Street Team & My New Approach

Happy 4th of July!

I'm proud to say that I'll actually be celebrating this year! More so than any other year. I'm not a big fan of being outside, seeing that in the summer I only have to step out of my door for two seconds before being suddenly attacked by mosquitos. I'm either super allergic or super sensitive. Either way, they are drawn to me and I hate it. I was standing in the driveway unlocking my car the other day, and when I got inside I found three bites. THREE! I know what you're going to say. "Use OFF! or something else to spray on you. It doesn't work. Nothing does. So, when I'm outside watching fireworks, I'll be in long sleeves and a parka.

On to the next subject.
My street team newsletter is launching on July 6th and will continue to be sent out the first Monday of every month! In which, as a member, you will find more excitement than you'll understand what to do with! Maybe not. But the reason why this street team is so important is because it's exclusive. If you already get emails from me about ARCs and events and anything else, now you won't. The only way to know what's happening before the general public is to be a street team member. I'll be using this newsletter to announce all of my upcoming releases, title and cover reveals, etc. And MONTHS before I'll be posting to social media about it. Also, there are going to be plenty of opportunities to win prizes and giveaways. In the first month that the newsletter/street team goes live, I'll be hosting a competition for all members. The rules and regulations will be included in the email, and I'm still planning to reveal the title and synopsis for my new stand alone novel coming out in September of 2016. I think there are plenty of incentives for you all to sign up, so I'm going to post the link again here: http://www.megandukebooks.com/#!street-team/c6vk

Now for my final bit of news.
I recently attended UtopYA 2015 in Nashville, and I had a bit of a revelation. I've been focusing a lot on participating in events and less on my online community of readers. I seem to have forgotten that the internet is where I got my start. Specifically on Instagram, thanks to Sasha Alsberg. My main readership is on social media, but I've been trying to branch out into the real world. Attending conventions and festivals to promote my work has been both fun and frustrating. It's more or less a slap in the face when I go to these sorts of things and don't have a lot of success. Not that I'm expecting to sell hundreds of copies of my books, but I've ignored the fact that no one out there technically knows who I am. When I post on the holy trinity (Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram) the response I get is almost instant. I think that has spoiled me in a way. I owe everything to my online following, and I love the "small circle" that's been created around my work, so a major part of me believes that's where I need to keep my focus for a while.
The problem I have with organizing events is that not enough of my readers live in one area to make it successful. Everyone is so spread out, it's hard to measure a good turnout. Because of this, I'm going to start doing more virtual events, such as Google Hangouts and scheduled Twitter chats. This is something I've seen generate a lot of success for others, so I'm going to try it and see how it goes. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop going to events altogether. I'll still be attending them, I just won't be focused on participating. The next festival I'll be at is Decatur Book Festival in September, so if there are enough of you going, I might put together a meet-up. But you'll have to contact me and let me know.

As always, thank you for much for supporting me. A lot of work goes into what I do, and I know all of you understand and appreciate it. I was discussing my books with someone over dinner last night, and I mentioned that money is something I have a major struggle with. I told her that making a profit as always been low of my list of goals, and she said, "But you're helping people."
That's really all that matters, and I can't wait to jump back into writing what I love the most! As soon as the rest of the Mind Breaker books are released, I'll be back to working on my contemporary stories. And THAT is where my heart is!

xx
-Megan.

COVER REVEAL: Designed With a Destiny by Elle Davis

Today I have something really special to share. This is the first time I'll be participating in a fellow author's cover reveal, and I could not be more proud to say that it's someone I have a personal relationship with. I have known about Elle Davis for about a year now, I'd say. I discovered her book because she is a fellow indie author like myself, and I was incredibly impressed with the hard work and professionalism that came off from her books. I love the idea behind Designed for Perfection, and I think it's a fabulously unique concept that would intrigue a lot of YA readers!

Later on, I was introduced to her daughter, Bryce, thanks to my own books. She became a fan right off the bat. To this day she is one of the first names that comes to mind when sending out ARCs and setting up blog tours. I love the Davis family, so this really means a lot that I can help share Elle's newest book with all of you!

Today I'm revealing the cover for book 3 in The Designer Chronicles, Designed With a Destiny.

These are the first two in the series:

"Messing with Mother Nature can have unexpected consequences... Having a genius level IQ, model good looks, and supernatural physical traits, almost guarantees seventeen year old Ronan Callahan a life of success. He is a genetically engineered human, custom designed by scientists and his wealthy parents, who paid a hefty price for his perfect designer qualities. But, being a Designer Baby doesn't guarantee happiness for Ronan. In fact, his superior traits leave him bored, unchallenged and a social misfit. Cat McCullough, is orphaned, raising her little sister Claire, and struggling to survive. The last thing she's looking for is romance. In a high school full of girls swooning over Ronan Callahan, she's the only one who rejects his arrogant, cold, and indifferent behavior towards others. And yet, she's the only girl to ever capture his attention for more than a minute. When Ronan falls for Cat, he falls hard. For the first time ever, he looks forward to the traditional high school experience that now includes a budding romance. But when his life is threatened by a deadly virus, he is forced to abandon the simplicity of tradition and unite with five other Designer's, whom he shares a secret Designer trait so powerful, that it has the potential to influence world events."

NOW FOR BOOK THREE! 

Thanks to Bryce for letting me be a part of this! I wish you and your mom the best!

-Megan.


Elle's Links: 

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon

Because of Him COVER REVEAL!

It's time! 

I have been working really hard on getting this series out to you on time. The Mind Breaker Accounts is planned to be completely published by the end of 2015, so here we are right on schedule. Three months between each release is pretty intense, but since the first two were already written and only needed revising, it hasn't been as hard as I originally anticipated. Once book 2 is out on August 25th, the rest of my time will be dedicated to finishing up book 3 from scratch.

Here is the schedule for all of my upcoming book releases:

• BECAUSE OF HIM (The Mind Breaker Accounts, #2) - August 25th 2015
• INSTEAD OF THIS (The Mind Breaker Accounts, #3) - December 29th 2015
• NEGATIVE SPACES (A Collection of Small Circles Short Stories) - April 5th 2016
• Untitled Stand Alone Novel - September 2016

Now... what you've been waiting for!

This cover was designed and shot by the wonderful Vania Stoyanova (VLC Photo) and stars Justin Tucker! All three of the covers are spectacular, but this was is maybe almost my favorite. 

The countdown is now officially on! 

T-minus 71 days! 

-Megan.