Friday Fun

Another week has gone by already and it's time for some fun.  Today I'm at C.R. Moss's blog with an interview, and Mad Moose Mama has a promo up for Destiny Redeemed's book tour.  Check them out for some interesting stuff!  And Ing over at As The Pages Turn has a wonderful review up for Masquerade and is hosting a giveaway, so check that out too! 

Finally, it's time for another Weekend Dirty Dozen. This dozen comes from the first chapter of Destiny Redeemed.  Amon is in Nil, as he's been for the past year, and this is where the reader first meets him. Enjoy!

       Tiny trails of moisture trickled down the wall to the grey cement floor. The prisoner in cell 801 felt one touch his shoulder as it was stopped on its journey, and he shivered at the feel of it as it touched his tender skin. The dampness of his cell, the chill, reflected what the place had done to him. Underground, in the bowels of the Earth, he did little more than exist in this place, like a creature unwelcome in the light of the sun and home only in the cold darkness of Nil. Beneath him, the cold floor made the painful areas on his legs ache, and a dull throbbing throughout his body reminded him of the countless punishments in his time there.

The nighttime noises of Nil stabbed at him, and as they had every night for the past year, they become the terrifying soundtrack to the worst part of Amon’s time in Nil. The screams of the weak reverberated through his body, a reminder of the horrors he’d endured on so many nights there.  Not that he needed to be reminded. The pain that ran over every square inch of his skin, tactile terrors chasing after one another in a constant game of sadistic tag, never let him forget what he’d suffered through and what lie ahead in his future.  

His mind drifted back to the night just after he’d arrived when the guards not only looked the other way to allow the other inmates to perform their initiation ritual on him but also told them who he’d been before being sent to Nil, as if they’d needed any encouragement for their bloodlust. Nothing in forty-seven lifetimes had been as terrifying as the hungry look in the eyes of the men who pushed him down face first on the cold, damp concrete floor while the one with the knife loomed over him. He hadn’t seen his eyes, but he’d heard his hollow laugh right before the sound of the vicious click of the blade coming out of its home made him stiffen in sheer terror.

For another excerpt and where to buy Destiny Redeemed, click HERE

Don't forget to visit the other participants in the Weekend Dirty Dozen!

Blog Swap With Author Jenn Nixon

I'm over at Romancing the Book with an interview and giveaway today on Masquerade's blog tour, in addition to being at fellow author Jenn Nixon's blog with another interview.  In a true blog swap, here she is with information about her book, Wild & Wicked.

Today I welcome author Jenn Nixon to my blog to give readers a taste of her novella, Wild & Wicked from Tease Publishing.

Veronica Chance’s sister has gone missing. In order to find Valerie, “Roni” takes a waitressing job at Foxxes Gentlemen’s Club, the last place her sister worked, to search for clues. First day on the job, the club owner makes her give a lap dance to his VIP guest, Mr. Storm. Veronica’s instant attraction to him spells trouble and threatens to blow her cover.

Former detective Mason Storm can’t deny the connection he feels for the wild and mysterious Roni. During the lap dance, he learns about her missing sister, offers his help, only to be rejected. Not ready to give up, he confronts her again, adding in the fact he’s see her sister in the club, but she denies him once more.

When Veronica calls, acting rather strangely, Storm finds her at the club, drugged and giving a lap dance to a kid at an illegal after party.  Grateful for the help, Veronica comes clean about who she is, and accepts Storm’s offer to help. Together, they unravel the clues surrounding Valerie’s disappearance, uncover the horrible truth behind the illegal after parties, all the while exploring and succumbing to their lustful desires for each other.

Excerpt:

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to get busted…you don’t have to do this,” Mason said.

“He’s probably going to watch,” Starr replied, eyes roving to the spots Karl had surveillance. Now why would a waitress know where the cameras were? “And it’s my first day.” She stepped close, drawing his attention. Long shapely legs, covered to the knees in leather, straddled his thigh. Her hips and waist were within reach, and her full bust directly eye level.

She swayed back and forth, stunningly hypnotic.

When she moistened her lips and spun around giving him a rear view, the blood rushed from Mason’s brain. Starr bent down and pressed her ass against his thighs, his entire body flashed with heat. She grinded in a circular motion, awakening and enlarging him surprisingly fast. Spinning again, she dropped to his lap, put her hands on his shoulders, and stared down at him.

With her face clear, he tried to remember where he’d seen her.

She gyrated, eyes seductively peering down. He fought the strain in his jeans with each movement, though she made it impossible. She was hotter than hell during a heat wave. Starr lifted one leg, straddled a single thigh and shook her hips again. The woman bit her bottom lip. So naughty. So his type, he loved it.

Then an image of her with red hair flashed in his mind. She’d been in the club, disguised, sitting alone at the bar, drinking here yesterday. He glanced up at her, knew he was right.

To purchase Wild & Wicked, go to All Romance eBooks

Jenn Nixon resides in New Jersey. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Liberty State Fiction Writers. Her love for thrillers and suspense often finds its way into her novels whether they are Science Fiction or Romance. When not writing, Jenn spends her free time reading, absorbing pop culture and current events, and social networking online. For more information please visit www.jennnixon.com or http://www.facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor

 

Monday Musings and Masquerade's Blog Tour Begins!

It's late Sunday night and I'm writing this bleary-eyed after spending hours at stock photo sites.  You see, as an indie author, I have complete control over what my book covers look like.  This sounds like a dream come true, especially for those poor souls who have been at the mercy of a publisher's art department and saddled with a cover that makes them cringe every day.  In reality, what it means is that I have to search for just the person who should appear on my book cover and represent what the book is.  This is a difficult task, considering what these stock photo sites offer. 

Let me note that if I wrote YA, this cover task would be easy-peasy.  Every male on these sites looks all of 19, at most.  I write adult erotic romance (I know, the first two words seem redundant, but I saw a book with the words Teen and Slut yesterday in the erotica section...ok, enough of that), and my men are men, not boys or almost men.  My male characters are typically in their late 20s and early 30s, at least the ones who get the heroine and appear on the cover.  The problem is that stock sites don't seem to know men exist between the ages of 21 and 50.  So what does this leave me with?

Jimmy Thomas.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Jimmy Thomas.  I used him on Love's Master because his image with that woman was so perfect for the story, I couldn't imagine using anyone else. Literally, the second I saw the image I knew it was the only one to use.  His images are great quality and the variety is top shelf. If he'd fit into my vision all the time, he'd be on every cover.  Hell, it would be easy.  I could just go to his site, pick the one I like, and shazaam! Cover done.

However, what do I do if I want a blond man?  There is no blond Jimmy Thomas, as far as I can tell.  If there is, please give me the heads up and let me know.  Or what do I do if I need a male who isn't built like a brick shithouse?  Again, I love Jimmy's body, but not every romance book cover calls for a man so well built.  I might be out of step with most, but I don't want to mislead people with a cover that seems to point to a certain type of man when in fact a different type is described in the book.  Maybe it doesn't matter, but I'm particular about this.  If the man's a blond with short hair and lean, I can't use a dark haired man with long hair and a body that takes hours each day in the gym. 

I'm currently looking for a dark haired man, not too muscular but not scrawny, with a mysterious, almost evil look.  Feel free to say it:  I'd have more luck trying to find a needle in a haystack.  I did find one image of a man, but now I realize there are no less than five vampire books with him on the cover.  Yes, my man I seek to represent is a vampire, but somehow that just doesn't work if he's everywhere. 

Maybe it's time Vasilije started lifting weights. 

On a much lighter note, Masquerade's blog tour begins today at Kay Dee Royal's blog with an excerpt and a giveaway, so if you're looking to snag a copy of the last novella in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, head on over there. Thank you to Kay Dee for a great start to the tour!

Super Sunday Stuff

Sundays in autumn--that means football!  Although I love spring and summer, fall is right up there because of football.  I won't tell you who I love since the poor souls have fallen on bad times (think silver and black), but a fan isn't a fan if she doesn't stay true. 

On the sexy romance front, I'm over at Secrets of a Book Lover today with my take on writing vs real life for erotic romance writers.  Thank you so much to Kelly and Crystal for inviting me to take part in the Erotic Romance Weekend event at their blogs. Be sure to check out both their very sexy blogs. 

Also, Nat from Reading Romances and the incredibly successful Small Blogs, Big Giveaways has me as the giveaway's Featured Author today.  Head on over there for a chance to win all three novellas in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy.  I'm getting ready to release the trilogy in one ebook and paperback, so today's giveaway is a start to that promotion. 

In other news, Masquerade will begin its blog tour tomorrow at KayDee Royal's blog, so look for that.  I've posted the schedule on the Upcoming Appearance page too, so check that out for all the great stops on the tour.

And finally, Destiny Redeemed has an official release date:  October 13!  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 45 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.

For more, click on over to Destiny Redeemed's page for an excerpt.  And look for more excerpts in the upcoming weeks! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Thursday Thoughts

I'm doing the 18 & Over Book Blogger Giveaway Hop, so make sure to click on the graphic to the left to enter for some cool prizes.  There are over fifty bloggers participating, so check it out. 

The wonderful Talina over at Bookin' It has designed some incredible looking swag for Destiny Redeemed and Masquerade.  I can't wait until the UPS man brings them to my house.  It's like Christmas morning every time I get the proofs in my email and then again when the actual bookmarks and cover flats come.  Here's a little sneak preview (the actual bookmarks don't have white around them, though):

 

Thank you, Talina.  You're the best!

In other news, I'm over at Blackdoor Press today talking about crossing genres with my Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, and one commenter will win a copy of Love's Master.  If you haven't read it yet, head on over there to read a taste of Lily and Kadar's story and enter to win. :)

Finally, I'm moving toward another professional goal that I thought I'd be waiting until next spring to reach, so that's really exciting.  It's long been known that the vast majority of books published, traditionally and otherwise, don't ever even sell 1000 copies, so the success of Vampire Dreams, Love's Master, and now Masquerade has been such a wonderful thrill for me.  To know that I'm about to reach 5000 copies sold is just incredible to me.  I can't thank the readers enough.  And to everyone who asks when the next book is coming, I promise it won't be long.  Destiny Redeemed comes out in October, and Vasilije's story will be released in December. 

After that, nothing's written in stone, but I'm in the planning stage for another three book erotic romance series (maybe novel length this time) about three sisters who find love with some very interesting men.  It's shaping up to be paranormal romance unlike any I've ever written. 

Happy Labor Day!

I've been working my tail off all weekend, so today I'm taking Labor Day off and relaxing.  50% of Destiny Redeemed has been structurally edited, and Vasilije's story has 30% complete. The man to the left is very much what I might imagine Vasilije to look like. I usually like my men a bit bigger and badder looking-see the cover of Destiny Redeemed- but this man is beautiful. Enjoy!  :D

The tour schedule for Masquerade is out, and it looks to be a great one!  Check out the stops at these blogs:

September 19 - Kay Dee Royal (Giveaway/Excerpt)
September 20 - As the Pages Turn (Giveaway/Review)
September 21 - Reading Romances (Review/Interview)
September 22 - Romancing the Book (Interview/Giveaway)
September 23 - Pimpin’ Reads (Giveaway/Excerpt)
September 26 - Erotica for All (Giveaway/Review)
September 27 - Release Notes (Guest Post/Review)

I'm already thinking of a blog tour for Destiny Redeemed, but that's still in the works.  When it gets firmed up, I'll be sure to blog about it to let you know the great bloggers who are involved.

Okay, now it's time to enjoy the last holiday of the summer.  Umbrella drinks for everyone, especially you up there, hard working man. He's working hard. He just makes it look easy.  Thanks to Cheryl Brooks and her fantastic site for the pic of this unbelievable hottie. Check out her page, but beware: if you don't like the male form in all its glory, it isn't for you.

A Little Happy Dance

I've been writing and editing all weekend, but I stopped for just a bit yesterday and found a link in my email to a review of Masquerade by author Lucy Felthouse on Blogcritics.  Among other praise, she called it, "A delicious read."  Thank you, Lucy!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Know what's even better than that?  The review ended up on the Seattle online newspaper Seattle PI.  Wow!  An even bigger thank you to Lucy!  Check her blog out here for more about her.

Joe Konrath had another great post up yesterday. In it, he argued about not caring what people think either way, good or bad.  Essentially, critics are everywhere and as quickly as some bring you up, others will bring you down.  I have to admit, for today, I'm doing a little happy dance, not so much about the review, which I love, but for the chance for people to find me.  I've worked very hard all summer to get myself out "there."  It doesn't happen overnight, so I've made it part of my goals as an author to promote my books well. 

The main problem is that I'm not a natural self-promoter, so at times it's difficult.  My friends and family thought I should title this post, "I'm Nationwide!", but for me, that seems too much.  I'm constantly worried about being too much in people's faces and much rather hang out on the sidelines and people watch.  That doesn't work when you want to get others to know your work, though, so even when I felt totally overexposed, I continued on. 

I'm happy I did. 

I'm off to get more of Amon's story edited and write more of Vasilije's, but for my friends and family, here's some ZZ Top. They're nationwide. ;) 

Weekend Creation Hop and New Excerpt From Masquerade

So it's Labor Day weekend (well, almost) and summer's over. It's been a busy one, hasn't it?  We've got a new month and lots of great things will be happening in the fall, so let's try not to mourn summer too much. 

I'm participating in my dear friend Shah's Weekend Creation Hop, which I mean to do each week but then get wrapped up in all sorts of other things and forget.  Well, not this week! 

And since her hop is a call to creativity, I'm including a new excerpt from Masquerade today.  In this scene, Annelisa is brainstorming with her sister about how to find a way to make the awful Earl of Swindon not want to marry her.

Annelisa lay across her bed, her arm covering her eyes. “Cecile, think. There has to be a way.”

“You don’t think father will do this to me, do you? I couldn’t bear being stuck with an old man!”

“Cecile!” Annelisa sat up and glared at her younger sister.

“I’m sorry! It’s just so awful.”

“That’s exactly why we need to figure out a way to make the honorable earl not want me.”

Cecile sat down beside her sister, puffed her cheeks, and blew the air out in frustration. “What if you became big and fat? Men never like that.”

“In one month? I don’t think even Pippa could make enough pies to achieve that.”

“Could we make you uglier?”

Annelisa leveled her gaze at her sister and squinted her eyes.

“I didn’t mean that you’re already ugly! Don’t look at me like that. You know what I meant!”

“I know, but this isn’t helping. I don’t think Thornton Sutcliffe would care if I got fat or ugly. As far as I can tell, he barely noticed I’m even human.”

Annelisa fell back onto the bed in disgust. Cecile meant well, but they were getting nowhere. She was missing something right under her nose.

“Do you know anything about him? Oh, Anne! How could father do this?”

“I know very little of him, and what I do know, I don’t like a bit.”

“Other than his shortness, stoutness, and surliness, what else do you know that could help you?”

Annelisa buried her face in a pillow. “Cecile, there’s nothing else to know. He’s odious.”

“Oh, don’t cry! There’s got to be something that will make him call off the marriage.”

The two sisters remained silent until Annelisa sat bolt upright. “I’ve got it! I know what I have to do!”

“What? Tell me!”

“You must promise you’ll tell no one, Cecile. No one can know what I’m going to do.”

“I promise! Now tell me!”

“The earl seems to think it’s of vital importance that I’m a virgin. So all I have to do is not be one.”

Cecile leapt to her feet in shock at her sister’s implication. “Annelisa Fielding, you can’t! It’s improper!”

“What’s improper is that in this day and age a woman is still traded like cattle. Relinquishing my maidenhead is a small price to pay for my freedom.”

“I don’t know about this,” Cecile said as she began to wring her hands.

Annelisa rose to face her sister. “I need to know you’ll keep my secret, Cecile.”

Her sister hesitated a moment but then nodded. “I promise I won’t tell another soul as long as I live.”

“Good. Now I just need to decide who will be my comrade in arms. Any suggestions?”

“You can’t do that with any of the men we know. It would be a scandal.”

Pacing, Annelisa nodded in agreement. “I know. There must be someone who would be willing to keep our coupling a secret.”

“Perhaps you can find someone at the Stewarts’ masquerade ball tomorrow night. There are sure to be many possible men attending.”

Annelisa stopped and considered her sister’s idea. The season’s first masquerade ball would be perfect. Everyone would be wearing masks, and if she wore her hair differently, her choice wouldn’t know it was her.

“But most of the guests are from our social circle.”

“Not everyone.”

“Annelisa, who do you have in mind?”

“Someone who is respectable, honorable, and best of all, soon to be leaving Britain.”

Cecile grabbed her sister’s arm to stop her from pacing. “Who?”

A broad smile lit up Annelisa’s face. “He’s perfect. I just hope he’s not too honorable.”

“Annelisa! Who?”

“Count Nikolai Shetkolov.”

“Father’s friend?”

“Yes.” Annelisa saw the shock registered on Cecile’s face. “What’s the problem?”

“Do you even know him?”

“What do I need to know? He’s an appealing man, always charming, obviously intelligent as he’s a diplomat for the Russian Tsar, and if I’m not mistaken, he told Father he would be returning home soon.”

“But isn’t he a bit older than you?”

“Cecile, I’m not choosing a husband. I’m choosing a lover for one night to eliminate the one thing the Earl of Swindon believes is worthwhile about me.”

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Wow Wednesday!

I usually don't feel such love for Wednesday, but today just feels terrific.  For the third day in a row, all three novellas in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy are in the Top 100 Erotic Books on Amazon.  That Masquerade, in just its seventh day out, has been on the list amazes me.  It's already sold more in that period of time than Vampire Dreams did in its entire first month! Vampire Dreams and Love's Master continue to do well too, and the Trilogy even seems to be helping out Stolen Destiny.  Big smiles all around. :D

At my house, it's been less than smiles since my son got hurt.  We have to wait until the orthopedic surgeon gives his final diagnosis, but it's looking like it could be a torn ACL.  Ugh...

I'm back to work at the day job, but it's not too bad so far. School has started here at my house, so every morning I'm busy with Farsi, history, and English.  My son is in 10th grade this year and we're doing history and literature from 1600-1800, a time period I love, so I'm looking forward to a great year.  And Farsi has been so incredibly interesting already.  I haven't studied a language since sign language about five years ago, so my brain is clicking on all levels.  (I think I smell burnt toast...)

Work on Vasilije's story continues, with about a third completed.  I was a slacker for the week after vacation, so I'm not as far on it as I'd like, but I promised myself it would be out before Christmas, so it's nose-to-the-grindstone time.  At a chapter a week (a very conservative estimate), I'll be done before Thanksgiving and then it's off to the editor. It's going to a novel length story, so I'm looking at 50K or more.

And finally, I begin final edits on my newest baby, Destiny Redeemed. This story has been completed since March and I've waited a long time to show it the attention it deserves, but this weekend it begins.  At 84K words, it's a full novel size story, so I'm giving myself until the middle of September to be finished before I send it to the editor. Watch for that to be released in October. 

I love this story as much or more than anything I've ever written, mainly because of the main character, Amon.  I never planned to write his story, but while I was writing Stolen Destiny, the idea of his book became so strong that I had to write it.  I guess you can say he got into my head.  ;)

I'm off to learn more Farsi with those terrific Rosetta Stone peeps.  I hope everyone has a great day!

Here, There, and Everywhere On This Friday

I've been dealing with the first week back to work and it's been hard getting back into the groove. I'm looking forward to the weekend. :D  In addition to work, I'm all over the place today.  First, I've been interviewed at Karenna Colcroft's blog, and then I'm over at Laurie's Bitten By Paranormal Romance talking about the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Check 'em out!

I'm also over at Madame D.'s Boudoir with an interview the lovely lady of that blog did with me just a few days ago.  There's a nice excerpt from my newest novella, Masquerade, with this one, so click on over. 

I'm going to be hard at work on Vasilije's story this weekend, hoping to add another one to two chapters to that story.  My goal is to have that completed by Thanksgiving so my editor can have it in her hands before December.  The ultimate goal is to have it released right before Christmas.  However, I still don't have a name for this new baby, which bugs me.  If anyone has a suggestion for what I should title a very erotic story (so far) about a vampire who in addition to being hedonistic and sensual is also hellbent on revenge for the murder of one of his vampires, definitely leave a comment.  Right now, I'm sitting with Sire, but I'm not in love with that title.  It's set in New Orleans (again, so far), so if that stirs any ideas, let me know. 

I also have to work on planning for my son's school year, which begins on Monday.  There's a lot going on for him too this year, so I have to get that in order.  Finally, I'm hoping to see Fright Night at some point in the next three days too.  I'm not usually a horror film fan, but I am a Colin Farrell fan, and he looks delicious as a vampire.  Hopefully, the movie is good too. :D

Have a great weekend! 

Wednesday Treats

I'm over at Whipped Cream's Yahoo group today chatting, so if you want to come over and ask a question or just shoot the breeze, drop on by.  Check it out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whippedcream2/

I finally caught up on True Blood after missing two weeks while I was on vacation.  I realize this may be blasphemy, but I have to confess I'm getting quite sick of the Sookie/Eric thing.  He used to be so bad and hot, and now he looks like some lost frat boy.  And the dream she had?  Ugh...now as for the naked Alcide, oh my God!  Sweet Lord!  I do love that man! 

But can anyone tell me why Sam's brother went to see the wolf guy?  I must have missed something there.  That entire storyline is bizarre to me, but it had some more Alcide time in it, so I was good for it. 

In my continuing effort to give readers what they want, I did a little research and not only found this fantastic picture (love the collage of Alcide naked butt!) but an entire page devoted to the idea of him on this week's episode.  Isn't the Internet great?  It's called You Know You Care.  And just in case you're still a fan of the other butts on the show, there's even a poll asking whose buns you'd butter, Alcide's, Eric's, or Lafayette's. What a great age we live in!  Thanks to that wonderful link for this wonderful pic.

Although I'm not sure I can follow that up, I'll try.  I'm over at Felicity Heaton's blog today giving readers a little taste of Love's Master, so click on over.  And the wonderful Madame D. over at her blog, Madame D.'s Boudoir, has listed me in her post on Great Authors.  Thank you so much, Kim, and if any of you haven't been to her blog yet, go check it out. 

Finally, I uploaded Masquerade to Amazon and Barnes and Noble last night at around 11, so I'm hoping it will go live sometime today or tomorrow. I'm all smiles! :D

More You Tube Vids, Some Whipped Cream, and News!

While I was away, Romance Novel Junkies put out a You Tube video about her two reviews for Vampire Dreams and Stolen Destiny.  A great reader of all romance genres, she's been a terrific supporter of my books since the beginning, and I can't thank her enough!  Take a look at the video below, and if you haven't read her reviews, she has included them on the You Tube site under the video. 





All I can say is, I love it, Monique! 

I'm at Whipped Cream being interviewed today, and if you want to chat, look for me tomorrow on the Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews Yahoo group.  I'll be popping in and out all day, so stop by!

Finally, I have big news.  The edits have been done on Masquerade for weeks and I've been impatiently sitting on the book to give Love's Master its time in the sun, but now the last novella in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy will get its time.  With total sales for the first two novellas in the trilogy bouncing past 2000 yesterday (just 17 days after reaching 1000 sales!), I'm looking forward to letting this new story join its sisters out there in the world. I hope readers love this story as much as they have the first two because I know I do.  Look for Masquerade before the week is out, depending on the speed of Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

With Masquerade, the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy comes to an end, but later in the year, Vasilije from Vampire Dreams gets his own story set in modern times.  He's aged another 150 years, but it's only made him badder and sexier.  ;)  And between you and me, his story is the most erotic one I've ever written, so far. 

Finally Friday and New Cover Love!

Thank God it's finally Friday!  It's been a busy week here at Casa Bisset.  I had to arrange the swag basket for the October event and send it off; I got word yesterday about the blog tour for Masquerade; and Elaina and I have been doing our thing getting the cover for Destiny Redeemed ready to meet the world, all while I've been packing and getting ready for vacation.  

Elaina has made me another incredible cover.  She does great work, and I can't praise her enough for this.  I love it! It took forever for me to find the image that would represent Amon, but I finally did.  I'd already found an image for Thea pretty quickly, so then it was just a matter of finding the right balance between them and the rest of the cover's details. Elaina even used the image of Nil that I used in Stolen Destiny's book trailer (bottom left).  Thank you, Elaina, for working your magic yet again! Destiny Redeemed is scheduled for release in October. :D

Before Amon and Thea can steal the spotlight, Masquerade comes out at the end of this month. Here's the banner for Masquerade's book tour.  Isn't it beautiful?  The wonderful Liz at CBLS Promotions sent it to me yesterday, and I love it!  That mask really does travel well, doesn't it?  

Speaking of Stolen Destiny's book trailer, it's up at two sites now, Watch The Romance Book and Blazing Trailers.  If you have a chance, take a look.  I had a great time making that trailer, and I plan to do another for Destiny Redeemed.  Book trailers are new, but they're another way to get the word out about a book.

I'm off to the House of Mouse for eight days, leaving a friend to man the store.  When I get back, it will almost be Masquerade release time, and then it's final edits for Destiny Redeemed, which is set for an October release.  And I'll be hard at work on Vasilije's story, which I'm planning for release in December.  No rest for the wicked!

The Small Blogs, Big Giveaways hop begins the day I get back, on August 22, so keep an eye out for that.  I hope everyone has a great week! 

1000

1000.  This morning when I woke up I checked my sales numbers for Vampire Dreams and Love's Master and they totaled to just over 1000 sales. 

When I began writing, it was because it made me happy.  I had a story to tell, so I wrote it down.  Then when I finished it, I decided I'd try to get it published. When that happened, it wasn't what I'd expected but it was a milestone and I appreciated it. 

Then I made the decision to indie publish, and on June 1, Vampire Dreams went up for sale at Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, and Amazon (B&N took until June 11 to come online).  The first month I sold 150 books.  As I wrote on July 1, I had no idea what to imagine when I began this, so 150 was a number I could feel good about. 

On July 11, I put Love's Master up at all four outlets.  I must have done something right that time because it came online almost immediately at all four stores.  That book has been out for three weeks, and it's currently doing better than Vampire Dreams did in its first month. (Note:  Vampire Dreams was sold at $1.99 for the first month of its release, so that skews the data a bit here.)  Next Friday, I'll have the numbers for Love's Master, but I'm very pleased with how it's doing.

I knew it would be a challenge selling a trilogy of books that are only linked by the period in history in which they're set.  Vampire Dreams is an erotic paranormal historical romance (light on the history and heavy on the vampires), while Love's Master is an erotic historical romance with some light BDSM.  Masquerade, the third novella in what I've named the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, is an erotic historical romance, with no paranormal or kink involved.  It's also a bit lighter than the first two, and almost twice as long as Vampire Dreams at 30,000 words.  That novella is due out on August 30, and hopefully readers of the first two will enjoy it just as much, even though it doesn't have vampires or kink.  :D  It does have an incredibly sexy Russian and the most headstrong heroine I've ever written, so readers should expect passion.

It should be noted that I don't include my novel, Stolen Destiny, in my sales numbers.  This is because I have no control over where it's sold and how much it's sold for at any place.  My publisher determines this.  So for the first four weeks, the book was only sold at Siren's site, but it's recently been moved to Amazon also, but not Barnes and Noble or All Romance eBooks.  In addition, I have no reliable sales numbers yet from my publisher concerning my Amazon sales.  There the book has ebbed and flowed between the mid 50K rank and the mid 100K rank, but I don't know any official numbers.  Therefore, none of the sales from that book figure into the 1000 sales milestone of today. 

Nine weeks ago, I took a step into the indie publishing world.  I hoped it would turn out well, but I can't say I was sure it would.  For me, this has been an incredible journey, and it's only really just begun.  Masquerade comes out in a little over three weeks, Destiny Redeemed is scheduled for an October release, and I'm working toward a mid-December release of Vasilije's story.  I hope readers continue to stick around because I'm just getting started.

Mmmmm.....Monday

Happy Monday, blogworld!  It's already August (oh God, please say it isn't so!), and the dog days of summer are about to come upon us.  Bring it on!  In what's becoming my Monday morning quarterbacking of True Blood, this week I'm not so much hating on the show as I was last week.  Sexy, naked Eric is good.  Sad Bill is not.  Clothed Alcide is definitely not, but I don't think I've ever seen a man wear a shirt like that man does. He's the stuff dreams are made of...(Yes, I know that's Eric in a shirt, but that blue shirt Alcide wore last night looked incredible on him.) The rest of the show is crazy witches, crazy shifters, and crazy Tara.  I'm not sure I'm all about the crazy.

What else is new?  Well, I'm closing in on a big milestone in my writing soon.  I'll definitely be posting about that when it happens. 

I'm on Chapter 4 of Vasilije's book (got over two chapters written this weekend), so that WIP is rolling along.  I do need a title for it, however. Masquerade is almost ready...typing is such a drag!  And once Masquerade is sent off to be edited, it's time to begin edits on Destiny Redeemed, Amon's story.

Destiny Redeemed has been complete since late March, but because of my choice to go indie instead of continue with an epub, it's had to patiently wait while the novellas took center stage.  Come October, however, Destiny Redeemed gets to show itself to the world.  As it's Amon's book, he's obviously a repeat character from the first book.  However, there are others who make a second appearance, such as Gethen, Markku, and even Aunt Jean.  And readers get to learn more about the Council in this book too. 

As I told someone the other day, I gave Amon a female who can handle him.  Thea is as ancient as Amon (in her 45th lifetime), but with a very big difference: she's an Aeveren healer.  But they share a major thing in common: they were both born with their powers, so they feel a kindred spirit between one another.

And the bad guy in this is one bad son of a bitch.  I don't know if I've written a nastier bad guy.  The murderer in Stolen Destiny isn't nasty so much as crazy.  Kiril from Destiny Redeemed, on the other hand, is a real bastard.

I hope to have the cover sometime very soon, so when I get it, I'll be putting it up all over the place.  Let's just say that the image of the male for Amon is smokin hot.  :)  (fans herself)

Ok, back to Monday.  I'm over at Shannon Leigh's blog talking Love's Master there, so check it out.  That story is a nice little light BDSM romp, so if you have $.99 and like a little blindfold and spanking action, snap it up. It's not hardcore, but it's sexy. :D 

What A Difference A Year Can Make

Today is an important day for me.  One year ago, I woke up as I always did, but I had dreamed the most fantastic dreams all night.  I was perplexed by them because while they were vivid, they weren't terribly coherent.  I began writing down what I could remember, only bits and pieces really.  But these bits and pieces were nothing like my usual dreams.  A few days later, I had to go to see my son at Family Night at his Boy Scout camp and on the way there, I told his father (my ex, but still a nice guy) all about what I'd dreamed.  He was intrigued (he was also a captive audience), and as I explained about the people I'd dreamed about, I realized that they were something entirely new that I'd never heard about. 

On the way home from Family Night, I scribbled names down on an envelope I'd stuck in my purse days earlier when someone had given me a birthday card.  I needed a name for my people, and after numerous versions, I decided on the name Aeveren.  When I got home, I began writing like a mad person, finishing over 200 pages within the next month. 

Then, right after Labor Day, I was in the shower one morning and an idea came to me.  From that idea came Stolen Destiny. Then around Thanksgiving the idea for the next book came to me.  Well, to be honest, my character whose book Destiny Redeemed is wasn't going to let me go without writing his book. 

Now, a year later, that first novel I began back in July 2010 still sits as the beginning of the Destined Ones journey.  Stolen Destiny is published, and Destiny Redeemed will be published in the fall.  And I've written my novellas too in that year.  Vampire Dreams is selling wonderfully in its 6th week of release, and Love's Master continues to stun me every morning as I check the numbers in just its first week of release.  The third novella, Masquerade, is complete and in the typing/first edits stage.  Finally, Vasilije's story has been calling me, and I'm making good progress on that book, which is looking to be a novel length story. 

I hear people all the time say they don't have the time or they'll get to it later.  I was one of those people before last July 18.  I tell people that they shouldn't wait if they want to attend college when they complain it will take four long years.  My answer is always, "Well, that time will pass whether you go back to school or not. Wouldn't it be great if you had something special to show for it?"  I'm glad I finally took my own terrific advice.  One year later, I have so many special things to show for it. 

I'm at Katie Salidas's blog today talking about the necessity of promotion, so click on over and check it out.  I hope you have a wonderful day and begin something special in your life too. 

Masquerade Cover Love

While I've been busy finalizing Love's Master for its release early next week, my cover artist, the incredible Elaina Lee, and I have been working on the cover for the last erotic novella in the trilogy set in Victorian Times, Masquerade.  Yesterday, it was completed, and today I'm basking in love for my new cover. 

I'd found the gorgeous mask a few weeks ago, and after hours and hours of searching for a couple, I found this one, which I love because the female conveys the strength the heroine Annelisa possesses.  I sent them to Elaina and she did that magic she always does and voila!  Another stunning cover that I adore. 

I'm off to wrangle with the Smashwords grinder thing this weekend, along with the contraptions at the other outlets, but I couldn't wait until Monday to show off the new cover. I'm in cover love! 

Another Year

Another year has gone by and I'm celebrating another birthday.  Unlike many people I know, I love my birthday.  This is probably due to the fact that it was always a very big deal when I was a child because I shared it with my father.  He's gone ten years now, but I think of him often, especially on our day.  I'm very much like him, not surprisingly.  My father was a tough son of a bitch, and anyone who's ever gone up against me on an issue I truly believe in can tell you that I'm my father's daughter in that way. (Check out Nadja's post I link to below for a little taste of that toughness when it comes to my hero in Stolen Destiny.) He never got to see me reach the success I've reached today, but I hope wherever he is, he can see all that I've accomplished in my day job and my writing. 

It's been a big year for me.  Since last July, I've written two novels and three novellas.  The Muse was with me. The first two of those five to be published, Vampire Dreams and Stolen Destiny, were released last month, and in just a few days I'll release Love's Master.  Then in August I'll release Masquerade, the third novella, and in October, I'll release Destiny Redeemed, the sequel to Stolen Destiny.  

So what's in store for this new year?  I've begun writing Vasilije's story, a novel that has grown out of Vampire Dreams.  I'm in the thinking/planning stages for a novel that was inspired by a very hot blacksmith I met last month, and the third novel in the Destined Ones Series, Destiny Unbound, awaits completion at about 50% finished status.  But the lure of the novella always calls, so I can never tell what will happen with that.

Writing has become my second full time job, and hopefully, it can be my only full time job someday soon.  As it is, I write when I can, and for every word that ends up on paper I find I'm enjoying it more and more.  Now that's a job I can look forward to! 

I'm over at my friend and fellow author Nadja Notariani's blog today talking about standing my ground with Stolen Destiny, so check that out.  And I want to give a big shout out to friend and fellow Siren author, Bree Younger, whose first book, Burn, is being released today.  Best of luck to you, Bree!  7-7 has always been a very lucky day for me, and I hope it's just as lucky for you. 

And for my birthday, I'd like this, please.  No bow is needed.  ;)  (Is that a tag or a tattoo on his right hip? Mmmmm....)

ROW 80 Check In 6-8

Another week gone by, and another ROW 80 check in to discuss.  It's been a busy week here, and I just barely made my 3500 words for the week in Masquerade.  This novella has been yet another one where the research is almost as much fun as the writing.  That shouldn't be surprising, though, since I have studied history for years, but this time I've gotten to spend some time checking out the finer details of Russian history, which has always intrigued me. 

In grad school, I took a course on Soviet Russia taught by a Jesuit who had lived there, in secret, of course, since the Soviets were nothing if not thorough in their efforts to eradicate religion from their state.  I had become interested in Russian literature as an undergrad after reading some of Chekhov's short stories, and I'd fallen in love with Dostoyevsky's work then too. Chekhov is so understated, yet so powerful in his work.  The struggle and torment his characters experience don't hit you over the head repeatedly, but with just a few very well chosen words, he conveys a depth of feeling I rarely find in stories today. 

As luck and the fates would have it, one of my closest friends speaks Russian fluently, and her sister lived in Russia for a long time teaching there.  So I have two fabulous translators who supply me with the correct words for my hero whenever I need them.  I don't include many in Masquerade, but when he becomes irritated with the heroine and when he's feeling passionate, he slips into Russian.  Thank you Ris and Michele for all your translation work! 

Promotion continues, as does editing on Love's Master.  I unveiled the cover for that novella yesterday.  I love that cover.  In truth, I love every cover I've had so far, and this one's no exception.  It's over in the right sidebar, so take a look. 

My critique partner and I had separate but almost simultaneous ideas for upcoming stories on Saturday.  It was quite interesting!  Mine came when I was volunteering at an arts festival for the museum board I'm on, and there was my inspiration, doing his thing at a blacksmith area near the booth I was working.  What incredibly fascinating work I saw!  Thanks to that blacksmith, who was just as good looking as he was talented, I have an idea for my next story.  From a tiny kernel of an idea grew the beginning of a novel or novella (I haven't decided which.).

Nat from Reading Romances has posted the first part of the interview she and I did the other night online at her blog, so take a look.  We had a great time, and I want to thank her for such a fantastic job with it!  She's also the organizer of the Small Blogs, Big Giveaways Hop I'm involved in, so take a look at that too for a chance at some really great prizes. 

Here's to another week of summer weather and good times.  To see how everyone else is doing with ROW 80, click HERE.