Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks Launch

Yes, it's true. I've launched a new book into the world. If you missed the amazing launch party we had online Monday night, I'm sorry. I wish everyone could have been there. It was a blast and the comments and feedback about the book were outstanding. Silverbow Promotions put together the launch and we had prizes like 2 limited edition Lizzie Lilac dolls and one very cute troll statue. I made the dolls myself but I can't take credit for the statue. The incredible Deirdra Eden found a sculptor willing to donate him for our cause.

Launching this particular children's book in October is not coincidental. You may be asking yourself what it has to do with Halloween. Well, nothing. But October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month and this book has deep roots in the cause. In fact it was inspired in part by a friend's struggle with the disease.

Some of you may remember my friend Becky. She was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2011, just after my first novel was published and just before I received my first royalty check for said novel. Becky's particular cancer was aggressive, so the doctors acted quickly. Just two days after her diagnosis she was in surgery. Two days. She didn't even have time to come to terms with any of it, to process it. Then she's under the knife. I felt for her, our daughters are friends, I wanted to do something.

So I donated all my book royalties to the family to help them with the practical expenses related to fighting cancer. As a friend I helped in any way I could. But still I wanted to do more. While talking about that desire with my daughter, we came up with the concept of the Lizzie Lilac book. Originally it was going to be Lizzie Blue (because Becky's daughter's favorite color was blue), but we found the alliteration to be more fun with Lizzie Lilac.

I've had so much help with this book. No kidding. Breast cancer is one of those things that motivates us. It moves us emotionally. If you haven't been personally affected by the disease you have a family member, close friend, or even colleague who has. Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks has a mission.

The back text reads, in part:

Author’s note: A few years ago, K.C. Rose and I got some devastating news: a sweet friend and mother had an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. Since I had just launched my first novel into the world, I decided to donate all my royalties for a period of months to the family to help them fight this horrible invader. But it wasn’t enough—we knew we could do more. That’s where the concept of the Lizzie Lilac book was born. This book is not only dedicated to our friend (who is now cancer free!!) and her family, but also to all the families who struggle with this disease. K.C. and I make no profit from sharing this story—everything we raise will go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah to help them help others.

Thank you for being part of our fight. ~Cheri Chesley

Huntsman's took great care of Becky during her treatments, so that's where the donations are going. I don't make any money off this book. I never will. If Huntsman's turns away our donations after a while I'll donate the royalties to another cancer fighting organization. Or to families directly. I have friends who have donated editing services, promotion services, and even prizes to see this book make a successful launch out into the world. And hopefully change lives. 

Right now we're in the blog tour phase of the launch. The tour starts with  Cupcakes and Books and runs through October 25th. There's a free signed copy of Lizzie Lilac and a $50 Amazon gift card up for grabs, so please check it out.

To pick up your own copy of Lizzie Lilac and the Left Socks, click HERE. You can also read it's reviews, which if I may say are pretty favorable.

And now I'm going to share my favorite illustration from the book. Enjoy!

Authors Blog Hop!

This is totally exciting because I think it's the first time I've participated in such a cool author hop, at least on such a scale. Thanks, Lady Amber, for the invite. I'm prepared to have a lot of fun! First I'll introduce myself to all you new visitors, and my fellow participating authors. I'm Cheri Chesley and I'm a writer and a mom. My first book, The Peasant Queen, which is YA romantic fantasy, was published by Cedar Fort in 2010. My other two novels in the series, The Wild Queen and The Tyrant King, were self published.

Since this Hop falls at the end of my multi-book blog tour, I wanted to be certain you had the link to the kick off that has all the participating blogs listed so you can keep up with the rest of the tour. CLICK HERE to see all the awesomeness.

If you haven't had a chance to look at all the incredible participants for this Authors Hop, you can find the list at the bottom of this post. Lady Amber has really outdone herself. 130 participants and counting! Be sure you check out the other blogs and get in on their giveaways as well as mine!

Now for the fun part: My contest. What do you need to do? How can you win? WHAT can you win?

I'm glad you asked. ;) First of all, Lady Amber has been awesome with helping me get a little more book attention lately, and I really appreciate all she's done. She brought my author page on Facebook up over 400 likes, which was so wonderful since I'd been stuck just under 400 forever. But I think there's room for a little more, so we're going to start there.

CLICK on over to my Facebook page and "like" it for One contest entry.

FOLLOW me on Twitter for One contest entry.

Leave a comment on my blog for One contest entry.

***For a 5 entry bonus (meaning you will get 5 bonus contest entries for a possible total of 8 entries), go to FIVE of the other authors participating in this contest and tell me something about their work. Do they write fantasy? Horror? Children's books? Share with me. You may want to enter their contests while you're visiting. :)

Isn't that wonderful? A single person can have up to 8 entries into my contest just by sharing a little bloggy love with my fellow authors. And with 8 entries your chances of winning the prize increases dramatically.

So, what is the prize? Signed copies of each of my 3 books, The Peasant Queen, The Wild Queen, and The Tyrant King, along with bookmarks, a $25 Amazon gift card, and a previously unpublished SNEAK PEEK into my next novel, The Lost Princess.

Excited yet? You'll get a chance to read something no one has read before. Well, except me of course. This isn't going to be the first chapter of The Lost Princess that I included at the end of The Tyrant King. This is something entirely different, something from deep within the story itself. And you're going to love it.

So what you waiting for? Start clicking, and be sure to leave a comment on this blog (which, incidentally, is good for ONE contest entry all by itself) telling me everything you've done and how many contest entries your efforts have earned you.

The contest ends 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY, JULY 10TH, so don't delay. I will be posting the winner on Friday, July 12th!

See you on the flip side.

My review: Tide Ever Rising by Mandi Tucker Slack

From the cover: Kadie Reynolds loves to explore old ghost towns. So when she and her sister, Maysha, visit Eureka, Utah, it's just another ordinary trip---until they find an ancient journal and strange dreams start to haunt Kadie. Little does anyone know, the journal contains secrets that will plunge them into a world filled with mystery, past regrets, and dark unknowns.

My take on it: Kadie is sweet, determined, and slightly clumsy, which is what leads to her discovery of the journal and the secrets that spin throughout this fun novel. I thought I'd gotten a handle on what would happen next in the book when I got hit with a twist. Then I got comfortable in that and got hit with another twist. Gotta say, I admire a book that can keep me on my toes. :)

I really enjoyed the ghostly element of the story because it didn't overpower the narrative. And I enjoy history, so learning of Adelaide and Charlotte Clarke's past and present thrilled me.

I try really hard when I review a book to not give away any spoilers so that you can discover all the fun and adventure for yourself. This book had that, and much more. It kept me turning pages until the end as I hoped that each of the issues--large and small--were tied up well.

Oh, and you're *really* going to like Logan. And Zaza.

You can find the book on Amazon, and catch up with the author on her blog, Facebook, or her website.

Happy reading!

Author Spotlight: THE ALIAS by Mandi Tucker Slack

Jacey Grayson is an average, young, divorced mother struggling to build a new life for her son, Blaze. But when the FBI discloses some disturbing information about her ex-husband, Jacey's life becomes anything but average. At the risk of losing her identity, her future, and her heart, Jacey and Blaze flee to Utah, hoping to hide and start over once again. But no matter how far she runs or who she pretends to be, her past is always lurking nearby, bringing old fears with it. Thrilling action and a suspenseful plot make this novel an edge-of-your-seat-read.

Got your attention? Good. I'm super excited to spotlight Mandi Tucker Slack and her novel, The Alias, today on my blog. In case you aren't aware, her next novel, Tide Ever Rising, will be out soon. You can pick up The Alias on Amazon or your favorite bookseller. And I got you all the link for her book trailer, so be sure and check it out!

About Mandi Tucker Slack: I am the mother of three wonderful children. I grew up in Orangeville, UT, where my dad worked as a coal miner for eighteen years. I love the outdoors and spending time exploring new, exciting places with my family. I was a very imaginative child and that love of imagination carried into my adulthood. I love writing novels, especially romance and suspense.

She also graciously submitted to my poor interviewing skills, allowing me to prod her with a few questions and submitting these answers:


Cheri: What made you start writing?

Mandi: When I was a child, I had a very active imagination. I used to play act my stories. Now, as an adult, I can't act to save my life, so I write.

Cheri: What *keeps* you writing?

Mandi:  I have such an active imagination. I write, because I just feel driven to get the stories in my head down on paper. I love to create my own stories and build my own characters.

Cheri: What are a few of your favorite books to read?

Mandi: I have a ton of favorites, but these are the books I tend to read over-and-over again. Mrs. Mike by Nancy and Benedict Freeman, Return to Red Castle by Dorothy Keddington, and Run Away Home by Jennie Hansen.

Thank you, Mandi, for visiting From the Other Side of the Mirror. I look forward to reviewing Tide Ever Rising next month!

Book Tour Contests!

If you've been paying attention, last week I announced the winners for my "Spread the Word" contest, which was a ton of fun. The purpose of the contest was twofold--one, to raise interest in The Tyrant King; and two, to launch my book tour for said Tyrant King. ;)

Now, I need to let you know about the TWO contests running in conjunction with my blog tour for The Tyrant King. This particular contest is really exciting to me, because I simply love blog tours. It's a great way to meet new readers and writers who also happen to blog.

If you recall, we originally planned to do a joint blog tour with my sis-in-law, MEL CHESLEY, to launch my 3rd book and her very 1st book. Unfortunately we've had to put the tour off due to delays and now Mel has graciously demanded I go ahead and do my tour. I know, someday, we will have books actually coming out at the SAME time so we can enjoy the fun of a joint tour.

So many authors and book lovers agreed to help us with the joint tour that I was truly touched. And many of them gamely put up with the delays and such, and have agreed to help us proceed with my tour for The Tyrant King. I truly love and appreciate these people. Honestly. In return, this is what I'm doing for them:

Blog tour participators only--these are the ones who work with Mel to set up a date to talk about or review my book on their blog (or interview me)--can enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card!! To do so, they simply post on their blog on their scheduled day, run over to The Tyrant King's AMAZON PAGE, click the "like" button, and then email me at Cheriwrites AT yahoo DOT com to let me know they've done it. That's it. Then, at the end of the tour, I will pick the winner and send them their $50 Amazon gift card. Awesome, right? Because they are awesome.

Now, don't think I'm forgetting fans and readers by not having a contest for the blog reader/commentors. (which, apparently, isn't a word lol) The contest related to the actual blog tour is similar but separate.

For those readers of the blogs who host reviews or blurbs or interviews about The Tyrant King, all I ask is that they also go to the AMAZON PAGE, click the "like" button, and then comment on that blog to say they've done it. They will be entered to win a SEPARATE $50 Amazon gift card. Yes, that's right, I'm giving away 2 in this blog tour--1 to one of my lovely bloggers and 1 to one of my lovely readers. Even though Mel and I collected some fun swag for the joint blog tour, we're going to save it and use it for Mel's book launch tour for Adversarius because, let's be honest, December is not the time of year to be shipping bulky prize packages. :) I do everything I can to avoid shipping during the holidays. :)

*Note--I have had some people tell me they can't find the "like" button on the Amazon page. If you've never done it before, then it can be rather tricky to locate. I had to have someone show me the first time I ever "liked" a product's Amazon page. It's located just to the right of the picture of The Tyrant King's cover, under the large title and on the same line as the stars and number of reviews. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think the button itself is gray if you haven't "liked' the page yet, and orange if you have.

To get everyone started, JA Bennett has already posted about TTK on her BLOG PAGE. Go check it out. She's wonderful and I love her blog.

And to show you how awesome Mel is about all this, I'm bragging about the cool book trailer she made me:

Enter to win! It's going to be awesome! Currently we have blog posts through Dec 14th, but, if you want to participate, contact MEL and get on our list. :) If we end up extending the contest (and blog tour) deadline, I will let you know!

A Bit of Humble Pie

Today was supposed to be the day I announced the PUBLICATION of my next novel (and sequel to The Peasant Queen)--The Tyrant King. I was going to share with you the purchase links, and show off a picture or two of the kids holding actual, physical copies.

It was going to be great. And it still will be great (say in July, or maybe August).

Alas, (did I just say, alas? oh, man...) it is not YET to be. As a writer, I overestimated the perfection of my manuscript and it has required more work with the editor than I'd thought.

But--that isn't all bad news.

Here's the silver lining--The book, when you end up purchasing it, will be BETTER than anything I've written before. It will be well worth the wait.

To prove that to you, I want you all to look up at the tabs on the top of this page. See the new one? The one that says SNEAK PEEK? Are you excited yet.

Where'd you go? Oh, to read the first chapter of The Tyrant King. It's all good. I'll wait.

I'm also cooking up an awesome blog tour for TTK with my sis in law for September. I will definitely keep you posted about that.

So, bad news--no book yet. Good news--it's still coming. And you get the first chapter to tide you over. Silver linings all around!

Upcoming Book Launch/Tour

Hi there! I'm collecting bloggers for my upcoming book launch and tour for The Tyrant King. What's super-duper exciting (I seriously just said super-duper, wow) is that I'm launching my book in conjuction with my sister-of-my-heart's FIRST book being published!!! Are you excited? I totally am.

Here's the skinny: Her author name is M.L. Chesley, and her pirate-fantasy novel is called Adversarius: Shadow of the Rose, Book One

What's it about? Glad you asked: When it comes to politics, Kayta likes to let her sword arm do the talking. The only way to gain peace for her kingdom would be to enter into an arranged marriage with her enemy's son, Alabassin. There are worse ways to end wars.

And, of course, who is this lady? Aside from my friend and fellow author who happens to be married to my husband's brother, this is M.L. Chesley: M. L. Chesley is an Alaska based author, online blogger and MMORPG junkie. She has been writing fantasy for several years. Between writing, work and family she barely has time for much gaming, but some days, raids take precedence over all. If you would like to
learn more about her world, created in this book, go to www.mlchesley.webs.com. You can also follow her blog at www.caledonialass.blogspot.com.

I would LOVE to share with you a book cover for Adversarius, but, alas, it's not live yet. I CAN share with you (again) the cover for The Tyrant King (sequel to The Peasant Queen, my 1st novel), along with my book blurb:

The kingdom of Fayterra has enjoyed four years of peace since Jareth was crowned King and married Krystal. But, on the eve of Alana’s wedding, a stranger arrives with a link to the family that threatens to change everything. An enemy is revealed. Their people are under attack. War is declared. And not everyone will survive.
As the future becomes bleaker and the mystery continues to unravel, Krystal’s enemies will learn just how far she will go to defend the people she loves.

Now for the details. Our book launch/blog tour fun will happen in June. Participating bloggers will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card, and those who enter the contest will be entered to win a prize package of books and candy. So far, for that package, I have Watched by Cindy Hogan, Ireland's Pirate Queen, Variant by Robison Wells, Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans, and a beautiful leather bound journal. I will also throw in a copy of The Wild Queen, which is the prequel to The Peasant Queen.

Both books (Adversarius and The Tyrant King) will be available in print and e-book formats to cater to all readers, so never fear. You will get your copy. :)

Now, who wants to volunteer for all this fun? I need to collect at least 15 willing blog participants to host my tour. I've had a couple volunteers trickle in, but not nearly enough. This is my official plea. Please comment with your email if you are willing to be a host so I can contact you. You might also want to specify which book you'd like to spotlight or review, or if you'd rather do an author interview (and which of us you'd like to pick on lol).

Thanks!

Have I Got a TREAT for You!

Before I spotlight two really awesome authors and their new books, I'm going to tell you a little story. It's about my dad. If you know anything about my past, you'll understand I really don't have a lot of stories about my dad. This one is therefore doubly special to me.

When my dad was about ten years old, his mother (my grandmother) was divorced and working in a diner to support herself and her three young children. Dad was the oldest. When a quiet young man freshly returned from the war took an interest in that lovely young woman, it began a sweet courtship that would last decades. (because they were always so wonderful to one another, even after they married).

Here's the fun part. One day, when this man was over to the house for lunch, my father--in his 10 yr old wisdom--looked up at him and asked, "Are you going to marry my mother?" Now, he didn't ask this question innocently. He knew. What he was really asking was "When are you going to get around to marrying my mother?" That serviceman promised that he would marry her, and soon. I think he asked her that very night.

In marrying my grandmother, my grandfather took on a responsibility to those three young children which he fulfilled when he legally adopted them. That is how my father became a Rohan, the name I bore until my marriage to Bryan, the name I still bear in my heart.

In honor of promises kept, I'm spotlighting author Carolyn Frank's book, Promises. Carolyn is working together with Cindy Hogan, author of Protected, in a book launch blog tour complete with exciting prizes and fun. I encourage you to check out Cindy's BLOG for details on her contest and also Carolyn's BLOG for information on winning this:

Enter to win a full-sized puppet stage and puppets, value of $290 by participating in Carolyn’s blog tour giveaway. Check out her website or blog for more details.

I am really excited for both these books, and am thrilled to be part of their tour to help spread the word. Book birthdays are ALWAYS fun!

My Review: Transcendent by various authors

Repeat after me: You WANT to be part of this blog tour. Go enter to win fun prizes. Lots of prizes. Go, NOW!

Why are you still here? Oh, you're back. Ok.

Transcendent is a fun, fun collection of short stories by various authors, some of which you may have heard of. Others, you will.

The first story starts out with a hilarious twist on an old tale, and it just gets better from there.

Oh, and don't forget to check out the other participating blogs:



If paranormal is your thing, or if you're wanting to try something new, you won't be disappointed. You can click on over to GOODREADS and see what people are saying about it. Then, you can head over to AMAZON to pick up the e-book, or wait for the paperback coming SOON!

Click HERE to show these fun authors some Facebook love.

And happy reading. :)

Dark CARMA

I know karma starts with a K, but Christine Bryant's name doesn't. CARMA stands for the first initials of each of the authors presenting books in their Dark CARMA tour. Check out my button (on the right side bar), and check out these BOOKS. They are amazing, and you're going to want to join the fun!

Bees in My Butt Blog Fest

This is me totally dropping the ball.

My friend, Rebecca Shelley, trusted me to put up this blog fest info and link last week. Or even the week before. I started well, but then the email got lost in the swamp that is my email inbox.

If you're quick, you can still enter the contest. Drawing will be held Monday.

HERE is the purchase link to buy Bees in My Butt for $3. Coupon code: 3UKPPPQM

I want you to know I've read the books, and I find them honest (in the way they depict smart kids) and very funny. This is entertaining stuff, and Rebecca is not short on talent. Even though you've missed the fun, please don't hesitate to check out these books. They're worth it. :)

You can read about the Blog Fest HERE.

And here's a little about the books: Take Monkey, a literary genius with flatulence; Bean, a science and math guru; Vinny, a computer whiz who can't keep her mouth shut;
and Art, an artist who can shoot a basketball like a pro, confront them with a mess of fourth grade trouble, and watch the fun
explode.

In Bees in My Butt, the first book of the Smartboys Club series, the members of the Smartboys Club use their skills to battle a group of crazed Ninjas that take over the school. And it happens on a day when Monkey has the worst case of flatulence imaginable.

Winners Galore!

First of all, a HUGE thank you to all the people who participated in my blog tour for my first book. Being my first attempt at this, there were some bumps, and some hitches, but overall it's gone well. Thank you bloggers, reviewers and interviewers for your willingness to help me out! I appreciate it more than these feeble words can express.

Congratulations to our final weekly prize winner of a copy of The Peasant Queen: Theresa! I've already contacted her via email, so hopefully she will soon claim her prize. :)

And now you can start the drum roll, because I've done the final, Grand Prize Drawing for my promotional blog tour. And the winner is:

Taffy! Congrats, Taffy! Be sure to email me so I can get your address to send the grand prize out to you. In case you've forgotten, you won all of this:


Thanks so much, everyone! Don't wander far. I have another contest coming up in March!

2 Winners Announced!

First things first. The winner of the $15 Amazon gift card prize from my blog share with fellow authors Maggie Fechner, Dan Harrington and Michael Knudsen is:

Lauri!

Lauri, you've proven difficult to find. You left a message on my review of Growing up Gracie, but there's no link to your email or a blog. This is more a public plea--if you are Lauri or know Lauri, comment on this post or email me at Cheriwrites @ yahoo.com so I can award her prize!

Secondly, I've started my Feb blog tour for The Peasant Queen. Saturday marked the end of the first week's drawing, which, if you recall, included all reviews/interviews posted in January as well. The winner of that drawing is:

Brendajean!

I've contacted her and hopefully she'll get back to me soon. Brendajean won a signed copy of The Peasant Queen.

And, don't forget, this week's reviews are at the top of the Blog Tour list on my sidebar. Next Tuesday I will post the winner of this week's contest. All you have to do to enter is comment on the reviews. And, you'll be entered in the grand prize drawing I'll do at the end of the month.

Congratulations to the winners!

It's Here

February has arrived! And, don't forget, the contest is on. Click HERE for a reminder on the rules and prizes, but the gist is simple--watch my blog's sidebar for review/interview posts about me or The Peasant Queen, comment on the reviews, and be entered in not only the weekly prize drawings but also the grand prize drawings. And, don't forget January's reviews/interviews are eligible for the first drawing this weekend!

Author Rachelle Christensen has generously offered to post an interview tomorrow, so look for her blog to be added to the growing list. And, as always, you'll benefit from following my reviewer's blogs as well. :)

Happy contesting!

What You've Been Waiting For!

My poor blog tour has had it's share of glitches. But, I'm moving forward the best I can. Since January is pretty much done, I'm going to start new with February. Here, to tempt you of course, is the grand prize:

You're looking at a copy of MATCHED by Ally Condie, THE SCORCH TRIALS (autographed) and the audio version of the 2nd 13TH REALITY book--both by James Dashner, THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT and SECONDHAND CHARM, by Julie Berry (both autographed), and two fun and pretty hardbound journals from Barnes and Noble.

If that's not enough, each Saturday in February--the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th--I will draw a name from everyone who has posted on my reviews that week, and the winner will receive a free, signed copy of THE PEASANT QUEEN. (In case you forgot, it looks like this lol)

All the reviews posted in January will count in the drawing for Feb 5th, so make sure to get clicking and comment on those reviews!

I'm going to make this super easy for everyone. I will post each review on the sidebar of my blog in the Tour section. If you'll notice, there are already a few in there. And, I will click each review and tally up comments for the drawings.

Where do you come in, you may ask?

All you need to do is comment on each review my blogging friends post about my book. Each comment is an entry in the drawing, and all entries will count in the grand prize drawing I'll do March 1st. You'll get a bonus entry if you also start following that reviewer's blog. It's that simple.

So, get clicking!

Big Things are Coming Your Way

Exciting is January, says Yoda.

You're getting two posts from me this morning, because I have so much to share. I think you'll want to pay close attention to my blog over the next few weeks. I'll be part of two contests in the month of January. The first is my blog tour, with fabulous reviewers and wonderful prizes for those willing to follow the tour.

The second is another type of blog tour and contest that I'm having with three other Cedar Fort authors. I'm going to tell you about their books, and they will tell you what they thought of mine. And, at the end, there will be a prize for one of you intrepid followers.

And then, in February, we're going to have a contest for all you romantics out there. I can do that, since my book is a romance. :)

Stay tuned, and stay close. January is hopping!