SIFTERS

Hello again and welcome to my very neglected blog. Sifters, my 9th novel with Limitless Publishing has just dropped and I'm super excited about this series. It's my first stab at the dystopian genre and I really enjoyed taking the ride. The story revolves around Dia, a young girl who is struggling to survive outside of the civilized world. But she must venture into the secure city, to save her brother. 

Sifters takes a fresh look at the future, and shows what it might be like to enter that dystopian world. Instead of taking you 100 or 200 years into the future, Sifters takes you into the near future. It shows the world what it might be like if the apocalypse happened right now, and how the next 10-15 years might play out.

Of all the books and movies of the genre I didn't see any that tackled this timeline. Most like Hunger Games are set very far into the future in an unrecognizable world. I wanted to take people into the world as it might be right now. A world that you and I could very well find ourselves in, within our lifetime. 

Sifters takes place after the American government has taken control of seven strategic cities where people have to live by strict rules and follow regimented drug programs to maintain control. People happily follow to maintain their happy lives filled with technology and fast food. But on the outside of the cities, where the majority of people live, life has completely stopped progressing and has in fact regressed into chaos. It is a hostile world where only the strong and ruthless survive. 

Dia is one of the survivors and she's determined to save her brother, Ray, who's been living in the city, smuggled in illegally when he was younger. But his life is about to change because he's reached the age where he must choose a life path. Kids who don't choose a life path are ushered away from the population to places unknown. And that is the mystery Dia must unravel in order to save him.

What she finds is a mystery much bigger than she expected. There are staggering levels of corruption within the city to which everyone is oblivious. And that's just the beginning. 

Sifters is now available on Kindle, Nook and paperback. 

SOUL FREQUENCY

The wait is over fans, the long awaited Book 2 in the Frequency Series is finally available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo and paperback. This is my 8th release with Limitless Publishing. If you were a fan of the first book you will love the second one. Jordan and Kayci are back and this new adventure will change their lives forever.

Get if here today! SOUL FREQUENCY

NEW RELEASE

My newest book is now available in eBook with the paperback soon to follow.

OUT OF PLACE is a romantic-suspense thrill ride that will leave you breathless. Two unrelated and innocent vacations collide in a nightmarish scenario, as an armed madman's relentless pursuit pushes two young strangers to their breaking points and beyond.

OUT OF PLACE

I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's celebrations. I'm pleased to reveal the cover for my upcoming 7th novel with Limitless Publishing, a romantic thriller titled OUT OF PLACE. My publisher is giving away 5 eBook copies as a promotion for the release, and if you'd like to win one visit my website at www.shanescollins.com to enter. Here's a look at the cover.

OUT OF PLACE 

No cell phones, no weapons, and no escape...all they have is each other, and an absolute refusal to die. 

COMING SOON to Kindle and on paperback at Amazon.com and in select book stores.

Bone Room Tour

THE BONE ROOM  tour

Enter some giveaways, read some reviews and some interviews about THE BONE ROOM. 

October 27

http://booklandparadise.wordpress.com/
http://miscellaneousthoughtsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/
 http://lovewordsandbooks.com
www.buriedunderbooks.com

October 28

http://harliesbooks.com
http://throughtheeyesofabookgoddess.blogspot.com

October 29
k718.wordpress.com
http://thereadingcow.blogspot.com.au  
www.kindleandme.com 

October 30

http://fictionsouraddication.wordpress.com
http://deeasbookblog.blogspot.ro

October 31

http://kotasbookkollection.blogspot.com.au/
www.JessicaGunhammer.com
www.ReviewingWonderland.com

November 01

www.KellyAnneBlount.com
www.mycrazycorner.blogspot.com

November 02 

http://therightbook4u.blogspot.com
http://buffyswritezone.blogspot.com
http://curiosityinspires.wordpress.com 

The Bone Room

It's been a blur, but my new thriller THE BONE ROOM is now available for Kindle and all Kindle Apps. The paperback version should be coming soon. I'm excited to get this book out there, it was a lot of fun writing it. The concept came to me after Heather and I took a day trip up to Alexandria Bay and the Thousand Islands Region. It's an amazingly inspiring place with unique scenery unlike anything else on the planet. Seeing those huge castles and mansions floating out in the middle of the St. Lawrence River on islands not much bigger than the houses themselves was amazing. I'd definitely recommend a trip there sometime to anyone who might be in the region at some point.

I hope everyone enjoys the story. >>> Amazon Link

Don't Let Bad Reviews Define You

Recently a fellow author I know got very upset by a bad review. It really bothered her to the point where she started to question her talent. She shouldn't, she's very talented. I told her not to let it get to her, to brush it off and carry on. We as writers have to drive past bad reviews as they bark at our cars. We all have a reason we write, but we never write to get bad reviews.

I'm driven on by my fans. All those great reviews really push me on. But, the bad reviews are also good fuel for the fire. Not so much in the sense that I want to prove them wrong or please everyone, but in the sense that they may, hidden in the meanings, offer good advice. Even the seemingly useless bad reviews can lead us to some profound thought or at lease a moment of zen.

Face it, there's no way possible to have everyone love your work. Some people are going to hate it, some are just not going to get it. But that's what it means to be an artist of any kind. Whether you're making music or ticking a canvas with colors, someone is going to hate what you're doing. They have their reasons. They have a personal preference. And that's just a matter of life.

Some people are just going to be haters too, and the more success you have the more haters that will come out of the woodwork. Even the great authors with the big names and Hollywood success have haters. A few years ago before I was a published author, I had another fellow unpublished author, tell me that he used to leave bad reviews to authors to "knock them down a peg"...among other things. I was really amazed because this person was generally intelligent and well-balanced. I couldn't understand why they'd bother to waste their time and energy. I said, why bother, and in general told them it was silly. He didn't really like my attitude over it. Needless to say we don't really have contact with each other anymore. He has since self-published a couple books and has received some very poor reviews. I don't know how he feels about it now.

The point is you're going to get bad reviews. Some will be legitimate critiques, some will be just the garden variety haters, and some will be people who just didn't connect with the story or the characters. But there's no reason to let those things get you down. A real writer will push on in spite of all adversity because they believe they have to keep writing.

I told my friend who was upset about her bad review to look at the whole picture. She had 23 total reviews, and the vast majority are 5 and 4 stars. Just because 2 or 3 people didn't like it doesn't mean a thing. In fact, any author would love to have that ratio. I told her to read the reviews of all her favorite authors, the ones she aspired to be when she started and see how they're doing with reviews. After some perspective she realized I was right, even the great authors have bad reviews. It's just a matter of fact.

So no matter what, keep writing. Never let a bad review define you or your work. I'm personally happy as long as my good reviews outnumber my bad reviews. So far they have and I think most authors feel the same way.