Tuesday, December 11, 2012

NEW BOOK COVER



Black Moon Awakening has a new book cover.   I love it.  Those of you who've read the story will totally get it.  It definitely mirrors the story inside.




www.linagardiner.com

COMING SOON... An Online Serial Story



I've also just revamped my webpage. AGAIN.  It's always a work in progress, but I'm happy with its format right now.  That said, for next few months I'll be visiting my daughter (out of the country) and won't have access to my web. So, my news and book information will all be coming to you via my Blog.   In the new year, I'm also going to try and suggest articles and news sites that I've found helpful.  Writing is an ever changing industry, especially these days. Finding good tidbits of news should be shared.  :)

I'm also considering writing an online serial story.  Crazy right?   Should be a challenge, but I'm kind of looking forward to trying something new.  Right now, my biggest decision is whether it should be paranormal or mystery?  Then I'll worry about the bones of the plot.

If you'd like to help me decide, please send me your choice, Paranormal or Mystery.  

Hope you've all managed to get your holiday shopping done.  Take care, and keep an eye out for my serial story coming soon...







Sunday, November 25, 2012

MOVEMBER UPDATE - ALL IS GROWING WELL

:)



That is a nice smile on my handsome baby brother.  This is the man who helps me when I have trouble with my really difficult monsters.  He probably should be a writer, too.  He's very creative.




Showing a little of our Scottish roots, with these mutton chops, I think. 



My mustachioed, bro!   If you're in his neck of the woods, and would like to support Manzer's Movember challenge and his personal pledge to match $500 donated, please contact me at Lina@linagardiner.com  I'll pass your message along to Manzer.







Wednesday, November 7, 2012

MOVEMBER in Charlotte County



Hi everyone, this is my brother, Manzer Young.  He's normally clean shaven, in fact I don't ever remember him having facial hair, but this year he's decided to do his very best to raise money for Charlotte County Cancer for Movember. 

I'll continue to show you his progress as he grows his mustache, etc.  Any donations over 10 dollars will receive a tax receipt from Charlotte County Cancer Society and my brother intends to match donations up to 500 dollars himself.

If you'd like to donate to this wonderful cause, you can email me and I'll forward you along to Manzer.  Or you can donate directly to Charlotte County Cancer, but be sure to use his name, so he can match your donations up to $500.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Hi everyone,

If you'd like to enter Kirkus's book giveaway here's the link! Hope you win!

http://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie-giveaways/


Enter to Win a Copy of These Standout Indie Books!


Enter to win a free copy before November 12, 2012!

Friday, October 12, 2012

2nd GoodReads Giveaway - 2 copies Black Moon Awakening



Goodreads Book Giveaway


Black Moon Awakening by Lina Gardiner

Black Moon Awakening

by Lina Gardiner


Giveaway ends November 09, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter to win

Saturday, September 8, 2012

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY - 5 Signed Books



Goodreads Book Giveaway


What She Doesn't Know by Lina Gardiner

What She Doesn't Know

by Lina Gardiner


Giveaway ends October 06, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter to win

Saturday, August 18, 2012

My Kirkus Indie Review Arrived!

I was in Australia for my daughter's wedding when I heard about Kirkus Review for Indie Authors. A friend had emailed information about it. I knew very little about Kirkus Indie at that point, but I had an instant gut feeling that it was what I should do. As an author struggling to make my mark, Kirkus seemed like the logical choice but I didn't have the PDF file of "What She Doesn't Know" with me, so I had to wait until I got home to send my book off for review.

I sent it the very day I arrived home. Jet-lag and all.

Yes, this review was a little more costly than what I had previously paid for promoing my work, and Kirkus is well known for being brutally honest in their reviews. Let's face it, they wouldn't have their renowned credibility otherwise.

I still had that gut feeling that I SHOULD do it, and after doing my research I learned that the review would not be posted for the world to see unless I wanted it to be. Therefore, if I got a less than stellar review, I could bury it deep within my files and it would never see the light of day. Needless to say, I hoped that wouldn't happen, but I was well aware of the possibilities.

On the upside, my treasure hunting romantic suspense was receiving very good reviews online. It is currently rating at 4.24 on Goodreads, and 4.6 out of 5 on Amazon. So, I waited - week after week, marking off the requisite time on my desk calendar. Nine weeks later I received an email. I was in the kitchen when the email came in, we'd just rushed home to start a late supper when I took a peek at my iPod and saw that the email from Kirkus was waiting.

Supper was even later that night, let me tell you! :) I told my husband to take over and I rushed down the hall to my computer so I could read the email on a bigger screen. Cliched as it might be, my heart was literally in my throat. My pulse had picked up, I held my breath in nervous trepidation/anticipation....


I read the review. My heart lurched. Wait! Had I read that correctly? I'd gone over it so quickly, I might have missed something. It seemed great to me. I read it again and I started to breathe, and smile and thank my lucky stars.... I had received a review to be proud of. And they even mentioned one of my favorite movies of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

My gut feeling hadn't steered me wrong.

There are indie writers out there who are wondering about Kirkus Reviews. Should they risk it? My response: Writing is all about risk taking from the first moment you put pen to paper. We can say we're writing for ourselves, but the moment you publish, you're writing for your readers and you want it to be the best product you can muster. Kirkus Indie was a great choice for me. I'm thrilled with my review and I'd love to share it with you.

"Gardiner takes everything positive about romance novels, mixes it with a little bit of adventure and throws in an evil villain or two, resulting in a perfect petit four for sating a romantic craving. Just don’t be surprised if you are hungry for more 30 minutes later." -- Kirkus Reviews


https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lina-gardiner/what-she-doesnt-know/

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Found Another Painting

Yes, I found another beautiful painting.  This one at a yard sale in Australia.  I very rarely ever go to yard sales, but my husband and I were visiting our daughter in the spring and he spotted  a yard sale in the neighbourhood so we popped over for a look.  (Plus, I'm an avid Antiques Show watcher, and I've always wanted to find a painting at a yard sale - bonus!)

My daughter's Mother-In-Law, Barbara, was with us.  She picked up the oil painting first and my little heart went pitter-pat.  I waited to see if she was going to take it.  She put it back.  I snagged it quickly, asking her if she was sure she didn't want it.  She didn't.  My son-in-law had been telling me he was going to buy a painting in the next little while, and here it was, a gorgeous painting that would look great in their living room.

The painting is from the Sandy Creek Gallery and the artist is Shirley Docking.  Barb and I are avid Googlers so the minute we got home we both opened our laptops and started Googling to find out about the artist.  Barb found the information first. Unfortunately, the lady who painted this gorgeous work of art was murdered in Sandy Creek by an infamous Australian killer.  Not something I expected to find and not quite the kind of provenance I was hoping to attach to this painting.  You might not be able to tell in the photo but Shirley Docking used mixed mediums in this artwork.  Oils and acrylics.  The acrylics give dimension to the tree bark making it look very real.  A true Australian outback scene.

This painting has found a home where it will be treasured for its intrinsic beauty.  I think, somewhere, Shirley will be happy that her work of art has found a happy home.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

NEW RELEASE

I'm soooo happy to tell you all that my newest book, Black Moon Awakening has just released.
If you like werewolves and shifters and a bit of a spy premise check out the free reading samples available at on-line locations.

BLACK MOON AWAKENING....  She could receive a death sentence for just talking with him, so why did she yearn for his touch?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

VOICE

The concept of voice is something new authors have a hard time grasping.  What is voice?  How do we find ours?  How do we cultivate it?

Have you seen the tv program ‘The Voice’?  Aptly named for the topic of my blog.  I’d actually never seen this show until the last couple of weeks.  Now I’m quite enjoying it.  It’s interesting that we get to watch the judge’s faces during the blind auditions while they listen and try to decide if they’re hearing a voice they’ll want to represent.

I had a light bulb moment when one singer came out and started singing with a voice somewhat like Melanie singing “Brand New Key,” but not really —A voice that is hard to describe with a unique twist all her own.  I watched the judge’s expressions perk up one after another.  Voice!  Recognizable as something the audience would be drawn to, but significantly different enough to be very unique in the marketplace.  I’ll be following the show to see how she fares out in the competition because I find her uniqueness very compelling.

Isn’t that what we strive for as authors?  Of course we’re born with our voice, but how many of us trust it enough to give it the freedom to find its way in the writing biz.  Some people spend most of their time trying to sound like someone else.  And they even compare themselves to other authors when pitching their book.  This is not something I’d ever do.   Why?  Because I don’t want to sound like someone else.  And I’m not afraid to let my muse loose in my writing.  <G>  I want to be like this mysterious, marvelous, strangely compelling singer — I'd like to be completely unique but with an essence or element to my writing that feels familiar, and recognizable, and something my readers are looking for.
When I saw those judges faces and heard that voice, I knew exactly how to describe "Voice" to writers. 







Saturday, February 18, 2012

REVIEW of WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW

My Review: Smitten With Reading Christi Snow



There is a whole history in this book that neither you nor the heroine knows and that makes this book so much fun to read. Raven is the heroine of this novel and she is looking for her dead husband who tried to kill her. Something just isn't right about his death and she can't hide out in her house any longer, so she decides to take action. That action leads her to Sloan, her husband's look-alike cousin, although she doesn't realize that they are related, and a mystery about her life that she doesn't remember.



And I don't know what else to say about this book without giving something away. Before the book even starts, you are given a poem (which is just gorgeous) that plays into the story line of the entire novel.



On an Island

In an Ocean

Lies a Castle

Heart's Devotion



King and Queen

And Golden Princess

Behold their Realm

With Guarded Interest



Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Wall

A Name that Doesn't Suit

At All



The Key Becomes

For those who Seek

The Answer to its own

Mystique



I just love it and I really enjoyed the entire story! There is great suspense here and the basis for a gorgeous romance. There are several mysteries here. First, the questions about what happened to Raven's parents? Is her husband really dead? Why doesn't she remember a huge chunk of her life including Sloan? How does the Protectorate and the treasures they protect come into it all? Who's the mysterious stranger on the island? What is Raven not remembering? It's all really very good!



If there is one complaint that I have about this book, it's that the author didn't compound on the romantic story line and sexual tension more. All the elements were there and what is there was really good...I just wanted more. More in the way of sexual tension and more in the way of the HEA. I am thinking that this may be the beginning of an ongoing series with these two characters though. If that's the case, then I completely agree with how much the author put in this one. The door is definitely there for Sloan &amp; Raven to create a partnership going after the American Protectorate and if that's the case, I can't wait until the next book!




Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Foray into Self-Publishing

Well, I did it.  I dared to step into the fray.  I thought about it long and hard before I took the step.  So many of my friends were on-board and doing very well.  Luckily, I found a wonderful lady who edited my book.  A general edit -- an overview, rather than a line edit -- that's what I requested.  Plotholes, timelines, etc.   She was wonderful.  Her name is Nancy Cassidy and her webpage is http://www.theredpencoach.com/home/ 
Next, I had a cover done.  And, is it a great cover!  I love it.  It was done by Kim Killion at Hot Damn Designs  www.hotdamndesigns.com/    Kim, took my suggestion for the bookcover to a whole new level.  It really does tell the reader what the story is about in a single glance.

Now, I'm lucky enough to have a friend who offered to format the document for me to get it online.  Thanks Rik!   Rik is one of Mark Coker's formatters.  You can find him online at Smashwords or at his website. www.rikhall.com/ 

Thing is, my friends were all ahead of me and talking about formatting and tweaking, and doing this and that.  I felt out of the loop.  I needed to know what it was they'd done.  I needed to do it for myself to understand the process. 

This experience has led me to understand that there is a mini techie lurking inside me.  LOL  I loved figuring it out and doing it for myself.   That said, my friend Norah Wilson shared umpteen messages with me to smooth the process out.  She's got several books online and is a Pro.   She's also a master marketer.  We all ask Norah for advice.  Thank you, my friend!

Next, I'm back to working on a requested book.  One that is three quarters finished and calling out to me.  After that, another self-pubbed book?   You bet!