Coffin Hop!

Hello friends!

It is that time of year again. My favorite time in fact. Fall, Halloween, and of course the #CoffinHop :-)

So this year the giveaway at Bat Country will be a signed copy of my mystery novels Dark Corners, Dark Passing (which officially releases on Monday) and my Edgar Allen Poe inspired short story in the anthology Once Upon A Midnight Dreary!

 So to receive these books all you need to do is leave a comment with what you are going to go as for Halloween (don't forget to also leave your email address). I will open this contest up to my international friends as well.

Don't forget to stop by the other blogs for awesome giveaways.

Where do we go from here?

Thank you all for the wonderful reception of Consequences. It has been an amazing journey, and I am so glad you stuck with me though some emotional book endings :-). I hope I made it worth the wait. 

Now down to the brass tacks. A lot of you have been asking if Olivia and Holden’s world is over. I have had this question enough now I felt it warranted a blog post. The answer is: no, their world is far from being over. I have plans. *insert devious laugh*

Okay so here is the plan for my world of the Abyss. In December I will release Easy Bake Coven. It will take place in the same world as the guardian trilogy. In fact, the events of the Guardian Trilogy are the spark that ignites the events in this series. There will be new characters, but we will also see some of our old favorites from time to time too. Then in March and May of next year I will release the other two books in this series, Hungry, Hungry Hoodoo and Pickup Styx. 

No you are saying, that is fine and dandy, but that’s not what I want. I want more Holden, Olivia, Baker, or Femi (and maybe a few of you are even rooting for Quintus). First, let me applaud you for saying fine and dandy, well done *golf clap*. Second, I’m getting there. Yes, I have plans to start a Femi series as soon as I finish Easy Bake Coven. I don’t know how many books will be in her series because I have a feeling it might be an ongoing series. 

I also left the ending of the trilogy open so I could one day come back to it. I feel since I have a Guardian Trilogy I should have a Jinn Trilogy to keep things fair (it isn’t like I miss Holden terribly or anything). But do not look for this to start until 2014 at the earliest. However, I do have one or two special little plans for them in the meantime; however I don’t want to spoil the surprise. :-)

I haven’t forgotten Baker or Quintus. I will revisit them at some point as well, but I have no immediate plans at the moment for their own projects.  

So these are my plans for the future books. I love to hear from you guys and your opinions really do matter to me. If you really want a story about something in particular please let me know and it will factor into my consideration.

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

In October I once again have the privilege of joining some of my very wonderful author friends in an anthology. Last time in Cupid Painted Blind we brought you steamy paranormal romance stories. This time we are trying something a little different. We all channeled our inner Poe and the result  is a bit more scary, creepy, and with a touch of Halloween mixed into the short stories.

The Visitor by Liz Schulte

Reverend Black hated storms. Rumbles from the Heavens promised violence and retribution this night, but he could only watch as the blackness descended. The tempest did not come alone. A visitor walked before it—patient and silent. The torrential downpour would wash away the mask, the gales would tear away carefully constructed lies, and the flashes of light would expose the truth—a truth that wouldn’t set him free.

The others stories that are completely awesome (I know because I read them). 

Carnival of Darkness by Stephanie Nelson- Andee Baker met the man of her dreams and then made a complete fool out of herself. She thought she would never see him again until her best friend, Claire, got an invitation for both of them to attend the Carnival of Darkness from the guy Andee couldn’t stop thinking about. They jump at the opportunity to go, but even before Andee crosses the entrance, she realizes there's something peculiar about the carnival. The ticket master's red eyes and the waltzing ghost are anything but cheesy special effects.
Andee discovers at the Carnival of Darkness not everything is as it seems.

Miss Stake by C.G. Powell- Alligators, snakes, and old boyfriends...Oh my. The swamp is a dangerous place, but it’s nothing Veronica can’t handle. That is until a weekend in the marshes brings to light a whole new set of dangers. Now that the supernatural cat is out of the bag, Veronica’s life will never be the same.

Redeemed by Mandie Stevens- Eva never claimed to be a good guardian angel, but she tries. After losing two charges, the Powers That Be have begun to doubt her abilities. To redeem herself, Eva sets out to rescue Elsie, granddaughter of the former king of the Fae. A Demon has kidnapped Elsie to complete an ancient ritual that will allow them to slip through the veil between Earth and Hell on Halloween.
With unlikely friends in tow—a human liaison, a fallen angel, and a powerful yet distractingly charming vampire—Eva is in a race against time. Save Elsie, save the world—and her job.

Vicis by Cait Lavender- Raised captive by a powerful corporation named Vicis, life inside the facility was all 56 knew until she met Adam. When she's slated to be euthanized, no longer considered a valuable asset for the company, she takes her life into her own hands. With her considerable abilities and Adam’s help, 56 will fight to free them both from Vicis’ clutches and learn to feel something she's always been denied: Love.

Dark Road Winding by Olivia Martin- Johana Hall has her hands full juggling personal life and her public relations career in Washington DC. The last thing she needs is to get called back to Texas because her Grandpa H.M. believes he’s being haunted. Adult Protective Services wants to put the elderly ex-con in a nursing home, but mysterious happenings at the homestead convince Johana he isn’t as crazy as everyone thinks. Getting to the bottom of the local legend is the least of her worries when she realizes someone is willing to go to any means to get her grandpa off Sara Jane Road. Can she figure things out before it’s too late?

Machado by Lola James- A weekend of fun, romance, and ghost stories at abeautiful beachside hotel was the plan. But Mackenzie had a bad feeling about the trip since the moment her husband and friends brought it up. The Machado Inn was a place where legends came to life and the past roamed the hallways. Guests came to stay the night, but few made it out alive.

What is your favorite Halloween story?

The Best of Both Worlds

Are you a pantser or plotter?

I get asked this question a lot and I normally say I am pantser because it is easier than explaining what I actually do.

I don’t often blog about writing because I know a lot of you know don’t care about the mechanics behind the story, but I also know some of you are interested in writing. So while I was procrastinating working on my final round with Dark Passing before it goes to the editor, I thought maybe, just maybe someone would find my method helpful.  So if you don’t mind, I am going to share.

(Even if you do mind, it’s too late, I’ve already done it.)

My first draft of any book is almost completely pantser material (FYI a pantser isn’t a person who pulls down someone else’s pants. If you thought that, this might not be the post for you. A pantser is a writer who lets the characters dictate the action). All of my novels are originally written like this. I do not plot, but I do think ahead to a certain degree while I am writing; however, the story doesn’t necessarily go in the direction I anticipate it will and I follow it wherever it takes me. So many of my plans come to nothing.

However, come the revision rounds I turn into a hardcore plotter. I have a notebook in which I breakdown each chapter into: world count, characters in chapter, plot advancement (used for main plot and sub plots), and the hook to carry the reader to the next chapter. Once I go through the whole book in this manner it is easier to pinpoint where my story is weak or has holes or if I accidentally dropped a character. Then I make a three act chart to make sure my story has good flow.

For those of you who are scratching your head and about to open a new screen to google three act structure, let me save the time and explain what it is. This is the method of setting up a story that has been used pretty much since books have been written. In Act One you establish your characters, relationships, world, and an incident that pulls the main character (mc) into the action and leads to the inciting incident (aka why your character chooses to go down the path your story has set in front of him/her). Act Two is the longest act where the characters are developed and the action rises. And Act Three is the climax of the book and the resolution of the plots and subplots which hopefully ends with the characters achieving a new sense of who they are.

Mapping the structure of your books helps to find which of the plot points the story are weak and where your characters need growth.

After I complete all of this and fill out or rearrange my story as necessary, I give it one more read through then off to the editor it goes with the smooth realistic character reactions of a pantser, but the structure and completeness of a plotter. Hopefully. 

What have I been working on?

While Consequences (releases September 18th) is with the proofreader I have been busy at work on my next mystery novel, Dark Passing. *choir of angels sing*

 We will welcome back our favorite misanthrope, Ella Reynolds, and her ever so sweet detective, Gabriel Troy. Here is a little excerpt just for you. 
 
I shook my head. Fagan’s car crept up the snow covered lane and parked on the flat area behind us. He tapped on Gabriel’s window and waved for us to follow him to the barn. We hiked in behind him. The old barn groaned under the relentless wind and the smell of dirt and hay mixed with something sweeter that stuck in my throat and made me want to turn around and leave. Goosebumps covered my body and had nothing to do with the cold. I stopped, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had to pull myself together. The too familiar feeling of eyes on me, boring into me, made my heart beat quicken. I peeled back my eyelids that didn’t want to open to find no one was looking at me. All forensic investigators were busy photographing and collecting evidence and Fagan and Gabriel we looking intently at the table. I let my eyes slowly travel the room, searching out my discomfort. When I reached the loft an old man in overhauls and a white t-shirt stood out in the open staring down at me. The words to call out to him were on my lips when his face finally registered. His eyes were no more than crimson pools of blood slowly leaking down his cheeks and into his white beard. Everything around me faded, and I could hear the drip of the blood from the ends of his beard to the wood planked floor. Drip, drip, drip. I couldn’t look away from his gruesome gaze; my skin crawled as if trying to get away.
Gabriel stepped between me and the dead farmer, breaking the trance. “El?” He glanced to where I was looking, but didn’t see him. “You okay?”
“Um, yeah. Fine. Sorry. What were you saying?”
He gave me an odd look, but led me over to the table by the elbow. I couldn’t help glancing back up. The man followed me, the floor creaking under his weight, continuing to stare like he knew I could see him. My stomach twisted, but I forced my attention on Gabriel. He’s not real, he can’t hurt me, became my mantra.

Sizzling Summer Reads

Welcome to the Sizzling Summer Reads hosted by Literary Addicts. This Event takes place August 20 - Sept 2 Each blog participating will have a book related giveaway worth at least $10. The Literary Addicts is also hosting a grand prize - Open Internationally! Follow the linky below and hop around!

Hello, friends!

At this stop I am giving away a lot. The first book in my paranormal romance/urban fantasy series, The Guardian Trilogy is currently FREE!

Yep, that's right for everyone who stops by Bat Country. 

I see you over there, the one saying, "Big deal, I have a Nook." Well guess what, you are not left out either. Barnes and Noble

I haven't forgotten about Itunes or any other formats you might need/want. 

Now that we have that taken care of let me get one with the rest of the giveaways. 

I am giving away 5 signed paperback copies of Choices (Book 2 of the series)

For the grand prize I am giving away a tiger eye bracelet and a signed paperback copy of the anthology Cupid Painted Blind. 

To enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Consequences Sneak Peek

Okay so I am excited about Consequences coming out soon. It is currently with my editor, but I decided to share a little bit of the opening scene with you guys. This is completely unedited, but I hope you enjoy it!

 

"We have to go somewhere," the growl came from the beautiful statue of a man standing beside me in the middle of a deserted street. His voice made my heart patter and my brain struggle to maintain control.

"Go wherever you want. No one is asking you to stay," the dimpled, normally gentle man in front of me began to take on the appearance of an avenging angel with the light haloing him growing in intensity. 

"Why don't we have a little chat, guardian?" Holden easily looked more menacing—blood soaked, eyes flashing, and white teeth gleaming out from his snarling mouth.

"We have to go somewhere," Femi repeated what Holden said, but calmly, already bored with the guys’ bickering. "Holden's suggestion is the only one I've heard."

       "Of course he has a suggestion, he's a criminal." Quintus’ light grew brighter and brighter. "Olivia?"