Skeleton Key Blog Blast

Skeleton Key Book Series

One Skeleton Key. Endless Adventures.

https://skeletonkeybookseries.com

One magical key.

The turn of a lock.

An adventure of a lifetime.

The Skeleton Key finds those who are brave enough. Curious enough. Crazy enough. It only needs an unsuspecting hand and inconspicuous door. Magic uncoils and where the door leads, no one knows. The one way to discover the truth is to step through into a world of the exotic and untold.

If you dare to dream the impossible…

Prepare yourself.

Unlock the Skeleton Key adventures.

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GAME MASTER by Scarlett Dawn

"Forbidden love will change the rules."

Amazon

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WARRIOR QUEEN by Shona Husk

"To break the siege, he’ll break a law."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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SHADOW WINGS by JC Andrijeski

"In a time of great darkness, can Ilana help an angel regain his wings?"

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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ROYAL ENCHANTMENT by Lia Davis

"A skeleton key unlocks a passage to a world of fae, mythical creatures, and a dark elfin King who will do anything to claim his bride."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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ARMY OF THE WINTER COURT by Ali Winters

"The heart and blood of life will give rise to the final army."

Amazon

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MECHANICAL HEARTS by Nicole Blanchard

"Life and love are on the line and time is running out. Tick tock."

Amazon

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ELFHAME by Anthea Sharp

"A prince, a prophecy, and the young woman who holds the fate of a world in her hands."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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PRINCESS OF THE DAMNED by Wendy Knight

"What do you do when the face in the mirror isn’t yours?"

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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EUNICA by J. Rose Alexander

"Her destiny was not in the shadow of death, but in the light of another life."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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WHERE SLEEPING DRAGONS LIE by Cristina Rayne

"Some doors can only be unlocked by the right hand..."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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CURSE OF THE UNDEAD DRAGON KING by Konstanz Silverbow

"A curse so powerful, not even true love’s kiss can break it."

Amazon

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FATE OF ELEMENTS by M. Stratton

"She was the key to uniting their world."

Amazon

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THE ASSASSIN'S MARK by Sarah Mäkelä and Tavin Soren

"An assassin becomes a protector as he enters a magical world…all for the woman in his dreams."

Amazon

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SPELL SLINGER by K.N. Lee

"An immortal dictator will soon meet his match, in a time-traveling sorceress with revenge in her soul."

Amazon

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HIS IMMORTAL KISS by Liliana Rhodes

"He’s waited centuries for her."

Amazon

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WITCHMATE by Renee George

"When thief Emma Watson stumbles into an alternative world full of warring witches and werewolves, it sets her on a dangerous path that may lose her the only man she's ever wanted to love."

Amazon

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INTO ELURIEN by Kate Sparkes

"Sometimes you need to step into a fairy tale to find something real."

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MATE OF A DRAGON VILLAIN by Mandy Rosko

"She wasn't supposed to fall for the bad guy..."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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MAGICAL ACTS by Michele Bardsley

"Otherworldly to-do list: 1. Save mage. 2. Fall in love. 3. Avoid certain death."

Amazon

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THE DEATH SEER by Tanis Kaige

"Caught between life and death, her salvation can only be found in the boy who went missing twenty years ago."

Amazon

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THIEF OF SANGUARDIA by Cherie Marks

"One twist of the key will lead to her destiny."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

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LOVE IN FANTASY by Elle Christensen

"Twelve nights, twelve fantasies, twelve stories of true love. Or…is it only eleven?"

Amazon

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ETERNAL NIGHT by Marian Tee

"Will you come away with the Prince of Darkness if he asks you to?"

Amazon

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UNLOCKING ADELINE by J.D. Hollyfield

"She dreams of her happily ever after. He plans to destroy it."

Amazon

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THE HAUNTED SULTAN by Gillian Zane

"One night in New Orleans, a ghost tour, a handsome stranger, and the spirit of a Sultan long dead."

Amazon Barnes&Noble iBooks Kobo

SYWTWAB - Front & back matter.

SYWWAB Series: Post One

What is SYWTWAB, you ask? Glad you asked. I started this publishing journey full of hope and lacking so much knowledge on what actually needed to happen. Publishing my first book was a nightmare. I kept finding out all these tiny, tiny details that mattered, tiny details I knew nothing about. So was born, "So You Want To Write A Book" for those who would like to write but aren't sure where to begin, it is my hope that this series is able to help at least ONE author out in the world.

One of those things was front and back matter.

There are many things you can include or exclude in both the front or back matter of your book. I will label them accordingly.
In my research, this is the typical order I've seen these pages in, but they can be moved around based on personal or publisher preference.

FRONT MATTER

Half Title page
Only the title of your publication shows on this page.

More by Author (Optional/Front or back)
A list of other works written by the author
Title page
The book title, author name, and subtitle of the book (if a series.)

Copyright
The legal bit, this is usually where you'll find the ISBN number along with publisher, year published, and more. (This will be a future topic where I'll go into more detail.)

Dedication
blab blah

Acknowledgments (Optional/Front or back)

Table of Contents
The list of chapters and front/back matter of the book

MANUSCRIPT
The body of the work (AKA: The chapters/story/etc)

BACKMATTER

Epilogue
A continuation of the story meant to bring closure or a hint of more to come. Usually shorter than a typical chapter, but usually no longer than a chapter.

Glossary (Optional)
Vocabulary terms and their definitions that are found in the book. This is handy for fantasy books with cultures and terms that have been created for the book/series.

Bonus material
Any extra bonuses you wish to include, notes, quotes, deleted scenes, discussion questions, links or more.

Author Bio
A sentence or paragraph about the author, sometimes including author photo.



And there you have it. There can be more or less included in both the front and back matter, but these are the most common things you can find in fiction works.


Did you enjoy this? Did you find it helpful, or missing anything? Want to suggest a topic for SYWWAB?
Feel free to comment or email me at authoraliwinters@yahoo.com


xoxo
-Ali

Army of the Winter Court - A Skeleton Key novella - RELEASE DAY!

I was invited to be part of this AMAZING project with a large group of authors. All books in this series will be published June 15th!
But you can pre-order your copy of Army of the Winter Court NOW!


Title: Army of the Winter Court
Author: Ali Winters
Blurb:
The heart and blood of life will give rise to the final army.

Skeleton Key Book Series
One Skeleton Key. Endless Adventures.
https://skeletonkeybookseries.com

Evvie Hewett is human. Or at least she thought she was. An encounter with a handsome stranger turns her world upside down in an impossible way and everything she thought she knew about herself has changed. Her history holds the key, not only to her future, but to the future of the darkest kingdom in existence.

Thrust into the middle of a rivalry between two brothers for the Unseelie throne, she must decide who to trust, and who not to. However, knowing who to trust has never been more difficult when one brother wants her heart, the other, her blood.

She holds the key to the creation of the ultimate army. Threatened at every turn, she must find the truth before she loses her heart, and her life. Can she see past the lies and deception to stay alive, or will she fall victim to an ancient feud?

PREORDER NOW!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1XheycD

AND FOR A LIMITED TIME ON:
iTunes: http://apple.co/1Nxs1LD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/24X9Y5V
Barns N Noble: http://bit.ly/1Nxs1uY

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Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and catch all the news as it's announced!

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Reader Survey

Several authors got together and gathered questions we have for readers. It's a quick anonymous survey. If you could please take a moment to fill it out we would be forever grateful!
This will help us to pinpoint what you as the reader enjoy the most in events, books, freebies, and more.

if you think of something you'd like to share that we forgot to ask about please mention it in the comments box at the end.

We want to focus on bringing you more of what YOU the reader are looking for, and less fluff!


http://goo.gl/forms/Lz0nnQKYJW

Do Not Engage - How to handle a negative review.

Lately, there seems to be a surge of reviewers being told what they can and can't post as reviews, and when.

A reviewer can post a review of 1-5 stars, whenever they please. They can have any reason for giving
a book any rating they want. Why? Because it's their opinion, not yours, or mine. It's theirs.
The only thing a review should probably avoid, is attacking the author. Because that's just not cool. But no one takes those reviews seriously anyway.

Reviewers: Always post the reviews you want to post. Stick with your honest opinion and keep doing what you do! EVERY review counts! If anyone gives you crap for it, block their butt.






What you can do:
You message, call, whatever your closest friends and cry about it. You talk about how stupid that reviewers opinion is, and then you suck it up buttercup, and get over it.

What you do not want to do, under any circumstances is engage. Let's just make a list of what you don't do shall we?

You do NOT:
Ask(demand) that the reviewer take down their review.
Tell them they shouldn't have left a review, for any reason.
Down vote their review. (They know it's from you!)
Message them directly over facebook and tell them they are wrong, they suck, or whatever.
Harass them in any way, shape, or form.
Send your friends to do any of the above.

What should you do? Simple.

DO NOT ENGAGE.
Move on, sweetheart, and go find more readers elsewhere. You don't have to go back to that reviewer in the future.  

A reviewer's opinion is not wrong, because it's their opinion, not yours or anyone elses.

No, getting a book free, because it was an ARC, or a gift, or they won it, or whatever is not a reason to expect a 5 star review.

I know what you're asking. "But Ali, when should I expect a 5 star review? What does an author have to do to get one for sure?"
My answer is simple. You can expect a 5 star review when you write a book, publish it, and some one posts a 5 star review.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but hey. That's life. You aren't perfect, and even if you were, you'd still get a 1 or 2 star eventually. All authors get one at one time or another.

It sucks. I know. I get it, I really do.

What can you do with the bad reviews? Learn from them.
Find out what the reader didn't like about your story, was it the fact that it head hopped? (go back and pick a POV and stick with it.) Or it looked like you typed it with your feet? (Maybe find a new editor)
Was your protagonist relatable/likable? Was your villain complex or just a lame plot device? (develop your characters, ALL of them.)
The list could go on and on. But if you have tried and you just can't find anything to learn, forget
about it. Reread your positive reviews, and then go write your next book! 

Even my worst review has taught me something.
It just said the back of the book made it sound better than it was.
Okay, that sucks, but I managed to find something to learn from it. (It was hard with so little explanation) But what it taught me was that I should learn to write blurbs in my same writing voice, so it doesn't throw people off, and to make it as clear as possible, without spoilers, but hopefully so it won't give the wrong impression.

Just remember kiddies, a low review will NOT ruin your career, it will not break any chance of your book making it. I can not tell you the number of times I've heard a reader saying they don't trust a book with all 5 star reviews. Why? Because it looks like you bought them. Some shady people have been known to do that in the past.
Why? I'm not sure. I'd rather spend that money on advertising, or food, or something fun, like a new camera lens.
It's not the number of stars that helps you, but the number of reviews.

In the end, take a lesson from J.K. Rowling herself, or even Meridith Wilde. You don't see them crying over 1 star reviews, yet they have them. What are they doing? Getting over it and smiling at the fact that far more people love their books than those who don't.
If you're just starting out, that's cool. You might not have thousands of reviews, but as long as you focus on the good, you will be okay. 
The best revenge is to just keep at it, keep doing what you love, and share it.



-Ali
xoxo

Giveaway: $50 GC & Kindle fire HD 7!

Come join us for our Valentine's Giveaway! It runs February 1st to midnight on Valentine's Day, February 14th.

28 Authors are participating and donated a Kindle Fire HD7 & a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

 

-Ali
xoxo

 

Star Dust cover & blurb Reveal!

Title: Star Dust (a Force Of Gravity novel) 

Author: Ali Winters 

Blurb: 

A case of mistaken identity triggers a reign of terror.

A Star Princess of Soleis, bound by tradition, is forced to fulfill an arrangement made prior to her birth. During the masque for her coronation, Oriana meets a handsome stranger, but soon finds out he is not who she thought.

Prince Lucian, unfamiliar with the treaties of the Universe, must restore the reputation of his world and prove his kingdom is not behind the attacks.

No one knew an innocent mistake could lead to the destruction of the solar system. Worlds are conquered, lives torn apart, and destruction reigns, while Oriana, unknowingly, holds the key to salvation.

Now, a Princess who needs saving must save herself, the man she loves, as well as the rest of the Universe, before it is destroyed beyond repair.

 

 

 

Author Bio:

Ali grew up in the Pacific North West. She attended Oregon State University for photography. After many adventures, she moved to Colorado, earned a second degree, and met and married her husband.
She currently lives in windy Wyoming with her husband and two dogs. When not writing, Ali is either, photographing, knitting, reading, dancing, or staying inside where it’s warm with a hot cup of coffee. She dreams of traveling the world someday soon.

Author links: 

Email: Ali at authoraliwinters@yahoo.com


Facebook: www.facebook/authoraliwinters  


Instagram: authoraliwinters

Twiter: @aliwinters_ 


Web: www.aliwinters.com
Newsletter: http://www.aliwinters.com/news-letter.html




-Ali
xoxo