YA Indie Carnival ~ Best Indie Reads for Halloween

Friday, October 28, 2011

My "to read" pile of YA books by indie authors is growing. Listed below are some of the scary-ish ones...fitting for Halloween...

Some of these are sitting on my Kindle, and some I haven't purchased yet. So I can't tell you if I like them or not...yet, but I'm very eager to read them for many different reasons. Here's why in no particular order:

Coming out on Halloween is The Reckoning by M. Leighton. I love the beautiful but spooky cover, and check out the excerpt on her blog. Actually, in terms of Halloween reading, M. Leighton has you covered with books like Wiccan, and Blood Like Poison, and many others...





Existence by Abbi Glines ~ This is probably one of the most striking and intriguing covers I've ever seen. Check out the excerpt on Abbi's blog. Along with the cover, I was totally sucked in after reading that...The big bummer...this one doesn't come out until December, so you'll need to add it to your wish list like I did.


Or how about 13 on Halloween by Laura Elliot? ~ another cool cover here, and if you have an e-reader you can read this one on Halloween for less than 3 bucks!



Don't forget that I have a ghost for you to read while you wait  for the release of Forever! My ghost isn't particularly terrifying, because she is just too darn innocent, but Fair Maiden is a murder mystery with a heavy dose of fantasy and romance to make it sweeter. If you don't like horror, this is the Halloween read for you...





Get if from Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or The book Depository.

Or, if you're looking for something different, perhaps you should try Of Sun & Moon by Bryna Butler ~ Gorgeous cover, kidnappings, blood-sucking tyrants, and a paranormal tooth fairy? Must read! LOL


These are only a few...if you're looking from some good YA reading, I suggest trying any of my other carnies. Just click on one of the links below to visit their blogs.
And don't forget to enter my Library-Drive Giveaway and the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!!!!


1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

2nd Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!!! ~October 24th to the 31st~

Monday, October 24, 2011


Hosted by the amazing, I'm A Reader Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm...

This one is HUGE so don't miss out! There are more than 400 chances to win free stuff! You have from October 24th to the 31st to get through all of them and enter as many as you can. Note: Since my library-drive giveaway is international, I need to make this one USA only due to shipping costs. (If you don't live in the USA, you can still win books from me if you enter the Library-Drive Giveaway.)

Prizes:
A signed copy of one of my books. Winner's choice of Fateful, Fractured, or Fair Maiden.
OR
A beaded bookmark. I'll custom make it in your favorite colors.

To Enter:
One mandatory entry:
Follow my blog, and let me know in the comments here that you did or do. (Don't forget to tell me your email address so I can contact you if you win.)

Optional entries:
Like my Facebook Fan page, also mention this in the comments of this post.
Or Share the Facebook post of this giveaway, and comment about it here.
Or Share the Facebook post of my library-drive giveaway, and comment about it here.

Thanks for visiting my blog and good luck!

Welcome again to YA Indie Carnival ~ Halloween Memories

Friday, October 21, 2011


Heh, it seems I can't recall much in way of Halloween Memories, at least none worth sharing. Lame, I know...But...I went to my daughter's chorus recital last night and the boys sang this song that totally cracked me up. It's called "We May Not Be Vampires (But We'Re Still Men)." by Mark Burrows. It was so darn cute to see middle school boys sing it with actions.

I tried to find the lyrics online but I could only find a YouTube performance. These boys are older than the ones I got to see last night, so they weren't as cute, in my opinion, but  you can still get the idea.



Anyway,  if you're involved with a chorus, I noticed the music can be purchased for $1.95 here.

I would guess that Mr. Burrows wrote this in reaction to the major vampire excitement that's been going on lately in books, television and movies. And I suspect a lot of men are feel this way right now. LOL

And don't forget about my Library-Drive Giveaway in the post just before this one!!!!



(Get to know the other amazing carnis by clicking on any of the links below.)
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

Library Drive & Giveaway ~ Win signed copies of the Fateful Trilogy. YES, this includes Forever!!!

Thursday, October 20, 2011


This giveaway will run from October 20th-November 20th.

To Enter:
Like my Facebook fan page and be entered in a giveaway for me to donate books to your local library! Just so I know you're entering, please post a comment on my Facebook page and share it with your friends. Together we can make my books available to thousands who don't have a budget for buying books.

Note:
This giveaway is open to my international readers too! Also, I don't know if all libraries will accept my book, even as donations. I don't really know how the process works, but we'll try it anyway...and learn as we go!

Prizes:
The grand prize is for signed copies of all three books in the Fateful Trilogy, and unsigned copies of the same three books sent to your local library. (You'll be one of the first to get Forever in print when it's available! But Fateful and Fractured will arrive first, because Forever isn't quite finished yet.)


Plus I'll award two runner-up prizes where I'll donate a paperback copy of Fateful or Fair Maiden to your local library. You'll need to get the mailing address and phone number of your library to me for this.

Obviously I can't afford to donate my books to every library in existence...I need your help! To get printed copies of any of my books in your library, you must go in and request they carry books by Cheri Schmidt. Give them the link  for my Createspace Estore if they can't find the books through their usual channels. I'll give discounts on books to Libraries from my estore, or from The Book Depository for international libraries.

On Createspace:
Fair Maiden~ https://www.createspace.com/3620048
Fateful~ https://www.createspace.com/3598687
Fractured~  https://www.createspace.com/3675647

On The Book Depository:
Fair Maiden~ http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fair-Maiden-Cheri-Schmidt/9781463531980
Fateful~ http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fateful-Cheri-Schmidt/9781461103998
Fractured~ Soon


And...help me get my EBOOKS into libraries too! Many libraries have ebook lending capability now through www.overdrive.com. Check with your local library to see if they have it. Sadly, my ebooks are not yet listed on Overdrive. So go to your local library and request that they carry ebooks by Cheri Schmidt. They'll need to contact Overdrive on their own per your request.

My ebooks and printed books are available via the web from Barnes & Noble, Amazon USA, UK, France, and Germany. Printed copies are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Createspace. Availability will soon be at: Kobo, The Book Depository and other places soon to be announced. As soon as I have those worked out, I'll update this post... (Update: Two of my books are available from The Book Depository at discounted rates and with free shipping. If you'd like to purchase, or have your library purchase them for you, go to this link or share it with your library: http://www.bookdepository.com/search/advanced?searchAuthor=Cheri+Schmidt )

YA Indie Carnival ~ My Best Fan Experience...And a Forever Update.

Friday, October 14, 2011

My best fan experience would probably have to be getting to know my first blind reader when she requested my third book, which wasn't available on Smashwords yet. Here is what she said on my Facebook Fan page:

"Hi Cheri! I just wanted to tell you I really like your books! Are you going to put Fair Maiden on Smashwords? I really think you should. I like them because I'm blind and I can read your books in several different formats, even on my computer in braille. Thanks very much! I can't wait to read your next books!" ~Heather

In truth, I consider EVERY positive review one of the best experiences from my readers. Each one comes at at time when I really need to be uplifted. THANK YOU  for taking the time to post your good reviews for me on Amazon, Goodreads, and B&N!!!! It means a lot to me.... Anyway, I just have to share some of my favorites with you:

One of my all time favorites from Santiago Chile:
"I REALLY enjoyed this book. I loved it! It was very well written. I am constantly on the look out for a really good story, with great characters, well developed plot and of course a melt your heart romance. Believe me it doesn't happen often. But I was soooo happy to find Fateful met and exceeded all of my criteria. I'm still smiling about it :). O.k as for the comments that it is a Twilight copy. Please. Yes there are some similarities. There is a vampire who is good, who falls in love with a human and there are some bad vampires. And that's about it. Everything else (which there is a lot more) is not only unique to Fateful but makes it so much more and different than anything else out there. Lastly, for all of us thousands of readers who were searching for something as good (if not better) to read after Twilight. This is IT!" ~Malomia

From my blog:
I love both of the books. I am so glad youre continuing this series with a third book. I can't wait by the way! I have re-read both of the books twice and loved them just as much as I did the first time. Any ideas when the third one might be out? Also, I would love to see your books into a movie. And I dont see why not since Amanda Hocking got her Trylle Trilogy in the works. I feel Fateful is just as good if not better. ~Ryadne24

A new one that I loved:
"I was a little skeptical at first that this would be a Twilight knock-off. But I enjoyed the twists and differences. The way I see it I will read all types of romantic books that all have the same plot just with different twists. This is what this book is. The writing is well done. I could not put the book down. I was on vacation at the time of reading and I was desperately looking for internet to download the next book "Fractured" to my kindle. If you like vampire romance, this is definitely an excellent book for you." ~Jc22

Another new one:
This book is a phenomenal paranormal young adult read. The reader will love Ethan and Danielle's developing relationship, it's actually believable-a rarity in teen novels. Danielle is sweet and caring, though she can be a tad impulsive. Ethan is protective, strong, and charismatic. The two balance each other out perfectly and the reader will be rooting for them throughout the novel. There is a part, towards the beginning, that will remind the reader of Twilight; however, that notion is quickly dispelled. The events are fast-paced and range from detailed to fast-paced, the plot was certainly fun to read, and the characters are very likable. ~Chels

From a book blogger who reviewed both Fateful and Fractured, so I'm sharing part of each:
This book had that old-time romance feel in a modern world. It is saccharine with a little bit of danger lurking around each corner. I did like the story and the writing and the first romance aspect of it all and the, oh so rare chivalrous beau we all hoped to find. I would like to have known more about Lucas, Lilith & Benjamin but then again, maybe that will come up later, the vampire curse still holds some mystery to it and there is a lot of possibility to where Ethan and Danielle’s relationship will go. Anyway, it was an entertaining read and I really felt like drinking tea for some reason while reading this. I mean I downed tea like crazy.

Wow! I just finished Fractured and am impressed.... The attacks on the two just escalate and their future together is rushed as they plan on being married. Then just one thing after another happens and everything seems so dire. Anyway, I like this story, it has that old-fashioned air to it that gave a wonderful tone to the world of Ethan and Danielle. I love mortal Ethan, he takes full advantage of life and loves every aspect of it, even his flaws are endearing and he continues his unwavering affection for Danielle. With immortals and creatures constantly after them they had some difficult decisions to make, some of them may have been made to rashly but that always makes the story more interesting. I like the writing style of the author and I can’t wait for the final book in this trilogy! ~Ramblings of a Semi-Housewife


Again, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to post a positive review for me! It's always the highlight of my day, or week, and sometimes even my month! Nothing inspires me to write faster more than good reviews, so keep them coming!

Now for updates: Forever is nearing completion, although I don't have an exact date for it's release yet. Part of the holdup is the move into a new house. As I write, I'm sitting in an office while surrounded by boxes that still need to be unpacked, but they're just sitting there because I'm too busy writing! I've been interrupted a lot by things like phone and internet installation, and it's kind of driving me a little crazy. Plus my editors have busy lives and are doing this for me on the side....I wish I could do it faster, but I strive to write the best book possible for you, and that takes time.

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that a reader had requested I get all of my books on Smashwords. Well, I just had to remove them from Smashwords. They're not responding to email quires and all of the copies of my books that have been pirated, are only the copies from Smashwords! Over six months, I've only sold 33 books there so I don't see it as worth it to have my books listed with them anymore. I am doing my best to make my books available to my international readers through: Kobo, Amazon UK, France and Germany. Printed books will soon be available internationally from www.bookdepository.co.uk/ where they offer free shipping worldwide! If you live outside of the US, please let me know of places you like to purchase your books so I can make them even more widely available. Soon, I will have a Library-Drive Giveaway to help get my books into libraries across the world for those of you who don't have a book budget. But to help me with this, contact your local library and request that they carry my books!

PS: I just had to add this...Did you know it was National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2011? As I just noted, my books from Smashwords have been illegally pirated, and while I was looking at what I could do about it, I found this. Report websites that conduct illegal ebook sharing here.

Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart Chronicles
Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca as well as 13 on Halloween, book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind
Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising and the upcoming Griffin's Fire
Madeline Smoot Author of Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
Heather self
M. Leighton Author of Blood Like Poison and many more.