AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Amanda Hocking

If you keep up with my wannabe writer posts you will know that I am considering self-publishing my books as e-books when I finially actually finish one of them.  (At the rate I'm going that might be awhile...but anyway, on with my point.)  So, why do I admire Amanda Hocking?  B/c she did just that. 

You've got to read this article I just discovered.  Here. 
Bascially it talks about Amanda Hocking and how she tried going traditional publishing routes and when that failed she decided to e-publish.  And currently she sold over 450,000 copies of her books last month alone.  Later in the article it said she makes 70% of the money off them and sells them anywhere from 99cents to $2.99.  I should know.  I've bought 7 of them.  So, I did a little math.  Let's pretend that each book sold for $1 and 70% of 450,000 is $315,000.  Holy crow! 

That was just my bad math---then I found another website.  Here.  It claims she's made 1.5 million. 

So, maybe the success stories are few and far between.  Whatever.  This is inspiration enough for me today.  On with my writing...

Book Review: MY BLOOD APPROVES

Title: MY BLOOD APPROVES
Author: Amanda Hocking
Publication Type: ebook
My Rating: 4/5--Really good! Worth your time.
Plot in One Word: Vampires
Good if...you want something for your e-reader

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met. Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...


My thoughts...
It's official!  I'm a huge Amanda Hocking fan!  So if you're unfamiliar with Amanda Hocking...here's what you need to know: she's e-published several books, all available from $0.99-$2.99, and many of them are now available on paperback.  I bought a couple because they were cheap and because I recently got an iPhone and the kindle app and heard they were good.  Anyway, since I've breezing through all Amanda Hocking's books at hyper-speed.  Her books aren't perfect, but yet, I can't put them down and now have downloaded them all to my phone.  :)

As for MY BLOOD APPROVES...it certainly is a mixture of TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, but still a refreshing and new twist on Vampires.  I love Jack's character and his friendship with Alice.  And then Peter makes for an awesome badboy type/bad guy even.  Me wondering which A;lice will end up with kept me eagerly flipping through the pages.  :)

Book Review: TRYLLE TRILOGY

Title: SWITCHED, TORN, and ASCEND

Author: Amanda Hocking

My Rating: 4/5--Really good! Worth your time.

Plot in One Word: Trolls

Good if...you want something diffferent

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.  With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Amanda Hocking has e-published several books.  This series, a vampire series, and I believe she is currently working on a series with zombies.  I purchased the first book (in paperback) and more recently bought (and read) the 2nd and 3rd novels in e-format.  I was very pleased with this series.  It was action packed and romantic.  There were so many wonderful characters and plot turns.  I really recommend it from start to finish.  And I love how I never could have predicted the ending and the way the characters came together at the end.  It was a quick easy read and totally worth the purchase!  If you have an e-reader buy this series!

In My Mailbox #24

This is In my mailbox a meme run by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Here's what I go this week...

Switched by Amanda Hocking
When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might have been telling the truth.  With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

The Pace by Shelena Shorts
Weston Wilson is not immortal and he is of this world. But, aging is not part of his existence, and eighteen-year-old Sophie Slone is determined to find out why. In doing so, she could also uncover something about her own life expectancy that she may not want to know. Suddenly, immortality will mean everything and nothing all at the same time.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel.  Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi.  She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother.  When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do.  She must become a Hound of Heaven.  Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero.  But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble.  Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung.