Sunday, August 27, 2017

Bronze New Edition Cover Reveal and Street Team!


I'm so excited about this! I absolutely love it. I think it fits the mood and main character of the book perfectly. The new edition paperback is in production, the on-sale date is set. I'm waiting for the proof copy and can't wait to see it! It took a long time to write the book in the first place and get the first edition finished. It's taken even longer and has been much harder to get to this point, so forgive me if I seem disproportionately excited about a re-release. The thing is, unless the first book reaches a broader audience, the next books in the series will have a hard time too. Going by the media and reader reviews it's already received, I'm sure more people will like it if they have a chance to read it!

That's why I need your help! Self-promotion is really hard for me. I've never been good at selling anything. I once even tried selling Avon but was hopeless! I also find the concepts and mental juggling required (executive function skills) for marketing very confusing, which may be due to my autism. So I'm seeking help from people who have already read Bronze or would like to read it, and that live in the US or Canada. If you'd like to know more about the series, you can read my About The Glister Journals page and take a look around The Glister Journals website. A few excerpts can be read HERE to see if you like my writing style, etc.

What does the street team do? The team's purpose is to get the word out in any way possible. The most important thing is to actually read the book and review it, especially leaving a review on Amazon. Any help is immensely appreciated. Posting your thoughts and reviews to social media is also enormous help, but telling people in real life is too, people you think would enjoy the book, or may know someone who would - your neighbor, your family, your book club, your local librarian! Letting others know about the pre-order is very important too. Books with a healthy pre-order base are more likely to be stocked in bookstores. Even more important, they'll be actively promoted by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online retailers. The MOST important thing is to post a review on Amazon on or as soon after release day as possible. Posting reviews to other retail and book community sites (such as Goodreads) is extremely helpful, too.

What do you get for being on the team? First of all you get my heartfelt and everlasting gratitude! It's an overwhelming task for one person to accomplish, but your help can make all the difference in the world! More tangibly, you get an advanced reading e-copy of Bronze and each of my books months before anyone else for as long as you're on the team. The second book, Copper, is in revisions and I hope will be ready for ARCs by the end of this year or early next. There will be an exclusive Facebook group where you can ask me questions and share ideas and experiences. There will also be Glister-related swag and gift card giveaways exclusive to the street team, early reveals, and exclusive sneak peeks from upcoming books. I'm very open to other ideas about how I can reward you!

Everyone that pre-orders a print copy of Bronze will also get a free e-book copy. Pre-orders (print OR e-book) will also get you early access to the Bronze soundtrack which will be publicly revealed in a countdown to the release of Copper. I'm open to other ideas about pre-order perks too! (Bronze is available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble right now for over $3 under list price!)

I won't go into details about the team here, but if you'd like to help, please fill out the form in the link below. For legal reasons we can only accept adults over 18 on the team, but if you're under 18, I'd appreciate your help so much! You can find some ideas HERE. Anything you do to get the word out will help and I'd love to know all about it! You can stay in touch with me here on my blog, on Twitter, through Goodreads or through The Glister Journals Facebook page.

The Glister Journals Street Team Application

I look forward to working with you!


Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Back to School Cash Giveaway


Back to School $250 Giveaway

August 17th to September 7th


This fabulous group of bloggers and authors have partnered with I Am A Reader in sponsoring this giveaway!

Enter for your chance to win $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon Gift Card.

Sponsor List

I Am A Reader
Geybie's Book Blog
S.T. Bende
Lori's Reading Corner
Laurisa White Reyes
Every Free Chance Books
The Editing Hall
Simple Wyrdings
Author Al Stone
D.S. Venetta ~ Organic Gardening for Kids!
Anna del C. Dye
My Life. One Story at a Time.
Heather Boyd Regency Romance Author
Author Mary Ting
Author Inger Iversen
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Kindle and Me
Erin Richards
Glistering: B's Blog
Helen Smith
Donna K. Weaver
Carrie @ Reading Is My SuperPower
Bookhounds
Alexandrea Weis
Caroline Clemmons
Author D.E. Haggerty
Diana's Book Reviews
Bound 4 Escape
More Than a Review
Heather @ Townsend House
Spirit Filled eBooks
The Serious Reader
Author Felicia Starr
The Page Unbound
CoolCatMysteries
Heather Gray, Christian Romance
Mary from YourDesignerDog
Karmack by JC Whyte
Kasey's Book Reviews

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card

Ends 9/7/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop


Welcome to the Clear Your Shelves Giveaway hosted by BookHounds

I'm giving away four hardbound books to four winners. These are not ARCs, but books I bought myself and have read and enjoyed. They are all in perfect condition and I'd like to pass them on. I really do need the shelf space! Due to postage costs, this is US only. Sorry! This giveaway runs from August 15 - 30.

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. US residents only. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

Dreamland Burning

From Goodreads Some bodies won’t stay buried. Some stories need to be told.

When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family’s property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the past, the present, and herself.

One hundred years earlier, a single violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what’s right the night Tulsa burns.


I enjoyed this book very much. My short review can be read here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Forgetting Time

From Goodreads:
Noah wants to go home. A seemingly easy request from most four year olds. But as Noah's single-mother, Janie, knows, nothing with Noah is ever easy. One day the pre-school office calls and says Janie needs to come in to talk about Noah, and no, not later, now - and life as she knows it stops.

For Jerome Anderson, life as he knows it has stopped. A deadly diagnosis has made him realize he is approaching the end of his life. His first thought - I'm not finished yet. Once a shining young star in academia, a graduate of Yale and Harvard, a professor of psychology, he threw it all away because of an obsession. Anderson became the laughing stock of his peers, but he didn't care - something had to be going on beyond what anyone could see or comprehend. He spent his life searching for that something else. And with Noah, he thinks he's found it. More

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Before We Visit The Goddess

From Goodreads:
The daughter of a poor baker in rural Bengal, India, Sabitri yearns to get an education, but her family’s situation means college is an impossible dream. Then an influential woman from Kolkata takes Sabitri under her wing, but her generosity soon proves dangerous after the girl makes a single, unforgivable misstep. Years later, Sabitri’s own daughter, Bela, haunted by her mother’s choices, flees abroad with her political refugee lover—but the America she finds is vastly different from the country she’d imagined. As the marriage crumbles and Bela is forced to forge her own path, she unwittingly imprints her own child, Tara, with indelible lessons about freedom, heartbreak, and loyalty that will take a lifetime to unravel. More


My short review can be read here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Nest


From Goodreads:Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems. More
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Update: Summer 2017, Upcoming Releases, and Your Help

Personal News

This is long overdue. I'm sorry if it seems I'm neglecting the blog, but life's been overwhelming for quite some time. I've been taking professional development (curriculum developing and salary increasing) classes all summer which, along with writing every day, have kept me very busy. I haven't even had the chance to get out of town except for a day trip to Monterey with my youngest daughter (which was fun!). I greatly missed going to visit my son and his family, especially my new granddaughter, but it just wasn't possible this summer. School starts in less than a week so I'm gearing up for that, along with everything else going on right now.

One of the things I am excited about is being on the launch team for Anne Bogel's new book, Reading People.

If you have any interest at all in personality frameworks and understanding other people, this is the book for you! I'm almost finished reading the ARC copy but have preordered the paperback as I prefer to have physical copies of books I'll refer to a lot. And I'm sure I will with this one! And you get a free audio edition with the preorder! I'll be posting my review soon.

Glister Journals News

Work on The Glister Journals is ongoing. At this moment we're finalizing the new cover of Bronze. I really love it! The new edition paperback and e-book should be available for preorder within the next two weeks. I'll have a firm release date soon, but it will probably be October. It will also be available for review through NetGalley by the end of the month.

Bronze received great reader and media reviews when it first came out, but I didn't know how to get the word out far and fast enough, so very few people knew about it. If people don't know about a book, they can't buy it, and if they don't buy it, it pretty much disappears. That is what happened to Bronze. I'm hoping the change in cover will give more of a feel for what the book is really like than the original artwork does. And now that I understand marketing a little better, I'm hoping the book can achieve a wider audience than it has so far.

But I need your help! I'll be building a street team to help get the word out, not just about Bronze, but for each Glister Journals book as it's released. If you live in the United States and have an active social media presence, your help is invaluable! For those of you who don't live in the US (and I know there are a lot of you!), your support, comments, and reviews will always be extremely important. But for now we have to concentrate on US sales to help the book and series really get off the ground. Advanced Reading Copies (e-books) of the new edition of Bronze will be made available through NetGalley. If you've already reviewed Bronze, I thank you so much! There is no need to read the new edition - nothing has changed except a little detail has been left out and the prose cleaned up slightly - but you are certainly welcome to re-read and your help is even more valuable if you're already a fan! New readers will be encouraged to post reviews on or near release day. You'll be the first to receive ARCs of Copper and the remaining books in the series. I will also have exclusive giveaways, freebies, and first peeks at new content for street team members. I will post separately about this with the new cover reveal very soon!

Which brings me to Copper. The first draft is finally finished and I've begun first revisions on the second half. The first half (chapters 1 thru 15) has been written for quite a while and has had several revisions already. It's in good shape and I'll revise the whole book once I've cleaned up the second half (chapters 16 thru 34). Then the hard work of cutting and polishing will start. Unfortunately I can't give a release date, but I hope to have review copies available by the end of the year. I love my full-time job, but sometimes I really wish I could just concentrate on writing!

Also new is a short newsletter, once or twice a month, just to keep you informed of things you may be interested in: current and upcoming giveaways, recent blog posts, Glister Journals news, book reviews, etc. You can sign up for it here on the blog or on The Glister Journals website.

Currently writing: Copper revisions
Listening: The Shins - Heartworms and Passion Pit - Kindred.
Reading: Reading People by Anne Bogle and The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
Watching: The Bold Type


Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.