 Are you ready to be part of indie book history? If you've read my Montrose Paranormal Academy books ... Congratulations! You're a pioneer reader of a brand new genre. Without meaning to, I've apparently created a brand new arena in indie fiction... Clean Christian Academy! A well-known indie author asked my writing mentor about these new Montrose Paranormal Academy books racing up the Christian YA Fantasy Charts. "Is this a new trend I should be aware of, Clean Christian Academy?" Well-known Indie asked. "It is now," my mentor answered. Then my mentor told me, "I guess you've found your niche." Even though my new series isn't overtly Christian, it's clean and it talks about angels. I targeted the Christian market for two reasons:
Last time I check, they were at #2, #10, and #16. (See the chart below) Funny thing, there's only 1 other Academy book on the list! Guess I accidentally honed in on a new genre, and found my niche in the process. Now, I'll have to be the queen of Clean Christian Academy! No pressure... If you haven't read the whole series, Books 2 & 3 are on sale for $0.99 now through 10/13: >>>Check out the Montrose Paranormal Academy Series HERE<<< Or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Writing Update: While I'm definitely working on Book 4 right now, I'm also brainstorming of what else to write in my new genre. I've had some ideas in my head about a spinoff series that follows James on his European adventures. A lot of his story goes unsaid in the main series, so it might be nice to hear what he was up to before Lucy showed up in Europe. Or I might send Lucy's younger sister, Paige, to a European version of Montrose Paranormal Academy. I just came up with that idea recently, and it excites me the most! Who knows, maybe I'll do both! What do you think? Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or ideas. I'd love to hear from you! Or check out my FB readers group where I posted a survey on the topic. Thanks for supporting my books and being a part of indie fiction history!  On 10/18/2020 the Montrose Paranormal Academy Series was #1, #8, & #19 on this list.
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 The day is finally here... My BEST book yet is now LIVE on Amazon! >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 3: The European Conspiracy<<< On sale for 99cents through 10/23, or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited My editor says The European Conspiracy is my BEST book yet! Her words were "fast-paced", "fun to read", and "I love this so much!" Since I pay my editor to be critical, it's nice when she sneaks in such high remarks. She also mentioned how this storyline comes "full circle" with the other two books. Even though this story takes place outside of Montrose Paranormal Academy, you'll love reading about all the exciting European destinations as Lucy and her friends travel across Western Europe... This time with her brother, James. Finally! Are you ready to read Book 3? >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 3: The European Conspiracy<<< The moment Lucy's plane touches down in Vienna, she's immediately thrown into the middle of the war between the Three Societies. At least this time she gets to fight alongside her brother as they travel from Austria to Paris, Venice, Madrid, and England... With surprise visits from Will, of course! Joining forces with the Guardians might be a huge mistake, especially when Bryan tries to revive an old love triangle and new players emerge on both sides. The stakes have never been higher. Now’s the time to find the last three rubies … And vaporize them before Nexis kills again. Lucy has one mission—destroy the Nexis rubies at all costs. >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 3: The European Conspiracy<<< Sounds exciting huh? I've been itching to write this story for years. I did TONS of research on all of the exciting European destinations. (Check out my Location Scouting boards on Pinterest for fun info on each city.) Hopefully, you'll love this book as much as my editor did! If you could go to Europe (not during COVID), where would you visit? Leave a comment below and I might put your idea in my next book! There is plenty of room to travel in Books 4 & 5! CAN'T GET ENOUGH MONTROSE PARANORMAL ACADEMY?
Join my Facebook Readers Group: Montrose Paranormal Academy VIP Readers Club  For several years now, I've had this cover design concept in mind for Book 3 in the Montrose Paranormal Academy series ...
And it looks BETTER than the image I had in my head! I'm still in the tweaking stages, so if you have any suggestions feel free to give me an email shout! For instance, I just added the extra GLOW to our main girl's outline because the original looked too dark in the thumbnail version. (Designers can definitely be picky! ;) More good news ... The pre-order of Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 3: The European Conspiracy is now live on Amazon... The new book is set to drop on Monday, October 5, 2020! My editor raves that it's my best book yet. I hope you guys agree! Book 3 will be on sale for 99cents for the first two weeks of release. Make sure to grab your copy during the sale window! But no worries, I'll be emailing you next week when Book 3 finally releases! Can't wait!! Writing Update: The Montrose Academy relaunch is still booming! As soon as I put the final touches on Book 3, I'll get cracking on the first draft of Book 4. I hope to have Book 4 ready for you by the end of the year! :::Fingers Crossed::: Also, I've definitely decided to add a Book 5 to the series, since people seem to be enjoying all the books so far. Thank you my loyal readers! It takes readers like you for a book to have any success at all. Thank you for being a loyal reader of my books. Your support helps me write the next book. And I love writing books for you! >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 3: The European Conspiracy on Pre-order for 99cents!<<< BTW: LAUNCH TEAM SPOTS NOW OPEN: Have you already read the first two books in the Montrose Paranormal Academy series? If so, all you have to do is leave a review and you can get the next book free! Check out all the details here: Montrose Paranormal Academy Launch Team  Drumroll please ... Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 2: Crossing Nexis went live yesterday with 50 pre-orders! Can you believe it?! I'm SO EXCITED that Book 2 in the new and improved Montrose Paranormal Academy series is out!! I hope you are too. Everything is happening so fast. One happy launch team member emailed me about her review this morning before I even woke up. Go early risers! If you read the original version of this book when it was simply titled Crossing Nexis, you'll notice a few minor changes.
But other than that, everything else is much is the same as the original version that released in November 2019. I hope this version is just a little more polished. After all, an author always wants to improve their craft. Especially this writer chick! Most importantly, Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 2: Crossing Nexis is pivotal for setting up the rest of the series ... Whether I end up writing a 4 or 5 book series, only time will tell. Or the number of readers clambering for more! ;) If you're a loyal reader of the old version of this series, I hope you love this updated installment. If you're new to the Montrose Paranormal Academy universe, I hope you love this gripping sequel. Is there anything you love or hate or want to add to the series? Comment below with your thoughts! P.S. I'm working on Book 3 right now. I hope to have it ready for you in October. But sshhh, don't tell. ;)
 Yesterday, I had a call with my writing mentor.
He was SO impressed with the numbers for Book 1 that he advised me to release Book 2 ... AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I was stunned! But the numbers don't lie. Readers are responding to Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1 in a big way! All it took was some major updates, a new title, and a new cover ... Plus a brand new marketing strategy. (Which I'm still learning.) Who knew? If you've been a long time Nexis fan, you know that I released the first version of Book 2 back in November as Crossing Nexis. Don't worry, I'll keep that as the book's subtitle. Luckily, I already sent Book 2 to my editor to review the updates I added for this relaunch. The next two weeks will be a little crazy as I update Book 2, design the cover, and put the new book up for pre-order. Unfortunately, that means Book 3 will have to be pushed aside for a week or two. But I hope you'll agree that in the end, it'll all be worth it! Honestly guys, my head is spinning right now. I'm still trying to figure out pre-order and release dates. Right now, I have a TON of work to do to get everything ready in time. My mentor warned me about this. He said if Book 1 was uber successful, then I'd need to release Book 2 right away. I just never thought it'd really happen! Underneath the shock and awe, I'm ecstatic right now. And SO VERY GRATEFUL for all of your support. Over the next few weeks, stay tuned for the Book 2 cover reveal, pre-order announcement and release dates. Who can't wait for the next book? Comment below and tell me all about it.  via Inkarte My new book Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret is now LIVE on Amazon ...
... and it's already trending in Hot New Releases! Bonus ... it's only 99cents through July 31st! (Or FREE on Kindle Unlimited) >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret at 99cents!<<< So many things have changed about this book from the original story I wrote 5 years ago. If you read my first novel, The Nexis Secret, you'll notice that I updated a few things:
Plus, I made this new map of Montrose Paranormal Academy. Check it out: Obviously, I don't want to spoil too much for you, my loyal and faithful readers. But since you've been with me from the beginning, I think you deserve the inside scoop. I REALLY hope you enjoy the new book! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on all the changes. I'm hoping to release the rest of the series THIS FALL. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted as always. Thanks again for your AMAZING support of my new book! >>>Check out Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret at 99cents!<<< Lucy enrolls at a paranormal academy to find her missing brother, but ends up discovering powers she never knew about ... The Three Societies that govern the academy want to use her gifts ... And she's about to find out why they call her the Seer. Montrose Paranormal Academy is a Clean Paranormal YA series full of slow burn romance, snarky dialogue, and urban fantasy adventure set in New York City. BTW: Looking for more 99cent books? Check out the SciFi/Fantasy 99cent Sale through 7/26.  Late last night I put the final touches on my BRAND NEW cover!
Are you ready to see the cover for Montrose Paranormal Academy, Book 1: The Nexis Secret? Drumroll please ... I designed this cover myself and it took FOREVER! There's a reason I've always paid for cover designs in the past. Even though I'm a graphic designer, it probably took me two weeks to tweak this cover until it was just right. I had to find the perfect font ... And make our snarky heroine glow like lightning ... And make the smoke look magical ... The list goes on! Thank goodness for Google and YouTube tutorials. I actually learned a TON about Photoshop. Plus, I have a cover that I can model the rest of the series after... I'm SO much happier with this cover than the previous two. I guess it was all worth it! July 14 is only two weeks away. The new book, with its BRAND NEW cover will be LIVE in 14 days!!! For release week I'll be having a 99cent sale July 14 - 18th. But don't worry, I'll email you a reminder. Do you like the new cover? Are you excited for launch day? I’d love to hear all about it. Two weeks ago when I was first furloughed from my day job due to COVID, I was super bummed. :(
But, after I applied for unemployment (which took several days and the search for a landline), I finally relaxed and decided to use my time wisely. That's when I started the Rough Draft Writing Blitz! I vowed to finish the rough draft for book 3 in 30 days. To date, I've written through Chapter 17 in The Nexis Conspiracy. Then something unexpected happened. I signed up for a self publishing course and had my first call with my writing coach. And he gave me some unexpected new direction for my series. First, he told me to stop writing the rough draft of book 3. Whaaaa? Then he said that I needed to fix 5 key things in book 1, The Nexis Secret, if I want to target the new genre of Academy Fiction. Which I do. So ... after much internal debate, screaming into pillows, and pulling out my hair, I figured out a new direction for the Nexis series. Here are the 5 key things my writing coach told me to fix:
If I do revamp the series, that means you insiders will have the chance to be on the launch team! If you're already on my Nexis Street Team, I'll just transfer you to the launch team. If you want to join the Montrose Paranormal Academy Launch team, click the link to submit your email. What do you think? Comment below to let me know your thoughts on all of these changes. I start rearranging scenes tomorrow!!!  I'm really getting into Academy books lately and I found a new series that is definitely worth a read. Recently, I stumbled onto Firstborn Academy by Isla Frost. This series is definitely worth a read.
There's 3 things I absolutely LOVE about this series. But first, how about a little background? Firstborn Academy is set in a dystopian world where the first born child of every family is sent to the Walkers as a tribute, of sorts, to provide food and protection for the entire family. World Walkers, that is. Wooo, sounds intriguing, right? The Walkers have fun but scary magical abilities that turn living things into mythical monsters. And the plot thickens ... The only difference between this and Hunger Games is that there is no choice involved. The first born child, of any gender, MUST go through the portal as the sacrificial lamb. Their sacrifice provides food and protections for their whole family. That's the agreement with the Walkers. Thanks, guys. There is an unexpected magical twist, where the firstborns learn about magic. Which makes it more of a Harry Potter meets Hunger Games kind of story. Without further ado, here are my three favorite things about Firstborn Academy. 1. The Main Character is Sacrificial Lena knew her fate as a child. She grew up knowing she only had 18 years with her family. That definitely wreaks havoc on the family dynamics, but what a great twist! 2. The World Building is Unique For you academy fiction fans, the academy theme is the main world the main character lives in. But it's a magical academy. As you read each book, this dystopian but magical world gets more and more interesting. Layer upon layer of nuance is added as the author reveals the world slowly. There are post-war ruins, magical creatures, and mythical beings on this dystopian earth. But I won't spoil it for you! 3. There are Great Examples of Overcoming Prejudice. The beings in charge are the Walkers. Humans don't know much about them, except that they're gorgeous. But mean. Walkers are more powerful than humans, so they naturally look down on them. No surprise, there's a lot of prejudice between both sides. Firstborn Academy does a good job of showing the prejudice, and finds small ways to overcome it. At least for the main character. It's not a treatise on overcoming stereotypes and prejudice. But it's a start. The only disappointing bit in this series is that there's no predominant love story. Don't worry, it's there in the background. But this book is more about survival and saving the planet. Cool themes, too. Overall, Firstborn Academy is a great read for YA Academy readers who also like dystopian and magical themes. There are enough unique elements and twists to keep avid YA readers entertained for the entire series. Luckily, this series is free on Kindle Unlimited. What YA books are you reading? Leave a comment below to tell me all about it. Maybe I'll review it next month. I always need new books to read.  Do you love magical academies...
and discovering strange powers you never knew you had? Then you'll love the Darkblood Academy series by G.K. DeRosa. What a great series! I stumbled upon this series while doing research into the burgeoning YA Academy genre. (Yes! It's really a thing!) The Darkblood Academy series is a great example of the new academy fiction phenomenon. G.K. DeRosa weaves an exciting tale of magical adventure, PG-13 romance, and coming of age lessons into a powerful story that keeps you fully engaged. I didn't want to put these books down! They're so much fun! And there's definitely a good amount of character and story depth, too. I could really relate to the main character. Luna starts out as a normalish teen struggling to get out of the New York foster system after some family drama. Then she's thrust into a new world of supernaturals due to a long lost father. She's told she may or may not have magical powers. But I won't spoil the rest for you. The Darkblood Academy series is the ultimate escape to a fun new world. Lucky for you... the final book in the series released last month! Now you can read the entire series. Start to finish! I definitely recommend the whole 4 book series! You might end up reading it straight through! What are you reading? Got any books you want to recommend for my next read? This author is always looking for the next great book! |
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Barbara Hartzler is the debut author of The Nexis Secret—the story a girl with a gift to see the unseen world of angels. And the two secret societies vying for The Seer's allegiance. The Nexis Secret is inspired by Barbara’s college experiences and peppered with anecdotes from her teen missions trip to New York City. She’s always wanted to write, not necessarily about angels, but the idea was too good to pass up. As a former barista and graphic designer, she loves all things sparkly and purple and is always jonesing for a good cup of joe. Archives
September 2020
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