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Last night I booked ticket to the Love Letters Convention in Berlin! I'm super excited about traveling to Germany. I only wish my family could come with me and that it wouldn't be such a quick trip! It seems like there are going to be TONS of activities organized for me by the publisher and my the event organizers (who have me booked for at least 8 hours) so there probably won't be a lot of time for sightseeing, anyway. My publisher (LYX) has cast a guy to play JACK EVERSEA! Oh My god - is it crazy to say I am pretty nervous about meeting my own book character? ...  And they sent me a quick note this morning asking if I had any interview questions for Jack. As in for Jack. Not the guy playing Jack, but Jack. Like Jack is freaking REAL. So if you met Jack Eversea what would YOU ask him?Wow, I hope he's cute. You know, for the fans' sake. Should I be worried that they are keeping who he is a big secret? I mean some head shots and torso shots would have been nice in my inbox, but I guess I'll be patient.  Cant wait to show you pictures! Talk to you soon! 
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There's nothing like a forbidden romance and a relationship that teaches you about love and forgiveness. Throw in a huge dash of sexual tension and denial and you have just a hint of what awaits you in DEEP BLUE ETERNITY
DEEP BLUE ETERNITY IS LIVE **24 HR RELEASE DAY SALE AVAILABLE IN SOME MARKETS** In appreciation to all those who follow me whether on social media, my website, or subscribe to my newsletter, there's a price special going on for release day where I can. THANK YOU! I feel like you have all been waiting a deep blue eternity for this book. IT'S FINALLY HERE! ! I hope you love Tom & Livvy as much as I do, I can't wait to hear what you think. And if you feel like posting your honest review, no matter how short, it is always appreciated! Links below... With love, 
There is a giveaway running through Goodreads for the next month where you can win 1 of 5 ARC paperback copies of DEEP BLUE ETERNITY , my upcoming release. The giveaway ends March 10th, which means you really will receive your copy (as long as you live in USA or CANADA) before the book is released. Goodreads Book Giveaway Deep Blue Eternityby Natasha BoydGiveaway ends March 10, 2015. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Good Luck! And if you haven't seen the trailer yet for Deep Blue Eternity - check it out: And the playlist!  How to Give Your Book the Best Lift Off
In March (next month!) I’ll publish my third full length novel Deep Blue Eternity. It is 5 weeks away. I have a fabulous publisher in the UK that takes care of all the commonwealth markets (UK, South Africa, India, Australia etc.) but in the good old US of A my book launch is squarely on my shoulders. In fact, in our global marketplace, all my marketing efforts affect my global sales whether it’s me doing the publishing or not. I don't consider myself an expert, but I know what worked for me. I also have a marketing and public relations background that stood me in good stead. My first book, Eversea, that went on to get me my three book contract with Eternal Books in the UK and several wonderful foreign rights deals was the one where I really put myself behind the marketing. Why? Because, I’d just sacrificed months of my life to write it, spent money on an editor and cover designer. In my mind, to then drop it into the book-o-sphere and hope, by some miracle, it made an impact would have been a little arrogant. Or negligent. So, I swallowed my nerves, and endeavored to give it the absolute best launch I could. In honor of Romance Festival 2015 (#romance15) I’m going to give you a snap shot of what I did. Some of this will only be pertinent to those that self-publish. But being a “hybrid” author (one that also has a traditional publisher), I’d say that some of the marketing elements can and should be employed by everyone. Today, I will deal with the "3" in the "3-2-1 Launch". So the short of it is, my efforts worked. I had my own measure of what success for my book looked like to me, and I far exceeded it. In fact, I had several measures of success. One was articulated as I stood crying with a glass of wine in my hand to my husband: I was terrified, I sobbed, nobody would buy it, and if just 100 people bought and read my book, I’d die happy. What?  Whatever. I let myself have that bit of drama. Then I added that perhaps if I recouped my expenses (not time of course, because well, if it didn’t do well, it was just a hobby and hobby time isn’t really worth much) it would be okay.  THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO RELEASE DAYFinally, I decided that I was being a baby and this was my dream! It was, wasn’t it? This was the “one day” dream that I kept in my back pocket. I’d finally gotten brave enough to pull it out and give it a shot. It’s not like I could stuff it back into my pocket. Dreams don’t work like that. As soon as you decide to do something big your whole universe starts to shift to accommodate your decision. You may not recognize it at first, but it does. So you have to go for it. For me, there was only one thing more terrifying than putting my book out into the court of public opinion, which feels akin to stripping naked in the middle of a busy mall, and that was not having the dream in my back pocket anymore. There are far too many clichéd quotes about a man with no dream, I’ll spare you. But you get the point. Well, hell, if you’re naked in the mall, there’s no back pocket. You better slap a new outfit on, pull up your boot straps and get to work! Many times when I spoke to a fellow author, they'd ask me what I did. So here you go. I’m laying it all out there. The 3-2-1- launch refers to months. Yes, MONTHS. Three months before release day and the Launch period. I'm working on an expanded version of this post, but for now I'll keep it simple. You can and start even earlier. But we're going with the quick and dirty. So you’ve written a book, now what? Now you need to take a breath, pause and get your action plan in place. 1) Pick a release date at least thee months out. The first step is to pick a publication date. I suggest three months. I know, I know, if you’re already published, people keep urging you to write more and faster. To get your books out as fast as possible. Preferably every three to four months. For the first one though, you need to do this right. (well, you have to do it right for all of them, but I digress). And I’m sure if you’re new to this, you’re about ready to rip the Band Aid off and just see if you’re cut out for this writer thing. If people hate it, you can slink back to your regular life, no harm, no foul. Right? Wrong in my opinion (and please remember this is simply my opinion). You’re harming and fouling yourself. Stop it! (By the way, I’m fairly bossy. You may have gathered that.) The good thing is, once you have that first action plan in place, it gets easier and doesn’t take up as much time. And you can actually start on your next book during this three month time frame. 2) Send the manuscript away. Send it to your content editor (let's assume you have a quality one already lined up - I don't care if you are the next JK Rowling, she had one, you should too) and send it to your beta readers (let's assume you have found those too. Betas whose opinions you value and will actually take into consideration when you get your first round back from your editor). You need your manuscript off your desk, so to speak, so you can get on with your launch plan. 3) Find your reviewers Use this time away from your manuscript to do the most important job of all! For future books, you can use this time to get started on your next manuscript and get another in the pipeline. The most important job of all is to get reviews for your book. Real ones. Not your mother and your hairdresser. This will take up your largest chunk of time. And this needs to start three months out, because bloggers and reviewers have a LOT of books to read and you want time on their schedule. If you send them a book that is already released, they have no reason to make time for it. Spend several days making a list, a spreadsheet if possible, of book bloggers and reviewers. There are hundreds, if not thousands of them. Stick to your genre though. I understand that there are blog tour companies that have these relationships, but I argue that you need to have a personal relationship with reviewers and bloggers to make sure your future books are always on their radar. THIS SHOULD BE DONE IF YOU ARE TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED TOO! If they have a FB page, like it and follow it (get notifications). Find out the reviewers first name. Visit their blog site, and their twitter feed and make a note of their real name as well as their email address . Find out how they like to be contacted for reviews do they like a request on a form on their site, or a personal email? If you email them please make sure and use their real name that you have found out from your research of their accounts. This is not stalking, this is being respectful and showing them you’ve taken the time to do your homework properly and care for their opinion. 4) Find a blog tour company and get on their schedule You thought I was going to say you don’t need one of these based on what you just spent all that time doing, above? Wrong. You need to find a good blog tour company that does a Release Day and/or a Release Week Blitz. Good companies like Xpresso Book Tours book months in advance. THIS SHOULD BE DONE IF YOU ARE TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED TOO! On release day or during release week, the blogs who have sign up for the blitz will post your book cover blurb and teasers as well as any other information you have had time to prepare: a short interview, excerpts etc. This is a good time to run a giveaway as well. I ran a contest for a kindle for my first book release. I had 8,000 entries. Second prize was 5 signed paperbacks. Some of these readers are still my die-hard loyal fans who interact with me on social media daily. I have not decided yet if I will run a giveaway for Deep Blue Eternity, but I will post about it if I do! 5) Get your cover started! The back and forth and finding the right imagery and small tweaks and changes can take a month or more. Get started! And don't do it yourself, unless your day job is as a senior art director or graphic designer. And don't use your artist friend. Find a graphic designer. Please. It's important. Send the designer the blurb, key elements to the story, anything symbolic that may help. And this will be important for marketing in Month TWO, not just because of the reasons you think (judging a book by its cover etc.) but because you can do some fun marketing things! I'll explain in month TWO what I did for my first book Eversea. In my next post, I'll cover what happens TWO MONTHS OUT FROM RELEASE DAY! Thanks,
 I'm excited to share with you the US cover of my upcoming release DEEP BLUE ETERNITY ! Isn't it pretty? This edition will be available in the US, Canada, English language editions in Europe and South America. I'm so grateful to my designer Adrian for the special care he took in working with me to really capture the mood of the book! RELEASE DATE March 26th 2015 BACK COVER BLURB: Livvy is on the run. And she’s escaped to the one place nobody will ever find her. But the isolated cottage isn’t empty. Her refuge is home to a troubled stranger, Tom, there for reasons of his own. In the intimacy of the abandoned cottage, and the remote wilderness of the island, the electrifying connection between them is impossible to ignore. Both running from their histories and shielding dark secrets, their pasts catch up with them and collide in an unimaginable way. Deep emotions and powerful chemistry face a painful battle with the tangle of lies, and scars of the past. When the truth emerges, hearts will be shattered. This is a standalone. Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/…/show/24700453-deep-blue-eternity Mia Sheridan (in the middle of her release week for Kyland - because she's incredible like that - and by the way KYLAND is heart stopper, you should read it!) somehow found time to read Deep Blue Eternity! I thought I'd share with you some of her comments to me because they were all so amazing and super sweet. First of all she messaged me halfway through: "I'm over halfway through already so I'll stick with this. omg, this is AMAZING . . . and GUT WRENCHING! Gah! I love it SO much, but I'm scared - so scared! You're going to kill me slowly, aren't you?? So good, so good!!!" then I got amazing messages this morning:
"I finished late last night and I couldn't sleep I was thinking about it for so long." and "It was beautiful and heart wrenching and deeply moving." and "It's just above and beyond. Beautiful job. " You can imagine how I'm glowing right now. High praise, indeed. And she graciously allowed me to put some of her words on my cover. I'm so honored! Apologies for the lack of blog posts in recent months! I am in the process of changing to a wordpress site, so I can update the blog more easily, and more importantly, it can be followed/subscribed to more easily! It is being created by a dear reader friend Nasha and it looks lovely! I can't wait to share it. This week marks the LAST WEEK that Mistletoe & Hollywood is available for purchase! Mistletoe & Hollywood features two novellas: Many Times, Many Ways (a Desire Resort series extension novella) by Kate Roth and also My Star, My Love (an Eversea extension novella. This was always a limited time release, due to the seasonal nature of the novellas featuring the first Christmas as a couple. A note about novellas... by definition they are short! 20-30k words long. My Star, My Love is a novella. It is ten chapters and in my mind features important growth for Jack and Keri Ann as a couple. It is sexy, it is sweet, it will make you smile... and yes, for those of you who always want more Jack, you'll be sad when it's over because ... well ... you want more Jack! I get it.
But, I CAN'T WAIT to show you the US Cover!! Anyhow - I'm thinking of doing a special release price for it too, so make sure you are on my email list or just shoot me a line about whatever, I love to hear from you! Anyway, lovely to catch up! Love and hugs, Natasha xoxo
Jack's back! Since my book The Cottage (Deep Blue Eternity) has had its release pushed back to 2015, I decided fans of Jack Eversea deserved a little Christmas cheer.  On November 4th, I will be releasing a novella of Jack And Keri Ann's first Christmas together. The story, called My Star, My Love will be featured in a bundled duet I am releasing with fellow author Kate Roth. She wrote a fun and sexy book earlier this year featuring Evan Weston another Hollywood hottie, so we felt like it would be a lovely mix to put both hero's Christmas stories in the same release. Consequently, Mistletoe & Hollywood our November 4th release will feature My Star, My Love and Many Times, Many Ways. Here is the preorder link! Here are a few facts: a) Mistletoe & Hollywood will only be available for a short time over the Christmas/Holiday season (until January). Don't miss out. b) The bundled book may not be available in some territories due to rights issues. In these markets, both stories will still be available, just sold separately. c) Evan Weston is from the Desire Resort series by Kate Roth. This series is classified as steamy romance, or erotic romance. It is also witty and intelligent, can't-put-this-down fun! Here is the Amazon link. d) You can read the blurbs and exclusive excerpts at NATASHA TOMIC's BLOG: Natasha is a Book Junkie That's all for now. I can't wait to hear what you think about Jack and Keri Ann's first Christmas together. Best, Natasha June has been crazy! I finally put the words "The End" on my manuscript about Tom and Livvy. Oh my gosh, these two just pull my heart right out of my chest. How can two people go from 0 to 60 in sexual chemistry with a slow burn that will scorch you...? These two can, and hurt your heart at the same time. Gah. But while I've been busy working on that, the paperback versions of Eversea and Forever, Jack finally got released in the UK - the covers sure are different !
Anyway, I am excited to meet my UK readers at the Edinburgh event on July 5th! But before that I'm going to BOOK BASH! I am SO flipping excited. and even better, the talented RL Griffin is road tripping with me to help me out. In other news:Publisher's weekly will be announcing my Germany deal next week, so that's pretty cool. And generally, all is good. The first part of the year was a nightmare with school changes, and moving twice - I feel like the rest of 2014 will be spectacular.
Now that The Cottage is done, you know what I'm working on don't you? ... Jazz and Joey :)  What is it all about? Ten New Adult/Contemporary Romance authors have all agreed to drop the price of one of their novels to only 99cents! 3 days only! May 9th, 10th, and 11th. The goal is to get YOU ready for summer! Load up your eReader today...because these low prices will only last 3 days!!! The books:  #1: TORN by Eleanor Green "Be care how you look at me sweetheart, you're putting some wicked thoughts in my mind." When Katie Harrington becomes engaged to Branson Stone she believes her life is right on track for all her dreams to come true. However, flashes of a life she never lived haunt her—leading her to discover a past that has been purposely erased from her memory in order to protect her from horrible truths. The look on her fiancé's face as she retells everything she remembers will forever be etched in her mind. Instead of catching and comforting her, he lets her go. Retreating to the family’s cottage on the Outer Banks for the summer, Katie’s heart begins to heal. She succumbs to the allure of a dangerously handsome local, Aidan Romero. But as soon as Katie begins to let go and move on with Aidan . . . Branson finds her. Now Katie is torn between two lives—facing her painful past with Branson, or moving on with Aidan and keeping the secrets safely buried forever. Amazon US I Amazon UK  #2: COLLABORATION by Nevaeh Lee and Michelle Lynn"Now that little Southern Belle I just met...well, that's a totally different story. I could feel the innocence just pouring off that one, and damn if I didn't want to be the man to make a woman out of her." This is not your typical rock star romance. For one, the “rock star” is a rapper. And not just any rapper. Trace is the hottest ticket in the music industry right now, regardless of which definition of ‘hot’ you choose. Taryn Starr is not the girl-next-door who unknowingly meets a celebrity. Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” the reigning country music princess and world-renowned superstar knows exactly who Trace is…or does she? Their worlds collide when the musicians whose paths were never destined to cross are forced by their joint record label to collaborate on a song. The sparks fly and ignite a fire that blazes hotter with every minute they spend together—for better or worse. One thing’s for certain, the two media magnets can’t deny their explosive chemistry, but will life in the spotlight ultimately bring Trace and Taryn together or force them apart? Amazon US IAmazon UK  #3: EVERSEA by Natasha Boyd"It’s amazing,” he repeated, “that you seem to have no idea how fucking beautiful you are.” When his co-star and real-life girlfriend is caught cheating on him by the tabloids, A-list hottie, Jack Eversea, finds himself in sleepy Butler Cove, South Carolina. Jack hopes the sultry southern heat in this tiny coastal Lowcountry town will hide him not only from the tabloids and his cheating girlfriend, but his increasingly vapid life and the people who run it. He doesn’t count on meeting Keri Ann Butler. Keri Ann has relied on herself so long, dealing with her family’s death and the responsibilities of keeping up her family's historic mansion, that boys and certainly the meager offering of eligible boys in Butler Cove, have never figured into her equation. But fate has other plans. Suddenly face to face with the man who played the movie role of her favorite fictional character, Jack has Keri Ann yearning for everything she has previously avoided ... and Jack must decide whether this funny, sassy girl is worth changing his life for, before his mistakes catch up to him. Amazon US I Amazon UK  #4: HE BELONGS WITH ME by Sarah Darlington"I like you. I more than like you. As hard as I try, I can't seem to stop and I sure as hell don't want to try anymore." Two girls. One Leo. Identical twins, Maggie and Clara Ryder, both grew up with Leo Maddox, billionaire playboy, apparent alcoholic, and heir to his grandfather's world-famous Maddox hotel empire. Their roles were cemented long ago: Maggie, as his best friend and Clara as his childhood nemesis. But when a simple twist of fate changes everything and both girls start to fall for the lean, mean, ridiculously sexy and seemingly spoiled Leo... which girl will win his heart? Throw in a little mischief, drama, and one smoking-hot bartender and lines are sure to blur. But one thing's for certain, neither good-girl Maggie nor rebellious Clara will be satisfied until they each figure out where they belong. Amazon US I Amazon UK  "Rumor Has It is quite possibly one of the best New Adult debuts I’ve read–ever. I loved every hip-hop minute of it and can’t wait to read the rest of the series! I devoured it, from laugh out loud funny moments to hot Mason scenes, I was begging for more by the time I finished reading.”–Rachel Van Dyken, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author All publicity is good publicity, right? Unless you’re recent college grad Ellie Wagner and an embarrassing video of you and your boyfriend goes viral. Every man in your life abandons you, but who knew a one-minute clip of your latest doomed relationship would brand you a slut, prevent you from getting your perfect job, and force you to keep doing the one thing you swore you’d never do again…live with your mother. But staying with mom and her latest boy-toy (is this husband number four or five?) until your life turns around might not be all bad. Especially when you fall – literally – at the feet of a sexy, green-eyed stranger who offers you freedom and a life of luxury on a gold-rimmed platter. There’s only one little problem – the man of your dreams is none other than Mason Nash, the latest hip-hop star busting up the music charts. Fame and fortune are his calling cards and he’s vying to steal the show on a new reality TV series that will catapult him into mainstream stardom. Hello spotlight. The man behind the famous persona is perfect for Ellie in every way, but can she overcome the ugly pitfalls that come with Mason's celebrity status? Or will she be forced to choose between the man she loves and the independent life she longs for? After all, fame and fortune aren’t always what they seem and not all publicity is good publicity… Amazon US I Amazon UK  "Everything was spinning around me and I-I was spinning too, delirious with want. Like a woman drowning in the middle of a stormy sea, in desperate need of a life raft. That sea was Adam Drake and he was pulling me adrift, stranding me in some strange and forgotten land." Achievement Unlocked: Geek Virgin When Mia Strong, proud geek-girl and popular gaming blogger, auctions off her virginity online, she knows she'll make waves. But what she will not be making is a love connection. Her rules are set in stone: One night. No further contact. It's a desperate step, but it's the only way she can go to medical school and pay her mother's mounting hospital bills. Difficulty Level: Millionaire CEO Adam Drake, the enigmatic auction winner, is a software prodigy who made his first million at seventeen. Now, in his mid-twenties, he's sexy, driven and--as CEO of his own gaming company--he's used to making the rules. Before Mia knows what's happening, he's found the loophole in the rules of her auction. Every stipulation she's made to protect her heart gets tossed by the wayside. She can't tell if he's playing her...or if he's playing for keeps. Amazon US I Amazon UK  "Before you, I just existed. I didn't really live. I didn't really feel. I was going through the motions. And then I met you..." I stroked his face and gazed up at him. "And you brought me back to life." Sahara Lee has spent the last ten years living with the guilt of a tragic accident and its aftermath. That night irrevocably changed the outgoing, fun-loving college freshman into an introverted, workaholic with no social life. Sahara isolates herself from everyone and everything that reminds her of home in an effort to forget what happened. Using art as a substitute for love, Sahara throws herself into music and art as a way to feel something other than the guilt that haunts her. She accepts her lonely existence as penance for the role she played in the accident. That is, until she meets Tyree Barker, the good looking entrepreneur with baggage of his own. Blindsided by a legal loophole, Sahara is suddenly forced to confront the past she’s been running from. Juggling the guilty feelings of her past and the unexpected feelings of her present, Sahara’s future becomes complicated as she heads down a path of forgiveness, love, and heartbreak…and not in that particular order. Back to Life reminds you that living and existing are two completely different ways to go through life. Grief will break you but guilt, guilt will destroy you. And once that happens, what can bring you back to life? Amazon US I Amazon UK  "She was like quick-sand--the more I struggled to get out, the more I sank. So I'd decided to give up and embrace the sink down." On her first day of college, Emily meets a walking, talking god. With a gorgeous face, killer blue eyes, and a body to die for, it's easy to see why Thomas Paige is the envy of every guy at Potomac Ridge University and why every girl within a fifty mile radius wants to get a piece of him. Sounds great, right? Well, it would be if Emily didn't think he was such an ass. Since she's not interested in becoming another notch on his bedpost, she tells him to shove it, and convinces herself that her novel use of the word "no" is what's got him hounding her all over campus. But there are two sides to every story, and Thomas is determined to make Emily hear his. Even if it does sound crazy and impossible. Amazon US I Amazon UK  “I won’t give up. If you’re not going to fight for this…I’ll do it for the both of us.” Sadie Miller is attempting to change her ways and hide somewhere no one knows her former self. She only wants to finish her final year of college, obtain her degree, and get out from the hold of her affluent parents. Then she meets Brady Carsen, the lead singer of The Invisibles, a popular local band in the college town. She tries to stay away but quickly realizes that, although he might not be what she’s used to, he’s exactly what she needs and more importantly, everything she could possibly want. Unfortunately, Sadie’s troubled past left her with insecurities that make her question Brady’s true intentions. And while Brady is convinced that Sadie is the one for him, he has his own secrets that he fears will be their undoing. If they want to be together, they will have to stand united and fight the outside influences that are threatening to tear them apart. Can they put their pasts behind them for good in order to secure their future? Amazon US I Amazon UK  “I’ve been waiting for you,” he whispers. “I never asked you to,” I say with little conviction. “And yet, here I am.” I slowly turn myself into him and bury my face in his chest. Even through his coat I can smell that familiar pine and masculine scent. The story of Kate, Kyle and Reed continues in this second novel of The Perfect Series. Kate (Katherine) Monroe is finally coming to heads with the decisions she’s made in the past to keep herself distracted at any cost. Learning to move on and forward with the conflicts in her life is harder than she expects though. With Kyle continuing to attempt reconciliation and Kate’s mom back at home, avoiding and running are no longer an option. All along Kate’s mind and heart are consumed with Reed, but she fights to push her feelings and desires to the side. Despite the obvious pull and connection she has with Reed she finds it difficult to let him in… and trust in herself. However, Reed’s perseverance and patience never wavers and eventually he uses the one thing that had always brought them together… tennis. As Reed and Kate begin to embark on a new relationship they face the past and the present head on. Along the way, new challenges and emotions arise testing the direction of their future together. Can Kate forgive herself and trust Reed in order to latch onto the one emotion she needs most… love? Amazon US I Amazon UK Wow, it's been over two months since I last posted! Turns out, I've had a bunch of posts in my drafts folder that I never posted. So Happy Valentine's Day and various other greetings!
I've been busy working on my current work in progress which is not only about getting words on a page, but also about spending time with the characters in my head and getting to know what makes them tick and what their motivations are. For me, it is such an important part of my process because I need to know that they'll react true to character as the plot unfolds. For a long time, I had the current project and story in my head and scenes would come here and there, but there was this dark looming specter in the story that I couldn't quite pin down. It was like Livvy and Tom were behind glass pointing over my shoulder and gesticulating wildly, and I couldn't hear what they were saying or see what they were showing me. Gosh, these two are amazing. Livvy is so broken and lost and misunderstood. Tom is carrying around so much guilt he's pretty much checked out of life. But I think (I KNOW) they can save eachother! Anyway - I just posted the synopsis (Under Projects: The Cottage. Whew! scary putting it out there. XOXOX |
