In honor of the big day, my publisher is offering book 1: Misfortune Cookie for free until 10/5/19. Click here to get your copy.
Misfortune Cookie has never been on sale or free before and I don’t know when or if my publisher will offer it again.
In other news, I’m looking for beta readers willing to leave reviews over at BookSprout for a contemporary novella – Rewrite the Stars. Click here. Space is limited, serious reviewers only, please.
And finally, Dead Girls Don’t Cry is part of two promotions over at Prolific Works. It’s also free for a limited time. Click here (scroll to the bottom) or here (scroll to the bottom)
Please do check out the other books in both promotions!
My goal for 2018 is to write Chase’s Fire, the next book after Lachlan’s Curse.
A question I often get asked (including by my editor!) is – When’s the next Misfortune Cookie book coming out? Well, if all goes well with Chase’s Fire, the sequel, tentatively titled, Misfortunate Soul, is next.
There is one more book in the Undead Space Initiative series, Dead Girls Don’t Lose, but that won’t be until 2019. Cherry and I need a break from each other.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday season.
I know I’ve been quiet these last two weeks, but I’ve been busy.
With what, you say?
First, I finished Lachlan’s Curse and sent it to my trusty readers.
And second, I sold Mystic Hero(Book 3: The Mystic Series) to Soul Mate Publishing. For those of you reading the series, this is everyone’s friendly neighborhood pawn shop owner, Devlin Ward’s story.
I have no set release date as of yet, but I expect it will be Fall 2014.
In the meantime, here’s the blurb:
A wise Satyr always pays his debts. Pawn shop owner Devlin Ward isn’t stupid. When Karma appears on his doorstep to cash in an old favor, he can’t refuse. It’s a simple request – accept a delivery and keep it safe. Unfortunately for Devlin, the “package” is a sullen teenage oracle who insists that he locate the Feather of Truth. Or else.
A promise is a promise. Mary Swain, aka Ma’at, Goddess of Truth, honors her word. For the first time in centuries, she’s finally free of her debts. And she wants a new life, preferably away from Mystic, where every quaint shop and cozy restaurant is a reminder of her unreliable ex-boyfriend. Finally, she’s leaving and nothing’s going to stop her.
Until fate steps in. When Devlin approaches her with the oracle’s dire warning and a frazzled plea for help, she can’t resist the temptation of a new adventure or his quietly sexy allure. Despite his best efforts to feign indifference, she knows Devlin is attracted to her too. He claims to have deep, dark secrets that even the Goddess of Truth can’t pry out of him. Or can she?
That’s all for now. Time to start my next novel – Over Easy.
I am so excited to have Michael J. Sullivan as my guest at the 7 Scribes today. I was lucky enough to meet Michael and his wife as ConnectiCon a few weeks back. He was very generous with his time and it was educational for me. Michael actually self-published five out of six Riryia books before signing a deal with Orbit.
Since the convention, I have read the first book – The Crown Conspiracy (LOVED it) and am now reading book two – Avempartha. Seriously, if you love fantasy or fun adventure stories, check this series out.
In other news, I am still cranking through Mystic Hero and Lachlan’s Curse. Progress was slowed by laziness during my vacation. I barely did any writing. But, on the flip side, I spent time with the boys and we had FUN!
Right now Mystic Hero is in the lead for word count. Sometime in the next week or so, I think I’ll be going full time with one novel until it’s done! Go Devlin!
I’m happy to report that I crossed an item off my bucket list. It all started with a Kindle Daily Deal and a book called Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan. Every day, since I purchased a Kindle Fire, I check Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals (very much like a junkie looking for a fix).
This particular day, Theft of Swords was the fantasy offering. I downloaded a sample, was hooked by the first page and immediately purchased it. And, because I happened to be in Goodreads that day, I sent a friend request to the author.
Long story short, in addition to accepting my request the author sent me a note and we started a conversation that ended with him agreeing to be my guest, here at the Scribes, on August 9th (Yay!). While researching his various social media sites, it turned out
Michael J Sullivan
he’d been invited to ConnectiCon as a literary guest, along with Brandon Sanderson.
Now, my hubby and I have discussed going to this convention for as many years as it’s been going on. Each year, it has gotten progressively bigger and more exciting. When Michael suggested we meet up at the conference, I was happy to accept.
I’ve been to the Connecticut Convention Center before for other events, but none of them come close to the size and scale of ConnectiCon. There was so
much to do: panels, Q&A sessions, book signings, gaming, vendors, and parties. So much that we barely scratched the surface. Check here for more information.
The best parts for me aside from meeting Michael and his wife, were the costumes (more on those in a
Tony Stark sighting!
moment) and encountering artist Dan Dos Santos. His artwork has graced the covers of Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thomas books and Diana Rowland’s white trash zombie series (among many others). Super nice man and very gracious. While we were chatting, Brandon Sanderson came up to the table (squee!).
Now, those costumes – fabulous, fantastic, well-made, top-notch. What more can I say? The variety was mind-boggling. And for the amount of people attending, everyone was polite and relaxed.
Overall, it was a great experience for me. Hubby was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer geekiness but there were plenty of comic book and movie characters. On the drive home, he was speculating what kind of costume he could make for next year.
So, if you live in the New England area (and even if you don’t) and if you love comics, anime, role-playing, manga, gaming, etc. don’t miss a chance to attend this con!
What Cons have you attended? What are your favorites? And if you haven’t ever attended one, would you consider it?
It’s finally here. Zephyr’s book MYSTIC STORM is on sale now at Amazon!! Enjoy!
The Fates haven’t been kind to Zephyr, God of the West Wind. After interfering in a Hero’s Journey, they’ve cursed him. Yeah, he probably deserved it. But come on, does he really have to spend his daylight hours trapped in a woman’s body? And did they have to take away his power over the West Wind, too?
As if his life isn’t complicated enough, a Muse – a supernatural tabloid journalist – appears on his doorstep. So what if she’s irresistible, whip smart and probably the only female on the planet who doesn’t find him charming, he has dangerous secrets that he’ll do anything to protect.
Kalliope is a Muse on a mission: Find her wayward brother, Niko, and bring him home. By leaving her island sanctuary, she’s broken the “rules”, but she’ll risk banishment to save him from yet another ill-fated scheme. She’ll even accept help from Zephyr, the immortal world’s most undeniably gorgeous and notorious rake.
To celebrate the release of Mystic Ink in paperback, I’m giving one copy away through Goodreads. The giveaway begins January 18 and ends on January 31st.
If you’re interested – enter here. Open to US residents only. Terms and conditions of the giveaway are listed over at Goodreads. Winner chosen by Goodreads.
Also, today at the 7 Scribes, my guest is Meggan Connors – Saucy Pirate Wench. She’s sharing an excerpt from her new release – Jessie’s War.
Finally. It’s Friday! It’s always tough to get back into the groove after a week of vacation.
It’s funny how 5 minutes on my work laptop can dissolve every ounce of tranquility.
Anyway, I wasn’t totally idyll last week. After completing the first draft of Misfortune Cookie and sending it off to my first readers, I moved onto Mystic Storm (Zephyr’s book) and Redemption (Galen’s book).
So far, Zephyr continues to resist me. Galen, on the other hand is being more cooperative. The only problem, Redemption is the next book after Ascension, which I still have out on submission. Normally, I wouldn’t spend time on Galen’s book, but he’s been itching for completion since I started in it in January 2010. Plus, he’s so much fun to write. I’ll miss him when the book is done (maybe that’s why I’m still working on it).
I have a theory that Mystic Storm is harder because it’s the next book in a published series. I admit there’s a small shadow of concern in the back of my mind. I don’t want to disappoint people who enjoyed the first book. I know I need to forget all that, but sometimes it’s hard.
I am happy to report I’m over the 30,000 word mark and that seems to be the “sweet spot” for me in my writing. I believe it takes me about 30,000 words to get into the groove of the story. At last, Kalli and Zephyr have come into their own and the story I’ve plotted seems to be flowing more smoothly. Yay!
Does that happen for anyone else? Is there a magic amount of words you need to get on the page before you know your characters?
If you have time, please stop by and visit me at the Scribes where I’m talking – Hootsuite!
Until we meet again next week, I’ll leave you with an image from my photo collection from Stonington, CT – Zephyr’s home.
This is the building that’s the inspiration for the Gallup Inn – Zephyr’s hotel/day spa.
Finally, I’m ready to share the scoop on my latest book. But first, a bit of back story. Radiance was the very book I ever attempted to write way back in 1997. Being a brand spanking new writer, I had no idea what I was doing. I spent years and years writing scenes with no rhyme or reason.
Eventually, I set it aside out of sheer frustration and moved onto other stories. Because Radiance was the first one, it’s always bothered me that I never finished the story.
I know, I know. There’s a reason those first books stay in a box under the bed. But I couldn’t let her go.
Last year I began the process of re-imagining the book. I chucked out virtually the entire plot and went back to my heroine and what I loved best about her. I titled the new version, Devil’s Advocate and got to work plotting. And promptly became snarled in a tangled mess.
My first thought was – I will never get this story right. I took a break and started plotting Zephyr’s book and dealing with Galen’s mess.
Then in 2012, after a mental head slap, I realized that the story was too big. I needed to step back and break it down. So Devil’s Advocate became book 2 in a three book series.
Mind freed, I spent April plotting book 1. In May, I began writing. It was slow going at first, then my friend Susannah Hardy issued one of her famous writing challenges, this time in the form of writing sprints. By June, I was on fire banging out 2,000 – 3,000 words a day. I finished the last week in June and the first draft has been cleaned up, ready to send to my valued first readers.
So, I present to you Misfortune Cookie!
Most of the time a family’s secrets should remain just that – secret. Reformed party girl and retired socialite Radiance Ashworth is happy to remain in obscurity, enjoying her idyllic life away from her greedy, backstabbing family. That peace is shattered when she inherits the Ashworth fortune and a nasty supernatural legacy. Now, Radiance is expected to chase escaped souls and return them to the Hereafter. Refusal is not an option and she vows to play along until she can find a way to break the family curse.
She doesn’t have to navigate the supernatural world alone. Luca, sexy, confident, and so damn tempting, is happy to guide her – if she’d only accept his help. She quickly learns how much she needs his assistance just to stay alive, when a Jiang Shi – a vengeful
Chinese spirit – starts systematically murdering the city’s elite businessmen. While the Jiang Shi proves to be a formidable opponent, Radiance finds the growing attraction between her and Luca to be even scarier. She’s determined to be free of him and the curse. Luca has other ideas and won’t stop until he’s captured her body and soul.
Casey Wyatt 