Before you all hang me, let me explain what's going on with Nobody's Perfect's release date. I'm self-published. I wrote each of my first three books in this series in a couple months. So, I assumed that would be true for Nobody's Perfect.
Well, my having to deal with lots of family issues that I won't go into here (but that I'm very open about on my Facebook wall), AND having to deal with a lot of triggers and emotional stress writing Savi's story (I'm also an incest and child sexual abuse survivor), the writing has been painstakingly long. As you know, originally, I thought I could finish by May. Then June.
I am still resolving issues with the story to bring them to a happier ending than they were at originally (which, trust me, you ALL will appreciate. My poor beta readers have had major angst over the story, which they've been reading in piecemeal since late May, I believe. This is a very emotional story and not recommended for survivors who aren't sure they can go through those emotions again. Trust me, it hasn't been easy for me to write it--but I want to be honest to my characters and to all my fellow survivors, because I get so tired of stories that gloss over the real pain of survivors. I will not pull any punches or gloss over the effects on Savi and the aftermath of her child sexual abuse.
As you know, I so wanted the book to be out by Saturday (June 30) to keep my latest release-date promise, but that would mean putting out a sloppy book and then having to upload newer versions. As you may recall, I did that with the "Advanced Reader Copy" of Nobody's Hero--and that was a nightmare I promised never to repeat. So, I am just not wanting to go there again.
I know readers become used to how New York publishers work, because they often sit on a book for a month or more while they do promotions. I've been at this publishing business all of a year, and there's something to be said for that model--but I just don't want to make readers wait when the book is ready to go out--and I never have. (Even though I'm always uploading newer versions--that's just the CDO--or OCD for those of you who don't suffer from that--in me.)
Unfortunately, right now, Perfect is not ready for you to read yet. I am tired of guessing wrong dates, so I'm not going to say when--just know that it will be uploaded to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance eBooks as soon as I get it back from the formatter after the editors and beta readers and I have made sure the book is of the quality you've come to expect in this series.
I know most of you understand and will not cause me any more angst (believe me, I can do that well enough myself). Thank you for your continued patience--and I'm sorry if I've caused you unnecessary stress in waiting to get to Damian and Savi's happy ending.
I've learned the lesson to STOP giving release dates until after a book is in final edits. I know readers want to know dates so they won't miss anything. The best thing I can say to do is sign up for my newsletter (go to my blog or Web site) and you'll be the first to be notified and via e-mail that a book is coming out.
I also will not make any more promises about when future books will come out. I know there will be at least eight books in this series and the next will be Luke's and Cassie's. Other than that, we'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks for your patience! Now, back to work I go!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Teresa Reasor visits with an Interview and Excerpt
Today I would like to welcome Teresa Reasor to my blog. Teresa and I are in two writers groups together. In March, we roomed together at a workshop and she told me about her fascinating series with Navy SEALS. Like me, she puts readers through a roller coaster of emotion as she digs into the nitty-gritty of love. She also likes to break some of the "rules" of the Romance genre (as set by New York publishers), which is why we are both self-publishing probably.
The second book in the series, my current Work in Progress (coming out this summer), is titled Breaking Through. Brett, my hero, is breaking through the barriers of his memory loss and his PTSD to find the truth about his injury so he can heal, while Tess, the woman he loves, is breaking through her issues caused by her need for her absentee, journalist father’s love and approval.
He’d stood up there on stage in front of two hundred women. Knowing his speech might freeze up. Knowing he’d feel humiliated if it did. The courage it must have taken.
And how hard had he worked in the past two months to get this far? Probably harder than she’d ever worked at anything in her life.
“Doc Stewart thought being back with my team might smooth things out for me. I convinced him of it. And now I’m just stuck.” He thrust his hands out, palms up.
“Whose idea was it for you to do the public relations thing, Brett?” she asked.
Confusion flickered across his face. “My CO’s.”
That asshole. Outrage tumbled through her.
The need to touch Brett, to offer him comfort rose like a tide. She raised a hand to his cheek. The warmth of his skin seeped into her fingertips. His pale blue gaze focused on her.
“You’re going to get through this, just as you have everything else.” If it was humanly possible, he would. But what if he didn’t?
His muscular bulk, the strength of his personality and the focus he projected made her more aware of his vulnerability than she’d ever been anyone’s. She rose on tiptoe to slide her arms around his neck and hold him.
His arms went around her and he stepped into the embrace, bringing their bodies close. His heart beat against her hard and fast. Too hard. Too fast. And his skin felt feverish.
She caressed the back of his neck soothing him. “We’re going to find the kid. I know we will.” She rested her cheek against his and breathed in the clean scent of soap and man.
The longer she held him, the more she relived those moments when they’d danced, but the memory was a sad substitute. Her breasts ached with the need to be touched. The row of bars and medals on his uniform pressed into her, stiff, unyielding. She shifted, and his arms tightened. The thrust of his erection lay like a tormenting promise against her belly. Oh God, if she raised herself on tiptoe, it would be so close.
“Brett—” her voice came out breathy and weak. She drew back to look up at him and his mouth was there covering hers, his arm tightening around her even while his hand ran down over her buttocks to mold her against him. At the open hunger he exhibited, her heart thundered against her ribs. Her mouth parted offering him access and his tongue thrust forward to find hers.
I have to stop this. I have to. The kiss went on and on. Oh God, had she ever been kissed like this? He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over the erect nipple pushing against the fabric of her blouse. Her will wavered, and she pushed against his touch, encouraging him. And when his mouth left hers to follow the line of her cheek and jaw to her throat, all she could do was drag in enough air for a sigh instead of the words she needed to say.
The stiff ribbons on his shirt snagged the neckline of her blouse. Brett hastened to unbutton his shirt one handed and dragged it free of his pants and shook free of it and pealed his t-shirt over his head.
Wasn’t that what she’d wanted? Yes.
Her breathing grew choppy at all the golden-hued skin laid open to her view, her touch. And as his lips took hers again, she stroked her palms over the patch of light brown hair on his chest, then over his wide shoulders layered with muscle.
She wanted—more. She wanted him inside her, moving.
His hand trailed upward beneath her shirt and found her bare breast. He seemed to know just how to touch her, how much pressure to exert as he kneaded and caressed her.
“I want your legs around me, Tess.” His voice sounded deeper, huskier.
She wanted them there too, but—Her father’s accusation, ‘Are you sleeping with this guy?’ rose up to slap her out of her sensual haze. If she did this, he’d know. He already thought so little of her as a journalist— “We can’t— I can’t—”
Brett nibbled at the sensitive area between her shoulder and neck. She shivered and caught her breath. His heart was thundering again, but so was hers.
Tears stung her eyes. “I can’t, Brett.”
He froze, and for a moment continued just to cradle her breast in his hand. The warmth of his touch seeped into her flesh, and it took all her self-control not to move against it in response. His breath was hot against her shoulder, and her nerves seemed to quiver beneath that, too. She’d never been so aroused in her life.
He withdrew his touch, but continued to hold her. When he drew back his cheeks were flushed and his pale eyes looked dark. The open expression of desire in his gaze triggered a rush of heat to her cheeks.
“I need to cool down a minute,” he said. He scooped up his shirts and disappeared down the only hallway in the apartment. A few seconds later she heard water running in the bathroom.
Tess clenched her hands and pressed them hard against her cheeks. “Damnit.” This couldn’t happen again. And why the hell did she feel like crying? This is what she wanted.
She’d apologize to him. She stepped toward the hallway and her foot kicked something soft ahead of her. Was that a ponytail scrunchie? She bent and picked it up. The soft fabric spread out as she hooked her fingers in the elastic. A pair of black thongs spread damningly between her hands. What the — Shock hammered her heart. Color once again surged into her face hot on the heels of the anger that sang in her ears.
The whole time he’d been kissing her, he’d had a trophy from some other woman, where? In his pocket? A sound half screech, half growl thrust up into her throat, but she choked it back.
Apologize hell.
She was going to kill him.
K: Teresa, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
T: I grew up on Naval and Marine Corps bases all over the country. But home base was the hills of Southeastern Kentucky. I married a Kentucky boy in 1975 and raised a family, now scattered to the four winds.
I am a Teacher, Writer, and Artist. I teach part-time for Eastern Kentucky University and am the author of four romantic suspense novels, Highland Moonlight, Captive Hearts, Timeless, and Breaking Free (SEAL Team Heartbreakers #1).
I am a prolific artist. My artwork focuses on my roots in Kentucky, because no matter where my family is stationed, Kentucky was and is home.
K: How did you come up with the title?
I needed a word or phrase that I’d be able to be used in each book’s title, since I’m writing a series. And the first book Breaking Free was about my characters, First Lieutenant Adam “Hawk” Yazzie and Zoe Weaver, breaking free of the major physical and emotional issues that made it difficult for them to find love and happiness.
Blurb:
When LIEUTENANT ADAM “HAWK” YAZZIE rescues ENSIGN BRETT “CUTTER” WEAVER during a mission in Iraq, his faith in his team’s loyalty is shaken. Someone in the team attacked Cutter and left him for dead. But who?
ZOE WEAVER races to her brother Brett’s bedside. He stood by her while she fought her way back from a devastating injury, and she’s determined to do the same for him. Though drawn to Hawk’s good looks and steady strength, she’s reluctant to get involved with a man in uniform. But with Brett lying in a coma, Hawk may prove the key to what happened to her brother.
Hawk is torn between loyalty to his men and his need to see justice done. When he tries to save a troubled teammate’s career, he unwittingly puts Zoe’s life in danger. Can he lead the rest of the team in a rescue operation to save her? Or will one of Hawk's brothers in arms destroy the woman he loves?
When LIEUTENANT ADAM “HAWK” YAZZIE rescues ENSIGN BRETT “CUTTER” WEAVER during a mission in Iraq, his faith in his team’s loyalty is shaken. Someone in the team attacked Cutter and left him for dead. But who?
ZOE WEAVER races to her brother Brett’s bedside. He stood by her while she fought her way back from a devastating injury, and she’s determined to do the same for him. Though drawn to Hawk’s good looks and steady strength, she’s reluctant to get involved with a man in uniform. But with Brett lying in a coma, Hawk may prove the key to what happened to her brother.
Hawk is torn between loyalty to his men and his need to see justice done. When he tries to save a troubled teammate’s career, he unwittingly puts Zoe’s life in danger. Can he lead the rest of the team in a rescue operation to save her? Or will one of Hawk's brothers in arms destroy the woman he loves?
The second book in the series, my current Work in Progress (coming out this summer), is titled Breaking Through. Brett, my hero, is breaking through the barriers of his memory loss and his PTSD to find the truth about his injury so he can heal, while Tess, the woman he loves, is breaking through her issues caused by her need for her absentee, journalist father’s love and approval.
Blurb for Breaking Through (Book 2)
Ensign Brett Weaver wakes up from a month-long coma to discover that he and his SEAL team swim buddy are being investigated for murder. And that his friend and comrade may have tried to kill him.
Reporter Tess Kelly is working hard to live up to her journalist father's expectations, so when Brett offers her some information in exchange for an introduction to her father she jumps at the chance. The explosive international situation Brett lobs into her father's lap is a major scoop. But the secret she's discovered about Brett Weaver could be just as controversial.
Will her feelings for this wounded warrior win out, or will she choose to follow her father's path and release a story that will destroy Brett's SEAL career?
Reporter Tess Kelly is working hard to live up to her journalist father's expectations, so when Brett offers her some information in exchange for an introduction to her father she jumps at the chance. The explosive international situation Brett lobs into her father's lap is a major scoop. But the secret she's discovered about Brett Weaver could be just as controversial.
Will her feelings for this wounded warrior win out, or will she choose to follow her father's path and release a story that will destroy Brett's SEAL career?
The rest of the books in the series will be:
Breaking Away–2nd Lieutenant Harold Carney Flash’s book: He’s Hawk’s executive officer and the team’s sniper.
Breaking Out–Ensign Zack O’Connor: Doc’s Book, the Medic of the team.
Breaking Hearts–Ensign Dan Rivera: Bowie’s Book. He’s the Team ladies' man and Communications officer. I thought that was especially appropriate.
Breaking Chains–Ensign Derrick Armstrong: Strong Man’s Book. Derrick’s book will be the last book of the series and possibly the most difficult to write. He has to overcome some really tough anger issues and face some hard things about what has made him into the man he is. And he has to redeem himself. A tough thing to do because he’s abused the woman he loves and betrayed the men of his team. And he’s gone to prison because of it. He has to own what he’s done and try and look for forgiveness from the people he’s wrong in order to heal.
Somewhere in there I wanted to write a short story or novella about Ensign Oliver Shaker the only married man in the team and the team member who guarded the team’s back door during the mission that kicked off the whole series. I’ll title it Breaking Over.
K: Describe your hero and tell us a little about him.
T: Ensign Brett Weaver is from Lexington Kentucky. He’s soon to turn 29. His mother is a retired teacher and his father was a 1st Sergeant in the Marine Corps who was killed by friendly fire during Desert Storm.
Brett is a SEAL. It’s all he’s ever wanted to be. But he’s spent a month in a coma due to an injury he sustained during the last mission they went on in Iraq. Now that he’s home and finally awake and back physically, he’s hitting some roadblocks to getting back to his team. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD because he has a speech glitch that comes out when he’s under stress. His Commanding Officer is throwing challenges in his path to try and force him to resign because he views Brett’s brain injury as a permanent stumbling block to his coming back to his team. And the worse thing Brett faces is that he’s under suspicion of murdering an Iraqi citizen.
K: Describe your heroine and tell us a little about her.
T: Tess Kelly is a reporter. She’s originally from New York, but her father was an award-winning journalist who’s traveled the globe so she’s lived in several places as a child, but now San Diego, California, is her home.
Tess has a difficult relationship with her father, Ian Kelly, and it has left her with unresolved issues. He and Tess’s mother divorced when she was six, and he’s been an absentee father who’s moved on with his life and left his daughter behind.
Despite that, Tess has followed in her father’s footsteps and become a reporter, but she knows she’s not cut out to cover the high-risk stories her father writes about.
Tess is attempting to carve out her own niche in the writing world. All she wants is for her father to acknowledge her and be proud of her. But Ian is too wrapped up in his own need for international recognition to view her as his daughter. To him she’s young, motivated, and competition to the aging reporter.
Because of her father’s abandonment and his constant confrontational challenges of how and what she’s doing with her writing, Tess has self-esteem issues and it’s made her fearful of being abandoned. Thus she puts up barriers that hold men at a distance.
K: If you’re writing a series, have you kept the same characters throughout?
T: Yes, I will keep the same characters in this series, but with the focus on a different hero and heroine in each. But each book is tied to the others by the inciting incident in the first book, the team’s last mission in Iraq before they were transported home, and Brett Weaver’s injury. But each book has it’s own standalone plot line that spins off of that. Each hero has to work through his own demons caused by what happened during that last mission. And their romantic interests, the ladies, all have issues to work through, as well. There is always a suspense angle in the books, too.
K: And what through line or theme have you used to tie your series together?
T: Of course there’s a Navy SEAL theme throughout. But the through line that ties the series together and that will not be ended until the last book is written is the incident in Iraq that kicked off the series. Brett Weaver’s injury and what Derrick Armstrong did or didn’t have to do with it.
K: Where can readers reach you and find out about your books?
My books are available at Amazon
Books are also available at Apple, Kobo, etc.
I love to hear from readers! My email address is teresareasor@msn.com
Excerpt from Breaking Through (Book 2)
Sunlight lanced off the scar on his temple. The reason behind the hesitation in his speech suddenly struck her like a blow. An ache settled in her chest, and quick tears burned her eyes. He’d stood up there on stage in front of two hundred women. Knowing his speech might freeze up. Knowing he’d feel humiliated if it did. The courage it must have taken.
And how hard had he worked in the past two months to get this far? Probably harder than she’d ever worked at anything in her life.
“Doc Stewart thought being back with my team might smooth things out for me. I convinced him of it. And now I’m just stuck.” He thrust his hands out, palms up.
“Whose idea was it for you to do the public relations thing, Brett?” she asked.
Confusion flickered across his face. “My CO’s.”
That asshole. Outrage tumbled through her.
The need to touch Brett, to offer him comfort rose like a tide. She raised a hand to his cheek. The warmth of his skin seeped into her fingertips. His pale blue gaze focused on her.
“You’re going to get through this, just as you have everything else.” If it was humanly possible, he would. But what if he didn’t?
His muscular bulk, the strength of his personality and the focus he projected made her more aware of his vulnerability than she’d ever been anyone’s. She rose on tiptoe to slide her arms around his neck and hold him.
His arms went around her and he stepped into the embrace, bringing their bodies close. His heart beat against her hard and fast. Too hard. Too fast. And his skin felt feverish.
She caressed the back of his neck soothing him. “We’re going to find the kid. I know we will.” She rested her cheek against his and breathed in the clean scent of soap and man.
The longer she held him, the more she relived those moments when they’d danced, but the memory was a sad substitute. Her breasts ached with the need to be touched. The row of bars and medals on his uniform pressed into her, stiff, unyielding. She shifted, and his arms tightened. The thrust of his erection lay like a tormenting promise against her belly. Oh God, if she raised herself on tiptoe, it would be so close.
“Brett—” her voice came out breathy and weak. She drew back to look up at him and his mouth was there covering hers, his arm tightening around her even while his hand ran down over her buttocks to mold her against him. At the open hunger he exhibited, her heart thundered against her ribs. Her mouth parted offering him access and his tongue thrust forward to find hers.
I have to stop this. I have to. The kiss went on and on. Oh God, had she ever been kissed like this? He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over the erect nipple pushing against the fabric of her blouse. Her will wavered, and she pushed against his touch, encouraging him. And when his mouth left hers to follow the line of her cheek and jaw to her throat, all she could do was drag in enough air for a sigh instead of the words she needed to say.
The stiff ribbons on his shirt snagged the neckline of her blouse. Brett hastened to unbutton his shirt one handed and dragged it free of his pants and shook free of it and pealed his t-shirt over his head.
Wasn’t that what she’d wanted? Yes.
Her breathing grew choppy at all the golden-hued skin laid open to her view, her touch. And as his lips took hers again, she stroked her palms over the patch of light brown hair on his chest, then over his wide shoulders layered with muscle.
She wanted—more. She wanted him inside her, moving.
His hand trailed upward beneath her shirt and found her bare breast. He seemed to know just how to touch her, how much pressure to exert as he kneaded and caressed her.
“I want your legs around me, Tess.” His voice sounded deeper, huskier.
She wanted them there too, but—Her father’s accusation, ‘Are you sleeping with this guy?’ rose up to slap her out of her sensual haze. If she did this, he’d know. He already thought so little of her as a journalist— “We can’t— I can’t—”
Brett nibbled at the sensitive area between her shoulder and neck. She shivered and caught her breath. His heart was thundering again, but so was hers.
Tears stung her eyes. “I can’t, Brett.”
He froze, and for a moment continued just to cradle her breast in his hand. The warmth of his touch seeped into her flesh, and it took all her self-control not to move against it in response. His breath was hot against her shoulder, and her nerves seemed to quiver beneath that, too. She’d never been so aroused in her life.
He withdrew his touch, but continued to hold her. When he drew back his cheeks were flushed and his pale eyes looked dark. The open expression of desire in his gaze triggered a rush of heat to her cheeks.
“I need to cool down a minute,” he said. He scooped up his shirts and disappeared down the only hallway in the apartment. A few seconds later she heard water running in the bathroom.
Tess clenched her hands and pressed them hard against her cheeks. “Damnit.” This couldn’t happen again. And why the hell did she feel like crying? This is what she wanted.
She’d apologize to him. She stepped toward the hallway and her foot kicked something soft ahead of her. Was that a ponytail scrunchie? She bent and picked it up. The soft fabric spread out as she hooked her fingers in the elastic. A pair of black thongs spread damningly between her hands. What the — Shock hammered her heart. Color once again surged into her face hot on the heels of the anger that sang in her ears.
The whole time he’d been kissing her, he’d had a trophy from some other woman, where? In his pocket? A sound half screech, half growl thrust up into her throat, but she choked it back.
Apologize hell.
She was going to kill him.
Get started on this series right away by purchasing Breaking Free
Check out these other books by Teresa Reasor
Kally here. Thanks so much, Teresa, for visiting my blog!
Be sure to visit me over at Teresa's Blog today (June 20) for the kick off to my Perfect Blog Tour. Lots of chances to win every day –with more than $300 in gift-card prizes!
Be sure to visit me over at Teresa's Blog today (June 20) for the kick off to my Perfect Blog Tour. Lots of chances to win every day –with more than $300 in gift-card prizes!
Friday, June 15, 2012
My Perfect Blog Tour
NOTE 9/18/12: This is the ImPerfect Blog Tour from June. For the PERFECT Blog Tour (Sept. 17-22), click here.
Hello everyone! To celebrate the release of the 4th book in my Rescue Me series ~ NOBODY'S PERFECT ~ Damian and Savi's story, we (Damian, Savi, and me, along with some special friends) are going on a virtual book tour. Yes, that's right! Starting June 20, we are going to take you on an adventure filled with interviews, guest posts, excerpts, and giveaways with a $10 Gift Card Daily prize and a Grand Prize of a $200 GC, each to the bookseller of your choice (selected from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, or All Romance Ebooks). Each day, you will have a chance to enter in the grand prize drawing, too, using a special form, so don't miss a day! Come join the fun!
Book Tour Schedule
June 20 ~ Teresa Reasor (plus pre-tour interview)
June 21 ~ Guilty Pleasures
June 22 ~ Books-n-Kisses
June 23 ~ CS Maxwell
June 24 ~ Queen of the Night Reviews
June 25 ~ Kinky Book Reviews
June 26 ~ Simply Ali
June 27 ~ My Secret Romance
June 28 ~ BDSM Book Reviews
June 29 ~ United By Books
June 30 ~ Harlie's Book Blog
*You are welcome to comment here, because I love hearing from you (even the ones cracking the whip on finishing this book), but these comments will NOT be counted toward any of the prize drawings. You must follow the tour from stop to stop, leave comments for the daily drawings and sign up using the form for the Grand Prize drawing, in order to be entered in each one.
Hope you have a fabulous time and I can't wait to see you there!
Good Luck!
Hello everyone! To celebrate the release of the 4th book in my Rescue Me series ~ NOBODY'S PERFECT ~ Damian and Savi's story, we (Damian, Savi, and me, along with some special friends) are going on a virtual book tour. Yes, that's right! Starting June 20, we are going to take you on an adventure filled with interviews, guest posts, excerpts, and giveaways with a $10 Gift Card Daily prize and a Grand Prize of a $200 GC, each to the bookseller of your choice (selected from Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, or All Romance Ebooks). Each day, you will have a chance to enter in the grand prize drawing, too, using a special form, so don't miss a day! Come join the fun!
Book Tour Schedule
June 20 ~ Teresa Reasor (plus pre-tour interview)
June 21 ~ Guilty Pleasures
June 22 ~ Books-n-Kisses
June 23 ~ CS Maxwell
June 24 ~ Queen of the Night Reviews
June 25 ~ Kinky Book Reviews
June 26 ~ Simply Ali
June 27 ~ My Secret Romance
June 28 ~ BDSM Book Reviews
June 29 ~ United By Books
June 30 ~ Harlie's Book Blog
*You are welcome to comment here, because I love hearing from you (even the ones cracking the whip on finishing this book), but these comments will NOT be counted toward any of the prize drawings. You must follow the tour from stop to stop, leave comments for the daily drawings and sign up using the form for the Grand Prize drawing, in order to be entered in each one.
Hope you have a fabulous time and I can't wait to see you there!
Good Luck!
6/26/12 UPDATE ON THE PERFECT RELEASE DAY!
Nobody's Perfect *will* be out this month (well, I hoped so, anyway, but...)! Where'd this month go? Yikes!
The line editor is waiting for more, as are the beta readers and experts and I ran into some technical glitches last night, but am now determined to do nothing but work on this until it's done. (My poor hubby wants to have some of my attention, too, since we're on vacation and I promised I'd be done by the 25th. So, if you think YOU'RE frustrated!)
When it's ready for you, Leagh and I will notify you via my newsletter (sign up for it above right!), on Twitter and Facebook, and then here at the blog.
Thanks for your continued patience! I promise to never tell you a release date again until the book is totally finished and edited!
The line editor is waiting for more, as are the beta readers and experts and I ran into some technical glitches last night, but am now determined to do nothing but work on this until it's done. (My poor hubby wants to have some of my attention, too, since we're on vacation and I promised I'd be done by the 25th. So, if you think YOU'RE frustrated!)
When it's ready for you, Leagh and I will notify you via my newsletter (sign up for it above right!), on Twitter and Facebook, and then here at the blog.
Thanks for your continued patience! I promise to never tell you a release date again until the book is totally finished and edited!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Master Marc, Subplots, Erotic Romance, and, well, Nobody's Perfect
I'm beginning to think I jinxed myself by giving this book the title I did.
Well, with the help of my editor, the awesome Jeri Smith, I finally know his backstory. (Y'all do know that I just sit in the chair and write. I don't outline, plot, or do anything to hem my characters into MY realm of reference. I just wait until they're ready to reveal to me THEIR realm of reference--their stories.)
So, at least Mama D'Alessio is spilling the whole sordid mess to me, Marc, Angelina, and eventually to you, when you read Nobody's Perfect. Okay, he's slightly off the hook, because much of it he didn't know on a conscious level. And, yes, for him to finally be able to get in touch with those deep-seated insecurities and fears, Marc will have to be blindfolded a couple of times in Perfect. But Angelina, Adam, and I are determined to get to the bottom of his issues. (Hmmm, but he does kinda look sexy in a blindfold, though, doesn't he? I love Raoul Bova, who inspired Master Marc!)
Someone mentioned in a review once that she was annoyed by being pulled out of the main romance and into the subplot involving Damian and Savi in Nobody's Hero, the book which was focused primarily on Adam and Karla's romantic journey. Luckily, the majority of my readers love getting updates on the other characters in this close-knit brotherhood. So, what about you? Does it bother you if an author explores a major problem faced by a couple that isn't the primary hero and heroine, similar to what happens in mainstream-length novels? Other than Marc and Damian being like brothers, Marc's problem in Perfect does not really tie in with Damian and Savi's story as well as Damian and Savi's subplot in Hero was tied closely into Adam and Karla's story.
Personally, as a writer, this is why I write my erotic romances more like mainstream novels. (Hey, if the Fifty Shades trilogy is considered mainstream by its new publisher--and it seems so, since they've removed them from the erotica category on Amazon, then I'll stack my series up against other mainstream novels any day.)
But I digress. When I write, I don't like to just focus on one sex scene after another (which would be erotica by its true definition, although Amazon doesn't differentiate between erotica and erotic romance, so I have to call it erotica there). I also don't like to just focus on one couple in a book--that would make it Harlequin type of book (which is much shorter, so they really don't have room to explore much other than the primary couple's romance. But I'm not writing Harlequins (for a reason!) either.
Off the track yet again. (I seem to be rambling a lot on here lately!) So, once I figured out what the problem was with Marc, I went into a chat with one of my beta readers, Kathy Holtsclaw, and her hubby, the other day. They helped me figure out what it was going to take in order to break this guy's defenses down. Oh, my! Master Adam to the rescue--well, Marc won't feel rescued in the middle of the process, but hopefully by the time the scene is finished, he will. I now need to research and write a BDSM interrogation scene!
So, I'm writing like crazy, but that release date of June 19 is really going to be a stretch for me at this point. I haven't abandoned the idea of the 19th (tonight's and tomorrow's progress will tell the tale, so to speak). But I've learned from experience that I need to make sure I make the book the best it can be before I publish it because informing readers that there are new versions out there for them to re-download (like the new versions of the first three books I published again on May 31!), is impossible once the horse is out of the barn.
Of course, I'm still working on Damian and Savi's story, too, which still has a way to go before it's completed to my satisfaction. Please stay tuned to my blogs and comments here at Ahh, Kallypso...the stories you tell, read my ramblings on Facebook (personal page, if you've friended me, and my author page), on Twitter (which feeds to Facebook), and be sure to sign up for my newsletter (look up and to the right) so you won't miss the next issue, which will be the announcement that the book has been released, whenever that is!
In the meantime, I have to report that Masters at Arms had to be removed from Barnes & Noble, because they don't allow free books anymore (at least not at the author's discretion) and I can't sell it for 99 cents there if it's free everywhere else.
My biggest worry is that people won't know there is a prequel/introduction to the series. So, please, if you tell your friends about the series and they don't normally buy book at Smashwords or All Romance eBooks (where the epub versions of all three books are available--and I make more in royalties at Smashwords, if they don't have a preference!), tell them to at least go there to get the free version of Masters at Arms to read before they start the other books. (Can you imagine not reading that first and all that you'd have missed about these guys, plus Karla and Savi?)
Now, back to finishing this book!
Status of Nobody's Perfect
I'm writing, writing, writing, but the ever-loving (?) Master Marc has thrown me yet another curve ball. Okay, it was totally inadvertent this time. But here I am trying to get this man closer to his Happily Ever After with Angelina, so you'd think he'd quit doing this to me. (Some of you may recall that three weeks before his book came out, he told me he didn't want to share anymore. So, I had to pitch 80,000 words and rewrite most of Nobody's Angel in three weeks. It's a wonder the book makes any sense at all.)
Yes, Marc's been like this since I first met him over three years ago when I wrote Nobody's Angel--well, when I wrote the FIRST version of it. He opened up a little more for me in Masters at Arms, which I wrote a year ago, but you all know he was still very closed up there emotionally. (That's why some readers wanted to skip over his book and go straight to Adam's--but, of course, they'd have missed a whole lot of Adam and Karla's story if they did that, so hopefully, they gave Marc a chance.) And I know he redeemed himself with a lot of readers and started to let down his walls (by becoming a one-woman man, for instance). But, darn it, I knew there was no way to get him to Happily Ever After in the week or so he was with Angelina in that book, so I had to leave it at Happy For Now. I knew he'd come back later to resolve his issues (and hoped and prayed I'd figure out what was causing the problem by that time).
But despite his desire to be with Angelina, he just wouldn't make himself vulnerable to her, which became clear to me in this book. He's never been completely open about what's going on the makes trust such an issue for him--no, he had no trouble demanding trust from Angelina. But GIVING his trust to her and not doing stupid things to sabbotage her trust (like "the lie") just wasn't within his ability it seemed.
Well, with the help of my editor, the awesome Jeri Smith, I finally know his backstory. (Y'all do know that I just sit in the chair and write. I don't outline, plot, or do anything to hem my characters into MY realm of reference. I just wait until they're ready to reveal to me THEIR realm of reference--their stories.)
So, at least Mama D'Alessio is spilling the whole sordid mess to me, Marc, Angelina, and eventually to you, when you read Nobody's Perfect. Okay, he's slightly off the hook, because much of it he didn't know on a conscious level. And, yes, for him to finally be able to get in touch with those deep-seated insecurities and fears, Marc will have to be blindfolded a couple of times in Perfect. But Angelina, Adam, and I are determined to get to the bottom of his issues. (Hmmm, but he does kinda look sexy in a blindfold, though, doesn't he? I love Raoul Bova, who inspired Master Marc!)
To Subplot or not to Subplot?
Someone mentioned in a review once that she was annoyed by being pulled out of the main romance and into the subplot involving Damian and Savi in Nobody's Hero, the book which was focused primarily on Adam and Karla's romantic journey. Luckily, the majority of my readers love getting updates on the other characters in this close-knit brotherhood. So, what about you? Does it bother you if an author explores a major problem faced by a couple that isn't the primary hero and heroine, similar to what happens in mainstream-length novels? Other than Marc and Damian being like brothers, Marc's problem in Perfect does not really tie in with Damian and Savi's story as well as Damian and Savi's subplot in Hero was tied closely into Adam and Karla's story.
Personally, as a writer, this is why I write my erotic romances more like mainstream novels. (Hey, if the Fifty Shades trilogy is considered mainstream by its new publisher--and it seems so, since they've removed them from the erotica category on Amazon, then I'll stack my series up against other mainstream novels any day.)
But I digress. When I write, I don't like to just focus on one sex scene after another (which would be erotica by its true definition, although Amazon doesn't differentiate between erotica and erotic romance, so I have to call it erotica there). I also don't like to just focus on one couple in a book--that would make it Harlequin type of book (which is much shorter, so they really don't have room to explore much other than the primary couple's romance. But I'm not writing Harlequins (for a reason!) either.
Off the track yet again. (I seem to be rambling a lot on here lately!) So, once I figured out what the problem was with Marc, I went into a chat with one of my beta readers, Kathy Holtsclaw, and her hubby, the other day. They helped me figure out what it was going to take in order to break this guy's defenses down. Oh, my! Master Adam to the rescue--well, Marc won't feel rescued in the middle of the process, but hopefully by the time the scene is finished, he will. I now need to research and write a BDSM interrogation scene!
Release date for Nobody's Perfect?
So, I'm writing like crazy, but that release date of June 19 is really going to be a stretch for me at this point. I haven't abandoned the idea of the 19th (tonight's and tomorrow's progress will tell the tale, so to speak). But I've learned from experience that I need to make sure I make the book the best it can be before I publish it because informing readers that there are new versions out there for them to re-download (like the new versions of the first three books I published again on May 31!), is impossible once the horse is out of the barn.
Of course, I'm still working on Damian and Savi's story, too, which still has a way to go before it's completed to my satisfaction. Please stay tuned to my blogs and comments here at Ahh, Kallypso...the stories you tell, read my ramblings on Facebook (personal page, if you've friended me, and my author page), on Twitter (which feeds to Facebook), and be sure to sign up for my newsletter (look up and to the right) so you won't miss the next issue, which will be the announcement that the book has been released, whenever that is!
Updates on First Three Books in Series
In the meantime, I have to report that Masters at Arms had to be removed from Barnes & Noble, because they don't allow free books anymore (at least not at the author's discretion) and I can't sell it for 99 cents there if it's free everywhere else.
My biggest worry is that people won't know there is a prequel/introduction to the series. So, please, if you tell your friends about the series and they don't normally buy book at Smashwords or All Romance eBooks (where the epub versions of all three books are available--and I make more in royalties at Smashwords, if they don't have a preference!), tell them to at least go there to get the free version of Masters at Arms to read before they start the other books. (Can you imagine not reading that first and all that you'd have missed about these guys, plus Karla and Savi?)
Now, back to finishing this book!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Author Spotlight ~ Siobhan Muir, 18+ Excerpt and Contest!!
Today I would like to give a big warm welcome to fellow author Siobhan Muir. She is celebrating a new release.
Excerpt:
Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shapeshifter, though he's never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she's dreaming about the heroes and heroines who make up her world. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy since she was old enough to know other people wrote about their dreams, she has been writing stories and completed her first fan fiction novel at the age of 13. No, it will never see the light of day.
Siobhan believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.
Available NOW from Siren Publishing
 |
Julianna Morris didn’t know werewolves existed…until she became one. |
Hiding her new identity, Julianna returns home only to find her teenage crush, Jeff Lightfoot, is the future Alpha of the Callowwood werewolf pack. She’s unexpectedly chosen as a candidate for the pack’s next Luna, the Alpha female—and Jeff’s mate. This is perfect, except Julianna knows nothing about being a werewolf, and someone’s determined to make her fail the Seven Tests of the Luna.
Jeff Lightfoot lusted after Julianna for years, even when he thought she was human. Now she’s home and all his—if she passes the tests. She’s his True Mate and he wants no one else, but pack politics trump Mother Nature and will prevent him from choosing Julianna if she fails.
For the future she wants, Julianna must pass the tests to become Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack—or watch Jeff take another woman as his mate.
** Warning: The following excerpt is not appropriate for those under the age of 18 **
The hair on
the back of her neck twitched. Silver moonlight painted wide strips of light on
the floor of her room, making the shadows seem deeper than usual. She took a
deep breath to calm down, but it hitched as a dark shape drifted across the
carpet and paused at the foot of her bed.
Dear God,
what is that and how did it get in?
The creature
stood on its hind legs and shifted shape from wolf to man with the sounds of
straining muscles and cracking tendons. She inhaled in surprise and caught the
scents of warm summer night and mountain streams. When he’d shifted completely,
he leaned on his hands at the foot of the bed, his golden eyes blazing in the
hot darkness.
Where is
the AC when you need it?
Julianna’s
heartbeat kicked up higher, but not from fear. “Jeff? What are you doing here?”
“I came for
you.” His voice rumbled deep into her breast bone and she inhaled his arousal.
“You didn’t
wear clothes?” It was an inane question, but having him naked in her bedroom
had short-circuited her brain.
“I didn’t need
them tonight.” Jeff pushed onto the bed and crawled up over her body, trapping
her beneath the covers. “Not for what I have planned.”
The moonlight
caressed his hard, naked muscles, and cream flooded her pussy in a delicious
rush. His cock hung stiffly below his belly, the flared head pointing straight
at her, and she wanted to run her tongue over the slit weeping pre-cum. She
tried to pull her arms out of the bedding, but he held her still. She whimpered
and writhed in an effort to free herself.
“What’s wrong,
my little Lupine?” Arousal roughened his gravelly voice. “Is there something
you need?”
“Please,
Jeff, let me touch you,” she whispered, wriggling more.
“Not just
yet.” He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck and shoulder. “Ah, Julianna, you
smell so damn good.”
The
sensations of his nose and breath against her skin shot pleasure straight to
her core, and her nipples hardened. She moaned and arched her back, rubbing the
taut nubs against the sheets as she sought relief.
“Oh, God,
Jeff. What are you doing to me?”
“What I’ve
wanted to do from the moment I saw you at the funeral.” Jeff opened his lips
and stroked his tongue down her throat onto her chest. He peeled back the
blankets enough to expose her breasts and sat back to look at her in the dim
light. “My, my, my. You sleep naked, lovely Mate. How lucky for me.”
Jeff grinned
and the flash of his elongated canines set her Sister to growling with
approval. The growl erupted from Julianna’s chest and she shifted her
shoulders, making her breasts jiggle. His molten gaze riveted to her swaying
nipples and his grin faded.
“I want you,
Julianna. Here. Now.”
He dropped
his head and took her lips, thrusting his tongue between them as if he had a
right to be there. Her squeal of protest ended in a long moan when his taste
hit her tongue. Earthy, male, and so dominant, his flavor exploded in her mouth
and sent cream flooding between her nether lips.
Julianna
tilted her head to take more of his wicked tongue, wriggling harder until she
worked one hand free. She speared her fingers into his shoulder-length hair and
held his head where she wanted it while their tongues battled for supremacy.
Jeff pulled
away and stared at her, his chest rising and falling with each breath. The
aquamarine eyes of his wolf pendant winked at her, and she imagined it nuzzling
her pendant when they came together, like true Mates.
Mates…mates,
why did that thought make her nervous? Wasn’t there something about the pack
she was supposed to remember? Jeff pulled more of the blankets away and licked
the soft skin on the undersides of her breasts. Her thoughts splintered and
scattered, but she held onto one shard of warning.
“But Jeff,
what about the pack and the tests?” she whined while her Sister barked, Are you crazy? Don’t make him stop!
“To hell with
the pack and the tests,” he rumbled as pulled the covers away from her mound.
“You’re my Mate, chosen by the Goddess, not some political pageant. And I’ve
waited for you long enough.” He buried his nose in the hair of her mons. “Oh,
Goddess, your scent is fucking amazing.”
The sensation
of his beard hairs dragging against her nether lips nearly shot her into orbit,
and Julianna fisted the sheets to keep from launching off the bed. When he
opened his mouth and stroked his tongue over the hood of her clit, she keened
an ecstatic wail as stars exploded against her eyelids. Pleasure swamped her
mind and the wet heat of his mouth melted her core.
“Oh, God,
Jeff. Do that again!”
Siobhan believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.
Siobhan has offered up some conference swag and a signed cover of Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack to one commenter today. Please comment below with your email address and tell me what is your favorite kind of shifter? Drawing will take place on 6/10/12 and winner will be emailed.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Random Ramblings and Updates from Kallypso Masters
I'm at the Lori Foster annual Reader Author Get-Together in Cincinnati this weekend and decided not to commit to the Six Sentence Sunday. (At least I have no memory of signing up this week!) But for those who stop by anyway (and other loyal followers), I wanted to give you a few updates.
Oh, and why not pass along a little eye candy while I'm at it! Let me introduce Patrick Gallagher, for those who have ready Nobody's Hero and know who I'm talking about. (Patrick will make an appearance in books five and/or six, but will be coming to you again full force in book seven in the Rescue Me series in 2013.)
He's for those of you who are tired of the hairless men on the book covers. Okay, you have to look closely--VERY closely (yumm)--but look above the pecs and then just follow the trail. Oh, by the way, who knows what they call those oh-so-sexy man parts on either side of the trail? Best my friends and I could come up with the other night was an arrow (yeah, that's what we readers and authors talk about when we get together at these events), because they point right to, well, even better man parts. But I'm sure they have a name. Patrick's are fine specimens of whatever they're called!
Now, if you can tear your eyes away from Patrick long enough, here are some other updates:
Nobody's Perfect is coming down to the wire and the much-anticipated release date is set for June 19. I've got all my beta readers and editors lined up and ready to go. At last, you'll find out what happens to Damian and Savi as they work toward their happy ending. And no couple has ever had to work this hard! I may be penning the first erotic romance with very little or no sex in it! But I do promise that there will be hot BDSM scenes as Damian works to get Savi to reconnect to her body and her sexual feelings!
I re-released improved copies of Masters at Arms, Nobody's Angel, and Nobody's Hero this week. Masters probably had the most substantive changes, thanks to a Marine who took me under his wing and helped me improve the military details. You can read more about our exchanges and this process in the Books-N-Kisses blog here. Be sure to leave me a comment about the hero in your life (or your fantasies), because there will be a $29 gift card drawing to the online bookseller of your choice on Monday, in honor of my 29th wedding anniversary. Drawing will be late Monday or perhaps Tuesday.
As a special incentive to get new readers to try my series, I have made Masters at Arms free. However, I'm having Barnes & Noble and Amazon to get on board. So, while I work on that, it is free at Smashwords and All Romance eBooks where you can download the PDF, EPUB, and PRC formats. If I'm unable to make it free at B&N and Amazon, it may eventually have to become a free download on my Web site and not be available at online booksellers. That isn't my preferred way of doing it, because I know people will start reading the romances and skip the oh-so-important introduction to the series, but I'll keep trying to get the booksellers to see the light. So, tuck that info away to share with your friends later on when you recommend they read the series!
Another visit I made this week was to Melissa Shroeder's blog for her Salute to Military Romance. Oh, you have GOT to go and comment on the five authors' blogs from May 28 to June 1, because Mel is going to choose a winner from among all the comments and give away a $200 gift card to an online bookseller on June 5--plus she and the other authors are all doing individual giveaways, too, including me. You can read more from the unedited Nobody's Perfect there, too.
Okay, I am now heading back into my Rescue Me world to finish Nobody's Perfect so that it can go to my team for revisions and editing on the 7th. Have a great week! And be sure to check back here on June 6 for a visit from Siobhan Muir!
If you want to keep up on news for me, be sure to click the link above right in this blog and sign up for my newsletter. I average one a month, so I won't clutter your inbox. The next one will announce the release of Nobody's Perfect, though, so you won't want to miss it!
Oh, and why not pass along a little eye candy while I'm at it! Let me introduce Patrick Gallagher, for those who have ready Nobody's Hero and know who I'm talking about. (Patrick will make an appearance in books five and/or six, but will be coming to you again full force in book seven in the Rescue Me series in 2013.)
He's for those of you who are tired of the hairless men on the book covers. Okay, you have to look closely--VERY closely (yumm)--but look above the pecs and then just follow the trail. Oh, by the way, who knows what they call those oh-so-sexy man parts on either side of the trail? Best my friends and I could come up with the other night was an arrow (yeah, that's what we readers and authors talk about when we get together at these events), because they point right to, well, even better man parts. But I'm sure they have a name. Patrick's are fine specimens of whatever they're called!
Now, if you can tear your eyes away from Patrick long enough, here are some other updates:
Nobody's Perfect is coming down to the wire and the much-anticipated release date is set for June 19. I've got all my beta readers and editors lined up and ready to go. At last, you'll find out what happens to Damian and Savi as they work toward their happy ending. And no couple has ever had to work this hard! I may be penning the first erotic romance with very little or no sex in it! But I do promise that there will be hot BDSM scenes as Damian works to get Savi to reconnect to her body and her sexual feelings!
I re-released improved copies of Masters at Arms, Nobody's Angel, and Nobody's Hero this week. Masters probably had the most substantive changes, thanks to a Marine who took me under his wing and helped me improve the military details. You can read more about our exchanges and this process in the Books-N-Kisses blog here. Be sure to leave me a comment about the hero in your life (or your fantasies), because there will be a $29 gift card drawing to the online bookseller of your choice on Monday, in honor of my 29th wedding anniversary. Drawing will be late Monday or perhaps Tuesday.
As a special incentive to get new readers to try my series, I have made Masters at Arms free. However, I'm having Barnes & Noble and Amazon to get on board. So, while I work on that, it is free at Smashwords and All Romance eBooks where you can download the PDF, EPUB, and PRC formats. If I'm unable to make it free at B&N and Amazon, it may eventually have to become a free download on my Web site and not be available at online booksellers. That isn't my preferred way of doing it, because I know people will start reading the romances and skip the oh-so-important introduction to the series, but I'll keep trying to get the booksellers to see the light. So, tuck that info away to share with your friends later on when you recommend they read the series!
Another visit I made this week was to Melissa Shroeder's blog for her Salute to Military Romance. Oh, you have GOT to go and comment on the five authors' blogs from May 28 to June 1, because Mel is going to choose a winner from among all the comments and give away a $200 gift card to an online bookseller on June 5--plus she and the other authors are all doing individual giveaways, too, including me. You can read more from the unedited Nobody's Perfect there, too.
Okay, I am now heading back into my Rescue Me world to finish Nobody's Perfect so that it can go to my team for revisions and editing on the 7th. Have a great week! And be sure to check back here on June 6 for a visit from Siobhan Muir!
If you want to keep up on news for me, be sure to click the link above right in this blog and sign up for my newsletter. I average one a month, so I won't clutter your inbox. The next one will announce the release of Nobody's Perfect, though, so you won't want to miss it!
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