Category Archives: writing

FarSeen Snippet 2

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This is the second of four snippets that I will post. Hope you enjoy. 😉

**Preorder: 6th September 2013 (the book becomes available to preorder through the TEB website)
**Prerelease: 20th September 2013 (the book becomes available to buy through the TEB website)
**General Release: 18th October 2013 (the book becomes available through all outlets)

FarSeen

Here’s the blurb:

Taking a break from finding the cure for a magic sickness killing witches, Evangeline (Evie) Parker picks up Drew for a night of hot sex. One night is not enough, however. In strange twist of fate, Trent, Drew’s partner also comes into Evie’s life. One night is definitely not enough when two becomes three. As they come together, they realize while separately they are good, together they are great.

All Hallows Eve is the time when the cure to the magic sickness is predicted to make itself known. Combining magic and sex on that special night cures more than the magic sickness afflicting the witch community, it also cures three lonely hearts.

FARSEEN is hot and sweet in a small tasty bite. It is filled with sex magic, lit up chakras and hearts slowly opening up to each other.

 

Snippet:

When she woke up, it was to him staring at her. He smiled at her when she opened her eyes. “Morning, Evie.”

“Morning, Drew,” she yawned at him. “Need coffee.”

She was so not a morning person. And she needed caffeine like a heroin addict needed their fix in the mornings.

Drew reached over and picked up the phone on the nightstand. She heard him tell the person on the other end that they needed coffee and two American breakfasts ASAP. Then she felt him push some magic through the line. No doubt their room service would be showing up pretty quickly, from the push she felt.

“You are my god,” she told him when he hung up. “I need caffeine and food, in that order.”

Not real sure about the whole morning-after protocol, she was relieved to sense that he wasn’t going to just shove her out of the door. Not that she had any illusions that they had a relationship or something after last night, but she still didn’t want to feel all weird and what not. Plus, maybe she could get a little morning action before she took off to her stillroom.

He was drifting his fingers lazily over her skin as she burrowed closer to his body heat. They had just started fooling around with more serious intent when she heard the knock on the door. Damn that push he’d sent. Just a little longer and she would have had some morning joy.

 

FarSeen Banner

OtherKind Series

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I wrote about how my brain thinks in series, mostly, and not standalone books a few days back. It does. Apparently, that is how my brain is wired. As a result, I have a Paranormal Romance series- OtherKind, with witches, shifters, fae and vampires and sundry of other paranormal creatures. It’s a world shared by humans. It is an interesting world. A world where monsters can be anyone and heroes tested in life or death situations. And where love relationships rarely, if ever, happen with just two people.

Total-E-Bound is publishing two novellas that make up the prequel to the issues that the protagonists will face in the books that follow. Yes, a two book prequel. I know most people have one book as the prequel. But that can’t be helped. My prequel needs two novellas to start the story arc. So that’s what there is. So there. The first novella is called FarSeen and it is being released as part of the Wanton Witches line. The second, Night Blind,  just got a contract offer. I haven’t got a release date yet. But I am hoping it will be sometime in December. My fingers are crossed.

The next two books in the series starts the main show. One is a novella and the other is a novel. They are stories about how the different Others come out to the humans, who will be in control of the world and the age-old battle between good and evil. By the time the story arc wraps up, the world as the people in my books know it is changed as are the people themselves. Some parts of the world are better, others not so much. There is love and betrayal. Lust and denial. Friends who become enemies and enemies who become allies.

A tall order in the grand scheme of things. Even with multiple books, these subjects will never get fully exhausted. Universal questions will never get a definitive answer. But the OtherKind series will showcase humor, strength and being true to oneself in the face of change- drastic, monumental, world-shifting change. And I hope you come to love the characters as much as I love them. And get lost in the world like I have. Welcome to my mind- told and seen, in the form of a series.

FarSeen Available to PreOrder from Total-E-Bound

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I don’t hawk my wares too often. I think door-to-door salesman are only just slightly less annoying than those that are in a sell, sell, sell mode constantly. So I mostly just give a brief public service announcement and attempt to sparingly share my release day joy. In furtherance of sharing said joy, my witchy, magical menage is available for preorder at TEB. The preorder price is 15% off the cover. Three other authors have a release in the same Wanton Witches series begin offered by TEB just in time for Halloween. It’s scarily good. 😉 Just click on the cover and it will take you to the site.

FarSeen

 

Blurb:

Three lonely souls find each other and the cure to a disease ravaging the witching community on All Hallows Eve.

Taking a break from finding the cure for a magic sickness killing witches, Evangeline—Evie—Parker picks up Drew for a night of hot sex. One night is not enough, however. In a strange twist of fate, Trent, Drew’s partner, also comes into Evie’s life. One night is definitely not enough when two become three. As they come together, they realise that while separately they are good, together they are great.

All Hallows Eve is the time when the cure to the magic sickness is predicted to make itself known. Combining magic and sex on that special night cures more than the magic sickness afflicting the witch community, it also cures three lonely hearts.

 

FarSeen Banner

Home Run Snippet 3

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Home Run was released last month from Rebel Ink. Working on the next book about a soccer player, a secret/not so secret baby and all because of a one night stand. But until then, hopefully, this little bit from Home Run will tide y’all over.

HomeRun_Cover

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.

 

Snippet:

She gave herself a once over in the mirror knowing Noah was impatiently waiting downstairs. She was running late.

After a last glance in the mirror finding nothing amiss, she grabbed her evening clutch and went to join Noah.

She saw him before he saw her and he took her breath away. He was cute in his baseball uniform. He looked smoking hot in a pair of jeans. She’d seen him in a suit and that particular look always turned her on. But in his tux he looked fabulous. She could only stand and stare at him.

He turned and his eyes widened. “You’re lucky Reggie’s a friend of mine or I’d lock you in the bedroom and never let you out.”

“Umm, I’m not thinking that makes me lucky, Noah.”

“Yeah, I hear you,” he shot back. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful. But that dress? Shit, babe, beautiful doesn’t do you justice.”

“You are so getting laid tonight,” she laughed at him.

“Already knew that,” he said smugly.

She laughed as she went to him.

Series vs. Standalone Books

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I’m not sure how other writers write. But it seems as more time passes and more stories flit through my brain, one thing has become clear. I am unable to write standalone novels. I got nothing against standalone books. Nothing at all. But my mind seems to work in series. Either with the same character through multiple book/storylines or with the same interwoven characters but focusing on distinct characters within a storyline.

 

I’ve tried to write differently. There are lots of stories that I think will be a standalone, but by the end, I am spinning off other tangential stories. Apparently, this is just the way my brain works. Some series are just two books that pop in my brain. Other stories have an entire universe and a story arch that spans several novels. A few of those expanded storylines even have side novellas attached.

 

Take my newest soon to be released book FarSeen. Originally, I slated two novellas to the story. But soon, I realized that those two stories are the prequel to two distinct story arcs. One arc has a 3-4 novellas and about 4 novels in it. The second story arch takes a different turn with 3 novels and no novellas. But they are from the same universe and traverse the story arc at different points in the time line. And while I am pleased as all get out the I don’t see dead people, I gotta say having so many imaginary friends talking to me from a made-up universe can be a little crazy making. Or at least make people who see me talking to myself seem like I am cra-cra. I want to explain, sometimes, that I am talking to my characters or that they are talking to me. But then I realize that maybe, just maybe, admitting that would make me even crazier in their eyes. Regardless, I think all writers walk around talking to imaginary people who only exist in their mind until they are revealed in ink. Imaginary friends are the glue that unites authors. Who knew?

 

Several of my other stories also are laid out in series format. Like a motion picture running in my head, I can literally SEE them. Just once, I want to write a story that doesn’t have one before it or after it. But alas, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me at the moment. My only wish is that my universes are portrayed clearly, compellingly and with enough depth that my readers also end up talking to my characters. Now THAT would be a hoot. And a half.

Websites for Writers

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So every once in a while I’ve been throwing out some websites for the writerly type. Whether your goal is to write that one book to meet some bucket list type idea or you want to be a career writer, checking out other writers’ sites isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it is a brilliant thing.

One of the best sites is Kristine Kathryn Rusch‘s webpage. I discovered Rusch as a newb reader back in the day when I devoured sci-fi/fantasy books by the dozen. I LOVE her works. Her ability to create worlds rich in three dimensional characters is amazing. Her books are some of the few I have carted from place to place as I move. Even when I have thrown out/given away/traded  other works to make room and save poundage. However, I didn’t figure out how great she truly is until I began reading her blog. See, she CAN get multi-book deals and have the corner office agent. But she chooses not to. And she tells you why. And then she tells you how to get multi book deals or self-pub for maximum benefit ON YOUR OWN, just like she does now. That’s right, she fired her agent and cuts her own deals and pubs her own books. All the while giving pointers to the rest of us. Even if you don’t like her genre and have been reluctant to pick up her books, go read her blog. You’ll be glad you did. Information and education is THE most important tool in a writer’s toolbox. Seriously.

Along the vein of trying to help out, Brian Grove has compiled a list of over 100 publishers in various genres accepting submissions. It’s a good place to start compiling YOUR list of who you want to sub to, with or without an agent. Not that your agent won’t know about some of these houses, they probably will. But on the off chance they don’t, it’s a good thing for you to know so that if you start running out of houses, you can gently suggest one off this list. The list is invaluable, however, if you are subbing works yourself. Start here as the base for a subbing list. You won’t be sorry.

Last but not least, go read the Pub(lishing) Crawl. It is a blog written by publishers, writers and other in the industry. There is some insider info, some announcements and some good writerly advice from people who live, eat and breathe books and writing and publishing. Insightful. Funny. Sometimes, brilliant. It gives a voice to the thoughts of some industry professional from whom us peons would never get to hear. The list of contributors is a virtual who’s who in publishing.

Random Thoughts Part… the 8th

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It’s been a long while since I’ve had a random thought. Most of my thoughts have been pretty targeted. That happens when you got 3 back to back book releases while trying to hawk some more stories to various publishing houses. But for the last several weeks, I’ve taken a vakay from all things writerly to focus on other aspects of my life. Like getting my oldest off to college. And rediscovering how much I like READING books and stories and other people’s writings. What it’s really done is give me a chance to recharge, renew and get excited about MY writing again.

I hate getting older. Not only does time seem to be passing me by at warp speed, but my body seems to be failing at a scary exponential rate. It’s pissing me off. Every. Frickin’. Day. If I knew the person in charge personal like, I would be bitching constantly about how it’s not right to make time move so goddamn fast all the while my earthly vessel deteriorates like there is no tomorrow. See, in my opinion, it should be one or the other. Death should be flying rapidly to meet me -OR- not and, mind you, OR my body should be falling apart like a cheap Chinese toy. But not both. Never both. But I don’t the person in charge personally. So I have zero say in matters. Sucks to be me.

Even thought I am no longer in school, the end of summer is still signaled by kids going back to school. I don’t care what the calendar says. Fall starts when school starts. End of story. No other marker is needed. Period. Oh okay, if there is a holiday that might, just might, signal fall, it would be Labor Day. And who made the rule that a woman can’t wear white after that date. Seems arbitrary to me. Cause it should depend on the weather, season and where you live. I mean, it’s pretty damn hot in certain parts of the world. And white is a great reflective color. It gets the heat off your back. Literally and figuratively. But mostly literally. So white might be necessary after Labor Day. So there, you crazy fashion police bitches.

When are we gonna come up with an alternative fuel that doesn’t use oil? And by fuel, I mean for cars. I am so tired of paying through my nose to drive my gas guzzling vehicle. Yeah, I get the irony part of that previous statement. So what. I still want cheaper gas. And I still want fuel that doesn’t begin as dark sludge. And I want it yesterday. We’re smart. We could do it. My problem begins when I think about why we don’t. Politics. Plain and simple. Shit. Given the amount of money changing hands just to keep oil as king, we’re gonna have to run out of oil before we seriously start developing other fuel sources. Pisses me right the fuck off. Politics. Sucks.

That is all.

Snippet Saturday- FarSeen 1

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This will be the first of four or so FarSeen snippets that I will post until the official unofficial release date(s).

**Preorder: 6th September 2013 (the book becomes available to preorder through the TEB website)
**Prerelease: 20th September 2013 (the book becomes available to buy through the TEB website)
**General Release: 18th October 2013 (the book becomes available through all outlets)

FarSeen

Here’s the blurb:

 

Taking a break from finding the cure for a magic sickness killing witches, Evangeline (Evie) Parker picks up Drew for a night of hot sex. One night is not enough, however. In strange twist of fate, Trent, Drew’s partner also comes into Evie’s life. One night is definitely not enough when two becomes three. As they come together, they realize while separately they are good, together they are great.

All Hallows Eve is the time when the cure to the magic sickness is predicted to make itself known. Combining magic and sex on that special night cures more than the magic sickness afflicting the witch community, it also cures three lonely hearts.

FARSEEN is hot and sweet in a small tasty bite. It is filled with sex magic, lit up chakras and hearts slowly opening up to each other.

 

In the beginning…

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

Tonight was the night. She was going to get laid—have a bona fide one-night stand. Christ, it had been so long since another person had given her an orgasm. She needed one. She just needed, period.

Hot, slightly slutty dress. Check.

Killer fuck-me pumps. Check.

Blood-red lipstick. Check.

Several condoms. Check and double check.

With a last glance at her reflection in the mirror, she walked out of the door on a mission. A mission to have hot, sweaty, anonymous sex. It was on.

She glanced around the ballroom, taking in the sights and smells of people who were drinking too much, talking too loud and just trying too hard. Maybe a business cocktail function wasn’t the best place to pick up a random guy. She smirked at herself. Oh well, if she did some networking then the night wouldn’t be a total bust. So her perusal of the room went from looking for Mr Goodbar to whether she knew someone to start off the evening’s round of introductions and small talk ad nauseam.

She would need a drink for this. Disappointment always needed a cocktail…or two. Smiling, she walked to the cash bar and ordered another vodka tonic.

As she turned from the bar, her elbow struck a solid mass to her right.

“Oops. Sorry,” she murmured as her glance went from her drink to the face of the man she had just elbowed in the side.

Holy shit. He was gorgeous. Tall, blond and beautiful. Not pretty-boy beautiful, but the kind of beautiful that made a man stand out in a crowd. He had laugh lines around his mouth, kind eyes and hair that looked as if he’d run his fingers through it a time or two already. So it was the kind of beautiful that wasn’t polished, but was authentic. In a sea of plastic smiles and fake personalities, he stood out.

Summer Lovin Blog Hop- Rebel Ink Press

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Today starts the blog hop. It runs from August 15th through the 17th. Visiting more blogs means more chances to win a Kindle Paperwhite and other author swag given away by both Rebel Ink Press and the authors whose blogs you visit. The more blogs visited, the more chances you have of winning really COOL stuff. Plus, you get to read some cool blog entries written especially for the blog hop AND to learn about some awesome authors and the stories they’ve written. Don’t believe me? Well, read my entry below.  Just past my blog entry, you will find some tidbits about my Rebel Ink Press release, HOME RUN. Then scroll all the way down to find the button for the Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway and links to the other authors on the SUMMER LOVIN BLOG TOUR!

This is my first Blog Hop so I will be giving away a $25 Victoria’s Secret gift card to a lucky comment winner. I will choose a random commenter as the winner after the last day of the Blog Hop . It will be in the form of an e-gift card, so I will contact you and/or announce who the winner is the next day. So check back once the Blog Hop is over. Check my home page for the announcement. It is also possible, if I get a wild hair, for me to give a copy of the book to someone as well. Again, check back on the home page. How much more exciting can I make my first blog hop?!?!?!

SummerLovin_Button

Summer Love

Or is it the love of summer? Summer always brings to mind hot, hot days and sultry nights. Watermelon and cookouts and beaches and vacations. No matter how old I get, summer always makes me feel like I’ve been let out of school and the vastness of all the time and sunshine are just waiting for me to explore. Visits to relatives bring memories of hangin’ out my cousins and aunts and uncles and just being free to be me. Cause I don’t need to hide or make excuses for the craziness that is my family cause they ARE my family, ya know?

Summertime was when I said good bye to my first real crush as a young girl, even before I knew what crushes were all about. Summer was also the season I met my husband as well. So my first love and my final love are forever intertwined with summer.

The first date I had with my husband was a picnic at a huge park. Fried chicken, cheese, grapes and ice cold beer. Yes, I remember the menu even though it’s been more years than I care to count and there have been a gazillion other things that I’ve forgotten since that time. It makes me smile to remember how he took off his shoes and waded into ice cold water to pick a flower for me. It was silly and oh so romantic- it still makes me smile and swoon just a little.

So as much as summer is about love, I love summer too. Lazy reading of books, hanging out my girls and the smell of lilacs in the air. I yearn for summer in the winter and I am as giddy as newlywed when the first flower in my yard blooms. I can’t wait for the endless days and it makes me sad when summer draws to an end. Summer still means love to me. It still means vacations and free time and being outside. And no matter how many summers I live through, I want it to last just a little longer, come just a little sooner, and smell of sunshine and happiness and freedom and joy.

Summer was when I met my forever love, afterall.

Home Run

Home Run was released by just this month. It’s a sweet AND hot sports romance about two people who don’t have to take care of little kids, but do anyway. A chance meeting doing good deeds and their lives are changed much in the same way they change the lives of others. Making wishes come true… for others and themselves. And it’s only $2.99.

HomeRun_Cover

Amazon
ARe
Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Daniela Sinclair is a trust fund baby who believes she can make a difference in the world by making the wishes of sick children come true. Noah Barker is a major league baseball player from a common background who agrees to fulfill a sick child’s wish. Together they burn up the sheets. Unfortunately, they also cause a family member to burn in anger. In a stunning case of betrayal, the home run ending they both envisioned is threatened and they teeter on the brink of striking out.

Snippet:

The snippet is racy- so BE WARE!

Chapter One

“Put your hands on the wall,” he told her. “Don’t turn around.”

At first she was startled. No one had been in the hallway. No one had been in the room. She was alone. At least she thought she was.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

“Saucy,” he said. “Well, you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Tell me and I’ll decide if I want to be good or bad.” He couldn’t see the small smile that played on her face.

“Oh, you’ll want to be good. I have a feeling you’ll like what good girls get.” He punctuated his words with a brief touch of his groin against her ass.

She shivered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” his voice was close to her ear, the breath whispering by, igniting her sense of want. He bit down gently. Her ear was delicate like everything
about her. His hands slide down the sides of her body, capturing her skirt then his hands slid up. Only this time, his hands held her skirt.

Just the nearness of him and she was ready to explode. She’d been dripping from his first words, his first touch.

She didn’t know it could be like this.

One hand rose to capture her breast over her clothes. It was frustrating. So very frustrating when what she really wanted was his hands on her bare flesh.

That thought disappeared the moment his other hand slipped into her panties.

He purred his approval when he felt how much she wanted him. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him. Plotting when they could be together again. It scared her how much she anticipated when they could be together again.

 

Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway: Enter Here

 

Other blog participants. REMEMBER, the more you enter, the more chances to win!!!:

 

HL Wampler                                      DR Slaten                                            Vivian Proud

Nancy LaPonzina                              Joanne C Berroa                               Lila Munro

Melissa Keir                                       Lori J Gordon                                     Sarah Bella

Donna Steele                                    Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy     Juliette Springs

Suzzana C Ryan                                 Kate Roth                                            Anna Kristell

Wendy Smith                                    BethAnn Buehler                             Eden Glenn

Jane Wakely                                      Nora Snowdon                                  Erica Bayne

Britni Hill                                            BL Morticia                                         KD Ferguson

Bethany Cross                                   E Jaime                                                 Blair McDowell

Winfield H Strock III                       JL Oiler                                                 Alex Jones

Cassandre Dayne                             DH Black                                              Al Lohn

Jennifer Wilck

Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop T minus 3 Days

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SummerLovin_Button

 

Rebel Ink is going to give away a Kindle Paperwhite and some other swag just for following the blog hop. The posts will be about Summer and Lovin’. So be prepared for some heated posts. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Starts in 3 days. The count down has begun. 😉