Beta Readers Needed!

Stolen from my post on Goodreads.

This story is the sequel (or book 2 in a series) to The Silent Treatment, following the characters into a totally different situation.

Exchange in Eichstätt

Kat, the protagonist, goes to a small town in Germany for college credit. Unknown to her, Peter, the guy from book 1 who she struck up a relationship with and then broke up with, is in the country. They accidentally meet in a club in Munich and realize they still have feelings for each other.

But then Peter is kidnapped.

Kat does everything she can to navigate the clues and ensure her friend's safe return. However, she's angered the kidnapper, who's been taunting her with text messages from Peter's phone, and he cuts off communication. Radio silence means no more information and possibly an abrupt end to the game.

This novel has gone through several edits already -- this last one has been the biggest and "final" one. Now it's up to beta readers (like you!) to help get it as smooth and readable as possible before I have it published. (and if anyone wants to help me write a decent blurb (as the above piece of crap will not work on the back of the book), please let me know. 

Thanks so much for reading! 

Please email me or post a comment below if you're interested.

Kat Shergill Mystery #3

When I told absolutely anyone that I'd finished my designated NaNoWriMo story without having reached my word count, they all said, "Why don't you start a new one?" So I did!

While Exchange in Eichstätt is still in the editing process, I've begun "Kat Shergill #3", which will pick up about a year after the last ended. No spoilers yet (and no release date for #2 yet). I might still not reach 50,000 words, but at least I'm giving it a real effort, and maybe 2 stories out of it.

Going Ahead

There's an old saying: You can't please all the people all the time (and going by a quick Google search, this might have been said by Lincoln -- but as Mike Birbiglia points out, everything was said by Lincoln.) As it turns out, I often have trouble pleasing anyone at any time, so I've decided to do whatever the hell I want.

I've changed the cover of The Silent Treatment, you guys. I didn't feel like the old cover was quite what I wanted, but at the time I didn't have any other ideas. This is one of the great things about indie publishing -- things can change! I ran this design past a few people, and their answers were almost completely split down the middle (which makes the point of polling useless). As in text editing, any change is up to the discretion of the author (me), and I chose to go ahead with this one.

The story is still the same, although as many writers have pointed out, you're never really finished with a book. I'll probably do some "4th anniversary special!!1!" version with additional what-have-you.

Additionally, my KDP Select enrollment is coming to an end, but not before I can have one more free promo. Please spread the word and head to Amazon on Sunday the 30th. I might go with the Select program again in the future, but I might not, so consider this your last shot at a freebie! Mama needs to eat.

Cover Art

Spent the majority of my weekend coming up with this cover (in between editing like crazy). Have gotten a tiny bit of feedback, but would love more input.

Without knowing anything about the story, would this cover make you read the back copy?

Finally back to it

On my other blog, I wrote a little about how stress can impede one's creativity. There were some days all I could really do to keep myself sane was watch The Monkees or Jem and the Holograms because their absolute absurdity was enough to engage my inner five-year-old and keep me from giving up and moving back in with my parents. This meant that even though I had time to write, I couldn't do it. I couldn't even read. The life changes were enough by themselves, but I was terribly homesick and lonely (living away from hubby for a year).

But things turn around. I have a new job now, and it seems like a much better fit than the last place. I have my own apartment now, and my husband and cat have joined me. Yeah, it's been a little bumpy getting back into the routine, but I've gotten back into reading (finished Stephen King's IT in a month just by reading it on my daily commute), and I picked up writing again.

At first, I was working on Awake, my never-ending novel about 5 people who wake up in a museum after having been kidnapped. I edited a good way through the first part (which is where I usually stop), and decided I should work on the second in the Kat series instead. Ideally, I want the next installment to be ready for the Christmas rush, which means I have to work my ass off NOW or it won't be anywhere close.

It'll be nice going back into the story because I've still been feeling homesick recently. Apparently, I haven't been able to get attached to a city since I left Toronto -- maybe I feel like they're all temporary now. One of the places I "left my heart" was Eichstätt, which is where this book is set.

I've also decided on a title! Exchange in Eichstätt

Accountability is the best way for me to keep my butt working, so feel free to send me a tweet (@MelSurani) or a facebook message (facebook.com/MelSurani) and ask me how it's going. I'll also be looking for beta readers soon to nit-pick the crap out of it before I publish in any way. If you're interested in this, shoot me an email and we'll see if it's a good fit.

Do Not Spoil... pt. 2

Getting ready to revamp Do Not Spoil the Ending. Correcting some issues, maybe smoothing it out again, and slapping a new cover on it. Thoughts?

Paperback is here! 30% off!

A quick note to say that The Silent Treatment is now in paperback!

Just got a little long-winded on my other blog, so I'm not feeling too chatty right now. Check it out.