It's LIVE!

After spending most of yesterday on formatting, SONG OF STORM AND SHROUD went live on Amazon last night.  Of course... Amazon is the easiest to format and so it uploaded without a hitch.  Draft 2 Digital decided to be a picky bitch, but I finally got all the wrinkles hammered out and I uploaded the dratted thing everywhere before dinner last night.  

Today, I'll be formatting for print.  Woohoo.  So expect that to be available some time in the next couple of weeks.  (Takes time to get and approve the book for sale, doncha know.)

I did something with this book I've never done before.  I added graphics at the beginning of each chapter and a different graphic for the scene breaks.  I usually just laze out on the scene breaks and use some combination of symbols to denote a change of scenes, and I never do graphics for the chapter headings.  There's a little wyvern for the chapter breaks (looks like a dragon, but only two legs instead of four) and four little arrows for the scene breaks.  I'm pretty pleased.  All in all, the graphics added about 200,000 kilobytes to the file size, so I'll be losing a little bit of my royalties there, but it's worth it.  It's so SHINY.

Wouldn't you know it, though?  I was formatting and found a typo.  Aryl spelled Ayrl.  So, I went through the whole damn manuscript again.  And found a bunch more that I had missed AGAIN.  Aryl spelled wrong again, a couple other characters' names messed up, too.  Lucky for me, I had already added the names to my Word dictionary, so all the snafus had red squiggles underneath them.  The final draft was my SIXTH edit pass.  So, make it 7 passes on this sucker before it went live.  If there are errors now, they're masters of camouflage.  

You should've seen me yesterday, chain smoking cigarettes and talking to... err, yelling at... my computer.  D2D kept trying to put my wyvern at the end of the chapters instead of the beginnings.  I thought I had it fixed, but Chapter Two wouldn't behave.  Then I got Chapter Two fixed and all the other chapters went to hell.  I finally figured out it was trying to make my graphic be a Header instead of Normal.  I got that cleared up and it was then trying to put my chapter number on a different page entirely.  I had to switch it so the number came first and then the picture, which is a little odd, but hey, it works now, so I can deal with odd.  (The Amazon ebook has the pic first, so if you read it and have no idea what I'm talking about, you're on a Kindle.)

In the middle of the mess, I NEEDED a walk, so Hubs and I went for one.  I was burning off frustration, so the poor man kept having to tell me to slow down.  I hit the crest of that first hill panting like a sick dog, lemme tell ya.  But it burned the worst of it off, so when I got home, I went back at it and it worked FINALLY.  I probably spent 4 hours yesterday just on that annoying niggle.

Anyway, I'm toast.  If you're interested in epic fantasy, coming of age, action/adventure fiction, give the book a whirl.  It's $4.99, but that's not bad for a 110K word novel, eh?  And from what my beta readers told me, it's a fast read, too.  I hope you all enjoy it.

Rumor Has it is Live

I did it.  I finally sat myself down and did the formatting and did the uploading and RUMOR HAS IT is live.  It's $2.99 and it's available through Kindle Unlimited for those of you who might have a subscription.  I already sold a book to someone who wasn't me.  Yay.  (I always buy the first book, so I can check how it looks on my actual Kindle.)

Sara Hughes is Dead.

Sara had plans to take her own life. The coroner claims she died in her sleep.  Her daughter fears she was murdered.  Once Duke Noble, P.I. confirms his suspicions, he's hot on the trail of a killer. But with so many likely suspects, who will get nabbed for the crime?  The bully who expects to inherit everything?  The spineless toady with the grasping wife?  The outrageous divorcée?  Duke's a guy ready to tackle anything the world throws at him, but this time, he's facing something much harder to dodge than bullets and fists… His past.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.  :hugs:  You guys rock.

Now I have to update the back matter of all my books, which I'll do sometime today.  And I need to format this for paperback printing (and do all the other stuff involved in creating a paperback), which I'll do soon.

I've updated my blogs, including adding a new page to this blog for the series.  Which reminds me that I need to get to work on the next book.  (I'm already planning the cover.  Heh.)  

Anyway, I'm kind of excited right now, can ya tell?  I hope you'll all be excited when you read it, too. 

It's Alive!

 

Cinder Ugly went live last night while I was sleeping.  And now the trilogy is complete.  So, if you were waiting until you could get the whole series, it's available.  I will be having a sale on the first two books later this week - because reasons - so if you want to continue waiting until you can get those cheaper, I'll let you know when that's a go.

Otherwise, they're $3.99 each.  

Sleeping Ugly - Book 1
Ugly and the Beast - Book 2
Cinder Ugly - Book 3

Aren't they pretty?  I hope to have a link to the series as a whole eventually.  (Amazon says they're working on it.)

Release News!

In the midst of all this crap, I published a book.  Book number 14, to be exact.  Sure, it was delayed about a month because of the crap, but hey, it's out there in the world now.  The long awaited sequel to Sleeping Ugly is finally here...

UGLY AND THE BEAST: A Model Curse, Book Two.

It's currently $2.99 (and available in Kindle Unlimited now)*.  And I put Sleeping Ugly down to 99c (or whatever comparable price that equates to in your country) and will leave it there until 5/31.  At which point, both books will go up to $3.99, so get your copies in the merry month of May.

Hopefully sometime this month, I'll have a better idea of when Cinder Ugly (A Model Curse: Book Three) will be released.

Thanks to everyone who helped, supported, and encouraged me through this process.  I couldn't have done it without you.  Literally.  Because without you guys, I would've continued to wallow in my uncertainty.  Thanks for kicking my butt. 

*Due to a massive brain fart, it was not in KU when it first went live.  That has been rectified.  Read on, my friends.

Unequal is LIVE.

Despite my certainty this book would not be out on time, Unequal actually went live yesterday.  It was the full-on, blitz attack I did on Saturday that put me over the finish line.  Big thanks to Hubs for putting up with me through it. 

Actually, I uploaded it in the morning and it was live a couple hours later, but I didn't receive my email notification until last night.

For a limited time, it's $2.99.  After the first of the year, the price will go up and stay at $4.99. 

I thought about doing a sale on Blink of an I - because it's also dystopian - but I don't have the energy or the brain power to focus on that right now.  And I've got that other sale starting Christmas Eve. 

Anyway, today should be all about Unequal, so let the party begin.  Woohoo!

As you probably know, this one was a bear for me to edit.  But I got it done and it's out in the world.  I hope readers enjoy it.  It's one of those books where I can only hope I was a good enough writer to convey what I wanted it to convey while still making it a suspenseful, entertaining read.

I have PDF copies available for a limited amount of people.  If you want one, tell me in the comments.  If we get more asks than copies, I'll do a drawing.  Fair enough?  I know I'm not supposed to ask for reviews in exchange, so don't worry about it.  But it you do happen to want to post a review, I would be eternally grateful.

Reviews are like prezzies you don't have to wrap.  ;o)

Early Grave is Available Now

Hey, Everyone!

Remember how I said Early Grave would be released on the 20th, or earlier if I could swing it?  Well, it went live yesterday.  Early Grave released day early.  Which is kind of funny when you think about it.  Or maybe that's just me.  I might be a little loopy.

Anyway, it's available at Amazon wherever you live, but here are the links for the English-speaking countries (because those are the only ones I can read):

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AU
Amazon CA


It's only $2.99 here in the states (and whatever price Amazon thinks that equates to in other countries) - because I'm still keeping that promise I made to maintain a reasonable price on all my books.  Or it's free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. 


I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


-B.E.

It's Alive! It's Alive!

Blink of an I is live now!  Yeah, yeah, I said the 21st.  I got it done early and uploaded it to Amazon this morning.  It's live now.  And it's only 99c for a limited time.  Probably through the end of the week, depending on my brain.

Have at it, folks.

I'm going to go collapse somewhere.  

Release Day is Finally Here!

When I first started writing the first genie book (Djinn-ocide... which would eventually become Wish Hits the Fan) back in September of 2009, I really had no idea where it would go.  I thought maybe I could make a series out of it someday and maybe it would land me an agent and a publishing contract.

LOL, well, we all know where that last part of the vision went, don't we?

I self-published Wish in One Hand in August of 2015.  A little over two years later, the fourth and final book in the Once Upon a Djinn series is available for the general public to read.  Yay!

I'm super stoked that all the books are together.  And I really I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Here they are...

Wish in One Hand

In Deep Wish

Up Wish Creek

Wish Hits the Fan

Not quite sure what's up next.  I'm going to enjoy this for a little while, I think.  All four books together.  Finally.

Whew.

New Release and a Sale!

The long awaited sequel to Accidental Death has finally arrived.  (Well, I was waiting for it for a long time anyway.)  Natural Causes is now live across the board on Amazon (check your local listings or go here for English speaking Amazon affiliate countries). 

To celebrate, I made Accidental Death a Kindle Countdown Deal.  It's available now thru Saturday for the low low price of 99c (or .99p in the UK).

And, as always, my books are all available for the Kindle Unlimited program which means they're free for subscribers (well, free after you pay you subscription fee, of course).

You don't need to read Accidental Death to understand what's going on in Natural Causes but, naturally, it helps.  See where I started Dennis's story, how he met Jillian, and the reason Dennis has got some baggage this time around. 

Loads of fun for everyone.  Enjoy!

Release Day!

Yes, I know.  I wasn't scheduled to release Natural Causes until Thursday, but I got the manuscript finished and uploaded and I suck at waiting, so I published it.  It went live last night some time.

Murder is never natural...

As the new police chief in the mountain town of Last Ditch, Colorado, the worst case Dennis Haggarty has investigated dealt with vandalized decorations. Life is slow and laid back, exactly what he and his new bride, Jillian, need after the debacle in Serenity. But when a hiker stumbles onto a gruesome scene in a secluded ravine, the calm world he’s trying to build for them fractures. Now he’s faced with determining whether a cougar attack is actually man-made mayhem in disguise, who’s lying to him, and how to take down another killer with no regard for human life. 

Tough luck for him, he’s not certain he could pull the trigger again—not even to save his new life.

Amazon US
Goodreads




I'll add other buy links - for UK, AU, CAN - as I find them.  Until then, check your local listings. 

It's LIVE.

Up Wish Creek is live now. 

I said that I would have it published on or before the 14th, and I did it.  Five days ahead of schedule.  Okay, four and a half. 

Here are the links...

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU

If I missed your country, do a search at your Amazon.  It should be there.

And through this weekend, all of the Once Upon a Djinn books are only 99 cents ea (US) and whatever corresponding price at your chosen country.  All inexpensive.  But only through Monday.  I'll reset the pricing Sunday night and then Amazon will change it within 12 hours.  So, don't wait until the last minute.

Again, thank you for following this blog, for being awesome friends, and faithful readers.  I truly appreciate you all.

News and Stuff

AWE (Awesome Wonderful Editor) got my edits back to me yesterday morning.  I hit them hard last night and I'm already through chapter 3, so I'm ahead of schedule to meet my self-imposed deadline of September 14th.  If I get it done sooner, you'll get a chance to buy it sooner.  Yay!

If you want an Advance Review Copy - one without all of the final edits, but still pretty much done - let me know and I'll shoot you a PDF.  I give you a copy, you give me an honest review.  K?

Oh, and since I didn't mention it, it's the ARC for Up Wish Creek (Once Upon a Djinn #3).  Here's the blurb I came up with:

For Jo Mayweather, genie life is far from perfect, but it was finally beginning to settle down after the incident where she accidentally glassed over part of the Florida Panhandle.  Her enemies have been quiet.  The Djinn Council has left her alone.  Her traitorous ex-lover has disappeared.  Finally, she has time to figure out who’s behind the conspiracy to ruin her life.  But setting her feet on that trail means discovering things from her past she’d rather not know, facing her parents in their newest incarnations, and getting a mission from the gods that she’s not sure she can complete.  All in a day’s work, right?  Sometimes Jo wishes she had a different occupation.  Too bad wishes don’t work that way.

It's up at Goodreads, if you want to add it to your 'Want to Read' list.

Right now, the other two books in the series - Wish in One Hand and In Deep Wish - are still 99 cents each.  I'll be making Up Wish Creek 99 cents, too, but only for a limited time.  Shop early, shop often.  Of course, when I raise prices again, they'll only be $2.99 each, so if you miss the sale, you won't be killing yourself.

I will be putting a newsletter out.  Eventually.  It'll have stuff in it.  If you want to see what kinds of stuff, click the newsletter button up there near the top, fill out the form, submit.  Easy peasy. 

And just for reading all the way to here, I'll give you a chance to win a paperback copy of one of my books.  Just comment and I'll draw a name next week. 

Release Update

Last night I turned in the edits for Up Wish Creek.  14 days after I got the edit notes from my editor.  I'm pretty floored.  I have never turned around editing that fast.  Not the first round of editor edits anyway.  The last round goes quicker, naturally.  It's all commas and typos and 'hey, did you mean to put that there?'

I already knew I could write 50K words in a month - thanks to NaNoWriMo - but I wasn't sure I could do this.  I had hopes.  I had foolish dreams that I could turn it around in a week.  (Ummm, yah.  That was kinda crazypants.)  But I did it.  I edited 212 pages in 2 weeks.

What this means for you?  Well, she'll have the final round back to me on the 30th*.  If I bust ass like I did these past two weeks, I should be able to have this book in your hands before the 14th of September.  So only like a week later than my plan of having this out by Labor Day.  I won't put it up for pre-order this time.  It'll just be live when it goes live.  It's quicker that way.  Trust me.

Basically, what I'm saying is....  ONE MONTH! 

And I think you'll really like this one.  I know I really like it.  Jo's at it again... and well... things happen...

Ack, I need to write the marketing copy for this.  I'm so totally hosed on that.  Massive muse failure.  She's sleeping it off somewhere, I'm sure. 

Anyway, I'll have it ready in plenty of time.  Meanwhile, here's the pretty cover again**.

*Huge thanks to Janet at Pink Pencil Editing for giving me a quicker turnaround time than usual.  This is part of the reason why I call her AWE (Awesome Wonderful Editor). 

** Huge thanks also to Jessica Allain at Enchanted Whispers Art.  She rocked the hell out of my covers.  Way better experience than with the dude who did the initial cover for Wish in One Hand. 

Official Worldwide Release! Fertile Ground is Live!

Hey Everyone!

It's time!  The long-awaited second book in the SCIU  (ETA: Serial Crimes Investigation Unit) series - Fertile Ground - has finally arrived!  When I first wrote Dying Embers, I hadn't intended it to be the beginning of a series, but as I tried to get it published another suspense idea popped into my head that would dovetail nicely into the SCIU world.  This book is not a direct sequel - as in there's no Jace or Ben.  We're not following them this time.  They've had their story and they're living their lives and catching bad guys out of the Dallas headquarters.  We'll just leave them to it.

This book is about Teri Buchanan and her fight to overcome the scars of her own attack as she hunts down a serial rapist turned killer.  Director Walter Graham is there by phone, and Lynn makes a quick phone appearance as well, but for now, that's all there is for them.  Let's see what Teri can do.

Fertile Ground is now available for your reading pleasure wherever Kindle books are sold.  Which is like Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia... Germany... Italy... and a bunch of others that I could linky-loo for you, but then we'd be here all day.

Without further ado, I offer you...

https://www.amazon.com/Fertile-Ground-S-C-I-U-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01FOPNE9Y

Release Day Interview with A.A. Chamberlynn!

I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to my friend, Alexia - A.A. Chamberlynn - and help us celebrate the release of Martinis with the Devil!

First, a little about the book... 

When offered a job on the Holy Representative’s special security team, bounty hunter Zyan Star couldn’t be less interested – until she finds out it’s her most hated of exes that they’re trying to track down. He broke her heart and dumped her, which in turn led to the loss of her soul at the hands of an immortal soul thief. Now she too exists on a diet of souls, with the occasional martini thrown in for good measure, and she’s had over two hundred years to fantasize about revenge. She just didn’t quite imagine it playing out alongside the emissaries of Heaven.

Working with Eli, the uptight angel that heads up the HR’s security, is just about as much fun as Zy expects. He of course wants her vampire ex brought to justice through legal avenues, which is very inconvenient and incredibly boring. As she dives into the case, however, she realizes there’s more at stake than her plot for payback. Like, the free will of mankind, and preventing the minions of hell from taking over the sovereign dimensions.

This job is going to push her to the limits of her abilities, and there’s just a slight problem with that: the powers she’s suppressed for centuries after losing control of them are exactly the powers she’s going to need to save the HR, end her millennia-old ex and stop Lucifer’s little plot to join the party and invade Earth.

Savior of humanity? Not so much. Or so she thought.

Now, on to the interview questions: 

When did you start writing?

I started writing stories when I was about five and never stopped. At around ten I submitted my first story to a magazine (Ranger Rick!) and got my first rejection. At twelve I attempted my first novel, which was about horses.

What is your favorite genre?

Fantasy, specifically contemporary or urban fantasy. It’s my favorite thing to read and write, because I absolutely love magic and the fantastical. I like to be taken on an adventure outside the usual realms of possibility. 

What is the best thing about writing?

Being struck with inspiration for a new story, and then entering that raw, creative stage of the first draft. Anything is possible, and it’s just the best feeling ever. Some people are scared of the blank page, but I love it. Writing is magic.

What do you do when you are not writing?

I have a horse, and I train with him (he’s still young). I also do yoga, and I like to walk, and occasionally jog. Also a big foodie, so trying new recipes is fun (and drinking wine while I’m cooking!). Traveling is also a big love of mine. And reading, of course.

Who are your favorite authors?

Neil Gaiman is my current favorite. I also love Maggie Stiefvater, Erin Morgenstern and Laini Taylor. My early inspirations were Tolkien, Tad Williams, Tamora Pierce, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, and then a bit later Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff.

What inspired you to start writing?

I didn’t have that one defining moment that writers talk about. I’ve just always loved books and written my own stories. As I mentioned above, it was young, around when I was five. The first thing I remember writing was a story about a girl getting a pony for Christmas, which I wrote to manipulate my parents :)

 

Where do your ideas come from?

Everywhere. My mind is constantly churning. Without meaning to, I’m always asking “What if?” Something will pop into my head, perhaps something very minor, a single thought, and then a full blown plot, character or setting comes out of it. Also, dreams occasionally, though more often than not once I wake up I realize it’s not that cool of an idea, or big enough to carry a whole book.

Do you work from an outline or plot or do you prefer just to see where an idea takes you?

I need a very light outline to avoid writer’s block. Just a page or two so I know the general idea of where the story is headed. But I deviate from the outline often once I get started, and I love it when that happens! I like my muse to surprise me.

Tell us about your main character, ZYAN STAR.

Zyan eats souls to survive, she is an eternally damned soul thief. When I tell people this, their eyes widen and they’re always like, “and she’s your heroine?” She’s definitely a very flawed character. However, she chooses to prey on scumbags and criminals and stays away from innocents, though their souls are of course much cleaner and more pleasant to eat ☺ She’s a bit over two hundred years old, so she’s definitely become jaded and sarcastic about her existence, and has some major trust issues. She doesn’t take much seriously – she bartends most of the time, and is a supernatural bounty hunter on the side. Zyan cusses and drinks cocktails and runs around with a katana. She’s a super fun character to write – I absolutely adore her. Her voice comes to me more strongly than anything I’ve ever written. Hmmm, what would Freud say??

If you want to know more about A.A. Chamberlynn, here's her bio: 

Alexia lives in Florida. When she's not writing or reading, she can be found playing with horses, drinking wine, traveling to the next place on her global wish list, or maybe doing yoga. She is represented by Sandy Lu of the L. Perkins Agency.

And if you want to snag a copy of her book, Martinis with the Devil, click away:

Martinis with the Devil, Part One purchase links

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/622489

B&N:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/martinis-with-the-devil-part-one-alexia-chamberlynn/1123516459?ean=2940152918359

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Martinis-Devil-Part-Zyan-Star-ebook/dp/B01CXT1RR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459961280&sr=1-1&keywords=chamberlynn

Thanks for stopping by Outside the Box today, Alexia! 

Any questions for Alexia?  Drop a comment. 

I'm a Little Off

I'm a little off in more ways than one, but today I'm referring to the time-space continuum. 

Yeah, it's Tuesday.  Yeah, I forgot yesterday was Monday.  In my defense, I'm under deadline and I really have to get this edit pass of Fertile Ground done by the end of the day Saturday.  So that's pretty much all I have on my mind.  Editing.  And cover art.  It's almost exactly right on both fronts. 

Anyway, sorry for the dearth of posts here this week.  But you want the book, right?  Well, I assume you want the book and you want witty posts, too, but that ain't happenin' this week. 

I'll try to do something interesting tomorrow.  Well, today so that it's scheduled for tomorrow.  Maybe. 

I have about 80 pages worth of line edits left and then I have to go back and fix some things A.W.E. suggested in her edit letter.  By Saturday.  Totally doable, if I keep my head down.  Then she gets the manuscript again for 3 weeks so she can nitpick and find all the little things.  Then a couple weeks for me to fix that stuff, do another read-through, get it formatted, and get it uploaded for pre-order. 

If I set the release date for May 26th, I have to have it ready for pre-order by the 16th.  Totally doable. I think. 

Gah.  I still have to do a blurb for this sucker.  :adds that to the to-do list:

Question: Would you rather have a pre-order and then a firm release date, or would you rather I just loose it into the world and have it go live whenever Amazon gets around to it?  (I think they give like a 48 hour window without pre-release.)

IN DEEP WISH is Out in the World

Yesterday was release day for In Deep Wish.  It went pretty well.  I had the most pre-orders out of any of my five books, so I'm happy with that.  Opening day sales got my book a rank of 135,000 out of all books.  I won't go into the specific genre categories.  Suffice it to say, urban fantasy is a full genre out there in Amazon land.  Getting into the top 100 there would take an act of APUG (All Powerful Uber-God*) and he's got better things to do.

The jury's still out on expanded distribution sales.  Apparently, there's a delay there somewhere because I know at least a couple people who bought - one from B&N and another from Kobo - but I haven't seen that yet.  Today maybe. D2D finally updated, so those sales are now official.  Yay.

Anyway, here are the links:

Amazon
Apple 
Kobo
Barnes & Noble

Thanks to everyone who made release day awesome by buying a copy, tweeting about the release, posting about it, blogging about it, etc.  It was really cool.  :hugs:


If you're still not reading the Once Upon a Djinn series, that's okay.  If you want to start, Wish in One Hand is still 99 cents at the major e-tailers. 

Amazon (Amazon UK, Amazon CAN),
Barnes & Noble 
Kobo
Apple

I think that Friday, I'll post the first chapter of In Deep Wish here, to give y'all a taste of what's going on all up in there.  ;o)  

*This is a reference to something said in In Deep Wish.

In Deep Wish is LIVE

Well, live for pre-order anyway.

The conspiracy to devastate Jo Mayweather’s life is growing like blue fuzz on last month’s leftovers. Her ex-lover, Zeke, is missing. Her friends are under attack. Her livelihood is in jeopardy. But whoever’s behind the turmoil doesn’t realize they’re messing with the wrong genie. Jo will do whatever it takes to blow their plans apart, recruiting the help of old friends and new allies. She’ll even enlist the aid of some crazy gods if she has to. Anything to stop these bastards from their ultimate goals—her death and the enslavement all of djinn-kind.

Amazon
Apple 
Kobo
Barnes & Noble (link coming soon)

The book's official release date is March 15th.  If you pre-order now, you'll have the book delivered to your ereader by the time you get up in the morning.  (I think. Your mileage may vary depending on your outlet of choice and your sleeping habits.)

If you'd like to read Wish in One Hand to get ready for In Deep Wish, it's currently available for 99 cents at all the places listed above.  (Links available here - at the bottom of the page.)

Enjoy!