Gabrielle Bisset

Friday, November 30, 2012

Vampire Author Chat #Urbanfantasy #PNR #romance



I'm at Coffee Time Romance today from 10 am to noon and then again later tonight with other authors of vampire romance, so stop over and check it out! There will be giveaways, excerpts/blurbs, and I might even give a little taste of my upcoming book in the Sons series.

I hope to see you there! Just click over to the Latte Lounge to find us. :)

Monday, November 26, 2012

#CyberMonday Blowout at All Romance eBooks

All Romance eBooks is having a Cyber Monday 50% off sale, so all my books sold there are available for a steal! This includes every book in the Sons of Navarus series, but it doesn't include Stolen Destiny and Destiny Redeemed. So if you're looking to snag a great book at a great price, head on over there and take advantage of this ONE DAY sale.

Happy shopping!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Black Friday Blog H0p #PNR

I don't do the shopping thing on Black Friday because I'm liable to get arrested if someone elbows me out of the way for the last Sing Along Elmo, so hanging out hopping around blogs and entering for goodies is a much safer way for me to spend the day. Thanks for stopping by my part in the hop!

For me, these one day hops are the best! No waiting to see who won. One day and done. I love it! So while you finish off those turkey leftovers, you can enter to win a bunch of prizes. Here's the info: 

There will be over 200 giveaways total on all the blogs participating.

But that's not all....

We have 
THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!


Here at my blog I'm giving away three (3) ebook copies of Destiny Redeemed, one of the books in my Destined Ones Series. Here's the blurb:

Sentenced to spend the rest of his three remaining lifetimes in Nil, Amon Kalins is freed with the help of his Sidhe servant, Gethen, but now he must accept his life is never to be his again as the Council won't rest until he's safely back imprisoned within Nil's cold walls. Broken and nearly dead from his time in prison, Amon is saved by an Aeveren healer named Althea Forester. As a healer, Thea has served her people for forty-five lifetimes, never having a destined one and always knowing each lifetime would ultimately end with her alone. But destiny hasn't forgotten her.

Drawn to the seductive Amon, Thea quickly becomes a pawn the Council uses to trap him. Taken prisoner by the sadistic leader of the rebel group, the Soren, Thea must survive the vicious world of the people hellbent on taking her destined one away forever, and Amon must risk everything dear to him to free her from those who would sacrifice her to claim the bigger prize and return him to Nil.

Of all the characters I've had the pleasure to write, Amon is one of my favorites. I know you'll enjoy reading his story as much as I enjoyed writing it. To read an excerpt and some of the rave reviews the book's received, visit its page on my blog at http://gbisset.blogspot.com/p/destiny-redeemed.html


So what do you have to do to enter? First, be sure to leave a comment with your email address. It doesn't have to be anything big, but to be entered to win the grand prizes and to be sure I have a way to contact the winner, there has to be at least an email address. But I love comments too! Then fill out as many of the Rafflecopter entries as you like (the more you do, the better the chances of winning!).

I'll choose the three winners by random and contact them by email after the giveaway is over. Have a wonderful day, and happy hopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Changes #amwriting #urbanfantasy #paranormal

Recently, I've been mentioning that the Sons of Navarus would be going through some changes. I haven't really discussed them completely anywhere because I just don't do that. I don't announce everything that's going on with me. It's not my style. However, since I've had a number of people ask me, I figured I'd explain.

In some stories of mine, I've struggled with the need for a HEA. Yes, I know that's a requirement in the romance genre (no matter how much I think it's unnecessary). My book Destiny Redeemed has a HEA, despite the fact that it was a chore to finish the book that way. Amon simply isn't a man who would get a happy ending. I adore the character, but he just wouldn't. Fate has a nasty way of making you pay, and after years of being a bad man (no matter how sexy he is), he just wouldn't be given a free pass with a woman like Thea.

But because it's a paranormal romance, that's the way it has to be.

That was the first time as an author I chafed at the restrictions of the romance genre. In many ways, romance writing makes things easy for me. In stories such as Masquerade, I feel justified in giving the characters a happy ending. Nikolai and Annelisa deserve to be happy with one another. The story didn't reveal any true reason why they shouldn't, so an HEA fits well.

Then I began writing the Sons of Navarus series and that issue with the HEA came back again. From the first book, the constraints of the genre were pressing down on me. I adore Vasilije (almost as much as I adore Amon who came before him), but it was a stretch to create an HEA at the end of Blood Avenged. And it isn't because Sasa isn't the kind of woman he'd go for. No. She's exactly the type he'd want. Despite the belief that strength means mouthiness or aggressiveness, Sasa is strong. A male like Vasilije brings that strength out in a female like her. And she brings out the Alpha in him. The reason an HEA is a difficult fit for them is because as a dominant male, he'd likely do things that would put a strain on the relationship.

You see, the Sons refused to just live happily ever after. They keep living and inevitably the traits that make them who they are complicate things.

The story of the Sons has never been just romantic. I knew that when I began writing the series. By the second book, the Prophecy of Idolas and the civil war with the Archons began encroaching on the romantic storyline. Blood Betrayed worked well because the story of Saint and Solenne wasn't just a love story but one about the dynamic between two brothers and the woman who came between them. The reference to betrayal in the title is as much about what Teagan did to Saint as what Solenne did.

But then came Blood Spirit.  I love that book, but for all the reasons that reviewers sometimes struggle with it. It's got a ton of non-romantic storyline in it. The Archons are on the rise, Ramiel and Thane (along with Kali) are figuring out more about the Prophecy of Idolas, and Vasilije is dealing with a trauma that isn't easily soothed with just romance and sex. Running alongside that is the romance between Terek and Ilona. Terek is a complicated male--a warrior for his kind, a monk in his human life, a vampire sire who has worked hard to turn as many vampires as possible to ensure the continuation of his race. But he has some complicated issues that I only got to dance around because the book was technically considered romance.

And that's the crux of the problem. Romance requires me to simplify things I want to explore. This became all too clear as I began to write Blood Prophecy and make decisions on the series arc for the rest of the books. By the middle of Ramiel's book, I was stuck. What I had planned for the story wasn't going to work with the expectations of romance readers.

So I began to flesh out some things for future stories in the series, hoping that this would fix the logjam in my mind, but that only made it more obvious that it was time to leave paranormal romance behind. By the time I'd decided what Sion's background was, I'd already closed the door to paranormal romance for this series.

But I didn't know what to do. I considered discontinuing the series entirely, but you know what? This is a damn good story and I enjoy writing it. That meant I was going to have to restructure the series to work differently.

It's been a labor of love doing just that. Because I'm not constrained by the need for an HEA, I can do things that work more organically. Vasilije and Sasa will still begin the series, and Saint and Solenne's story will still figure prominently (and will again be important because of events that are about to occur with the Archon, Marc Verrater). Will there be romance and sex? Yes, but they won't be the focus. The focus will be the Sons and a new character coming in soon and their fight against the Archons for control of the vampire world.

For fans of the series who wonder about Ramiel's story, I am still writing it but that will appear in a different way than I first intended. Will he still have a love interest? Yes, he will. It's always been an integral part of the series storyline, but it won't be the only focus of his storyline. He's much more than just a sexy male vampire, and now I can let him be himself in the story.

I hope readers will continue to follow the Sons series. While I do write a pretty hot sex scene (and will continue to do so), the romance and sex were never all there was to love about the Sons and their books. In the end, it's always been the story that's the great part--the story of eight warriors descended from the gods who must defend their world from those who seek to enslave all vampires. I don't know how it will be characterized. A few fellow authors tell me it has always been more urban fantasy/paranormal fiction than paranormal romance because there's so much non-romance storyline, so maybe that's what the Sons series will be. I don't know. What I do know is that as an author, I need to be true to myself and true to the story I want to write. So that's what I'm doing, and I've never been happier.


Friday, November 16, 2012

Giving Thanks For The Good Things In Life

I was going to write a blistering post today about how some indie authors who write historical fiction seem to be totally ignorant of history (and the need for an editor!) and how the bloggers who review those same historically incorrect books as great look foolish, but half way through that post my head almost exploded in disgust at both parties, so instead today I chose to be thankful for the good things in my life.

Sometimes it's difficult to be thankful when you're in the middle of nonsense. That's why I'm making the effort today. I think it's worth the time, and at the very least it will make me feel good. Here's to hoping it makes you want to think of all the good things you have in your life.

So what am I thankful for?

My family--I have a very small family, but they're good people who make me smile more than frown. In the big scheme of things, that's worth a lot. I just wish they'd clean the bathroom more often.

My knowledge--My years in school gave me so much to be thankful for. (Trying not to go off on the ignorance that makes my subject in romance such a fucking shambles....serenity now...) As I skip around the Internet and teach my classes each day, I realize that my education was a great gift. But it's not just knowledge that my education gave me. It's the tools to continue learning things that help me every day.

My parents--In truth, my parents were a bit of a train wreck. My mother spent most of my childhood perfecting her role as a martyr, and my father was a drunk. But as I told a friend last night, I can see that those years were pretty good compared to many other people's. My parents were, above everything else, hardworking people who knew right from wrong and taught their daughter the same. In a world of frauds, they were the real deal and helped me know how to spot that.

My friends--Thanks to the people who make me laugh so hard my stomach muscles hurt and listen to me when I'm tilting at windmills. You do so much to make my life great.

My writing--I put this last, but that doesn't mean it's the least important. I don't spend my time pontificating about muses or claiming I write because of some voices in my head or some absolute need to lest I suffer without pen in hand. None of that is true. What is true is that I write because it brings me happiness. That's it. Nothing melodramatic. I just enjoy it, so I write. That I can because I possess the skill helps to make this love a profitable one, but in the end, I write because it makes me happy. I'm thankful I've found something that does that.

Here's to you having a wonderful Thanksgiving and every day appreciating what makes your life wonderful!


Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Phrase Doctor Editors #amwriting #amediting

A few weeks ago, I was sitting with my editor, Yvonne, bemoaning the dreadful state of editing in the indie books I'd read recently. As an editor myself for over a decade, I was disturbed to see potentially great stories stopped in their tracks by poor grammar, spelling issues, and structural problems that ruined the plots. Yvonne couldn't believe how little editing was evident in the books. As we talked about how sad it was that these stories would never be taken seriously because of the lack of editing (and I complained about how these issues only reinforced in many people's minds the incorrect notion that all indie writing was junk), we decided that we wanted to do something about it.

Out of that discussion came The Phrase Doctor. Between the two of us, we have nearly 20 years experience as professors in physics, history, and writing, in addition to over a decade of editing experience. Most of all, we believe that good writing deserves the best editing possible.

Since that day, we've been busy helping authors make their work the best it can be. Because of our expertise and my indie writing experience, we can offer line and content edits, in addition to fact checking on fiction and nonfiction works. It's been so great knowing that the time we put into making books shine helps authors not only in their sales but also in their reputations.

If you're an author and you want great editing at a reasonable price, find us at http://www.thephrasedoctor.com/  We look forward to working with you!



Thursday, November 8, 2012

Celebrate Now Before The End Comes

I'm one of those souls who has always had a problem with stores putting up their Christmas decorations before Black Friday. I hate the season to be rushed, and the trend of putting holiday stuff up even before Halloween is over is just ridiculous.

Happy Hallowthanksmas!

This year the decorations seemed to come out even earlier. And the trend has now caught on outside of retail. There are people in my neighborhood who have their Christmas lights up AND on every night. Hell, I just had my son take down the Halloween lights and decorations (which is something I fought against for years--lights for anytime but Christmas seems stupid, but he wanted to do them, so...)

I think I know why everything is so rushed this year. It's those damn Mayans' fault. It's the end of the world thing. (You can thank me for not making the R.E.M. reference there. That song never leaves the mind once it gets in. Oops, now it's there. Damn R.E.M!) 

The world is supposed to end on December 21, so the thought seems to be why not get as much Christmas as you can before disaster comes raining on our heads? I guess I can understand that. I enjoy Christmas, so the thought that I won't get to see another one makes me sad. I think the people I'm seeing out there subconsciously think that so they have Christmas lights up a month earlier than usual to squeeze as much holiday cheer as possible out of the remaining days.

For once I won't fight a trend. While I don't plan on supporting this next year if the world doesn't end on the winter solstice, I'm going to enjoy it this year.  So I'm going with the idea of celebrating as much as I can before the end comes. I'll be grabbing the egg nog later today and since it's supposed to warm up this weekend, I'll be sending the boy out to put up the Christmas lights. And in that spirit, here's my Christmas tree, newly purchased last night and up in my foyer.


I'll be putting the decorations on it this weekend. But if the world doesn't end on December 21, 2012, next year, I'm back to this:




Monday, November 5, 2012

Buy Blood Avenged and Support #Redcross #Relief


All day today, Monday, November 5, all proceeds from sales of Blood Avenged at Amazon will be donated to the Red Cross to help with Hurricane Sandy relief. Please help by grabbing a copy there today. It's an erotic paranormal romance, but even if that genre isn't your taste, it's for a good cause. Remember, if you own a copy already, you can always buy another and gift it to someone.

Thanks for helping me help the people who need it most after this devastating storm.

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Avenged-Sons-Navarus-ebook/dp/B006L8S59S/


Friday, November 2, 2012

Grab Blood Avenged For A Good Cause #redcross #relief

I spent the last few days glued to the television watching the devastation on the East coast unfold before my eyes. As the child of New Yorkers and a Jersey girl by birth, it breaks my heart to see the places and people I've always held so dear in my heart suffer. Up and down the coast, the mess that Hurricane Sandy has left is heartbreaking.

The terrible scenes made me want to do something, so this Monday, November 5, all proceeds from the sale of my book Blood Avenged at Amazon will be donated to the Red Cross to help in the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Please help by grabbing a copy there that day. It's an erotic paranormal romance, but even if that genre isn't your taste, it's for a good cause.

Thanks for helping me help the people who need it most after this devastating storm.



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Paranormal Fall Fling W!nners and An Award

The Paranormal Fall Fling is over, and it was a great one! There were over 35,000 entries for the grand prizes of the two giftcards and swag prize pack. Thanks to all the folks who came by and entered, and special thanks to all those who shared and tweeted the giveaway to make it so successful.

So I guess you want to know who the winners are, right? Okay. Here goes:

Winner of the Second Prize, a Sons of Navarus swag prize pack:  Shadow Kohler

Winner of the First Prize, a $10 Amazon gift card and a Sons swag pack:  Carin Walker

Winner of the Grand Prize, a $50 Amazon gift card:  Elizabeth Haney

Congratulations to all the winners! I'll be contacting you to let you know today.


And I won something last night. GraveTells blog emailed me to let me know that I was voted the Readers' Choice Favorite Author for October 2012!  Wow!  Thanks to everyone who voted. I'm flattered. :) 

Check back for the announcement of the winners of the remaining two giveaway hops going on through midnight tonight, the Wicked After Dark Hop and the Moonlight Masquerade Hop.

Have a great Thursday everyone!