Of Updates and Giveaways

Hey, guys!

Just a quick post to check in and assure you that yes, I am still hard at work on Book 4 in the Variant Series! :)

In fact, I've hidden myself away at my parent's mountain cabin in Virginia for a couple weeks in an attempt to get a few more words on the page. The weather's surprisingly warm and absolutely beautiful and I'm enjoying this getaway more than I can say. Looking forward to next April when I can move back to the mountains for good!

Also, I'm excited to announce that there's a Goodreads giveaway going on right now where you can enter to win one of two signed paperback copies of Revival (The Variant Series, #1)!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Revival

by Jena Leigh

Giveaway ends December 31, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

The giveaway will run through the end of the year, so be sure to check it out.

And while the free e-book promotion for Revival has sadly come to an end, it's still available for only $0.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and iTunes! If you read and enjoyed the novel, please share it with a friend who might enjoy it!

Also, writing reviews of any of the Variant series novels on the aforementioned sites will earn you my undying gratitude and endless adoration! It's one of the best ways you can support an author (both traditionally published and indie) so be sure to show your love for your favorite books whenever you can!

</ end shameless self promo >

I'll leave you with the song I listened to on repeat for most of the morning while I wrote...

"Way Down We Go" by Kaleo. 

If you love a bluesy, classic-rock sound in your modern rock music, this is totally the band for you. Their songs on YouTube have made up roughly 90% of my writing soundtrack as of late (and it doesn't hurt that their lead singer, JJ Juliusson, looks a bit like a slightly older version of the Declan-in-my-head). At this rate, I'm really going to need to thank Kaleo in Book 4's Acknowledgments for all the inspiration. Love their sound!

Of Author Signings, Free Books, and Sequels

Hey, guys! Long time, no post again. Sorry about that. One of these days I'll try to get back onto a regular schedule for updating this blog.

So much has happened in the last few months that I hardly know where to begin! First up, I want to thank each and every one of you for helping to make the release of Redux a success! I was absolutely blown away by the support and interest you all showed for the third book in the Variant Series! Thank you!!! Y'all totally rock.

Next up, two big announcements!

First - I'm excited to announce that I'll be taking part in the 2016 Roanoke Author Invasion in Roanoke, Virginia!! The event is set to take place on April 2, 2016 at the Holiday Inn - Tanglewood. You can find out more about the event—and also take a peek at a list of the 60+ amazing authors that will be in attendance—by clicking the image below!

(Clicking the image will open up the event website in a new window.)

I'll be talking more about the signing as the event gets a little closer. So excited (and honored!) to have been invited to take part next year!

Second - Revival, the first novel in the Variant Series, is now perma-free and will be available for FREE download from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Smashwords for the foreseeable future. Check it out if you haven't already—and if you have, then be sure to tell a friend who might enjoy it!

That's really all for the announcements right now, other than to say that, "Yes! I am most definitely working on a fourth book in the Variant Series!!!" It's been the most popular question in my inbox since the release of Redux, so I wanted to go ahead and address it here on the blog.

The fourth book is still a work in progress, but it has a tentative release date of Spring, 2016. The goal is to have it ready for release around the same time as the Roanoke event! Fingers crossed the muse is willing and that the coffee keeps flowing...

There's also a new, official, Jena Leigh website up and running, in addition to my home here on Blogger! To visit, all you need to do is click the "Home" tab on the far left side of the menu bar at the top of the Jena Leigh Blogger page, or click here.

On a slightly personal note, my health isn't the best right now, and it's getting a little difficult to keep up with my e-mail and social media correspondence. If you write me, but don't hear back right away, I apologize! I absolutely love hearing from you guys (it's one of my favorite things about being an author) and I promise that you'll hear back from me just as soon as I'm able to reply.

Hope you're all doing well and that you have an absolutely FANTASTIC weekend! I'll leave you this time with a song that's currently on repeat as I work on the opening chapters of Book Four! (And the lyrics should give you a tiny hint at what's to come for Alex and the gang...)

Take care, y'all! :)

Shinedown - State of My Head

...It’s time to get down, dirty up our knees in the battle
Come on, round up the boys, gonna make the walls rattle

Oh, our flag is tattered
And our bones are shattered
But it doesn’t matter
‘Cause we’re movin’ forward

Round ‘em up, round ‘em up, let’s go
Round ‘em up, let’s go

Oh, my eyes are seein’ red
Double vision from the blood we’ve shed
The only way I’m leavin’ is dead
That’s the state of my, state of my, state of my head...

Release Day!! - REDUX (The Variant Series, #3)

Hello, everyone!

It's here! It's here! Today's the day—Redux, the third novel in the Variant Series is now available in ebook form from Amazon, iTunes, Nook, and Smashwords for just $2.99!  For those of you looking for the paperback, it will be available on Amazon sometime next week.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Synopsis:

Alex Parker sits at the crossroads, out of time and out of place. She went back to fix the past, not to imperil the future. Rescued from the icy waters of the Bering Sea by one familiar face, she's helpless to find another. Declan O'Connell jumped with her, but where did he go?

In the middle of her search, a new threat confronts Alex. A serial killer with a taste for Variants has Seattle on edge. When she crosses the path of this vicious murderer, the revelations Alex discovers could change everything. That outcome is an unknown, but there is a terrible certainty on the table — an impossible decision with irreversible consequences. But can Alex make that choice and commit herself and those she loves to a total Redux?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


There will be plenty of giveaways over the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an eye on the Jena Leigh website, or follow me on Twitter (@jenaleighbooks) for more details!

Speaking of giveaways—right now, you can enter to win a paperback copy of the new book on Goodreads. While you're there, be sure to add Redux to your shelf!

Thank you all so very much for your support and I hope you enjoy this new installment in the Variant Series! Happy reading!!

~Jena


P.S. If you're a blogger who is interested in reviewing Redux (or any of the other novels in the Variant Series) for your blog and would like a digital review copy, please send me an e-mail with your information!

Cover Reveal: REDUX (The Variant Series, #3)

On July 22nd, less than one month from today, Redux (The Variant Series, #3) will be released!!

To celebrate the start of our countdown, today on the blog we're kicking things off with the official reveal of the cover and an amazing giveaway!

So here it is, guys, the brand new cover for Redux!

*****

Synopsis:

Alex Parker sits at the crossroads, out of time and out of place. She went back to fix the past, not to imperil the future. Rescued from the icy waters of the Bering Sea by one familiar face, she's helpless to find another. Declan O'Connell jumped with her, but where did he go?

In the middle of her search, a new threat confronts Alex. A serial killer with a taste for Variants has Seattle on edge. When she crosses the path of this vicious murderer, the revelations Alex discovers could change everything. That outcome is an unknown, but there is a terrible certainty on the table — an impossible decision with irreversible consequences. But can Alex make that choice and commit herself and those she loves to a total Redux?

*****

So what do you think? Getting excited for book three yet? Don't forget to mark your calenders, Redux will be available in both paperback and e-book, beginning on July 22nd!

And to celebrate today's cover reveal, we're hosting a Rafflecopter giveaway of FIVE copies of the Redux e-book AND a $10 Amazon gift card!! To enter, check out the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ETA: And that's a wrap! Thanks for participating, everyone! Sierra G. was the lucky winner of the $10 Amazon Gift Card! Everyone else will be receiving an ebook copy of Redux! 

 If you were one of the winners, you'll be hearing from me via e-mail before the day is out! (Today, Wednesday, the 22nd.) Thanks!

*****

Want to add Redux on Goodreads? Just click the button!

 

P.S. Time for the standard disclaimer—for those of you searching this post for the cover design credit... *nervously raises hand* Erm. It was me. I designed all of the covers in the Variant series myself. I realize this goes completely against the advice I always give about hiring someone to design your covers, but (in my meager defense) graphic design has been a hobby of mine for over ten years now. So I feel at least slightly qualified to do it myself... But still. This is most definitely a case of do as I say, not as I do! As an author, your book will always be better served by giving it the best cover possible—and if that means hiring a graphic designer instead of putting together a design of your own, then that's exactly what you should do. :)

Variant Series Book Three Release Date

Hey, guys!

I am very pleased to announced that Book Three in the Variant Series is about to start working its way through the editing process—and that we finally have a release date!

Book Three will be available in both eBook and paperback starting July 22nd!

So mark your calendars... And be sure to keep an eye out on June 26th for the official Cover and Title Reveal!! With any luck, the book will be made available for pre-order shortly thereafter, so stay tuned for that announcement as well.

 

More details to come—but for now, I want to say a big, BIG thank-you to all of you for your endless encouragement and support! Your patience, understanding, and kindness means the world to me, and I can't wait for you guys to read what comes next for Alex and the gang!

A Quick Update

First off, to everyone who took the time to comment on my last post or send me an email overflowing with support, suggestions, and well-wishes... Thank you!!! Your kindness and understanding means more to me than you could ever know, and your words of encouragement helped get me through a really tough time. You guys are amazing. ♥

Lately I've received a massive number of emails, comments, and questions on social media that all included the same question: "When is book three coming out??"

And I really, really wish I had an exact answer for you.

Here's the situation—I'm working on the novel every day, but progress is slow going. I'd love to throw out another estimated publication date, but after having the last two predictions come and go without being met, I'd rather not tempt fate again.

I will say this, though... I am determined to finish this book and to make it the absolute best that it can be. It's been a total nightmare to write (let's just say that I took on a challenge that I wasn't quite prepared for, and that it's slowed my progress immensely), but I love these characters and I'm committed to telling their story. I will finish what I started, but complications and distractions in my personal and professional life have made it difficult to finish the project as quickly as I'd hoped.

Thankfully, I have an absolutely amazing editor who is helping me whip this novel into shape, and—with any luck—my next update to the blog will include an official announcement about the release.

In the meantime I want to thank you guys again for your understanding and support!