Hooray! The German translation of the super awesome THE ARRANGEMENT series has finally started! You can grab volume 1 now. Expect volumes 2 to 6 to be available this Fall. Wahoo!!!
Purchase volume 1 by clicking HERE!
Visit my German Amazon page and add volumes 2 to 6 on your wish list by clicking HERE.
March must be H.M. Ward fan appreciation month! We’ve got several giveaways going on and some awesomesauce stuff still in the works. Eeeep!!!
There’s never been a better time to stalk my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or join the mailing list. Do you have fan art to share? Make these actions count as entries in H.M. Ward’s ULTIMATE FERRO FAN giveaway!
The prize: a copy of the collector’s edition hardcover Damaged 1&2! This beautiful limited edition collector’s volume was specially created for fans of Peter Ferro and SOLD OUT at $149 each right before Christmas. If you wanted a copy for yourself, here’s your chance. Don’t forget to share this giveaway with your Ferro loving friends! Just one more way to spend time in bed with Peter Ferro…
It’s time to start HM WARD’S SIX MILLIONTH SEXY BOOK BASH GIVEAWAY!!! Wahoo!!! That means prizes and fun!
How does a Kindle sound? Sounds perfect for January’s book, boy and fire weather to me!
You know you want it!!! With the holidays behind us and 2015 just beginning, there’s never been a better time to read!
There are new ways to enter to win, so make sure you check it out!
SECRETS VOL 1 is only 99¢ today on Kindle!
SECRETS is a sexy, fast paced story about college student Anna Lamore and famed photographer Cole Stevens.
Description: Volume 1 in the Secrets Serials by NY Times Bestselling Author H.M. Ward
Genre: New Adult Romance
The entire Secrets series (Volume 1-5) is on sale now.
Dudes, I’m going to do an entire post on serials, but in case you don’t know the diff b/t a novel and a serial, here’s the drive-by version: A novel is a long story that you can settle into, typically over 50K words or 250 pages. The story has a single climax and usually unfolds like a bell curve. A serial is a story that unfolds over multiple volumes, by design. Its’ shorter (this book is about 32K words or 125 pages), each one has it’s own climax, it’s cram-packed with emotion, and it ends with a cliffhanger.
The entire SECRETS series is out, so you don’t have to wait for the next volume. Score! Pick it up and see why this series is so popular.
SCANDALOUS get a brand new sexy cover! This book is a steamy read. It’s one of the sultriest things I’ve written. The premise for the novel was based on a missed kiss – what would happen if you missed the kiss with your soul mate? Tah-dah! You get a sexy cover, lots of paint, and tons of tension.
There’s a promo going on today too. This book is on sale for only 99¢ today. Regular price is $4.99. If you want a romantic read, go grab it! The sale is only for today.
GET SCANDALOUS FOR ONLY 99¢ TODAY ONLY!
When I was writing the interview scene between Anna and Cole in SECRETS, this is the outfit that I had in mind. Anna is trying to blow her interview with Cole’s company. She was hoping to be instantly dismissed when they see her clothing, however, things don’t go that way. :)
♥ SPARKLE CHUCKS ♥
The Chuck’s that Anna wore to her interview with Cole. Although these are pink, it’s the same awesome sneaker! I have these in purple. ♥ ♥ ♥
You can get them on Amazon.
♥ THE TUTU ♥
The tutu. I have one of these at home. I acutally posted a pic of it on the facebook wall. This is what Anna wore over her cropped jeans. See how nicely they go with the Chucks?
The kiddo sizes have a stretchy waist, in case you’re dying and gotta have one. Here is the link to this one on Amazon: tutu.
♥ RAINBOW TIGHTS ♥
Don’t forget about the striped thigh highs! Anna used these to push her outfit over the top (in case it didn’t scream CRAZY loud enough).
And see how silly they look with heels? Chucks are a much better choice! lol.
A little bit of sparkle and a kick ass tutu goes a long way. You can grab these on Amazon here: Rainbow Thing Highs
♥ FRILLY BLOUSE ♥
Here’s Anna’s blouse. Notice the ruffles along the neck and shirt front.
It’s a perfectly flirty shirt that would have looked sane with any other outfit, but coupled with the rest of these babies, it’s just too cool to wear to an interview.
I gotta admit, I love this blouse. the little flutter sleeves are so cute and it’d be perfect for a hot city day.
You can grab this on Amazon, too. Awesome frilly shirt.
♥ CROPPED JEANS ♥
And here are the pants that Anna wore when she first met Cole. See how the shirt and the jeans actually make a nice outfit? Learning to mix and match wardrobe in colorful ways is the perfect way to waive the crazy flag. Think of all that space you’ll have when no one sits next to you on the bus, subway, etc.
You can grab these awesome jeans on Amaon: Cropped Jeans.
♥ AWESOME JACKET ♥
And finally, the fitted jacket complete’s Anna Lamore’s outfit of awesomeness!
Cole describes Anna as looking like a giant Skittle during that meeting. Every college girl knows how important first impressions are, and Anna showed up dressed like a crazy person.
Dude, the rainbow tights and the chucks go a long way, but I totally think it’s the tutu that makes this outfit scream CRAZY!
This awesome jacket is on Amazon. You can grab it here: Awesome Jacket
Would you be brave enough to walk around in this? I think I could have done the whole thing, up til the tutu. That’s why Anna is cooler than me (or crazier, depending on how you look at it). Hee hee!
SECRETS VOL. 5 will be out in a day or two! Keep your eyes peeled!
I had fun putting together this post so that you could see Anna’s Interview Outfit for yourself! If you haven’t picked up SECRETS yet, you can grab it here: SECRETS VOL. 1 It’s a New Adult Contemporary Romance. Happy reading!
I don’t say much about it, but my eyes are jacked up. When I was 14 years old I found out that I have dyslexia coupled with Irlen syndrome.
What does that mean? For me it meant reading took a tremendous about of effort. I got headaches that progressed into migraines as I got older. The sheen on the textbook pages was hideous, the florescent lights in the classrooms didn’t help any, and there was very little to be done about it. I continued through school without finding much relief and never took joy in reading. It was something that caused me pain. If I fried my eyes from using them too long, I couldn’t see anything for days. The world turned into a blurry mess. It was like I had tears in my eyes that I couldn’t blink away. It was bad. The only way I’d read a book for fun was if the content of the book outweigh the pain caused by reading. As you can imagine, that didn’t happen too often. Getting smacked in the head with a brick sounded more appealing.
To try and deal with my eyes, I read in the dark, put a shadow over the page with my arm, used Irlen lenses, overlays, and tried to avoid florescent lights. All those things helped a little bit, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to how jacked-up my eyes were.
Fast forward to two years ago, Christmas. My husband decided he wanted a kindle. I didn’t have any interest in one at the time. It was questionable as to whether or not reading on the screen would make my vision difficulties worse. Actually, I assumed it would make my eyes worse. When I first started using his Kindle, I didn’t like it. My memory is very tactile and the kindle removes that element from reading. That caused me issues in the beginning, but after 6 months of Kindle use, I adapted to it.
After 18 months of reading books primarily on a kindle, I picked up a paperback that was on sale. It was something that’s on the bestseller list that I’d wanted to read for a while. It was a trade paperback (cream pages, 5″x8″). That kind of book, on that kind of paper, had been the easiest on my eyes.
I didn’t think anything about it when I bought it, but when I got home and started reading-omg! All the old problems (blurred vision, eye strain, halos, floating text, headaches, etc) came rushing back. I didn’t know what happened. Those problems were pretty much gone. I thought maybe my eye had gotten better. Haha! Then, I read the book and a few other paperbacks. Same thing. All the old problems were back. My eyes still sucked. It took me much longer to get through the paper books and needless to say, it wasn’t worth the pain caused to read those books. I didn’t finish any of those series. Maybe I’m a little slow, but it wasn’t until I went back to the kindle that I realized what happened – the kindle makes it easier for me to read.
THE KINDLE MAKES IT EASIER FOR DYSLEXIC ME TO READ.
That is major. I can’t even tell you how major it is. I spent the past thirty years struggling with this and not finding anything that helped to this extent. I don’t get headaches from reading at all anymore. I can read an entire book before my eyes get strained. I can make the font larger (which I do since someone told me that its helpful for dyslexics). The light gray background is easy on the eyes and MUCH better than white or cream paper. There is no glare.
Dudes, I don’t know if you realized this, but paper has a glare. It doesn’t matter what kind of paper it is, there’s a glare. I didn’t see it until I started reading paperbacks again. The kindle screen has less of a glare than a printed page. There are no shadows falling over the words (from the gutter). It makes it so my eyes don’t have to readjust to the light and shadow on every line. The kindle stays flat. The curve of the book tires my eyes faster. And the best thing of all – I can read the kindle in direct sunlight! I can see the words. I can’t read a paperback in direct sunlight. I can’t see anything. It’s like looking at a lit light bulb.
Anyway, I’ve struggled with my vision my entire life. My mom was a reading teacher and took me to other specialists when I was younger, trying to figure out something to help me. After several years, I gave up trying to find anything to help. I stumbled on the Kindle and can’t tell you how glad I am that I found it. I read 4x as many books as I did before and without any pain. I don’t talk about me much and I sure don’t waive around the dyslexia flag, but this is worth sharing. If you have a child that’s struggling with dyslexia or Irlen syndrome the kindle really helps.
Something to notice: I keep saying Kindle. I mean the kind in the picture above. NOT the Fire, not the Nook, not any old ereader. It needs to be an ereader that uses e-ink with a glare-free screen. The e-ink works kind of like an Etch-A-Sketch, but the screen isn’t shiny. It doesn’t glow and it’s easy to see.
Update: The Paperwhite, while practical does create eye strain from glare and from the light source. This kindle has lights (blue hue) in the sides of the casing. They form a grid and illuminate the eink. The problem is that the grid is visible It doesn’t bother most people, but it’s a problem for me. My eyes try to fixate on the gradation throughout the grid. I have to struggle to keep my eyes focused on the words and not the light source. While the Paperwhite is not like reading on a computer screen, it isn’t as easy my eyes as the plain old Kindle. In terms of reading difficulty and headaches, it’s comparable to the Fire.
I also have a Kindle Fire–I can’t read on it. It’s worse than paper. Between the glare and lit screen, it’s worse than reading on the computer screen. The Kindles with e-ink are vision friendly.
If you have a kid in school with dyslexia, try it. The basic Kindle is under $70. That’s cheaper than a pair of glasses. Many of the books kids read in school are available on kindle. Some are even free. I wish I had a Kindle sooner. It’s nice to enjoy reading without feeling like my eyes are trying to kill me.
To those of you struggling with dyslexia, Irlen syndrome, or other things–don’t give up. Just because you aren’t mainstream, doesn’t mean you’re not awesome. We just have to learn to tailor things, so that we can do them too. And in case you didn’t realize it, I was a reader-hater and turned into a bestselling author. I love to read now. I just didn’t know it back then. Don’t give up.
Here is a link to my favorite KINDLE on Amazon. It’s light, small, and has a great battery life. It’s the one pictured above.
If you have questions, feel free to ask. I hope this post helps someone!
Just wanted to show you an animated version of the CATALYST (VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE #2) cover. Look! It bleeds!
This is the rough work up. I’ll post the final version when I’m done. I just thought it was fun and wanted to share. Have an awesome weekend!
And if you haven’t grabbed it already, grab it already, go get BANE! It’s only 99 cents right now!
Get BANE book #1 at these fine retailers:
Psst! B&N site has been freaking out for the past few weeks. If you have trouble finding one of my titles, use the direct link on my official site. Their search has gone wonky.
Peace out, peeps!
Cover reveal! And series reveal!
Okay, I didn’t really say anything about this series. It’s something I was working on along with NEVERLAND LOST.
COLLIDE turned into one of those stories that I can’t stop thinking about, even though it was supposed to be something on the side to play with while writing CATALYST (Vampire Apocalypse #2).
COLLIDE is about the secret life of Trystan Scott. It’s told in 1st person, from his friend Mari’s point-of-view.
Mari was assigned to run lines with Trystan after school–it’s a job any other girl would have died to get–but Mari doesn’t want to be like everyone else. She’s thinks a kiss should mean something and Trystan gives them away like jellybeans. When Mari accidentally overhears that Trystan is in love, she can’t believe it. He’s pining over some girl that doesn’t know he’s alive. The confident swagger and endless stream of girls is a facade. Mari keeps his secret, but she learns quickly about an even bigger secret to keep.
This story will be part of a series. It’s about music, acting, art and a hot bad boy that finally meets his match. Anticipated release: November 2012.
So, I’ve been a kindle user since January 2011. If you read my facebook posts from around that time, you’ll see that I totally hated the thing. I kept trying to turn the page (ah-dher) and I hated that the screen is gray, among other things.
Well, it’s now about a year and half later and I have to tell you…
I strongly dislike paper books. Now, I’m not talking about collectible editions that are so pretty and old and sit pretty on my bookcase. I look at those with careful fingers and lovingly pat the covers. No, I’m talking about the reading-for-fun books–the new releases that I blow through in a few days. I have to say that: Hardcovers are the worst.Reading in bed, late at night – tell me this? Which would you rather have come crashing down on your face when you fall asleep? Kindle or a hardcover 500 page book? Yeah. The Kindle falls and it’s like ouch! Notice the lack of sharp pointy corners on all models. Foresight? Hell yeah.
To tell you the truth, I used to laugh (and still do) at the Kindle commercials where they are selling it by telling you that regular paper books are hard, heavy, and just awkward. I sit there laughing! What ludicrous things to say. They need to tell it like it is – no SHOW it like it is. If Amazon showed a commercial with someone reading in bed and the consequences of pointy cornered books stabbing you in the head, and how safe a kindle is–I’d still laugh–but that strikes a little closer to home.
So, in short, this post was to tell you that I’m completely shocked. I HATED the Kindle when I first used it. Now, its the other way around. I’m reading a hardcover and my husband is laughing at me. I’m having so many problems: anything from hand-strain from holding it up, to getting hit in the face, to trying to get the shadow off the page (forgot about that - doesn’t happen with a flat screen), and paper cuts. Yeah, I’m a menace. The ereader was made for people like me, I just didn’t realize it until now. 
I can’t wait for Kindle to come out with the glowsoft screen like the Nook has. I so totally want that! Which Kindle is my favorite? The smallest one. That’s my everyday ereader. It fits in my purse or my pocket and it doesn’t make me bleed. I appreciate that.