A Pirate Princess:: Upcoming Release, Cover Reveal, Blog Tour & Giveaway Information

Hey everyone!! The big release of A Pirate Princess is right around the corner. Here are all the dates and links you don't want to miss!! Please help me make this the biggest success it can be. <3 The Cover Reveal, Release Day Blitz, Blog Tour and Giveaway is all being hosted by Momma's Secret Book Obsession, so you can contact Tyeesha with any questions, or me, of course... Thank you!!

Cover Reveal:: January 2, 2014. Any blog who wants to participate can sign up!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SssSwOzNV5CbswC6aE5b0X6uKtRaBTHG7Kp_pOXANtM/viewform

Release Day:: January 14, 2014. It will be available in paperback format through Amazon and ebook through Kindle. Please get ready to read and review!! I'm so super excited about A Pirate Princess and I hope you all are too. <3

Blog Tour:: January 25, 2014- January 31, 2014. If you have a blog and would like to participate, sign up!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kmg_BIm-D-_SEeeGHMSSMxYd-lUWFEFEPyoVRJQWK3g/viewform

Giveaway:: Now taking donations from any author or blogger who would like to contribute with ebooks, signed paperbacks, gift cards, swag, etc... 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1myk8L9_zudjIhQ9RPqeC2wtU6dZ37dozIP81MIl0Wwg/viewform

Goodreads:: Add it to your TBR list now!!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19509711-a-pirate-princess?from_search=true

A Pirate Princess: Cover Reveal and Blog Tour Sign Up!!

Attention Bloggers: Sign up now for the cover reveal and blog tour for my upcoming release, A Pirate Princess! Contact me or Ty at Momma’s Secret Book Obsession with any questions.  So excited!

Cover Reveal
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SssSwOzNV5CbswC6aE5b0X6uKtRaBTHG7Kp_pOXANtM/viewform

Blog Tour
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kmg_BIm-D-_SEeeGHMSSMxYd-lUWFEFEPyoVRJQWK3g/viewform

Authors For The Holidays Spotlight by Love Romance Books!

Authors for the holidays spotlight by Love Romance Books! So exciting. Check it out. 

http://authorsfortheholidays.weebly.com/1/post/2013/11/brittany-jo-james.html

1000 Likes Giveaway!

1000 LIKES GIVEAWAY!

Go like www.facebook.com/brittanyjojamesauthor to read all about the fun challenge and the giveaway! A package of THREE e-books ($2.99 or under each) will go to the winner.

Good luck!!

A Very Small Part Of My "Author" Journey...

Good morning! Here's a tiny bit of my story:

Growing up, I had very little self confidence and I doubted my abilities to be successful or live even a mediocre life. I married Conlee really young and we went off to college, both working full-time jobs with all the overtime we were allowed to have and still barely struggling to survive. My life seemed to follow the "less than" mentality I had created for myself. I chose to earn a degree in business administration because I had been working in a bank for a few years and I was "okay" at it. Plus, I wanted a degree I could earn in four years or less and "just be done." 

So, I woke up every morning at 4:30AM, got dressed in clothes that I hated but couldn't afford anything more, drove to work in my car that was nearing fifteen years old, worked for nine hours, went to class for four or five hours depending on the day, and then drove myself home around 10:00PM to do laundry, house work, cook dinner or do anything else that needed to be done before my husband got home at 11:30PM and then hopefully crash into our little, full-size bed by midnight so I could wake up in four and a half hours to do it all over again. It was all "going okay." Until I realized that it wasn't. 

Truth is, not only was it exhausting, but it was very unrewarding. I was barely twenty years old, pregnant and bored. I couldn't imagine living the rest of my life like that, but what else could I possibly do? I was meant for mediocrity, not anything more than that. And no, I'm not saying that working in business is mediocre because it isn't... As a matter of fact, some of the best paying jobs in the United States are in the business field, but I didn't hope to do something like that. No, I just wanted to "get by" in business. I just hoped that I could make $40,000 a year after I graduated with my business degree. Now, that doesn't sound like very much money for a degree holder, so I thought it was a safe number. However, when I finally did graduate with my bachelor's degree, do you know how much money I was making at my first "after-college" job? About $24,000 a year BEFORE taxes, insurance, etc were taken out. But, I'm getting ahead of myself, so let me back up... Anyway, I was in college, barely staying afloat, pregnant, bored and I just realized one day that I didn't think I could make it through life like that. 

I wanted more, all of the sudden. I wanted a change. I wanted to do something amazing that could help the world! I wanted to make a difference. I wanted the financial stability to build a house for my family one day, to travel, to buy new clothes when I needed them or to buy a new car before my old one completely died on me. I wanted to wake up every morning and be excited to start my day and go to bed at night feeling accomplished, needed, proud of myself. 

SIDE NOTE: I met some AMAZING people while working in the bank and some of them will forever remain in my heart.... but I also met some seriously hateful, rude, out-to-get-you, stuck-up, petty, jealous, angry, unhappy, ugly-hearted TROLLS in the business field and I didn't want them to be a part of my life anymore. I wanted a career where no one would be standing over me yip-yapping about how the boss gave me Saturday off and that it wasn't fair because they wanted Saturday off, and blah blah blah blah blah... 

I wanted to be in charge of my own life, set my own schedule, do my own thing, be creative, be my own person, reap the benefits of what I sowed and at the end of the day, just feel that it was all for a purpose. What was that career, though? I had no idea. 

The evening rolled around and I finally went home for the day. I sat down at my kitchen table and started praying that God would guide me to his purpose for my life. About an hour later, as I sat over a pile of laundry that needed to be folded, the thought hit me that if I could do absolutely anything in the world, my dream career would be to write novels. If I could be an author, I would have every item on my check-list. I daydreamed about it for awhile and then I cast the idea out of my mind. There was no way I could ever do that. I loved to read! It was my passion. However, I had never written anything in my life except for school stuff. There was no way that I could dream up a plot, write it all, and then actually get it published. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the idea out of my mind and I kept feeling this strong urge to "go write." So, I did and it turns out that I could come up with a plot and write out a story... but that's not where it ends. 

I still had to help earn a living for my family. I finally graduated from college, had Jagger, started my first "career job" that turned out to be the WORST one EVER, and kept writing in what little spare time I had. We were barely able to survive on the tiny salary I was earning, plus I was treated terribly at that job by people who didn't want anyone else to succeed or be happy because they weren't succeeding or being happy. I just kept praying and I knew that the bank I was working in wasn't for me, but no where else was any better and the only thing that gave me any excitement (career wise) was writing. 

That's when I prayed that God would find a way to make EVERYTHING work out. I said, "God, I'm handing all of this to you and walking away. You figure it out for me, because I can't." The following day, I kid you not, Conlee came to me with the crazy idea that he wanted to join the military. He said, "If I join the Air Force, we can get out of here. We can travel. I'll pay the bills. You can stay home with the kids and write. We'll just get out of here." Of course, I prayed about it but I kept saying, "No, honey, that's a little extreme..." Three days later, guess what happened? The bank fired me. Why did they fire me? Because they were continuously firing someone. I watched soooooo many people get targeted and fired at that job. They were bored out of their minds and they totally hated life so they decided that they would choose someone to pick on, lie about, torment, tattle on, talk about and put down until they were finally fired. They chose me, and I had nothing left tying me to the mediocre, crappy existence that I had been trying so hard to be successful with. 

So, I prayed again. Are you starting to catch a pattern here? I said, "Okay, God. If this is what you want, this is what I'll do." And immediately, everything started falling into perfect order for Conlee to join the military and me to stay home with our son and write. I got pregnant again. We moved to Florida. Life was amazing, and I had never been happier. I couldn't wait to jump out of bed and write in the mornings. I was living out my dream career... but I still wasn't published and couldn't find a literary agent. Jett was born, we had to buy a bigger vehicle, and before long we were struggling financially again. No, nothing at all like before, but we weren't very comfortable and Conlee started suggesting that I find a part-time job. Well, I prayed about it and knew it didn't feel right but I also knew I had to do something, so I started babysitting. I still felt wrong about it so I prayed and said, "God, I know you want me to write but I have to stop for awhile. I have to be able to help earn an income for the family and if you want me to write, something else is going to have to happen." 

Yep, once again, the very same week that I started babysitting, Conlee received orders (seemingly out of nowhere) for a permanent change of station to Alaska. I definitely didn't want to go, but I felt God pressing on my heart that He chose that path for us. So we moved here, which also gave Conlee a quite large boost in paycheck (to cover the cost of living) and it was enough so that I could comfortably stay home and write again. God just kept working things out for me. By the way, I didn't "hate" babysitting... I met some precious people and children doing that too, but God just kept pushing me forward into my novels.

However, I still wasn't published and now I had four books written and ready to go. It made me wonder if I was meant for this at all. For some reason, I had this strange urge to do a search for the word "author" on FB. I did, and one person popped up with the title, "Author K.A. Robinson." I thought, "Okay, now what...? Should I message her? But she's so busy, there's no way she'll write back..." I put the phone down and picked it back up about ten times before finally sending her a message. She wrote back the next day and told me to look into self-publishing. I've pretty well dubbed her my mentor since then and I'm blessed to call her my friend. I followed her advice and here I am, a few months later.

So, what was my point of this huge story? That if you dream of living a mediocre existence, you will. If you dare to dream a bigger dream, hand your life to the Lord and trust him to fight your battles for you, and you become determined enough to take a few rejections and hard times but keep pressing forward... You can do something amazing. God doesn't "tease" people. He doesn't dangle this amazing goal in front of your face and then snatch it away. I came from nothing and if I can do it, you can too. Keep fighting the good fight and have faith! Jesus will lead you where He needs you. Devote your life to Him and you'll never, ever, ever regret it. Also, if you need a pick-me-up from time to time, check out Joel Osteen on TV or through your podcast. I give him total credit for keeping my faith focused on the Lord.

Now, I know that I'm not anywhere close to being "successful" yet. Let's reserve that title for when I'm making at least $1000 a month, haha, but I'm doing what I love to do. One day, I hope that I can help someone the way that K.A. helped me. This whole experience has taught me to follow my heart and if someone else is out there, like me, dreaming, praying and hoping for something that isn't the "mediocre route," and they need a support system, I hope they read this and I can help them somehow. 

Read Cheaply!!

If you want a great deal on e-books, follow the link!

http://readcheaply.com

iBooks and Kobo!!

My Knightly Dreams and At Least I'm Pretty are now available on iBooks and Kobo for $0.99! The sale ends on Sunday, October 12, 2013 so purchase yours while they're still on sale!! 

The blog tour is still going and both books have received some wonderful reviews! Like my facebook author page for all the action, www.facebook.com/brittanyjojamesauthor and to keep up with my upcoming releases. 

You can still enter the giveaway, http://bit.ly/11qsSA9 to take a chance winning some awesome books. Don't miss your opportunity to enter!

Giveaway Link, Sale Links for B&N and Amazon...

The giveaway is still going for My Knightly Dreams and At Least I'm Pretty's blog tours! We've had over 1500 entries so far! YAY! And if you haven't picked up a copy of My Knightly Dreams or At Least I'm Pretty, it's still on sale (Kindle, Nook & Kobo) for $0.99 and the paperback copy is currently in the $14-$15 price range. It's about to go back up to full price though, so don't wait! If you've read either one of them and haven't rated it on Amazon, B&N or Goodreads, please do it for me! That helps me SO much because I'm learning from every positive and negative remark. <3

(Follow this link to sign up for the GIVEAWAY!) 
Giveaway: http://bit.ly/11qsSA9

(Follow these links to purchase, rate or review my books!) 
My Knightly Dreams
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Knightly-Dreams-ebook/dp/B00EFFFVVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381088912&sr=8-1&keywords=brittany+jo+james

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-knightly-dreams-brittany-jo-james/1116488887?ean=9781491224298

At Least I'm Pretty 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/At-Least-Im-Pretty-ebook/dp/B00E1WMXWG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381001817&sr=8-2&keywords=brittany+jo+james

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/at-least-im-pretty-brittany-jo-james/1116139319?ean=9781490976631

At Least I'm Pretty blog tour starts TOMORROW!!

Don't forget about the At Least I'm Pretty blog tour!! Read, rate and review! Here is a gorgeous picture of Emerald (from At Least I'm Pretty) created by Pretty Girls Read Books! Check it out. =)

Teaser Tuesday: A Pirate Princess

Every Tuesday I post a TEASER on my Facebook page! This week's teaser is from "A Pirate Princess!" I'm posting this one on here, but if you want to see other excerpts and information about my upcoming novels, go like my FB page! Here's the link: www.facebook.com/brittanyjojameseauthor

“Did you just kiss me?” Burke asked in confused astonishment.
Cori rolled her eyes sarcastically, “Yes, Burke! I didn’t know what else to do to get you away from him and down here to safety!”
“You just kissed me,” Burke repeated again, trying to grasp what had happened. “And I really enjoyed it, despite the situation.”
Cori scoffed dramatically. “Our plan fell through, Burke. We’re both dead. You know that right? We’ll never make it to Hispaniola. As soon as we get a safe distance from your ship my father is going to feed you to the sharks. Sharlene shall beat me and do the same thing if I’m still breathing.”
“What are we going to do?” Burke asked, trying to think of a plan.
“There’s nothing we can do! We’re still at least one or two days away from Hispaniola,” she cried.
Burke slumped to his chair, “How long will this trunk and armoire hold them?”
“Not long if they really want in,” Cori explained.

"My Knightly Dreams" Blog Tour Starts SUNDAY!

Five days (and counting) until My Knightly Dreams goes on BLOG TOUR! I can hardly wait. Sunday can't get here soon enough and I'm dying to see what a blog tour (my first) will do to my ranks, sales, etc... Hopefully it'll be fantastic. Then, exactly one week later, At Least I'm Pretty takes off on a blog tour too! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good reviews, high ratings, tons of publicity, lots of sales and hopefully a climbing rank on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Lesley, with Life with Lesley, has been amazingly patient with me and helped me to understand the whole process. It's been nice to have her explaining things to me and walking me through this.

Also, yesterday My Knightly Dreams actually hit a Top 100 chart on Amazon so I was absolutely ecstatic. When I saw it, it was sitting at #52 but then moved to #55 and hung out there most of the day. That was awesome to see! It made me really feel confident that all of this is going to work out. K.A. Robinson, author of the Torn series and the upcoming book, Shattered Ties, has pretty much been my inspiration. I started writing nearly five years ago and when the whole "begging a literary agent for representation" thing fell through I just kind of kept writing without even trying to get them published. So, it was really her advice and push that gave me the confidence to move forward and publish them without an agent. Without her, I would probably write forever and never do anything with my stories. I'm so thankful for K.A., Lesley, and everyone else who have supported me in this. I just can't even express how grateful I feel that God placed them in my life.

Now, I know I'm not the world's greatest blogger and I only update this occasionally, but I guess it's because I have no idea what to say. That's why I never kept a diary as a kid. Regardless, I don't think too many people yet are even reading my blog updates SO if you are, and I'm totally wrong, comment on this and I'll try to blog a little more often.

Brittany Jo James

Read, Rate and Review!!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to write about the importance of reading, rating and reviewing! I'm very blessed to be able to say I have such wonderful friends and family who support me, so they've purchased my novels. That is so appreciated! I don't take it for granted, because buying my books are the first step... but if you want to help a sister out and really support my career to help me thrive, there's more you can do! You can read the book you bought! I know, I know, some of you are raising your eyebrows about that and wondering what I'm talking about but I've had several people say, "Brittany, I bought your book!" Then I say, "Wonderful! Thank you. Have you read it yet?" That's when they follow with, "Oh, no, no. I don't read. I hate to read! I just bought your book to help you out." Well... Thanks, that means a lot... but I still want you to go read my book! Nope, I'm not done asking for your help yet. So you buy my book, then you read it... What next? Possibly the most important step of all if you want to support my career in the "long run." Go to Amazon, find my books, and RATE AND REVIEW THEM! Whether you loved it, or hated it, or thought it was alright, or thought it was super exciting, or horribly boring, if you think it deserves 5+ stars or barely 1... just go rate and review it. I need that! I'm learning as I go and I'm nowhere near perfect or professional yet. I need your critiques! No, I won't get my feelings hurt for a bad review. I expect those and I know that even if I wrote the best book in the world, not everyone would love it. Your opinion on books is just that, an opinion! Which means that everyone has a different one. I need your ratings and reviews so I can take into consideration the points I can improve on or the encouragement you can provide me to keep writing. Besides, everyone measures "success" differently but Amazon measures success by rating and review. So, even though I can say, "I feel successful because I have two novels for sale on Amazon and I'm pursuing my dreams." That doesn't mean I'm successful in the eyes of Amazon, potential literary agents, traditional publishing companies or even random strangers who could become my fans by reading YOUR reviews and taking a chance. I appreciate everyone for purchasing my books. Each time I log on and see that I have new sales, I grin so big and get excited. That's because of you, but now I need you to go read that book, then rate and review it on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever else might listen to you! Thank you all.

Xoxo,

Brittany Jo James

Blog Tour by Life with Lesley

Life with Lesley is hosting a Blog Tour of My Knightly Dreams and At Least I'm Pretty! If any bloggers might be interested in participating, that would be extremely appreciated! There will be a giveaway also.

My Knightly Dreams:

When: September 29- October 5

Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LjM-Z0OJLgRktYNS4CHMXOAxnmpDWgXQpX_T9Ef1BC4/viewform

 

 

At Least I'm Pretty

When: October 6- October 12

Link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g4dRJK7bM0FgLDTxbSk1eAEnE3P87Z0xJu8FogYuXUU/viewform

 

Please feel free to sign up with Lesley and share this with other bloggers who might be interested! Thank you!

God gave me Authors and Bloggers...

My mind is absolutely blown by the amazing people I've met since I pressed "published." Other authors who have stood where I'm standing now, who know exactly what I'm going through are blazing a trail in front of me. And guess what?! They've pulled me right in with them and allowed me to call myself "part of their group." I'm overwhelmed at their kindness. One author, in particular, has been such a blessing. She has truly taken me under her wing and I'm eternally grateful for her. You know what's sad? I didn't even know what a blogger was a month ago. Now, I practically owe my career to one. She's an angel too. I'm so thankful that I'm not as alone as I thought I was. People in this field are so supportive of each other and kind. My fear is being alleviated and hope is being found in this group of precious people.

Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them."

Choice of Genre

I've had a few people ask me about my choice of genre, so I thought I would explain it. 

I knew from the beginning that I never wanted to write anything that wasn't appropriate for a young adult or religious audience. As a teenager, we were encouraged to read AR books from the high school library. Well, that was fine and good, but I'm a hopeless romantic. My mom had a huge collection of Historical Romance novels (Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey...) and I wanted to read them terribly. They were beautiful and intriguing with elegant words from a time long ago when chivalry was alive. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and I started reading them. After reading a couple I realized why the local high school bookshelves weren't full of Historical Romance novels. Obviously, they aren't really suited for teenagers. It was a true bummer. So, I raced to get all of my AR points each semester so I could spend the rest of my time reading Historical Romance.

Like most people, when I started writing, I wanted to write the type of book that I would be drawn to read. "Easy," I thought, "I'll just write Historical Romance." However, I wasn't comfortable writing the love scenes. So, I thought, "Why can't I write exactly what I always wanted to read?" Besides, I try to be as Christianly as possible but I didn't want to write about Amish people. Well, that's why I write the way I do. So, you can consider them Young Adult with a Historical Romance feel. Or, Historical Romance made appropriate for a Young Adult Audience. Or, Christian Fiction. Or, Love Inspired. Or, Young Adult Christian Love Inspired Historical Romance.

Ta-da!

About "My Knightly Dreams"

Once again in the off the wall genre of "Young Adult/New Adult/Historical Romance/Christian Fiction/Love Inspired"... My Knightly Dreams was my first actual manuscript to write. I started this one in the winter of 2010. At the time, I had quit working at the last bank I ever worked for and couldn't wait to get back into my passion of writing. I'll give you the whole spill of how I started writing and quit banking on another day! Here is the summary of My Knightly Dreams:

Now eligible for courtship, many men hope to be the lucky groom selected to marry the Duke and Duchess of Crawley's beautiful daughter, Farren Montbassen. Farren only considers one man acceptable- a notorious knight enjoying a carefree life with little interest in the prospect of marriage. Sir Patton Caswell cannot help but be intrigued by the beauty and grace of the spirited young woman. Everything seems to be falling into place until a rejected suitor and his father decide to take matters of Farren’s marriage into their own hands.  

The forthcoming Marquess of Farnborough, Bayard Norshire, plans to scare Farren into marriage by giving her an ultimatum- marriage, or the death of her family. By kidnapping the Duke and Duchess of Crawley, Bayard thinks he holds their young daughter’s future in his hands. Sent to the rescue by King Edward III, Patton takes Farren on a journey of a lifetime to save the Duke and Duchess before Farren is forced into marriage with the despicable young Marquess.

 

If you want a sweet, heartwarming read with plenty of adventure, this one is for you. Paperback on Amazon, E-book on Kindle and Nook. Go buy and enjoy! Thanks for the support.

About "At Least I'm Pretty"

Hello all,

I started writing At Least I'm Pretty in the fall of 2011, shortly after our family relocated to Tyndall AFB, in Panama City, Florida. This manuscript is the third that I wrote, but the first to actually be published. When you think of At Least I'm Pretty, along with many of my other novels, think Historical Romance meets Young Adult meets Christian Fiction. I know, I know, that's quite a mixture. Let me explain. If you took a Historical Romance novel and made it "age appropriate" for the Young Adult audience then added in a few hints of the edgy Christian Fiction world, you would have one of my novels. No Amish included, however. Understand? I'm sure I'll explain in a later blog why that genre is for me. Anyway, here's a summary of At Least I'm Pretty:

Prince Dimitrie seems to have tough luck waiting for him around every corner. His most recent problems, a dangerous clan of gypsies threatening his life and his father presenting an ultimatum that he must marry within thirty days or lose his crown to his vehement sister, completely exasperate the young man. However, things appear to turn around when he unexpectedly meets a beautiful and seemingly eligible bride in a neighboring village. The fascinating and mysterious young woman steals his heart but with his history of bad breaks he cannot help but wonder if the captivating beauty is too good to be true.

Emerald Baillie is growing weary in her ploy to intimidate the supercilious Prince of Moldavia into releasing her imprisoned brothers. The stunning Duchess of Little Egypt confidently leads her life as gypsy royalty but trying to guide a large group of wayward menaces and keep them out of trouble proves tiresome, even for the poised young woman. With all the pressure resting on her shoulders she panics more and more each day. Fortunately for Emerald, Prince Dimitrie unintentionally makes her search for revenge against him much easier. However, sticking to her mischievous plan by abandoning all emotion and guilt is not as simple when her heart becomes involved.

At Least I'm Pretty is available on Amazon, Kindle and Nook. Go buy it! Rate it! Enjoy.