Romance Novel Giveaways - Freebies and Giveaways of All Things Romance Romance Novel Giveaways: Forever Faithful by Isabella ♥ Fun Facts, Book Tour & GIVEAWAY ♥ (GLBT Romance)

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Forever Faithful by Isabella ♥ Fun Facts, Book Tour & GIVEAWAY ♥ (GLBT Romance)

Forever Faithful is the sequel to the award winning book "Always Faithful." "Always Faithful" is about a Marine officer, Nic Caldwell, who’s has the unenviable task of informing families that their loved one is either missing, or has been killed. She is assigned task of making a notification of death to the wife of a former college friend. During the process of bringing Mike Monroe home, a series of events unfold that bring Claire Monroe and Nic Caldwell closer and through those events they fall in love. Nic isn’t without her own demons, having survived a helicopter crash that killed her entire crew in Iraq and leaving her to fight for her own life. Survivor’s guilt has nothing on Nic.

"Forever Faithful" brings Nic and Claire back facing a deployment after Nic graduates from a military university in California. She finds herself in Afghanistan and the victim of another accident that leaves one of her peers dead and Nic fighting for her life. Nic is faced with injuries that leave her questioning whether she can be the woman she once was in Claire’s eyes. What unfolds is a story of survival, love and acceptance as both women face the journey a head.
Perseverance – is the name of the game in publishing.

With all the talk about self-publishing lately it seems that there is one little piece missing in most of the discussions. A question I get asked all the time is, “How did you do it?” My answer: perseverance. The dictionary defines “perseverance” in this way:

Perseverance - per·se·ver·ance (noun) -- Steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks.

If you decide you want to be an author, or an independent publisher, or even a success in life, you must be prepared to work hard, put in long hours and stick with it. That’s where perseverance comes in. We all know the wisdom of making sure you write a good book, get it edited, and don’t forget good cover art. Everyone talks about social media and how to “pimp” your stuff. Many are ready to share how they did it, but there is no real secret formula to success, it’s plain old-fashioned hard work, persistence, doggedness, determination, and the will to persevere.

I started like many authors wanting to be published. I went the traditional route, sending my manuscript off with hopes that I would be good enough. When I was finally contacted by a publisher they wanted me to write their story, leaving the bulk of mine behind. After a short pity-party—we all have them don’t we—I thought about what options were available to me, what I had to offer a publisher and whether or not I could cave to someone else’s vision of my books. I choose to self-publish Always Faithful. Always Faithful started the ball rolling, winning an honorable mention in the Rainbow awards and then winning a Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) award later that year. This success didn’t come without some risk and hard work, but it allowed me to stay true to who I was as an author and do what I thought was right for me.

After successfully publishing four more books, I looked at the current publishing models and knew it could be done a little differently. I did more research, talked to authors and publishers, and decided that publishing could and should be more author-centric. I was an author, I knew what I would be looking for in a publisher, and I knew what was working for myself and Sapphire Books Publishing. I wanted Sapphire Books Publishing to be young, energetic, and edgy, getting rid of the old paradigm in publishing and moving forward. Authors deserved more say in the process and more freedom than the current publishing model offered. Contracts need to reflect that both the publisher and the author had skin in the game. If we all have everything to risk, we all win together or sink together. I brought my own publishing experience to the table and decided it was time. I did wonder with publishing houses closing, was it the right time? My gut said yes. If we waited for the right time to do anything, nothing would ever get done. I wasn’t afraid of hard work or rejections. I’d survived reviews. How hard could it be?

When an award-winning author announced she was leaving her publishing company, I took a risk, sent an email and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought she would say yes. She was willing to take a risk on an independent publisher, willing to “grow a publishing company” as she called it. I will forever be gratefully for that leap of faith. We added a young new voice on the lesbian scene, then another award-winning author followed another and then another. They are fantastic authors, each in their own right, but as a team we are unstoppable.

So, if I had any advice to those who are considering self-publishing it would be this—do your homework and be ready to work hard, but remember, it’s all about perseverance.
Blue on green meant that an Afghanistan soldier or civilian, someone considered a friendly, was shooting at U.S. military. Afghanistan civilians and soldiers, once cleared, were often in the compound. The U.S. trained them, worked with them, getting them ready to take over from U.S. forces. Some of the civilians were day laborers, and interpreters, indispensable in Nic’s line of work, and suddenly she wondered if Ami had reported for work today.

Silence.

Poking her head up again, Nic couldn’t see anything moving. Crouching still, she motioned for the soldier next to her to go around the opposite side of the pallet stack. Nic shuffled low towards the door of HQ. Hugging the wall, she peeked around the corner and then jerked her head back. A quick look and her gaze lit on two soldiers lying in a pool of blood and another soldier was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, clutching his chest. A stampede of feet pulled her attention away and toward three men running towards her with their weapons drawn and aiming at her. Standing, Nic’s hand rose, signaling the men to stop.

“What’s the situation, Colonel?” an Army staff sergeant asked.

“Two soldiers on the floor, one leaning against the wall, and I can’t see anything else.”

“We’ll take it from here, Colonel.”
    
       
About Christine Svendsen

Christine Svendsen is the founder and chief executive of Sapphire Books Publishing, a leading United States publisher of LGBT books. Christine founded the company in the face of rejection from big-time publishers who either told her that they weren’t looking for books of her type or that they wanted her to rewrite her stories completely. She defied them all by establishing her own publishing company, which now features a long list of award-winning LGBT authors. Today, Christine publishes books through her company and writes under the pen names of Isabella and Jett Abbott.

Christine’s most recently published novel under the name of Isabella is “Forever Faithful,” the sequel to “Always Faithful,” a book based loosely on being a former military officer’s wife and the adventures of living on a military base.

Other novels by Isabella include:

● “Broken Shield,” which covers the topics of spousal abuse and how it can lay hidden in a relationship, even when the person being abused is a cop.
● “American Yakuza” I and II, tracing the adventures of a multicultural character who tackles the male dominated world of the Japanese mafia.
● “Executive Disclosure” and “Surviving Reagan,” a series about Chad Morgan, an executive protection specialist, and Reagan Reynolds, a daughter ready to take the reins of her father’s company until her plans get derailed by her own misguided determination.

Novels by Jett Abbott include two books: ”Scarlet Masquerade” and “Scarlet Assassin.”

Christine is currently working on a new novel called “Time Stamped.”

When she’s not writing, Christine teaches college part time, rides motorcycles, and spends time remodeling her cabin in the Sierra foothills. She lives on the central coast of California with her wife and has three wonderful sons.

Contact Information

Isabella@sapphirebooks.com
http://www.sapphirebooks.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/isabellaauthor

Sapphire Books Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sapphire-Books
About Sapphire Books Publishing

Founded by Christine Svendsen, Sapphire Books Publishing is “the gem of lesbian publishing.” Dedicated to quality fiction that reflects the lives of the lesbian community, the company publishes romance, erotica, paranormal, mystery and intrigue, fantasy, and other fiction where the main characters are lesbians. Since its inception, the company has grown to include a cadre of highly acclaimed LGBT authors, including Linda Kay Silva, Kim Pritekel, Beth Burnett, and Linda North. Sapphire Books are available in hardcover, softcover, and ebook formats throughout the world.
    
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8 comments :

  1. Enjoyed reading Fun Facts today

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  2. Great lecture on perseverance for any would be author

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  3. How did you come up with the title?

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  4. Thanks for the giveaway! I like the excerpt. :)

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  5. Thank you for telling your history about becoming a writer and the perseverance needed to reach your goal!

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  6. I liked the Synopsis (can't imagine having the job of informing loved ones though)!
    Thx for the giveaway:-)

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