Thursday 27 March 2014

So that other contract I mentioned?

It was for an Ethan Banning novel!


Huzzahs all round! Ragnarok Publications will be bringing Ethan out of his long hiatus with Undertow sometime this summer. I said earlier this year that getting the Ethan Banning series up and moving again was really my writing priority for 2014, so I'm delighted to have signed with a publisher that I think will be such a perfect fit for Ethan, Mutt, and the Voice.

I'm not going to say too much more about Undertow just yet, but keep an eye on the blog (or on Facebook or Twitter) for more news as I get it. I am just stupidly excited about this book and I can't wait to get Ethan back into the world!

Sunday 23 March 2014

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant..."

... if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm definitely starting to feel like Spring is here. The evenings are lighter, flowers are emerging from the earth, the air smells clean, and my beloved Fergus is spending more time outside.* My head is full of floral and fruity perfume ideas and my inbox is full of good news! The change of seasons is obviously creating changes everywhere else too. This week I've been offered contracts on not one, but two pieces of writing! Huzzahs!

The first piece, I've now officially signed on and have just finished filling in the blurb/cover art sheet for. It's a brand new Urban Wolf story and it's coming to Evernight Publishing as a Free Read. So yes, it's PHANTOM FEARS, a short piece I've mentioned here and there ^_^ I'm really excited about this for three reasons:

1. PHANTOM FEARS is the first piece of writing I've actually finished since 2012.

2. It's a new Urban Wolf story and I love my werewolf girls.

3. It's written from Shannon's point of view, rather than Ayla's, so you get a chance to get to know Shannon better and see a little more of the Urban Wolf world through her eyes.

I don't have a set release date yet, but it looks like it'll be out in May. I'll share more news as soon as I've got it. In the mean time, I'm just going to carry on being excited. Yay!

I haven't actually signed the contract on the second piece of writing yet (technological difficulties), but as soon as I have, I'll share that news too. Stay tuned!

*Going Outside is a pretty big deal for Fergus. The outside world is full of terrifying things like people and other cats and weird invisible monsters that only he can see.

Thursday 20 March 2014

Excerpt Blog Hop for Conquering Theana #IRMC #EvernightLines @SeurriCity

Today I'm happy to welcome both LeTeisha Newton and Lillian MacKenize Rhine to the blog. They're running a blog hop for their new release, CONQUERING THEANA, and I've got a hot and heavy teaser below - just click away!

Wednesday 19 March 2014

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end."

Yes, alright, it's a Margaret Thatcher quote. It's a good quote though.

So! Happy Hump Day! In lieu of sexy men, I bring you this very significant otter and his kitten companion:

You're welcome.

So at the moment I'm waiting to hear back on two submissions. It's pretty unusual for me to have two pieces on submission at the same time, even back in the days when I wrote a hell of a lot more a hell of a lot faster, so this is causing me double the anxiety and impatience. Logically I know it's way too early to have heard anything; emotionally I want to fire a dozen emails off to each publisher demanding to know why they aren't biting my hands off to publish my genius works of super-awesomeness.

I should probably be channeling all this nervous energy into something productive, like more writing, but even though I know what my next WIP is going to be, I can't start it. I feel like I need at least one acceptance before I really consider myself "back in the game," so until I hear from one of these publishers I'm just struggling to commit myself to starting something new. Instead I'm buying lots of fragrance oils, brainstorming new perfumes, playing hour after hour of Shadow Era, and perfecting my Southern Gothic playlist on Spotify. (That last one is kind of research for the next WIP, honest, and it's a really good playlist).

I'm certain I always get nervous when I have work on submission, but I don't remember ever feeling so restless about it. Taking last year off really has left me in the mindset of being a newbie writer again - despite the books I have out there, I feel like I need to prove myself again - to myself, as well as to publishers and readers. It's not an entirely pleasant feeling, but I do have confidence in the works I have on submission right now, so I'm trying to stay hopeful. Fingers crossed I'll have some good news to share soon. And in the mean time, here's my current favourite song from the Southern Gothic playlist. Enjoy!


Tuesday 11 March 2014

Guest Blog - Doris O'Connor

As ever, I'm delighted to have Doris on the blog today talking about her newest release and sharing a sexy snippet! Take it away, Doris...

Thanks so much for having me here today :)
Hands up, who looks in the mirror, and actually likes what they see? Anyone? No? Thought so.
I haven't met a woman yet, who hasn't found something about herself she doesn't like. No matter how comfortable you think you are in your skin, there's always something that niggles. Now imagine, if you will, that your sister is a super model. Your mum, too, is still sylph like, and then there's you… Started developing at an early age, and your curves just grew, and grew.
Such is my heroine's plight in Through the Dom's Lens. She is as comfortable in her body as she can be, but she's well used to being the fattie in the room, and she can't stand looking at herself in pictures.
Why then does she agree to audition for a photo shoot with Master J? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out why and how this all works out. I will say this—Junsako Frederikson knows true beauty lies within, and there's no way this Dom can walk away from a sub in need…

Blurb:
Sometimes doing a favor can change your life forever.       
Never one to rate her curves, Sally thinks her glamorous sister has lost the plot. Stand in for her at a photo shoot with the most sought after bondage photographer ever?
She'll be laughed out of the studio, or arrested, or both. However, the temptation to actually meet the man she's been secretly lusting after for months proves too hard to resist. 
Junsako cannot believe his eyes, when Sally turns up. It's been a long time since the Dom in him felt such an instant pull to anyone. All those curves will look beautiful in Shibari suspension, and Sally proves to be a born submissive. If only she would let go of her body issues and see the beautiful woman he sees through his lens. 
Only one thing to do—convince her—with as much kinky sex as possible.

Friday 7 March 2014

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”

Jack Kerouac

So last night I finally finished my Shannon novella, Phantom Fears. Cue much rejoicing:


pakorn

It clocked in at just over 12k, which isn't a lot of words, really. Honestly, I don't even know if it's a good story. I like the themes and I love writing Shannon, but I'm pretty rusty. Phantom Fears is the first thing I've started and finished since my dad died in October 2012. That's quite a long time. I've started and abandoned a few projects since then, for sure, because my heart wasn't in them or I knew the idea just didn't pan out. Finishing something? That seemed impossible! So, regardless of how good or bad this novella is, I'm pretty proud of myself for just getting through from start to finish.

So my plan now is to figure out whether it's good, make it good (or better), and then submit it to Evernight Publishing as a free read and part of the Urban Wolf series. So fingers crossed!

The other thing I did this week that I'm really proud of is submit Undertow, the second Ethan Banning novel, to a publisher. Nothing may come of it, but I've spent so many years dithering over what to do with this book and I feel like I really have nothing to lose anymore. I'm not sure I have the energy to go into My Feelings over the series and its original publisher right now (nor I am sure it's wise to do so), but maybe if I get good news about Undertow down the line, I'll talk about it a bit.

Anyway, in the mean time, I'm just going to enjoy feeling like an Actual Writer again and decide what to work on next. Happy Friday!

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Guest Blog - Nicola Cameron


I've got Nicola Cameron here today to talk about the origins of her new story, TRICKSTER, and she's sharing a quick, hot teaser. Take it away, Nicola!


Thanks for letting me come on your blog today! Trickster is my first M/M shifter story, and was originally intended to be a short story submission for Evernight’s Alpha’s Claim: Manlove Edition anthology. Obviously that didn’t happen, and now I have a prequel and a sequel in mind because my Muse is a slave-driving snot that way.

When I decided to do a shifter story, I wanted to pick an animal that interested me. I see coyotes all the time in my North Dallas suburb (the scene where Mark is tracked by a coyote while out running? Yeah, that may have been based on real life. My coyote was supremely disinterested in me, though, which was probably a good thing), and over the past few years I’ve developed a respectful fondness for them, so that’s why I chose them as my shifter animal when I started writing the story. As for the setting and industrial espionage subplot, those may have been influenced by my career in various tech companies. Oh, the stories I could tell you if I hadn’t signed those pesky NDAs...

BLURB:
Delaney Smith, coyote shifter and Trickster Technologies executive, thinks humans are bland, boring, and undateable. So he gets the shock of his life when he comes back from vacation and scents his mate in the Trickster offices — a mate who is not only male, but quite human.
Mark Fellowes is taken aback when the CTO at his new contract job makes a pass at him, and even more surprised at his temptation to respond. Straight and dating a career-minded businesswoman, he’s never even thought about kissing another man — until now.
When Mark is attacked by thieves trying to steal company files, Delaney must put aside his preconceptions to protect his mate. But will a criminal bent on destroying Trickster Tech separate them before he can stake his claim?

BUY LINKS: