A funny thing happened at the Bar-B-Que...

Yesterday I spent my day enjoying a leisurely summer bar-b-que at the park with family. A relative I don't see too often mentioned to me that I looked great but tired and asked how work was going.
Normally when people ask me about work I mumble something about how my J.O.B. cut back my hours and I'm only there a few days a month. Instead, without thinking, my response was:
"Well, I've been working a lot of 12-15 hour days but the writing is great and I'm enjoying it."

It didn't occur to me until this morning what I had actually said.
Outside of my kids and my family, I spend pretty much every waking moment working on my books. THIS is my job now.

I'm a writer and I'm an author.

Holy crap!

It's kind of odd, considering I've been doing this for a couple years, for it to just now make itself known to me. I've been writing my entire life but it has never been my job before, just something I've always done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not one of those authors who says, "My books are doing so well, selling so much, that I can now quit my day job and write full-time."
That's not the case at all.
The situation came about organically and even though I still go into the office whenever I can (need that paycheck to feed my munchkins, ya know?) the fact that I spend more time working on writing and publishing makes this more my job than the few days I spend working for someone else.

The realization floored me so I thought I'd share :D

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend and relishing the last days of summer.
Go have a  bar-b-que, relax in the shade under a tree, have a leisurely walk in the park, spend some time with relatives you don't see often - enjoy!

Crow's Gone FREE!

I've got some awesome news - Crow has finally been price-matched by Amazon.com, which means the first ebook in the Crow Series is now free!

*Does a funky-happy-dance in the corner* Squeeeeee!

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system - some other updates:

The edits on Release (Book Three) are chugging along. I'm past half-way through the major content edits and things are coming together nicely. I'm thinking I may start posting a few teaser snippets here, if you lovely readers are interested. I figure it's the least I can do for making you wait so long for the next book :D

As for Shift, now that Book One is perma-free I'll be bowing out of Kindle Select with Book Two once my current term with them is up. Hopefully I'll have Shift available on the other channels outside of Amazon before Book Three comes out.

If you're interested in the newly FREE first book in the Crow Series, here's the linkage:

Amazon - FREE!

Nook - FREE!

iBooks - yup, FREE there too!

Kobo - FREE!

Smashwords - Still there (for now) and still FREE FREE FREE!



Having the BEST day ever - hope you're having a great one too!
Thanks for reading :D

Moving Forward

Two posts in two weeks? Guess that means I'm back to work...

Yes, things are moving forward on the Crow Series again - and by forward I mean, I've finally started editing Release and *drumroll please* I've plotted out the final two books, settled on their titles and started writing the first few chapters of the fourth book.

Why have I started writing the fourth book before I've finished the third? Honestly, as I've mentioned before, the third book got complicated and there were aspects and sections of it that didn't sit right with me. It is a large part of why it has taken me so long to get it out to you. While trying to figure out how to fix it, I ended up outlining book four and realized I needed to move things around so they made more sense - so I've written the first few chapters of Curse, and everything is now fitting together nicely - YAY!

In other news, I haven't removed Crow from Smashwords yet but I have uploaded it to Draft2Digital to get the process moving forward on Crow going perma-free on Amazon. Though I've reported the lower price, they haven't price matched it yet, so if anyone is interested in giving it a push forward, please help report the lower price to Amazon through the Tell Us About A Lower Price section at the bottom of Crow's product description page. The free copies are available through Kobo, Oyster, Inktera (aka Page Foundry), Scribd, and Tolino. I have to fix a few things and it'll also be on iBooks in the near future. And as I said, it is also still available for free on Smashwords for the time being.

In other news, Shift is free in ebook form on Amazon again this weekend. Unfortunately, due to a stressful and hectic day at my JOB yesterday, I wasn't able to put together this blog post or announce the free days until it had already started but it will continue to be free until the end of today - so if you've been wanting to read it and haven't gotten a copy yet, you can get it for free HERE.

Speaking of Shift, someone mentioned recently about finding editing errors in the book. I work very meticulously to try and cleanly edit my books to the best of my ability. Since I'm not currently in a position to hire out the editing, finding errors that have slipped through the cracks haunts me. If you've read the book and found anything incorrect, please bring it to my attention so I can remedy it A.S.A.P.
I hate having errors. They must be fixed!!!! Ahhhhhrrrrggggg!!!

Okay, enough drama. Time to get back to work.

Slow progress is better than none...

I've been doing a great deal of thinking about the Crow Series lately and have made a few new decisions (for those of you wondering about my cryptic social media post the other day.)

I still haven't picked an official date for publication, and unfortunately have pushed it back to sometime this Fall. For various reasons, the least of which is Conner and Denora hijacking my story and taking it in a different direction than I originally intended, the third book has been a lot harder to put together than the first two. I've also been very busy with other projects that have sucked up most of my free time the past few months. However, I hate that this book has been delayed so long and I've put my other projects on a temporary hiatus while I attempt to get Book Three finished for all of you. That was my first major decision.

The second was finally settling on a new title, since I'll be using Curse for Book Four. The third Crow book is now called Release. If you remember from my past posts, I choose the name for the Crow books based on aspects of the story that don't always become apparent until the end, but I choose words that can have more than one meaning - as in "to shift" into something else (shape-shifter), or to move and change. In this case, Release as in "to liberate and set free" or "to let out" like a release of emotion or to release a wail of pain (no I'm not giving you hints. You'll have to read it to figure it out muhahahaha!)

I've also updated the formatting on the ebook versions of the first two books. It looks cleaner and has updated links in the back, as well as adding a sneak peek to Shift at the end of Crow. I'll be adding a similar sneak peek to the end of Shift once Release is ready.

I've also decided to finally take Crow off Smashwords and move it to Draft 2 Digital. I've always hated Smashwords formatting and have never sold anything there. The whole reason I uploaded it to that site was with the intention of making the first book permanently free but Amazon has never recognized the free version on Smashwords to price-match so having it there has been completely useless. I've heard good things recently about Draft 2 Digital and will be trying it out soon.

If your ears perked at Crow being perma-free, yes it will happen, just don't know when. For the time being I have set Crow back up to its original price of $2.99 until I get it all worked out.

As long as the editing doesn't get derailed, I'm hoping to have Release finished by the end of August, but I'll say September just to be safe. I apologize for making you all wait so long and I hope you feel it was worth it when it finally comes out.

Thanks for reading.

One Year After Crow (Thoughts and a Giveaway)

I've been gone from the blog for quite awhile, but I assure you I've been VERY busy. I'm not going to get into details, except to say I've got a lot of work in the steampipe, just nothing ready to release (yet!)

The third book in The Crow Series is finished and in the editing stages. I don't have an e.t.a. yet for its release, as I'm also splitting my time with a bit of a sideproject at the moment, but I hope to get it out to you in the next two months *crosses fingers*

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of Crow's initial release. I can't believe it has been a year already! Though sales have been slow and there have been quite a few bumps along the way, I feel like I have learned a lot and continue learning and trying new things everyday.

To celebrate the anniversary of the series' beginning, the second book in the series, Shift, will be free  in ebook form through Amazon from today until Sunday May 31st. If you've read the first book and have been waiting for a good time to pick up the second, this just might be your lucky day! :D

Shift (The Crow Series Book 2)

And please remember - if you read it, please consider leaving a review! Reviews help author's more than you can imagine and despite being read, Shift is still fairly review-deficient :(

With that, I'll say I hope you're all having a fabulous week and stay out of that heat!

Happy Valentine's Day

Okay, I admit, I don't really do Valentine's Day - though I like the sentiment and have no problem wishing people a Happy Day of Love. 

Love is awesome and should be celebrated - everyday, not just on February 14th.

Perhaps because my birthday is less than a week later, I've always looked forward to that more than to "V-Day", as I used to call it. Flowers are nice, and I like chocolate, but I have no intention of forcing my significant other to purchase these things on a particular day when all the stores jack the prices up because it's "a holiday". As it stands, my husband is annoyed because I forbid him to buy me anything this morning before he left for work. Also, it's practically impossible to get into any restaurant in the city without a reservation months in advance. Not that I mind, 'cause I prefer Diner food.

Okay, end Valentine's Day random rambling...

I've decided to celebrate V-Day with you all by posting a slightly steamy sneak peek at one of the scenes in the new Crow book I've been working on. Please, keep in mind, the third Crow book is still a work-in-progress and none of this has been edited yet (basically, this isn't the final version of this scene and it may change a bit between now and when it's completed).
Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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He didn’t respond to my thinly veiled accusation. His eyes were digging into mine and something inside him seemed to snap - his expression changing from sad to seductive, as if he’d been asleep and now suddenly he was on fire. A devilish grin spread across his face, his eyes devouring me where I sat across from him. The look in his eyes, like a hungry animal about to pounce, set my heart racing. I turned my head as we pulled into the next station and watched as the passengers passed in and out of the doors.

The train-car emptied out, leaving us alone. I watched as the doors slid closed, the florescent lights overhead flickering. The train jutted forward, pulling us back into the tunnel.

Silas stood, pulling me quickly up to my feet, and the train rocked, causing us both to topple back into the train doors.

The look grew more intense, his green eyes almost glowing. Silas' hands slid down my arms, pulling my wrists up over my head and trapping them against the cold metal door as he dropped lingering kisses down my neck. He started slowly, just under my ear and traveling across my skin to my collarbone. Each touch of his lips sent hot tingles of pleasure through me - my mind lost in delirious joy. His hands slid back down my arms, his gentle touch leaving goosebumps in their wake before they traced the curve of my waist, hovering just above my hips. His fingers gently caressed the hem of my t-shirt, brushing against the skin that peeked between my shirt and my jeans

Deep inside, my brain was trying to tear me out of my lustful daze, reminding me that we’d be pulling into the next station soon. I slipped my hands under his chin, gently pulling his mouth away. The ravenous glint in his eyes when they locked with mine pulled me back under, our lips colliding, our bodies pressed up hard against the door as the lights overhead flickered again.

“We need to stop.” I whispered into his mouth. He growled playfully in response, pulling me closer. “Silas, I’m serious.” I kissed him hard and he sighed, his grip relaxing around my waist.

“I’m just not ready to let go yet. I feel like I get little tastes of you and it’s never enough. Then I’m left fiending until the next time I have you in my arms again.” His chest was heaving against mine and he leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together as he attempted to restrain himself. “I should get off at the next stop and walk the rest of the way.” He said, slowly prying his hands away from my body. He took a forceful step back before lifting his gaze to meet mine. His eyes were still heavy-lidded as he peered at me regretfully from under his eyebrows.

The space grew slightly brighter as we pulled into the station. When the train shuddered to a stop, Silas took one more step backwards, a determined set to his jaw, and then he disappeared like a blur through the doors as people pushed their way inside. I sat back down in the seat beside the window.

The doors slid closed just as a set of brilliant green eyes caught mine on the other side of the window. His lips spread into a slow smile and he mouthed the words, “Smile, Beautiful. I’ll see you soon.”

Seeing Double?

Why are there two versions of the website?

So, a lot has happened since the beginning of the year. If you read my last post, you're aware of the sudden "shift" (oooo heehee, I see what you did there!) into working on Crow again and the changes to the series that I'm considering.

That's not what I asked about.

Sorry - I'm still so wrapped up in the third Crow book (especially since I will probably have the first draft finished in the next two weeks) that it's still taking up a lot of my focus.

Back to the point - I'm having a bit of an issue / disagreement with my current website host. As we're now looming closer to my birthday again (32? that sounds about right) we're also nearing the two year anniversary of the blog. I went to renew with my host for another year, only to find out things that I didn't feel right about (like doubling my hosting fee every year? wtf?)

Basically, the blog is moving. I have until February 18th to move everything over to the new format. It was an unexpected project that got tossed into my lap at the last minute like a rampant, hungry possum - fur and teeth and fury flying everywhere. I had hoped to take the rest of this week to finish up the new Crow book, but I'm now having to get things settled with the blog instead.

*Sigh* I suppose Denora and Conner can hang out in Central Park a little longer. I just hope Maeve doesn't get any mischievous ideas or I may come back to some new developments and have to re-arrange the series all over again...

So, you're just moving?

Yep - luckily I can upload all my old posts from the past two years. I've got the template all set up now, and because of the move I've had to combine the Author Blog page and The Crow Series page into one website. So far I'm really liking the newer look and to be honest I've been planning a major overhaul and update to the blog for awhile now and just keep getting sidetracked with writing. I'm working my way through the old posts and re-posting them. Once I'm done, I'll start adding some of the new stuff I've been wanting to do (like *cough cough* those teasers on the new books).

If you have any other burning questions for me, shoot them out in the comments and I'll get back to you.

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

Well, I seemed to have gotten incredibly sidetracked in the last month - as in, all my new year plans have already gotten tossed out the window, but I'm enjoying myself so much that I don't really care.

I wrote a few more chapters into The Piper's Song and suddenly found myself craving some more Silas and Conner. Basically, I got hit with a sledgehammer of inspiration and got all tangled up with Denora again.

In the past two and a half weeks I've written over half of the first draft on the third Crow book, so on that tip I'm actually way ahead of schedule, since I wasn't planning to start the third book until February.

On the other hand, Denora and Conner seem to have completely derailed certain plans I had for the book (those two - seriously? Why can't they just behave and leave things alone? lol) and now I'm reconsidering several aspects of the series I had previous thought immovable.

• The first is the title for the third book - Curse. Because my characters got sidetracked, the reason I wanted to call it "Curse" is now more applicable to the next book instead, so I may end up changing it and using Curse later.  I haven't decided yet, but when I do I'll update you on the new title.

   

• Yes, I did say "next book" and not "final book". Because of the change in the plot and certain other aspects of the story which I've realized need a little more time to be unfolded, I'm considering extending the series by one (possibly two?) more books. I won't stretch it more than that, because the story doesn't need to be drawn out that far needlessly. I'm shooting for only one but I'm leaving myself open for a sixth book just in case. If, at some point in the future, I miss the characters and want to revisit their world, I'll start a new separate series.

I don't really mind having to extend the series, since I love these characters and their exploits. Their trouble-making and bickering amuse me to no end (I love to make Denora and Silas fight - my husband rolls his eyes at me, but it's true). I don't mind spending more time with these characters - not at at all!

I've already got ideas for a spin-off series, but I haven't developed it, as I don't want to tie myself down to another set of books in this world just yet. There are other tales that need to be told first (like Piper's... sorry Piper, I'll get back to you soon!)

How do you feel about more Crow books? Let me know in the comments.

Well, that's all for now.
Happy Reading!

A new book - The Piper's Song and other updates

It has now been a week since Shift was released. It hasn't made much headway yet on sales, but I didn't expect that it would, due to the huge time gap between the release of the first and the delay before the release of the second (yes, I'm still griping about the broken laptop causing delays *grumble grumble grumble*). I also still haven't done much in the way of marketing, but that's neither here nor there.

I am already plotting out the third book, Curse, and am anxious and excited to start working on it. I plan to wrap up the other two books in the series this year, and hopefully start the next series on my long list of books to be written (no joke - I have at least 5 years worth of books already planned out. If I can increase my writing productivity, less than 5 years, but we'll see how it goes.) But, but, but... I am not working on Curse just yet. There are certain aspects of the book which make organizing it a bit more complicated than the first two books. I won't go into too much detail, because I don't want to put spoilers out there for those of you who haven't read Shift yet, but the point is, until I get certain things straight in my head, I can't start actively writing it.

In the meantime, I have started working on the first draft of The Piper's Song. Some of you may be familiar with this title, as I posted a few unedited scenes to Wattpad last year (if you haven't seen them and want to take a peek, you can find it here). I have been really excited about this particular story and wanting to work on it for quite a while now, but because my focus in 2014 was solely on The Crow Series, I had only plotted and written snippets so far.

Working on a new book, rather than on the next book in a series, poses its own complications. The writing is going much slower than it was writing Shift, mainly because I am still getting to know my characters, getting a clear grip on the locations and working out plot points as I go along, rather than working with places and figures I'm already very familiar with. With the Crow books, everything is so familiar already - the way Silas paces when he's thinking, the atmosphere of the subway tunnels on the way to Joel's makeshift home, even the layout of Henriette's brownstone is so clear in my head down to the smallest detail I feel as if I know it as well as my own apartment. Writing the Crow books is much easier and faster now (except for my little plotting issue) but starting a new story from scratch takes a little more time for character and world-building. I'm working out each characters' habits, their quirks, their motivations and flaws. In the end, it'll be just as comfortable and familiar as Crow, but for now, it's taking a bit more work to lay it all out.

For anyone who is worried what this means for The Crow Series, I hope to have Curse planned out by the time I finish The Piper's Song first draft, with the intention of immediately tackling the third Crow book as soon as it's finished.

For anyone curious about the new book, here's the current version of the blurb:

Piper has a wonderful life.

She has a gorgeous, adoring husband, a career she loves, and a beautiful baby girl.

Everything changes after Piper receives a mysterious gift - a music box. Listening to its haunting, beautiful melody transports her mind into a different time and place where another version of herself does strange and horrible things. The more she listens to the music, the more obsessed she becomes, all the while her perfect family is falling apart.

In another part of the city, women are disappearing, and things that Piper is seeing in her visions are coming true. The line between Piper and the other version of herself begins to blur, jeopardizing everything she holds dear.

That's it for now. Hope you're all as excited about the new book as I am, and if you haven't picked up Shift yet, both the paperback and ebook are available on Amazon.

Happy Reading!

New year - New plans (2015)

A new year is upon us and I'm incredibly excited about 2015.

Like many, at the dawning of a new year, I spent some time reflecting on the year before - the successes and failures and what I want to do better in the future. I had some hang-ups in 2014 - mainly my computer breaking at the worst possible time, followed by some difficult personal issues that left me depressed and the stupid frustration of having no internet just as I was trying to get myself back in order. However, this year has primarily been a year of triumphs for me. I published my first book, Crow, and then my second, Shift, which though they haven't found a huge audience (yet) have both been received positively. I still have a lot to learn about this publishing business and things change frequently and quickly. On the other hand, I've accomplished something I've wanted for most of my life and that is something to be celebrated.

With that in mind, I've actually spent more time developing my plans for the new year than I have reflecting on the past. There are loads of new things I want to try, and I want to get back on a regular blogging schedule, since the issues that arose this past Fall threw me off my rhythm. I've already started working on a new book, which I'll talk about later, and I intend to finish up the other two books in The Crow Series, as well as finish the Halloween surprise I had wanted to unveil in 2014 and couldn't because I had no computer. I really haven't done too much in the way of marketing, so I'm going to try and contact more book bloggers, and have a few more events / giveaways. I'm also thinking about finally starting to post snippets of my works in progress, calling it "Sneak Peek Sundays".

For an independent author, there is always a ton of work to do - not just writing, but editing, crafting enticing blurbs, book covers, formatting books for different formats (did I mention I want to try making audiobooks this year? Yeah, just one more thing on my list!) Then there's marketing - blogging regularly, contacting book bloggers, connecting with readers (or potential readers) through the million different social media sites, hosting giveaways, book signings (which I haven't done very many yet), hosting events, author interviews, guest posting.... the lists are endless and time consuming, but I'm tackling it bit by bit. I can only hope my efforts prove fruitful, and eventually my books will find their audience.

~*~*~*~

That's my goal for 2015 - write more books and work harder at finding an audience for my work.

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and the best things in the year to come.

What are your hopes and goals for 2015? Feel free to share in the comments :)