Mistress of the Stone

Deciding not to do a blog tour is a bit of an experiment for me with lots of uncertainty. I'll let you know what I learned along the way.

But what's this? I had several very wonderful people offer to show off my cover or tweet some snippets. I was so touched by the response. 

Some of you are posting today, but others will be stretching out the party. More air time for me! Woot!


About Mistress of the Stone: I really liked this story. There is a pretty hot romance involved, but it's really more about relationships with friends, family, and enemies in a setting of mythos and history. It was tricky to meld these elements, but I think I pulled it off.

The only thing that really changed was the ending. My editor wanted me to change the 'open ending' to something with more closure. I was okay with the decision, but I'm still fond of leaving things with an air of mystery.

If you like paranormal stories with a twist, this might be up your alley. If you read it, I hope you'll leave a review somewhere--or better yet, tell your friends. 

Love you guys. Thanks for all your support. I won't forget it.

Here are a few people who have graciously offered to mention Mistress of the Stone. You already know I read a lot of blogs, but what you may not know is that I only read blogs I enjoy. The blogs below are a few of my favorites.
 
Stop by and say, howdy then tell them I sent ya. If you're not already following these bloggers, definitely put them on your list. They're some of the good ones.
 
Angela Felsted: Boy, was I surprised when I saw this post! Angela was one of the few people who asked to read the ARC. I've always considered Angela a tough reviewer so I was on tenterhooks when the post showed up on my reader. I don't think I started breathing again until I finished her review. LOL. Check it out.
 
Shelley Munro: From down under. Shelley is the consummate professional and someone I deeply admire. She may not know it, but I used her as my mentor when I started blogging. She does it so well.
 
Melissa McClone: My regular supplier of LOL cats. Melissa is a veteran of Harlequin, so you know she's good. Melissa is also an animal advocate, regularly fostering or adopting kitties in need.

Nadja Notariani: Nadja only recently burst onto the publishing scene, but she has thrown herself wholeheartedly into the work, sweat, and tears involved to make it in this business. When she talks about food, my mouth waters.
 
Ronda Tutt: One of the few book bloggers who actually writes me with regular funnies! There's a guest post at her place where I talk about the Not-So-True Story Behind the Mistress of Stone.

Barbara Wright: A fellow Texan, Barbara will be here in September to celebrate her debut novel. She is a little bit strange with her Barbie fetish, but I don't hold that against her. Everybody needs a hobby. \o/

Samhain Publishing: My one obligatory post to my publisher. Today I posted 12 Truths and 1 Lie about Mistress of the Stone. Get the inside scoop about this story.

LD Masterson: Linda is a long time fan of mine and it didn't surprise me when she offered to BUY one lucky winner a copy of Mistress of the Stone. Definitely, stop by her blog, leave a comment, and add yourself to her follower list. I love her blog. It's funny, bright and uplifting, just like Linda.


There might be other blogs mentioning Mistress of the Stone today but I'll post later this week and let you know where they are so you can meet some new people. For now, I need to spend an hour brushing my teeth before I go to the dentist.

See ya around the web. I'll be popping in at all these blogs as soon as I get home today.



Comments

Ellie Garratt saidā€¦
I shall tweet a link to this post, Maria. Sounds exciting!
Unknown saidā€¦
Definitely going to share a link to this post as well, Maria! The cover is absolutely gorgeous. :-)
Unknown saidā€¦
Also, keep us updated on how not doing the blog tour works Vs doing one. Just beginning to understand how much work they are, and want to know your opinion of effort Vs outcome. :-)
Barbara Ann Wright saidā€¦
I proudly wear my strangness. Barbies need love like anything else. ^_^
Luanne G. Smith saidā€¦
Tweeting it now! You always have the best titles and covers for your novels. And this one sounds like a winner. Putting it on my Goodreads list. :)
Carrie Butler saidā€¦
I love this cover! It's gorgeous. :)
LD Masterson saidā€¦
I'm bright and uplifting? Would you tell my kids that?

I'm checking out the other blogs you mentioned. Some of these are new to me - thanks for the links.

And I really did love Mistress.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
I'm back!

Ellie: Thanks, Ellie. Nice to see you online again.

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EJ: Thanks EJ. I'll probably do a post on this release in a couple of weeks.

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Barbara: Barbie has never wanted for fans. That old girl is almost as old as I am and she's still hot.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
LG: Thanks! All tweets welcome!

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Carrie: I gotta admit, the cover's finally growing on me. :) I just hope it fits the reader's idea of the story.

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Linda: And funny. Don't forget funny. Send your kids to me and I'll straighten them out. Thanks for helping spread the word!
Angela Brown saidā€¦
Loving the posts I'm seeing with Mistress of the Stone as the focus. And, of course, the Pirate Boys are getting some travel time around the blogosphere as well :-)
Melissa McClone saidā€¦
I tweeted too! Just haven't been home much today.

Glad to have you, Mistress and the Stone and the pirate boys on my blog today!
Cate Masters saidā€¦
Ack, I missed your post below, though I did a pre-release mention on my blog, and on FB. No need to enter me in any contest, though, I intend to pick up a copy.
Hope your non-blog-tour goes well!
Dru saidā€¦
Congratulations on your book release.
Shelley Munro saidā€¦
I did? Well, that's good. :)
Congrats on your new release, Maria. Here's wishing you many sales.
Nadja Notariani saidā€¦
I re-formatted the images in my share post, Maria! I'm so sorry you couldn't see the images. Please stop back and let me know if all shows for you now.

All the best - and I cannot wait to read Mistress Of The Stone! Yaahharrr. :}
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Angela: It was worth it for the pirate boys alone. :)

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Melissa: I'll take every tweet I can get. Thank you!
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Cate: Thanks! I hope you enjoy it. It seems to be getting some good buzz. You never really know until it hits the streets, so big sigh of relief here.

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Dru: Thank you!

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Shelley: Oh, woman, you're like a mentor god. If anyone asks me how to write a good blog, I tell them to read yours.

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Nadja: They showed up! I just checked it. Thanks so much!!