Lisa Tawn Bergren

TRIBUTARY: Cover Reveal!

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:52:43 +0000

TRIBUTARY is coming in June! It’s another e-novella, like BOURNE, picking up a year after we left the Betarrini and Forelli crew in Toscana. Lia and Luca are drawing closer together, Lord Greco may have met his match at last, and Gabi and Marcello face news that will change all of their lives. Oh, and yeah, the bad guys still want them all dead. So if you’ve loved the River of Time Series, and still want MORE, be sure to get those e-readers fired up and ready to download in June! If you follow me on Facebook, or sign up for my e-newsletter, I’ll be announcing the day it comes up on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords. You’ll want to pay attention–for the first 24 hours it will only be $.99. Then I’ll take it up to $2.99, which is still a great deal for a novella of this length (a little longer than Bourne).

Don’t have an e-reader like a Kindle or Nook? You can read it on your computer or smart phone, just like you can do with any other e-book, by downloading the free Kindle or Nook app to your device, and then purchasing the e-book.

In the meantime, these 7 friendly blogs all have DIFFERENT, EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS from TRIBUTARY:

Christian Bookshelf Reviews

Page Turners

You can read a big part of Chapter One on my blog too. Happy surfing for excerpts! Thanks for your continued support!

I’m Looking for an Artist

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:51:48 +0000

Hey friends, I’m going to put out a children’s book, designed for the 2-5-year-old crowd, in e-only (Kindle, Nook, iPad). I want to price it at $2.99. It’s 32 pages, and the text is complete, but I need an artist to partner with me. Now, I’m probably looking for an artist that’s just starting out, or a very entrepreneurial artist, wanting to explore the world of electronic publishing, because there will be no cash exchanged between us, up front. But if you’re willing to experiment, and your skills are at the level of any children’s book out there, you might be the right artist for this project!

The Deal

What do you get? 1/2 of any profits, after it’s published, and we recoop any investment made to produce the files (I’ll front those costs). At $2.99 retail, that’s about $1 each, per book sold. All of the accounting will be very above-board. I’ll receive the royalties, and within a week, I’ll send you a copy of the statement, as well as a check. And we’ll get a lawyer to make it clean with a simple agreement (one of our production expenses). Plus, you also get “publishing credit” with an author that’s sold over a million children’s books. Not a bad thing for the ol’ resume.

So…if you’re interested, here are some specifics:

The title is THAT’S HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, a book written with my three kids.
There are 15 pieces of artwork, plus a cover.
Art should be square; keep in mind that it gets reduced to a 2 5/8″ square for Kindle, so fine detail isn’t necessary
You can decide on characters–human or animals.
A warm, inviting style will get high marks.
Good color saturation is wonderful for this preschool crowd, to grab their attention. (See God Gave Us You for reference–but I’m not looking for replication of Laura Bryant’s amazing style; just giving you a color saturation touchstone).
Text will appear BELOW your artwork, as a separate element, so there is no need to leave room for text.

TO SUBMIT:

I’m asking you to submit one color sample (P7, flowers) and black & white sketches of the rest, so I know you can carry character consistency.

“Mama, do you know how much I love you?”

“No more than I love you, for sure,” she said.

Artwork: Mama and Child in kitchen, sharing a cookie.

P5 “Oh yes I do,” I said. “I love you way more than you love me.”

“Impossible!” she cried, snuggling close. “Do you know how many trees there are in the forest? That’s how much I love you.”

Artwork: Mama and Child spot, snuggling; big picture, the two of them, walking in forest, looking up at trees.

“Do you know how many raindrops there are in a cloud?” I said.

“That’s how much I love you.”

Artwork: Mama and Child laughing, running/spinning/dancing in the rain.

“Do you know how many flowers there are on the hillside? That’s how much I love you.”

Artwork: Mama leaning back on hillside covered with poppies; Child playfully popping up.

“Do you know how many waves there are upon the sea?” I asked.

Artwork: Mama and Child on sailboat among merry (not threatening), countless waves.

“Do you know how many grains of sand are in the desert?” she asked.

Artwork: Mama and Child “surfing” down sand dune.

BY JUNE 30: Scan your artwork and email jpgs to me: Lisa @ bergrencreativegroup dot com. I won’t use it for ANYTHING but this contest. However, in emailing it to me, note that you are giving me permission to post it, if you’re one of the three finalists, for the vote. On July 1-ish, I’ll decide on my top 3 contenders and then let my fans vote on their favorite. Assuming you can get art done in August, we should have an e-book out, together, with your name on the cover and in all listings, as well as copyright, in late September. If you need an additional month, we can adjust the date.

I can’t wait to see who rises to the call. It’s a brave new world in publishing–in particular, children’s publishing–and I want to ride the wave. Do you?

Questions? Post ‘em below. Undoubtedly, others will ask the same thing.

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:25:01 +0000

Like Christian fiction? There’s a fun event coming up…I’m hosting a scavenger hunt for upcoming or just-released novels from some of your favorite authors, including exclusive content from each one. Make the rounds to 25 blog stops, fill out a form (that will be posted here on 5/31), and you could win 25+ new novels! The scavenger hunt runs from 5/31-6/4 noon MST, and you will begin here, at my site.

Authors taking part: Judy Baer * Lisa T. Bergren * Colleen Coble * Carol Cox * Margaret Daley * Sibella Giorello * Winnie Griggs * Robin Lee Hatcher * Rachel Hauck * Tracy Higley * Sharon Hinck * Angela Hunt * Jenny B. Jones * Maureen Lang * R.J. Larson * Yvonne Lehman * Bonnie Leon * Gail Gaymer Martin * Nancy Mehl * DiAnn Mills * Marta Perry * Cara Putman * Deborah Raney * Kim Vogel Sawyer * Janice Thompson

More soon!

e-Newsletter is in Progress!

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:18:16 +0000

After long last, I’m going to re-institute my monthly e-newsletter. In it, you’ll find not only news about my upcoming/current releases, but brief author interviews, fun or funny Tweets, and links to helpful or thought-provoking posts that caught my eye. In other words, yes, I’ll be telling you about ME and MINE, but I’ll also be sharing OTHERS and INSPIRATIONAL or FUN things with you.

In addition, each month there will be a giveaway for my readers! My hope is that it would be an entertaining five-minute read every month in your inbox, not just marketing blah blah blah. I hate those. So…if you agree to give it a whirl and see if you like it in May (by subscribing), you’ll be in the running for some fun prizes:

If I get over 100 new subscribers, an LTB book of choice given to 3 people
If I get over 200 new subscribers, an LTB books of choice given to 5 people
If I get over 500 new subscribers, an LTB books of choice given to 10 people
If I get over 750 new subscribers, 10 books plus 2 $50 Amazon/B&N/Indie/BookDepo gift cards
If I get over 1000 new subscribers, 10 books, plus 3 $50 Amazon/B&N/Indie/BookDepo gift cards

So…please sign up by clicking the gray envelope at the top right of this page, or HERE, and check off “monthly enewsletter” plus any special book announcements you want to receive, according to interest! The more who subscribe, the greater the prize pack I’ll offer! And be sure to say “I SUBSCRIBED” below, in the Rafflecopter form. That’s how I’ll be drawing names on May 7, 2012…(If you’re already a subscriber, go ahead and say you subscribed.)

As with all e-newsletters, you may unsubscribe at any time. While I’ll be sad to see you go, I won’t demand my prize back.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

River of Time

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:55:43 +0000

Copy any (or all three) of these on your Facebook pages, email signatures, wherever you wish, and proudly proclaim your loyalty…

The Model Has Been Chosen

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 23:13:58 +0000

Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote on your favorite cover models. Here are the two runners-up:

And here is the one we chose:

I know a LOT of you loved the one of the guy in the gray shirt, with the city behind him. And he was who I was picturing when I wrote the first 4 installments of River of Time. But I’ve seen that image on another e-book, so I just couldn’t let it go. So…I hope you can slowly fall in love with our finalist…because he’s the New Luca. We’ll see if we can get a new Team Luca button made…

It still looks like TRIBUTARY will release in June, e-only. I know, I know. A lot of you wish I’d make a print version available, but I just can’t yet. It’s too expensive. But I’m considering combining 2 or 3 novellas together and printing/making them available on Amazon. PLEASE keep in mind that you can download the FREE Kindle app for your computer or smart phone. So there really shouldn’t be anyone who “can’t” read it. There’s a way…

Watch for TRIBUTARY teasers, coming in May on the “River of Time Series” Facebook page. Because you know how I like to taunt you.

YA Scavenger Hunt

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:43:28 +0000

Today, I am hosting JOY PREBLE for the YA Scavenger Hunt! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say, “YA Scavenger Hunt,” please check out yesterday’s post.) There are three segments of the YA Scavenger Hunt happening now; you can do one or all three! Each one (Team Blue, Team Red, and Team Yellow) features a pack of 20 novels as the grand prize. I am a part of TEAM BLUE’s segment. Make a stop at each of Team Blue’s stops in order to be in the running for our Team Blue prize, at least! THE HUNT OFFICIALLY BEGINS AT NOON PST, SO START MAKING THE ROUNDS AFTER THAT!

Joy Preble

Joy Preble is the author of the Dreaming Anastasia series (Sourcebooks), which blends paranormal romance with historical fiction, plus a crazy witch, malevolent Russian mermaids, and a sometimes-immortal, handsome hottie. The second in that series, Haunted, is out now, and the final book of the trilogy, Anastasia Forever releases 8/1/2012. Another paranormal is slated for May 2013, from Soho Press. Joy grew up in Chicago but now lives with her family in Houston where she writes full time and frequently gets into wild rumpuses and other mischief. She loves peanut butter and sushi (although not together), red licorice and those cute little mini orange/tangerine things.

Anastasia Forever is about…

Secrets within secrets. Truths within lies. Anastasia was the darling of the glittering Winter Palace while her half brother Viktor was relegated to the shadows. Now he’s ready to take his turn in the spotlight…and revenge on the world that shunned him.Anne’s visions won’t stop. One minute she’s in her bedroom on her cell phone. And the next she’s in the past, witness to the private moments of the royal Romanov family. Ethan’s been eighteen for nearly a century and finding Anne is the beset thing that’s ever happened to him. But the magic in his blood is turning darker, forcing him to wonder whether he’s the most dangerous threat of all.History doesn’t tell us everything…

Find out more information by checking out Joy’s website or find more about the author’s book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Goodreads.

EXCLUSIVE! An Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Anastasia Forever…

By Joy Preble (coming from Sourcebooks August 1, 2012)

Throughout the series, Anne and Ethan have worked to stop the villain and Ethan’s former mentor Viktor, who has used everyone including Anastasia to gain power. In ANASTASIA FOREVER, Viktor opens the novel with a glimpse into his secrets!

VIKTOR

After a certain number of lifetimes, one becomes capable of much if only out of sheer repetition. Like a magician’s sleight of hand, I learned to trick the world into seeing things the way I wanted.

Only later did I come to realize that there was more to my story than what showed on the surface. Magic has a price. Anything of value always does. It was one I was willing to pay. But even I did not understand the true cost.

When I was a boy, my mother told me the tale of Koschei the Deathless. My mother’s eyes grew bright and her skin went pink as though the telling was of great importance. Later I would know why, but even then I understood I needed this story. Marina—for she let me call her by her name; it was only just the two of us after all—always knew.

I was Tsar Nicholas’s son—not that my father ever acknowledged me. But Marina made sure I understood that it was both my truth and my destiny. It forced us all to places we might not otherwise have gone: my mother to Baba Yaga’s forest, my father to a blind refusal to see what needed to be seen, and me…well, that is quite another tale.

“Stories within stories,” Baba Yaga loves to say. “Secrets within secrets.” How clever she thinks she is, this witch who has toyed with me since my mother first went to the forest to seek her. But she was not clever enough to stop me. Not clever enough to know the power of her words.

Koschei was a man who couldn’t die. Or rather, who couldn’t be killed. He had hidden his soul—as the tales go—inside the eye of a needle, tucked inside an egg that sat inside a duck, inside of a hare, locked in a solid iron box and hidden under a tree on some island that blinked and vanished as it saw fit.

As I grew older, I heard other versions Sometimes the chest was made of gold. Sometimes the island was in a different ocean. Sometimes Koschei could be weakened. But always, always he lived. As long as his soul was hidden away, as long as he had made it impossible to find, he lived.

This was the seed my mother’s story planted in me. That if I could not be my father’s son, could not have the legacy of a tsar, immortality would have to suffice. I would cheat death and gain the knowledge and the power that came with living over and over.

I only knew this: I was willing to sacrifice my half sister for what I desired. My sweet Anastasia, who believed in me so deeply that, like our father, she blinded herself to what I really was. This is, I think, my only regret. That even as I found delight in the ease with which I was able to manipulate her to my cause, a piece of me ached at the destruction of this beautiful girl. Was I a monster? I prefer to see myself as a pragmatist. Still it pains me—the look on her face that day we came back from the forest. The day I lost my immortality and Anastasia chose to return to the fate that I believe would have been hers anyway. Although by then truth was a fluid thing for me; when I told her I was sorry, I was not lying.

I asked Baba Yaga to take me because there was no other way to survive. No other way to gain access to all that I was about to lose: the magic, the spells, the secrets that reside underneath. I could not be other than what I have become.

Still, even the witch was unsure of my motives. I took pleasure in that for it proved my strength. I had found a way to compel the mighty Baba Yaga. The Bone Mother. The Death Crone. She was mad with it, unable to do anything but snap up a Romanov.

For a long time now—at least as time goes in Baba Yaga’s hut—I have belonged to the witch. She has owned my body and often my spirit, but not always my mind. And in those moments when she grew distracted or bored or mournful for her Anastasia and curious about Anne, I watched and learned and plotted. Always I knew there was a way. One day I understood what it was.

The witch had transformed my physical self by then—honed me down to bone in her own image. But as long as I breathed, as long as I could think and had strength enough to crawl, it was enough.

Koschei, I thought, as I brought the witch her sweet tea. Koschei, I repeated over and over in my mind as I huddled in the bed that was once Anastasia’s. As I pulled the ragged comforter over the sticks that were my legs. Koschei, I said as the witch’s black cat, her koshka, flicked its tongue at my fingers, harsh like sandpaper against skin as transparent as tissue. I bled onto the floor, deep red drops much thicker than anything else about me.

Here is what I hoped for that also came true: my great-great granddaughter’s heart betrayed her. Anne opened the door just enough. She let me free. She made her promises. And watched in shock as I rose from the dead.

Resurrected.

Oh, the sweetness of the horror on their faces as Baba Yaga’s horseman galloped off with me. I surprised them all: my captor, my descendant, my protégé. Even sweet Lily who falsely believed she would have her revenge. She swims still, cursed as a rusalka. I am free.

The story goes like this: no one leaves Baba Yaga’s forest the same as he entered. And that is true for me. I have left much behind. But transformation is good for the soul. If I cannot be what I hoped, then I will be something else. Better to prevail than to bemoan my losses. My will is intact, my life eternal once more. This time I will be more vigilant.

Secrets within secrets. But I won’t tell. They’ll have to kill me. Except that’s the point. They can’t.

The first two books in Preble’s series are now available. Look for them on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as at your local bookstore.

To move on to the NEXT STOP on the TEAM BLUE YA SCAVENGER HUNT, head on over and check out Debbie Viguie’s site!

EXTRA PRIZE

YA Scavenger Hunt Peeps! Register here on my Rafflecopter form, and you could win ONE OF TEN autographed books from the River of Time Series (if in USA; unsigned if international). YOU get to choose!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The YA Scavenger Hunt Begins Tomorrow!

admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:59:39 +0000

Welcome to YA (Young Adult) Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive TWENTY signed books, one book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours! (March 29 noon PST-April 1 noon PST). Note: This is a general market YA hunt. All material is supposed to be PG-13 or G-rated, but I am not previewing it all. Basically, be prepared to see/read what you’d see on Barnes & Noble’s YA shelves.

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter all three! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM–but there is also a red team and a yellow team. You can enter all three contests–which has a total prize bucket of SIXTY signed books!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Hidden within my post tomorrow (3/29) will be a single letter that is blue. Make a note of that letter! It’s a part of a scrambled phrase. When you go to all the author sites of the blue team, you’ll have all the letters you need to enter the contest.

Entry Form: Once you piece together all the clues to the hunt, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the completed phrase will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form. Entries sent without the correct puzzle code or without contact information will not be considered.

Look for my post tomorrow, featuring author Joy Preble, and my special clue in BLUE!

March Madness

admin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:42:30 +0000

This is fun…both WATERFALL and CASCADE made the second round in this March Madness YA contest! Can you help a girl out and vote daily for each one? They’re up against very steep competition. And even though I adored Girl of Fire & Thorns, and have such fun following Victoria Schwab on Twitter, I’d love to give them a run for their money!

So…please feel free to vote like crazy (once a day until 3/21). And for all those who did and care to enter my contest, there will be prizes: A River of Time autographed trilogy (if in the USA; unsigned if outside the USA) and a River of Time t-shirt of choice (design and size). Thanks for helping an author out! Only takes a minute to vote…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Hallowed

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:45:28 +0000

Only three books in 2011 made me certain I had to read more from their authors in 2012—Unearthly, Ruby Red, and The Girl of Fire and Thorns. There were plenty of others that I’d be plenty interested in picking up the “next in the series” installments, but Hallowed, the sequel to Unearthly, was a definite. So definite, I preordered it.

The goodreads.com Summary:

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn’t prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to “Unearthly,” Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

My Two Cents

As part-angel/part-human Clara uncovers more about her own personal history, so do we continue to learn more about this world of celestial beings parading about in jeans and t-shirts. (It gives new meaning to “angels among us”!) There’s solid romance, two heart-rending, tear-inducing losses, and the arrival of a new, amazing character—Clara’s dad. Add to that the element of epic destinies unfolding, and I was hooked…as in Read-This-in-24-Hours hooked.

There was so much emotional traction and suspense action that I could overlook a few oddities in logic. How could I overlook them? Because I hoped I just missed some valid explanation. And in the end, I didn’t care. Because I was loving the story too much and turning the pages too fast to look back and figure it out. I just wish my book group had read it so they could answer those niggling questions…

Mama Bear Warnings

Taking angel lore and running with it is definitely risky business for conservative Christians, but I found nothing in this novel that was anti-biblical. I actually really loved the heroine’s desire to fulfill her purpose, given to her by God (referred to as the Lord Almighty), and recognition that in not doing so, she experienced pain and sorrow. I think that applies to us all. If God lays a purpose on our hearts, we’re to do whatever we can do to fulfill that, right? This is not just angel territory…this is All Believer territory. So I read the tale as having application for us all, including the whole good vs. evil fight. Some may not be so comfortable going there with their fiction, and I get that. Your call.

There is also some minor swearing and a point where the heroine is pretty much trying to seduce the hero. They take off their shirts, but she keeps her bra on, and they end up just sleeping together (no sex). I liked that the hero put on the brakes because he recognizes she’s special. If only all guys saw all girls as too special to rush into such intimacies! I’m of the camp that says physical passion is real and we’d best be real about it in our fiction, portraying the choices that exist, as well as the repercussions. But the things in this paragraph makes me categorize Hallowed as a PG-13 read.

Read this book? What’d you think?