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@eliciahyder
THE ANGEL OF DEATH, Book Three of The Soul Summoner series launches August 2nd and we're celebrating with a giveaway! See the new hot cover and enter to win a $100 gift card!
Time is running out to enter and share!!! Win $100 to spend at the bookstore of your choice!
Itâs been two weeks, and my head is still spinning from my experience at the Barbara Veyâs Reader Appreciation Weekend in Milwaukee, WI. Iâve got pictures and a GIVEAWAY (Amazon Gift Card) to celebrate, so hang with me while I tell you a little story. Telling stories is what I do after allâŠ
Twenty years ago, I was a nightmare of teenager. I was that kid you pray your children donât become. Smoking, drinking, boys, drugsâŠyou name it, I did it. My poor parents cried, prayed, screamed, agonizedâit was a few years from absolute hell. (If you want to read more about my story, grab some tissues and go read Daddy Issues on my other blog, The Beer Drinking Angel.) In the fall of 1999, I wound up in rehab.
It took nine months to put my life and my health back together, and even longer to repair my broken relationship with my family. It would be almost two decades before I ever wrote anything worth publishing.
That book was called The Bed She Made, and it was all about those horrible years of destruction. Publishing it was not an option. My church friends would read it. My high school friends would read it. MY MOTHER WOULD READ IT. #^@%!!! NO THANKS.
If you guys read my post about meeting Stephen King, you know I was diagnosed with cancer last year on the same day that an agency expressed interest in The Soul Summoner. WellâŠI knew that if I was going to publish The Soul Summoner, I needed to have some readers to buy it, so I made a HUGE DECISION and self-published The Bed She Made.
I published that tell-all book while my mother and father all but lived with me during chemo. They literally read this book sitting on my sofa with me drooling on myself in the recliner.
Fast forward to January 2016. I was on a writerâs cruise when I met Barbara Vey. I instantly loved her, and we ended up be-bopping around Disney together the whole week after the cruise. And before she left town, she invited me to be a part of her Reader Appreciation Weekend.
Me & Barbara Vey at Disneyâs Hollywood Studios!
Now, at the time, I had no idea what the weekend would to be like. Boy, was I in for a life-changing experience.
The Barbara Vey Weekend in a nutshell is: 60 AUTHORS. 500 READERS. 3 FULL DAYS OF AWESOMENESS.
While we were in Milwaukee, I was so busy making new friends, meeting new readers, and fangirling over some of my favorite authors, that I completely missed a HUGE milestone.
That book that I never wanted to publish turned a year old.
In past year, The Bed She Made became an Amazon bestseller and won the 2015 Watty Award for Best New Adult Romance. And I completely missed my publishing anniversary because I was an attending author at one of the BEST AUTHOR EVENTS in the world. And guess who was with me? My mom.
It kind of makes you wonder if itâs true that ALL things really can work together for good, even the darkest days of our lives.
Had it not been for my evil and reckless years, I couldnât have written The Bed She Made.
Had it not been for cancer, I never would have self-published it.
Without both of those things, I may never have met Barbara.
Weâd never appreciate the sunshine without the storms.
Next yearâs Reader Appreciation Weekend is scheduled for the weekend of April 28th, 2017. Go ahead and mark your calendar to attend. The keynote next year is going to be Kristan Higgins! Get all the info about the event in the Facebook group for Barbara Veyâs Reader Appreciation Weekend!
Now, here are some of my pictures from the Barbara Vey Weekend. Sorry, my phone camera is pretty lousy. I wish I had gotten more photos, but I love these so very much. If you want to see the official photos of the weekend, you can check them out at the Acklein Photography Website.
To celebrate the 1 year BOOKIVERSARY of The Bed She Made, Iâm hosting a giveaway for a $25 eGift Card to Amazon, and EVERYONE who enters gets a FREE digital copy of the book! The giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday.
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  My Bookiversary during the Barbara Vey Weekend 2016 â #giveaway It's been two weeks, and my head is still spinning from my experience at the Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation WeekendâŠ
#ImaginesBook RELEASE DAY! #âwattpadcommunitytoast⏠@MichelleJoQuinn @RebeccaSky @imaginator1dx @DebbieGoelz & MORE
#ImaginesBook RELEASE DAY! #âwattpadcommunitytoast⏠@MichelleJoQuinn @RebeccaSky @imaginator1dx @DebbieGoelz & MORE
*photo courtesy of Rebecca Sky
The Imagines book is here today! You guys know how much I love Wattpad, right? Well, this book features the best of the best! Check out some of my favorite Wattpad writers and friends in this MASSIVE fanfiction book published by Simon & Schuster. Iâm so proud of this crew, and this book is so much fun!
Imagine running around the city, dodging paparazzi with JenniferâŠ
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Cover Reveal #Giveaway for Red Night by Paranormal Author @RCKClose!
Cover Reveal #Giveaway for Red Night by Paranormal Author @RCKClose!
Love Vampires?
I am SOOOOOOOO excited about this new book coming from my dear friend, RK Close. I had the pleasure of reading this months ago, and you should totally be jealous. Never fear! The first book of the Red Night Trilogy will be available on Amazon for pre-order on April 29th! Mark your calendar!
For five hundred years I have feasted on the blood of the innocent.
For centuries I haveâŠ
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Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon 2016 - @barbaravey
Barbara Veyâs Reader Appreciation Luncheon 2016 â @barbaravey
Barbara Vey is celebrating the 5th anniversary of her annual Readerâs Appreciation Luncheon, and I am HONORED to be hosting a table. You donât want to miss this event with 60 authors!
Barbara Vey giving me the insiderâs tour at Disneyâs Hollywood Studios!
WHEN:
April 29th â May 1st, 2016
WHERE:
Clarion Hotel Airport 5311 S Howell Ave Milwaukee, WI 53207 (414) 481-2400
SCHEDULE: FRIDAYÂ
1:00-2:30PâŠ
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The Siren
The Siren is finally here!
The wait is finally over. The Siren is live on Amazon now! Sloan, Warren, and Nathan are back.
âThe second book of the series was even better than the first.â âSexy & Supernaturalâ âI finished this one so fast I am sure to have withdrawals.â
All the missing victims of North Carolinaâs deadliest serial killer have been found, all except Rachel Smith. When the FBIâŠ
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#TheSoulSummoner2 #TheSiren Twitter Party!!! Tweet to Win!
#TheSoulSummoner2 #TheSiren Twitter Party!!! Tweet to Win!
Put on your party hats peeps! Itâs time for a Twitter Party!!!
In case you havenât heardâŠmy new book, The Siren, launches TOMORROW (3-15-2016)! Iâm so excited, I just canât sleep!
GET IT ON AMAZON
[Tweet â#TheSoulSummoner2 #TheSiren âźON SALE NOW!âź http://amzn.to/2510bwn #giveawayâ]
For helping me spread the word, Iâm giving away one $5 Amazon e-Gift Card each day for the next 3 days!Entering toâŠ
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It All Began When He Stole Her Cherries - Interview with @arawrites
It All Began When He Stole Her Cherries â Interview with @arawrites
Who doesnât want to fall in love with a movie starâŠI mean, for real, and have them totally love you back? I love Ara Jamesâs book Cherries because thatâs exactly what happens to her heroine, Lia, during the Sundance Film Festival. Of course, romance is always a wild and harrowing ride, so there are many bumps and bruises along the wayânot to mention cocktails and hangovers.
Cherriesis a featuredâŠ
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The Truth about Big Publishing
The Truth about Big Publishing
A couple of weeks ago, I asked several of my writing groups this question:
If you could ask a Big 5 editor a question about the industry, what would it be?
I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with editors from some of the biggest publishing houses in the world this past week as well as a few different agents. To be honest, I was a little terrified going into it. I feared I would be viewedâŠ
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Yesterday, I told you the story behind why I chose to self-publish. My reason for sharing wasnât to brag or to get sympathy and praise. I simply wanted you to be able to FEEL this storyâŠ
One week before I received the bad news about my cancer diagnosis, I flew to Nashville for my best friendâs birthday. I was still recovering from the biopsy surgery with a big ugly incision across my neck where they removed a tumor the size of a foosball. I wasnât doing so great mentally because cancerâs bark is even worse than its bite, in my opinion. I was terrified of the unknown. Because of that overwhelming fear, I couldnât spend time alone without my thoughts going to scary, dark places. But that weekend, I had to spend 2 hours by myself on an airplane.
And the flight was terrible, figuratively and literally. The sky was black and ominous with the deep rumble of thunder and bright flashes of lightning. It was like a scene from a Stephen King novel. (Ha!) At one point during all the turbulence, I thought for sure the plane was going to break in half and cancer would no longer be an issue. But then something amazing happened. We broke through those dark clouds, and on the other side was blue sky. Bright, blue, sunny sky.
I donât get philosophical or overly spiritual very often, so believe me when I say I know God spoke to me. âYouâre in the middle of the dark clouds, Elicia, but blue skies are on the other side, I promise.â
I have tears as I write this.
That was February. A couple of months later, in the middle of chemo, I bellyflopped into self-publishing with The Bed She Made. And in November, I published my beloved book, The Soul Summoner and it went to #1, right up there with Stephen King.
Granted, this tiny victory was for two days against a book King published years ago. I have not made it big yet, by any stretch of the imagination, but if this isnât a hell of a way to start out, I donât know what is.
Aside from the obviousâholy mother itâs STEPHEN KING!âthis moment meant so much more than just ranking against a superstar author.  He wrote a book called On Writing, and I read it religiously once a year like I belong to some weird one-woman cult. In that book he talks a lot about writing honestly. Specifically, he says to write âwithout regard to what the Legion of Decency or the Christian Ladiesâ Reading Circle may approve of.â I never intended to publish The Bed She Made. Itâs highly autobiographical in nature and I used to be a scoundrel! I worried about offending people. I worried about hurting feelings. I really worried about making my mother cry.
But Stephen King told me every single year: WRITE HONESTLY. So I tossed The Bed She Made out into the giant sea of readersâŠand she floated.Â
Needless to say, Stephen King is a big deal over here in the Hyder house.
Now for the story youâve been waiting for.
Two weeks ago, my husband, Chris, came home from work and said, âDid you know Stephen King and John Grisham are going to be at some writersâ conference near Tampa in a couple of weeks?â
I shook my head. âThat canât be true. If it was, I wouldâve heard about it.â
âSeriously, my buddyâs wife is working it. He said she might be able to get you in.â
I immediately began scouring Google. I was right and very wrong. They were coming to Florida, but it wasnât a writersâ conference; it was a benefit for a library foundation. A small event. A sold out event that I couldnât afford to go to even if I could get tickets. My brain started spinning. Could it be possible that I might get in?
But reality quickly began to settle. The event was on a Tuesday night, two hours away from home. The kids had mid-term exams. My husband would be working in Washington. Heartbroken, I told Chris to thank his friend profusely, but I didnât want them to go to any trouble since there was no way I could make it.
He didnât listen to me.
A week later, he was working in D.C. when he called me on Skype. The conversation went something like this:
âI need you to not make plans on Tuesday. Youâre going to Bradenton to meet Stephen King and John Grisham. Iâve arranged for the kids to be taken care of, and your best friend is taking off work to go with you.â
And I cried like someone had just died.
Stephen King is my husbandâs most favorite author. We own all of his books, most of which Iâm too scared to read. And even though my husband couldnât go, he moved mountains so I could. Did I hit the marital jackpot or what? Eat your heart out ladies, heâs all mine. I love you, babe.
There is no doubt in my mind that everything happens for a reason, which is why I told my self-publishing story before I told this one. Had I not been diagnosed with cancer, I wouldnât have self-published my book. Had that tumor not been malignant, my husband would still be a cop and we would never have met the awesome people who made this night happen. Had I not gone through chemo, I never would have made this amazing new sister-friend who went with me. She was my oncology nurseâshe literally saved my life.
How beautiful is the view of hindsight? You never know what brilliant light may be waiting on the other side of your darkest, most ominous and terrifying moments. You could be on the verge of all your dreams coming true and you just donât know it yet. Never give up hope. Blue skies are on the other side.
On January 19th 2016, a boggling mix of Chris Hyder, Wendy and Eric Dewhurst, fate, a library, and Jesus made one of my biggest dreams a reality.
I got to tell Stephen King this same story and thank himâin personâfor helping me get to that #1 spot just above his book. He hugged me and said âCongratulations.â
He was totally gracious and laughed when I showed him the screenshot of our books on the Amazon best seller list.Then the photographer said, âI want to get a photo of the three best selling authors,â and I was sandwiched between Stephen King and John Grisham, cheesing like my preteen daughter at a One Direction concert. They are the Elvis and John Lennon of the literary world, after all.
THANK YOU to everyone who made this night possible: Chris, Wendy (the awesome photographer), Eric, Rena, Luis, Becky, Natalie, Stephen King, John Grisham, my kiddos, and the Manatee Library Foundation. And THANK YOU to everyone who has read and supported my books over the past six months. Who knows? I might not be here without YOU!
[headline style=â1âł font_size=â65âł align=âcenterâ headline_tag=âh2âł]GIVEAWAY![/headline]
As my way of celebrating with you, Iâm giving away one of my goodies from the evening: a signed copy of The Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham. The wonderful Mr. Grisham has absolutely nothing to do with this giveaway except that his signed book is way cooler than mine. Iâll also throw in a free digital download of one of my books for anyone who joins in the fun.
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   Beyond the Dark Clouds â My Night with Stephen King and John Grisham Yesterday, I told you the story behind why I chose to self-publish. My reason for sharing wasn't to brag or to get sympathy and praise.
One Year Ago Today - Why I Chose Self-Publishing
One Year Ago Today â Why I Chose Self-Publishing
It was the best of times, it was the worst of timesâŠÂ 2015 sucked. And it was awesome.
On this day one year ago, I was an unknown and unpublished author (im)patiently waiting to hear back from the three literary agents I had queried for The Soul Summoner. If youâre unfamiliar with the publishing process hereâs a super-condensed 101:
You write a book.
You send letters to agents trying to interestâŠ
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The Emotions Thesaurus
Whenever I give writing advice, one tool I often refer to is The Emotions Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Itâs an amazing little book filled with appropriate body language, feelings, and actions concerning all sorts of emotions in your characters.
Today, itâs companion book, Emotion Amplifiers, is FREE on Amazon, so grab it while you can! Here are a couple of (affiliate) links.
 /âŠ
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The Soul Summoner - A New Milestone
The Soul Summoner â A New Milestone
Yesterday, The Soul Summoner hit a new milestone! 100 Reviews! And look at those 5 shiny stars!
THANK YOU to every who has read and reviewed any of my books. I wish you knew how much each and every review means to me.
I canât wait to see what 2016 holds!
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Me, Myself, and I hate Pronoun Abuse #writingtips
Me, Myself, and I hate Pronoun Abuse #writingtips
Earballs (n) plural : : The part of your brain that âhearsâ what you are visually reading.
I want to talk about pronouns. Specifically, I want to address the ever-confusing REFLEXIVE PRONOUN. Like my beloved semicolon, there is much abuse in the Reflexive Pronoun world. Weâre all going to take a giant leapt toward ending Reflexive Pronoun abuse!
What is a Reflexive Pronoun? Myself, Himself,âŠ
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The Brits Don't Have ALL the Good Historical Fiction - Blue Honor by @KWilliamsAuthor
The Brits Donât Have ALL the Good Historical Fiction â Blue Honor by @KWilliamsAuthor
This year has been tough physically for me. If youâve been around here for any amount of time, you probably know I battled cancer. Do you know what kept me going through those dark days of chemo? Books. Surprise, surprise, right? The author loves to read. Shocker.
Well.. I donât like talking about âfavoritesâ because I have a lot of author-friends whom I love and respect more than life itself,âŠ
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It began with the Third Reich... - Marrow Charm by @Krazydiamond07
It began with the Third Reich⊠â Marrow Charm by @Krazydiamond07
Have you ever read something, heard a song, or watched a movie and thought, âDang⊠I wish I had thought of thatâ?
Thatâs how I feel about Marrow Charm by Kristin Jacques, a.k.a. KrazyDiamond. (Yes, she likes Pink Floyd, I asked.) Apparently, a lot of other people loved this book as much as I did, and it was a 2015 Watty Award winner! Keep an eye on this new author, folks. This chick is goingâŠ
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Cursed Times, Now What? by @lina_hanson
Cursed Times, Now What? by @lina_hanson
I read Cursed Times-Now What? in about two days. I loved it! Being that I sort of feel like a brainless writerâmeaning that I would love to write historical fiction if I werenât so lazyâI was blown away by the amount of research and attention to detail that Lina put into this book. Rightfully so, this book was awarded a 2015 Watty Award out of 75,000 entries! Congratulations, Lina!
Cursed Times ââŠ
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