Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday Five for December 19, 2014


1. My Loose Corset blog tour with Goddess Fish Promotions is all set to go. They are super efficient and really nice. This is my first time not creating my own tour, and it's been an excellent experience so far working with a virtual book tour company. Check out my snazzy banner!


2. Now on to doing my posts for my Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour! Hosts, I'll be contacting you soon with updated information. Oh boy, it's going to be a busy new year, but so much fun!

3. All my writing this week was for tour posts. I've also been critiquing. I'm always amazed at the talent of my critique partners and betas.

4. Today is my son's school concert and lunch. They'll sing some Christmas songs and do some dancing. It's so cute watching the wee ones perform. I spent two hours last night making sandwich pinwheels for the lunch. A chef I am not. Next time, I'll buy them already made! But they're full of color and very healthy. If the kids just don't go right for the desserts!

5. I'll be taking a blogging break until the new year. We stay home for Christmas, and I love it. Two weeks of rest and relaxation, and doing things together as a family. See you in 2015! Have a very happy Christmas and an awesome new year!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Wicked Wednesday - Loose Corset's tantalizing cover


Blurb:
Geek girl Morgan Reid has been to many conventions, but none that had her wishing it would never end.

Dressed as their characters from the online game Steampunk Quest, Morgan and her best friend meet the other players for the first time in real life. Morgan's attraction to the gorgeous Dean Bradley is immediate, making it difficult to breathe in her tight corset. Even after a few dice shattering orgasms, she doesn't believe this can be anything more than a con fling. But Dean is making her feel things she's only read about in books. Can Morgan let go of her cool-headed logic and allow herself to fall completely for the perfect geek guy?
 
There's nothing sexier than a shiny, new D20. Look at those angles! And ooh, the luscious crimson color of the gem die.

I'm pleased that the cover has some gaming nerdiness to it, and that it isn't an overly buff dude and too blonde woman locked in a passionate yet weirdly awkward pose.

Loose Corset will be released January 9th. That's 23 days away! You can add it to your wish list HERE.

This is the first book of my Dice & Debauchery series with Ellora's Cave. It will be released as a part of their special call, Geekgasm! So hopefully we'll get some great nerdy romances and erotica next month.

If you'd like a review copy of Loose Corset, please email Ellora's Cave to request one at Service@ellorascave.com

Monday, December 15, 2014

The Founding of Foxwick - guest post by Cherie Reich


The Founding of Foxwick
by Cherie Reich

Gather around, children, and let me tell you the tale of how the Kingdom of Foxwick came into being.

Once upon a time, a publisher put out a call for an anthology about assassins. Ooo, assassins are pretty cool. They are usually pretty badass, and it could be fun to write a story for the anthology. The publisher had an interesting stipulation too. They only wanted the first five hundred words of the story before they’d consider reading the entire thing.

But what should I write about? Who was my assassin and who would he/she have to kill?

I selected a female assassin. There are a lot of male ones, so I thought a female would stand out. But who would she kill? Someone royal/presidential/etc.? Perhaps someone close to her. No, no normal human would do. I wanted something bigger. A story that would take notice.

She would assassinate Death himself.

Once I figured out why she would have to kill Death, then I needed a setting. This was a fantasy anthology, and they wanted a Medieval-esque world. I had no readily available world to drop the main character in. I searched some fantasy world naming generators to figure out a name.

Foxwick came up in the second or third search. Foxwick. I liked it. A lot.

Thus, the Kingdom of Foxwick was born with badass Princess Umbria as this particular short story’s main character. Umbria features in five out of the seventeen short stories in People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors, and she’s mentioned in a few others.

A call for a short story inspired a whole new world. And although the story “Lady Death” was short-listed yet not accepted into the anthology, I couldn’t be more grateful for the founding of Foxwick.

The kingdom hangs in the balance.

War threatens Foxwick on all sides.

The dreaded Shadowlands gains more souls. From the shrouded trees in Greymist Forest to the arid Blackden Barrens, monsters roam in search of their next victim. Sirens lure ships beneath Merrilea Sea. In cold and snowy Wintermill, royals plot to claim Foxwick as their own, even if they must use dragons and sorcery. Marriage between Foxwick’s king and Lochhollow’s princess creates a perilous alliance. Although brave Valdale will come to Foxwick’s aid, the cost may be more than a true friend can stomach.

Set over a hundred years, these seventeen fantasy short stories explore the people, creatures, and lands in and around the Kingdom of Foxwick.

Add on Goodreads here.
Available in print and e-formats!


Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Once upon a Nightmare, a science fantasy collection titled Fall of Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is the vice president of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Friday Five for December 12, 2014


1. A good week for writing. I finished off my Christmas short story for my local critique group. Now I'm working on a few other shorts to submit in the new year. Just silly and fun stuff before the hard work of promoting and revising starts again.

2. Less than a month until the first book of my hilarious and geeky series, Dice & Debauchery is released! You can add Loose Corset to your wish list at Ellora's Cave now. I worked last week with a cover artist, so hopefully I can share with you the cover soon. For everyone on the D&D tour, I'll get you all the information and images when I have them. Also, for anyone who would like to review the book, you can email Service@ellorascave.com and request a review copy.

3. My urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow is currently with my CPs and betas. I hope to have it ready to release in February or March. You can add it to read on Goodreads right now!

4. Have you gotten all your holiday preparations done? We have our tree and all the cards have been sent out. Next week will be a lot of cooking and baking for my husband's work and our son's school. Christmas lunches and concerts. Then two weeks of sleeping in!

5. A quiet weekend awaits me. Maybe we'll take the little guy to see Big Hero 6. I think I want to see it more than he does! He's been really into watching Odd Squad, a new show on PBS. It's like a mix between Men in Black and Harry Potter. It teaches math skills and throws in a lot of subtle adult jokes. Or not so subtle ones like the 1980s episode! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Wicked Wednesday - holiday reads


It's that wonderful time of year...
     where we all hope to grab some quiet reading time amongst the holiday chaos!

I love snuggling under a blanket with a good book when it's cold and dark outside. With so much going on during December, I don't like to delve into any deep reads. I crave omething light and fun with a happily ever after.

I don't usually go searching for holiday themed books, but when I find a good one, it makes me extra happy. Recently I read Mistletoe & Memories by Matilda Maxwell. This is a perfect example of a festive and fun read.

My little guy is really into The Night Before Christmas and The Great Reindeer Rebellion this year. Children's books really get me in the festive mood too.

What are your favorite holiday reads?

* * * * *

Here's another holiday read for you.
Fantasy Uprising from Untethered Realms is now available!

A collection of nine fantastic, spine-tingling stories. Magic. Mystery. Murder. Heartbreak and Hope. Defeat and Victory. The incredible and Horrific. Fantasy Uprising delivers a heaping serving of the best in fantasy.
It's now on Smashwords, Amazon, and Google Play.
And you can get this awesome collection for a mere 99 cents!

Monday, December 8, 2014

Review for Claudia Must Die


Blurb:
Claudia doesn’t feel like herself anymore—she feels like prey. Her husband’s hired goons have stalked her all the way to Boston and will only stop their pursuit once she is dead.

Divorce is not an option. Instead, she has stolen a bunch of her man’s money to disappear into another life.

In order for Claudia to live, someone else must die. A lookalike college student becomes the target capable of freeing her from an awful marriage. 

The plan goes horribly awry. Instead of murdering Claudia’s double, the assassins shoot the woman’s lover who is the cousin of a powerful Irish mobster. Claudia becomes hunted by all involved. Can she survive? Should she?

My review:
Claudia has become the hunted. Her mobster husband will stop at nothing to see her dead, and Claudia will do whatever it takes to stay alive. Even if that means she has to set another woman up to take her place. Everything erupts into chaos when the assassins miss and an innocent woman is killed. Claudia is back on the run, and this time, she's hitched a ride with her lookalike and vengeful friend. Surrounded by people who want to kill her, how will she survive?

This unique thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's intense and quirky in a way that reminded me a bit of Pulp Fiction. We have fantastic characterization along with unexpected twists and turns in the plot. It's dark and gritty with the right dose of humor.

I confess I wanted to kill Claudia myself. She's impulsive and selfish, but she's a fighter. I could sympathize with her wanting to be free of her abusive husband, but she went to great lengths which included setting up Parker, a woman who looks just like her, up as the assassins' target. Parker was fascinating. Quiet yet deep, I connected with her and rooted for her survival. The Woolf brothers and Francis were just as entertaining.

This was an awesome read! T.B. Markinson hasn't let me down yet. I highly recommend this book and all her excellent works.

Excerpt:
At first, everything had been roses and wine. When others warned her about Dennis, Claudia laughed it off. 
Use your head,” Claudia’s mother had said. “How could a man in his early thirties make so much money owning a handful of run-down bars in two small towns in the West?”
What, you think he’s a drug dealer or something?” Claudia had broken into hysterics. “He hardly looks like a gangster, Mother. Dennis doesn’t wear any jewelry. Not even a wedding ring.
In Claudia’s mind, a gangster would at least wear a gold necklace. And, he had excellent table manners. There was no way Dennis could be a thug. How many scrawny five-foot-six guys were?
 
They had married after seven months. Neither had intended to marry so quickly, but they had visited Vegas for a long weekend, got drunk, and got hitched. It wasn’t until Claudia moved into Dennis’s house that she started to notice things. He wouldn’t come home for days, and when he did, he refused to tell her where he had been. He racked up a lot of mileage on her car, not his. When Claudia asked about it, his reply was a cold stare that made her legs feel like jelly. Granted, one of his bars was in Greeley, but that was only a twenty-minute drive from their home in Loveland. How did the miles add up so quickly?
After a year, they started to fight constantly. Verbal arguments. After another year, the fights turned violent. Claudia ended up in the hospital—still nothing serious enough for her to walk out. Not yet. Instead, she started hoarding cash. In the beginning, it was a little bit here and there. It was simple. Claudia would request cash back when she used her debit card at the grocery store. Dennis liked her cooking; he never questioned how much his wife spent on food. When she realized her embezzlement plan would take years, not months, The Hunted chose a more drastic solution. The next time her husband crossed the line …

About the Author:
T. B. Markinson is an American writer, living in England. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling around the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. T. B. has published A Woman Lost, Marionette, and Confessions From A Coffee Shop.

Mailing List: Sign up to TB’s New Release Mailing List here. Your email will never be shared and you will only be contacted when a new book is out.
 
Links: Twitter Facebook Blog Goodreads Amazon Author Page


Purchase Links: Amazon (US) / Amazon (UK)

Friday, December 5, 2014

Friday Five for December 5, 2014


1. Did you see the awesome cover for my urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow? It's absolutely gorgeous. I've put it up on Goodreads too. You can mark it to read on there now.

2. Speaking of the novel, I finally finished a major POV change in it. It was tedious to the point of excruciating at times, but I've done it and it feels amazing! It'll be sent off to my CPs and beta readers today.

3. I also finished my revisions for the final book of my Dice & Debauchery series. All manuscripts are now with my editor at Ellora's Cave. I even heard from the cover artist who will be designing the covers for my books. I'm not sure what we're doing yet, but she's very nice and patient with me, the newbie at working within a publisher.

4. I can't believe it's December already. I've been going over my goals for this year. I think I've done pretty good. I will have to give myself a push to reach 100 books read, though. I'm at 94. (It says I already reached it on Goodreads, but I review children's books that I read with my son. So I don't include them on my count here.)

5. Less than three weeks until Christmas! My little guy is super excited. We've decorated the house and we're going to find a tree this weekend. He visited with Santa earlier this week. Afterward, he told me that wasn't the real Santa. When I asked why he thought that, he told me that it was "Second Santa" because he had glasses on and had a gray beard rather than a white beard. Yet he was still a nice Santa! If the weather stays reasonable, we might go to the Krampus night parade tomorrow. Has anyone else ever seen a Krampus?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

IWSG for December 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

A big thank you to this month's wonderful co-hosts: Heather Gardner, Tonja Drecker, Eva E. Solar, and Patsy Collins.

In just over a month, the first book of my new geeky erotica series, Dice & Debauchery, will be released. I've got new release worries. I get them for every book I publish. But this time, it has the added level of different genre anxiety.

Will my urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers like my hilarious contemporary erotica? Will erotica readers like my stories which are quite different from the mainstream? Are the stories as funny as I think they are? What if no one gets the jokes?

I made the decision to publish D&D under the same name I use for all my works. I hope I made the right one in choosing to do so.

I'm attempting to take it easy this month as January will bring on a lot of promoting, but the worries are nibbling away at me. And I'm trying really hard not to nibble away that whole box of Christmas cookies!

Anyone else being nibbled or do you have the nibbles? 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Unveiling the cover for Of Blood and Sorrow

She feeds on sorrow.
They want to consume her.


Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Isn't that cover incredible? I LOVE it. It fits the book perfectly. I still get all giddy when I look at it.

I haven't set a release date yet for OF BLOOD AND SORROW, but I'm hoping late winter. I've worked a long time on the revisions, and the story is shining. I'm so excited to share it with you.

A big thank you to Erin Dameron-Hill, the graphic artist who designed the cover. I will hire her again the next time I publish a book, and I highly recommend her to everyone.

Graphic Artist Erin Dameron-Hill


graphicsbadge