Projects and Updates

 

 This quote rings loud and clear to me along with many other writers. I've been bouncing back and forth between story ideas for the last month or so. After finishing Fire Hunt I wanted to take a few weeks off to let my brain recalibrate, but the ideas in my head just wanted to get wrote down. I now have a nice stack of notes ranging from my sci-fi to a number of shorts and even a bit on a fantasy novel. 

I'm waiting on my editor to get in touch with me about Fire Hunt. Once the editing begins I won't be able to focus solely on just one story so I'm not over eager to jump into a new novel. Of course, my muse has different feelings about this.

There's a new paranormal romance storyline revolving around my mind right now. This one takes place in the waking realm and the dream realm and the characters are really talkative right now. The outline for this one is already established and notes are piling up on me. 

I've submitted Just Beyond Daybreak to another publisher. I'm really hoping to find a home for this story by the end of the year. I fought off the urge to do a bit of rewriting. If I don't hear anything back from this publisher I may bite the bullet and just revise and rewrite. 

A few hops are coming up that I'm hoping to join. I really love interacting with the other readers and writings on these hops and I've found a few really great books along the way.

That's all for today. Peace and Love.

My Sexy Saturday : Our Sexy Tomorrow

It's time for another My Sexy Saturday post. As always these posts are 7 paragraphs, 7 sentences or 7 words from a novel (either published or a work in progress) that offer a tantalizing glimpse at the story. After you read my post make sure you click through the links below to discover other great stories and authors.

This week's My Sexy Saturday theme is Our Sexy Tomorrow. There are lots of ways to interpret this theme and I'm going with a promise that this isn't over kind of conversation between the leading lady of my sci-fi romance (Ripe Tide, still in progress) and her handsome smuggler. The scene opens with Kara moving cargo into her ship and who should appear on the dock but our lovable hero, Phinn. Enjoy!

 Rip Tide except:

Phinn stepped over the gap between the dock and the ship’s cargo bay. “My ship is gone.” He began advancing on Kara with a steady stride. “Everything I owned.” Kara could see Phinn’s chest swelling with every outraged breathe. She started stepping backwards to keep some distance between them. “My home.” Kara’s back hit the walk and Phinn’s strong form moved closer. He stopped just in front of her, forcing Kara to tilt her head back to look up at him. “It’s all gone.”

She felt the slight brush of his chest against her breasts as she shifted from one foot to the other. Staring up at him she swiped her tongue over her lips. “I’m sorry,” Kara said as calmly as she could.

“Not good enough,” Phinn whispered and began to lean closer into her.

Just before he could touch her someone from behind him interrupted. “Kara, everything alright?”

Still looking up into Phinn’s deep stare, Kara answered, “Everything’s fine, Zeke.” Kara’s gaze flickered from Phinn to the man. “Just discussing things with a new crew member.” She looked back up at Phinn. “I’m sure the shuttle will be adequate quarters for now.” Phinn’s jaw tightened, but he nodded and stepped back from her.

Kara took a shaking breath and moved away from the metal wall. “Zeke, go round up Cheryl and Zack. Tell them we’re taking off early.” Glancing back to Phinn, Kara added, “And pick up an extra ration unit.” Zeke nodded, but gave a lingering look at Phinn before walking away.

“So what are you going to do about my ship?” Phinn asked, pinning her in place with a smoldering look.

That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse at Rip Tide. I hope to be working on the full story this summer. Make sure to check out some of the other sexy snippits along the hop.

Peace and Love

Writers' Block : Cure #43

Sharon Drummond / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Everyone deals with blocks. The big boring dam that refuses to let the creativity river loose when you're sitting at your computer or with your pen and pad is just down right wrong, but it happens. Today I'm going to be exploring my 43rd cure for writers' block: Writing Prompts.

Writing prompts are used in creative writing classes all over the world to help writers learn to focus on an idea and get it to paper. There is some controversy that comes along with this cure when you're just a writer trying to write. I've got to admit there are valid points both for and against it. Personally, I argued with myself about it for a little while and weighed both the pros and cons. In the end I tried it out and it helped.

This is how it works. You find a writing prompt and roll with it. Start with just a sentence or an idea. You could try building a character around the prompt and work on the plot from there. We all have our different areas where blocks occur. Some writers can come up with the idea for a story in no time flat but struggle to get the characters started. Others can draw a blank with the plot line. We're all different and writing prompts can offer a solution to almost any of these problems.

You don't have to be in a writing class to find a writing prompt. Join a writers' forum and you'll likely find a section for writing prompts and challenges. You can also find prompts in the form of generators online. Generators are everywhere and sometimes they can throw out some pretty interesting ideas. A few of my favorite include those found at Adam Maxwell's Fiction Lounge, Plot Generator and Writing Exercises.

So there you have it. Find yourself a writing prompt and see if it helps. After all, even though you're not working off your own idea at first it's still better than not writing any idea at all.

Peace and love!

2015 Reading Challenges

Last year I signed up for the Shifter Challenge hosted by ParaJunkee. This year I'm also going to put myself to the test and sign up for two reading challenegs. The 2015 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge hosted by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf and the 2015 eBook Reading Challenge hosted by Annette's Book Spot.

First up is the Witches and Witchcraft Challenge. You can sign up to read books in one of four levels.

Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books

I'm challenging myself to go for 6 to 10 books, the Maiden level. I have a few books picked out already and I hope to reach my goal this year.





Next up is the eBook Challenge. This chellenge also has level you can sign up to read.

1. Bits – 5 ebooks
2. Bytes – 10 ebooks
3. Megabytes – 25 ebooks
4. Gigabytes – 50 ebooks
5. Terabytes – 75 ebooks
6. Empty the Cloud – 100 ebooks

No way I'm going to be able to empty the cloud and still have time for my fiction along with my freelancing so I'm going with a simple Bytes challenge. I have a TBR list of eBooks so I think it's going to be easy to meet this challenge.


Just like last year I'll be posting reviews of each book I read in the challenges and readers can find these on the side bar for easy finding. If anyone has a great witch book they'd like to suggest let me know. 

Peace and love!

Full Moon New Releases (March 2015)

Book lovers rejoice because it's time again for another selection of Full Moon Releases.

 The Slayer by Brenda Huber

The darker side of his nature just can’t let her go.

Chronicles of the Fallen, Book 1

Born of heaven, forged in hellfire and damnation, Xander roams the Earth as an unlikely protector of the innocent. Grudgingly embroiled in a demon uprising, Xander must help his brothers-in-arms recover four Sacred Relics rumored to be Lucifer’s downfall.

The stakes are simple. If he fails, a new regime will assume control of the underworld and the boundaries between hell and earth will crumble. If he succeeds, long-awaited salvation could be his. But when a beautiful innocent is caught in the crossfire, the price of redemption could be too steep.

Kyanna Hughes is a hereditary Guardian, sworn to protect a sacred Relic at all costs. From the cradle, she was taught to hate all things demon, but her unwanted attraction to Xander turns everything she’s been taught upside down.

The danger she faces involves more than her heart. For Kyanna is not only a Guardian, but a Keeper of Secrets so dangerous, that to keep them out of demon hands even the angels in heaven would see her dead…

Warning: Contains a demon with a notoriously single-minded determination to save the world, and a sworn enemy for whom he will risk eternal damnation. And so begins the journey of six fallen demons and the women who capture their hearts…

Coming March 31st from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.



Chaos Station by Kelly Jensen & Jenn Burke

Book one of Chaos Station

"You're not real. Felix Ingesson is dead."

The war with the alien stin is over, but Felix Ingesson has given up on seeing his lover, Zander Anatolius, ever again. Zander's military file is sealed tighter than an airlock. A former prisoner of war, Felix is attempting a much quieter life keeping his ship, the Chaos, aloft. He almost succeeds, until Zander walks on board and insists that Felix isn't real.

A retired, broken super soldier, Zander is reeling from the aftereffects of his experimental training and wants nothing more than to disappear and wait for insanity to claim him. Then he sees footage of a friend and ally—a super soldier like him—murdering an entire security squad with her bare hands and a cold, dead look in her eyes. He never expected to find Felix, the man he'd thought dead for years, on the ship he hired to track her down.

Working with Felix to rescue his teammate is a dream come true…and a nightmare. Zander has no exit strategy that will leave Felix unscathedâ€"or his own heart unbroken.

Releases March 2nd from Carina Press

Infinity Bell by Devon Monk

Return to national bestselling author Devon Monk's heartpounding House Immortal series, where eleven powerful Houses control the world and all its resources. But now, the treaty between them has been broken, and no one—not even the immortal galvanized—is safe....

Matilda Case isn’t normal. Normal people aren’t stitched together, inhumanly strong, and ageless, as she and the other galvanized are. Normal people’s bodies don’t hold the secret to immortality—something the powerful Houses will kill to possess. And normal people don’t know that they’re going to die in a few days.

Matilda’s fight to protect the people she loves triggered a chaotic war between the Houses and shattered the world’s peace. On the run, she must find a way to stop the repeat of the ancient time experiment that gifted her and the other galvanized with immortality. Because this time, it will destroy her and everything she holds dear.

Caught in a cat-and-mouse game of lies, betrayal, and unseen foes, Matilda must fight to save the world from utter destruction. But time itself is her enemy, and every second brings her one step closer to disaster....

Released March 3rd by Penguin Publishing Group

Shifter Mates by Jennifer Ashley

A sexy Shifters Unbound Anthology, including the novellas Lone Wolf and Feral Heat 

Together in one volume for the first time, two sexy paranormal tales of untamed passion, uncontrollable attraction, and unquenchable desire…

In Lone Wolf, Ellison Rowe is a wolf Shifter and a self-proclaimed cowboy, but he’s still searching for someone to ease his loneliness. Maria is a human taking refuge among the Shifters, trying to move on from her haunted past. When Ellison and Maria team up, the passion between them is undeniable—as is the hope that their love is just what they both need to start anew…

In Feral Heat, Jace Warden finds himself in close quarters with beautiful and courageous shifter Deni Rowe when he travels to Austin to find a way to free all Shifters from their Collars. As Deni and Jace work together, they feel the mate bond begin. But Deni has troubles of her own, and even Jace’s fierce devotion might not be enough to help her…

Published March 3rd by Penguin Publishing Group

Review: Demonfire by Kate Douglas

Recently I decided to go through my TBR stack (more like shelf) beside my bed. I found historicals, paranormals, a sci-fi and a few off the wall stories I don't think fit into a genre. After narrowing down the stack I picked up Demonfire by Kate Douglas. The demon theme is always fun for me. I never know exactly what I'm going to get.

In Demonfire I found a fantasy style story that had me pulling an all nighter.

Demonfire blurb:

Since time began, the Earth has served as a balance between the world of darkness that is the Abyss, and the paradise known as Eden. Now the battle between good and evil has reached a tipping point, and survival depends on one fallen demon--and the woman he can't resist. . .


Along with this short blurb that had me wondering if I was going to see angels there are a few quotes from other authors on the back of the book.Normally I skip past the quotes and try to judge a book based on what I read, but these quotes were right on point.

The story starts with our hero, Dax, is in the middle of an attack. The writing left me wondering what type of demonic creature was torturing him. Then Eddy, the leading lady, takes over and appears to reveal that the demonic thing is in fact a garden gnome. (I personally see these things as evil little statues that stare at people.) Eddy dispatches the gnome and is surprised to see she and her trusty dog have rescued a naked man with a large snake tattoo winding it's way up the man's body.

The garden gnome really set the tone for the story. Evil demonic things in mundane objects. Dax and Eddy quickly set up a war party to defeat the influx of demons and even though Dax himself is a banished demon trying to make his way into Eden, Eddy finds herself trusting him after he saves her from a number of attacks. The war party at this point also includes the trusty dog and a little wile-o-the-wisp, Willow.

Right away it starts reading like a really good modern fantasy with hints of both the hero's journey and the heroin's journey. Dax has gone through this life changing event that has him searching for redemption and Eddy is forced to see the truth of myths and legends that her father is always talking about. Beyond this they both have immediate attraction that really is blazing.


The characters are very well developed and I found myself caring about them and their relationship very quickly. The weaving of their love into the story was well done. Instead of feeling rushed to add intimacy, the story read smoothly. The interactions between the leading characters and the side characters was well developed and touching.

The plot, while not a new idea, was great. The idea of good and evil fighting is a story we all know and Kate Douglas did a great job putting her own twist to the tale. All in all I'd say this is a great read for any one who loves fantasy style stories with a loving romance interwoven.