Year of Gratitude

Hey Insider! 2020 is the year of Paranormal! And today it officially begins.

Starting the year with gratitude, living in the moment, and a day out with friends!

I hate winter, always have. I live in the south for a reason! So every year I look forward to summer. With summer, comes more time for this teacher, author, mother to read. You see, I’m not just an author, I’m an avid reader as well. I love romance novels, but CRAVE young and new adult! So If you have any new amazing books I would LOVE to hear about it!

So, when I’m not at a baseball or softball field, I like to live in Aimee’s world. It’s a world I can control, love and express myself. Sharing that with you, being grateful for the chance to share it, that is what it’s all about.

So in gratitude for YOU – the readers – my first book, “The Haunting of Secrets” will be FREE for downloading from MARCH 1st – MARCH 5th. Only 5 days.

BONUS, If you download it, and respond to this email, or leave me a message on either my website (www.shelleypickens.com) or on my FB page (https://www.facebook.com/shelleypickensauthor/) you will be entered for a drawing to get the 2nd and 3rd book in the series SIGNED AND MAILED TO YOU FOR FREE as well. Part of my gratitude month – just thankful to still be here and sharing Aimee’s world with you all.

This past weekend we went to the wine fest. If you’ve never been, it’s so fun! Take a friend, taste some wine, feel the sun against your skin, and just…. breathe. Saw this double rainbow – it was amazing!!!

Now… jumping into book stuff! It’s time to cozy up to your new favorite secret keeper!
Ready for a thrilling suspenseful ride FOR FREE? March 1st – 5th only! Look below for a quick peek at Aimee’s world in THE HAUNTING OF SECRETS!

Are some secrets worth dying for?

Sixteen-year-old Aimee doesn’t like to touch people. One touch and she sees their past. One graze over her skin and she can see all the good and bad deeds a person has ever done. It isn’t until a bomb explodes during lunch that she realizes exactly how many dirty secrets the students in her school harbor-or exactly how far one of them would go to keep his secrets safe.

In the aftermath of that fateful day of the bombing Aimee is brushed by a fellow student as they are caught in the mob running for their lives. Images of tortured and murdered young girls rise up to choke her. The problem is, Aimee doesn’t know who touched her. Somewhere in this school a fellow student is a killer, and Aimee is the only one that can find him before he murders again.

With the help of her friends Aimee must sift through her stolen memories to determine clues. The quest to find a killer unravels the very fabric of her carefully woven life. He won’t stop until he silences her- for only she knows all his secrets. She will have to summon all of her inner strength to decide what she must do: hunt or be hunted. Are some secrets worth dying for?

Loved book 1? Want to win a FREE SIGNED COPY of BOOK 2 – UNHINGED? Just fill out the form below, comment that you downloaded my book, and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a free signed copy! I won’t spam you, simply will need your email to contact the winner! I’ll announce the winner via email and on my website and FB page on March 10th!

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MORE AWESOME READS!

BOOK 2 in SECRETS SERIES: UNHINGED

Being normal isn’t always a good thing, especially if it ends up killing you. 16 year old Aimee can see your every memory with just one touch. After surviving a killer, she tries her best to find a new normal at school, but for those who are cursed, happiness and normality aren’t easy to obtain. A bizarre illness spreads like wildfire through the school causing those around Aimee to lose their sanity, before falling into a coma. Slowly, all the people she loves succumb to this strange disease. Alone and terrified, she must use her curse to find a way to save her family and friends. As she delves deeper and deeper into their memories, she realizes David, a delusional person from her childhood, is the bigger threat that could destroy her. Despite the danger that surrounds her, she struggles to solve the puzzle before it’s too late to help those she cares for the most. But as David moves closer to eliminating her, one puzzle still remains. Will she be able to save herself?

BOOK 3 IN SECRETS SERIES: UNLEASHED

Aimee killed a man. Worse yet, she enjoyed it. Aimee has survived a bombing, a killer’s torture chamber, countless evils harbored deep within the minds of psychopaths and killers, and even death. But now, the greatest threat is the evil barely contained within. With her ascension, Aimee gained great power. She no longer needs to touch a person for their every memory and thoughts to be divulged. With that power, she now feels the pull to become judge, jury, and executioner to those who commit evil in this world. But she inadvertently causes harm to those she loves the most. Aimee is forced to seek out the only other person in this world that can help her: Brett. Together, they explore the world as ascended beings, reveling in the intoxication of mind control, as flames of love ignite between them. With each new emotion explored, the reasons behind the origin of her powers are slowly revealed.

Thank you for sharing a bit of your time with me. Until next time, keep your secrets safe and be kind to your beautiful self.

It makes me smile when you pick up one or more of my books.
HUGS!
Shelley Pickens – Author

I’m a sucky blogger and sorry about it

I love love love talking to my fans about writing. I love that there are people all over the world that love to read. I just wish I had time to join them.

Okay all you busy people, you know who you are, let’s talk. We have kids, kids in sports, kids doing homework and projects, dogs, cats and humans to take care of, food to put on the table, full time jobs, and not to mention, probably a spouse.

When do you have time to read?

I miss reading. I miss writing. I’m a taxi most days eating in car, wondering where my life went. I have friends at work and with sports, I have fun. But when can I just sit in front of my computer and write? Hardly ever. I don’t ever want it to be a job. I want to make a story you all want to read. I want to read the fabulous stories of my favorite authors.

But life always seems to get in the way.

As women, we take on so much of the family chores and duties. We do it because we can, and because we are awesome. We have so many balls in the air, we are always afraid to drop one. But from time to time, it’s important to remember to let all those balls fall to the ground, to remind you why you have them in the first place.

So, yes, I’m a sucky blogger. But it’s only because I can’t blog and keep all these balls in the air. But, I also promise, to let some of those responsibilities float for a bit while I get back to what I love doing – writing.

Love to you all. Now stop reading this and go read a good book! 🙂

Book 4 – Dang it feels good to be back!

 

Damn it’s good to be back! I missed these characters sooo much!! The moment when you get back to a series you thought was over and decided that there was more to say, is a great feeling!! I’m sorry I don’t write very fast, but I promise to get this book out to you all as soon as I can!! Until then, I hope you enjoy the preface to book 4 of “The Haunting of Secrets” series!! Not sure even of a title yet, that always is the hardest for me. I would love to know what you think!!

Thank you all for coming with me on the amazing journey!! I wouldn’t be here without you. HUGS and LOVE to you all!! And I hope your secrets are safe. 🙂

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Book 4 – The Haunting of Secrets  – Anyone want to help with a title?? Would appreciate it!!

Preface

September, 2006

University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

I never really thought about how it all would end. Who does at the ripe old age of sixteen? But I never would have guessed that the flames haunting my dreams since I was a child would be the instrument of my demise. Those yellow handss, reaching out for me, curled and sinister like the very hands of the devil himself, wrapping his flaming arms around me until I can’t breathe a single breath without it searing my soul in agony.

I had no idea that a secret, no matter how well guarded, could come back to haunt me. I loved him more than life itself. I would have died for him if he had only asked. But he didn’t. His secret was much darker and more sinister than I ever could have imagined. You see, I always believed that those who love you the most would help you through any pain that life creates; any obstacle that it throws in front of you. I truly believed that love could conquer any evil that life could conjure.

But I was dead wrong.

The life I thought I shared with him left the moment his knife touched my sister’s throat. I watched as he sliced through her neck like it was butter. He slid the knife effortlessly across her body, his eyes sad, yet determined, as he watched the life leave her eyes. It’s like he craved her death, waited in anticipation for what was to come. The boy I knew and loved didn’t exist in that moment. The only person left was a monster.

A monster that killed my sister.

I ran as fast as I could back to my dorm, one thought dominating my mind the entire time–I must not let the devil take me too. I could see the raw power emanating from him, feel the energy as he absorbed my sister’s soul. But I didn’t understand it. My heart, once whole, broke into pieces in that instant. I ran, not only from a monster, but towards salvation.

I ran to the only place that I knew I could be safe.

I made it back to my dorm room across the quad in record time, my broken heart working overtime to seal its fate. I didn’t bother to look behind me, I knew the devil was on my heals. I could hear screaming my name. I made it to my dorm room just as he was climbing the last staircase to the third floor. I slammed the door and locked it quickly, hoping it was enough to keep the devil out. I didn’t hesitate, not even for a second, because even a second lost, was a second I was in agony. I ran to the top door of my dresser and opened it. The lighter I used to light my scented candles still sat right on top. I grabbed it quickly and rubbed it between my fingers, the soft feel of the plastic comforting me, letting me know this was the only course of action. I quickly grab my hairspray and begin spraying it all over my body, careful not to miss an inch.

The banging on the door startled me, but I don’t stop. Death is calling me.

It isn’t that I want to die, far from it. But I can’t let the devil take me. He seduced me, got me to fall in love with him, and then he kills my sister right in front of me. I can’t let him win.

I finished dousing my body with hairspray and lit the lighter. I watched as the flames danced in front of my eyes, just as he broke through the door to my room. I looked up and saw his blue eyes filled with tears.

My heart hardened. “Go to hell, Ethan, where you belong,” I said a split second before I threw the lighter at my feet and felt the hot searing pain of fire as the flames lick their way up my body.

I smiled. Not because I liked it, but because I was free. The devil wont’ take us both tonight dear sister.

Your secrets are safe with me.

 

 

Kick Ass Girls of YA Event!

Drum roll please….. I have an announcement!! I’m excited to announce that my publisher for The Haunting of Secrets Series is hosting a series of events in April to celebrate strong female characters in young adult fiction! We call ourselves the “Kick Ass Girls of YA!”

Strength comes in many forms. We’re not only celebrating the super girls who are able to slay dragons or defeat alien invaders (though we love them and will definitely gush over them), but also those who possess a quiet strength that often goes unnoticed: the girl who stands up for her friends, the girl who has the inner strength to walk away from a bad relationship, the confident girl who works hard to make a better life for herself.

This idea came from Libby Libs, the author of Sortilege Falls, a fellow Fire and Ice author as well as a story with a strong heroine that kicks some serious butt! We write women as strong because we don’t need a knight in shining armor to save us. If life teaches you anything, it’s that you have to take responsibility for your own destiny and have the inner strength and fortitude to make your dreams come true. That is what Aimee does despite the fact that the odds stacked against her, thanks to her curse. This ability to overcome is essential for a strong women. It is the tool that I hope to give my daughter to arm her with knowledge and strength she needs to take on the harsher side of life. I hope you can come and join us!

Strong women unite!!!

Here are the fun events we have planned:

Sale – Fire and Ice is putting roughly a dozen titles on sale from April 17 to the 23rd.
Kick Ass Girls of YA Blog Hop – April 19 – Details and sign up below!
Facebook Event – April 22nd  – Events will be throughout the day!
Twitter Discussions on the topic of Strong female characters in YA fiction – Friday nights in April, 9-10 pm EST (April 7, 14, 21 and 28) Use the hashtag #KickAssGirlsofYA
Instagram Event – April 8th lasting for one week – more details to come

Free Short Story Collection – From the Fire and Ice authors – to be released April 15th!

We’ll have author interviews on the Fire and Ice blog throughout the whole month of April as well!

Giveaway:

To kick it off, we’re doing a Rafflecopter Giveaway this week for multiple Fire and Ice ebook titles! The Rafflecopter starts March 27th and runs for one week. There are six ebooks up for grabs.

Here’s a link to the Rafflecopter:
Rafflecopter giveaway

The Kick Ass Girls of YA Blog Hop – April 19th

I am so proud to be hosting this blog hop! How does it work? It’s super simple. Sign up using the linky tool below. On April 19th, write a post about a strong female YA character on your blog, then visit the other blogs on the list. Be sure to leave comments and enjoy the discussion. What can you post? We’re leaving it pretty open. You can write about a character you’ve created or a character you’ve enjoyed in a young adult novel. Maybe you’ll write a post about a character you’d love to see or what you hope young adult fiction will be like fifty years from now. As long as it involves young adult fiction and strong female characters, then you’re good!

Feel free to post the linky tool on your blog as well! We’d love to start a discussion throughout the blogosphere on this important and fun topic.

Enter the Blog Hop for April 19th. The link will take you to the sign up and will also let you copy and paste the code:

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Day 10: YA/Middle Grade; Shelley Pickens

Turning Darkness into Light through writing. My perspective on why I write.

Raven C. Eckman

Meet Shelley Pickens.

Shelley Pickens has always enjoyed languages and writing. At the University of South Carolina, her career path took a turn when a professor proclaimed her writing as inadequate and disorganized. After those words, Shelley decided to teach so she could support the development of young minds rather than demolish them. She majored in Spanish education and began her lifelong career as an educator.

After years of instructing high school students, she decided to utilize her firsthand knowledge of young adults and apply it to her passion for creative writing and the supernatural. Thus, “The Haunting of Secrets” was born. Her debut novel was published by Fire and Ice, an imprint of Melange books out of Minnesota, in July 2014 and soon became an Amazon five-star pick for readers. Her sequel, “The Haunting of Secrets: Unhinged” was released in April of 2015 and the third book in the…

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Unleashed (The Haunting of Secrets, #3) by Shelley R. Pickens

Doing the happy dance- 4/5 stars for Unleashed!

My train of thoughts on...

The author sent me an ARC of this book (mobi format) in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Plot
(by Goodreads)

Aimee killed a man. Worse yet, she enjoyed it.

Aimee has survived a bombing, a killer’s torture chamber, countless evils harbored deep within the minds of psychopaths and killers, and even death. But now, the greatest threat is the evil barely contained within.

With her ascension, Aimee gained great power. She no longer needs to touch a person for their every memory and thoughts to be divulged. With that power, she now feels the pull to become judge, jury, and executioner to those who commit evil in this world.

Despite her desire to be alone with Logan and live a normal life, she soon realizes that she, in fact, is the greatest threat to the normality she craves. Without control of her own…

View original post 592 more words

Do women still need Knights in Shining Armor? What I wish every man would know.

This is what I wish every guy would know about women – we still sometimes need you to save us. But not in the way you still think we do.

Knights in shining armor aren’t gone, their role simply has changed. With women taking on more roles than just the caregiver, it leaves men wondering sometimes where their place is within this new family dynamic.

But the answer is simple – your place is right beside me. Do I need you to solve all my problems? Nope. What we women do best is handle the five thousand different things around us so that the world we created together doesn’t collapse.

But my question always has been – what happens if I collapse?

Do I need a knight in shining armor then? Well, yes and no. I don’t need you to draw a sword and fight something you think I can’t. As much as I value your opinion my love, I don’t need you to give me ten pieces of advice for ways to solve things because that may not be the way that I like to solve my problems.

What I need is for you to put your arms around me, tell me that everything is going to be okay, and don’t let go while I pick up my mental sword and fight whatever it is that’s holding me back. Your sword is now your arms holding me tightly so I don’t fall. Simply because if we fall, so does everything else. And our greatest fear is falling.

You see, I’m strong. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay all the time. It means that whenever the world is too much, I need you to hold me, and not let go. Remind me that you’re thinking about me when I’m not there. Tell me one thing that makes you love me so much. Push my hair behind my ear just for the heck of it, so I can actually feel like a woman rather than what I define myself as in this world.

So, do I still need a knight in shining armor? Damn straight I do. But one that fights for me when I just don’t have enough left in me to fight for myself.

That’s worth a thousand swords.

Back to School Blast Giveaway! And hint: I’m on this one for The Haunting of Secrets!

And did I mention there’s a giveaway?! Time to stack up on those books you’ve been wanting to read for a while but were waiting til they go on sale!

Good luck in the giveaway and please get THOS for $.99 now so you can catch up before Unleashed comes out September 13th!

HUGS!
Shelley Pickens

WELCOME TO THE BACK TO SCHOOL SALE BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links! Please make sure to scroll down as each page will consist of many titles in that same genre!

Novels with a FREE Promotion!

   

   

Novels on sale at $0.99!

    

   

  

   

   

   

Novels on sale at $1.99 and above!

   

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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B-Fest Event at B&N this Saturday!

It’s happening at all B&N this weekend so please come out and support your local authors! I’ll be at the B&N at the Mall of Ga and would love to see you!!

Cover Reveal!