Time To Say Goodbye

That title sounds so melodramatic, doesn't it?  Let me explain. Last June, I published a little novella entitled Vampire Dreams. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it was a response to something I was dealing with in my professional life and gave me the catharsis that I needed. I never expected it to become what it grew into, but that little novella paid my mortgage for more months than even I can believe. However, now it's time to say my goodbyes to that terrific little story.

In truth, Vampire Dreams was the beginning of my Sons of Navarus series and the beginning of that incredible character, Vasilije. He's a hedonistic bastard and I love him. I still get the pleasure of writing him now because he's a focal character in the Sons series, but it all began with that little novella.

True confession time. It's not my best writing. Hell, it's nowhere close to my best writing. You want that? Try my other books, particularly the Sons of Navarus series and Destined Ones series. No, Vampire Dreams was just sexy. It has a lonely vampire who wants love and meets the woman of his dreams. At night, he visits her in her sleep and...well, Brandon may be lonely, but he knows how to seduce a woman.  The book was never meant to be more than it is. Unlike many of my stories, there's no underlying theme or meaning. It's just pure sexiness.

That it took off like it did still surprises me. It spent months on the Amazon Top 100 Erotic books list along with the Top 100 Vampire Romance books list, and even made it onto some private lists by readers. There have been a fair share of souls who didn't love it. One person accused me of writing rape because Brandon seduces Arden under hypnosis. But for every time I got a complaint, I got 20 raves. I've gone back and read it a few times and you know what? It's not me at my best, but it's damn sexy.

I rewrote Vampire Dreams to be an official sequel to the Sons of Navarus series, and that book, Vampire Dreams Revamped has gotten rave reviews. If you read both, you see the difference not only in the story but in the writing. As they say, I've come along way, baby.

So now it's time to say goodbye to the original Vampire Dreams. As of September 1, it will only be found in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, along with its sister novellas Love's Master and Masquerade. They'll remain as novellas found on their own and in the Trilogy, though.

I will always appreciate that first book and its success. While Vampire Dreams Revamped is a much better book, there will always be a place in my heart for that little novella that started it all, Vampire Dreams.

Coming Soon: Vampire Dreams Revamped

When  I approached my editor with the idea of reworking Vampire Dreams, her first words were, "Why? You sell tons of that each month. Don't mess with what works." This coming from a tough as nails editor made me feel good, but it didn't dissuade me from wanting to go back into that first book I published.

You see, when I wrote Vampire Dreams, I was actually doing it in response to something external, not internal, so to me, every time I see that book, I think of that external business that was pressing down on me then.  I've overcome it, but when I read Vampire Dreams, I can still hear it in so many places.

I loved the characters of Arden and Brandon from the minute they came to life, and Vasilije...well, he was always destined for more after that book.  Arden and Brandon have a charm to me that brings a sweetness to a very erotic book. So despite the fact that my editor disagreed, I began to rework Vampire Dreams a few weeks ago and asked the wonderful Talina Perkins if she'd make just one more exception and create a cover for this new book. What you see is the new cover--Vampire Dreams Revamped.

So what's going to be different in this new book?  It's going to be longer.  The original came in at 17K words, and this will top out at over 25K.  The story has been added to also, and two of the Sons of Navarus in addition to Vasilije will appear as cameos in Revamped. It's also a bit hotter too.

That last choice--to make Revamped a sexier book--was something I had to think about. Out of the thousands of copies sold, the book has relatively few bad reviews, but often those that are bad attack it because it has too much sex. (Others claim it's written too simply while even others claim the writing is too complicated, especially the sentence structure. Those make no sense together, so I disregard them as they cancel one another out. Sorry critics, but it can't be both.) I've even had a few unhappy readers claim it's porn.

I either read some seriously hot stories, or I underestimate my books' heat levels because while the original Vampire Dreams had some steamy scenes, it certainly wasn't the hottest thing I'd ever read. It's been listed under Erotica, so I'm always confused when readers have a problem with the sex scenes. What do they expect? (I blame this in part on the Fifty Shades phenomenon, by the way. I've read that and it wasn't hot to me.  In fact, it was clunky, immature, and awkward, and that's not erotic to me. But that's just my humble opinion. But if people read that and then come to my books, they are in for a very different type of sexy read.) To me, it's erotic romance because it has a definite story and a HEA. Erotica isn't forced to conform to those criteria. Whatever it is, it's way too hot for some folks, it seems.

So, in the end, Vampire Dreams Revamped will be even hotter than the original. Maybe I should put a disclaimer in the description.  Maybe something like: Reading this book may make your panties melt. Be aware and take precautions.

Look for Vampire Dreams Revamped in July. Have a great Monday everyone!

Vampire Dreams: A Best Erotic – Historical Fantasy / Paranormal (2011) Nominee At The Romance Reviews

What a nice surprise to find out late Friday afternoon that Vampire Dreams, the book that began it all for me last June, is a nominee for Best Erotic-Historical Fantasy/Paranormal Book of 2011 at The Romance Reviews!  Very cool. :)  Voting runs until the end of this month, so head on over to see all the books in the numerous categories and vote for your favorites.


Vampire Dreams was an idea I had from a dream one night (I actually dreamt the entire first scene of the book).  When I woke up, I wrote down what I remembered and from there I just began writing the story. The first in The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, it features Vasilije, who now has his own book, Blood Avenged, in my new Sons of Navarus series. 

Click HERE for a taste of that first scene from Vampire Dreams.

Good luck to all the nominees!

And congratulations to Crystal, who was the winner in my St. Patrick's Day Giveaway Hop. Thanks to everyone who stopped by for the giveaway, and as you can see in the left sidebar, there are lots more coming up, so be sure to stop by again!

Wednesday Treats

It's Wednesday, and the weekend is in full view.  I'm still in typing mode, with about 50% of Blood Avenged done.  I've been typing my little fingers to the bone! I'm a little ahead of schedule, so that's great. Yay!  Thankfully, it's an easy week at work and I can type more than grade papers or make up tests.

Today I'm at Dawn Roberto's blog, Dawn's Reading Nook, talking about my paranormal characters, so click on over there and take a look. In addition, the week of fun with me at Riverina Romantics continues with my choice for Hump Day Hottie. Can you say practically naked Alcide?  Yeah, it's definitely worth a look.  Megan outdid herself there.

Also, take a look at yesterday's review of Vampire Dreams there and the latest stop on Destiny Redeemed's book tour at Lisa's World of Books.

So what are you up to today?

Happy Samhain!

It's October 31, and to pagans of all varieties, it's the day the veil between the spirit world and the living world is the thinnest.  Samhain is also the new year for wiccans, so enjoy the day, whatever you choose to celebrate!  I'm just back from New Orleans, and all I can say is wow...I'm going with the plan of what happens in New Orleans stays in New Orleans.  ;)  I don't know if I have anything left in me to celebrate today, but I'm going to try.

I did get some fantastic research done for the settings that will appear in Blood Avenged, and I even got half a chapter written on the plane ride home.  I'm multi-tasking, baby! 

The Bewitching Trick or Treat Hop is still going on through today, so leave a comment and do as many extra entries as you'd like for a chance to win Destiny Redeemed, Vampire Dreams, and swag prizes.  

While I was away, Authors Promoting Authors ran a Six of A Story interview with me about Vampire Dreams (perfect for Halloween if you like sexy instead of scary), and then it appeared in The Romance Book Club Daily and The Erotic Fantasy Gazette.  Check both out for some interesting articles and info on romance and erotica books.

Tomorrow begins the month long book tour for Destiny Redeemed, and I can't wait.  I'll be posting each day about where I am and what's new with the tour, so look for that.  And I'm one of the featured interviews in November at The Romance Reviews, so keep an eye out for that and TRR's Year End Splash event happening all month. It should be great fun!

And last, but not least, this weekend was an important one for me because I reached my 10,000th sale sometime Sunday.  I can't thank enough the readers and bloggers who have supported me this year.  That I was able to reach this milestone in just five months since the release of my first book is just incredible to me as an indie author, and all I can say is thanks and stick around because I'm just getting started. 

Have a wonderful day everyone!

A New Chapter

Sometime during the night, I reached another professional goal when the 5000th copy of my books was sold.  As I've said before, I'd hoped to reach this goal by spring 2012, so this means a lot to me. 5000 isn't some magical number that means anything other than people are purchasing my books, but as a symbol, it means that I've come a long way since selling the first 150 copies of Vampire Dreams during the entire month of June. 

I've never been much of a goal setter.  I'm one of those people who decides she's going to do something and then sets about doing it.  It's not a matter of goals, per se.  If I begin something, I feel as if I must finish it. As an author, however, the writing of the book is just the beginning.  For that, I don't set a goal but a deadline.  I decide when the book must be completed by in order to have it edited and formatted by a particular release date.  It's all very businesslike, but what comes afterward I can't set a deadline for.  This is where the goals come in.

My next goal is 10,000 books by March 21.  To reach that, I must do a few things.  First, I must promote, which means blog tours, Twitter, Facebook, and all those other outlets that allow me to talk up my work.  Second, I must write more books and release them.  To that end, Destiny Redeemed comes out on October 13 and Blood Avenged is scheduled for a mid-December release.  Then, I don't have any more releases planned until March 21, when I hope to have the first of my new series out.

This is a new chapter for me.  Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive.  Each day I get closer to the one overriding goal I've had since I began writing--to be able to call writing my only full time job and career. With a lot of hard work, I believe I can make that goal a reality.

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. :)

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. 

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.

The Top 100 Vampire Romance Books At Amazon

I woke up this morning to find that Vampire Dreams, my little novella that I meant to send to Harlequin Spice Briefs before email goblins sidetracked it, had broken into the Top 100 Vampire Romance Books at Amazon. It also broke into the Top 100 in Erotica in Kindle Ebooks and Books in general.  Wow!  Now that's probably the second best type of wake up I know. ;) Thanks so much to all those readers who've purchased the book. 

I'm thrilled and amazed by this news.  This will be the look on my face all day: :D  Now it's back to work on Vasilije's book.

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. 

'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!