Enter to Win a Sanguine Diamond!

To celebrate the print versions of books 1-5 releasing in December, and book 6 releasing in January, I'm giving away a Sanguine Diamond replica through Rafflecopter. Will the next Diamond Bearer be you? CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway!

The diamond replica is 2-1/2" in diameter made of clear crystal, similar to the one in the picture above. The winner will be chosen on Dec. 1st and announced on the Current Promotions page on lorenaangell.com. CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway!

The Unaltered Series 6 Months on UK Charts

I'm quite excited to be able to say The Unaltered Series books have maintained their positions on the UK Amazon charts for over six months! All four books have consistently remained ranked under 100 on one or more category's charts. So, here's a HUGE SHOUT-OUT to my UK readers. Thanks for your support.

A Diamond in My Pocket, book one; A Diamond in My Heart, book two; and The Diamond of Freedom, book three, have all reached the #1 position. Book four, The Diamond Bearers' Destiny reached the #3 spot.

The picture shows all four books in the #8, #10, #12, & #14 positions, dated September 4th, 2014. This screen shot is special because book one, A Diamond in My Pocket, is on the same chart as the other four books. Book one is usually free and listed on the Free List. However, for a short time, the Amazon gods switched my listing. They do that from time to time. I was thrilled to have caught a still-shot of the moment.

Also, I'm happy to announce I have my first Diamond Bearer from the UK. A lovely school teacher from England was the winner of my last Diamond Giveaway. Congratulations, Miss Hine!

If you are one of my Diamond Bearers, please send me a picture of your diamond so I can post it on my Diamond Bearers Wall. Cell phone pics work great. You can send it through my Facebook page.

 

Let's put A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET into print!

Hello to my readers and supporters! The long awaited milestone is about to happen . . . getting book one, A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET, put into print.

I'll be launching a Kickstarter.com campaign beginning on (or shortly after), February 18th. Once the campaign launches, I'll post the link on this blog. The goal amount of $6,800 will make it possible to pay for the professional edit, layout expenses, cover art, and printing expenses. I've put together some way-awesome incentive packages to entice you to consider becoming a funder. 

For example: At the $35 dollar level, you can get a 2 1/2" crystal Sanguine Diamond replica. 

At the $50 dollar level, you can get a diamond replica and a first-edition print copy of A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET. 

There will be various levels of funding to choose from, each with some type of swag for you. 

I want to give you something to look back upon and be able to say "Wow--I worked with that writer when she was just getting started."

Even though my books have been out for a couple years, the momentum is just beginning to take off. Now that all four of the books are complete, putting them into print, beginning with book one, will make them available to more readers.

I'm sending out great-big-virtual hugs to everyone who has supported me so far. THANK YOU!  

Book 3 of The Unaltered Series is Released!

**UPDATED**

It's a great time to jump head first into a 

unique Fantasy/Paranormal world!

The 1st book is FREE, the 2nd and 3rd books are $3.99 each, book 4 coming soon. 

For a limited time, save 50% on purchases through Smashwords.com

A Diamond in my Pocket Amazon description:
Calli Courtnae, age 16, unexpectedly breaks the 100-meter world record at a high school track meet and is whisked off to Montana to train for Olympic tryouts. Upon arriving, however, she finds something totally unexpected. Her fellow athletes are secretive, mysterious, paranoid, uncommonly beautiful — and endowed with the same gift of superhuman speed that she now exhibits. The truth, Calli learns, is that she has been brought to Montana to join an elite clan of Runners who train to undertake highly secret missions for the benefit of superhuman kids everywhere.

When three Runners from her compound are kidnapped by a clan of evil terrorists who can kill with their thoughts, Calli is assigned to the team that must deliver a rare magic diamond to the terrorists in exchange for the hostages. Calli is just beginning to accept her new world when it is turned upside-down by a mysterious woman who secretly gives Calli the real diamond, while the team leader is given a decoy. Almost immediately the magic diamond in Calli’s pocket unleashes within her a startling range of supernatural powers and mind-reading abilities. Using her new-found powers, Calli exposes traitors among her team, discovers that the hottest-looking guy on the team believes she is his soul-mate, has visions of her companions’ tragic futures, and learns that she alone holds the power to change their futures. While Calli knows that her powers derive from the secret diamond in her pocket, her companions do not, and Calli dreads the fast-approaching day when they will discover the truth.

A Diamond in my Pocket (numbers updated 7/11/2013)

• Barnes&Noble NOOK Teen Bestseller 4.5 stars / 485 ratings. 
• Named a Breakout Book by iTunes iBookstore Feb 2013  4.5 stars / 150 ratings. 
• Amazon Kindle  4.5 stars / 46 reviews 
• Goodreads readers give it 3.92 stars / 303 ratings 41 reviews
• Many readers liken the series to The Hunger Games for its pace and overall feel.

In Feb 2013, Thomas Hall, Ph.D., a retired Professor of English joined my team as editor. The books now have good flow and proper grammar. (English wasn't my favorite subject in school. Thanks for your help, Dr. Hall!) The major plot points were unaltered, no pun intended.

Take a break from your regular life and jump head first into an exciting, unique world of powers and abilities that will leave you wondering what is really right or wrong, good or bad, or black or white.

Books available at:

Amazon

Smashwords 
Barnes & Noble

iTunes iBookstore 
Kobo

Gumroad

Apple's iBookstore recognizes A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET as a Breakout Book!

Celebration Time!

Feb. 5th, 2013. Apple's iBookstore launched a major feature in the US called Breakout Books.  The first book in my Young Adult series The Unaltered, A Diamond in my Pocket, was selected for this opening collection. It is truly an honor being recognized by the iBookstore team amidst thousands of titles, and to be placed on a list that showcases books they feel readers should check out first.

Learn more about the Breakout Books feature at the Smashwords Blog.

The Silver Lining

You know how sometimes things don't go as you planned? Or is that just me? Months ago I set myself a deadline to complete book three of The Unaltered Series. It was a self-imposed deadline that in hindsight was impossible to reach due to the many different directions I was being pulled in. Yes, I am still writing on book three, The Diamond of Freedom. I haven't given up, for those of you who are wondering. I've just been extremely busy living life and dealing with all the many different complications that arise when doing so.

My life isn't any different than yours. It is full of excitement, adventure, drama, sadness and joy. Everyone has these aspects in their lives, maybe not at the same time, but all the same they are there if you look for them. (I don't necessarily look for the sadness, it just finds its way in. However, it makes the happiness and joy even better when you have something to compare it to.)

I've been busy moving my family 700 miles from Idaho to the Portland, Oregon area of the Pacific Northwest. It's been a dramatic change both visually and emotionally and my husband and children are settling in well. There have been ups and downs, and a few "inside outs" (for lack of a better description,) but we are all doing well now.

Earlier in the year, back in Idaho, we opened our home to a friend from Holland for a couple months. He brought a different perspective of how to view the world and the people in it, and while he was there I learned about meditation, quantum physics and how to enjoy brown rice. I also experienced the harsh judgment from the ultra-conservative community for having a male house guest in my home; this coming from a community that touts, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Funny ole world, isn't it? Good thing my husband and I have grown thick skin ... how we grew that skin is a whole different story. Ah, maybe I'll write my own memoir. My tens of fans would love it!

Through it all, I've grown as a writer and am busily working on my manuscript. A Diamond in my Pocket remains on Barnes&Noble's Teen Bestseller list ranking #130 as of 11/12/2012. It has been as low as #100. The fact that it's free has brought it a lot of attention, and NOOK fans have been absolutely awesome with their reviews and comments! The book ranks #7 on the Teen low to high pricing list. The last number of total downloads from the different Internet outlets for all four of my titles was just under 70,000. Not bad for being on the Internet for a year and a half.

I apologize for the delay in completing The Diamond of Freedom, I am working on it on a daily basis.  Rest assured I'm not going to release it until I feel the storyline is gripping enough to please my dedicated fans.

The phrase, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade," is similar to, "finding the silver lining in the clouds." There is always something good that comes from a storm, the trick is to open your eyes and see it. My experiences of 2012 will definitely find their way into my future books in some way or another making my silver lining the richness and depth I've developed personally and lived firsthand.

~Lorena