Friday Fun

It's Friday again!  Yay! Between the fires in Texas and the flooding in the Northeast, I think everyone is looking forward to better times ahead, and what better way to get that started than with the weekend.

I'm over at Whipped Cream's blog today with a post titled, "In Defense of The Villain."  I freely admit it:  I love the bad boy.  In fact, I find writing heroes far more challenging than I do villains.  Today's post is about one of my favorite villains from my stories, Amon Kalins.  Gorgeous, powerful, and sexy as all hell, he's so good at being bad.  Not that being bad is his only draw, but he's definitely a man who can be the bad boy when he wants to.  Mmmmm....

The challenge in Destiny Redeemed was to make the bad boy the hero, which isn't always a transition they make well.  I believe I met that challenge with Amon's story.  No character is all bad, or all good, for that matter, so this new book shows his other side a bit more.  But a being so powerful and so used to getting what he wants isn't going to be your typical hero. 

Click on over and check out my take on villains and what makes them so much fun.

And have 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!

Feeling Grateful Today

This is my second post today, but I received some wonderful news and want to express my happiness and gratitude. Night Owl Reviews posted two reviews for my books today, and I'm just thrilled with them.  Vampire Dreams got a 4 star review. My favorite line from the review is, "She has the ability to include good detail and emotions within her stories which makes me want to pick up her next book!" I can't tell readers how much that means to me.  I'm not big on description, but I always strive to convey the emotions my characters are experiencing.  I'm happy to know I'm succeeding.

To read the complete review, click HERE.

Then Stolen Destiny received a 4.5 star review and is a reviewer top pick at Night Owl Reviews.  There were so many lines from this review that I want to share, but here are just a few.

"Patience is a virtue as they say and when reading this book the more you wait the better it gets. The answers to all my questions concerning the plot and people in the book were slowly revealed to me as the story progressed making the read unique and a work of sheer brilliance, in my opinion."

"By the end I will admit to falling for both the 'good' guy and the 'bad' guy in the story."

"Amon is a soul worth saving and I know it will be as adventurous as Varek and Callia's story."

As an author, it's so incredible when readers see what you hoped they would. For the complete review, go HERE.

Then, on top of all that great news, Shah from the wonderful blog Words in Sync gave me a blog award.  Thank you so much, Shah!  The iDig Your Blog Award has a few rules, so here they are: 

iDig Your Blog Award Regulations
1 ) Gratefully accept this award.
2 ) Link the wonderful person you received it from.
3 ) Post 3 interesting facts about yourself.
4 ) Pass this award around to, at-least, 5 blogs you dig.
5 ) Notify them.

Three interesting facts about me:  1.) At times, I'm painfully shy.  No really.  2.) I'm in between husbands at the moment.  3.) I'm considering getting another tattoo. That would make my total three.  The problem is that I can't figure out what I want.  

I want to pass this on to these five bloggers, who I think are just great:

Selena Collins-The Enchanted Book
Talina Perkins-Bookin It
Elaina Lee-For the Muse Design
Nat-Reading Romances
Madame D.'s Boudoir

Some days are just so great you forget about everything else.  Today is one of those days.  The next time I have one of those days that feels like the whole world is crashing down around my ears, I'm going to think of today and remember how blessed I am. :)

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.

All Sorts Of Goings On

So much has been going on this week!  It's been such an exciting time here. First, I received a 5 star review for Stolen Destiny from Reading Romances, and she made a videoreview for the book too. That made my day earlier this week.

Then on Thursday my publisher released Stolen Destiny to Amazon. Yay! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. :D

And last night I signed up with Kindlegraph, and now anyone who buys any of my books in Kindle can get an autograph from me sent directly to their Kindle!  How cool is that?  So if you're a Kindle reader of my books, you can request a note and autograph from me. Check it out HERE! I better start thinking of clever things to say. :)

Today I'm expecting my last package of swag to arrive so I can begin assembling a package to send to the event I'm attending in October.  :D  The bookmarks came the other day, and I expect the cover flats and coffee mugs to get here this morning.  I'll be including some swag in the upcoming giveaway hops I'm doing in August and September, but if anyone wants bookmarks, just email  me at gabriellebisset@gmail.com so I can get your address.  They're really great looking, thanks to the incredible work Talina from Bookin' It did on them.  (My photography skills aren't the best, but you can get a much clearer look if you click on the picture.)

I hope everyone has checked out Elaina Lee's To Urn Her Love and Sarah Ballance's Hawthorne this week on my blog.  For $3.00 each, you can get a good read and the chance to help people who really need it.  If you haven't yet, check them out HERE.

I'm at Whipped Cream Reviews this Sunday, July 31, all day celebrating their 4th Anniversary Blog Fest, so click on the banner and stop by to leave a comment to be in the running for these prizes:

GRAND prize: Winner’s choice of either a B&W Nook / WiFi Kindle / $150 Amazon or BN GC
Other prizes: Several small GCs and prizes throughout each day.
Every comment left on the posts earns an entry.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Weekend Creation Blog Hop, hosted by the terrific Shah Wharton. Click on over and check out the creative types who join in each week.  You can find some really interesting blogs.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  I'm putting my nose to the grindstone to get some things done before August begins.  My vacation is a mere 15 days away!

Monday Stuff

I couldn't think of a clever title for today's post, so stuff it is.  I'm still reeling from how bad True Blood was last night--well, the first 45 minutes of it.  I posted this on Facebook, but somebody needs to tell Alan Ball why people watch that show.  First, the show begins with Sam's crazy meth family and while I don't have a problem with what happened to the two-thirds that left the show last night, are the creators of that show kidding?  And then how much Tara do I need to see before I can ask for a reprieve?  What a crybaby! And her mother is back??!!!  And Arlene and Terry with some kind of hillbilly exorcism?  Actually, I like Terry, but Arlene?

Where was Alcide? And why when he was talking to that disgusting man did he have clothes on?  FYI, True Blood people:  Alcide should always be at LEAST naked from the waist up or getting naked at some point in the scene.  And he needs to be in far more scenes. 

And Eric?  I'm not sure I like the crying, boo-hoo Eric.  Eric was fantastic until now because he was ice cold and manipulative.  It's what put the spark between him and Sookie.  Now he's crying because he had a bad dream?  Hell, even Bill wasn't this bad at his worst.  It's not enough to see Eric walk around without a shirt on either. His body isn't that good since Alcide came to town shirtless, so Eric needs to be more of his sexy self and less this lost puppy he's turned into.  Bearing his fangs at Tara doesn't count.  That's just a tease of what I wish would truly happen to her.

Bill has been more manly than Eric this season, and since I can deal with Bill either way, I'm good with him, but more of him would be better too.  Who wants to see any of the Merlotte dysfunctional family, Arlene and Terry with Damian baby, or Tara and her mother?  And now we need more characters (Jesus's grandfather) to take away from the core story?  Ugh!

Time to find my happy place.  Think naked Alcide...naked Eric...ok, all better. 

I'm writing posts and interviews like a madwoman to be sure that by the time August begins, I am completely clear for the month since I'm going on vacation.  I can't wait!  But until the end of this week, I'm busy, busy, busy. 

And I found my Amon for the cover of Destiny Redeemed!  :D  I swear those image sites are hiding the good stuff.  After days and days of searching (I'm not kidding.  We're talking double digit hours here), I found him in somebody's lightbox of the hottest men or something like that.  I saw that title and figured it was worth a shot.  Now Elaina has him and I hope to see what she comes up with any time now.  Since you just read about my definite preferences in men above, expect something like them. (Think great abs)

Finally, I'm over at KMN Books today being interviewed about Stolen Destiny and talking about the three main characters, Varek, Callia, and Amon, so check it out!  I'm off to write more posts and run errands.  Have a great one!

Cover Me

Now that I'm in air conditioned splendor, thanks to my two new air conditioners, I've been able to get back to searching for an image to represent Amon from Destiny Redeemed.  I've spent days and days, most of them seriously sweaty, looking for an image for my cover for that book with no luck.  The problem seems to be that unlike in real life, there are very few appealing blond men to purchase from these image sites, and the ones that are attractive are all doing something goofy. 

Amon is 6'6", has pale blond hair, blue eyes, and is built like a brick shithouse.  (For those of you who don't get my local lingo, he's very well-built.) And for those of you who've read Stolen Destiny, he's spent time in Nil. It changes a man. :)

A good way to describe him in Destiny Redeemed is he's a cross between the body type of the new James Bond and the size of the actor who plays Eric Northman on True Blood.  Or in some ways, think of the image of the lead singer from Stone Temple Pilots in the video for Sex Type Thing. (I fell in love with the band because of how much I liked the way Scott Weiland looked in that video. Talk about mad, bad, and dangerous to know...and built, back before the drugs took over...so sad when hot men fall apart)




Amon's smooth, icy, and often deadly.  This has proven to be an impossible thing to find in the images out there. 

I found an image of his love interest, Thea, in no time.  But finding Amon has been a chore, to say the least.  The problem is that I'm very particular (just ask Elaina, God bless her!) and as he's my favorite character I've ever written, the image has to be right.  I accept that I won't be able to find exactly him, but I need to feel I've come close enough. 

So the search goes on...

In other cover news, one of the people who follows me on Twitter has a fantastic new cover that I just have to share.  It's delish!  Michelle McCleod's new book, Love Potions, has a cover I just adore.  I'm not usually a hot pink girl, but this cover jumped right off the page for me.  Michelle tells me she got hers done at www.crocodesigns.com.  Congrats, Michelle!  It's beautiful! 

Lazy Summer Days

I love summer.  Even if I didn't have summers off from work, I'd still love the season.  Everything always seems more relaxed in the summertime.  When I was a kid, I always went to summer camp.  Usually it was Girl Scout camp, but sometimes I'd go to two camps during the summer.  Those were the days.  Camping in the woods, swimming in lakes...both things I wouldn't do now if you paid me.  LOL  But when I was a child, they were the most fun you could have on a summer day.

My son is away at Boy Scout camp this week.  He's very much the camping type of person.  He attends camp every summer, and I use that week that he's away to begin preparing for our school year, which begins in August.  I've home schooled Christiaan since third grade, and this year he's going to be a sophomore in high school.  This year will be bittersweet for me because I know we're getting to the end.  However, I'm very excited because we're going to be studying some great things.  In history, we'll be working on the period from 1600-1800, so he'll have two history books to complain about--western civ and American.  Yes, it's true. My son doesn't like my subject.  In literature, he'll be reading books like Don Quixote, Common Sense, and The Federalist.  But what he's really excited about is Chemistry, which his teacher (not me) plans to do as AP, trig/pre-calc (not me teaching either!) and Farsi. 

So while he's off earning the things he needs to become an Eagle scout, I'm here getting things ready for the new year.  I'm eager to begin because I plan to study Farsi with him.  I've always been in love with language, and when he chose Farsi as the language to study for the next three years, I decided I'd learn with him.  So yesterday I purchased the Rosetta Stone program for Farsi and I can't wait to begin! 

I'm over at the lovely Joanne Troppello's blog, The Mustard Seed, today, so take a look at her interview with me. I'm talking about Stolen Destiny and summertime fun, along with giving away a copy of the book to one commenter. Have a great summer day! 

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. 

Remembering Why I Do This

It's Friday! Yippee!  Here at my house, it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.  The sun is shining and the temps are set to climb into the low 80s.  Life is good! 

I've got a number of things going on today, but I want to note something that really touched me the other day.  Laurie, from Bitten By Paranormal Romance, posted her review of Stolen Destiny on Goodreads and what she said about the book brought me back into focus a bit.  When you can see your sales for books at any given time in real time, it can cause you to focus on the numbers.  That's not what it should be about.  The reality is that unless you're a huge name in NY publishing, you're never going to be able to be in this for the money.  Sure, it's possible you'll make some nice cash, but enough to live on?  Well, I guess it depends on how much you need to live.  For me, unless this begins to bring in the money my day job brings in, it will have to be something I do for another reason. 

As I check the sales for all my books each morning, I'm thrilled to see them climb each day.  That's not why I began writing, though.  It isn't why I write now.  I just needed to be reminded of that.  So when I read Laurie's review and saw that Stolen Destiny had stirred her emotions and really stuck with her for days after she read it, I remembered why I wrote that story and why I write everything I write.  Not for the money. No, I write because I want to share a story with readers.  To know that Stolen Destiny touched her like that means I succeeded with that story. That's why I do this. Thanks to her for reminding me of that.  :)

I'm over at the Brazen Broads Book Bash (is that not the coolest name for a book blog?) today talking about POV.  Thanks to those brazen broads for the invitation to stop by again and for the wonderful review they gave Stolen Destiny. 

Finally, I'm hopping around with my dear friend Shah's Weekend Creation Blog Hop.  It's a new linky each week, so I'll be posting that more often from now on.  I love Shah's hop because it's different.  It celebrates creativity, so there are authors, artists, and all kinds of creative types who stop by. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!  I'll be finishing Masquerade and writing guest posts and interviews so I can begin to get ready for vacation.  Have a great one!

'Round The Blogs

Happy Thursday everyone!  It's cooled down just a little in PA, so it's not sweltering anymore.  This is a good thing.  :)  Not that I hate the heat.  I don't.  In fact, I love it.  I can see myself definitely moving south after my son graduates.  But I don't have air conditioning now, so it can get a little sticky. Ewww....

On to more pleasant ideas.  I've been over at Selena's place, The Enchanted Book, all this week with the chance for one reader to win a copy of Stolen Destiny.  Love her blog!  It's so purple.  And yesterday I was over at Erin O'Riordan's blog, Pagan Spirits, talking about my hero from Stolen Destiny, Varek, and his being a "bad" good guy.  Check both of those out for more info on that book. 

Today I'm at the wonderful Talina Perkins' blog, Bookin' It, talking about my adventures in publishing.  Not an entirely happy story, but it turns out well at the end.  I'm giving away a copy of Vampire Dreams or Love's Master to one lucky commenter, so check that out too.  (Talina is the talented woman who creates my banners.  Love her!)

Ok, I'm off to do some work on Masquerade today.  One of my editors suggested an idea that was out of this world fantastic, and I've run with it. It meant changing a chapter or two, but the idea was so yummy that I had to try it.  So far, I'm loving it! I'm also off to get my driver's license picture taken, a far less enjoyable time than writing.  Let's hope the DMV and I don't have to spend too much time together.   Have a great one!

Here and There and Love's Master Live

It's Monday again, and although I usually don't like the first day of the workweek, this Monday I have reason to celebrate.  I woke up this morning and found Love's Master for sale at Amazon and Barnes and Noble...and had already sold copies of it!  What a wonderful way to start a week!

Love's Master is the second novella in the erotic romance trilogy set in Victorian England.  While Vampire Dreams is a paranormal, this is more historical with a little twist-some light BDSM (nothing too deep, just some spanking, whipping, and blindfold action).  It's also much longer, at over 27,000 words compared to the 17,000 for Vampire Dreams. 

The idea for Love's Master came from a column that ran in the Times of London for years in the 1800s called the Agony Column.  If you've ever read any of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, you know what I'm referring to. Each morning, Holmes would comb the Agony Column for clues to cases.  All sorts of notices would be posted in the column, such as messages to secret lovers, posts to inform people of events, and even employment ads.  Often the notices were written in code or a foreign language, like German, French, and even Latin. 

I ran across the Agony Column online one day a while back and as I read through the years of notices, one jumped out at me.  I had been reading a lot of BDSM stories and when I saw a post that said, S.B. “is a STRICT Disciplinarian, and not afraid of a rather unruly Pupil" I immediately thought that this would be a great idea for a follow up story in what was quickly shaping up to be a trilogy of erotic romance novellas set in Victorian times. 

I had so much fun writing Love's Master, and much of that enjoyment came from the research I did.  Everything from foods found in Victorian England and Afghanistan to BDSM information was researched, in addition to the basic information that is needed to write about the past. 

To buy it, check out Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I plan to have it up at Smashwords soon, along with All Romance eBooks too. 

In addition to the good news about Love's Master, I'm over at Danielle Ravencraft's blog, Ravencraft's Romance Realm, today talking about all three of my books out now.  Check that out and possibly for the first time, my picture is posted. (Let's hope none of my students see it. Now that's an office visit discussion I don't want to have!)

I'm also at Harris Channing's blog with an interview with Amon, the sexy bad boy from Stolen Destiny, so check that out too.  And have a fantastic summer day!

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....)

Check it out!

Dana over at Readaholics Anonymous (love that name!) has posted my book trailer for Stolen Destiny in her Trailer Thursday segment.  And you know what other authors are also there with their book trailers?  Tina Folsom and Susan Mallery!  I'm hanging out with big names today.  Click on over to Dana's place and check all the trailers out. (Yes, I know you can watch my trailer just by looking above this post, but then you wouldn't see Tina's or Susan's, so mosey on over there too!)



And then check out the second half of my interview with Nat at Reading Romances.  Thanks so much to both these wonderful ladies for helping spread the word about my books.  You're the best!

More Cover Love Today

Despite the difficulties the publisher and I have had, it looks like Stolen Destiny will still have a June release.  I've been given the date of June 29, so let's all think good thoughts.  I sent back the edits yesterday, and they sent me the cover art today.  The original cover I posted a few weeks ago indicated that the book was the first in a series, but since I'm going to be publishing the rest of the series elsewhere, they had to adjust things slightly.  The result is this cover. 

Whatever problems I've had with the publisher, I can't say enough wonderful things about the designer, Jinger Heaston. She took what I sent in the cover questionnaire and knocked it out of the park.  Thanks Jinger!  I couldn't have asked for a better cover for Varek, Callia, and Amon (Varek's the stunning, shirtless one.).

Waiting...

I continue to wait for the email from the publisher that tells me what edits I must do for Stolen Destiny to become ready for June.  Although I know it's foolish to be worried about something that hasn't happened yet, I am.  I think it's part stubborn belief in a style of writing that I think is interesting and part ego. 

You see, I write my stories from multiple points of view.  In Stolen Destiny, the reader is given the point of view of Varek, Callia, Amon, and the murderer, Derrick James.  Granted Derrick's point of view is quite limited and only in a few places, but it adds interest and shows what Varek must conquer before he can finish his job for the Council and get the girl. As for the three main characters, they spend a great deal of time together and their points of view are important to the story.  Without them, the love triangle doesn't work at the depth I need it to.

Today, editors sometimes think this is head hopping.  I have no idea where this came from, but I can't imagine telling my stories, which are at their core about the love and romance between two people (and the love triangle that forms when Amon becomes involved), from just one point of view. How dreadfully boring it would be to have page after page of just Callia's point of view!  I think that works for short stories and novellas, but at least for me, it doesn't work for novel length stories. 

The other part is pure ego, though.  I like things like adverbs, and I have a feeling many of them might be headed for the chopping block.  And adjectives?  Let's say from what I hear, adjectives are viewed like time spent with Charlie Sheen: a little goes a long way.  But I don't tend to be an adjective girl as much as adverb.  In fact, I don't tend to describe things visually as much as I think I might have to.  My stories tend to revolve around not so much the physical setting as the psychological and emotional developments in the characters.  But I admit, I am less stubborn about these issues.  In fact, it might be nice to go back and describe Amon's Tuscan villa again with more detail. 

I look forward to this time next month when edits will be finished (hopefully) and then I can wait for the book cover art.  But it's all part of the process, so just hang on and I'll be sure to tell you all about it.  :)

Gabrielle

Finished

I finished writing Destiny Renewed earlier today and have to admit it was with mixed emotions that I ended the story.  When I introduced the character of Amon into Stolen Destiny, he was the bad guy.  But I loved his character so much, I wanted to take him further than I had in the first book, so despite planning to wait to write his as the third or fourth book, his story came out in the early ideas for Destiny Renewed and I ran with it.  Months later, the bad guy has gotten his story and since it's a romance, he's gotten his happily ever after.

The heroine I gave Amon is Thea, who is the closest I've ever gotten to writing a female virgin.  She wasn't a sexual virgin, but she hadn't anywhere as much experience, sexually or otherwise, as her hero.  However, they fit together well, allowed him to be more Alpha than he might have been with a more experienced partner, and I enjoyed writing her as much as him.

Also back in this second book is Amon's servant, Gethen, a dark Sidhe who gets a much fuller role in Destiny Renewed.  Writing Gethen's part in this book was far more emotionally draining than any other character I've ever written before as he doesn't make it through the book. 

I've enjoyed my time with these characters, just as I enjoyed my time with the hero and heroine from the first book, Varek and Callia.  I'll be spending more time with Destiny Renewed's  characters as I type the story, editing and adding along the way, but until then, it's time to take a little break and relax for a few days.

Gabrielle

Got My Contract!

Since I'm a newbie author in the publishing sense, I hope everyone will forgive me for posting about getting my contract from Siren-BookStrand today.  I'm over-the-moon thrilled!  The projected publication date for Stolen Destiny remains June 2011, but having the contract in my hand was a definite thrill today.  And then I visited the publisher's site and saw my name on their author roll, which was even more thrilling. 

All this excitement has made writing almost impossible tonight, unfortunately.  I can't keep my focus at all, so I think I'm just going to relax and have a drink. 

Here's to good news!

Gabrielle

Destiny Renewed Update

Another Saturday of writing, but this time I had to do a little research since I decided to provide a flashback to one of my hero's earlier lifetimes.  I have a lot to choose from since Amon's in his 47th lifetime, but I didn't want to go with anything common.  I've already showcased him either in the first book, Stolen Destiny, or his story, Destiny Renewed, in the late Roman Empire and late 18th century England, and made references to his lifetimes as a Viking warrior, Aztec leader, and Greek in the first century B.C.  But this time I chose to give him a lifetime in 16th century Ottoman Empire Turkey. 

The flashback is just a love scene actually, but I decided to put him in the town of Edirne in western Turkey right around the time of the reign of Suleiman the Great (mid 1500s).  So that meant some research into the time period, the area, and the basic goings on around Turkey in those years. 

I knew the time I chose meant the area was still part of the Ottoman Empire, but I had to make sure I had my ideas in order before I went ahead and wrote anything.  I find this type of research for stories to be a bunch of fun.  I've had an interest in this part of the world for a while, and as much as I'd like to write an entire story based on that area, particularly during Ottoman times, for now I'll settle for a flashback with some steamy sex. 

Hope your Saturday was as much fun as mine!

Gabrielle