June’s Ketchup

June’s Ketchup

Eek! June is coming to a sunny end, and July is approaching as fast as a bottle rocket. (Fourth of July references are fun.) We are SO close to the release of Minutes Before Sunset. In fact, we’re officially less than a month away. (Eek again!) I’m undeniably excited, and I cannot thank you all enough for the continued cheers of encouragement as we inch closer to the release date—where you can win even MORE prizes and goodies. But I’ll talk more about that in this month’s Ketchup post.

For those of you just now checking in this month, Ketchup actually means “catch up”. At the end of every month, I write these posts describing what goes on behind the scenes at ShannonAThompson.com. Some of the topics I cover include my big moments, top blog posts, my top referrer, #1 SEO term, YouTube videos, Members of the Week, and more in order to show insights that will hopefully help fellow bloggers see what was popular. I also hope it entertains the readers who want “extras” for this website.

Thank you for being a part of my life this June!

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Big Moments:

We are less than a month away from the release of Minutes Before Sunset, and excitement has filled every Dark night. (Dark as in the Dark from The Timely Death Trilogy. Not dark as in depressing.) It’s been electric! Clean Teen Publishing even gave away three paperbacks on Goodreads, and since almost 2,000 people signed up, Clean Teen Publishing decided to giveaway a paperback EVERY week up until the release. Join the current giveaway right now by clicking this link, because you definitely deserve to win. You made this happen, after all.

On another note, Seconds Before Sunrise is officially up for pre-order as well! (Eek!) Seconds Before Sunrise releases August 25, so these releases are going to happen fast!

Who else can’t wait?

#TheDarkisComing and the Dark brings prizes and smiles.

Stay Dark,

~SAT

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Top Three Blog Posts:

• Judging an Author’s Life: Someone judged my life as an author from the photos I posted, and I wrote a letter in response. Authors are human too. We are not perfect, and we do not sit around all day writing and reading to our heart’s content. But I do share my positive moments more than my negative ones, and I share why in this emotionally driven post.
• 6 Must-Have Tools/Apps For All Writers and Editors Out There by Ashley Sanford: A great list for all writers out there, provided by a fantastic guest blogger (who has confirmed is planning on returning with another article shortly)! Get excited.
• Finding Your Style as a Writer: There is no reason to fear your “voice” and “style” discussions. It’s different for everyone, and it always will be. What matters is doing what is right for you and being aware of yourself as you grow into yourself.

Other Blog Posts:

• Writing Tips: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly by Inge Saunders: We’ve all heard so many tips. How do you decipher them?

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  Do You Take Your Characters With You When You’re in the Outside World? by Marcia Carrington: Our characters go with us everywhere.

• I Avoided Certain Books. Here’s Why: Even I have had reading slumps over the years.
• Author Goals: Have a variety of them and discuss them.
• Never Give Up on an Idea by Pau’s Castles: The wonderful Pau and her wonderful articles.
• The Timely Death Trilogy Prequel and Contest: I promise I’m trying to make this happen!
• The Joy of Progress Bars: Seeing how far you’ve come is just as important as going even farther.
• Reviewing Novels as an Author: It’s a lot more complicated than we admit.

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YouTube Channel:

The Fifth Wave and Survival Things (06.02.15)

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At the end of the month, I also like to take a moment to thank all of the websites who supported me by posting reviews, interviews, and features. I also like to specially thank the Members of the Dark. Every week, I award one member a “Member of Week” badge, and out of those monthly members, one of them will win an eBook of their choosing as well as more prizes. If you would like to be a member or review my novels or interview me, please send me an email at shannonathompson@aol.com. I always love speaking with new bloggers, writers, and readers! And I will share your post on all of my websites.

Dark Members of the Week: The Acid Oasis, Chris Pavesic, and Endless Reading.

Reviewers:

Seconds Before Sunrise: The Book Forums