More than a Trope

As a New Adult author I'm used to the typical New Adult storyline that has everyone rolling their eyes.

 

Bad Boy

 

Plus

 

Virginal good girl with a dark past

 

Equals

 

Mind blowing sexual love story

The dark past, in many books, has been that the girl has been raped. There have been countless New Adult books with this theme. And...(Mild spoiler, but it's kind of obvious) I wrote a book with a girl that was raped.

I was really scared on how people would respond to it. I didn't want people to think I was just cashing in on the trope, but then I knew that I needed to tell this story.

Why?

Because not all of the events in The Only Exception are fictional.

This is the first time I've talked about it in an open forum. My cps knew about it, my friend Katie knows about, my husband, and some other resources like YWCA stepping stones.

No I didn't get involved with a governor's son, or have to get the Morning after Pill. But I did deal with the slut shaming, the constant looking over my shoulder, and the isolation. I didn't think I could write about my experience. I still can't talk about all of the details. I actually didn't even think anything of it for a long time.

I was a senior in college. I went out for my friend's 21st birthday. We were all drinking and then took a cab over to a party. I was engaged at this time, but my fiancé stayed home. I wished he would have came, but I thought I was fine in a group of friends. The party was at a fraternity house in which I was friends with a lot of the guys. I remember it had been awhile since I'd gone and was excited that I had lost so much weight in the past few months and could wear a short skirt and dance around like my other friends.

I thought it was my fault that I was drunk.

I thought it was my fault for wearing my short skirt.

I thought it was my fault that I even sat down on the bench next to the guy.

I didn't talk about it for a long time. I didn't think it was a big deal. He didn't "rape" me I thought. Then I started to hear other girls' stories and that was when I got to courage to talk to my fiancé and my best friend, Katie, about it.

Katie told me, "what he did to you is considered rape."

I never reported him. I still felt guilt after that night. My "friends" who were with me looked the other way.

Writing The Only Exception was like digging the hole again. I didn't think I could do it. My critiuqe partners wanted me to go there. They said that I couldn't dance around the issue. Then I read stories like the Stubenville rape case and Lizzy Seeberg's story. I knew the story that had to be written. I knew that my character wasn't going to just heal by having a sexual encounter with a guy. That's not how the real world works. I had her go to counseling. I had her deal with real life scenarios. I wanted her story to speak to people and hopefully help someone.

Rape is more than a trope and that's how I wrote it. I love what writers like Colleen Hoover have done in which they do put resources for people struggling with the same issues, in the back of their book.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with rape or sexual assault, there are a number of resources. You don't have to feel like you are a trope. You don't have to feel helpless.

RAINN they have resources, including state and federal ones and where to get counseling and other help.  You don't have to do this alone.

 

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Magan Vernon is an international bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls. You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com

Starting out Indie

(photo source)

I get emails from a few friends who were like me, querying for years with a lot of bites from agents, but no contract. They see my books hit the best seller lists and stellar reviews on Amazon and want to know "How does self-publishing work?"

I can't say that I recommend self-publishing for everyone, but the longer I've gone Indie, the more I don't know if I could ever go back. But after a year of doing this gig, there are some definite things I wish I knew when I started.

1.) Your book needs an editor. You may have awesome grammar skills and have had eight critique partners read your masterpiece, but another set of eyes that is attached to it never hurts. An editor doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, you can pay anything from $100-$1000 depending on the editor and if you need a lot of editing or just some proofreading.

2.) A kick butt cover can sell your books. When looking for covers for my next New Adult book, I thought of doing it on my own, but I don't have the eye that the professionals do.  I hired the awesomesauce Steven Novak for my alien series and I'm using Mae I Design for my New Adult (since she has the market cornered on "panty dropping" covers). A cover can cost you anything from $50-$1500, depending if you also want to do print and if you are using custom photography, etc.

3.) Paying for a blog tour is worth every penny. I did do my own blog tour for How to Date an Alien and My Paper Heart, the problem? I didn't know that many bloggers who would take the book on, some didn't post on the day they were supposed to, etc. I finally decided to use blog tour organizer for my last alien book and she brought me thirty people that hadn't read my books who were interested in participating. It opened my book up to a new audience and now I can have those contacts for future book reviewing. There are many blog tours out there and you can go for as little as $30 for a few stops or even up to $300 for massive like multiple month tours with multiple stops.

4.)  Learn to format properly or find someone to format it. I learned to format my first ebooks and the paperback process took me almost a whole day to figure out. There are services that will do it reasonably, but you have to figure out what software is available and if you just can't get the right formatting to upload your word doc or epub file, then maybe it's time to hire someone. These can costs anywhere from a bout $20-$50.

5.) Stop reading reviews. It's tempting and there will be some that will gush for your books, but the ones that hate it will bring you to tears for no reason. I remember reading one for My Paper Heart that attacked me as an author and said they literally wanted to slap me. I wanted to cry, wanted to respond to the reviewer, but I held back, because nothing good ever comes from responding to a reviewer that writes something negative (as we've seen the stories).

6.) You wont be an overnight success. Yes, there are some Indie authors that do make those tremendous overnight successes, but then there are those that have a slow build up and rock it (M. Leighon had 14 books out before she made the NY Times best seller list). If your books don't sell, don't give up, just keep writing and keep on trucking.
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Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman. You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com Or check out her awesome book covers and purchase her books at all online retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Coming full circle as a self-pubber

(Magan circa her first pregnancy 2010 with authors Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, and Sophie Jordan)

 

 

 

When I decided to go the indie route I was completely delusional. No joke I thought I'd put up my first alien book and be the next Amanda Hocking. It didn't exactly go that way and I went through some stages of grieft.

 

1.)  I suck

That's the first thing that went through my head. No wonder my books wont sell, I'm a terrible writer, blah blah blah. But I had a supporter group of writer friends that pushed me to keep going.

 

2.) Everyone else sucks

 

This is where it got really sticky. I put out a ton of money for ads, new covers, all this other stuff and my books didn't sell. So I started attacking other others. "How does her book sell so well? IT SUCKS!" It wasn't one of my finest moments and it just made me angry and not fun to be around.

 

3.) Maybe I'll try something else?

 

I think this was my turning point. This was the moment I decided to put out My Paper Heart on a wing and a prayer. I thought maybe it would be nice to at least have another book on my shelf and then the sales blew me out of the water. The fans of the original alien books weren't as excited about a New Adult contemporary, but from it I found a whole new crop of fans.

 

4.)  OMG this other Indie author is awesome, buy her books!

 

I'm going to have to give it up to Chelsea Cameron on this one. I approached her about being critique partners and that was when I got a sneak peak of My Favorite Mistake. I was blown away by her writing and wanted everyone and their mom to read her book. She probably just made the NY times best seller list because I wouldn't shut up about her.  (Actually she wrote an awesome book that's how she made it).

 

Yeah, it looks that simple when I write it in these four steps, but there was a lot of heartache before I came full circle. There are still days that I wonder if it's worth it to keep writing. Those are the days that I go to my Twitter or check my fan emails from people that say they love my series. I may not be one of the self-pubbers with a six figure deal or hitting the New York Times best seller list, but at this point I'm super exciting for those that have.

 

Maybe someday I'll get there, but for now I'm going to keep writing and keep being a cheerleader for all my self-pub brothers and sisters. We can only hold on to so many grudges for so long and there is no reason to be angry at someone for doing well. If I fall back down, I know my fans are there to help me back up again.

 

Have you come full circle as a writer or an author? What are your set backs?

 

 

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Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman. You can find her online on her blog or purchase her books through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. She also blogs and talks about randomness here.



Self-pubbing: Not a fad diet

About five years ago now, after years of the college lifestyle hit my waist line, I decided that yo-yo dieting was enough and I had to do something to change.  I joined Weight Watchers, lost almost 50 lbs and felt better than ever, but of course the weight eventually came back on after having a kid and my love of french fries.

I tried to go back and do Weight Watchers again, tried every diet in the book and none of them worked. Why? Because it's not about doing a fad diet it's about a lifestyle change.

The same thing can be said for self-pubbing. People look at the careers of authors like Amanda Hocking or Hugh Howey and think that is their fast track for getting their book out there and become a billionare. I'm here to say that like a fad diet, self-pubbing success doesn't always happen over night and it's more about changing your attitude then just putting something up on Amazon.

Not all diets/books are created equal.

So your friend self-pubbed her book and now makes 10K a month from writing? Why can't you? Well, there is a possiblity that you can, but more than likely it's not going to happen overnight. Your friend might be Amanda Hocking that hit it big when self-pubbing started and for some reason your little book about aliens just isn't getting an audience. Does it mean you give up on your self-pubbing diet? Now on to exhibit two...

You have to be in it for the long haul

Sure, there are people that you see their success and you think "Man they did that in no time!" But then did you look at the big picture? Did that person spend three years building their platform before they published? Sure, some people will get success right away and then you see amazing authors like M. Leighton that have fourtneen books published and it was their fourteenth book that got them on the NY Times best seller list. Patience is the key.

Shortcuts don't help you

Think you can just go a few days with eating salads and the weight wont come back when you eat normal? Wrong. It's the same with self-pubbing. You want to get the book out quickly and start making money so you scimp on editing, having your critique partners look at it, but still think it's fine. Then the reviews role in complaining about typos, you get returns galore and wonder why all your "weight" came back.

Jealousy doesn't help you

I whine all the time when someone bounces back from having a baby and looks like a model, but does it help me feel any better? No. Don't compare yourself to anyone because all that is going to get you is dissapointment. Sure she may have sold more books than you, but maybe look at what she's done to market her books. If you do the same thing and it doesn't work, remember that not all fad diets are created equal. I did some paid advertising that other Indelibles did. They had a multitude of sales, I think I got one or two.

Sweat is just weakness leaving the body.

I saw this in a Nike ad. Throughout my weight loss time I spent a lot of time crying and a lot of time sweating. There were weeks that I lost two pounds and weeks that I'd gained two pounds. The key is to not give up. The same goes for self-pubbing. There will be days you sell absolutely nothing, heck, with the first six months of How to Date an Alien being on sale, I barely sold a book a day. I cried a lot, put a lot of effort in to marketing, and still nothing. I cried a lot, A LOT, but then I realized that I had to pick myself up and keep pushing. I put out the second alien book and then put out My Paper Heart. I'm not making 10K in sales a month, but I'm doing well enough that I think I can get that new MacBook Pro I've been eyeing and possibly get the bigger car I really want in a few months.

In conclusion

Some people will get published and do well and some wont. But if you want to do well in self-publishing you have to remember, it's not a fad diet, you have to be in it for the long haul to see results.

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Magan Vernon started her writing career by writing fan fiction about olympic athletes. Now she writes young adult and New Adult including the international best selling MY ALIEN ROMANCE series and MY PAPER HEART. When not writing she tackles insurance claims, a curious toddler, and a husband who is not an olympic athlete but sometimes she pretends he is.

You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com
www.thepunchingbagfightsback.blogspot.com

or support here and pick up a book on Amazon (she promises that none of them are about fad diets, but do include prailines)

Where are the books for my age group?

When I was in high school there wasn't much for the YA genre. I think the only young adult book in my school library was Sloppy Firsts and that technically wasn't even considered YA. So, I spent most of my young adulthood reading VC Andrews and learning the real meaning of flowers in the attic.

Fast forward to college. I didn't have time to read much more than a college textbook, but my roommate was OBSESSED with the Twilight books. I didn't want to read them. They couldn't be like my favorite Anne Rice novels, could they?

They weren't. BUT there was something about the young adult writing style that drew me to it. I always thought I COULD be a writer, but just figured I could be the next AC360 instead.

Fast forward again and I'm a college graduate, working part-time and studying for some insurance exams. I wanted a story for something in MY age group, the college kids. I thought about my own college experience and wanted to write a book about a girl that fails out of her freshman year of college and is forced to move with her great aunt in the rural south.

I wrote it in a few months, edited, used critique partners, and then I learned about the path to publication. What did people mean when they said there wasn't a genre for this age between young adult books and adult books?

I queried anyway. Some agents wanted it, some didn't. I did end up finding an agent. I thought she was my golden ticket! I even found out a publishing house had branded this genre 'New Adult' and had a special section for these characters in the phase between young adult and adult.

I brought this up to the agent. Her response? "Yeah, that's one publishing house. It doesn't mean that it's going to create a new genre in the book store." So I re-edited it, again, this time to make it more of a women's fiction piece. It didn't work as women's fiction. It didn't work as a story with a sixteen-year-old girl getting it on with her southern boyfriend. It was time to shelf it and time for my agent to shelf me.

I worked on How to Date an Alien and eventually indie published it, but the voice of my New Adult characters still lingered in my head. As I got deeper into the indie world I realized that New Adult and Upper YA was alive and well. There were best sellers like Abbi Glines and Jessica Park who were flying up the charts with their college-aged characters. I knew at that point that my former agent wasn't completely right about New Adult. Sure you can't go into a book store and find it, but if you check the Amazon best seller charts, you will see that New Adult is alive and well.

I hope you all had a chance to join our #indiechat on Twitter the other night and got some awesome information about the New Adult genre. If you didn't, our transcripts are always available!
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There are worse things in life than failing out of college- such as having your parents receive the letter that you’ve been kicked out.
Now to appease her parents self-proclaimed sorority princess Libby Gentry is packing up her Prada bag and heading to work for her great aunt’s antique store in tiny Elsbury, Louisiana. She’s pretty sure she can tackle the swamp and deal with her great aunt and tom boy of a little cousin, but what she doesn’t know is if she can handle the local town playboy, Blaine Crabtree.

As Libby's feelings for Blaine grow, so does her need for acceptance and all of the insecurities she has kept inside are coming out. She may have survived the Louisiana swamp, but she may not survive Blaine's reluctance to say the 'L' word. When Blaine finally commits to the three words Libby’s been waiting for, she only hopes they haven’t come too late.

Available for your Ereader on August 6th, but add it to your GoodReads now!


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Magan Vernon is a self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child and the Amazon best-selling author of the My Alien Romance series. The first book, How to Date an Alien is currently FREE for Kindle and Nook and just about anywhere else that sells ebooks.

My Paper Heart is her upcoming New Adult novel that was a labor of love and almost four years in the making.

Starter Covers

Hey there, Elle Strauss here.

You know that term, starter home? It's the cute little house built for two that you buy when you're young, maybe have a child or two and feel totally squished in when you get the family pet? By then a few years have gone by and (supposedly) you have some equity with which you can buy a bigger house? One you can live in for the next many years and raise all your children?

Yeah, it didn't work that way for me either. But, that's a long winded segue into my topic of Starter Covers.

A starter cover is the first cover a book receives before getting a makeover cover.

My book Clockwise had a starter cover.

starter

makeover

Why did I change it? I was concerned about lagging sales and a few people suggested that the first cover looked too middle grade, primarily because it was illustrated. I loved that cover but I agreed that it didn't have the "read me" factor for an YA audience.

Interestingly, Clockwise was chosen for a cover challenge  last week and the voting results surprised me, 12 to 11 for the original!

I still think I did the right thing by changing the look of book one before putting the rest of the series out, but chances are if I'd stuck with the first theme, it would've done as well.

The main point here for me is, as an Indie it was my choice. I wanted to change it and I did. =)

I'm not alone in this starter cover syndrome. Several of my writerly friends have changed their covers recently, some for the same reasons as me and some because they thought it was time to try something new. Traditionally published books get new covers all the time, when the paperback comes out, for instance, or to update a book or series that's been out for more than a year.

Sometimes they update too soon, and make readers angry, but I'll get to that in a minute.

starter cover

 makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

Megg said: I just wanted to mix it up a bit. The old covers sold well but they've been around awhile.

Stacey said: It didn't stand out as YA. Readers couldn't tell what genre the books were just by looking at them. When they did read the books, I got complaints that the more mature upper YA subject matter didn't jibe with the illustrated covers - which made people think they were MG. Now readers love them and are picking them up because they love the covers. They are recognized as the Zellie brand now and the next trilogy will have similar covers. 

Cheri said:  I'm an indie author, and I love to try new ideas. I had a theory about covers with vivid images on a black background and wanted to test it out. I also knew that in the tiny thumbnail image, the beautiful swirling font of my book title is difficult to read. I wondered if that was a deterrent to potential readers, so I wanted to test that out as well. 

Magan: When I first went through the whole cover design process I was looking for someting in the realm of HP Mallory with the cartooney covers. Both our books are comedic with romance, so I thought a cutesy cover would do the trick. Then the reviews started to come in and I realized alot of people weren't picking up the book because the cartoon cover was giving off a middle grade vibe and that wasn't what I wanted.


Though it's great to change covers, authors have to be careful not to annoy their fans by changing covers they might love, especially mid series. There's some talk on the 'sphere about series books getting a make over midstream. For people who bought the first book, or the first two books in the series, it's annoying when the next book no longer matches. See this post by Narratively Speaking. She's particularily upset by the recent change made to Beth Revis's covers. I for one have Ruby Red sitting on my shelf and have long waited for book two to hit shelves. I'm a little annoyed that the covers have since changed and now my series collection won't match. Plus,the collection loses value when this happens. I'll still buy it though, since I loved book 1.

Megg and Stacey both changed covers for their whole series once the series was out. I, on the other hand made the choice to change the cover theme after the first book was out, believing it would be better in the long run and hoping I wouldn't put off any of my readers who bought the first one. I didn't have a lot of readers yet at that point, and no one has complained so far. (Magan has done the same.)

What do you think about the cover updates? Does it bother you if series covers change before the series is complete?

 

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. To ward off writer's butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. Find out more about her and her books at www.ellestraussbooks.com

Nerdy is the New Sexy!

Nerdy is the New Sexy!

Didn't you know? Well, in case you were unsure, fellow Indelibles, RaShelle Workman and Magan Vernon, want to clear it up for you--it is!

And because they are so sure of this fact, they've started a new blog called--you guessed it:

isn't this blog banner awesome??

I invited RaShelle and Magan to answer a few questions to explain why they set up this new blogsite and what exactly is so sexy about being a nerd?

 RaShelle

Elle:  I know you have your own blog and contribute to the Indelibles blog, so why another blog?

R:  I’m crazy! Plus, I wanted a place where people could come and talk about teen years, growing up, being a nerd, or not. Even being a superstar is great to talk about. I wanted it Just a place to hang and be silly, or talk about whatever is on their minds. Basically, this place is for teens.

Elle: Where did the idea for your new blog, Nerdy is the New Sexy come from?

R: I’d been thinking a lot about what my platform should be. What I wanted others to know I stood for. During this same time, it was discovered that my sixteen-year-old niece was diagnosed with cancer. She’s this vibrant, amazing girl. Smart. Very talented in dance. Gorgeous on the inside and out. I knew I wanted to stand for her. For my children. For all teens. From that, the idea was born. The words: nerdy is the new sexy popped into my head.

Elle:  Do you consider yourself a Nerd? Why?

R: From wikipedia, the definition of nerd is this: Nerd is a derogatory slang term for a person typically described as socially-impaired, obsessive, or overly intellectual. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular or obscure activities, pursuits, or interests, which are generally either highly technical, or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Other nerdy qualities include physical awkwardness, introversion, quirkiness, and unattractiveness. Thus, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and is a social outsider. In the stereotypical high-school situation, they may be either considered loners by others, or they tend to associate with a small group of like-minded people. From that definition, I’d say I’m three-quarters nerd, and one-quarter dork. =D


Megan 

Elle: What do you hope comes from your efforts at  Nerdy is the New Sexy?

M: One of the original things I tried to accomplish with my own blog is to show that those of us who grew up as nerds, geeks, and the like actually aren't as weird as people think. People used to think I was weird in high school for Fangirling out over Anne Rice and Buffy, but now everyone and there mom is gaga for Twilight and Vampire Diaries. All those things that used to be nerdy are now sexy and always will be. 

Elle: Are you a Nerd? How so?

M: My bio says that I am the geek-to-glam poster child, but my husband says that I am still a nerd. I can't help it. I would rather spend my time catching up on episodes of Fact or Faked paranormal files than go out to a bar. It may not make me as popular, but I feel a lot better in the morning than everyone else. 

Elle: How did you and RaShelle meet?

M: We both joined the Indelibles online Indie group and immediately I was drawn to Rashelle since we both wrote alien novels. We swapped stories, became critique partners, and if you read our books you will definitely find our nerdiness shine through. 

What'ch waiting for? Go visit this great blog and don't forget to send your teens!

www.nerdyisthenewsexy.blogspot.com

Elle Strauss writes Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. She's a married mom of four, and lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, famous for beaches and vineyards. She's fond of Lindt's sea salt dark chocolate and hiking in good weather. Her Young Adult rom/com time-travel CLOCKWISE series and contemporary/otherworldly Middle Grade IT'S A LITTLE HAYWIRE are now available on Amazon and Smashwords.

The legality of Lyricalness in writing

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow. You're always a day away!
-Tomorrow from the musical Annie

Impossible things are happening every day. It's possible!
-Impossible from Rodgesr and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Both of these lyrics appear in published works. One of these authors had to get permission and pay for the use of their lyrics and the other did not. Can you guess which paid?

If you guessed the author who used the lyrics from Annie, you are right!

Author Laurie Larsen talks about getting permission and using the lyrics for her YA novel The Chronicles of Casey V in an interview over at Savvy Authors. Since I actually know Laurie she sent a link out to all of us in her RWA group to this interview. As soon as I read it I kind of did a *headdesk* and mumbled 'Oh crap.'

You may have read my books or you may have not, but if you have you will realize that Alex Bianchi has a thing for Shakespeare and musicals. That is when the *headdesk* started. Could I get sued for using lines from Romeo and Juliet? What about Alex singing Cinderella in book 2?

The answer:  It's all about what is public domain and what is not. Quickly I pulled up my internet explorer and started googling, trying to figure out if I needed to contact whoever owned the rights to Shakespeare's works and Rodgers and Hammerstein. I looked up everything I could when I noticed something interesting. Both the works of Shakespeare and Rodgers and Hammerstein are public domain. This means that their intelectual property rights have either expired, been forfeited, or are innaplicable. Which basically means that you can use all the Shakespeare that you want in your writing to your heart's desire! (Okay, maybe not word for word, but you get my point).

There is also work that was created before public domain or copyrights existed that are automatically public domain (i.e. The Bible). If you want to quote the bible in your work then go for it! No need to worry about being sued by the Bible's writers. (If you don't understand that part then we need to have a talk...)

But WAIT, you are thinking, "That's all fine and dandy, but what about Alex's obsession with Dustin Hoffman?"

Ah, yes, Alex does like The Graduate. Am I going to get sued for referencing that? No. I did research on this one as well. As long as I don't act like this is my own work and reference the movie then I'm not claiming to own it, nor would I ever take that joy away from Dustin Hoffman. And...well...I never use the entire quote or I paraphrase it. "Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Bianchi?" And most of these are filed under the "fair use" act.

Do you use movie quotes or lyrics in your writing? Have you ever looked to see if they were public domain? Do you wonder why Alex is singing from musicals in book 2?

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Magan is a self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child who channels her inner geek by writing science fiction for teens, even though she slept with a night light until she was in middle school for fear of alien attacks. She now lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in central Illinois where she still sleeps with a night light...just in case.  Her debut novel HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN is available now through Amazon and Barnes and Noble in Ebook and Paperback. If you have nothing better to do you can follow her online through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Cover Reveal: How to Break up with an Alien

The cover for the highly anticipated second book in the My Alien Romance series is here!

Face it, long distance relationships in high school are hard,
especially when the other one in the relationship is an alien.
Alex Bianchi may have survived an intergalactic battle, but that still doesn’t excuse her from her senior year or high school, or qualify her for any sort of scholarship. To make up for college tuition costs, she takes a job at a local coffee shop. If only coffee could solve all of her problems.

As Alex’s senior year progresses, everything changes and she can’t figure out if it is interstellar or if it is just time to break up with an alien.

The book wont be coming out until June, but you can sign up to request an ARC copy here.
Or add it to your GoodReads.

What do you think is going to happen on this part of Ace and Alex's journey? If this is book two, what do you think will happen in book three?

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Magan is a self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child who channels her inner geek by writing science fiction for teens, even though she slept with a night light until she was in middle school for fear of alien attacks. She now lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in central Illinois where she still sleeps with a night light...just in case.  Her debut novel HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN is available now through Amazon and Barnes and Noble in Ebook and Paperback. If you have nothing better to do you can follow her online through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.