Readers, Feedback Please...?

READERS, FEEDBACK PLEASE - I've heard alot about book length from readers & publishers. Does book length matter when it comes to your decision on whether you want to read a book? If so, why? 

SACRIFICIAL BLOOD IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR .99 CENTS ON AMAZON!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT: 

Sacrificial Blood

I'm happy to announce that Sacrificial Blood is available for .99 cents on Amazon.com. It is ONLY available on E-Book at this time. If you get a chance, please check it out. I'm excited about it! Just a forewarning - this is not a full length novel like my previous book, Bad Elements: Crystal Dragon. This is a short story that I had written back in 2010. I'm thinking about actually writing a longer fictional story using Sacrificial Blood as the prelude to it. I hope everybody enjoys it! If you would like to write a book review for it on Amazon, please do. Thanks again! 

Sequel in the Bad Elements series - The Hybrid

GOOD NEWS! I am very excited to say that the second installment in the Bad Elements series has finally been written. It is getting ready to go to the Editor very soon. I hope everybody enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There are some new characters, along with some old characters and I even dug up a few bones here and there to revive. Unfortunately, I do not have a release date just yet. My Editor has other books to edit, so mine will fall in line behind those so I'll keep you updated as the book progresses. 

Kickstarter Project for the Bad Elements Series - 1st Book "Crystal Dragon", 2nd Book "The Hybrid", 3rd - TBA

I'm really not into spamming and really try not to do so but I am working on some projects for the Bad Elements series of my books. The first book, "Crystal Dragon" was previously published with a small publishing house. Unfortunately, there were some issues and the book was pulled. I immediately put it back out with a different cover though the original artwork known as "The Butterfly" was drawn up by my daughter, Bridget Mullican. The artwork still remains her work and her copyright.

Though, I'm still smitten with her gothic style "Butterfly", I was approached by Kris Wagner, whom apparently a "LARGE MOTION PICTURE COMPANY" is looking at to do some work for them, to revamp Bridget's butterfly along with creating a whole new cover for the book. We went through several different covers and finally settled on one, which I think everybody will like.

Along with that said, there were also some other issues discovered within the book itself. I've been approached with comments, questions and concerns regarding some of the editing that had been completed before the first publication. So I decided just for publication concern, that I would have the book re-edited again, this time by my new editor, Rainy.

A few months ago, my husband and I actually had the opportunity to sit down and meet Rainy for the first time. We went over several ideas, thoughts, projects, goals and expectations. After our meeting with her, we were pretty confident and happy with the end result. Rainy would be my new editor.

Now, everybody knows with getting published comes the fun part, available funds. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, my husband was out of work for awhile so budget and funds were extremely tight and still are. We are in the process of climbing right back up that ladder but luckily we met Rainy and in our discussion she mentioned a website called Kickstarter. I believe I had heard about it before but really didn't know what it was.

After researching it, I decided yes, I would go ahead and do this. So, FINALLY it is up! Yay! This is a good thing as I or I should say, we (my husband is a huge fan of mine - that's a good thing as he helped me an interview with FOX News) have many, many, many outstanding and fun ideas for my book/series. Currently, I'm looking at creating a trilogy for the series. With any funds that are pledged, I'm going to use them to pay my editor - Rainy, pay my graphic designer - Kris Wagner and any extra funds after that go towards incentives to the readers, marketing, promotion, and included, I have a few SECRETS that I'd like to keep hidden at this moment. But, if I can reach my goal, then you'll be seeing some great projects and fun stuff!

I don't want to reveal too much at this time, so you'll just have to be patient and if you're interested, you can pledge. I've already had many discussions with friends and family that are interested in having fun helping with this project.

Just to give you some incentive, I will let you know that I am close to finishing the editing to the sequel in the Bad Elements series, "The Hybrid." Please be patient with me and if you are interested, please check out the Kickstarter page. Pledges are as low as $1. Every little bit helps and it goes to a great cause. One hint I'm really hoping to reveal to family, friends and fans, is that "I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MY CHARACTERS COME ALIVE! EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES THOUGH I WOULD PREFER TO SEE THEM COME ALIVE FOR A LOT LONGER THAN THAT!"  (hint, hint)

Well, time to get busy on the sequel. I'd love to get this to my editor before the end of the month. :)

Kickstarter Project - Bad Elements: Crystal Dragon

Treason Book Tour March 4 - March 31

Ourea has always been a deadly place. The lichgates tying the hidden world to Earth keep its creatures at bay—for now. 

Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned. 

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.

To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate. 

Author Bio: S.M. Boyce is a fantasy and paranormal fiction novelist who also dabbles in contemporary fiction and comedy. Her B.A. in Creative Writing also qualifies her to serve you french fries. She updates her blog a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning. 

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Get to Know the Author

Since publishing my first book, I've been asked many questions about it, some which I find are a bit interesting. Some of those questions were, "Why did you write such a thick book? Why did you make it so long? Why not shorten it? Why not make it into a couple of different books?" Even my first publisher suggested I keep in mind the length of my novel when writing it. He wanted me to keep it under a certain number of pages, which as I was writing the sequel, I attempted to do. Needless to say it's a bit longer than what he wanted and I'm publishing this on my own now. Well, for those of you who would like to know the answer, here it is: "I didn't try to make Crystal Dragon as long as it is, and I didn't try to shorten it by any means. Crystal Dragon is a product of my imagination. For those of you who prefer shorter stories, I apologize, but I'm not cutting down any part of my creativity and imagination when it comes to my thought process. When I started it, I did not have any specific number of pages or length to which I was going to set as a goal. Granted, I might have been able to cut Crystal Dragon into two books, but unfortunately for my fans, I am pretty stubborn and wanted to keep it as one because it is one story, not two. At one point, I had considered cutting it into two novels, only because one publisher was considering my book, and they do have specific guidelines for their novels but once again, I am stubborn and wanted to keep it as one. Besides, they never picked up my novel anyway, so it was okay (and no, it was not due to the length)." Q & A: Now, this is where I pose a question to you, the FANS, AUTHORS, WRITERS, etc! "As an author, how many have you been asked to shorten a novel and what was the reason why? Was it due to cost? Or were there other reasons behind it? Do you feel that by shortening your novel, you were being asked to cut off your creativity at some point? Did it make you feel that you had to completely re-write and re-organize your thought process on how the story was going to end/begin/play out, etc.? As a fan/reader, how many of you do prefer shorter novels vs. a 400+ page book and why? What books have you read that you feel the author should have cut the book in two or shortened it, and why?" Thank you for your input! I look forward to reading what YOU have to say.