Epic Black Friday Sale on Christian Indie Books + Audiobook Giveaway!

 

Happy Black Friday, friends!

I'm thrilled to be participating in an exciting sale lasting today (November 27th) through November 30th with a bunch of other Christian indie authors! (You can check out the site with all the deals HERE.) We're offering everything from package deals on paperbacks, free shipping on paperbacks, $.99 ebook deals, and FREE ebooks. Pretty sweet, right?? 

You'll find my books on the eBooks Only page. My two historical novels are on sale for $.99, and my shorter stories (historical short stories and contemporary novellas) are FREE. So...you could get all my ebooks for less than $2! Would love for you to be able to pick up any you're missing - or to give the free ebooks a try if you haven't read any of mine yet. :)

And of course, I hope you'll browse all the other fab deals on the site! 

If you can't decide where to start your browsing, check out this fun tool:

Book Finder

(Which Indie Christian Books Should You Read?)

It's so awesome to see deals from friends like...

• Jaye L. Knight (Ilyon Chronicles - fantasy series)
• Emily Ann Putzke (Historical novellas)
• Shantelle Mary Hannu (Cinderella story)
• Faith Blum (Hymns of the West - Western series)

And there are many other books in various genres to check out!

To recap, here's the official word on the deal from our wonderful event organizer Leah E. Good:

In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 27-30. There's literally something for everyone. Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you. Don't know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out! 

One last thing: I'm also giving away 5 promo codes for the How a Star Falls audiobook! This is a one-day only giveaway that's open to everyone and anyone with access to Audible.com. The audiobook is narrated by Patrick Wilson Mahaney (@patrick_mahaney) - and I think Patrick did a fantastic job of capturing Derrick's voice. :)

Want to learn more about the audiobook/story and listen to a sample? Click HERE. And enter to win a FREE copy through the form below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A note on the Ebooks Only page: All books are listed as "Sold Out." This only refers to paperback copies of these titles. Please click through to the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good for her fabulous work organizing this sale! Gloria Repp for completing the time-consuming job of uploading book info to the sale website, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.

For the Love of Pinterest (A Storyboard Party)

When I heard that author friend Elisabeth Grace Foley was planning a Pinterest Storyboard Party, I was all on board that train - no looking back!

You see, Pinterest has played such a large role in my story brainstorming process. At first, it was more of a way to try to convey visually what I had already created, but now the process has evolved to the point where I'm pinning visual inspiration before and during the writing process. It's a combination research and motivation tool, from pinning helpful articles and reference pictures to beautiful quotes and character look-alikes.

Today's event is sort of a "show-and-tell," as Elisabeth put it. :) Below you'll find glimpses of my projects that are already out there and ones that are to come. (Be sure to click the top/title of the widgets to see all the pins.) I'd absolutely love to hear if a certain board or pin intrigues you!

And if you're a writer with a storyboard(s) of your own, I hope you'll link to it/them in the comments section, so we can hop over to Pinterest and take a peek!

* * *

Amber's Storyboards (in Alphabetical Order)

Bellflower | Short Story

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast in an 1880 mining town

Highlights: Really love these actor picks for Annabelle and Jacob (Robin Wright and Randall Batinkoff). Also, some of the Beauty and the Beast images are so fitting!

Follow Amber Stokes's board Bellflower | Short Story on Pinterest.
Bleeding Heart | Novel

An inspirational Western romance about five bleeding hearts on a profound journey

Highlights: Lots of personal photos mixed into this board for my debut novel. And there are some absolutely perfect (and poignant) quotes that fit the theme of the story. (Bonus: You'll find a personality quiz tucked in there, too!)

Follow Amber Stokes's board Bleeding Heart | Novel on Pinterest.
Fairy Slippers | Short Story

A retelling of Cinderella in an 1888 redwood lumber town

Highlights: Lovely fairy-tale-esque pictures and some cool pins of the fairy slipper orchid.

Follow Amber Stokes's board Fairy Slippers | Short Story on Pinterest.
Forget Me Not | Novel

An inspirational Western romance about remembering the good amid heartbreak

Highlights: Gorgeous scenery shots - and a pic of a young John Cusack as Harry in The Journey of Natty Gann (that's definitely a highlight!).

Follow Amber Stokes's board Forget Me Not | Novel on Pinterest.
How a Star Falls | Novella

A new adult contemporary romance about a girl who claims to be a star (not the Hollywood kind!)

Highlights: Beach, stars, and romance - need I say more? I think the mood of this board really worked its way into the story.

Follow Amber Stokes's board How a Star Falls | Novella on Pinterest.
Morning Glory | WIP

An inspirational Western romance set in Oregon and featuring Myghal from previous books in the series

Highlights: This board feels like a reflection of different points in the brainstorming/writing process. It's a little all-over-the-place, showing the spurts of direction and the aimless wandering through inspiration. Hopefully this will all come together at some point!

Follow Amber Stokes's board Morning Glory | WIP on Pinterest.
When Frozen Days Melt | WIP

A young adult contemporary romance featuring younger sister Chloe (from How a Star Falls)

Highlights: The overall tone of the board - it's just so happy, dontcha think? I like the fashion pics, the yummy ice cream images, and the glimpses of home.

Follow Amber Stokes's board When Frozen Days Melt | WIP on Pinterest.
Where Trains Collide | WIP

A new adult contemporary romance featuring middle sister Trisha (from How a Star Falls)

Highlights: Autumn and trains - two of my favorite things! I want to hug this board. ;) Also, the scene from The Office (for some reason, it makes me happy every time I glance through the board) and the cool GIF pin at the bottom.

Follow Amber Stokes's board Where Trains Collide | WIP on Pinterest.
While You're Awake | Novelette

A contemporary re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty with a barista and a freelance editor

Highlights: Cute German shepherd pics and interesting facts about honey bees.

Follow Amber Stokes's board While You're Awake | Novelette on Pinterest.

Bonus!

I'm deeply inspired by music. To discover some of the musical inspiration behind these stories, check out the "soundtrack" boards:

• Bleeding Heart
• Forget Me Not
• How a Star Falls
• Morning Glory
• Where Trains Collide
• While You're Awake

(Note: The other stories have some music pins mixed in with the other pins on the main boards.)

While You're Awake Release Day!

It's here! *throws flower-shaped confetti and sets out a plate of baklava drizzled with honey*

I'm thrilled to introduce to you my new contemporary novelette, While You're Awake. Read on to learn more about the book and find out what prizes are up for grabs in the celebratory giveaway...

Sweet New Adult Contemporary Romance Novelette

There’s no rest for the fearful.

Ava always knew the bees would come. Just when she’s settled into a place of her own, freelance editing and savoring her independence, her rental house is invaded by a swarm of honey bees. And with their arrival, her lifelong fear morphs into a full-fledged panic that steals her sleep—and her peace of mind.

Keegan knows all about fear. When he meets Ava at the coffee shop where he works, he can’t help but come to her rescue. Together with his German shepherds, Sun and Moon, he sets out to break the “curse” that hovers over Tired Girl. But is it possible to conquer nightmares and live a dream while you're awake?

This sweet novelette is a contemporary re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that sheds light on the worries that bind us and the love that leads to peace.

Now available for $.99!

(Don't have a Kindle? No problem! You can download the free app for your computer or other device.)

Giveaway!

Enter to win a little something sweet from Ava, Keegan, and the author (that's me)! One winner will receive a lovely yellow and gold flower necklace & earrings set from Baubles, Beads and Stuff; a $10 Starbucks gift card (delivered electronically); and a Kindle copy of While You’re Awake (can be gifted to a friend, if desired!). Open to US residents only due to shipping costs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
P.S. Want to see more pictures of the jewelry prize and check out the details of the lovely pieces? Click HERE to see the reserved listing on Etsy!

P.P.S. Baubles, Beads and Stuff is a brand-new Etsy shop run by a dear blogging friend of mine, Rissi of Dreaming Under the Same Moon. Won't you join me in congratulating her on the opening of her shop? :) And please do browse all the pretties!

Fun Extras!

Found on Pinterest

• I love this picture (above) for Keegan and Ava! From a quick Google search, it appears that these actors are from the show Under the Dome. Not really my cup of tea. ;) But I like the pic!

• You can find more character look-alikes, quotes, Sleeping Beauty pictures, and random information about honey bees on the While You're Awake Pinterest board.

• I think this song is fitting for Ava and Keegan's story. :) Plus, it's Owl City - you really can't go wrong listening to an Owl City song, in my opinion! (Can you tell I'm a fan?)

• You can hear the rest of the "soundtrack" I picked out for the story on the While You're Awake "Soundtrack" board.

• And if you would like to try my other new adult contemporary romance novella, it's FREE for Kindle today and tomorrow (October 20-21)! You can get How a Star Falls HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by to help me celebrate this day! And many thanks to my street team (AKA the Gems) for helping to spread the word on their blogs, as well. ((Hugs))

I didn't set up any author interviews for this release, but if you have any questions you want to ask about this story, the characters, my writing process, etc., please leave a comment. :) And help yourself to another piece of baklava and a big cup of mochaccino!

Honey Bees, Coffee, and an Unexpected Angel... (Cover Reveal of My New Novelette!)

Couple covers are such fun! And I'm so excited to share my second "couple cover" with you today. :) This is for my next release: a novelette titled While You're Awake. (You might have heard of it by its first title, Sting Me to Sleep. Once again, I have been saved from an unromantic title. Gotta appreciate honest feedback!)

While Your'e Awake is about a freelance editor whose rental home is invaded by honey bees. Too afraid to bother her acquaintances and ask for help, but also too afraid to sleep, her panic and insomnia grow exponentially. And then she visits Coffee by Angels, a local coffee shop, and meets someone who sees her fear and can't help but get involved...

A Cover Story

My dear friend and awesome cover designer, Lena Goldfinch, works with me via Pinterest's secret boards to find the right images for my covers. For this design process, I began with pinning some contemporary covers I liked that conveyed a similar mood to this story. I threw in a few bee covers, because honey bees play a large role in the story. (But, as you can see, no bees ended up on the cover. I guess the main characters and the romance play an even larger role than the bees. ;))

Then came the model pictures from the stock image site, Dreamstime. I think the final couple we decided on was actually the first one I posted. There was something about the atmosphere of their shots that resonated. That, and I just love the female model for my heroine! We did look at some other images, though - a lot of really cute outdoor couple scenes.

Lena created two comps with the couple we both liked...and we found pros and cons for each. So I turned to my e-newsletter subscribers for help. :) These are the two cover comps (with watermarks) that they chose between:

While there were a good number of votes for Cover 1, you probably know which one was the winner! (And I confess I was quite pleased. There were some elements in Cover 2 that I wanted to incorporate in the book. I love tying a cover and story together!)

So there you go! This cover came together quickly (because Lena's fab like that!), but this cover story is extra special because my readers joined the process. :)

(If you'd like to subscribe to my author e-newsletter, you can sign up HERE.)

About the Book

Sweet New Adult Contemporary Romance Novelette

There's no rest for the fearful.

Ava always knew the bees would come. Just when she's settled into a place of her own, freelance editing and savoring her independence, her rental house is invaded by a swarm of honey bees. And with their arrival, her lifelong fear morphs into a full-fledged panic that steals her sleep—and her peace of mind.

Keegan knows all about fear. When he meets Ava at the coffee shop where he works, he can't help but come to her rescue. Together with his German shepherds, Sun and Moon, he sets out to break the "curse" that hovers over Tired Girl. But is it possible to conquer nightmares and live a dream while you're awake?

This sweet novelette is a contemporary re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that sheds light on the worries that bind us and the love that leads to peace.

Pre-order for $.99! 

(Releases October 20th)

Add to Goodreads

How Do You Inspire Others? (A Quiz)

Are you Sleeping Beauty, a barista, or an angel? This fun and quirky personality quiz takes some of the personality types from While You’re Awake and offers you a chance to discover how you inspire others. Hopefully you’ll be encouraged to keep being awesome, wonderful you!

*Disclaimer: This is just a for-fun quiz. The results are designed to encourage but not to diagnose! ;)

Cover Reveal Participants

It wasn't just the cover... This whole campaign came together rather quickly! So I'm so very grateful to my "Gems" for being willing to jump on board and help spread the word through participating in today's cover reveal and some release-day fun on October 20th. :)

If you'd like to join my street team, Amber's Gems, you can sign up HERE. And feel free to send me an email at amberstokes@corban.edu if you'd like to review While You're Awake this month!

Here's a list of the lovely gems participating in the cover reveal:

• Alyssa at 1 Six 1 Five
• Carissa at Carissa's Bookshelf
• Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews
• Meagan at Crumpets 'n' Cream
• Rissi at Dreaming Under the Same Moon
• Courtney at The Green Mockingbird
• Amanda at Inklings and Notions
• Rachelle at Inspiring Daring
• Julie at My Favorite Pastime
• Meghan at A Northern Belle
• Sonja at Sunnie Reviews
• Jansina at Rivershore Books
• Faith at Writing, Ramblings, and Reflections

I know I usually do a giveaway with my cover reveals, but since release-day is only two weeks away, I thought I'd save the giveaway for then. It's going to be sweet, though, IMHO. ;) 

Tell me, do you think we picked the right cover/couple? And are you Sleeping Beauty, a barista, or an angel? :)