The Undead Space Initiative

It’s Official – Vampires Live on Mars!

| Casey Wyatt

Hey everyone!

The Undead Space Initiative is on sale now at Pink Petal Books!

Once I have the Amazon and B&N links I will post them.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

Jonathan spoke first. “We’re leaving.” He left me alone in the hallway with Ian.

“Charity—”

“Cherry. Only Jonathan gets to use my real name.”

“Fine. Apologies.” Ian stepped close enough that I could see flecks of gold in the blue of his irises. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”

Stunned, I moved back. Ian had no idea how many men had said those exact words to me over the years. “There must be something in my ears. Did I hear you correctly? Are you trying to pick me up at a time like this?”

A slow smile crept across his lips, revealing pearly white fang tips. “Right. I bet you hear that all the time. What I should have said was I’ve been having these dreams—”

With a snort, I threw my hands up. “Okay. Stop right there. I don’t want to hear about your sick, twisted fantasies.”

Ian opened his mouth, no doubt to deny it, when his cell phone chirped. “Got to take this.” He turned his back to me and spoke low enough so I couldn’t hear him. Not that I planned on eavesdropping. I could care less.

Why should I stand around waiting on him? The family needed evacuating. I threw open the prop room door and the room was…empty?

What the fudge?

No tunnel passage existed in the prop room.

“I bet you’re wondering right about now, where is everyone?” Ian said from behind me.

I whirled around and slugged him.

Thanks for your support! Happy Reading!

60 Inches of Glory!

| Casey Wyatt

Well, it finally happened. A moment that I wished for and dreaded at the same time – our big screen television died. I admit for the last few years, I’ve had a serious case of TV envy. Everyone around us was upgrading to sleek, thin paneled models while we still had a big behemoth projection box. But there was no way we were going to buy another TV as long as the old one worked.

Then, a few weeks ago, the TV started acting up. I knew the symptoms. We’d had this brand before and it showed signs of imminent demise, the non-operable kind. I could barely contain my glee, but remained silent since I know Hubby would not be receptive to any TV replacement overtures.

When we bought our 50″ TV a mere eight years ago, it was not quite cutting edge HD, but it was better than what we’d had before – a 36 incher. A few years ago, we switched to ATT Uverse and started using the lone HDMI port and our picture got even better.

Earlier, I mentioned dread – that would be the cost of replacing the television. Well, we had to bite the bullet. The old TV died on a Sunday and there was no way I was missing all my favorite programs.

After cruising around our town comparing  features, prices, and the amount of HDMI ports, we purchased a new 60 inch HDTV at Costco. For good measure, I bought a blue ray player and Hubby added a sound bar.

Woohoo! We plugged that baby in and connected all the new toys and HOLY CRAP, we spent the entire day glued to the television. The picture quality was so incredible and different from what’d been watching that I thought my brain would overload.

The real mind freak moment came when we played a blue ray copy of Thor. We meant to watch just a few minutes for comparison purposes, but that didn’t happen. Two hours later and with copious amounts of drool (that would be mine – hello, shirtless Chris Hemsworth), we collectively realized that we’d re-watched the entire film.

And I awoke from my HD induced stupor and thought – crap! I haven’t written a thing today. Agggh!

After a week of – wow, look at that picture – I’m finally back on track. I completed the first draft of my new book. And surprise, it’s not Mystic Storm. Once I have the blessing of my excellent beta-readers, I’ll share more details.

In the meantime, in case you missed it –  here’s the cover to The Undead Space Initiative coming soon in July! I’m very excited to share this book with everyone.

And if you haven’t stopped by the Scribes today, I’d love it if you’d visit and join in the discussion  – Sex and Zero G.

Who else loves their TV set? If not, what is your dream/favorite gadget?

I’m so Pretty – Beautiful Blogger Award

| Casey Wyatt

Yay! It’s Friday. Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes for  – I am Not A-MUSEd!

Sabrina Garie has awarded me The Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you Sabrina!

As most of you may have guessed, there are rules.

Rule #1 – I must share 7 things. Today, I’m going to be different and share fun facts and a secret or two about my characters. Let’s face it, you all must be sick of hearing about me!

Rule #2 – Pass this award to 7 bloggers. More on that later.

From Mystic Ink:

1. Devlin Ward has a potted plant. It’s name is Medusa on account of its snake-like fronds. He would never, ever admit that to anyone
since the real Medusa would not be pleased. And we all know what happens to men who make her angry. Let’s just say it’s not the kind of rock hard Devlin would enjoy.

2. Nix is the most independent of the fifty daughter’s of Nereus. She is adamant about earning her own money and making her own way in the world. Her Uncle Memphis fostered her independence by taking her on as an apprentice in his tattoo shop.

From The Undead Space Initiative:

3.  Cherry Cordial doesn’t like enclosed spaces. Once, when one her fellow vampires jokingly trapped her in a dark closet, she dumped dead fish in their beds for a week.

4. Jonathan, Cherry’s maker, first noticed her because of her beautiful singing voice. It was her rebellious spirit that made him turn her into a vampire. Later, whenever he’d complain about her sassy attitude, Cherry would remind him, “Tough cookies. This is what you signed up for. Don’t blame me that I have big mouth and know how to use it.”  Cherry would like to remind you to get your minds out of the gutter. She’s a stripper, not a whore. Just saying.

From Ascension:

5. Kyra was recruited into the FBI by her boss, Terence Lange after she beat him and hundreds of other veteran sharpshooters at a
regional competition. Lange is inherently distrustful of magic, but does trust Kyra. Both of their understanding of supernatural phenomena are about to be shaken up.

6. Valerian is a stickler for rules and order. Clutter drives him crazy and he can’t stand salt and vinegar chips. Galen uses this information to annoy Valerian every chance he gets. While the two are friends, Valerian is also Galen’s superior, and Galen’s cheekiness often gets him into trouble. Not that Galen would have it any other way!

And from my WIP:

7. This isn’t a character fact per se, but my latest WIP has something to do with fortune cookies and evil spirits. Don’t worry Mystic Ink fans, I am still working on Mystic Storm (Zephyr’s book), but I opted to complete this book first since it was flowing faster.

Seven Beautiful Blogs:

1. Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes – Stop by and say hello. We’re friendly, fun and love to dish about all kinds of topics.

2. Meggan Connors – She makes me laugh with her honesty and self-depreciating humor. I love Edinor and her travels. You have visit her blog to find out who or what Edinor is!

3. Janna Shay – Kind and generous, Janna always makes me smile. She’s also an incredibly supportive and I do appreciate it!

5. Marian Lanouette – A great blogger who shares great advice. Plus, she is one sexy lady. Have you seen her Facebook photo? Her debut novel – If I Fail –  comes out in September.

6. Leia Shaw – Whether she’s blogging at her own site (The Paranormal G-spot) or at Nights of Passion, she always has something interesting to say.

7. Julia Rachel Barrett – C’mon, did you think I wouldn’t pick the lovely Julia? Julia blogs every day and it’s always worth reading.

To the recipients of the Beautiful Blogger Award – go forth and share the beauty!

And feel free to share your favorite blog (s) with me! 

Ta Da! Cover Reveal!

| Casey Wyatt

It’s official! I have the cover for The Undead Space Initiative by Lex at Winterheart Designs! Thank you Lex!

Vampires in Space!

| Casey Wyatt

Hello my friends! I’m doing triple blogging duty today.

At the Scribes I talk about bad boys – Take a Walk on the Dark Side. If you’re an Avengers fan (or a Loki fan), this post is for you!

And over at the Soul Mate Blog – Let’s Hear it for the Doubt Monster.

If you have time, stop by and say hello!

Today’s post is short and sweet as I’m currently working on two books.

Or I’m trying to anyway. The idea is that I’m always working on one book or the other. At the moment, it’s working and I don’t want to mess with a good thing. And, much to my delight, I’ve even worked on Galen’s book too (but I don’t want to jinx it so I won’t say much more!).

Time is limited and I’d love to finish at least one draft by July, because . . . drum roll, please –

The Undead Space Initiative is coming out in July from Pink Petal Books.  Finally, the crazy book I crafted in July 2011, about vampires in space, will be available.

Here’s the story in a nutshell:

Cherry Cordial, vampire stripper extraordinaire, spectacularly messes up her life with a single act of kindness. How could she have known when she rescued gorgeous rogue Ian McDevitt that she would be implicated in the vampire queen’s murder? Soon, she faces the wrath of the entire vampire community. To escape retribution, she joins a settlement program to colonize Mars. Her choices are grim: hurtle through space to the red planet to face the unknown and possible death, or stay on Earth and face> certain annihilation. To make things even more complicated, a certain gorgeous rogue seems to be shadowing her every move…

I don’t have the cover art yet, but when I do, you’ll all be the first ones to see it.

And, in case you missed last week, I’m participating in Night Owl’s Summer Fun Web Hunt. I’m giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner. Check out the rules by clicking the image below:

Now, y’all have to pardon me because I need to get back to writing so I’ll have something new on my bookshelf for 2013 and beyond.

 What about everyone else? What are you all working on?

I Must be Crazy!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Please remember to visit me over at the Scribes for Cal’s Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies. Yes, you did read that right. I did use double, chocolate, and cherry all in the same sentence.

It’s hard to believe that it was only a year ago that I started this blog (in April 2011). And last May, I was preparing to pitch to editors (see here). Well, CT Fiction Fest is back (tomorrow!!) and I will be pitching again. Only this year, I’ve decided to throw an agent or two into the mix.

Now that I’ve sold two books, I’d like to expand my horizons or maybe it’s more accurate to say broaden my reach. I’ve realized that in order to keep motivated, I need to update my goals. For so long, the goal was – sell a book!

Mission accomplished. Now it’s time to dream bigger which includes writing more stories. And believe me, I’ve got loads of them locked in my head, scribbled in notebooks, and even all over Post-It notes. Coming up with ideas is not a problem. Executing those ideas, while promoting Mystic Ink and preparing The Undead Space Initiative for release all while maintaining a full time job/life, is not so easy.

But, hey, I’m not complaining. No one is standing over me with a gun making me write. I could walk away at any time. Of course, I wouldn’t be happy with myself. I already know because I’ve walked away from writing before and it drove me nuts.

Don’t let life drive you cuckoo!

Since stopping isn’t an option, eventually something will have to give. At the moment, I’m focused on Mystic Storm and a totally different novel. That’s means not so much time spent on social media or other activities. The only way I can create time for writing is to take it from something else. That’s just how it is.

Buried deep in my mind is the fantasy that some day I can quit my day job. There is 8-9 hours, right there, plumb for writing. If I need to  acquire an agent to do that – I’ll consider it. If I need to stick to e-pubs for a while – yup, that works. If I need to Indie publish – that’s a viable option too.

So back to pitching, this year, the focus is on –  where can I go next? And what can I accomplish with the time I have?

To a non-writer I know this seems like crazy talk! But in reality, you have to really love what you’re doing to keep going. Selling a few books was exciting, but by no means the end of the story. Like anything writing is a journey, not a destination.

How about you? What are you trying to accomplish? What are you willing to give up to get there?

There’s a Gremlin in my Book!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! Be sure to check out my post over at the Scribes – Stagnant Brain Syndrome.

This week, I’ve been furiously re-reading my manuscript – The Undead Space Initiative so I can hand it in for final line edits.

And man, let me tell you, I swear there is a little gremlin sitting in my computer deleting words (that no one seems to notice are missing). The gremlin also likes to play with formatting and add extra spaces or delete space that should be there.

I know that all manuscripts have typos and missing words. It comes with the territory. Very frustrating, especially when you have a perfectionist personality like I do.

One way to combat the gremlin (besides the obvious thing – using spell checker liberally and often) is time away from the book. I haven’t read USI since last year. I’ve had time to forget what I wrote and see it with fresh eyes.

The other helpful tip: read in short, focused bursts. That way you won’t get sucked into the story and forget to check for those pesky errors. Any time I caught myself actually “reading”, I stopped and did something else.

Another suggestion: scatter the order of the pages. But, I converted the document to the publisher’s format and removed the page numbers. I had printed the entire book when I realized what I had done. Oops. Maybe next time!

Of course, time away has a downside – the urge to change everything. I nipped that in the bud when I realized I was letting The Doubt Monster mess with my head again. My editor at Pink Petal Books enjoyed the story and asked for minimal changes, so Doubty can go torment someone else.

You’ll have to forgive me today, if I answer comments later than normal. I’m having fun with my family and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

Tell me about your gremlins. Perhaps you have one that eats the socks in your dryer or likes to steal your favorite pen off the table. Or maybe something more interesting?

Think Pink

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! And Happy New Year! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes, where I ask the question – What do I know?

A few weeks back I promised to share the details of my latest sale. Now that the paperwork is all in order, I can tell you this:

The Undead Space Initiative will be coming in 2012 from Pink Petal Books.

I am very excited that this book found a home and so quickly. If  you want the details behind USI’s journey, visit me at the Scribes when you’re done here.

Now that I have two books sold, I have to face the next step in the publication process – editing! And after that promotion.

I’ll admit it – I am not very good at tooting my own horn. I realize that I need to get over that and fast, so expect to see me making the rounds at various blogs. Thank you to all my generous friends for use of the their blog space.

And, I assure you, I intend to keep working on my next book. So many things to do… so little time.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Have a safe and wonderful New Year! See you on the flip side of the calendar!

Something Old and Something New

| Casey Wyatt

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes – I Heart Ebenezer Scrooge!

Since the holiday is fast approaching, I don’t have much to report this week. I’m excited to be on vacation all next week and I hope to make progress on Devil’s Advocate. I had worked on it way back in May and June, then stopped to write The Undead Space Initiative.

Now, I’m in the process of getting back into the groove and submerging myself in the story. I’m excited about this one because it’s based on the very first novel I ever attempted to write. The book was never fully completed and it’s bugged me that I never finished it.

Let’s face it. I had no idea what I was doing back then! It’s better if that story never sees the light of day. Yet, I couldn’t forget my heroine. Devil’s Advocate is my attempt to breathe new life into her.

I still have some decisions to make – first person POV or third? Urban fantasy or romance?

(Who am I kidding? Romance always sneaks into my books.)

Whatever I decide, I’m hopeful to add another manuscript to my completed pile!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday season! Leave me a note and let me know how you plan to spend the holidays!