Category Archive

Street team

So you want to join the RAGE Street Team….

Friends! It’s been so long!

It’s been a crazy last two years for me. Publishing ROAR was the fulfillment of a long-time dream for me. I’ve been a published romance author since 2012, but in many ways that was a happy accident. I had never actually written a contemporary romance until I wrote the one that blew up and gave me the beautiful career I have today (Thanks Bliss and Garrick, oh and Angry cat Hamlet)! Prior to that, all my unpublished writing had been fantasy or paranormal or supernatural in some way. That was my first writing dream– to write  complex worlds and plots of magic and intrigue with unexpected twists and reveals (and kissing, ALWAYS KISSING). Writing and publishing ROAR was such an exhilarating and exciting journey, but if you’ve kept up with me online, you might know that around the same time that dream came true, other parts of my life started to fall apart. I had been having a variety of unexplained health issues for years, but around the time I was working on edits for ROAR, I saw a dramatic increase in the intensity of those problems. It was not until a few months after the release of the book that I found the root of those issues when I was diagnosed epilepsy in October 2017. What followed was a hectic, scary, and grueling year + of experimenting with medications (most of which did not work or made things worse), and during that time my mind was so fragmented from seizures and fogged by medication, that not only could I not write, I could barely even understand the world I had created and the words that I had already written.

I felt like I had lost myself. And I was not sure I would ever find the old me again.

After a brief hospitalization, lots of doctor’s visits, a full pharmacy of meds, ongoing therapy, and a tremendous amount of support from my family, friends, and my publishing team, I’m clawing my way back, not to the old me, but to someone stronger, who has walked through that storm and made it out the other side.

RAGE was a product of that process. It’s a book about a fighter, dealing with a changed world in the best ways she knows how. It’s about surviving and learning to thrive in a life that looks different than what you had imagined for yourself. It’s about hope and love and companionship blooming in even the darkest of situations.

I am excited (and nervous) to share this book with the world. But before it is released wide on August 27th, there will be opportunities for some readers (especially booksellers, librarians, bloggers, bookstagrammers, booktubers, etc) to read the book early as an Advanced Reader Copy (aka ARC). The e-arc is available to request now on Netgalley, in fact.

But if you loved ROAR…

Like… loved it so much that you’re dying a little inside waiting for RAGE…

I have an opportunity you might be interested in!

JOIN THE RAGE STREET TEAM!

 

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

All Aurora Pavan ever wanted was a choice, to control her own life. Now she’s got more choices than she can handle.

Princess or adventurer.
Duty or freedom.
Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.

If she knows anything, it’s that choices have consequences— like the storm now tangled with her heart, the alarming disappearance of her mother and friend, and the fall of her kingdom to the Locke family. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan. She puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion, but the Lockes aren’t the only sinister thing plaguing Pavan. The Rage season is at it’s peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. But these storms seem… different than any she’s ever encountered. They churn with a darkness that frightens her, and attack with a will like she’s never seen.

This feels like more than Rage.
It feels like war.

Pre-order Rage through your local bookstore or at these online retailers:

WHAT IS A STREET TEAM?

For me? A street team is like my book’s family. A street team helps promote a book both before and after release. Often, this is done is small ways like:

  • Adding  or recommending the book on Goodreads
  • Requesting your local library order the book
  • Sharing your love and excitement on social media and with friends and family
  • Pre-ordering the book if you are able from your local bookstore or from any online retailer of your choice

Most of these things can be done by anyone, of course. And trust me, any author will GREATLY appreciate your doing them. But by organizing a street team, readers can often join together with the author and publisher and do even more to help a book. They can participate in marketing plans like excerpt reveals, interviews, Instagram challenges, Twitter chats, and more. They can get creative and be inspired by the book. My past street teams have even organized cool marketing ideas of their own (because they’re fabulous). We hope that the team will be a place that book lovers can use their creativity and skills and excitement to support RAGE and also have a lot of fun!

WHAT DO YOU GET IN RETURN?

As a former book blogger, I know that your time is valuable, and you have a great many choices on how to spend your free hours. Being on a street team IS a time commitment. But I hope several things will make that commitment worth it. First, I try as hard as I can to make my street teams a community. I started my first street team back in early 2014, and I am still in close contact with many members, and I am blessed to count many of them as good friends. We’ll spend a lot of time talking about RAGE, but we’ll also talk about other books we love. We’ll talk about life, and we’ll lean on each other, and I hope you will make many new friends. As a member of the team, you’ll get exclusive sneak peeks at RAGE (and even book three as I work). You’ll also learn behind the scenes info and fun facts that no one else knows, read deleted scenes, have access to private team giveaways and chats with me, and you’ll get first dibs on ARCS*.

*Depending on the size of the team, it may not be possible to guarantee every member a print or e-ARC, but being a Street Team Member definitely gives you the best chance at reading the book early. We will also do our best to organize the team so that those who participate and put in their time are rewarded.

HOW DO I APPLY?

This is the simple part. In previous years, if you applied to my team, you might remember it as a bit of a bloodbath. We typically had hundreds of applications and had to cut it down significantly. The largest team we ever had was 50 people, and even that was BRUTAL to narrow down. The good news is… we are choosing a SIGNIFICANTLY larger team this year. This means we’ll have to adjust some things, and we will be changing up some aspects of our format. For example, we’ll be using a newsletter as our primary form of communication this year, as opposed to the private Facebook group we used in years past (don’t worry, we’ll keep the FB group as a hangout). To that end, this year’s application is a little less intense. But we still want to get to know you, so we have some questions we would like you to answer. You just need to fill out the form below.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MAY 5TH.

Seriously. May 5th. That’s the end date. So tell everyone you know who might be interested.  

APPLY NOW. *

*Applications do not guarantee acceptance onto the team. But as I mentioned, we’re trying to open up and involve more people this year, so the odds are definitely MUCH MORE in your favor. 🙂 And as always, I try to choose my teams with an eye to harmony and passion and a balance of skillsets and interests. I’m not looking at your follower count as the bottom line.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Street Team, I will be chatting Live on Instagram this Sunday at 6pm CDT (7pm EDT) with a longtime member of my street team and my good friend, Megan from Novel Grounds. We’ll talk about past street teams, what will be different this time, and because Megan is one of the lucky few who has already read RAGE, you can bet we’ll be talking about that! So make sure you are following me on Instagram (@CoraCarmack) and come hang out on Sunday! I made sure it did not interfere with Game of Thrones. Haha.

And now for the FIRST EVER RAGE ARC GIVEAWAY!!!!

This giveaway is open internationally, and also closes on MAY 5TH, just like the street team applications. There are multiple ways to enter, and you can enter once a day for several of them. Also, have a picture of the pretties.

So I hope you get lucky! Click here to enter.* 

*Puppy Sherlock not included in giveaway.

 

Thanks for reading! And I cannot wait for you all to dive back into the Stormheart Universe with me!

With all my Awkward <3,

Cora

 

P.S. For those awaiting news on other books, I’m sorry I don’t have any specifics on that front. As I mentioned at the beginning, I got very far behind on both book things and life during my health struggles over the last few years. I am improving, but during all that time, my to-do list kept piling up. I’m chipping away and hopeful I’ll have news later this year, but this is definitely a race that will need to be slow and steady in order to maintain the progress I’ve made. As always, I appreciate your patience.

The One with MY TEAM!! OMG!!!

So, first, let me start by saying how completely EXCITED I AM about this. Writing (and then promoting) can be such a lonely job. The idea of having a team to talk about and support my book is kind of the most awesome thing EVER. I’m so glad my publisher decided to do this.

Then there was the fact that over 250 people turned in applications in only a matter of days. Guys, for real, you made me feel so overwhelmed with love and support. And not gonna lie… you made this awkward girl feel pretty cool.
Anyway, back to the street team! After basking for a while in all the awesome, my heart started to sink. Because not only were there so many of you, but I adored you all! And my publisher’s limit for the street team was 25 people. TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE OUT OF OVER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY.
I was going through and making notes, and I literally had HUNDREDS of entries marked as maybes. Because every time I tried to cross someone off the list, it was too hard!
Because so many of you, I recognize from talking online, or meeting at events, or I read your awesome blogs, and it was just too hard. TOO HARD, I TELL YOU.
So, I brought in the professionals (aka my publicity team) and had them start narrowing it down. Because it probably would have taken me months to decide (if ever). And though it was difficult, they got the team down to twenty-five (miracle workers, I tell you).
Before I reveal the final twenty-five chosen, I want you guys to know that if you weren’t chosen, it doesn’t mean that my publisher (or me) doesn’t think you’re amazing. We’re so appreciative of your support, and we always, always want you to have the chance to be involved. If you’re a blogger and you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to sign up for the InkSlinger PR mailing list. That’s the absolute best way to make sure you get in on my cover reveals and other events, if you’re interested.
The aim of this wasn’t just to go through and choose the biggest and most popular blogs. The aim was to create a team with various strengths and skill sets. So, though online followings were a big consideration, things like location and specialties and enthusiasm also played a big part.
So, without further delay…
(Okay… maybe a little more delay because I just have to say one more time that I wish we could have had you all. We will most likely start fresh with a new team for each book in the series, so it definitely won’t be your last chance to get involved.)
Okay, but for real now, I present to you the RUSK UNIVERSITY STREET TEAM!
Alana Rock
Amber Noffke
Amoolya Parichuri
Andy Estrada
Anabel Jimenez
Betsy Gehring
Christine from I*Heart*BigBooks
Danielle Finnegan
Elizabeth Lattanzi
Emily Key
Ethan Gregory
Jen Strand
Kaitlan Heaton
Katelyn Torrey
Kim Baker
Krista Davis
Lucy Tonkin
Maggie Hall
Megan Gallt
Momo Xiong
Sara Butler
Stephanie Charlefour
Stephanie Gibson
Yesi Cavasos
Yvette Cervera
If you made the team, I’ll be in touch within the next couple days to get things rolling. SO SO excited!

THANK YOU so much to everyone who applied. Please know you have my love and adoration. And though I wasn’t allowed to keep you all (*SOB*), I can give you all something for your willingness to support me and my work. Here’s a little snippet of ALL LINED UP in thanks! It’s in Dallas’s POV toward the beginning of the book. And her friend Stella is dragging her to her first Frat party. (Oh, college).

For one glorious month, I had entertained visions and fantasies of what college would be like. Rusk wasn’t my ideal school, far from it, but it was something. I could finally make my own decisions and not have to worry about them migrating to the coach’s office before lunchtime. I had ached for high school graduation day like there was a knife in my gut, and I couldn’t pull it out until May. Then my dad was offered the open position here at Rusk, and I feel like I’m still gasping for breath around that knife.
Maybe we aren’t in high school anymore. But it’s the same damn misery with a different name.
Unless I do something about it.
But it’s easier to be miserable, so I shake off Stella’s grasp. “All it takes is one person to say something to someone, who tells some else, who mentions it at church or practice or anywhere, and I’m dead. Stick a fork in me and dip me in hot lava. Dead.”
“God, you’re so overdramatic. Sooner or later, you’ve got to stop being scared of your dad. If you don’t, you’re going to graduate college a virgin with half a dozen cats, some dumb-ass degree he wants that you couldn’t care less about, and only professors and academic journals for friends.”
I wince, because she’s right about almostall of it. She would be furious if she knew I wasn’t a virgin and didn’t tell her. I’d always meant to, but it isn’t exactly my proudest memory, and the longer I’d put it off, the easier it had become to pretend that it wasn’t a thing. I refuse to let it be a thing. Instead, I roll my eyes and say, “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Hey, I’m just being the voice of reason here.”
“More like the devil on my shoulder.”
“I accept that role.” Stella cackles and nudges her elbow in my side like she’s just said the funniest joke ever. And in spite of myself, I crack a smile.
I stare up at the Delta Sigma house. All the frat houses on campus are old colonial-style mansions with creeping ivy and pearly white columns. They look so presentable…probably in an effort to hide the absolute debauchery that happens inside.
God, I just thought the word debauchery. Stella’s right. I am going to end up a lame cat lady, probably yelling at people from my front porch and waving my cane around like a madwoman.
It just isn’t fair.
College is supposed to be a time to break free, to start fresh. You would think being the football coach’s daughter would be a benefit. I know more about the sport than half the guys at our school, knowledge that should make it easy to land a date.
If they weren’t all petrified of my father.

Love you guys! Thanks for being so awesome!

 

The One Where You Can Join My Team!

As we near the launch of my new Rusk University series and the release of All Lined Up on May 13th, I’ve been thinking a lot about introducing these new characters and this new world to my awesome readers. Such a huge part of the series is the football team as a whole. Sure, they play football and all that, but there’s also a lot going on with them behind the scenes. Dating drama, scandal drama, competitive drama. ALL KINDS OF DRAMA.

Teamwork is such a huge part of the story, and so much of publishing is about teamwork too. I have people behind me like my editor, agent, and publicists. More than that though, I have you guys. You’re the driving force behind everything that happens with my books, and none of it would be possible without you.
So, I thought it was time to make that team official.
CALLING ALL READERS, BLOGGERS, AND JUST GENERALLY AWESOME PEOPLE!
I want YOU on the Rusk University Street Team! Yes, You!
What is a Street Team? (Great question!)
A street team is the ultimate set of super readers. I’m looking for people who’ve read all my books, and love my characters, and are eager for my next fictional journey! A street team helps spread the word about an authors books– online, in person, and IN SPACE. (Okay… maybe not in space, but you get the idea.) In exchange for all that support, you basically become my people. You get all the inside info, special stuff, and tacklehugs and tequila if I ever meet you in person (The tequila is optional. The tacklehug is not.)
Interested? Here’s some more details.

Here’s what’s in for you:

  • Exclusive giveaways ONLY for street team members. ARCs, Swag, Signed copies, and other special stuff. Your odds of winning are MUCH better than when competing with the masses.
  • Exclusive content and news. When a new book is releasing or I’m writing a new project, you guys will be the first to hear about it! You’ll also be the first people I torture tease with excerpts!
  • Swag for you! Swag for your friends! Swag for strangers you bombard on the street! You shall be the swag queens (or kings… I’m looking at you, rare and exotic male fan).
  • Every active street team member’s name will appear in the acknowledgments of my books. Show all your friends how important and beloved you are!
  • Membership in the exclusive Street team facebook group! Here you can chat with other fans, brainstorm promotional ideas, and hang out with me! I’ll pop in for exclusive street team chats and hang outs. Not to mention I might pick your brain about books and characters you’d like to see. 😉
  • One extra lucky Street Team member will get to join me as my assistant at an upcoming signing after the release of the book! I’ll take care of your flight and hotel, and we’ll just hang out, meet book people, bask in our awkward goodness.
As a street team member, there’s lots of things you can do to help my books succeed. You don’t have to do all of these, but these are some ways that the team can show their support.

In person you can…

  • Talk the books up and share promo material with friends, family, co-workers, and bookclubs. You can even drop off promo materials at bookstores, libraries, coffee shops, etc. 
  • Buy my books the first week of release, which helps it get more visibility, thereby selling more books
  • Ask your local library to order my books. Give the librarians the title, name and publisher of each book. In the same vein, ask your local bookstore to stock my books if they don’t already. 

Online you can…

  • Share your (honest) review/rating of the book via Amazon, iBooks, BN.com, and Goodreads. I can’t even begin to express how big a deal this is in terms of discoverability for new books. 
  • Share interviews, reviews, cover reveals, and other promotional events across your social media and online platforms (Blogs, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc)
  • Spread the word about my books to your online friends and followers. 
  • “Like” my books and me on Amazon.com & BN.com
  • Like, Retweet, and Share whenever/whatever you can!
  • Recommend the books on Goodreads and elsewhere. As readers, you wield so much influence. And every little bit helps! 
Many of you already do so much of this already, for which I am IMMENSELY grateful. These little things really do go a long way to helping a book succeed! You guys are THE BEST.
So if you love my books and are looking forward to All Lined Up (check out the goodreads page here), I’d love to have you on the team! If you want an idea of what the book will be like, you can read an excerpt here!
To apply to be on the team, fill out the information below. Because team members will receive goodies and extras, there’s a limited number of spots available. So, make your applications count! We’re looking for the most excited fans who are eager to help out!

The DEADLINE is 6PM ET on THURSDAY, MARCH 6TH!

We’ll be announcing the final team sometime the next day on FRIDAY, MARCH 7TH!
Fill out the information below, and I CANNOT wait to meet you guys and have some of you join to Rusk Team!

*Application window is now closed*

STAY TUNED FOR THE STREET TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT!