In the Moonlight with S.R. Johannes, Author of Untraceable and Uncontrollable

Tying together 

Untraceable and Uncontrollable

by

S.R. Johannes

“The Nature of Grace” series is about a girl who investigates nature crimes. The books obviously has the same characters and also weaves in a conservation message using the backdrop of nature and survival basics. There will always be some kind of animal abuse included because that is what Grace cares about most. Untraceable is about the plight of the black bears and Uncontrollable is about the near extinction of the red wolves. However, nature and conservation is a sub plots to the main thriller of a girl who is hunted by the very people committing these crimes when she gets too close to busting them.

When I first started Untraceable 4 years ago, I had no clue there would be any additional books in the series. I didn’t even have a series name for it. However, when I write books, I make sure the main story is resolved but ALWAYS tend to leave a thread I can pick up in the future – just in case I get another idea. I never want to back myself into a corner creatively. Right before Untraceable came out, I found an article online about the red wolves and knew Grace needed to get involved. So I came up with a series and put out Untraceable while I plotted the Uncontrollable.

Uncontrollable is has some of the same characters in it and it is definitely another fast-paced thriller set in the wilderness. I actually think Book 2 starts a little faster than the first one. But where Untraceable is set in the summer, Uncontrollable is set in dead winter. This allowed me to show off some different survival techniques, a different side to nature in the mountains, and a different animal (bears hibernate so they would not be out in the winter where wolves roam.)

In the end, both books are about a girl who will stop at nothing (and usually to her own detriment) to protect her family and the wilderness she loves so much.

Check out more about the author at her website

Uncontrollable Launch!

Yay! Uncontrollable is out today!

Uncontrollable is the second book in "The Nature of Grace" series by S.R. Johannes. Untraceable, the first book in the series, has won and been nominated for several awards including Winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award (YA), 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (YA Nominee), and a finalist in The Kindle Book Review's "Best Indie Book of 2012 (YA)".

Kirkus reviewed Untraceable as "A thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance.  The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page."

If you like a page turner, you will love this series!

Head over to Mundie Moms for a Big Uncontrollable Launch Party with tons of prizes and then over to SR Johannes blog for even more.

To continue on with the blog tour, check out the line up! Where SR talks about anything from marketing to writing to her books to personal interviews and giveaways.

Book Summary

As 16-year-old Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program".

While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is picking silk plants and growing fake plants.

After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues.

Little does she know, she is being hunted too.

On Sale Now!

Uncontrollable is on sale in paperback and ebook at all major
booksellers including Amazon, iBooks/Apple (coming soon),
 Smashwords, and B&N.

If you haven't read Untraceable, you can get it in paperback and ebook
at all major booksellers including Amazon, Apple, Smashwords,
and B&N.

Author Bio

S.R. Johannes is the author of award-winning and Amazon bestselling Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and new tween paranormal, On The Bright Side. She has also published short novelettes as well as a teen romance anthology with 16 other authors titled, In His Eyes.  Uncontrollable, the sequel to Untraceable, is scheduled for September 2012.

S.R. Johannes is a winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Awards (Young Adult) and was also recently nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult). Untraceable was also recently named a Finalist in The Kindle Book Review's Indie Book of the Year (YA)

After earning an MBA and working in corporate America, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.


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Wistful Wednesday

 Book Description (From the Author's website)

16 year old Grace was reared in the wilderness. Her first pet was a bear named Simon. Her first potty, an oak tree. And, her first swing, a forest vine. Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her everything he knew about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. 

When Grace's dad goes missing on a routine patrol, unlike everyone in her sleepy mountain town, she refuses to believe he’s dead. After finding a Cheetos bag and stolen government file, Grace is convinced she’s one step closer to proving all the non-believers wrong.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from imminent danger by Mo, a hot guy who has an intoxicating accent and a secret. Grace has never felt a connection like this before, certainly not with her ex-boyfriend, the adoring, but decidedly unrugged, Wyn. 

After a few run-ins with the town's police chief, her father's partner, and some new evidence, Grace travels deeper into the wilderness that has always been her refuge only to learn that her father's disappearance is not a mere coincidence. 

Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to emerge from an epidemic that’s spreading like wild fire, threatening everything and everyone she’s ever loved.

My Thoughts:

Let me just say if I'm ever lost in the woods or need to find someone, Grace Wells is the girl I'd want by my side. For one thing, she knows the woods like nobody's business and for another, she never gives up. Even when it seems that everyone's against her, she just keeps pushing on to what she thinks is right. She won't let anyone stand in her way - even her own mother. And when the chips are down, she'd have your back. What more could you ask for?

Even though the protagonist of this story is a girl, I think this is the type of story that will appeal to boys as well as girls. Partly due to the way it's written - it's very straightforward, no flowery prose here - and partly due to the premise of the story. At times, Grace is all tomboy, hiking in the woods, fly fishing, tracking down clues to her father's disappearance, but when she meets a cute, mysterious boy in the woods, she's reminded that she is, indeed, a girl. Not a sappy, I'll-wait-for-the-guy-to-rescue-me kind of girl, but the kind who can go a little weak in the knees when kissed by someone she's attracted to without losing her ability to kick ass and take names when the moment calls for it. And believe me, she does, Not that she's superwoman and doesn't have any faults, because she does - the number one being that she tends to push people away from her, especially when they get too close.

Which brings us to Mo and Wyn. Sigh. Mo is the cute guy from the woods who turns Grace's world upside down and reminds her that it can kind of be fun being a girl. He's good-looking, mysterious, and tends to keep secrets - number one being what he's doing out in the woods all the time. He's there when Grace needs him, which she can only say about one other person in her life at present - Wyn. Grace and Wyn have known each other their whole lives, they have a history, and she may or may not still have feelings for her. And oh, yeah, he just might share them. But the path to happiness is never clear and this one has a fork in the road, one marked Wyn, the other marked Mo. Not a bad place to be, actually. How can she choose between them when each one gives her what she needs when she needs it?

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book that snake through it in the same deceptively calm way as the river that plays a powerful role in the story. Just when you think you have it figured it out, you will be proven wrong. It kept me guessing all the way to the end and even then, I was taken by surprise. I won't spoil it here, but let's just say, it sets up nicely for a sequel. Although some major questions are answered, other aren't and they will keep you wondering what will happen next long after the book is done.

Final verdict: A unique story told with skill that will appeal to anyone who enjoys mystery, adventure and a kickass heroine.

(ebook provided by author for review)

Tantalizing Tuesday

Indie Publishing My Way

My Journey in a Nutshell

by

S.R. Johannes

Since I got serious about writing in 2004. I’ve had 4 books go to acquisitions.  Yes four. Two of those - a MG and Nonfiction book – almost sold BEFORE I had an agent. After I signed with a top agent in a top NY agency, I had TWO more books go to acquisitions with her – a tween paranormal and this book – Untraceable. The tween was in noncontractual revisions at a couple houses for over a year only to not sell. Instead of giving up, I edited this book. My agent sent it out to a few editors.  It also went to an acquisitions meeting at one house but didn’t make it. Another house said the wilderness angle wouldn’t sell unless it was a dystopic book like Hunger Game.

My agent didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t want to send my book out on another round without editing but she didn’t know how to give me a fresh perspective. I wanted this book to go out. We separated. Which sucked.

Needless to say, I was depressed. I’d worked so hard for nothing. After spending time wallowing in my self pity, eating chocolate, and yelling at the world from my office window, I came to the conclusion Untraceable didn’t have a future in traditional publishing – no agent would touch it since it had been submitted - so I went out on a limb and decided to do it myself. And blog about it.

That was a hard decision. Unfortunately, even today, the view of self-pubbing is very negative. Many feel self-pubbed books are of a low or cheap quality and usually come from people who were not good enough to get published.

Here are a few things to take into consideration if you decide to self-pub:

1 If you do it for 100$ it will look like a 100$ book.

Self-Publishing is not free. There are costs involved – especially if you want to do it right. I say, you get out of it - what you put in. Do what it takes to make it right or don’t do it at all.  Spend some money to make sure your book is of high quality and doesn’t look self-published then you might get your foot in the door.

2) Everyone Judges A Book by its cover

I think it’s critical to have a good cover that does not look self-published. A quality, high res, and unique cover. I saved money to hire a photographer to do my cover because I wanted something original and high quality. I wanted my book to blend in to the other traditional books that were so successful. I didn’t want to give anyone a chance to say – “Oh this is self pubbed”. Because then my book never gets a fair shot. And trust me, you will get turned down just because it is self-pubbed. It sucks and is totally unfair but it’s true. So make sure it looks good. The cover sells books.

3) Don’t skip the editing

I had my book edited by a children’s editor and then paid to have it copyedited when it was done. I’ve spent a long time on this book to make sure I was proud of it. And I am. Self-pubbing is a short cut to the long publishing process. It is NOT a short cut to writing, revising, editing, revising, and editing.

4) Commit

Self-pubbing is HARD. It may seem like the easy answer but it is not. You do it all ON YOUR OWN. Getting reviews, doing blog tours, cover, typography, editing, formatting. It is a long and arduous process and is a huge time commitment. Before and after you publish. It doesn’t end. Don’t do it if you don’t have the time to put into it. Don’t do it if you feel uncomfortable marketing and promoting yourself (in a classy and non pushy way).

This has been a hard road for me, but I’m proud of where I’ve landed. I did this book my way and I feel I did it the rigth way for me.

Basically, Untraceable is the book no one believed in but me. This book is my blood, tears, sweat, fears, and dreams all bound in 300 pages.

About the Book:

Stay-at-home mom’s teen wilderness thriller proves girls can be tough and independent without living in a fantasy world or possessing special powers.
Untraceable, by author S.R. Johannes, gives teens a realistic heroine set in today’s world and - somehow - makes getting back to nature cool again.
ATLANTA, GA (November 29, 2011) – With the popularity of Twilight and Hunger Games, contemporary thrillers for teens have been practically nonexistent. Shelli Johannes-Wells hopes to change all that with the release of her debut young adult thriller, Untraceable, the first in The Nature of Grace series. The book will be available Nov 29th in ebook and paperback at all major bookstores.
Set in the Smoky Mountains, Shelli brings her love of nature back to teens. In a world where teens spend an average of thirty hours a week in front of some kind of screen, Untraceable makes it cool - yet thrilling– for kids to get outside again.
Grace has grown up in the woods. Her first swing was a forest vine and her first pet, a wounded bear cub. When Grace’s forest ranger father goes missing on a routine patrol, she heads off into the Smoky Mountains in search of him. Soon, she’s enmeshed in a web of deception and murder that challenges everything she knows about the wilderness, survival, and self defense. And, it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this heroine to emerge from town conspiracy that’s spreading like wild fire, threatening everything and everyone she’s ever loved.
“When people ask me what the book is about, I always say, a contemporary thriller with kickbutt teen heroine, an unsolved mystery, a rollercoaster adventure, and – of course - two hot boys. That usually gets girls interested.”
When Shelli started writing the book, there were a few things on her mind. “I wanted to create a tough character who didn’t need to turn to a computer for entertainment. Someone who was tough and feminine with an honest love of natural things in this world. I guess I wanted my character, Grace, to be the Katniss Everdeen of today’s real world in the unexplored setting of Gary Paulson’s Hatchett.”
"Grace is a spunky, independent, nature girl who doesn't need a boy to save her. With wilderness survival, a juicy love triangle, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, this fast-paced novel had me holding my breath until the very last page—and still begging for more!"  -Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder series

"This thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance. The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page." - Kirkus Reviews

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About S.R. Johannes:

S.R. Johannes lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her high heels and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and a love of writing. You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com.

Where to Buy:

* The paperback (can be purchased here.)

ISBN 10: 0984799125, ISBN 13: 978-0-9847991-2-1

* The Kindle ebook can be purchased here.

ISBN 10 - 0984799109, ISBN 13 - 978-0-9847991-0-7

* Other ebook Formats (ePUB, Nook, iBooks, Sony and more) - can be purchased here