Of Sea and Stone Tour

All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.

When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.

Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving...

Self Publishing Journey

Guest-Post by Kate Avery Ellison

So, I didn’t originally intend to self-publish when I set out to become an author about five years ago. I was going to do the “normal” route of obtaining an agent, selling a book to an editor, going through the looooong process of editing and waiting until release day, and then hopefully the book would sell well and earn out its advance, and then I could write and sell another book, and so on. The process held a lot of uncertainty and frustration, but I was ready for it. I’d written several novels, read many blog posts, and followed all the relevant agents and editors on social media. I was informed and eager to get started.

I’d been querying agents for a few months with a particular manuscript (and I’d gotten some great feedback and interest, but no offers of representation yet) when the internet started talking a lot about self-publishing, indies, and the publishing “revolution” that was happening. I was intrigued—creative freedom? The ability to choose your own covers and editors, to control your own publishing schedule? 70% royalties? I have a huge love of business and marketing, so these aspects of the self-publishing route challenged and interested me. I did a lot of reading, and discovered the stories of independents like Amanda Hocking. I was dazzled and inspired by what could be possible, and I kept telling my husband “I’m not going to self-publish, OF COURSE, but if I did, this is what I would do…” I said that a lot over the next several months.
Finally, I admitted I just really wanted to try it.

I was still planning to go the traditional route eventually, but by this time, it wouldn’t ruin my chances if I released a few books independently as well. So I did. And I loved it. I kept writing and releasing books independently, and started making money, finding readers, and growing my name as an author. About a year and a half into the journey, I officially stopped planning to go the traditional route altogether. Since then, I have been approached by a publisher or two, and I’ve even been in serious talks that involved lawyers and contracts, but ultimately for now I’ve decided to stick with what is working beautifully for me. While I would not recommend self-publishing for every person, I love being an independent author. I like having creative control, making marketing decisions, and being able to set my own schedule for releases. It’s challenging and stressful at times, and it’s a lot of hands-on work in the nitty gritty business aspects, but the situation is a perfect fit for my personality and temperament.
I’m about to release my 16th book, and for now, I plan to continue to pursue publishing independently (although I would never say never to the right business opportunity if it presented itself). The industry is maturing and changing, and everything is still very exciting and new. I’ve been blown away by the experience so far, and I’m thrilled that I gave it a chance.

Tour-Wide Giveaway

• 2 print copies of A Gift of Poison by Kate Avery Ellison (US/CAN)
• 25$ Amazon Gift Card (INTL)

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