  Lucid (Lucid #1) by Kristy Fairlamb Publication Date: April 23, 2019 | Publisher: Lakewater Press SYNOPSIS: A terrifying power. A horrifying curse. Lucy Piper lives a lonely existence on the precipice between life and death. She possesses the horrifying ability to resurrect real-life tragic events in her nightmares, reliving over and over, as if she were there, the last few moments before the victim takes their final breath. Car accidents, drownings, plane crashes – Lucy has seen it all. No one understands what it’s like living death by night and fearing sleep by day. When Tyler Sims and his family move to town to escape past traumas, Lucy is drawn to him. The two of them are linked through their dreams, and with Tyler’s trust and friendship, hope for a brighter future returns to Lucy’s world. But Tyler’s presence awakens something else in Lucy, and with this new knowledge, she will be forced to make impossible decisions. Decisions that will change history, and the future. Chilling, haunting and compelling, this novel is the first in a two-part series for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Hidden Memory of Objects that will leave you breathless for days. Link to Goodreads | ~ Purchase Links: BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | TBD
Guest Post: ~ Road to Publication ~ Publication was never my goal. When I sat down to write a book in early 2015, that was the only goal I had, to write a book. It took me a year to write my first manuscript, mostly because I didn’t know what I was doing, and because it’s hard to make time for something that is just an experiment. About six months after I completed my manuscript, I’d had some people read it and offer feedback, I’d made some changes to the story and improved what was on the page, and was encouraged by someone at the state writer’s center to apply for a pitch workshop they were running later in the year. I wasn’t sure my book was ready, but I applied anyway. It was accepted. In October 2016, after a weekend of workshopping, I live pitched to four publishers. It remains one of the most terrifying, but exhilarating things I’ve ever done. I didn’t get any requests for full manuscripts, but the weekend was worth it for the experience alone. I went on the following month to write the sequel to my novel, completing it six months later in April 2017. In February 2017 entered my first novel into a competition with a reputable Australian publishing house, hoping to win a publication contract. I didn’t. In July 2017 I entered Pitch Wars, a US based competition to get a mentor and subsequent help with querying to agents and publishers. I received no interest on my novel but got some feedback about my query. I sent queries to a couple of Australian agents. I planned to try for an agent first and then move onto applying straight to the publishers if I got nowhere. Which I didn’t. I received a reject from one and crickets from the other. It was at this point that the idea to self-publish really started to take hold. Even though I’d barely tried the traditional route, I began to wonder if self-publishing might be the better way for me. Maybe my book was too different to fit with a mainstream publisher, maybe I’d be trying to find the right fit for years to come. And so I asked myself, what do I want from all this? I’d already reached the goal I set out to do, which was write the book. I wasn’t in this for money or fame, not that that was even guaranteed whatever way I went, all I ever wanted was a few readers to read and enjoy, maybe even love, what I’d written. The decision was made, I was going to self-publish. I felt in control and at peace with the decision. This was it. But I knew if I was going that way, I needed to do everything as professionally as if I was being published traditionally, which meant I needed an editor. I enquired to about half a dozen editors for a quote and got sample edits from 3 of them. I applied the changes to see the effect it had on my work; it was amazing to see the difference, not just to my words, but between them with what they gave to me. I researched what other books they’d edited, how successful those books were, if they wrote themselves, what else they did on the side. One of the editors also ran a small publishing house in Queensland, which made me think she knew what she was doing. So, adding that to the sample edits, and a lot of listening to my gut, a standout surfaced. I chose the one who had the publishing house, not because I thought it was an opportunity to get published, but because something told me it was the right choice for me. But she couldn’t fit me in for another 6 months. I still wanted to use her, and besides there was no rush. You can never rush publishing. So, while I waited, during November 2017, I wrote another novel, a standalone this time. And there’s nothing like writing something new to help you grow as a writer. Looking back, having written 2 novels since I first live pitched my first novel I wasn’t entirely sure was ready, I knew I was right. My novel probably wasn’t ready, but I also don’t think I was at that point. I needed more time to learn the craft, learn more of what it’s like to be a writer, what my capabilities and limits were. To grow in confidence. March 2018 came around, and after applying another thousand rounds of edits to my manuscript, I sent it off to my editor. Cue the nerves, insecurities, and self-doubt. She came back to me about a month later on Easter Saturday. She’d read it numerous times, compiled her notes, and I was ready for the onslaught of all that was wrong with my work. But her email didn’t include any of that, all it said was that she couldn’t get my book out of her head and she’d like to publish it with Lakewater Press. I was completely shocked, I never expected that! I’d given up on the possibility, and even though I’d felt confident about my decision to self-publish, suddenly that choice didn’t feel so right anymore. I took a week to read the contract, to go over the pros and cons of both options and talk with close family. In April 2018 I made the best decision of my life and signed a two-book contract with Lakewater Press. The rest is history. But it’s also my future. I’m working on edits for book two while LUCID goes out into the world. It’s been one year since I signed on the dotted line and I’m so happy with the process, the quality of the editing services, and the support and dedication behind the scenes that I never would have had if I’d gone at it on my own. I am so glad I listened to my gut.   ABOUT the AUTHOR: Kristy Fairlamb is an Australian author of the Young Adult Lucid series coming out in 2019. She spends her days drinking coffee and torturing her characters with loads of tension – both love related and the nail biting kind. Long before her days of writing began she spent half her childhood in a make believe world; daydreaming about growing up, falling in love, and travelling the world. She’s worked as a nanny in country England, a junior matron in a boy’s boarding school south of London, a governess in East Timor, and made coffees and cleared tables in the New South Wales snow fields. She lives with her husband, teenage daughter, and two sons in the beautiful Adelaide Hills where they’re lucky enough to get occasional visits from the local koalas. She’s terrible at gardening, likes her bookshelves sorted by colour, and recently checked off a lifelong dream of jumping from a plane. When she’s not writing or daydreaming about her stories you’ll find her reading, cooking for her family, or doing anything to avoid the housework. Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Goodreads  Giveaway Details: Mini Cadbury’s English Wicker Hamper Enter by clicking on the Rafflecopter link below! RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY! 
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