****Giveaway Time!****

Hi my Peeps!

Thank you for liking my post on Facebook and coming here to get two more points!** I would have done this on FB, but apparently they don't like us asking you all to share something on your personal timelines...Silly! Any-Hoo. Follow the instructions below to earn yourself 2 more points for a total of 3 points (1 pt. for liking the post on FB and 2 pts. for sharing this picture)!

• To earn 2 more point share the picture below to your Facebook page using the hashtags #UnexpectedlyOutofFocus #eBookDeal and tag me (Facebook.com/authormelissaaragon)

**If you came here through other means, go to my Facebook page (click the little icon to the right or use the link above) and like my post of this picture for 1 pt. then follow the instructions above for 2 more points!

Good Luck!

~Melissa :)

Book Anniversary Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered and shared my giveaway celebrating Unexpectedly Out of Focus 1st year of success! :)

And to the following Winners:


4 Signed Copies of Unexpectedly Out of Focus:

Veronica Sianez

Susie Madrueno

Melissa Sanchez

Maira Torres





4 $5 Amazon Gift Cards:

Cheryl Ritter

Janny Garcia

Lisa Rubio

Alex Espinoza





4 $5 Starbucks Gift Cards (for my Twitter followers):

Maria Barquero (@mariasbookblog)

Lupita Saavedra (@lupita4321)

Lori Garside (@garsidesbookbet)

Yvonne Salazar (@yvonne92514321)

Happy Book Anniversary To Me - A Thank You Letter

To my readers/fans:

Today is so beyond special for me, at exactly 4:53 pm on 12/31/2012 history was made. Maybe not a significant piece of history-making in the grand scheme of things, but here in my small part of the world it was/is!

Okay, I will try to keep the sappy to a minimum, but I make no guarantees... :)

One year ago today I took the brave step to believe in myself and put my story out into the world to be loved or hated. And I have been overwhelmed by the positive reception of Unexpectedly Out of Focus. Hearing or reading that every reader has loved Mary's story so much they couldn't put the book down until they finished puts a smile on my face that leaves my cheeks so sore! Even now while typing this I can't help smiling! I was so worried that my book would be too taboo for readers and that it would be a major fail, but I couldn't have been more wrong. So, maybe before I say thank you I should say Sorry for underestimating you guys! You all rock!

And now for the thanking...

Thank you for making this year so unforgettable and for making my future look a little brighter! I know one day, hopefully very soon, I will have the option to make writing my full-time career and that's because of you guys--my peeps! :D I hope I can continue to entertain you with every new story I write! From the bottom of my heart thank you, thank you, thank you for your continued support, I truly cannot say it enough!

I do want to say a very special thank you to Kathy at Romantic Reading Escapes for writing the best review and my first review by a blogger! You understood the story in a way that made me feel a kindred connection with you and although we haven't yet met, I consider you a friend! Thank you for your support, I know I owe some of my success to you for that amazing review :)

Another Special thank you goes to my cheerleaders that have been with me from the beginning: My family and close friends (you know who you are!) and especially my Hubby! You guys pushed me to do this, you encouraged me every step of the way and you tell everyone you can to read my book. I couldn't pay for such amazing advertising that I get from you guys. Because of you my book has reached so many readers, thank you!!! I love you guys!! <3 p="">
Okay, now it's time to PARTY! Woo-Hoo! ;) I have to go do my hair and get all dolled up to ring in the new year with my wonderful Hubby! A year I'm excited to start with the release of the sequel to Unexpectedly Out of Focus and a new story that I just know you're going to Love! :)

Please, don't be strangers, find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or here! I promise to always respond, hopefully it will be that same day, but as you can imagine my days can be busy so don't fret because I will respond eventually :)

Still priced down for a limited time!

Don't forget you can still get Unexpectedly Out of Focus for just 99 pennies!

Available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobobooks.com, iBookstore, Smashwords.com and ebookstore.sony.com

Temporary Price Drop!

Hi All, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month I have decided to temporarily drop Unexpectedly Out of Focus' price to .99 pennies! The price change is effective immediately at Smashwords.com and will update at all other major e-book retailers (Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobobooks.com, iBookstore,  ebookstore.sony.com) within the next few days. :)

 

Buy Pink, donate what you can and remember early detection saves lives so check often!

It's Giveaway Time!

Three lucky peeps can win a free e-copy of my book Unexpectedly Out of Focus by entering below!

What happens when a sexy Casanova-type is partnered up with a beautiful woman who is lonely and neglected by her workaholic husband? Do sparks fly? Are steamy, intimate moments shared and vows broken? Or does she resist his charms and remain a faithful wife?

At the young age of 21 Mary met Alex, the strait-laced-boy-next-door guy who offered her the safe life she desperately needed. Impetuously they got married and seven years later they still seem to be happily married. Or are they?

With Alex working hard to make junior partner Mary's left alone and neglected and suddenly the safe side of the road is turning out to be very lonely.

Enter Bryce, the new sexy British photographer Mary's boss just hired to be her new partner. He's a smooth-talking Adonis who has his sexy, grey eyes set on her and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Teamed with her two best friends by her side, Sarah, her rock, and Jane, her voice of reason, Mary faces some of the tough challenges of life and love.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Want to share the love? Paste this link on your blog to let your followers enter to win :)
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjNmMTRiMWExOGZhYjIxOGEzYWMyNWRmNjAzYjQ1OjA=/




***Side note: This is my first time using rafflecopter so hopefully all goes well ;)***

What's the happenstance?

Something really great and unexpected happened to me about a week ago and I thought it would be great to share a little bit with you all since it has put a slight halt to my writing.

I was asked to give an impromptu sales pitch and the person I was pitching to was immediately intrigued. I don't want to name any names or give any specific details away just yet as nothing has been finalized, but the gist is that this someone has excitedly offered to help me take my books to a higher level of recognition!

Now I am a firm believer in moments of fate/kismet/destiny (whichever term you prefer) and that such moments are orchestrated by the hand of God. I read every where that people are placed in our paths for a certain purpose and sometimes, where business is concerned, a person or persons are placed there to help us advance. Well I feel like that's exactly what happened here.

So, why has my writing been on hold? Well, I wanted to go back in and correct all edits in Unexpectedly Out of Focus so that what I present to this person is professional and worthy of this opportunity. I will update the book at all retailers (Amazon, B&N, Kobo Books, iStore, Sony and Smashwords) along with the new and better cover.

I am humbled and ecstatic that without even reading Unexpectedly Out of Focus this person has offered me this amazing opportunity!

***

If you've read my About Me page then you know that I save all fortunes that I get and this is the one I got the day after talking with this person:

Wild, right?! 

I thought this was pretty cool and it really felt like a divine sign of confirmation 

( I'm a total believer in signs ;) )

***

While I have your attention, I'd like to take a moment to say Thank you again to every one of you who has read my book and is eagerly awaiting the release of the second installment.

Because of your interest, excitement and support I am able to fulfill a dream of mine I never really thought was possible. It truly is a blessing :)

I have more announcements regarding the second book that I will post very soon!

Creating a brand...

Everywhere I look (blogs, twitter, goodreads, etc) I see someone is talking about creating their brand or its a post about tips on creating a brand and it made me realize just how behind I am on this! Eek!

Like some new indie authors I've read about I was waiting for my popularity to pick up. I didn't want to come on the scene with some sense of entitlement unearned, but that's wrong. If I hope to be seen as a serious author I have to first present myself as such. I have to come onto the scene as if I'm already established, a force to be reckoned with! Okay, maybe that last part is a little much, but you get the idea. :)

Of everything I've taken away from these posts is that branding is everything must be consistent and easily traced back to me. If my books are sitting on a shelf, electronic or otherwise, the idea is that with just one glance any reader would recognize that as a book by Melissa Aragon.

So, basically what I'm doing now is lots of research and finding out what's effective and what I've been doing wrong. I've decided to re-do my book cover for Unexpectedly Out of Focus (again!) and have already started on the second book's cover as well. I've chosen book covers with the same models and have decided to change the color scheme from sepia tone to a gray scale.

All in all I'm very satisfied and excited about this new direction I'm going in and the changes I've started. I hope to continue to build a successful brand and make my mark in the literary world :)

Free week promo!

I meant to post this yesterday, but got distracted by food, breakfast at this perfect hole-in-the-wall restaurant to be more specific. :) You'd be certifiably crazy to pass up an offer to go there!

Any-hoo, in honor of my new book cover I am offering Unexpectedly Out of Focus for free using coupon code JE55X at smashwords for one week (2/17-2/23). Enter this code before checkout then download the book in any format, then sit back and enjoy a good read ;)

Directions on how to download at smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#kindle

**Don't forget to turn off the adult filter at the top of the screen otherwise you won't be able to find my book

Finally on B&N!

Unexpectedly Out of Focus is officially on B&N! Woo-hoo! If you're a Nook owner or know of someone who is please go out and buy it or spread the good news :)

Team Alex or Team Bryce?

So as I'm getting responses back from my readers I always have to ask "Team Alex or Team Bryce"?

So far Alex is in the lead. (He takes a bow and shoots Bryce a smug smile)

I'm a little shocked to be honest. I thought for sure that although Bryce is the guy that moved in on some guy's woman without second thought for sure his passionate love for Mary would somehow redeem him. Maybe that was wishful thinking ;) It is fascinating and so much fun to read a reader's take on the story that is so different from my own!  I love when they start with "I feel..." I know with just those two words I've done my job as a writer!

Thank you Readers for loving Unexpectedly Out of Focus as much as you all have, I hope many more will be joining in on your sentiments! 

On Amazon!

Unexpectedly Out of Focus is officially on Amazon!

Dream Celebrity Cast

Follow the link to my Pinterest board of which celebrities I would choose to portray the characters in Unexpectedly Out of Focus...

It's Online!!!!

You can now purchase the book to start my novelist career ;) Haha! I'm ever the optimist!! There is one thing I should mention, the title changed. I just couldn't live with Unexpectedly-on-Purpose when it sounded so close to Accidentally-on-Purpose. It wasn't original and very lazy of me. So I wracked my brain until the perfect title jumped out at me: Unexpectedly Out of Focus. I so very hope everyone, especially those close to me, love it. I will do everything I can not to be so heartbroken when I receive my first, second, third and who know's how many more bad reviews, because inevitably I will get them. But I will do nothing to stop the happy jig I do when I get every good review ;) I'm on such a high right now I'm beaming, if I were a star I'd be the Northern star for sure!!

Finished and Ready to Publish!

I'm finally here. I've got the book cover exactly how I want it, I've got all my edits in and ready to be corrected. By tonight I'll be a published indie-author and I couldn't be more thrilled and utterly proud that I did it :) I have a tendency to pick up something with so much enthusiasm only to lose steam half way through so this is such a big deal for me! Word is already spreading about how great my book is thanks to my amazing beta reader Maira, friends and of course my ever supportive mom! Where would any author, especially an indie-author, be without amazing support? With that being said I'd like to take a moment to thank those that have tirelessly supported me.

Sam, my husband, you inspire me daily. You push me to be great and when I refuse to put a book down to write my own you push me off the couch and in front of the computer! :) I love you with all of my heart!

Mom, your excitement and confidence, even before you read a single word of my book has filled me with such confidence I can't ever thank you enough for that. A parent's support no matter how old we get is so very important and you never fail to give it, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Uncle Steve, you inspired me before I ever thought of writing this story. Your own writing is amazing so having your support and excitement means the world to me!

Eileithyiae, you are the best friend a girl could ask for. You always see the brighter side of everything and I definitely needed that sunny disposition on more than one occasion during this writing process. I love your reactions to every snippet that you get to read. It's because of your enthusiasm that I feel confident that you will not be the only person to react this way to Unexpectedly and other stories I've started. Thank you for being such a great friend and supporting me the whole way through.

Suzanne, Your intelligence and candor have helped me to not lose focus when creating this story. If I overly romanticized a character or situation you didn't hold back from telling me. Thank you for that!


 Maira, thank you for taking on the task of being my only beta reader! When you told me that you weren't much of a reader I knew you would be the only test I needed. I thought if I could win over a non-reader then my hard work would have been worth it. Thank you for your honest feedback and for spreading the word!

Sneak Peek #2

My eyes went wide and my throat closed up embarrassed by my thoughts; I couldn’t believe I was thinking that. “Are you alright?” he asked reaching out to me in concern. I must have looked like I was choking or freaking out. Spider or gum? Spider or gum?  I thought quickly trying to come up with a believable excuse when I blurted out, “I swallowed a spider!” What? I swallowed a spider? What the hell is wrong with me?! I thought giving myself a mental forehead slap. His eyebrows shot up, “You swallowed what?” “Um, I meant I swallowed my gum when I thought I saw a spider by your desk. Yep, mhm,” I said with a nervous chuckle fidgeting with my hair, something I always did when I was nervous. Now he probably thinks I’m a weirdo he’s stuck with showing him around the office.

Beta Reading Time...

I just printed my first copy of Unexpectedly and tomorrow it will be in the hands of my first beta :) She's warned me that her attention span is not the best so if a book isn't interesting there's no way she'll be able to finish it so this is a major test for me! I've given her and my other betas a week to read and give me their honest feedback. Then I'll give myself a week to make any necessary changes, which hopefully won't be too many (crossing fingers!). So, just in time for Christmas my book will be available for your reading pleasure or as a great gift for the bookworm in your life ;)

Sneak Peek #1

Sneak peek #1...

Suddenly his laughter stopped and I was pressed up against my car, the world around me spinning from being moved too quickly. I held onto his shoulders and closed my eyes while I focused on not throwing up all over him.

“What the hell Bryce?” I groaned barely above a whisper anything louder and I was sure I would vomit.

“Sorry,” he whispered placing his hands firmly on my hips to steady me. I swallowed hard when he pressed up against my chest to put my purse down on the hood of the car. “Are you okay?” he asked searching my eyes.

He asked if I was okay, but it felt more like he was asking if what we were doing was okay. Any thoughts or feeling of nausea was immediately forgotten. Pinned by the electrifying heat pulsating between our bodies I bobbed my head a fraction. I could feel the beats of my heart start to slowly drum through my veins and pick up in rhythm as I watched his eyes make their way down to my lips. Without thinking I licked them in preparation for a kiss. My breath caught when he squeezed down on my hips pushing me up against the car just a little more. His eyes traveled back up to mine asking for permission and again I bobbed my head a fraction unable to move or say anything more. The feel of his muscles move beneath my hands as he dipped down planting his lips tenderly over mine left me hypnotized.
 

Finally!

I'm finally there...well nearly there. I have two more paragraphs to go and then it's off to my betas! I'm incredibly anxious. Thankfully I don't have the bad habit of biting my nails or I'd have none to speak of!

Looking at the nearly finished product it's nothing like my initial outline and that I hope is for the better! I know I took a risk writing about something somewhat taboo, but when the story came to me I just could not let it go.

Now in honor of my near completion I've decided to release another little sneak peek this time something with a little more depth and insight into Mary's unexpected story. So read the Sneak Peeks post above and enjoy!

Technology or the hand of God?

I've had my work lost twice since writing Unexpectedly and I'm starting to wonder is it technology or the hand of God? Most likely it's just my really old laptop! I need a knight in shining Apple aluminum casing! :) Thankfully the only thing lost were recent updates so not all is lost, I'd be a crying mess if I lost everything. So now I have to go back and add in everything I can remember which isn't too much. My memory is terrible and what motivates me one day is not necessarily what motivates me the next day. Maybe this is where the hand of God comes in? Perhaps what I wrote previously wasn't really that great and what I will create today will be so much better...? Yeah, I think I'll go with that :) and then back up my work on as many flash drives as I can!