Mockups are fun

Just recently I found myself in the wonderful workd of mockups. I found so many that I want to use for the future that I filled half my hard-drive with them. These are PSD files (at least in the cases that I have here), that help you display your own works in realistic pictures. It is surprisingly hard to explain. But I’ll show you an example below.

That mockup has a ready made picture and the card standing in front of the box allowed to add my own text and card design so it looks like it belongs into the setting. There are mockups for all kinds of things like book covers, computer screens, phone screens, booklets, posters and so on and so forth. They are really fun and come in quite handy. Not only for graphic designers but also for authors who want to display their work in new ways.

I used this one to make it look it belongs into the world of “Sra’kalor”, the card being a part of the story without giving anything away you won’t know after the first two chapters. 😉 The mockup I used can be found here on forgraphictm.com. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

50% off my books on Smashwords!

I am participating in a Smashwords sitewide promotion! Many many authors have enrolled their books in this promotion for discounts that will allow you to shop for a great number of books for little money! 

Both of my books “Sra’kalor” and “Kaleidoscope of my mind” are off 50% on Smashwords only until March 12th!

  

How does it work? You put your books in the cart and when you check out use the Discount code “RAE50” (without the quotation marks).

Come on over and grab your own e-copy!

Sra’kalor on Smashwords

Kaleidoscope of my mind on Smashwords

 

Sharing a Quote

 

The actual picture is not made by me. Copyright lies by Konstantin Tilberg . I only increased the contrast a little and added the writing.  Thank you for sharing your work, Konstantin, with us and allowing folks to use it as base for their stuff!

 

Digital Cross-stitching fun

Usually I try to stick to writing, but I had a little too much fun for the last two days with this little App on Facebook, I want to tell you about. It’s called “Cross-Stitch World”.

Some might ask why anyone would want to cross stitch online, and I can totally understand that. I had the same question, at least until I tried it. After playing around for a while I found it oddly calming, almost like coloring books, or painting by colours, which is basically the same thing just with cross-stitching, that you do with your mouse (which is a good thing because I can’t cross-stitch in Real Life). You choose a picture and you get a color palette of yarn and when you zoom into the picture you can see where which color belongs. You put each color into the respective boxes and the picture takes form.

But the really cool think about it is, that you can turn your own images into cross-stitch patterns. And that was what I did last night. I cross-stitched the cover of my book “Sra’kalor” and the female lead Alana. And I possibly had a bit too much fun. I’m still playing around with other pictures but need a break, because my hand started to hurt. 😉

Why don’t you head on over and take a peek, play around. And share your cross-stitches with me? I’d love to see what everyone does with it. 🙂

Sra’kalor revision is now available in print!

A little more than a week ago, I have released my revision of Sra’kalor! As promised it is now available in print as well.

I have received my proof copy and all went well, so now you can head on over to Lulu, and grab yourself a copy as a perfect-bound Paperback!

You can find Sra’kalor in print here.

What can I tell you, it’s a great feeling holding it in my hands and smelling this wonderful book smell. See for yourself!

Get Sra’kalor for 50% off for Black Friday Weekend!

It’s Black Friday and that means everyone wants to get some great deals! And I want to join in.

For this weekend you can get Sra’kalor (Ashwood Falls Part 1) for 50% off on Smashwords.

• To get the great deal:
• head on over to Sra’kalor on Smashwords. If you do not have an account yet, you should make one, they have a great variety of fantastic books!
• click the buy button. That puts the book in the cart.
• when you are directed to the cart, you see a little box at the bottom that says “Coupon code”, put this code into the box: YT84F
• hit the “Apply Code” button on the right

Now you can check out and after completing the purchase you can download the book right away in different e-reader formats such as: mobi, epub, pdf and more.

Hope you’ll enjoy your little treat! Have a fantastic weekend!

4 of 5 Stars Review for Sra’kalor!

My dear friend Jonathan Snyder, a fellow writer and sounding board for my crazy ideas, has agreed to give Sra’kalor a try, even though it is not his kind of genre. One of the many things I like about him, is that he is very honest, so I am super excited that he gave Sra’kalor a 4 of 5 star rating!

I am not a big supernatural fantasy fan, but I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised in what I found in those pages. A good friend of mine asked me to read her book and it turned out to be a great suggestion! Jessica Werner’s Sra’Kralor, the first book in the Ashwood Falls series is a very interesting take on the supernatural creatures living in our world theme. It follows the story of Alana who has a mysterious ability that her family cannot deal with and when she turns eighteen, she is placed on a bus and sent to the nearby city of Ashwood Falls. If she thought her life could not get stranger, she would be in for a big surprise.

You can read more of his review on his blog “The Musings of the Crazy One” here. Head on over and check it out!

Sra’kalor Revision is out now!

As I have told you before, I have been working on a revision for my first book Sra’kalor, and it is finally out! I have taken comments and reviews to heart and improved my first novel.

The story is the same and has not changed, but many many grammatic and spelling errors have been fixed with the help of an editor, the lovely Emily Roller. I am rather grateful for her help, since writing in English is not as natural as it would be for a native speaker. I am excited and thrilled for this revision!

For now the updates are in place for the ebooks on smashwords and amazon. An update for the print edition on Lulu will come soon, since the test delivery usually takes a while. So head on over and grab your own copies:

Sra’kalor on Smashwords
Sra’kalor on amazon

And while you hopefully enjoy the first book, I will keep working on the second! Read you soon!

Jessica ❤

Sra’kalor – Revision in the works!

As you might remember from my last blogpost, there are exciting things at the horizon for me, all kinds of different projects. One of them, I can finally share with you!

Sra’kalor – which I have released in March this year – is undergoing revision! The fantastic editor Emily Roller, has been working hard on the novel and I have just received the final edit. That means that I will be able to soon release an even better Sra’kalor!

I hope that this will be really soon and I’ll be busy to make that happen! Stay tuned and get ready for the freshly edited Sra’kalor, part one of the Ashwood Falls Trilogy!

Character Interview – Meet Dracon

Dracon

Why hello there. Who might you be? Aren’t you lovely, look at that face, these beautiful eyes. I regret I have not come here earlier, now that I know what- no who was waiting for me here. Will you be busy tonight? If not, we could..

Dracon!

Yes, dear? Ah it’s you. I already made the acquaintance of your lovely readers. How stunning they are. Look at this one over there…

Yes, they are fantastic. I am glad you approve. And imagine, they are here for you.

Me? Of course. Who would not want to meet me. Look at me, honey.

Of course. I apologize for the strange welcome. You all have met Alana and Tyler before. Today we have Dracon with us. So Dracon, since you enjoy to talk about yourself so much, why don’t you tell us who you are?

The corner of his mouth twitched, as his long fingers brushed through the shoulder long hair. Very well. As you have heard by now, I am Dracon. I’m a master of illusions, trickery, magic of the mind, the enticing curves of women, the tantalizing spiral of lust..

Dracon.

He raises his hands in defense. All right, all right. I am a demon, an incubus to be precise.

And for how long have you been in Ashwood Falls?

I’ve stopped counting the years, so let us say that I have been there for a very long time. I’ve seen many come and go.

Speaking about that, have you met Alana yet?

Casting a glance, he leaned back, a smirk beginning to form on his lips. Alana. The little gold eyed, raven haired girl. I have indeed. I believe that I am going to have a lot of fun with that one.

What do you mean by that?

His gaze appears to be far away, in thoughts or a dream, maybe both. After being addressed it takes a moment before he blinks and is back in the present. What? Nothing in particular. I believe she is a lovely girl and will fit just well into this small town.

I could have sworn you said…

Leaning forward his one eye dials in on me, a cocky grin on his lips as he interrupts the comment. Why would I want to talk about her, if I could talk about what you and I should do after this interview.

Because there is nothing we will do afterwards.

Ah, come on. You, me, the darkness of the night, some candle lights and music. He approaches me like a hunter its prey. I would love to see if your skin is as soft as it looks.

This interview is over.

He smirks. I knew you would come to your senses.

You will be brought back outside. Thank you for taking the time.

With that Dracon was escorted outside, the ‘cooing’ calls continue until the door is closed behind him.

Now that was different, but what would one expect with an incubus. I should probably remain here for the rest of the night, just to be sure. Now that you met our three main characters of Sra’kalor, the character interviews are coming to a halt for a little, unless we have someone else who would like to speak up. You will be the first to know – well, after me.

If you got curious, about Dracon or more of Sra’kalor, check it out and I’ll see you here again very soon. If you would like to stay up to date, follow the blog, or subscribe to the newsletter, and you won’t miss a thing.

Giveaway winners have been chosen!

The big giveaway has ended at midnight and of course you guys want to know if you won or not. I can tell everyone who entered: Congratulations, you won!

The contest did not have as many entries, that I actually had to chose. The awesome news about that is that everyone is a winner. So congratulations to:

Auryn, Jenny, Amanda, Ray, Jennifer, Debbie, Sonja, Sandra, Nessie and Lily.

All of you should have received your email with the copy of Sra’kalor earlier today in your chosen ebook format. If you have not received it, please let me know and I’ll check on that. 🙂

Thank you everyone for entering! And keep your eyes peeled, I might do another one in the future. Until then I’ll continue to write the second part of the Ashwood Falls Trilogy, so you’ve got something to read. 🙂

Congratulations again!

35 hours left of Giveaway Raffle! – ENDED

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

There are only 35 hours left of my Giveaway Raffle for 25 (!) ebook copies of Sra’kalor, the first part in the Ashwood Falls Trilogy! Everyone entering the Raffle until May 20th has a chance to win one of 25 copies in the ebook format of their choice. All you have to do is like my facebook page Journey of words and fill out the form. The winners will be chosen through a random name picker, among those who did both. LIKE the facebook page AND enter the Form. Yes, it is that easy 🙂 Here are the links to everything you need! Facebook page: Journes of words to like! Giveaway Form to fill out! Please share this with your friends, the more the merrier! And good luck to everyone 🙂

Interview by Vanessa Kings

My fellow author Vanessa Kings had me over for an interview on her blog “Vanessa Kings’ Books – Bring the fantasy back“. It has been such a pleasure, and she’s so lovely that I could have stayed a bit longer, but back I am. 🙂

How would you describe your writing style?
Chaotic creative. I have so many ideas all the time. I just write them down and hope to get to it. When it comes to a story I am writing on, I have a million notes written down, and am trying to sort them, so I can integrate them more easily. Though when it comes to actual writing I am the kind that begins and then goes in chronological order. I know that some people write a beginning, then an end and then the parts in between in no particular order, but I would confuse myself with that. I prefer following the story timeline but let it flow and see where it goes.

If you would like to know more about me, how I came up with the title of my book, who my favourite characer or my writing inspirations are (and more) come on over to Vanessa’s blog and have a read.

Character Interview – Meet Tyler / Leandrus

Tyler/Leandrus

Last month I have introduced Alana from my first Novel Sra’kalor to you in an character interview. She was a little nervous and a little shy, but I am sure she has enjoyed her time here. Today I have invited …

Why have I been called here?

I was just getting to that, Tyler. As you have seen, I have invited Tyler to us today, so you can get to know him. Welcome Tyler.

The red eyes of the man eye her suspiciously, but eventually he nods. So what do you wish to know.

Why don’t you start to tell us a little about you?

He sighs, shoulders raising and falling. He does not sound very enthusiastic and hesitates, before finally speaking. You do know my name, I am a Mystic from Ashwood Falls and belong to the Circle.

From Alana we know that the Circle took her in. What kind of group is this?

He suddenly perks up and pays more attention.Alana? What has she told you?

Not much, that is why I am asking you.

The circle is a group of magic users: Mystics, witches and such. Someone saw her use magic and asked Zandra to take care of her. He fidgets on his seat. Were you the person that upset Alana?

I have only asked her a few questions, just like I do with you right now. You do seem rather protective of her.

His red eyes spark slightly, and a low growl left his throat, before he cleared it and opens his fisted hands to straight palms on his thighs. She is part of the Circle and with that under my protection.

Is that so? Fascinating. What do you think Leandrus would say about that?

His eyes shoot up, staring in disbelief. How do you… It appears that he tries to hold it together, the knuckles of his hands whiten, as he clings to the edge of his chair. I do not know who you are talking about.

My dear, I have written you, there is no way to lie to me. Why don’t you tell us about the real you?

He scoffs and shakes his head and mumbles. These writers all think they have it all figured out, times never change. He then raises his voice to a normal level. Well then. I am Leandrus, though the shell you view is Tyler. I myself am a demon.

And how did that union happen?

He sighs. I was summoned, like so many demons. But the person who summoned me did not stay. And not only that, they did a mistake and forgot to banish the body’s soul before starting the ritual.

And what does that mean?

Lady, please do not pretend. You do know what it means.

Very well, so Tyler is still here and does not only listen to everything, he also talks with you. How does that work in regards to Alana?

He grumbles slightly and crosses his arms in front of his chest. I do believe, you have asked enough questions.

But isn’t it true that she is your One? How do you think she would react if she knew that you are not who she thinks you are?

He raises from his chair and takes a slight bow.I will remove myself from this interrogation. Fare ye well, Lady. With that he turns around and leaves the room.

Mhm, that is the second person that leaves in the middle of my questions. I seem to have struck a chord, though. He did seem to react in a strange way whenever I mentioned Alana. If you would like to know what is going on between them, and why Leandrus refuses to talk more about this subject, check out Sra’kalor and find out.

And do not forget, that I do have a giveaway running right now, to win your very own copy of the book. All you will have to do is like our facebook page AND fill out the form. You can find it in the linked article, or at the top navigation bar of this page.

Until next time when we will meet another Sra’kalor character. Until then, have a lovely week.

Giveaway Raffle! Your chance to win your own copy of Sra’kalor! – ENDED

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST

 

I am super excited to announce a big giveaway raffle for 25 (!) ebook copies of Sra’kalor, the first part in the Ashwood Falls Trilogy!

Everyone entering the Raffle from now on until May 20th has a chance to win one of 25 copies in the ebook format of their choice. All you have to do is like my facebook page Journey of words and fill out the form. The winners will be chosen through a random name picker, among those who did both.

Yes, it is that easy 🙂 Here are the links to everything you need!

Facebook page: Journes of words to like!
Giveaway Form to fill out!

Please share this with your friends, the more the merrier! And good luck to everyone 🙂

Character Interview – Meet Alana

Today I’ll have a special little post for you. I thought that, while it surely is interesting to get to know me, who writes all these stories, it would be even more interesting to meet a couple of special people. Over the course of the next few posts, you will get to know Alana, Tyler/Leandrus and Dracon, the main characters of my latest novel Sra’kalor.

 

In this first part, I have the honor of Alana visiting my humble author blog; but before I’d tell you about her, why not let her do that. Welcome Alana.

The girl wiggles a little on her stool, a nervous smile playing around her lips, as she pushes a strand of raven hair behind her ear. “Thank you. I do not really know why I am here though.”

Well my readers would like to get to know you a little. So why don’t you tell us where you are from?

A look of confusion dances across her soft features, the golden eyes rolling upwards to look at the ceiling. “Uhmm, okay. ” She takes a deep breath, before she continues. “Well, I was born and raised in a small town called Oakdale Springs.” Her face lights up as her gaze drifts to an invisible area. “A sleepy little place, with picket fences and kids playing in the streets.”

And what has brought you to Ashwood Falls?

Her naturally tanned face takes a gentle pinkish hue. “There have been some… incidents.”

Incidents?

She swallows, trying to talk about the subject in a nonchalant manner, though she tried hard enough, to give the impression that there is more than she said. “Yes. Some things flying through the air, spontaneous fires… that kind of thing.”

That sounds like pretty strange circumstances.

A gust of wind washed through the room, sending papers flying as she blurts out “Well, it was magic, that usually is ‘pretty strange'”. Then her shoulders sag and she sighs. “Listen, I just never learned to control this stuff. So I put a few things on fire, and accidentally hurt some people. But I didn’t mean it. I cannot blame my parents for sending me away.”

You won’t be trying to set this place on fire though, right?

The smile on her lips seems a little sad, though she shakes her head ever so slightly. “I cannot promise it, but I’m trying. I met some nice people who want to help me learn control it. I actually will have a lesson with Tyler right after this.”

Who is Tyler?

Once more her cheek flush, as she avoids to look at anyone. “He’s one of the Mystics of the Circle, the group that took me in. Zandra put him in charge of my magical training.”

And Zandra is?

Alana’s smile grows and her eyes sparkle, at the mention of the name.“The leader of the Circle. She’s a lovely witch and really good with magic. I always have the feeling she knows what I’m thinking, it’s a little weird. But she explains a lot to me and is really nice.”

And Tyler, is he nice too?

As fast as the blush had left, it returns to the girl’s cheeks.The golden eyes roam nervously around the room. “Yes, he tries really hard to teach me, but it is not easy. He knows what happens when things go wrong. When I first met him, I accidentally made a heavy book slam right into him. I’m sure he does not want that to happen again.”

Did I just see you blush?

What had been a pinkish hue now turned into a bright red, and she fiddles her fingers, moving her hands from one position to the next over and over. “Ye.. no.. I .. uh.. I think I better go. Tyler does not like when I’m late. Thanks uhm.. it was a nice chat. See you around.” With that she jumps from the stool and hurries out without another word.

Well, that was a quick turn; it looks like I struck a chord with our young lady. I did not even get to ask where she sees herself in a year. Though if what we have seen and heard so far is any indication, she will either be a magical super hero, or buried under a pile of rubber that once was Ashwood Falls.

Let us hope it is the first. And if you would like to see more of what Alana is up to. Check out Sra’kalor, the first part of her three-part story and her life in Ashwood Falls. And stay tuned to get to know Zandra, Dracon and not to forget Tyler in the near future.

Sra’kalor now in Print!

You spoke, and I have listened! Some of you mentioned that you either do not like to read e-books or do not have a reader for it; or you simply prefer print books to e-books. I have checked out several options and now Sra’kalor is now available in print, though Lulu!

Lulu is a print on demand service, so you will always receive your copy press off the press!

Buy Sra’kalor as print copy on Lulu!

If you are not in the states, click the little arrow next to the flag symbol up top and then choose “change store” and choose the one you would prefer to buy the book from.

Author & Book Spotlight at “Read between the Lines”

If you do not know the book blog “Read between the lines”, you should definitely head over and check it out. The lovely Anna, founder and owner of the blog is an avid book reader and she is one of those wonderful souls that offer reviews, Author & Book Spotlights and blog tours for authors.

I am very excited that she took time out of her busy schedule to post an Author and Book Spotlight post about Sra’kalor and me. I have just received the link and it made my day. It was totally worth being super nervous while answering the interview questions 😉

If you want to know more about me and the background of Sra’kalor, head on over to “Read between the lines” and read the full story. And while you are there, check out the rest of the blog too!

Sra’kalor – it is finally here!

The wait is over! Sra’kalor, the first part of the Ashwood Falls Trilogy, is finally here!

 

Feared by the citizens of her birth town and her family, Alana spends her 18th birthday in a way she did not expect: put on a bus to a town called Ashwood Falls, after being told by her parents to never return. Soon after arrival, she learns that she has something in common with the denizens of her new home: Magic. Unable to control her powers, she seeks help in The Circle, a group formed by magic users. She begins her journey in a strange world unknown to her, completely unaware of the dangers.
Leandrus, a powerful demon, had been summoned before. But this time it was different. His powers, and the summoner, were nowhere to be found. The demon makes his way into the foreign town on his own. The problem? The soul of his human host had not been banished and keeps making his life difficult. As if that was not enough, he can sense that his ‘One’ is near. As he finds Alana – sweet, innocent and inexperienced – he cannot believe that an old prophecy has chosen her to destroy him. To avoid his own destruction, he has to eliminate her first.
Will he be able to ignore his heart and kill Alana? Or will he rather kill the danger threatening her, before it is too late? And how will Alana handle the vast changes to her life? Will she learn to control her powers or will she endanger everyone?

 

You can find Sra’kalor at smashwords in epub, mobi (Kindle), pdf, rtf, lrf, pdb and online reader formats. A reading sample is available as well!

Come on over to smashwords and grab your very own copy of Sra’kalor!