Deadlier by the Dozen is Available!

Deadlier by the Dozen is available at both Smashwords and Barnes & Noble!  I’m thrilled beyond all belief.  In fact, I was a little shocked that after being up less than an hour, three people had already purchased a copy.  At Smashwords, no less.  My sales at Smashwords are a lot like everyone else’s.  Abysmal.  Nonetheless, I’m not complaining.  I love every sale that I make, regardless of where it comes from.    So to those of you who had gotten there before I could make the announcement official, THANK YOU!!

Notice I didn’t say anything about Amazon.  There’s a reason for that.  It takes a while for a book to get up there.  Even worse, I realized after I had pushed the Publish button that I had uploaded the wrong copy of Dx12.  Not that it won’t work, but the Amazon folks won’t like it–and I don’t blame them–if there’s a mention of Smashwords anywhere on the copyright page.  There are three.    So, once they’re done rejecting it, I’ll upload the right version, and it’s another waiting game again at that point.  So for any Kindle users out there, I’m sincerely sorry about that kerfuffle.  Dx12 is coming.  I swear it.

So when does print version come?  I started designing the cover flat today and my interior file has already been already converted into a .pdf format.  So if all goes well, I’ll be able to upload my files to CreateSpace for review some time this week.  That doesn’t mean the print version will be ready by weekend.  I’ll be extremely lucky if I even get the proof by then.  So, plan for the end of the month for the print version.  I’ll keep you guys posted.

And for some other cool news…how do you like my new website?    Some new things I’ve added: Facebook and Twitter links and an FAQ section.  I’ve taken off my Links page because I pretty much have all of the links I visit and love on my blog, so no need to have them in two places. Also, I’ve taken off my Multi-verse page because I think the FAQ is more fun and goes into better details.  These are legit questions that I’ve been fielding for a while now, so I’ve decided to consolidate them.  Another cool feature is if you click on the book covers or the excerpt links on my Bookshelf page, you’ll not only get an excerpt, but you’ll get some stats to go along with the book.  How many times have you’ve forgotten a character and end up tearing apart your brain to remember their name?  I know I certainly do, even with my own characters.  I’m thinking of expanding on the stats, so if you guys have any ideas, let me know.

Hope you’ve had as great a weekend as I have!

Happy Release Day for THE SPIDER INSIDE HER

***UPDATE***  It’s finally available on Amazon.  Woohoooooooo! 

So where are things right now?  It looks like Barnes and Noble has Amazon beat when it comes to file conversions.    Hopefully, Amazon will make it happen some time today.  When I loaded it up to Smashwords, I was #7 in the queue.  OMG. Either the new and improved Meat Grinder is really that awesome or I caught Smashwords at a slow time.  I’m better it’s not the latter.  Just to give you some idea, when I first loaded Bittersweet up, it was something like #1043 in the queue. Five minutes later, The Spider Inside Her is available on Smashwords.

Print will take a little more time because I still have to finish off a few touches to the inside of the book.  By the way, that image on the right is the cover flat.  Fingers crossed CreateSpace doesn’t have any issues with it or that’ll mean a delay in the print version.  Last time it took two proofs before I finally got it right and it takes about a week for the proof to arrive at my doorstep.  So I’m shooting for no later than July 10th.

Speaking of steps, I’m off to working on Deadlier by the Dozen, book #2.  My gut is telling me to hold off on sending this to my editor only because I feel like I need to give it one more read in addition to the so-called final edits that I’m doing now.  I think I’m going to go with my gut to be on the safe side.  Hopefully, it won’t set me back on my end of July date, but we’ll see.  I’m still hopeful until something or someone proves otherwise. 

News Threads

I try to update my website the first of every month.  Most of the time, the information in the News column has already been said on my blog or is something you I want to reiterate.  However, there’s something there that I haven’t reported until now.  That’s a first for me. 

So rather than keep you in suspense, here it is.  Seduction on the Prowl will be re-edited and re-released in Winter 2011 as Hazardous Environment.  I won’t go into the story behind this decision because that’s between my publisher and me.  Let’s just say it’s for the best.  For me, that is.    I’m looking forward to diving into this book again and pulling out the guts, rearranging them, and shoving them back in place the right way.  The overall concept and plot will remain the same, but I’m sure it can be better.  Along with re-releasing Hazardous Environment, I’m also planning to release the third book in my Werecheetah Trilogy tentatively titled Dangerous Environment.  For a while I was wondering if I’d ever get back to writing paranormal romances again.  The answer is a wholehearted YES!

Do you know who LJ Charles is?  I hadn’t until Sarra Cannon posted on our HCRW loop that she had LJ Charles had her as a guest on her blog.  My eyes grew to half-dollar size when I saw her pic.  “I know this chick!” I screamed.  Heck, we must have spent two hours on the couch at Claudia Dain’s house (she hosted the Christmas party) talking about everything under the writing sun.  Sadly, we had lost track of each other shortly afterwards.  In the back of my mind, I always wondered how she was doing, but hadn’t had the time to play catch up.

But here’s where the story really gets weird.  A week prior, I had gone to our HCRW website because new member sites always pop up there.  I hadn’t heard of LJ before, so I checked out her website not knowing who she was (she doesn’t have a picture there) and loved the premise of her book.  I was hoping she’d come to the next meeting because I wanted to put a name to the face. 

Low and behold, LJ had gone the indie route and self-published Lifethread her first YA book in March, just like me.  I was floored and thrilled and crazed with excitement when I found out. Still am.  If you ever get the chance the meet LJ, she’s an amazingly easy person to talk to and is smarter than the so-called whip.  Chat her up, because you won’t be disappointed.  Oh, and I can say the same about her book.  I’ve already read the first three chapters and I’m enthralled. 

Bittersweet is Available in Ebook!

It’s available!  On Barnes & Noble and Smashwords anyway.  Amazon is on its way.  Bittersweet still shows as “Publishing” on my bookshelf.

I won’t say it didn’t come with some pain, though not as much as I thought.  Plus, I could’ve alleviated some of it by paying attention to things like Smashwords’ “nuclear option” and which address I was giving Barnes and Noble for my account, etc.  Calibre isn’t a bad tool to use for conversions and I was #1076 when I started the conversion on Smashwords.  It took about 12 hours for the conversion to finish, and boy was it beautiful to see all of the different formats line up in the green.  Talk about a surreal moment. 

So what’s next?   FREE books, of course! 

I’m blogging in two places at once today: Magical Musings and Zoe Winters.  I’ll also be hitting up StellarCon this weekend to do my panelist duties, so anyone who gives me their address, I’ll send them a free copy of Bittersweet.  No, I won’t be adding it to any newsletter or selling them to some third-party advertising harlot.  I just need to know where to send the Smashwords coupon, since I don’t have any fancy swag to give out.  Yet.

Oh, and despite it taking me forever to get the formatting just right, it took me all of 22 minutes to decide that Bittersweet will go into PRINT!  Actually, it took one look at the fabulous new cover that the lovely Jax Cassidy designed to make the decision easy.  I can’t wait to sign a few copies at ConCarolinas in June.

Want an ARC of Bittersweet? Also, Happy Relase Day for Dragon Blues

Dunderhead that I am, I had completely forgotten to post this.  There’s an ARC up for grabs at my buddy Edie Ramer’s blog.  And just so you know, this chick is doing a HUGE giveaway to celebrate the release of Dragon Blues.  Woohooooooo!   I had the privilege of critiquing her book and I thought it was great.  There’s just something about Edie’s voice that draws me to her writing.  She’s really a phenomenal writer.  It’s no wonder that she was a finalist in the American Title V contest.  If you get a chance, you should check her out. 

By the way, isn’t her cover awesome?  Here’s a quickie blurb that I stole from her website.   

Once a dragon…

Saxophone player Noah Long shifted from dragon to human 2500 years ago, but the dragon blood still coursing through his veins has kept him healthy and virile. Now his secret is out, and the man who discovered it will do anything to make Noah’s blood his own. Noah’s only ally is martial arts expert Lila Fox, who heats up the fire in his belly…and his heart.

Twice a killer…

Lila Fox’s first kill was at age sixteen after her stepfather put her mother in a wheelchair. Fourteen years later, she kills another abuser to save a woman’s life. When the man who wants Noah’s blood kills her sister, she can’t let the death go unanswered. She teams up with the strangely compelling Noah, and discovers he’s not all man and has a few tricks of his own.

Buy the book: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords

New Release – Power of Attraction

Oh yeah.  I’m loving this New Releases idea.  I can see a bountiful grocery list this year. 

Power of Attraction
By: Taige Crenshaw
Total-E-Bound
Coming January 31, 2011
ISBN #: 978-0-85715-451-4
Series: Blackstone Haven ~ Book One
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novel
Format: E-Book
Buy Here

A man will come to you in the darkest moon. The trees will shade and protect your union of the soul. Before the final step to merge your body is taken, a choice must be made.

Peyton Blackstone, a natural born witch, knew from the prophecy that accompanied her birth that a man would come to her. Yet, when the man who is set to be her’s arrives, Peyton isn’t ready for him or the ramifications his coming will cause. This man who deals with reality has a few secrets of his own–secrets that could very well destroy them both.

Wesley McCarty believes the woman he meets under the moonlight is not real. Suffering from unexplained blackouts, he believes he is losing his mind. When he sees her again, he realizes not only is his fantasy woman real, but she is within his reach. He must have her, no matter the cost. Nothing will stop him. Not his blackouts, or any legacies or prophecies. He will have this woman who sets his blood on fire and completes his soul.

Legacies, destiny, and prophecy can not withstand this power of attraction.

Oh, and check out her release day guest appearances.  She’s hitting it fast and hitting it hard. 

New Release – Save My Soul

I’m a day late.  Damn. 

Anyway, Zoe Winters gets my inaugural New Releases post with her book SAVE MY SOUL.  Check it out the excerpt here.

All he’s asking for is her soul.

After buying the antebellum home she’s fantasized about since childhood, Anna Worthington discovers Luc, a dangerously seductive incubus who has been trapped in the house by a fifty-year-old curse. To rid herself of her problem house guest she’ll call on a priest, gypsies, ghost hunters, and the coven of witches from lust bunny hell. All she has to do is resist him long enough to break the spell so they can go their separate ways. If she doesn’t, she could die. And that would be the best case scenario.

HEAT LEVEL: Some sexually explicit content. 3 out of 5 flames.

Also, check out the book video here: http://vimeo.com/19083065.  Normally, I don’t watch videos that go over one minute because I lose interest and start wishing I could could get that minute of my life back.  This one actually kept me intrigued all the way to through to the 1:20 end. 

Your New Releases

I’ve decided I want to try something new this year.  If you have a release coming out, let me know the month of your release and I’ll post it on my blog the day of.  Keep in mind, this is my personal blog, so I’m only allowing people I know.  If you’ve commented on my blog before, then you’re one of the people I know.    Simple as that.  If you haven’t, then don’t be surprised if your release doesn’t make the cut. 

This serves two purposes.  First, it’s a way to give back to others who have been very supportive of me in one way or another.  Second, even though may seem self-less on my part, it’s also self-serving.   It’s the only way I know of to keep track of my friends’ releases.  I feel horrible when they’ve released something and I don’t know about it until  six months later, and most of the time it’s by accident. 

So bring your books.  Traditionally, small, electronic, or self-pubbed makes no difference.  Neither does genre.  I can’t guarantee that my tiny little blog will boost your sales, but I’m a firm believer in you’ll never know until you try.

So who has releases they want to tell me about? 

Oh, and for future releases, just shoot me an email at mc AT marciacolette DOT com.  If you have a copy of your cover posted on your website or blog, just send me the link.