Today is my stop on the blog tour for ELECTED by Rori Shay! This is one book you don’t want to miss and is out TODAY! The Kickstarter to this book will be available today here. You will be able to get a copy of ELECTED in hardcover and/or paperback with a free ebook, a lot of special limited-edition items and other free books. Don’t wait, get your copy today!

ELECTED
by Rori Shay
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Publisher:Silence in the Library Publishing

Blurb:
It’s the year 2185, and in two weeks, Aloy will turn eighteen and take her father’s place as president of the country. But to do so, she must masquerade as a boy to avoid violating the Eco-Accords, four treaties designed to bring the world back from the brink of environmental extinction. Aloy hopes to govern like her father, but she is inheriting a different country. The long concealed Technology Faction is stepping out of the shadows, and as turmoil grows within her country, cryptic threats also arrive from beyond the borders.

As she struggles to lead, Aloy maintains her cover by marrying a woman, meanwhile battling feelings for the boy who knows her secret – the boy who is somehow connected to her country’s recent upheaval. When assassination attempts add to the turmoil, Aloy doesn’t know whom to trust. She understood leadership required sacrifice. She just didn’t realize the sacrifice might be her life.

Guest Post:

Are writers competitors or colleagues?

I love that in the publishing industry, fellow writers are not competitors but colleagues. Unlike in other industries where people fight for market share, there seems to be a different vibe among individual writers. Yes, there may be competition at the publishing company level, but between the actual authors, there’s a sense of community unlike any other I’ve seen in a professional landscape. I think that’s largely because writers don’t feel like they’re competing against each other to grab a reader for themselves. If a reader likes a fellow writer’s book, there’s no reason why they won’t want to read another book, especially one in the same genre. And books are a relatively inexpensive commodity. Many books can be purchased by an individual. It’s not like a sports car or a diamond ring, where a typical buyer only purchases one.

I’ve personally found writers to be a community that supports one another, promotes each other’s books, and offers help/ideas/guidance easily. I see this first-hand through a multitude of venues:

1) On twitter: where it’s fun to direct message an author you like and they actually write you back. It’s so easy to become friends with other writers and to interact in positive ways on social media. For instance, just in the year I’ve been active on twitter, I’ve already found a few well-known authors who agreed to read an ARC of my upcoming book and provide an endorsement. How nice of them is that!

2) In the Washington DC area there’s a group of published and “soon to be published” authors (“DC Writers Mafia”) who band together to attend book signing and meet for coffee to discuss writing. Many of them have generously offered to help promote each other’s work, and I love doing the same for them. I’ve so enjoyed their conversation and insight on writing.

3) Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)–I’ve attended a few of their conferences, and each time I make friends who then join me on social media to stay in touch. At the annual conference in LA, I actually found a critique group too, and those people were like my good luck charm. I can’t say enough about them–all the support, encouragement, and honest critiquing we’ve provided each other.

4) The other group I want to highlight is the band of author friends you can make through your publishing house.  Whichever house you’re in as a writer, the fellow authors band together like a sister/brotherhood.  They know what you’re dealing with.  They may have the same editorial or marketing staff.  They may even go on book tours with you.  These people are an invaluable resource for support.  I can’t say enough good things about the fellow writers I’ve met through both of the publishers I’ve worked with.  Those ladies (and one gentleman) are classy and supportive in every aspect of the writing process.

While writing may be a “by-yourself” activity, once you get out there into the writing community, there’s a plethora of support outlets.

What is your take?  Have you seen competition among your writer friends? Or is it more of a friendly community?

About the Author:
Rori Shay is an author living in the Washington, DC area with her husband, daughters, black lab, and cat – just not quite in the same exciting circumstances as ELECTED’s main character, Aloy. She enjoys running, gardening, reading, doing yoga, and volunteering with the Dwelling Place non-profit. Rori is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Author social media links:
– Website
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

~Kindle
~Items seen in ELECTED such as a marriage binding (temporary tattoo)
~Hemlock soap
~Necklace as seen in ELECTED
~Signed paperback copy of ELECTED
~Optional FaceTime or Skype session with the author for 1/2 an hour (can be used one-on-one or at the winner’s book club, etc.)

Elected Giveaway