What Lies Beneath is a RONE Finalist!

You’re probably surprised to see a post from one of us on a Monday. But there’s a good reason for me to be posting today—I would very much appreciate your help!

My young adult fantasy What Lies Beneath is a finalist in InD’tale Magazine’s 2022 RONE Awards. Books achieve finalist status by receiving a 4 ½ or 5 star review from the magazine during the previous year—in my book’s case, it was a 5 star review (which you can read here.) The RONE Award is a three-step contest; once the finalists are announced (first step) then there’s a sort of “people’s choice” contest, where readers vote for their favorite books. In the final step, the top vote-getters in the middle round go on to be judged by industry professionals to decide the winner in each category.

So what I really hope is that you’ll take a moment to vote for What Lies Beneath, to help it move onto the final round. Here’s what you do:

• Sign up/log in at www.indtale.com Please note that you’ll have to sign up, but it’s not a difficult or lengthy process. 

• Click on 2022 RONE AWARD READER VOTING from the dropdown menu labeled RONES/CONTESTS at the far right of the header.

• Click on WEEK 4 (May 2-8, Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary: Cops, Jocks, Cowboys)

• Vote!

I should add that What Lies Beneath is currently on sale at Book View Cafe for $2.99 for a limited time, available in both EPUB and MOBI (Kindle) formats.

And I’ll be very grateful for any votes from NineteenTeen readers. You’re the best—thank you!

-Marissa

It’s Release Day for What Lies Beneath!

 

I’m delighted to present my new young adult historical fantasy novel, What Lies Beneath, out today from Book View Café!

War. Spies. Gossip and lies. Mythical Creatures. Falling in love. And it’s still only July.

It’s 1917, and everyone is doing their bit now that America has entered the Great War—everyone except 17-year-old Emma Verlaine. Her overprotective dad won’t let her go to nursing school while he’s off doing war work; instead, she’s been sent to stay for the summer with her Gran on an island off Cape Cod, and the most she’ll be able to do for the war effort is knit socks. Socks!

As it happens, island life isn’t so bad. There are the seals that seem even more fascinated by her than she is by them. There’s the new Navy Air Station that guards the coast from German U-boats where she’s determined to get a job. But most of all there’s Malcolm, whose family owns a resort hotel on the island and who gives her swimming lessons and delicious kisses.

But danger lurks in the waters off the island. Only Emma can save her new home—if she accepts that everything she thought she knew about her life is a lie, and that the seals are following her for a very good reason…

 

“Malcolm and Emma are appealing characters, and their sea-crossed romance keeps readers turning pages.... Engaging and fun.” –Kirkus Reviews

 

I’ve already talked about how different it was to write a story set firmly in the 20th century… and in a place that I know and love. That second part was especially important—to be able to use home in a story is both a delight and a challenge for any author, I think. There’s the desire to show what is beautiful and compelling about one’s home tainted by the fear that we won’t be able to communicate it to our satisfaction. I hope that I’ve done justice to my home world in What Lies Beneath.

And of course, selkies. You already know they’re my favorite mythical creature; it was exciting and challenging to dive a little deeper into their world and speculate about what might have happened if selkies lived near Cape Cod and how their world might intersect with the human world.

“What Lies Beneath beautifully knits patriotism, self-discovery, and bravery galore into a mystical pattern of young love and legendary lore!” –5 stars, InD'tale Magazine

 

What Lies Beneath is available in ebook direct from Book View Café as well as from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Google Books, and Smashwords, and in both paperback and hardcover from your favorite bookstore and from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. You can also read a sample on my website.

I hope you'll enjoy it!

Some Book Good News...and a Request for Your Help

I am delighted to announce that Between Silk and Sand has been chosen as a finalist in two more contests...but for these, YOU and other readers help decide the outcome, by voting for your favorites.

I’m especially excited that Between Silk and Sand is a finalist in InD’tale Magazine’s 2019 RONE Awards, Best Young Adult category. Finalists are those 2018 books that have received a 4.5 or higher star rating/Crowned Heart of Excellence from InD’tale Magazine; the top four books in the category will go on to be judged by industry professionals to name the winner. But to chose those final four, readers must vote!

If you have a few minutes, please go to https://www.indtale.com/how-subscribe to get signed in to vote; it’s a two-step process (you’ll register, then receive a verification code to click on). Then you’ll be free to vote—this week, for the YA and Suspense/Thriller categories—but also for the other categories coming up in the next few weeks. A complete list of finalists is here—check it out!

The second contest is a little closer to home for me. The 2019 Maine Romance Writers’ annual Strut Your Stuff Award judges the best romance novel packaging—the cover and back cover blurb—for books published in 2018. It’s a little more nuanced than most cover contests: you rate the covers and blurbs separately, on their own merits—so the winners will truly have the best “stuff” to strut! The finalist lists and links to vote are here...go have a read and a look, and rate the covers and blurbs.

Publishing is a tough business, and the toughest part of it for authors isn’t the writing (nope—that’s the fun part) but the visibility part—getting the world to even know you have a book for it to read. That’s why I’ve entered Between Silk and Sand in these contests...and your votes will help me get the word out about it. If you can take the time to vote in either of these contests, I thank you—it is most truly appreciated!