Mark your calendars for SLAY – coming October 13th

My sci-fi alter ego landed a short story in this amazing anthology filled with unbelievable authors. You want some mind-blowing stories, then be sure to check out SLAY.

My little contribution is called Message in a Vessel.

Welcome to the future where vampires have dominated Earth. They’re running out of food, so they’re embarking on a mission to send a ship into space to scout for more viable nourishment. Dr. Adelynn Jakande is one of the scientists at the forefront of the project whose job it is to create a program that can send back recon information or invite more advanced species to visit our planet for dinner. With the mission about to launch, she has to double-check her work, but a unique encounter forces her to triple-check her conscience. 

Available July 31st from Crymsym Hart

Check out this new release! The cover alone rocked my world, so I can’t wait to dive into the pages. Check out the blurb below:

Kaya is the only one of her kind: a hybrid vampire and magician. A demon from days past is trying to free its banished brethren from the dark realms by an ancient sun god. Kaya is the key to freeing them.Valik, her vampire protector, must help her contain the demon. Stavros, the mortal king, will kill any vampire he comes across because they caused the death of his wife and son. Begrudgingly, he takes Kaya as his fiancé. To stop a war, Stavros must join forces with the very thing he hates and keep the demon at bay.Old ghosts are stirred up. Magic is growing wild. Mysteries from ages past resurface revealing more questions about Kaya’s heritage and how she’s entwined with the demon. Can she reconcile the past? Or will the demon claim everything she holds dear, including her soul?

Yeah, I’m all over this one. Don’t forget to pre-order your copy today!

If I Should Die Hit the “Top 100 Free” List!

We’re happy dancing at my house.  😀  If I Should Die hit Amazon’s Top 100 Free list at #86 and the Amazon’s Paranormal Romance list at #77.  Keep in mind, it’s only free for today, which is probably why it hit the list.  I can’t imagine where it was before 10:52pm tonight.  And since others are into showing this kind of stuff off, whereas I’m normally not, here is the proof…

That’s the highest I’ve ever been on any list.  I can’t recall exactly where I was with Hazardous Environment, but it was in the hundreds on one of those Amazon lists.  Your guess is as good as mine, but someone said that it was considered a bestseller.  I don’t know what that means since you can show up as a “bestseller” at a rank of 415,000.  *shrug*

Either way, I’m thrilled beyond all belief.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, since it’ll go back up to $2.99.  But no worries.  It’ll be free again later next month.

Happy Release Day – IF I SHOULD DIE

It’s finally out!  If I Should Die is available on Amazon!  So, get your copy now. 🙂

Normally, I’d add the blurb again, but you can read about it in the previous blog.  It just seems redundant to list it here again.  However, I had to make sure I note that it’s only available on Amazon right now through their Select program.  That means Amazon has it for the first 90-days and then it’ll be available in other places like Kobo, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble on June 25th.  This is more so of an experiment because I want to see if what they say about the Amazon Select program is true.  That’s what this business is about.  Experimentation.  Whether or not I’ll do this with other books remains to be seen.

So, being a part of the program also means I can offer this book up for free for a day or two.  So, at some point, it’ll be available free for anyone who wants to try it out.  When that’ll happen, I don’t know because I haven’t looked at the calendar yet to figure out when is a good time.

If I Should Die is a novel short, meaning it’s only 18,000 words.  I have two more stories that will be around that same length that I hope will get bought up by a publisher.  If not, then I’ll publish those through Dusk Till Dawn Books.  One way or another, you’ll get a chance to read them.

Cover Reveal – IF I SHOULD DIE

Here’s the cover reveal for If I Should Die.  It’s an 18,000-word vampire romance that’s different from anything I’ve written in several ways.  First, it’s a short story.  Second, it’s a vampire romance, something I never thought I’d write.  Third, the heroine is a single mom with a couple of kids.  Let’s face it.  As a single mom, it’s nice to have a paranormal romance that I can relate to.  😉

Here’s the blurb…

Dr. Clarice Adair is a single mom with more than just a truckload of children to worry about.  Centuries ago, she was the vampire companion of a descendant from Elizabeth Bathory.  Today, she’s free and living a “somewhat” human life with all of the sensual cravings of a woman who hasn’t been touched in years.

Sebastian Bova has seen a lot in his two-hundred years.  But, he’s never seen anything as extraordinary as the serum developed by Dr. Adair that can turn a rabid vampire into a tamed pussy cat.  He wants her secret and will have it.  Temptation was never a part of the plan, especially with a single mom who has a bunch of mouths to feed.

Centuries of searching have brought the descendants of Bathory to Clarice’s front door and they’re not leaving with out her.  She’s ready to fight a losing battle to protect her loved ones, unless Sebastian can win over the protective, single-mother’s heart on time to help save them all.  An all-or-nothing battle is brewing and even the winner might not come out on top.

Release Date: 3/25/2013

Short Story Update and MystiCon News

MystiCon

I have my MystiCon schedule and it looks fabulous.  As always, they put me on panels with the wonderful Lexxx Christian, which means there will be plenty of fun to be had.

So, if you’re around the convention, here’s where I’ll be…

Fri 7:00 PM Ballroom E – WritingYA Lit: Breathing New Life Into SF/F

Fri 10:00 PM Boardroom 1 – Adult Characters with Benefits

Fri 11:00 PM ‐ 1:00 AM Rm 533 – Paranormal Erotic Paranormal Romance Reading

Sat 12:00 PM Ballroom E – Writing Making Old Stories New

Sat 7:00 PM Signing Table

Sat 11:00 PM Rm 438 – Writing Did That Really Happen?

Sun 10:00 AM Ballroom D Literature – What Will You Be Reading in 2020?

Sun 12:00 PM Rm 533 – Reading Koffee Klatch

Given that I usually bring my family to these things, I don’t have the heart to tell my mom that I’m on a 18+ panel where they’ll ID you before letting you in.  How cool is that?  😀

Short Story

I found another short story that I decided to resurrect.  I know I said I’d never write a vampire book, but I wanted to write this one because single moms need love, too.  Single women without kids shouldn’t have a monopoly on sexy vampire encounters.  The rest of us need some love, too.  😉  There’s also the fact, that I’ve mentioned this book at MystiCon 2012, so it’s time to ante up.

At 17,000 words, If I Should Die is about a single mom whose first vampire encounter left her broken and battered, and a second one that dooms her to repeat a terrifying history.

Even though I’m still fiddling with the cover art, the story is in the hands of my editor.  I’m hoping to release If I Should Die on March 4th, but we’ll see.

While Shopping for Christmas Gifts…

Look what I found at Total Wine!  For all of you vampire or True Blood fans out there, your drink of choice has arrived.  This is a 2005 Merlot “produce and bottled by Vampire Vineyards.”  That’s what the label says, if you can believe it.  I know I had to do a double take.  And as you can see, I couldn’t resist.  😆

Now here’s the wacky part.  I don’t drink, so I have no idea what the heck I’m gong to do with it.  Can you cook with this stuff?  If so, give me some ideas in the comments section.  Giving it away isn’t an option because the name is the reason why I bought it.  Okay, that and “produced and bottled by Vampire Vineyards” caught my eye, too.  It’s a really dark, brooding bottle of Merlot that will probably live in the shadows of the pantry, overlooking a hapless victim from above, as they search for box of Rice Krispies or macaroni noodles.  Hmmmmm.  Maybe I’ll put a black cape around the neck to make it all official and stuff.  😉

Anyway, I’m chalking this up as one of my goofy gifts to myself.  I always buy one around Christmas time, so I might as well add it to the Legos, The Secret of Nimh DVD, a remote control car, etc.  And here I thought it was going to be the Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” Barbie Doll.  The jury is still out on that one.  Maybe I’ll wait until after Christmas and see if the price goes down. 

Where’s a vampire Ken doll to suck Barbie dry when you want one?