Blue Sky Days Relaunch Blitz + Giveaway

Welcome to the Blue Sky Days Relaunch Blitz!

Today (June 27th) is the 20th anniversary of my dad’s death from leukemia. For a long time I’ve wanted to honour him in some way, and I thought having the relaunch of Blue Sky Days, a book that was partly inspired by him, would be the perfect tribute. My dad was a wonderful man—smart, funny, kind, and loyal. He was an amazing father, husband, brother, and friend. Even before he died, I knew I wanted to be a writer, and he would listen to my crazy made-up stories with the patience of a saint.

From the 27th-30th of June, half the proceeds from all sales of Blue Sky Days will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. If you already own a copy, maybe you’d consider buying the book for a friend or family member? Or buying another copy from a different retailer (like Smashwords, which offers the book in every format)?

I greatly appreciate the support of the online reading/writing community for helping me honour my dad.

Contemporary new adult

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A year after graduating from high school, nineteen-year-old Emma Ward feels lost. She has spent most of her life trying to please her frigid, miserable mother - studying hard, getting good grades, avoiding the whole teenage rebellion thing - and now she feels she has no identity beyond that. Because she spent so many years working hard and planning every moment of her life, she doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and basically doesn't know who she is or what she really wants from life. Working two part-time jobs to save money for college hasn't helped her make decisions about her future, so she decides it's time for a change. She leaves home to live with her free-spirited, slightly eccentric Aunt Daisy in a small town that makes Emma feel like she's stepped back in time.

When Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, everything changes - he's unlike anyone she's ever met before, the kind of man she didn't even know existed in the 21st century. Carefree and spirited like Daisy, Nicholas teaches Emma to appreciate life, the beauty around her, and to just let go and live. Between Daisy and Nicholas, Emma feels like she belongs somewhere for the first time in her life, and realizes that you don't always need a plan - sometimes life steers you where you're meant to be.

Life is wonderful, an endless string of blue sky days, until Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes once again for Emma in ways she never thought possible. Now it's time for her to help Nicholas the way he's helped her. Emma will have to use her new-found strength, and discover along the way if love really is enough to get you through.

Amazon US || Amazon CAN || Amazon UK || Barnes & Noble || Smashwords || Kobo || iBooks

Thanks to eight incredible sponsors, there's a huge blitz-wide giveaway! There will be three (3) $20 PayPal cash prizes. Three chances to win - not too shabby, huh? This giveaway is open internationally to people aged 18+ who can accept PayPal cash.

Jessica @ Thoughts at One in the Morning 
Follow Jessica on Twitter 

Author Molli Moran @ Books and Whimsy 
Like Molli's Facebook page

Patricia Lynne
Follow Patricia on Twitter 

Mickey @ I’m a Book Shark 
Follow Mickey on Twitter 

Rachelia @ Bookish Comforts 
Follow Bookish Comforts via email or BlogLovin' 

Tana Rae Reads 
Follow Tana's blog 

Tana @ A Diva a Day! 
Follow A Diva a Day! 

Jess @ Jess Time to Read 
Like Jess's Facebook page

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Instagram || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog}

I survived the Blue Sky Days launch!

Well, I survived the Blue Sky Days launch party. I spent weeks planning it out, and I think it went well. Not as many people participated as I had hoped, but I'm incredibly grateful for the people who did come out to celebrate and show their support. It meant so much to me!


My baby is now out there in the world. Well, it has been for awhile, through reviewers and the earlier-than-planned release, but now it's official. I'm a published author. That still leaves me flabbergasted.

The blog tour is underway, and there are other features happening in the blog world. Be sure to check the tour schedule for the full line-up of incredible bloggers taking part in the tour. There are three e-book giveaways for Blue Sky Days going on right now, so if you'd like to win a copy of the book, be sure to check those out.

 

Here's a run-down of what's happened so far with the tour and a few other features:

BLOG TOUR:

Review by Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning

Excerpt and giveaway by Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning

Review and giveaway by Michelle at Much Loved Books

OTHER FEATURES:

Michelle from Much Loved Books also cross-posted her review to The Carousel, along with some fun facts about me

Author showcase/interview at Amanda Leigh Cowley's blog

Review and giveaway from Tami at Krazy Book Lady

Indie Frenzy from Ashely at The Bookish Brunette

 

This is random, but related, so I thought I'd include it: I watched Amanda Hocking on Anderson Cooper's talk show today (it was yesterday's episode, but we're a day behind here for some reason). For those of you who don't know who Amanda Hocking is - what rock have you been living under?? Seriously though, she's this insanely popular, best-selling indie author who has sold over 1 million copies of her e-book and now has a publishing deal with St. Martin's Press. When I first started researching indie publishing, it didn't take me long to come across her blog and articles about her, and her story was part of what pushed me into self-publishing. She's such an inspiration. I hope I can have even a fraction of her success. 


Thank you again to everyone who has shown so much support over the last few weeks and months. You guys have kept me going and kept me sane when I've felt like I'm on a never-ending merry-go-round. I'll be starting my next writing project this week - something unexpected that popped into my head the other night. I had planned to work on a story I thought up several years ago, but the characters from this new book want their story told and won't leave me alone!

Blue Sky Days Launch Party!!

Today is the official launch of my debut novel, Blue Sky Days! This has been a long time coming. My whole life, all I ever wanted to be was a professional writer, and now here I am, living my dream. So, I’m sure you can understand that today is a huge day for me, and I want to celebrate with all of you. Many of you already know about the launch party through Facebook, my blogs, Twitter, and GoodReads, but in case you don’t know, all day today I’m having an online launch party to celebrate the release of Blue Sky Days.

To join the fun, pop on over to the Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry Facebook Fan Page, my author blog, and Twitter (@SweetMarie83). Full details about the launch party can be found HERE. 

The blog tour also begins today with a review, excerpt, and giveaway over at Thoughts at One in the Morning. Be sure to stop by Jessica's blog and show her some love!

I hope you'll all come celebrate with me today, it would mean a lot to me!

*************

Today's giveaways:

On Facebook: Share contest to win this "Emma" bookmark:

Also on Facebook: New 'likes' contest to win this "Daisy" bookmark: 

Twitter contest: Join the party on Twitter to win an e-copy of Blue Sky Days, or this Blue Sky Days bookmark (full details on my author blog):

Blog giveaway: Answer some reading-related questions for a chance to win this "Nicholas" bookmark:

Blue Sky Days Launch Party - info + what you could win!

Just three more days until the official launch of Blue Sky Days - eep! That means just three more days until the launch party and the blog tour. Double and triple eep!

I finally have some solid details about the launch party for you guys. Here's how it's going to work:

Blue Sky Days Facebook Page:

I'll be having two or three contests throughout the day. Each one will last for a few hours so that people have a chance to participate. There will be a prize for each contest. All you have to do to be eligible to participate is 'like' the page.

Twitter:

All day long, I'll be posting teasers, links to reviews, buy links, random facts about the book, etc. I'll be using the hashtag #blueskydays. I'll be around all day, so I'm hoping people will come hang out, chat with me, maybe ask some questions that I can answer, that sort of thing. For everyone who either tweets me (@SweetMarie) and/or uses the hashtag #blueskydays, I'll put your name into a hat, and at the end of the day, I'll pick one person to win a prize. There might be extra chances to win for the people who hang out for more than two seconds - lol

My author blog:

Like Facebook, I'll be running several contests throughout the day, and each contest will have a prize. All you have to do to be eligible to participate is follow that blog through GFC and/or Networked Blogs.

Wondering what the prizes are? Well, I'll be giving away a few e-copies of Blue Sky Days, as well as some one-of-a-kind bookmarks from the Blue Sky Days jewelry line. Click the thumbnails below to see full-sized images.

       

I hope you'll all join me on the 17th and help me celebrate the launch of my debut novel - it would really mean a lot to me! :-)

1 Week Until Blue Sky Days Launch Party and Blog Tour!

Well, as a lot of you already know, Blue Sky Days was available early at Amazon and Smashwords. The official launch is still set for the 17th, because I'm hoping by then the book will available at other ebook retailers. Regardless, I'm going ahead with the launch party on that day, and that's also the day the blog tour kicks off! 

I've been working out the details for the launch party, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. My jewelry/bookmark maker says she's getting the stuff in the mail today, and I sincerely hope she does, otherwise I'm going to be scrambling for stuff to give away to you guys!

Here's how it's going to work: the party will be between the Blue Sky Days Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, and my author blog - not Ramblings of a Daydreamer. I will be having giveaways on Facebook and the blog all day, and since I'll be here all day, I hope some of you will come celebrate with me on Twitter. Basically, we can just chat, you can ask me questions, maybe some of you would be willing to retweet some of my tweets with the buy links and quotes, etc. Just use the hashtag #blueskydays and/or tweet me (@SweetMarie83), and for everyone who comes out to join the Twitter party, I'll enter you into a giveaway. 

Sound like fun? I sure hope you think so! The minute the prizes arrive in the mail, I'll take pictures and post them so you can see what kinds of things you can enter to win. I'll also be giving away e-copies of the book. So mark your calendars for a week from today - January 17th - and be sure to come join the fun!

Blue Sky Days is available NOW!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Well, it's about a week and a half early, but Blue Sky Days is now available on Kindle! Here's the thing about being an indie author: everything is up to you. That's great, but it can also be really nerve-wracking. I feel like I've been on a never-ending merry-go-round the last several months. 

I had tentatively set the release date for January 17th, but never having uploaded a book to Smashwords or Amazon before, I was afraid I would have issues - that the file wouldn't upload or the formatting would be wrong, or any other of a number of problems that would lead to the book being late, which would be awful since the blog tour starts the 17th. So I went ahead and uploaded the file to Smashwords and Amazon last night, which means that Blue Sky Days is now LIVE and available to buy in the Kindle Store!!!!

I'm so excited, I can't even tell you. 

In case you're wondering what this means for the launch party, that date will remain the same - the 17th. I'm keeping that date as the 'official' release date because by then, the book should be available everywhere ebooks are sold, not just Amazon. The tour also starts the 17th and runs for four weeks. Four whole weeks. I'm still mind-boggled by that. Be sure to drop by for the launch party - details here - because I'm going to be giving stuff away! Who doesn't like free stuff, right? Also be sure to check out the tour schedule - there are some incredible bloggers participating! 

So without any further ado, the link to Blue Sky Days on the Kindle Store!!! *does a happy dance*

Blue Sky Days will also be available on Barnes and Noble very soon, and in the meantime, if you'd like to buy the book in every imaginable format, it's also available on Smashwords.

Blue Sky Days Comes Out in 2 Weeks!

BLUE SKY DAYS COMES OUT IN TWO WEEKS! <--- Yes, that's me yelling, by the way. That's how excited I am. 

Two weeks. Just saying it makes me want to hyperventilate. I was out shopping with a friend the other day and she asked how I was feeling about the book coming out and I said I was terrified and she asked why. Why? WHY?! My response: "Because people will read it". She laughed, but I was expecting her to say something like well isn't that the point, or isn't that what you want, and of course it is, but it's still terrifying. 

And people have been reading it for several weeks now. I've had quite a few pre-release ARC reviews, and it's thrilling, especially since the majority of them have been 4 and 5 stars. I'm over the moon about that, but I'm still terrified. This is my baby. I poured my heart and soul into this book and now it's going to be laid bare for the whole world to see. It makes me feel oddly vulnerable. And yet, this is my dream. My DREAM. The only thing I've ever wanted to do. How many people get to say they're living their dream?

Still, the nerves are getting to me. I guess there's a part of me that worries that nobody will read it, even though 600 people have it on their to-read list on GoodReads, and even though I get people telling me on a regular basis that they can't wait for the book to come out (like literally as I'm writing this, I get an email from someone asking me where she can buy it because she can't wait to read it). It's so surreal that I guess I feel like I'm imagining it all and when I wake up tomorrow, I'll still be a struggling freelance writer who dreams of publishing a book someday but is no closer than the hundreds of thousands of other people who want the same thing. 

So. Two weeks. I hope you'll all stop by for the launch party. I haven't ironed out the details yet because I'm still waiting for the bookmarks and jewelry to be sent, and at this point I'm afraid they're not going to arrive on time since I was supposed to get them last week. I do know I'll be giving away some free e-copies of the book. I'm not sure how to make this work between the blog, Twitter, and Facebook. At this point, I'm just hoping I can pull it all together so it's not an epic fail!

I really and truly love you all, and your continued support means the world to me. Thank you!!!

Blue Sky Days Launch Party - January 17th, 2012

One month from today is the official launch of Blue Sky Days. One month. *hyperventilates* It feels like just yesterday I was saying ‘four months’. The last few months have been a crazy whirlwind of non-stop work, but I can’t complain. I’m living my dream…how many people can honestly say that? I’ve wanted to be an author my entire life, and now I’m going to be. It’s so surreal and exciting and terrifying.

I want to do something special and fun for the launch. Because the book is initially being released as an ebook with the paperback to come later, I thought it fitting to have an online party for the launch. I’ve been going over ideas in my head for months, and I have to fine-tune them over the next few weeks, but what I do know is that I want to celebrate with all the people who have been amazingly kind, supportive, and encouraging.

I had hoped to have bookmarks and postcards for the launch, but at this point, it’s not looking hopeful. I’m having issues galore, and I’ve decided it’s just not worth it right now when I have so many other things to think and worry about. But…I have something I think is even cooler. A friend and I are working on creating a Blue Sky Days jewelry line, complete with pieces that represent four of the main characters.

So, on January 17th, I’m going to have a big party online right here on my blog that will hopefully stretch out to Facebook and Twitter. I’ll be posting updates on Twitter with the hashtag #blueskydays - teasers, blurbs from reviews, facts about characters, etc - and I hope you guys will join me. On that day, I will be giving out prizes to people who ‘attend the party’ - pieces from the jewelry line, ebooks of Blue Sky Days, and hopefully a few other little surprises.

January 17th also happens to be the kick-off date for the Blue Sky Days Blog Tour. Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning will be starting the tour with a review, an excerpt from the book, and a giveaway - so you’ll have an extra chance to win the book!

The minute I have the prizes in my hands, I will take pictures to give you guys an idea of the stuff you can win the day of the launch. For those of you who have read the book and know the characters, here’s a little teaser: the 4 characters who get their own jewelry and bookmarks are Emma, Nicholas, Daisy, and Maggie. I hope that excites you as much as it does me!

I’d be so grateful if you’d help me spread the word about this - Facebook, Twitter, Google+, a blog post, emailing friends, whatever. I'm so appreciative of all the support and encouragement I've received from fellow book bloggers. You guys are amazing and I hope to be able to show you my appreciation with a fun party next month!