I'ts Marker of Hope Release Day + Giveaway!

Marker of Hope Nely Cab (Creatura #3) Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: October 3rd 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Who will save her from herself?

Upon her return from Greece with three new friends and a broken heart, Isis’ hunger for human flesh is stronger than ever. She’s a miserable mess after losing David following her betrayal. Her mutation into Creatura is all but over when she receives the surprise of her life, compelling her to seek out David’s family. Only, they’ve broken all ties with her, and she doesn’t know how to reach them. Turpis, the demonic beings that attacked Isis in Greece, have tracked her whereabouts. Now, in order to fend for her life, Isis must join forces with deities she doesn’t trust. Is Isis truly the Marker of Hope as she’s believed to be, or will she lose the battle to her starving inner beast and demons, obliterating humankind from existence? Find out in the epic finale of the best-selling CREATURA SERIES.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / iBooks

—

EXCERPT:

The Hunger

“A lot’s happened since you decided to shut down and wallow in self-pity. You’ve been impossible to talk to, and I’ve been bored out of my mind. I thought we came here because we were going to figure things out. What happened to ‘I’m going to save the people I love’? Did you just feed me that bull so I’d agree to come with you?”

“You know that’s not true. I meant it.” “Then what’s the hold up?” Galilea’s irritated face turned a subtle shade of pink. Her pulse quickened just the slightest bit. I was surprised at how much my senses had developed. Heighted. Months ago, I wouldn’t have noticed any of this, but now, I could even smell the natural notes of musk on her skin. I felt my mouth water. Sometimes, I liked that my new superhuman senses gave me insight to peoples’ moods and emotions. Most of the time, they were waiting for me to let my guard down so the beast could take over. “Galilea.” I closed my eyes. “I’m hungry.” “You can’t just change the subject. You do it all the time. I’m tired of it.” “I’m not changing the subject. I’m trying to tell you I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to control myself. How am I supposed to save anyone when I want to rip out their guts?”

 

Author Bio: Nely Cab is a Writer of stuff, a Master Coffee Drinker, a Food Maker & Eater, an Imaginary World Conqueror, and an Air Breather. She talks to herself—a lot—in her South Texas home while she plots stories about fantasy worlds and sips coffee from a pitcher. She’s known for cooking far too much food and has a tendency to overdo…well, everything. It is rumored that she is fabulous. Nely Cab is the best-selling author of the Creatura series.

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Google+

 

GIVEAWAY! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Date Announced for Creatura in Romania

Coming Soon from

The leading Young Adult publisher in Romania, LedaBooks, an imprint of Corint Editorial Group has announced the coming release of Creatura, set for July 19, 2013 on their website blog. Pre-orders for the first novel in the Creatura series will begin June 18, 2013. 

LedaBooks holds an impressive publishing portfolio, including Anne Rice, James Patterson, LJSmith and other great New York Times and International Best Selling Authors. 

2K Creaturas Giveaway

To celebrate the 2000 followers on the
Creatura Facebook Fan Page, 
I promised that I would hold an 
International Giveaway 
for
 1 Signed Print Copy of Creatura 
and 2 Mystery Prizes. 

As promised...

⬇

♥  2K  C R E A T U R A S  ♥
✡International✡
G    I    V    E    A    W    A    Y

Thank you for all your support 
and 
GOOD LUCK! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: "Ember" by Madison Daniel

REVIEW:

RATING: ✭✭✭✭✭

Eighteen year-old Max Valentine has a blazing personality, and that's not figuratively speaking. The main character in Madison Daniel's novel, Ember, can literally ignite himself when his rage takes over, which unfortunately is quite often. Max can only hope that moving to paradise might calm his burning temper. Max takes up his uncle's offer to move to Hawaii to start fresh after his father passes. Upon arrival on the small island, Max is captivated by an exotic beauty named Asia and whisked off his feet by an assertive little blonde named Sam. Double girl trouble is any teenage boy's fantasy, but it becomes a nightmare for Max when Asia reveals her mystery and Sam's jealous ex-boyfriend wants to pound his face in. How will he ever control his temper?

Author Madison Daniel sets his novel ablaze by relating the story of a lonesome boy's struggle to bury his inner most demons while still discovering who he is and finding his purpose in a world where the elements are the embodiment of humans. Each character has a unique and likable personality with dialogue carefully formatted to fit their persona. Ember will be sure to leave you with a burning desire to read the next book in the series.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Find Madison Daniel on Goodreads

Music is LIFE and the written word is our SOUL. Music and writing have been my true ambition since I was a child. I have used music in every form possible; writing it, performing it, healing with it, etc. I call it my "life's soundtrack." I have always written in some form; from comic books to screenplays to short stories and now the new series "Ember." I have found a true passion for my stories and characters 
and am eager to share them with the world. See you on the next book tour...M.D.


LEARN MORE ABOUT MADISON DANIEL AND THE EMBER SERIES ON HIS SITES: 

BLOG: madisondaniel13.blogspot.com/ TWITTER: twitter.com/#!/MadisonDaniel13 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/Madison.Daniel.Author  & www.facebook.com/EmberSeries

Video: Romanian Bloggers Campaign for "Creatura"

Romanian bloggers have captured my heart with this video, pushing for votes on their campaign to have Creatura available in their country. Will their plea be heard? Check out their video: 

Check out the poll on their blog: 

Rătăcitori în lumea cărţilor

(Da = Yes)

And as if that weren't enough, they've also made a blog dedicated to Creatura! AND they're holding A BOOK GIVEAWAY! Check it out here: 

www.creaturalovers.blogspot.com

www.creaturalovers.blogspot.com

David's Mail Call Poetry

A few days ago, a fan expressed her "love" of  Creatura on my Facebook page. I decided to give her a little gift from my book's hero, David Chios. Quickly it was that the responses to his humble offering grew, and before I knew it, "David" was serenading fan girls with verse. 

"Carly Anne's Chablis" 

Written for Carly Anne Wallace 

Weaved of fine silks and fine wine 

                                                 The Gods adorned Carly Anne so divine

 And I a poor beggar on mine raw knee 

Pleading, suffering, eager to be free 

But what dost freedom imply to a beggar?

Leaving mine Carly Anne to be? 

Never shalst I wander free of mine decree 

And I do attest, dear Carly Anne, this sacrifice to thee 

May mine blood become dry like the Gods' wine of Chablis 

Should ever you never come to be privately for me

 ~ David Chios 

Thank you for reading, and I invite you to get to know David Chios and the rest of the personalities in the first  book of the Creatura Series. 

Please Visit Me At: www.nelycab.com & www.facebook.com/AuthorNelyCab

I'm also on Goodreads: Nely Cab 

Totally Trendy Creatura Dog Tag Giveaway!

Show off your fan girl flare with this totally trendy dog tag chain necklace! 

Birthday Giveaway!!

Happy Birthday to me! 

Today I'm a year older, a year wiser, and LOTS of pounds heavier! LOL! To celebrate with YOU, I'm giving away 3 e-book copies of "Creatura" on Twitter! 

TO ENTER:

1. FOLLOW @NelyCab on Twitter 

2. Retweet: "I want to win @NelyCab's #Creaturabirthdaygiveaway"

* Ends Dec.9, 12am CST

GOOD LUCK!! 

Creatura Basket of Goodies hosted by Paranormal Book Club

This Creatura Basket of goodies giveaway is being hosted by Paranormal Book Club on Facebook. Like their page and enter the contest at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paranormal-Book-Club/109922569062884?sk=app_208195102528120&app_data=dlt

Good Luck! 

Recent Review

Hello, beautiful creatures! I've been absent from your lives for quite sometime writing and creating a world for Isis and David for my upcoming novel "Vivus," the second in the "Creatura" Series. My apologies and sincere gratitude to those of you that are reading this right now. 


Today, I want to share a review that lifts my spirits and pushes me to continue to write. When I read it I was delirious, to say the least. And since it seems like such a drag to have to go find the reviews for a book on another website,  I decided to post it here. I'll continue to post a few reviews - only once in a while - for you to read.  This review is one of many of my favorites:


*Find this review on Goodreads


Fathima Amiruddin's review 

Read from November 18 to 20, 2011

"I was contemplating whether this story deserved a 4 star or a five star .. But man oh man , once i was done reading it i knew it deserved nothing less than a 5 star !!! So many questions , so many thrilling moments , this story definitely took me by surprise !! 

Cover-speak : Awwwwwwesome cover !! At first i was like , ' How is the name " Creatura " connected to what's being shown on the cover of the book . I was completely clueless . But once i was through the story , i think i have sort of realised the meaning behind this cover ! Ofcourse i cant give it away now because i think its highly connected to the story and giving it away would just ruin it for everyone plannin on reading it ;) 

Creatura basically tells the story of 17 yr old Isis Martin , who has turned into an insomniac due to her recurring nightmares . Every night Isis dreams of the same Poppy field and the same 'beast' who waits for her in that poppy field . Every night Isis wakes up from her nightmares scared and petrified to fall asleep again . Who is this creature ? What does he want ? Why is a part of Isis's dreams ? Is he an enemy or a friend ? Answer to those questions and many more is what awaits readers in this mythological extravaganza !!

Things i loved about this book : 

1) Fresh and exciting : Okay i'm gonna be honest here , i have not read anything like what is mentioned in this story before ! To explain it in better terms , i can say that the 'paranormal' Or the 'supernatural' element of this story is 'out worldly;' . I loved every aspect of it . Every angle , every twist just added to the prevailing tension . 
Honestly , there was a time when i was beginning to lose interest in the story and felt that it had become too slow and drag-ish . But a new twist added in by the author at the right time and right place zapped me back in place and i was devouring the pages like my life hung on it ! Definitely new definitely exciting !! The mythological connection of the story was also very new and something unheard of . I would so wanna meet some of the characters mentioned in this book for real !

2) Relationship matter's : Another lovely aspect of this book was the various characters and the relationship they shared with each other . One of my favourite was the relationship shared between Isis and her mother Claire . Never ever have i read a book that emphazised so much on a mother - daughter relationship . They were like two best friends because they were everything to each other . I laughed at their goofiness and had tears in my eyes when things got intense . Brownie pionts to the author for such an amazing display of affection between the two . 
And another favourite relationship being Isis and David's . Oh boy talk about crazy and sweet at the same time . I couldnt help but wear a grin on my face all the time reading the various interactions between them . Isis the stubborn kind , who would never let David know her real feelings for him and David , the uberly greek god-like handsome but possessive guy who would do anything to make sure he wins Isis's heart !!! Loved them ;) . Ofcourse the book has many other interesting characters as well . 

3) Twists, turns and the end !!!! : If i'm giving 5 on 5 to the story , then i'm giving 10 on 10 to the author , her imagination and her creativity ! I mean come on she clearly deserves it for a story like this especially the end ! It was sooooo unexpected and unthought of . For a split second i was like ' wait , what did just happen !! ' .. I sooo cannot wait to read what happens next in this series . The end just made way for an exciting beginning . Totally recommended for readers looking for a story of a different kind . Its a must check out from me !"

Creatura Giveaway

THE HOUSE ON ELDA DRIVE

How about a personal scary story about me, just in time for Halloween? Check out Books with BITE's blog! Read my story, 

and then ENTER to WIN one of two copies of Creatura!

CLICK HERE:

http://www.bookswithbite.net/2011/10/hallowen-booktacular-with-author-nely.html

Read an interview conducted on me by the founder of  Great Minds Think Alike Reading Community, Kitty Bullard.

CLICK HERE TO BE REDIRECTED: 

http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=interviews&thread=739#ixzz1bSP17jIo

***********************************************************

Teens Talk About "Creatura"

Thank you to Gabriel Moreno (Director/ Producer/ Editor), as well as to Alejandra Gonzalez, Ernesto Martinez, Melissa Guerra and Jerry Silguero who participated in the making of the video. 

"Creatura" goes to High School

Bookplates! 

A few weeks ago I was completely taken by surprise when I was asked by www.readforyourfuture.org to donate a couple of copies of "Creatura" to the Middletown High School library in Middletown, Ohio. That brought me such enthusiasm that I think I practically jumped. The thought of how many students will get to read the novel puts a smile on my face every time.

*GO MIDDIES!*

Then something equally as exciting happened:

I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.

I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)

     *If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel. 

A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!

*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*

Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan!

A few pics from the Book Launch

Eternal Dreams

**Per special request, here is another short story.

Eternal Dreams

by Nely Cab

He came to me in a dream. He wasn't a handsome fellow, but there was something about his personality that drew me to him. Surely, I must be crazy to have fallen in love with this, a figment of my imagination. I was obsessed -- fixated on the idea of him. His name was Daniel.

"But he's only a dream, Claudia," I told myself, trying to reason.

I had dreamt of this boy, now a man, for the major part of my thirty years of life. I never knew another male in the way I knew him. He was my life and my everything. I rejected every suitor that ever showed the least bit of interest in me, but things would be changing and soon.

I was, against my will, betrothed to a gentleman of the age of fourty some odd years, previously widowed. His name was Pascual Leumas. He owned a debauchery store in the upper west side of Manhattan. He was a man of good wit, pleasant, and handsome. Pascual had but one child, already a young woman; I would become her mother.

But what was I to do with the man in my dreams? I was in love with him. I had the hope that one day Daniel would come into my life, that we would marry, and have a family -- be a normal couple.

Tonight, as I dressed for a chaperoned dinner with Father and my new fiancée, I could think of nothing more, but how heart broken Daniel would feel if he knew I was to be wed in three day's time.

As I viewed myself in the full-length mirror, I could swear that I saw Daniel standing behind me, observing me as I pinned up my hair. I instinctively drew my neck back to view him, but there was no one there. Oh, how I wished that he would come for me at haste before the wedding.

In the dinning room, my father was present with Pascual and his daughter, Sophia, awaiting me to begin the dinner. I was nervous and slightly shook as Pascual kissed my hand. Sophia's smile was wide with enthusiasm.

This was the first time I had met Sofia. She was blonde and had brown eyes, like myself. There would be no misinterpretation that I was not her mother. That set my nerves at ease, somewhat.

Through the dining room window, I saw a tall figure standing, looking in at me. I gasped in surprised fright and held my hands to my mouth. My father asked what had taken my breath. I told him it was nothing, but indeed it was something.

Daniel was standing there in a suit with a wool coat on his arm. He pointed to the front door. I quickly excused myself and scurried to foyer. He gave two knocks to the door before I could reach it. I ran across the anteroom and swung the door open. Finally he was here! My love had arrived!

"Daniel," I said to him. "How I've longed for you! Take me from here. Let us be as we are in my dreams."

"Yes, my dear, Claudia," he replied, taking me by the waist and laying his cold lips on mine. "Let us go, now."

As I looked back to close the door behind me, I saw my lifeless body on the ground. My father, Pascual and one of the servants huddled over it.

"What has happened?" I asked Daniel.

"We are eternal lovers, now, my Claudia. Nothing shall keep us apart -- not even death."

We walked hand in hand, into the night and into that eternity of love.

www.nelycab.com

"It was not for Hunger of Worship or Conceit..."

It's only been three days since "Creatura" was officially released for sale, and I'm ready to have an anxiety attack awaiting the first review from non-bias readers (no offense friends and family).

The people I know have begun to purchase the novel on Amazon from the very day it became available on the website. The sales rating at which it has fluctuated has surprised me.

• A big "THANK YOU" goes out to all of you for promoting the book on your Facebook walls and through word of mouth. I appreciate your support more than you realize. 

It's very scary to put one's own writing out there for people to judge. I knew I was going to have to brave the world when I decided to publish, but I didn't know it would be my own written words that would mock and intimidate me, making me doubt myself. 

Being only human, I have come to realize that it's okay to fear. What isn't okay is to fear not. It's when we don't fear that we walk overly confident and ignorant of the hidden crevices and cliffs on the roads we, ourselves, pave. That's when we tend to fall the hardest. I can only hope that I haven't walked blindly.

Today, I started tiding up my dining room table which is where I can write without being distracted. I had unconsciously created a fort around my laptop surrounding it with boxes, floral wire-cutters, copies of manuscripts, make-up -- you name it, it was there. As I picked up the final copy of the manuscript, I decided to glance at the first chapter, and that's when the nerves began to stir.

I decided I didn't like Chapter One, so I went on to Chapter Two. Chapters Two through Seven were okay. Chapter Eight made me wonder why I didn't write more in Chapters Two through Six. I skipped back to Chapter One and hated it. I jumped to Chapter Nine and fell in love with it again. I skipped to Chapter Eleven, where I found some very enticing details, but  I worried it wouldn't fit in with Chapter Seventeen, which then prompted me to look over Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, which gave the story some flare. Finally, I read the last chapter of the novel, closed it, and set it aside. 

For seven hours, I criticized my writing. I was on the verge of tears by that point because I just didn't know what to think of it anymore. What if my audience found it ridiculous and boring? What if it was terrible?

Usually, I'm very proud to create something, and I'm a positive person as far as the reaction I expect from others. Today, however, I wasn't that person. 

I sent my sister a text telling her the book sucked, and that I was ready to confess my sins and die. She said, "It's done, and you did it all by yourself. You should be proud." That didn't help this time. 

I stared at the book cover wondering what had made me think I could write and publish a novel. I pulled the binder that contained the manuscript toward me and opened it to a random page to continue my silent self-pity rant. Upset at myself, I glanced at the page I had opened it to, and I found something to which I didn't pay attention while I was obsessing:

“It was not for hunger of worship or conceit from which he placed this..."

I'm hand painting these butterflies for the book launch

After reading those words, I remembered this:

I didn't write my book for vanity. I wrote it to entertain two people -- my sister and me. I didn't even want to put my picture on the back cover, now that I think about it. 

I admit that having it sell and go up in the sales rating list does feel good, but it doesn't mean anyone will be impressed once they're done reading. That's okay though, because you know what?  Both of the people it was meant for do like it, and that's worth the two years it took to write. 

So, if you read it, and like it,  I'm happy; and, if you read it, and don't like it, I'm happy too. 

From now it's nothing but happy thoughts of colorful rainbows and glittery unicorns. And, in the famous words of Forest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that," because, "my momma thinks I'm special," and that's good enough for me.

 I thank you, I thank you, and I thank you for visiting and reading my blog.

 Ciao, bellas creaturas!

It's Alive! Now What?

This little guy knows fashion!

On Friday, June 17, 2011, at exactly 6:43 PM, "Creatura"was born into the world of literature. 

My "baby" is alive and kicking at the publisher's website and will soon be released into the online bookstore retail and ebook markets.  


I'm both thrilled and terrified of the thought of having my book criticized by people I don't know. Thrilled, because constructive criticism is how I learn best; Terrified, because of the negative criticism  that comes with self-publishing. Nevertheless, it's still a dream come true.


So, are you wondering if I've sold thousands of copies upon release? The answer is, "Heck No!" 


The publishing process was a tedious one, but trying to get someone to actually purchase one book takes a lot of hard work, time and effort. Through research, I found that even when a novel is traditionally published, the author has to have a marketing strategy in place. Agents do a lot of the promotional essentials for about the first six months of a book's life. Then, the author is on her own. Many signed and self-published authors hire publicists to do their campaigning. That's a luxury this starving artist can't afford.


I started off by announcing the availability of the novel through my social media networks as soon as I knew I was publishing my novel. After many congratulatory comments, I had to settle down and put my writing skills to work. 

My brother's Creatura t-shirt design

I got help from a friend in submitting press releases in order to gain some publicity through the Internet, even before I knew the book's release date. Thank goodness for sites that provide free press release distribution -  I'd be penniless, otherwise. I'm in the process of putting together an online contest - or contests - for free signed hardcover copies of the book, along with "Creatura" marketing products (ex: totes, shirts, pens, notebooks). Local book signings are a must, but, unfortunately, there are very few bookstores in the area where I live. But these are only baby steps in the promotional aspect. Free publicity is the Cat's Meow, but it won't get the job done.


I need to draw people to my website in order to endorse the product. This is where that rectangular piece of plastic in my pocket comes into play.


Online advertising is a crucial element in directing traffic to the product, but can get expensive at "pay per click" rates. I started campaigning through Google and Facebook and did get results; however, I'm pretty sure that out of the 550 people that have visited the site, only a handful actually took the time to navigate through it. Those people are probably the ones (practically, all from Facebook) that left the nice comments on the guestbook page. I love those guys!

• Thanks to you too, if you visited, or are planning to visit my website. 

So, what are the probabilities that they'll return? Pretty low, unless they see the product and/or link popping up continuously and everywhere. There's no question that we are byproducts of marketing. 


What I have to do now is gain exposure with my target audiences. Somehow, I have to cross into the world of teenagers and adult (YA fantasy romance) readers via their optical fibers, without taking up a second mortgage on my house or going streaking across the country. 

I know I might not be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer (snaps and kudos to them), but I have confidence that readers will enjoy the story. And, as scared as I may be of the harsh words I may, or may not receive, I want to sell my book, because bad reviews are better than no reviews. 


On a final note, my coccyx is killing me from having been glued to my laptop for the past month and a half trying to make the world aware of the existence of "Creatura". I better cut the rambling, peel my butt off this chair, and start planning the launch party.  Toodles!