Welcome to The Writer's Challenge

I'm updating weekly-ish and whenever something exciting happens, so please come back often, browse the archived information,
and use the search feature to find information!
Learn more about my books at ShoshannaEvers.com

Monday, January 26, 2015

Why Rejections Are a Good Thing

I've got plenty of writer-friends on the traditional-publishing path who are going through the soul-sucking process of submitting their books to agents or editors and getting rejections.

What does getting a rejection mean? Is it the end of your writing career before it even began?
Nope, not even close.

The best thing about rejections is that they ensure no one who's not excited and passionate about your work will be in charge of selling it. The only thing worse than no agent is a BAD agent! (or should I say, and agent who isn't your #1 fan!). Same thing with editors!

When we get rejections from a pool of agents or editors, they are actually helping us by weeding out the ones who aren't a good fit for our books. And don't we deserve someone who loves our books? I say, let 'em go! It wouldn't have worked out well anyway if they weren't the right person in the first place. :)

That said, when I sent my second-written novel out for submission to an agent and to Harlequin, I got form rejections from both (this was 2000). I was so completely wounded and emotionally hurt from those rejections that I didn't grow my imaginary balls back for another ten years (when I started submitting again in 2010).

By sending out your work, getting rejections but continuing to go for it, you're already ahead of the game by a long shot. We've never even heard of all of the writers who just give up completely in the face of rejection, as I had done for so long. The ones we do hear about, however, are the authors who just keep on keepin' on. They put the rejections behind them and keep submitting and writing new books.

I always know someone's closer to getting published when the amount of rejections starts picking up -- it means they're really in the game!

Oh, and as a side note, if you are an already-published author, and you found this post because you've gotten a rejection letter despite not being a newbie anymore, I am here to tell you that even published authors get rejections. We're just shielded from them by our agents. I remember in 2011 getting a rejection (and I'd been published since 2010), but when I looked online to see if any published author in the history of the world had every been rejected before, I decided by the lack of evidence, that I was the ONLY one!! 

Obviously this is not true. Published authors just don't want to taint their reputation by publicly saying that they were rejected for something (unless it's in their pre-pub years), so you won't see blog posts about rejection the way you will with writers who aren't yet published. I figured I should add that side-note here so the next time someone Googles it, they'll find out the truth ;)

Best,
Shoshanna

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

99c Cowboy 12-Pack PLUS $100 GC Giveaway!

Cowboy 12 Pack — Twelve Smokin’ Hot Cowboy Books!

Available now for just 99¢ for a limited time.

Buy at AmazonBuy at BN.comBuy at iBooksBuy at KoboBuy at AmazonUK

If you love sexy cowboy romance books, get ready for a 12-pack of ‘em from New York Timesand USA Today bestselling authors!
A COWBOY’S SEDUCTION – Cynthia D’Alba

SADIE AND HER COWBOY – Paige Tyler

THE BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND TEST – Elle James

HER UNIFORM COWBOY – Donna Michaels

I AM NOT YOUR MELODY – Shoshanna Evers

CHASE AND SEDUCTION – Randi Alexander

THE COWBOY WINS A BRIDE – Cora Seton

THE HARDER THEY FALL – Beth Williamson

THE REAL MCCOY – Sabrina York

BADASS – Sable Hunter

COWBOYS NEVER FOLD – Lexi Post

CUPID’S COWBOY – Becky McGraw
   
A COWBOY’S SEDUCTION — Award-Winning Author Cynthia D’Alba — Sparks fly when an exhausted cowboy, on a forced tropical vacation, meets an uptight accountant in a bikini. As the seduction game begins, two weeks never looked so short.

SADIE AND HER COWBOY — USA Today Bestselling Author Paige Tyler — A beautiful ranch owner hires an infamous gunslinger to protect her against a ruthless cattle baron, but risks losing everything when she falls for the sexy hired gun

THE BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND TEST — NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Elle James — Skeptical billionaire takes a risk on a friend’s dating service and finds the cowgirl of his dreams, only he has to convince her he’s her perfect match.

HER UNIFORM COWBOY — Donna Michaels — Texas Guardsman never planned his attraction to a curvy, military-hating Pennsylvanian, or saddling her with his stress issues. Will the town’s newest resident support him, or abandon him like others in his past?

I AM NOT YOUR MELODY — NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Shoshanna Evers — The baddest cowboy in Bear Creek Saddle partners with a sassy new bartender to save the family business. His rules: Don’t kill her. Don’t kiss her. And don’t fall in love.

CHASE AND SEDUCTION — USA Today Bestselling Author Randi Alexander — Country music superstar Chase Tanner is determined to seduce screenplay writer Reno Linden. She risks the plunge into Chase’s arms, but will their attraction survive the glitz and stress of fame?

THE COWBOY WINS A BRIDE — NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Cora Seton — Jamie Lassiter just made the bet of his life—He’s got six weeks to prove to Claire Cruz he’s the man for her, or pay for her round-the-world trip.

THE HARDER THEY FALL — Beth Williamson — Cowboy Hank Beltane has no idea what’s in store for him when he tries to seduce the stubborn, beautiful and sexy as hell rodeo owner TJ Maguire.

THE REAL MCCOY — NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Sabrina York — At a wild, girls-only weekend at a rowdy “stud” ranch, she meets the gruff, dominant man of her dreams. It’s too bad the sexy stripper is only a pretend cowboy...or is he?


BADASS — Amazon Bestselling Author Sable Hunter — Isaac McCoy — Badass Isaac McCoy, as at home on a Harley as he is on a horse, is in love with the preacher’s daughter— the angel of Kerr County—and that will never do.

COWBOYS NEVER FOLD — Award-Winning Author Lexi Post — When a cowboy honors a promise by working at a nudist resort, he discovers that to win the sexy owner’s heart he must go all-in, which could mean baring more than his soul.

CUPID’S COWBOY — Amazon Bestselling Author Becky McGraw — Struggling country singer is struck by cupids arrow when delivering a breakup singing telegram on Valentine’s Day to a beautiful music exec who could make all his dreams come true.


 

Cowboy 12 Pack Facebook Party today, Jan 20th!

Stop by our Cowboy 12 Pack Release Party for a lot of fun — I’ll be there at 2:30pm ET!
Join us as we celebrate Cowboy 12-Pack release! Games and prizes!
Party Schedule:
  • Cynthia D’Alba 1:00-1:45 ET / 12:00-12:45 CT /10:00-10:45 am PT
  • Elle James 1:45-2:30 ET / 12:45-1:30 CT / 10:45-11:30am PT
  • Shoshanna Evers 2:30-3:15 ET / 1:30-2:15 CT / 11:30-12:15 PT
  • Donna Michaels 3:15-4:00 ET / 2:15-3:00 CT / 12:15-1:00 PT
  • Sable Hunter 4:00-4:45ET / 3:00-3:45 Ct / 1:00-1:45 PT
  • Becky McGraw 4:45-5:30 ET / 3:45- 4:30 CT / 1:45-2:30 PT
  • Randi Alexander 5:30-6:15 ET / 4:30-5:15 CT / 2:30-3:15 PT
  • Cora Seton 6:15-7:00 ET / 5:15-6:00 CT / 3:15-4:00 PT
  • Beth Williamson 7:00-7:45 ET / 6:00-6:45 CT / 4:00-4:45 PT
  • Paige Tyler 7:45-8:30 ET / 6:45-7:30 CT / 4:45-5:30 PT
  • Lexi Post 8:30-9:15 ET / 7:30-8:15 CT /5:30-6:15 PT
  • Sabrina York 9:15-10:00 ET / 8:15-9:00 CT / 6:15-7:00 PT
   
 

$100 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble

We are giving away a $100 GC to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice!) in celebration of the Cowboy 12 Pack release!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cowboy 12 Pack — Twelve Smokin’ Hot Cowboy Books!

Available now for just 99¢ for a limited time.

Buy at AmazonBuy at BN.comBuy at iBooksBuy at KoboBuy at AmazonUK

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

99c Release Day for I Am Not Your Melody (and Giveaway!)

I AM NOT YOUR MELODY

It's release day for my steamy cowboy romance!

It's just 99¢ for a limited time!

AND we've got a $25 Gift Card Giveaway!

A stand-alone (NO cliffhangers) prequel to the upcoming
Bunking with the Cowboys Series

a Bear Creek Saddle short novel

“Big Bad Bill” Edwards, the biggest, baddest cowboy in Bear Creek Saddle, Idaho, has only gotten meaner in the years since his bride Melody died young… Miami bartender Allie Crawford has no idea what she’s getting into when she buys half-ownership of the sexy cowboy’s bar, inherited from his late uncle.

She’d thought they’d built a friendship based on several months of emails back and forth. But in person, Big Bad Bill will do anything to keep her at arm’s length… only he can’t. The man is sinfully sexy trouble — big trouble. Especially since Allie is just one year out from when her cheating ex destroyed their marriage.

How can Bill and Allie be together if their hearts can’t handle the risk of breaking once more?

Bill has just three rules for dealing with Allie: Don’t kill her. Don’t kiss her. And above all, don’t fall in love…not ever again.

For fans of cowboy romance, Idaho ranchers (heck, even Montana ranchers, since they’re neighbors), and sizzling hot contemporary romance, this short novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shoshanna Evers is set in the mountains of small-town Bear Creek Saddle, Idaho. Ride ‘em, cowboy!

Available now for just 99¢ for a limited time (reg price $3.99).
Add this book on Goodreads!

 Enter to win a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card!

Excerpt from I AM NOT YOUR MELODY Copyright 2015 Shoshanna Evers All Rights Reserved

Bill could feel Allie’s excitement in the air. It was contagious; her energy enveloped him like an embrace. He grinned at her.
“I suppose we could put signs up on the bulletin boards around town,” he suggested.
“And take out an ad in the county newspaper!” Allie added.
He hadn’t thought of that for some reason. “Good call. You’re smart.”
She gave him a look, like she couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or not.
“I already knew that,” he added. “From your emails. But I like seein’ how your brain works in action.”
Her blonde hair was still a bit disheveled from when he’d had his hand over her eyes. Carefully, he reached over and smoothed back an errant piece. Her hair smelled good, like some kind of flower, something he’d smelled before. Jasmine? Lavender?
How strange that this woman he’d been exchanging emails with for three months now was here, in person. And he’d never known what she looked like, never pictured her as this beautiful, smart woman all wrapped up in a tiny package.
Allie smiled. “Thank you.”
He couldn’t help but to watch her lips. The top one was a bit smaller than the bottom one. Every once in a while she’d pull out a lip balm and smear it on without a mirror. Cherry Chapstick. It made her lips look a bit pinker, a bit shinier — but still natural. What would that taste like?
No. Kissing her was a bad idea. They had a business to run together. Getting all tangled up in a fling could ruin their working relationship permanently. And that was the only sort of relationship he could ever have...business.
“You’re beautiful, too,” he told her, barely aware he was speaking out loud. “I don’t know how to act ‘round you.”
A pretty blush colored Allie’s cheeks. “Same as before, I guess. Before we ever saw each other.”
“But it ain’t the same,” he said, “bein’ with you here.”
“I like when you’re nice to me.” She gave him a playful tap on the arm. “Sometimes it seems like you’re just being ornery to keep me at arm’s length.”
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s clearly not workin’.”
Don’t over-think it, man. Just go for it.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Her body was putty in his arms, so accepting. She looked up at him as if she knew exactly what he was about to do.
Bill went for it. He kissed her hard, needing to put every ounce of emotion he had into that kiss. It was a kiss that said You are beautiful, and it was a kiss that said I’m glad you’re my partner. It was a kiss that said I can’t do anything at this moment, other than kiss you.
Her lips opened to receive him, his mouth, and Allie moaned. Their bodies pressed against each other, tightening with unfurling lust. The kiss deepened. She pulled his lower lip into her mouth and gently bit it.
His body responded readily, and she was right up against him, so she knew it. Yet she wasn’t pulling away... They could hook up right that moment, right there on the floor of the bar, and fulfill every desire he’d had since he first threw her over his saddle. She was up for it, he knew by the way she tangled her small hands in his hair on the back of his head, pushing his hat forward until the rim touched her own hair, too.
The way she gasped as he kissed her neck made him wish he could simply devour her with his need.
Yes. She wanted him too. Maybe even as much as he wanted her. He stifled a groan of desire as she shifted her weight, pressing right against the large bulge in his jeans.
Wait. Don’t do this, not with her.
Reality hit him. He would be in business with Allie Crawford for a long time. Getting intimate with her was not the best idea, no matter how much he wanted her. It would complicate things.
And being with her was dangerous. Very dangerous.
After what happened with Melody, Bill had long-vowed he would never fall in love again.
 *****
Available now for just 99¢ for a limited time.
Add this book on Goodreads!

Want the links to share? Thank you!