I'm thrilled to announce the audiobook version of Cat in the Flock, featuring noted radio personality Angel Clark as the narrator. With 100 audiobooks under her belt, Angel's a real pro. She also hosts a talk radio show on the subject of liberty. During auditions, we thought her voice for Cat McCormick was perfect!

And doesn't she kind of look like she could play Cat on TV? 

Photo courtesy of Angel Clark.

You can download the audiobook now from either Amazon or iTunes.

Here's the final cover design for Framed and Burning:

And I've also got a story for you.

As soon as I saw the book cover samples we had to choose from, I knew exactly which one I wanted. But since I've had a blind spot about my own work in the past, and because it's so much fun to hear what others think, I thought I'd throw it out to the community for a vote all the same. Maybe you could make me change my mind, like you did with the new cover for Cat in the Flock. On that one, by the way, my partner and I both wanted to go with this at first:

I still really like that cover, and my sister, whose artistic opinion I value greatly, liked that one the best, too. But I think the cover we settled on better represents the book, since Cat's not really a Goth chick. :)

Anyway, back to this cover. Here's how the voting went down.

I immediately wanted option #4 as soon as I saw it. Holding the current front of Cat in the Flock up next to it gave me the exact effect I wanted: clearly part of the same series, but notably different from the first. Since the story and characters have stretched and grown from the CITF origin, I wanted it to look just different enough. And without giving you a plot spoiler, the girl sitting on the chair but only partially revealed, exactly that way, is perfect. 

Original #4

Lo and behold, y'all agreed with me. And by a wide margin, with #4 getting more than three times as many votes as both of the second-place covers, a tie between #2 (my second fave) and #5.

#2

#5

 After that, third place went to those of you who proposed combining aspects of the covers into a sixth choice, a super cover, if you will. 

Fourth place went to option #3, mostly because the title really "pops." I took that advice into consideration when working out the final design, so thanks to those of you who spoke up.

Dead last was #1, with only a single vote, from someone who will remain nameless to protect his innocence.

A hat-tip to the talented cover artist Monika Younger of Younger Book Design, who designed both covers in the series. I highly recommend her to all of you writers out there who make these cover decisions yourselves. 

Thanks for all the great feedback and for participating in our little vote-a-thon. And to my new subscribers, welcome!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best book I've read all year. At first the kid voices bothered me because they sound like the writer expressing his viewpoints through them with his vocabulary and education but with a few annoying "whatevers" and "likes" thrown in to remind you they are kids. But the story transcends this issue and is true and beautiful and so significantly well done that even the most critical reader gets swept into the gentle drama and wonderfulness.

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I'm excited to show you our cover choices for the second book in the Dreamslippers Series, Framed and Burning. Please vote for your favorite either in the comment thread below or via whatever social media channel brought you here. 

Some background on Book Two, to help you decide:

• It's slated for release this October, and you can pre-order it as an ebook now for $1 off the release price ($2.99 now, $3.99 later) either through Smashwords (loads of formats, including Kindle and Nook) or Apple (for any iOS device).

• Framed and Burning is set in the high-stakes but quirky Miami art world. While Art Basel attendees party on South Beach, someone sets fire to dreamslipper Mick Travers’s studio, killing his assistant. New Age eccentric Granny Grace and her more conservative granddaughter Cat are there to help prove Mick’s innocence and hunt down the real killer. Would they discover that a jealous rival was out to destroy Mick’s art—and reputation? Or is something even darker behind the arson and murder? Find out in this story told from the perspectives of all three dreamslippers, whose handle on and use of their gift is varied and distinct.

• You can read the first chapter here. 

• Voting closes this Wednesday at midnight PST.

All right, already! Let's see those covers.

 #1

#2

#3

#4

#5

For reference, here's the cover for Book One, Cat in the Flock. They should look like they come from the same series. The final version will have the Dreamslippers series logo added as well, just FYI. By the way, the below was the clear favorite in that round of voting, minus a few font/layout tweaks.

One more thing. I've got an Easter egg (nerdy gamer reference) for those of you who are new to me. If you sign up for my newsletter here, I will email you a coupon code for a free ebook copy of Cat in the Flock. 

Thanks for voting!

The Power of You: How to Live Your Authentic, Exciting, Joy-Filled Life Now! by Chris Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclosure: Dr. Chris Michaels and I have been guest writers on each other's blogs. However, we've yet to meet in person. I first heard about his work when I listened to a podcast about being gay and spiritual in America. I was deeply impressed by his honesty and passion, as well as his unapologetic attitude. After reading his blog, I felt a definite kinship with him, and I thought our audiences would appreciate hearing from each other. When I saw that he'd written this book, I immediately added it to my reading list, and I'm glad I did.

I've always craved spiritual connection but have not often found it in organized religion. And I approach all teachings with a heavy does of skepticism. Even in the most liberal of churches or from the most seemingly open-minded spiritual leader, I've struggled with teachings that seem to me to be victim-blaming or self-destructive or just plain impractical. But I had none of those problems with Chris's discussion in The Power of You.

I was highlighting so often on my Kindle, I thought I might as well highlight the whole book. Chris's teaching is grounded in day-to-day reality, and from there, he provides concrete examples and advice for getting in touch with the divine and building the happier life you want. What I love about Chris is that he doesn't use his religious teachings to judge or shame or blame someone for their own unhappiness. Rather, he meets you where you are and shows you how to get where you want to be.

"When you take God out of the sky and place it down here in your life, everything changes," he says. Let that change begin with this book. But read it with intention, and commit to doing the exercises. You are definitely worth your time!

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