Plugging Along—NaNo Update

Published November 17, 2017 by Ashley Townsend

It’s time for an update on NaNo!!

Don’t you love how, in my last post, I was just talking about how NaNoWriMo was coming and that it’s important to be prepared and that you should have a bunch of posts scheduled and that you shouldn’t have run-on sentences and should definitely use commas. *takes a breath* But then you’re halfway through the month of chaos and emerge from your walking-slumber to find that WordPress hates you and didn’t publish the aforementioned posts.

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Oh, well, at least you’ll see them at some point! In the meantime, let me give you a quick update on the goings-on so far this month.

We’re over the hump and are moving into the home stretch. Can you believe it? For me, the past two weeks have been spent prepping for Thanksgiving and CHRISTMAS, getting ready for upcoming signing events I have scheduled (one this weekend! Details below), planning for out of state friends to stay for Thanksgiving, preparing for holiday parties at the office I work at, and also balancing travel for several conferences next year. Phew! How is writing going for you this NaNo in the midst of the holidays? For me, you ask? Wellllllllllll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stefan happy face

Do all those periods count as words? Then I have 18. ^_~ Okay, okay, it’s not that bad. All things considered, I’ve had a pretty good November for writing. If you check out my Instagram here, you can find a bunch of images for my current work in progress for NaNo scattered about my feed, and creating those word-images was seriously fun. My favorite and most productive writing times were with my friend Kara Swanson, who is just a machine, guys! Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays—whenever we had the chance—she and I would hop online together and write for hours, sprinting and sharing snippets and writing our hearts out until the night turned into a new day. It was so inspiring and fun, and I highly recommend grabbing a friend and motivating each other to keep going. Everything is more fun with a buddy!

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Now that we’re on the topic of buddies—and partly because I had, like, three cups of coffee today and can’t keep on one topic for long—how would you like to join me this Saturday, November 18^th, at 2 p.m.? I’ll be joining a few writers at the Mira Mesa Barnes and Noble in the Westview Parkway shopping center this Saturday for their local author event. For those of you who live in SoCal, come join me for free Rising Shadows goodies, to pick up a copy of your favorite book in the series and have it signed by me, or just to chat. I’ll be getting there early, so stop by and say “hi.” I hope to see you there!

Defying Shadows Turns 1 Giveaway!

Published August 6, 2017 by Ashley Townsend

Because last month was such a whirlwind, I didn’t have the chance to properly celebrate Defying Shadows’ FIRST birthday. Egad! In honor of my youngest book child’s birthday, I wanted to celebrate by giving away a copy of Defying Shadows and fabulous swag and goodies to one lucky winner. You can also enter the Rafflecopter here for an ebook of your choice from the Rising Shadows trilogy and a $20 Amazon gift card. There will be another link at the end of this post for the Rafflecopter, but first, onto the Grand Prize, because goodies and swag and books are what we really want….

GRAND PRIZE
–Defying Shadows paperback, with my favorite quotes and moments underlined (baby needs a new home!!!!)
-Little Karen magnetic bookmark from Magic Bookmarks (because we all need a best friend!)
–Defying Shadows bookmark
-notepad for your ideas and inspiration
–Defying Shadows pen
-my favorite writing snacks!

HOW TO ENTER:
-use #defyingshadowsturns1 in your sharing, and/or tag @townsendtales -share about the Rafflecopter (1 entry per share, but be sure to tag me)
-share this pic on social media with the hashtags (1 entry, unlimited shares)
-tag a friend/friends on this pic around social media each day! (1 entry for each tag)
BONUS ENTRIES:
-use #TeamHood when sharing series related pics/quotes (1 bonus entry per day)

Open to U.S. residents only, and giveaway ends 8-13-17 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Good luck, friends!😊

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/efc81f6e3/?

#bookstagram #book #giveaway #freebies #repost #defyingshadows #books #defyingshadowsturns1 #fun #fantasy #adventure #timetravel #scifi #entertowin

Chasing Shadows Has a New Look!

Published June 11, 2017 by Ashley Townsend

At long last!! I am proud and excited to announce that Chasing Shadows has a new look, and there’s also a giveaway for the entire series at the end of this post. *let the medieval flutes and trumpets toot a happy jig*

There’s no cause for alarm—Chasing Shadows is just as beautiful as it has always been. But while I love the cover unconditionally, the book itself was originally printed in a different size and format than the rest of the series, and my OCD would act up every time I saw it towering above the others on my bookshelf. So thanks to Lisa M. (visit her new blog here!), who revamped the cover to include the series title while I burned my eyes with countless hours of editing, the second edition of Chasing Shadows is available, and it’s perfectly uniform!! (get it from Barnes & Noble today)

Revisiting the pages of Chasing Shadows was like having coffee with a best friend—comforting, delightful, and full of deep conversations. . . . And Will and Damien. Yeah, there’s that. ~_^ It was fabulous being reminded of all the adventures these characters have been on and how far they came in the end, and also how fantastic these opposing gentlemen are. *le sigh*

You can find the book anywhere, and Amazon is great, but I love supporting local bookstores and Barnes & Noble, so feel free to use those 20% off coupons and order Chasing Shadows online or request that your favorite local bookstore pick up the series.

***OR if you love winning free books, because let’s be real, who DOESN’T? Well, you will be entered to win the entire Rising Shadows Trilogy plus swag if you sign up for Mandy Fender’s newsletter (click here to follow the easy instructions). She gives a Christian book box every month to one lucky follower, and if an entire book series and free swag aren’t motivation enough to click the link below, just remember that Mandy is doing an amazing thing by supporting writers AND readers by getting free books into their hands. Sounds awesome? So follow the link above and enter to win!!

http://mandyfender.com/christian-book-box

Defying Shadows Has Been Nominated!!!

Published August 24, 2016 by Ashley Townsend

GUYS! Defying Shadows has been nominated for the August Clash!!!

Some of you are familiar with Clash of the Titles and their amazing awards and clashes each month, and I have voted on many a clash for worthy new releases. But for those of you who have yet to obsessively spread the word about your favorite books (shame on you!), COTT is a fantastic site that hosts what they call a “Clash” each month for new releases. Sort of a battle to the end between books where fans vote on a favorite blurb and cover photo, and in the end, there is one book victor.

I am crazy excited and honored because out of however many submissions they received for new July releases, Defying Shadows was selected as one of FOUR to enter the arena (cast your vote here!). I mean, no biggie.

This is a total honor, and the winner of the August Clash not only gets a ton of promotion from COTT (and bragging rights–HUZZAH!), but they are also able to submit their book for the Laurel Award for free, which is a super prestigious award that I’ve only ever dreamed about getting (and have, admittedly, been too intimidated to submit to before). Lisa M. who designed the cover for Defying Shadows (add to Goodreads) and whom you might recognize from my acknowledgements in the book, was crazy excited and created all sorts of new banners for the clash and is spreading the word like crazy (I’ll post the image to grab and share at the end of this post).

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This is important, because it’s your votes that will decide which book takes home the victory of the Clash. I understand if another book takes your fancy over Defying Shadows…

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… but if DS strikes your interest in any way, then please stop by and vote again and again, and spread the word about the August Clash. If we win—that’s right, it’s a Team Hood effort!—then I’ll host another awesome book and gift card giveaway on my site. Don’t consider it a bribe, just “motivation.”

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So what are you waiting for?! Go, vote and spread the word! And keep an eye out everywhere, because I will be promoting the heck out of this thing. Let’s share Sarah’s story and Will’s amazing journey with the world! Now, please excuse me…

gotham needs me

If you’re willing to share and encourage people to vote, you can use the image and link below (check out the new cover photo and header pics on Twitter and Facebook, also designed by Lisa M. Man, the girl works fast!). I’ll keep tabs on who shares the most when you tag @TownsendTales, and there might be a gift card involved for the Shadow who does the most social media posting and reblogging. Just sayin’. ^_~

http://www.clashofthetitles.com/2016/08/july-2016-releases-duke-it-out.html?m=1

A Precious Bundle Has Arrived!

Published July 22, 2016 by Ashley Townsend

I returned from another fun-filled day at San Diego Comic Con (swag, books, panels, fun. Details to come!) to a surprise package on my doorstep.

Yes, my copies of Defying Shadows have arrived!!! I requested a few more copies of Chasing Shadows, and I’m so excited to bring these with me when I fly out to Pennsylvania for Realm Makers next week. And I’ll admit I had some fun staging little mock battles between Damien (Hook) and Will (Arrow).

Also, a ton of people on Facebook are already posting pictures of their copies of the book that arrived on their doorsteps today, and I’m so excited that this is finally happening. I know you’ll laugh and cry and hate some of the characters while sobbing over others with all the love you have in your heart. But I hope, most of all, that these characters stay with you for a long time, as I know they’ll live in my heart forever.

Find your own copy of Defying Shadows, the final book in the Rising Shadows Trilogy, on Amazon today. If you post your pics of your copy, use #TeamHood and tag @TownsendTales for a surprise!

http://amzn.to/2acv3rh

And don’t forget that the Rafflectoper giveaway only goes through 11:59pm this Sunday. So follow the link below to enter to win an Amazon gift card and your own paperback copy of Defying Shadows

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/efc81f6e2/?