover reveal for Sachael Dreams! Fellow Brit and all round fabulous writer, Melody Winter, has a New Adult romance coming out next month with Reuts and it sounds epic! Think dramatic twist on mermaid mythology epic! You can see the stunning cover below which is elegant, mysterious and so so beautiful! 

Twenty-two-year-old Estelle Bailey has had enough of busy city-life and her hot-tempered ex. She escapes to the seclusion and peace of her family’s clifftop home in Ravenscar, where the soothing solitude whispers to her soul as strongly as the sea itself does. But her newfound contentment is interrupted when a mysterious man—a Sachael, master of seduction—joins her midnight swim unexpectedly.

Estelle struggles against his charm and the overpowering attraction she feels for him. He offers her a life she never could have imagined, a life beneath the waves . . . but at what cost? Before she can decide, she’s captured, ensnared by the Sect, a secret enemy of the Sachaels, becoming a pawn in a war she knew nothing about.

Now, she’s left with a new choice—escape the clutches of the Sect and flee into the ocean, or side with her alluring, intimidating captor and destroy the Sachaels forever. Can she turn her back on the man she might love, or will the secret of her heritage change everything?

Set against a picturesque backdrop, Sachael Dreams is the first in a new series, exploring themes of romance, love, and identity, and the struggle that happens when all three collide.

Growing up, Melody Winter showed a natural ability in art, a head for maths, and a tendency to write far too long English essays. Difficult to place in the world when she graduated, she pursued a career in teaching, but eventually ended up working in Finance. Melody is convinced the methodical time she spends working with numbers fuels her desire to drift into dream worlds and write about the illusory characters in her head.

Melody Winter lives in North Yorkshire, England, with her husband and two sons. When not dealing with football, rugby, and a whole plethora of ‘boy’ activities, she will be found scribbling notes for her stories, or preparing for another trip to the beach. With an obsession for anything mythical, Melody revels in reading and writing about such creatures. In fact, if she wasn’t such a terrible swimmer, she’d say she was a mermaid.

Sachael Dreams is her debut novel, and the first in her New Adult Romantic Fantasy series—the ‘Mine Series’.

You can view more of Melody Winter on her website, Twitter or Facebook. 

Make sure to add Sachael Dreams to your TBR list today; https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22209539-sachael-dreams

Also, you can pre-order Sachael Dreams prior to it's release on 24th February directly through the Reuts website; http://www.reuts.com/store/books/sachael-dreams-pre-order/

I think you'll all agree that the cover for Sachael Dreams is absolutely gorgeous! I for one can't wait to get my hands on a copy! 

xoxo

Release Day for Third to Die

Hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday. Mine is particularly exciting as my latest book, Third to Die, is released today.

So what does a release day exactly entail? Other than waking up with a churning feeling in my gut as I worry what people will make of the story, not much. I'm not really one for any type of elaborate fanfare. My biggest wish with any of my books is that the people who read them enjoy them. I might stretch to a celebratory cupcake later but for me, Third to Die flew the nest long ago. I'm already hard at work on the next book in my Avalon series, Fourth to Run.

I really love writing my Avalon series and I'm fortunate to have been given the opportunity to develop the series in to four books. Aiden and co have started to feel like family to me. When I return to the sleepy, sun baked town of Avalon everywhere seems so familiar and comforting. But after I've completed Fourth to Run I'll be having a break from Aiden for the rest of the year to concentrate on other projects.

Now all that remains for me to do with Third to Die is to sit back and let it take flight on its own. I've poured my blood, sweat and imagination in to the book and that's all I can do. My part in the process is now over, the book now belongs to the readers!

Since I'm rather boring on release day I'll imagine how Aiden would celebrate if he knew his stories were being released out in to the world. He'd crack open a beer, relax in the sunshine in his back yard and savor the silence and tranquility of Avalon. That is until someone bursts through the door prompting the start of his next adventure, but you'll have to wait for that one ; )

If you've read Third to Die please let me know what you think as I always love to hear from readers!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Looking ahead to 2015...

Since I'm more for looking forward than glancing back I thought that as 2014 draws to a close I'd write about all the exciting things that are glittering on the horizon for 2015! 

Firstly, on 10th January the 3rd book in my Avalon series, Third to Die will be released! 

Justice must prevail… Whatever the cost.

Aiden Connelly has settled in to life in Avalon and is developing a reputation as an attorney who will fight for the truth … no matter what enemies he makes along the way.

But when he is asked to look into the tragic death of an old friend ten years before, Aiden is drawn back to his hometown of Greensburg, the town he eagerly fled as a teenager. As the ghosts from Aiden’s past resurface, and new dilemmas rise up to challenge him in Avalon, Aiden begins to wonder if everything he holds true has been built on lies...

The time surrounding a book release is always tense and filled with nervous energy. I'm always excited/terrified to see what people make of my new book and my Avalon series is really special to me as First to Fall was the first book I ever wrote. 

At the start of the New Year I'm going to be re-immersing myself in my fictional world of Avalon as I'll be writing the fourth book in the series, Fourth to Run. 

But I'll be pulling myself away from writing for the next exciting date for my diary; Tuesday 20th January when the cover for my Young Adult adventure, Dare to Dream, will be revealed. I'm arguably more than a little biased but the cover is truly stunning and I hope that everyone will love it as much as I do! 

Dare to Dream is another story I'm eager to share with people as it is based around my home county of Shropshire and nearby Hawkstone Park as well as some other famous British landmarks like Stonehenge. I'd tell you more but really you need to read the book to gain a more in depth understanding of the relevance of these locations ; ) 

Finally, at the end of January I'm going to London to discuss some projects which are currently shrouded in secrecy. 

So you can see why I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of the New Year! I've got lots of exciting things coming up! However, Christmas gives me a much needed opportunity to wind down and enjoy some quality time with family and friends. I hope you all get to do the same. 

I'll be signing off until the New Year to focus finishing the edits on Dare to Dream and start the drafting process for Fourth to Run. Hope you've been good enough to Santa to give you what you've been hoping for! 

Wishing you all a fantastic 2015!

xoxo

A Hauntingly Beautiful Cover

So I've just seen the draft of the cover for my upcoming YA release, Dare to Dream and it is truly stunning. The cover is fierce, beautiful and haunting and perfectly compliments the story.

Seeing the cover has got me crazy excited as I've been working on Dare to Dream for a long time and it won't be long now until I get to share Maggie's epic story with everyone.

The cover will be revealed soon. In the meantime if you want to get a feeling for the book you should check out the song Flares from The Script's new album as in my opinion, it is the perfect song for the story and once you've read it you'll hopefully know why!

Covers are so important in today's increasingly competitive book market. I personally am a bit of a magpie and admit to being drawn to a sumptuous, intriguing cover. If the blurb is strong I'm then hooked! I will also buy books based on the strength of recommendations from book blogging friends but a great cover definitely helps.

Dare to Dream is being released through Reuts and like my other publishers, Carina, they have a history of creating wonderful book covers. And if you love the cover as much as I do you'll be able to hold it and swoon over it first hand as excitingly Dare to Dream will be available as both an e-book and a paperback.

2015 is already looking set to be one crazily busy, awesome year! But first I want to relax and enjoy Christmas and thanks to my recent viewing of The Hobbit Battle of the Five Armies I'm now desperate to break out my LOTR box set and sit through all the magic of the first movies again as I utterly adore them!

I hope that whatever you're doing over the festive period you have a truly magical time!

Happy Holidays!

xoxo

My Avalon series continues...

Currently the second book in my Avalon series, Second to Cry, is on offer for £0.99 and excitingly the next installment in the series, Third to Die, will soon be released as the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will be out on 10th January next year!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Third-Die-Carys-Jones-ebook/dp/B00QH0JBRU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417536172&sr=1-1&keywords=third+to+die

So if you're getting a shiny new Kindle for Christmas you'll be able to load it up with the whole series so far!

And ahead of Third to Die's release I can share it's brand new cover below;

Some secrets are better left buried as once learned they can never be unknown

I love the bright pop of colour on the cover and of course Aiden, standing as always alone contemplating his next move...

I am beyond excited to share this book with everyone as I personally feel that it charts Aiden's greatest adventure in Avalon so far! So pre-order and have something to look forward to in the new year when Christmas lights have faded and everything seems so gloomy. I promise that the book will be the perfect post Christmas pick me-up!

So what does Third to Die have in store for Aiden? The title contains a clue...

xoxo

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

So today is 1st December! Woo! My advent calendar has been opened and I'm already crossing my fingers in the hope of a white Christmas!

This is by far my favorite time of the year. I love seeing everywhere lit up with sparkling festive lights. As the days grow colder there is something lovely about being able to come home and sit by the fire in front of a gorgeously decorated tree!

Speaking of which, I will be putting my tree up this week and I can't wait. I just hope Rollo can resist the urge to chew all the decorations on the lower branches like he did last year! : /

I'll be dusting off my Michael Buble Christmas album and playing it non-stop on a loop until the big day itself! I've also got Christmas cakes that are suitably stewed in brandy that need icing. I find icing to be the trickiest part but I've roped in assistance this year in the form of my Mum, though that is kind of the blind leading the blind but hey ho!

Hope everyone is as excited for the festive season as I am!

xoxo