The
Order of the Black Swan is
a serial saga including My Familiar Stranger, The Witch’s Dream, A
Summoner’s Tale, Moonlight, Gathering Storm, and NEVER BEFORE
RELEASED Book 6, A Tale of Two Kingdoms.
Once upon a time a girl lost everything
familiar. She escaped death by being forced into an experiment that left her in
another world where modern day knights, elves, vampires, werewolves, witches,
demons and fae became her allies, friends and family. She discovered a place
where adventure intersects fairytales, where honor is more than an ideal, and
she learned that love can find you in the strangest places, when you're least
expecting it, even when you're far, far from home. This is the story of Elora
Laiken's strange and wonderful journey. It is also the story
of those whose lives she touches along the way.
If you love romance, paranormal, science
fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary, this series is right for you.
17+
ISBN: 978-1-933320-94-6, 523,000 words
The entire box set, which will retail after December 15th
for $18.99, will be available during release week for $0.99 and can be
preordered at that price from either Smashwords or Kobo. Buy links to Amazon, B&N, and Apple
(iBooks, iTunes) will be available release week. Subscribe to the mail list for
a reminder.
WEBSITE: http://www.VictoriaDanann.com
BLOG: http://VictoriaDanann.me
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/vdanann
TWITTER: @vdanann
Best-selling
ROMANCE with Paranormal, Sci-fi, and Fantasy Flair.
AUTHOR BIO:
If you’re looking
for something new and different in PNR, you’ve come to the right place.
I write
unapologetic romances with uniquely fresh perspectives on paranormal creatures,
characters, and themes. Add a dash of scifi and a flourish of fantasy to enough
humor to make you laugh out loud and enough steam to make you squirm in your
chair. My heroines are independent femmes with flaws and minds of their own
whether they are aliens, witches, demonologists, psychics, or past life
therapists. My heroes are hot and hunky, but they also have brains, character,
and good manners – usually – whether they be elves, demons, berserkers,
werewolves, or vampires.
I have authored
and illustrated Seasons of the Witch calendars and planners for fifteen years
and teach magickal arts for Seasons in Avalon. I live in The Woodlands, Texas
which is why I sometimes joke about being the witch in the woods.
Confessions
of an Author’s Assistant
Judy Fox and Sarah Blausey
Being an author’s assistant is a job like
no other: Exciting, fulfilling, and, at times, crazy! We work for an Indie
author, Victoria Danann, which adds another level of challenge to the mix.
Without a big publisher behind us, we work on her behalf to get the word out
about her amazing books.
Here’s our first confession: Neither of us
has worked as an author’s assistant before! We were both fans first, as well as
being members of her street team. She mentioned one day that she was looking
for a new assistant, and both of us replied. Being a smart woman, Victoria realized
how amazing we both are. So, instead of choosing one, she hired us both! Now
the three of us are blazing our own trail in the wild world of Indie
publishing.
Our most important functions are managing Victoria’s
social media and the street team, which is a group of some of the most devoted
Victoria fans around. The street team is one of our most important keys to
getting the word out about the Black Swan serial saga. We also work with Bloggers
and Facebookers to feature or promote Victoria’s books, keep track of her
calendar, and organize events such as giveaways. There are a lot of moving
parts that require a tremendous amount of organization and detail supervision.
Through a semi-complicated structure of file sharing and online chat, the three
of us are able to work as a team so that each of us always knows what the other
is doing.
Once people find out about and read
Victoria’s first book, My Familiar Stranger, which is free everywhere, they
usually join the rest of us in being fans of her work. We really love that her
books are a mix of paranormal romance and fantasy, genres that we both really
enjoy reading. It’s so fun working for someone you admire - Any task that helps
her out is something we’re glad to do.
We’re commonly asked the following
questions:
How’d you get the job?
Sarah:
I had been on her Street Team for about
a month when the opportunity came up that she needed an assistant. I sent her
an email about all the things I had done in the past, reasons why I would be a
great assistant. I was SO nervous waiting for the response! But, as you can
see, I am here!
Judy: One day, on the street team page, Victoria
mentioned that she needed an assistant. I contacted her to offer to help her
out in the meantime, but it turns out I was in the right place at the right
time, and started working for her! The learning curve has been pretty steep –
there is so much about the author world that is so very different from the
experience of a reader. I love this job! I get to utilize every skill I’ve
learned over the years and apply them in unique and creative ways.
Sarah:
You're right, it is crazy different as far as how it measures up to any other
job I have, but I would never trade it!
Judy: I’m constantly amazed that I get to do what I
do. I learn so much every day. I didn’t realize how bored I was before.
Seriously.
How did you know that the street team idea would even
work?
Judy:
The idea of a street team isn’t really new. It started in the music industry
with a literal street team handing out fliers about a new music group. The
concept has evolved now into street teams for all kinds of things. Feedback I
get from members of Victoria’s street team is that this is one of the most
active groups for an author. Our team has regular blogs that they work with to
help spread the word. Having a hangout on Facebook with a private page for our group
has been really great for building our team identity.
Sarah: Victoria had the Street Team before I became
her assistant. I think it's a great idea for many different reasons. Her
biggest fans get time to chat with her whenever they like, they know her better
than her other readers do. They also get the opportunity to get her new books
about 2 weeks before everyone else. This helps both them and Victoria as she
gets feedback before the release date. It is also a great advertising tool as
we have wonderful Street Team members that will help get the word out about
anything!
What is the most rewarding aspect of being an author’s
assistant?
Sarah: This one is hard to explain. Being Victoria's
assistant is a reward in itself. I get to talk to her daily, manage a fantastic
Street Team, and meet some really incredible people. All the while knowing that
I am helping a writing genius get the time to do what she does best!
Judy:
The most rewarding thing about this job is that I get to help an author I truly
admire. It just feels so good knowing that my work in the background enables
her to have time to write her amazing books.
Sarah;
She's right; I know Victoria is writing fantastic things and that makes me
extremely happy!
Judy:
I love it every time Sarah says, “She’s right,” when she’s talking about me! It
happens a lot.
How many hours a week/day do you spend on this job?
Sarah: A lot. But in no way can I complain. Most of
the Street Team says they see me online, all the time, no matter what time it
is. Well, I LOVE what I do. And a lot of my part of the job includes Facebook,
so I'm on there for my stuff and book stuff all the time. Plus keeping track of
what 50 people do takes up some time!!
Judy:
It’s really impossible to calculate. I know I work the equivalent of office
hours daily, and then check in again at night. I try to avoid working on the
weekends, but when stuff is happening, I’m on whenever I need to be. This job
for me is a blend of fan/ employee - it’s definitely more a labor of love….but
it is nice to get paid!
Sarah: Wait... You get paid??
Judy: Oops.
So, what’s the dirt? Any scoops you can share?
Judy:
Wow! Way to put us on the spot. Part of being an assistant is protecting the
person you work for. My boss probably won’t fire me for saying that she put a
photo of herself on Facebook once – she was swimming – I noticed no clothing in
the picture, and asked her about if – to which she replied, “haha”. Yep. That’s
the kind of crazy I’m lucky enough to work with every day. I love her.
Sarah: She's got a wicked crazy
sense of humor....and she and I get one another's jokes, while Judy is often
left scratching her head!
Judy:
Hey! I get some of the jokes….sometimes.
Blazing a new trail in the world of Indy
book publishing is exciting and fun. There is some seriously hard work
involved, but it’s hard to really take note of that when we’re having such a
good time! Being coworkers that truly enjoy and admire, not only our boss, but
one another, makes every workday fun and entertaining. We both like meeting new
people, learning new things, and we’re pretty good at sharing the load. We don’t
know how Victoria got along without us!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now for the Giveaway ~ Enter for a chance to win:
US ~ a signed paperback copy of My Familiar Stranger and a keychain!
Intl ~ the first three books of the collection in ebook format
US ~ a signed paperback copy of My Familiar Stranger and a keychain!
Intl ~ the first three books of the collection in ebook format
No comments:
Post a Comment