Make Waves is ON SALE NOW!

Today is the day! My 17th book is now on sale on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback formats! If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can also read it free with your subscription, just like you can most of my other books!

If this is the first you’ve heard of Make Waves, this full-length novel is a continuation of Max Scott’s story–so yes, that means there are books you should read before this one. Me, being the author of all my books, I’d tell you to read them all first, but the only true required ones are Love Like We Do (side a), Love Like We Do (side b), (It Happened) One Friday and In the Wake of Wanting.

Who is Max Scott? I have grown to love him as… yes… probably my favorite character. My most devout readers first met him in Contessa as a six-year-old, but they’ve seen him grow up, too. He came out in the Love Like We Do series, got his heart broken later and stood by his best friend, Trey Holland, on one of the worst nights of his life. He’s sarcastic and witty and the life of any party.

In this book, we see one of my most grounded characters rise to meet the impossible challenge–and then we’re with him as he loses his footing.

Make Waves is the first book in a duet.

Here’s another little teaser graphic for ya.

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Get your copy today!

All of my books are now exclusively on Kindle!

This means that if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read them ALL for free!

The Emi Lost & Found series? Free to read in KU, or buy the whole series for under $12.

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The Choisie series? Free to read in KU, or buy the whole series for under $16.

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All of the brothers’ books? Free to read in KU, or buy all five for under $17.

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And don’t forget about Number Seven and Hollandtown Extras! They’re in the program, too!

Find them all on Amazon!

You’re running out of time to read the Choisie series for free!

After October 27, the books in my Choisie series will no longer be in Kindle Select. That’s good news for iBooks and Nook readers because it means they will be back in those stores. If you’re a Kindle reader, though, you’ll no longer be able to read Contessa, Olivia, Dear Jon, and Livvy for free in Kindle Unlimited!

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So… if you’ve started the series in KU, bump them up on your TBR list and finish them now! And if you haven’t started them… well, you do have time to start and finish them. Yes, three of them are long reads, but they’re quick reads. I have faith in you. 😉 Happy reading!

Contessa (Choisie 1)
Olivia (Choisie 2)
Dear Jon (Choisie 3)
Livvy (Choisie 4)

Emi Lost and Found series sale

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My first series, the foundation for all of my stories, is $4.99 on Kindle for 72 hours. The bundled Emi Lost & Found series–consisting of Not Today But Someday, Lost and Found, Time Stands Still, and Never Look Back–is four dollars off from 9/17 8am PST to 9/20 8am PST. This is and will be the lowest price offered this year!! (This is also free on Kindle Unlimited for your lucky KU subscribers!)

For those of you who don’t know, this is Emi’s epic journey of friendship, loss, grief, trust, faith, and above all… LOVE. Most people would describe it as an ‘atypical love story.’ I do, too.

Anyway, here is a little snippet from Jack’s point of view, and the first time our three main characters share a scene together:

When I was in my fourth year in college, Emi entered our school as a freshman and came to one of our fraternity parties. Even then, her smile was what drew me to her, but her green eyes were what held me there, captive. Once I started talking to her, I couldn’t focus on anything else. She made me laugh with the animated way she recalled some of her first college experiences. She was very much my opposite, but at the time, she seemed to be exactly what I needed. To my black-and-white world, she wasn’t just gray, she was every color in between. Her free spirit made me feel more alive.

At first, after having one or two drinks, she was cute and flirtatious, and after talking to her one-on-one for an extended period of time, I was getting up the courage to ask her out. As the night wore on, though, and the alcohol took its effect on her, I lost my nerve and my chance when at least ten guys at the party had the same idea. Eventually, she had a swarm of lonely boys at her feet, bringing her beer, each hoping for a night that would end up with her in their dorm rooms. From my conversation with her, I didn’t think she was that type.

Chris, enjoying the party as much as the rest of our brothers, was naturally angry when I pointed out the crowd forming around Emi. He set out to defend her honor, slurring some threats to them, and eventually the guys backed away from his sister. Chris delivered a few choice words to her, as well, adding that she didn’t belong at his party. He called a friend of theirs and asked him to come pick her up. Chris was in no shape to keep an eye on her, though, so I made it a point to do just that.

She sat outside on a picnic table, her beautiful green eyes now glazed over, tired and red. Her elbows rested on her knees, hands steadying her head. Waiting for her ride to come, a few frustrated tears escaped from her eyes as she chewed hard and deliberately on a piece of gum. Two cups and a bottle of water in hand, I walked outside to join her, wanting to comfort her. I poured each of us a drink, handing a cup to her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, taking a sip.

“You’re welcome,” I answered politely. I sat down next to her and fought the urge to put my arm across her shoulders, not wanting it to seem like I was coming on to her. I tried to find words to put her at ease, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. In the end, we both just sat in silence, staring out into the dark night in front of us.

After a half hour or so of sitting on that table, waiting, I had accepted the fact that her friend wasn’t coming.

“Emi, can I take you back to your apartment?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to, but I’d like to.”

“He should be here by now,” she said.

“I really don’t mind.”

She sat quietly for a few more minutes before conceding. “Alright, I guess,” she said to me. I was happy to have the opportunity to see her home safely. I had no intention of “going back to her place,” but I was relieved in knowing that no one else would be going there, either.

Just as she tried to move off the table, she stumbled. I reached out to steady her, and she laughed, embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” I encouraged her, trying to help her up. Her face inches from mine, she quickly leaned into me and kissed me. It took me a second to realize what was happening, as she had caught me completely off guard. But as she sat on that table, vulnerable, beautiful, her soft kiss caused a whirlwind of feelings inside of me.

Of course, my hormones raged within at her touch, but it was so much more than that. I felt numb and incredibly aware of every sensation, all at the same time. My body was alive with energy, aching to burst free from the confines of my skin, yet I could not move an inch, wouldn’t move an inch away from her. Never before had I felt as if my life was missing anything, but in that moment, I felt whole.

I cradled her face in my hands. I brushed my lips against hers gently, teasing her, tentative, making sure that was what she wanted. When she pressed her mouth to mine again, I felt I had not misread her intentions.

I took in the moment with each of my senses. The lightly perfumed smell of her hair. The taste of her cinnamon gum. The warmth of her creamy skin. The music behind us, barely masking the noise of a revving car engine. The nearly translucent green color of her sad eyes… I had to open mine in an attempt to catch another glimpse. She was looking back at me with uncertainty, and we slowly moved away from one another, neither of us daring to speak.

As I helped her off the table, breathless, I noticed the addition of the dark convertible sports car parked at the curb in front of us. Without cutting the engine or the headlights, a tall, blonde, lanky kid stepped out of the car and stared directly at her. She stopped in her tracks and looked down at her feet, shrugging away from my loose grasp.

“Emi,” he said to her, concern escaping with a rush of air from his lungs. He stood at the curb and surveyed the situation, only glancing briefly at me as if to warn me to stay away.

“Hey,” she whimpered out unsteadily, ashamed, her eyes sparkling as she looked up to meet his gaze. She began to cry, and I couldn’t tell if it was frustration, embarrassment, or just the alcohol. The tears stirred him immediately into action. He walked briskly toward her. I could see in that moment that he cared for her deeply, and it seemed she felt the same way. Although there was noise and havoc all around as the party progressed behind us, his eyes were focused only on her, as if she were the only thing in the world to him. There was something between them, some unspoken thing, that made it obvious that he was the one who was meant to be with her, the one meant to go back to her place. Not these drunk guys. Certainly not me.

I backed away from her and watched as they embraced one another. She looked up at him, eyebrows raised, as if she were a child looking to him for acceptance, or punishment. His eyes looked down to meet hers, and just when I thought I’d witness a kiss that I really didn’t want to see, his lips barely brushed her forehead before his hand pulled her head into his chest. She sighed visibly, and he slowly guided her toward the car, her clumsy gait causing them both to trip. They laughed before he opened the door for her and helped her inside, buckled her seatbelt. He closed her door and leaned over it, staring into her needy eyes, brushing a few hairs out of her face. She put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled his face to hers, but instead of kissing her, he paused momentarily and slowly removed her hand, kissed her palm, and placed it in her lap.

He walked to his side of the car, and as Emi turned to wave goodbye, I caught the boy looking at me once again. He was no older than seventeen, still an awkward teenager. I met his gaze and held it. I imagined he was advising me to keep away from her. My stare was telling him to take good care of her. That was a battle I knew I couldn’t win.

Emi Lost & Found ©2011 Lori L. Otto

ALL Book Availability News

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Beginning this week, I will be removing all of my Emi Lost & Found series books and Crossroads from Nook and iBooks for a few months. They will only be joining my Choisie series and Number Seven, and will only be available in the Kindle store. This means that if you’re a Nook or iBooks reader, and you’re mid-series and haven’t bought the rest, this is the time to buy. Purchase links are here.

This also means that Not Today, But Someday will no longer be permanently free to all readers! It will go back to its former price of 99¢.

If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited, this means that the Emi Lost & Found Series and Crossroads will soon be available for you to read for free! Amazon Prime customers will also be able to select any book in the series as their KOLL book each month.

The good thing about Kindle is that they do offer a free e-reader app that works on any computer and nearly any handheld device, so they are very cross-platform. Although I, myself, don’t use a Kindle, I read 95% of my books on the Kindle app on my iPad.

Please spread the word to any of your Nook or iBooks friends!

Life as a full-time author: week one recap

So, this week has been a lot of fun!

In between job searches, I put in a lot of time writing in order to reach my 25,000-word-a-week goal. Did I make it? Of course I did, and with two days to spare! As of this very second, I’m sitting at 25,128 words. I wrote an additional chapter in Love Like We Do (side a) thanks to a suggestion from a pre-reader, and spent the rest of my time writing six and a half brand new chapters in Love Like We Do (side b). It’s all new material, and I’m really enjoying the process of getting to know Max and Callen. It’s one thing to see them from Trey and Jon’s points of view. It’s another thing entirely to be in their heads.

Is LLWD-sb shaping up like I expected it to? Ummm… I don’t think so. It’s definitely more challenging to write than I expected it to be, but I love the story. Because of the story, it’s taken me a little outside of my comfort zone a few times, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad idea. Sometimes we have to stretch as artists, so I’m just considering this a nice mental workout. I’ve sent the first six chapters off to my most trusted source to see what she thinks. My fingers are crossed that she can see the good in them, too. While I await her opinion, I’ll just carry on with the book because the process of writing is bringing me so much joy and self-satisfaction I can hardly contain myself. Is this what full-time authors get to feel all the time? Color me jealous.

This week, I was featured on Busy Beaver Button Co.’s blog! I’ve ordered a bunch of different buttons from them that I use as swag for my signings, so they decided to interview me a few weeks ago. I love this company and their products, so it was a thrill to get to be mentioned by them!

I’m still struggling with the marketing aspect, finding it difficult to promote what I feel like so many in my audience already knows. I think next week, I’ll look into finding a new audience to market to. Maybe explore publicity companies or services, I don’t know. I’m open to suggestions, but keep in mind I’m unemployed. 🙂 I also need to blog more. My goal is three times next week, and about interesting topics. (Wish me luck!)

In the meantime, I’ll remind all of you that my Choisie series is now exclusive to Kindle and paperback. This means Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the entire four-book Choisie series for free, including all the extras included with Contessa, Olivia and Livvy. Stay tuned for a special Contessa promo, too! Kindle Unlimited is a program that gives readers access to over 800,000 ebooks and thousands of audiobooks for $9.99 a month, but you can try it out for a month for free!

Also, the prequel to Emi Lost & Found called Not Today, But Someday is ALWAYS FREE and is currently available for Nook, iBooks and Kindle. Tell all of your reader-friends!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and if you’re in the path of the typhoon, please take shelter with a flashlight and a good book. Be safe!

Choisie Series book availability news!

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Beginning this week, I will be removing all of my Choisie series books from Nook and iBooks for a few months. They will only be available in the Kindle store. This means that if you’re a Nook or iBooks reader, and you’re mid-series and haven’t bought the rest, this is the time to buy. Purchase links are here.

If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited, this means that the Choisie Series will soon be available for you to read for free! Amazon Prime customers will also be able to select any book in the series as their KOLL book each month.

For now, this is a test run to see how sales do. As you all know, I’m working hard to fulfill my dream of becoming a full-time author, and in August, I’ll have the month to devote to writing, strategizing, and marketing. This is step one in the strategy.

I’m not a big fan of limiting the distribution of my books. I’ve done it before with varying degrees of success. But what I’m currently doing won’t pay the bills, so I have to mix things up a little bit. The program with Amazon has changed since I last tried it a few years ago, so I have to see what it may do for me.

The good thing about Kindle is that they do offer a free e-reader app that works on any computer and nearly any handheld device, so they are very cross-platform. Although I, myself, don’t use a Kindle, I read 95% of my books on the Kindle app on my iPad.

Please spread the word to any of your Nook or iBooks friends!