Clean Indie Reads Back to School eBook Sale September 1-8

Here we go again! Another school year is about to begin. After you get the kids ready for reading, writing and 'rithmetic, treat yourself to some new eBooks to keep you entertained through fall. Here are 21 discounted titles from Clean Indie Reads authors, all with a high school or college theme. Many genres: romance, sports, new adult, YA, coming of age, fantasy, paranormal. Priced FREE through 2.99. Sale ends September 8. Note: please check all prices before clicking the "BUY" button. Each individual author is responsible for ensuring the correct sale price for her book(s).

Swim Season Nominated for InD'tale Magazine's Annual RONE Award!

  

I'm proud to announce that Swim Season, my  YA  novel released in October, 2016, was nominated for a RONE Award! 

The prestigious RONE (Reward Of Novel Excellence) Award  honors the very best books in the Indie and small publishing industry. Achieving this award is no easy feat, with three distinct hurdles to clear.

First hurdle: Your book must be read and reviewed by the magazine's professional staff of reviewers and awarded a 4 out of 5 star rating to qualify as a nominee. Swim Season was awarded 4 stars. You can read the review here.

Second hurdle: In order to move on in the competition, all books rated 4 stars are voted on by the reading public (the 5 star books advance automatically.)  The books with the highest number of public votes will move on to become finalists. So, this is where you come in. I need your vote! But it's a win-win: You can help me to advance and at the same time discover a terrific, professionally produced digital readers' magazine, for FREE. You'll love it. So let's get started! (If you're already into the magazine you can skip steps one and two and go on to step three.)

Write What You Know and Then Some - Researching My Young Adult Novel Swim Season

My daughter had been swimming for five years when I came up with the idea to write a novel about girls’ varsity swimming. Sitting on those cold, hard bleachers season after season gave me more than a sore you-know-what. It sparked my imagination, creating a story line and cast of characters that would show in written form what high school swimming is like for these girls. As I wrote the story, they were always at the heart of it. I wrote it for them. And I wanted it to be as accurate and realistic as possible.

 

In many ways, writing Swim Season was natural and easy. Through many autumns, I’d watched my daughter and her team swim their hearts out, beside parents rooting for their own swimmers. In the beginning, I knew next to nothing about the sport, about swim meets. But as the years went on, I learned. 

I learned simple things, like the order of events. Try finding your kid on a pool deck swarming with dozens of young swimmers in caps and goggles when you’re not sure which event it is, or whether your child is swimming in it or not. Impossible. 

I chaperoned the waiting rooms where dozens of youngsters waited for their next event. Try to keep all that adrenaline in check.

 

I volunteered to time the races, and stood at the blocks, race after race, helping to make things run smoothly, making sure the right kid was in the right lane.

I helped out at the concession stand, serving up bagels and cream cheese.

I was involved with the fundraising activities, Picture Day, and put together the program for Senior Night for a number of years. 

I went to 99 percent of the meets with my husband (we missed one when it was an hour away from our home on a week night.) 

Most of my daughters’ friends were swimmers, so I got to know several of them up close and personal. They were an intelligent, ambitious, fantastic set of young women. When my book was criticized by a critique partner because the characters seemed “too smart,” I responded with, “Well, those are the girls I know.” The team had the highest GPA of all athletic teams at the high school year after year. Yes, swimmers are smart.

I took advantage of coaches I knew personally (and some I didn’t) to pick their brains, try out the story’s premise for believability, and tweak the details. Many thanks go to the following New York State coaches: Frank Woodward, Middletown High School; Justin Wright, Monroe-Woodbury High School; Jeremy Cuebas, Minisink Valley High School; and Danielle Lindner, former coach for Mount Saint Mary College, in Newburgh.

Early in the process, I sent out a tweet on Twitter, asking swimmers to complete a questionnaire for a new book about varsity swimming. Almost a dozen young swimmers – girls and boys -  responded, and we started dialogues that provided great background for my story. Some of them went on to become beta readers. All of them were thrilled at the idea of a book about them, about their sport.

As a reader, when the answers weren’t so simple I resorted to books. Michael Phelps’ biography No Limits: The Will to Succeed, with Alan Abrahamson, was more than worth its cost. Likewise, Amanda Beard’s memoir In the Water They Can't See You Cry gave me insight into how to build an Olympic silver medalist. Instruction books, such as Terry Laughlin’s Total Immersion, with John Delves, and Tracey McFarlane’s Mirande’s Championship Swimming with Kathlene Bissell, taught me the fine-tuning of technique. The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive, by Jim Afremow, PhD, was instrumental in creating Aerin’s mental game. For inspiration I turned to Swimmers: Courage and Triumph by Larry Thomson.

Then there was the time when I decided to swim the race at the heart of my story. For a while I was taking Aquasize classes at my local YMCA. One day I got the idea to try to swim 500 yards. I wanted to see if I could do it, how long it would take, and how I would feel during and afterwards. I have never swum competitively, although I have always loved to swim and am capable of doing the freestyle. My first 500 clocked in at 30 minutes. I stopped after every length to catch my breath and chat with the other ladies in the Aquasize class. I kept at it, though, and after a few weeks managed to complete the 500 in 16 minutes, which was phenomenal for me. Of course, the time to beat in Swim Season is 4:52.50, which, for me, was in never never land. But, as a middle-aged woman with below-average fitness, I was proud of my achievement. In the end, unfortunately, it exacerbated my repetitive strain injuries and I had to give it up.

Writing Swim Season was an endeavor born of many resources, personal and professional. It’s recommended that we write what we know. I knew a lot about competitive swimming as a Swim Mom, but that was not enough to compose this story. I needed to reach out to many others - swimmers, coaches, parents, Olympians, and a psychologist – to nail the details. All of this, I believe, leads to a more credible, believable story with depth. 

Swim Season is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.

Launch Day! Swim Season is Now Live on Amazon

  
I started writing this novel in the fall of 2011 when my daughter was a junior in high school. It was her fifth varsity swim season. Little did I know that I would continue my stint as a Swim Mom for another five years as she went on to swim in college. My goal was to write a story about the whole high school swimming experience, to show those who may not be  familiar with the sport how much fun it is and how hard these kids work. Swimming competitively, especially in high school, can be a positive experience that builds character, self-esteem, and friendships. Many valuable lessons are learned: keeping a commitment to a sport and a team; setting and making personal goals; the grace of winning; the humility of defeat; confidence in one's athleticism; pride in one's body and what it can do; and the rewards earned through hard work and dedication. These are lifelong lessons that will benefit any swimmer in whatever she chooses to do, in sports, work, and more. All girls should have the opportunity to learn about themselves through sports, any sport. Enjoy Swim Season!
  

Book blurb:

Short:

The swim team is ripped apart when two girls vie to break a longstanding school record with a 50,000-dollar scholarship prize. 

Longer:

Sometimes winning is everything. 

Champion swimmer Aerin Keane is ready to give up her dreams of college swimming and a shot at the Olympics. As she starts senior year in her third high school, Aerin's determined to leave her family troubles behind and be like all the other girls at Two Rivers. She's got a new image and a new attitude. She doesn’t want to win anymore. She's swimming for fun, no longer the freak who wins every race, every title, only to find herself alone.

But when her desire to be just one of the girls collides with her desire to be the best Two Rivers has ever seen, will Aerin sacrifice her new friendships to break a longstanding school record that comes with a $50,000 scholarship?

Excerpt:

Aunt Mags didn't say a word on the way to the high school and neither did I. We were up and out too early for anything more than, "Got everything?" "Uh huh," and "Let's go." We'd left the house before her first cup of coffee and she was not in a talkative mood. 

It was just after dawn, the moon still visible as the sun peeked out over the horizon. A chill in the air hinted at summer's end. I regretted leaving my sweatshirt behind, although after swim practice the sun would be shining and we'd be back to the mid-August heat.

We arrived at the school and a deserted parking lot. Mags parked her minivan at the athletics entrance.

"Are you sure it starts at 6:45?" she asked.

"Positive," I said.

She yawned. "Looks like you're the first one here."

"I doubt it." 

Today was the first day of swim season. Tryouts started at 7 a.m. The coach had instructed all wannabe swimmers to be on the pool deck no later than 6:45. My experience as a varsity athlete told me that anyone with any degree of competitiveness had already arrived. I had five minutes to spare.

"Want me to walk in with you?" Mags asked.

My horror at her suggestion must have been all over my face, because she said, "Sorry. Having a teenager is new to me. My girls would beg me to walk them into that big, scary building." We looked at the three-story hodgepodge put together to house Two Rivers High School.

"I can take it from here." I was sure I'd remember the meandering route to the pool area from the tour we took when we registered for my senior year.

She still looked anxious. "Sure you're all right?"

"Don't worry. I've got this routine down pat." Two Rivers would be my third high school. I played the role of new girl so well I deserved an Oscar.

I opened the door and hopped out. "Don't hang around waiting for me to call for a ride home," I said, reaching back to grab my bag. "I'm not sure when I'll get out, and I don't want to mess up your day. I'm okay to walk." 

Aunt Mags nodded, and I shut the door.

"Don't forget we're going back-to-school shopping later on," she said through the open window.

"Got it."

"Go get 'em, Aerin." She gave me a thumbs-up.

I shot her a grin, hoisted my bag over my shoulder, and went off to join the Two Rivers High School Girls Varsity Swim and Dive Team.

***

Minutes later, I stood on the pool deck with an odd blend of girls vying to earn a place on the team. I spotted the usual huddle of newbies benched together at the far end of the bleachers, glancing at each other nervously and at the seasoned swimmers with something like awe. On the opposite end were the members of last year's championship team, all wearing team T-shirts and chatting like old pals, ignoring everyone else. In the middle was a bunch who looked like they wanted to go back to bed, the ones whose parents pushed them into a sport and who chose swimming because we did it indoors and it looked easy. Most of them wouldn't make it.

I found a place to stand against the wall and blocked out the curious glances shot my way, using the time before practice began to check out my surroundings. Aunt Mags had said the natatorium, built just a few years ago, was state-of-the-art. 

Banners hung from the rafters and on clean white walls, touting the team's success, and an enormous leaderboard listed all of their champions and their accomplishments.

A wall of windows on the farthest side and a ceiling loaded with skylights filled the room with light. 

The six-lane pool had blue and white flags and lane lines, and the Trailblazers logo – a torch - was laid out in blue tiles on the bottom. 

The floor tiles were a mosaic of white and three shades of blue. 

The air was thick with the smell of chlorine.

I checked my expression, not wanting anyone to catch me gaping over the finest natatorium of any team I'd joined. The thought of swimming in it, of calling it "home" for the next few months caused a thrill of excitement in my belly. Around me, the other girls talked and laughed, none of them seeming to appreciate the beauty of the pool and the privilege to use it.

"Good morning girls." A man's voice cut through the chatter, and each girl sat up at attention. "Let's get started."

The voice belonged to an older man with bushy white hair and bifocals, dressed in the school's colors: navy blue shorts and a white polo shirt. Coach Steven Dudash. I hadn't met him yet – he was out of the building when my father and I visited the high school – but Maggie and her husband, Pat, gave him high praise. He'd coached the Two Rivers boys and girls swim teams for more than twenty years, and they were both winning teams. 

He pulled a chair behind him, positioned it in front of the bleachers, sat down, and organized the pile of paperwork on his clipboard. "Good morning," he said again, studying us over the rim of his bifocals. "I'm happy to see last year's team back for another year. And welcome to those of you here for the first time. I'm glad you decided to give us a try."

He took a swig from an extra tall cup of coffee before continuing. "For those of you new to the team, meet Coach Denise." He gestured toward the young woman who accompanied him. "She's my daughter. I coached her for six years when she swam for Two Rivers and got her name on the leaderboard." 

I checked out the leaderboard and saw she held the record in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Good creds. 

"This is her second year as assistant coach," he said. "She did a terrific job last year so I invited her back."

The young blonde smiled at him and the swimmers cheered.

"Yay Coach D!" a few seniors shouted.

"It's great to be back," she said. "Ready to win another championship?"

The shouts and applause were deafening. 

"During the next two weeks," Coach said when the noise died down, "you'll all be working hard, doing drills both in the pool and in the weight room, four hours a day, six days a week. During the season, you'll be practicing from after school until five or six every weekday, and four hours on Saturday. Sunday is a resting day. And, of course, you will compete in swim meets at least twice a week. So, if you don't think you can make it through the first two weeks, you might as well leave now." He paused, waiting for anyone to opt out before we even got started. No one moved.

"Okay," he continued. "Most of you know that Two Rivers won the Division Championship last year, and the two years before. I plan to win again. When we do, and I say when, not if, we will be the first team in the division to ever win four consecutive division titles."

Last year's team broke out in wild applause and cheers. Coach waited for the outburst to die down before he continued.

"I need performers," he said, "swimmers who aren't afraid to push themselves, to try new things and discover where they best support the team. So, in practice you're all going to swim every stroke, you're all going to swim distance, and you're all going to swim sprints. Each person will do all she can to defend our title."

Silence filled the pool deck as the girls looked each other over, wondering where each would fit in.

"That's the good news." He paused for effect. No worries. He had everyone's riveted attention. "But I've got some bad news. For years, the school board has been supportive of our team, and we've reciprocated by working as serious athletes and turning in winning records. Most years, the team can support as many as thirty-eight swimmers. This year, due to a budget crisis in our school district, our funds have been cut, and I can only put twenty-eight girls on the team."

Raised eyebrows and shocked inhalations followed this bit of news. I counted bodies: thirty-six.

"Yeah, eight of you will be cut, either at the end of this week or the end of next. Anyone want to leave now?"

Again, no one moved.

Coach Dudash smiled. "I like your level of commitment. Let's see if you can keep it under pressure."

He spent the next half hour reviewing team policies and the season's schedule. I'd heard such talks before from other coaches and tuned him out while I studied the other girls, trying to figure out what their positions might be. 

Most of them focused on Coach's every word, but last year's champs ignored him and whispered among themselves. One of them, a lanky girl with sun-bleached hair and a killer tan, looked over the group of wannabes and held up her fingers one to five, scoring them, I guess, on whether or not they had a chance. Her friends snickered, trying to act as if they were paying attention to Coach instead of fooling around. 

At last, the lanky girl's frosty blue eyes rested on me, and I met her gaze straight on. We stared at each other for a few seconds before she looked away first, then held up three fingers. It seemed she was ambivalent. I could go either way.

I was ambivalent too. I joined this crowd as a walk-on, someone with no history with the team and questionable ability. In their eyes, I was no better than a wannabe who needed to prove herself to gain a spot on the team and the other girls' respect. 

I showed up because it's what I did at the start of every school year. Swimming was my only sport, and I was good at it. Really good. Still, I almost skipped tryouts today. The truth was, I didn't have the energy to join a new team, in a new school, for the third time. If anyone found out I’d won championship titles in club and varsity last year they'd expect great things from me, and I didn't want the pressure. Swimming was no longer the focus of my life. It was my therapy, and I wouldn't let anyone mess that up. 

The glimmer of challenge in the way the lanky girl looked at me caused a stirring in my gut, and I shot it down. I didn't come here to get involved in any personal challenges. I came here to swim, and not make any waves. My plan was to get through the senior year and go away to college, away from my troubles, and on to a new life that I could control.

Purchase Links:

Swim Season is currently only available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon Australia

About the Author:

During swim season, you can find Marianne Sciucco, a dedicated Swim Mom for ten years, at one of many Skyline Conference swim meets, cheering for her daughter Allison and the Mount Saint Mary College Knights. Marianne is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, she dreamed of becoming an author when she grew up but became a nurse to avoid poverty. She later brought her two passions together and writes about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. Her debut novel Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, is a Kindle bestseller; IndieReader Approved; a BookWorks featured book; and a Library Journal Self-e Selection. She also has two short stories available on Kindle, Ino's Love and Collection. A native Bostonian, Marianne lives in New York's Hudson Valley, and when not writing works as a campus nurse at a community college.

Why did I write a book about girls' varsity swimming? 

An interview with Marianne Sciucco

Connect with Marianne Sciucco:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Swim Season is Now Available for Preorders!

 
Have you caught Olympic fever? I have, and a mighty bad case of it too. I can't resist watching these athletes and their magnificent performances. And the US has so many outstanding athletes - in swimming, gymnastics, and track and field, to name just a few - that I find myself glued to the TV every night and checking results on my phone throughout the day, often to the detriment of my to do list. 

One item on that list was to publish my epic swim novel Swim Season in Spring 2016 and heavily market and promote it during these Olympics. I've been working on the book for almost five years, and its progress has been interrupted repeatedly by my repetitive strain injuries and more recently a family medical crisis. I was in the final editing stages and working on a production schedule when that erupted, and once again I came to a full stop and had to shelve my plans. Sadly I realized I would not meet my goal. 

As the crisis passed and life became more manageable, I revisited my project and realized the book was almost done. And the Olympics were on their way. Not all was lost. I could launch the book during the Games with Amazon Kindle preorders and promote it while the world was focused on the toughest, most competitive swimming races in the sport.

It's not the launch I planned, but it seemed foolish to let this opportunity pass when I was so close.

So, Swim Season is now available for preorder on Amazon Kindle. The official release date is November 1st. I'm experimenting with Kindle Select the first 3-6 months, so publishing on other digital platforms - iBooks, Kobo, and Nook - will be on hold until the results are in. I'm not in favor of limiting myself to just one platform but I'm curious to see if being Kindle exclusive and in Kindle Unlimited has any benefits. I'll be sure to tell you how it all works out and if/when the book will be available on other platforms. I'll publish the paperback version sometime between now and then. And an audiobook will be forthcoming in 2017.

Swim Season is a Young Adult (YA) novel suitable for ages 12 and up. It's a Clean Indie Read (CR4U) free of sexual content, profanity, and violence. Perfect for family reading.
You can read the first two chapters here.

To preorder Swim Season please visit its Amazon page. 

Books and their authors do not become successful on their own. It takes a ton of dedicated fans and friends to move them along. You can support me and this book by joining my street team. Members help promote the book on social media and through personal contacts. Each member will receive a free copy - digital or paperback - and other assorted swag when available. To sign up send me an email at mariannesciucco@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can send you an official Swim Season bookmark as a thank you. And follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Retweet, repost and share my news. Remember to tag me so I can thank you properly.

Reviews on launch day are like gold. Request an advance copy and be one of the first to post a review. Simply drop me a line at mariannesciucco@gmail.com and I'll send you a digital copy to read on your PC, laptop, tablet, or phone. Comments, especially the constructive, critical kind, are welcome. We all make mistakes and if you spot a typo, grammar issue, or structural problem please let me know. 

And thanks for following me on this journey. So many times I wanted to give up, but my love for the sport and the voices of Aerin and her teammates on the Two Rivers Trailblazers swim and dive team would not let me quit. They've got a terrific story that will resonate with swimmers and swim fans and with sports lovers as well. Who doesn't love a great race?

So happy to finally start the next chapter of Swim Season!

Why did I write a novel about girls varsity swimming? Here's the interview. Disclaimer: this video was produced in 2014 and some aspects of the story discussed (i.e. 1979 was changed to 1989) and part of my marketing plans have changed (see above.)