Author Guest Post with Jennifer Juvenelle: Daughter of Belial

Some Family Trees Should Be Burned…

Welcome to one of the December 28th stops on the blog tour for Daughter of Belial by Jennifer Juvenelle with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

5 Self-Publishing Tips For Indie Authors

By Jennifer Juvenelle

The self-publishing process has been a “trial by fire” experience that I have cherished while, at times, wanting to rip my hair out. I amped up the fire by publishing my book within a year of giving birth to my first child, a darling baby boy. Talk about pressure! Being a full-time mom and turning into a one-stop publishing shop has had its challenges but the lessons I’ve learned will carry me well into the future, and I’d like to pass on some of the knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained to you! Read below for a list of my five tips and lessons from self-publishing my first book, Daughter of Belial.

1. GIVE YOURSELF TIME! And then more time. Give yourself WAY more time than you think you need to prepare your materials (approx 6 mos –  1 year start to launch). I chose to work with an editor, cover designer, and interior formatter to ensure I had the most professional looking product possible. What I didn’t realize is how time-consuming each of those aspects of the project take and how you can’t start interior formatting until the editing process is complete which includes the editor’s time editing it and YOUR time going through those edits. In the future, I would make sure I have all of my materials ready (interior edited, formatted, and final proofread + cover design) before entering into the actual book launch phase (editorial reviews, marketing, reader reviews, etc).
   
   
2. PUBLISHER ROCKET – If you’re not familiar with Kindlepreneur and the man behind it, get to know him! Publisher Rocket has been an invaluable tool for finding keywords that people actually use and for discovering niche Amazon categories that my book can fit into that are less competitive. As an indie publisher, anything that gives you that extra edge over the traditional publishing world is a must. Kindlepreneur is also an amazing resource for everything related to book launching and marketing.
   
   
3. Speaking of time… PATIENCE IS KEY! Patience is a virtue in life and publishing. It can be tempting to rush the process because you’re excited about your project and “just want to get it out there”. It’s an awesome state to be in, AND don’t let it overtake you to the point of cutting corners that detract from your overall product. When we rush we tend to let the details slide, and in publishing that can drastically decrease the overall appearance and appeal of your book. From silly typos to amateur cover design. It’s worth it to slow down and make sure you’re not glossing over something small that could turn off potential readers.
   
   
4. REEDSY – From hiring editors to cover designers, interior formatters, web designers, and marketers, Reedsy has it all. It’s a one-stop shop for authors. With Reedsy you instantly gain access to the pros the traditional publishing world uses, helping boost you with that competitive edge. I recommend Reedsy particularly for hiring editors and cover designers. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have hired a marketer to help me with a marketing strategy as there are some amazing resources out there to help authors learn about book marketing that are either free or drastically less expensive (eg. Build Book Buzz).
   
   
5. CHECK YOUR MINDSET – It’s important to dream big. Like the saying goes, set your sights on the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars. In that vein, the single most important thing you have going for you, not just in publishing but in life, is your mindset. If you don’t believe you can do it. You can’t. It’s really that simple. We all have limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world that we’ve inherited and that have been reinforced by our culture and society. Therefore, it’s vital to identify your own limiting beliefs and learn how to access your subconscious mind to unwire the negative programming so you can rewrite positive programming in order to create the life you truly desire (and merit!). This last lesson is the journey of a lifetime, but one that will bring rewards beyond any single book or project launch. There are lots of people out there who teach about mindset, but the best one I’ve found thus far who actually has the science and evidence to back up his teachings is Dr. Joe Dispenza. He teaches about the power of the mind and its connection to our bodies. It’s astounding what people are doing just by changing the way they think and feel (stuff like curing stage 4 terminal cancers, MS, Parkinson’s, hypothyroidism, eczema, the list goes on.). Really amazing stuff!

About the Book

Daughter of Belial
by Jennifer Juvenelle

Published 10 October 2022
By the Pure Sea Books

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Page Count: 544
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .

Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.

Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.

But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.

Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Excerpt

After removing his weapons, the men bind Wyatt’s hands behind his back using a zip tie before gagging him. They’ve barely glanced in my direction, so focused are they on subduing Wyatt. Subtly, I attempt to take a few steps away from the group when, of course, Mr. Leader Guy decides to switch his attention to me.

“Where do ya think you’re going, little lady?” he asks.

I freeze but don’t respond. Seems like a rhetorical question, anyway. I look to Wyatt for support. He’s backed into the wall of the tunnel with the other two men guarding his flanks. Slipping Wyatt’s gun into the back of his waistband, the asshole in charge approaches me.

His breath, a sickly sweet halitosis, poorly masked with hints of spearmint, wafts into my nostrils when he speaks. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he says, coming closer, “the big, bad man can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Who are you?”

“Dante Pierce,” he says, holding out a gloved hand for me to shake, “pleased to meet ya.”

I refrain from taking his hand. This miffs him. Rolling his eyes, he addresses his men, “Seems to me our fair maiden isn’t feeling too appreciative about being rescued.” His men laugh awkwardly, exchanging nervous glances.

Dante Pierce doesn’t seem to notice. Returning his attention to me, he slowly removes his helmet and gloves. Never breaking eye contact, he drops them to his feet along with his rifle, and steps so close to me our noses practically touch. My bones rattle in their sockets as he looks me up and down in a predatory manner. By the time he completes his visual perusal of my body, I could take a hundred showers and it still wouldn’t be enough to wash off the scum from his gaze.

About the Author

JENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads

Giveaway Alert!

Jennifer will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.