Epiphany of Imperfection

Happy Holidays, with a little Odin!

2011-12-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! I'll be back after New Years with more info on the books, but rest assured you'll have EE in your hands within the next few months!! I hope you all get everything you want for Christmas this year, and that the New Year brings you nothing but happiness! :)

And here's the final art for Odin's character portrait! :) You can click on the image to see it larger.

Eternal Embrace Update

2011-10-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

I’ve rewritten this post about 5 times now because I’m not exactly sure how I want to break this news. Of course, I’m sure part of the problem is that I don’t really want to break this news…mainly because unless I don’t already like someone – I’m not the biggest fan of disappointing anyone. And, well…I happen to adore my readers, and I’m fairly certain no matter how much I explain why this news is good for me…it will still leave some of you disappointed. So let me apologize now for any inconvenience or disappointment you might experience because of this post. I’m sorry. I really, really am. No one I know gets more freaked out by change than I do, and this is definitely one of those moments where I’m freaked out enough for all of us.

So what do I need to tell you? Eternal Embrace will not release on Halloween as anticipated. The reasoning is slightly involved, but here’s the press release that went out Monday (9/26/11) that got the ball rolling:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trident Launches E-Book Services for Authors

Clients to Receive Unprecedented Ability to Manage Content

NEW YORK, NY – September 26, 2011 – Trident Media Group, one of the world's leading literary agencies, today announced that it is launching a new e-book initiative, Trident E-Book Operations. This division will create, manage and implement innovative e-book strategies for its authors, including the distribution of a variety of e-books directly to a large number of e-tailers in North America and internationally. Authors will have more flexibility than ever before, as well as new potential domestic and foreign revenue streams.

Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident, said "Trident has been a leader in innovative approaches in the representation of its authors, including in the international markets with its "hot list", at the international book fairs and in new audio licensing. We will continue to manage all facets of our clients' businesses by the extension of our services into the ever-changing e-book publishing business around the world. Trident Media Group will devise strategies to maximize value for its authors in the new and complex e-book publishing field. Trident will not become a publisher, but will instead continue in its new e-book operations to have itself aligned with its clients whose interests we serve as an agent and manager."

Trident's clients will be provided with a comprehensive suite of services – ranging from digital conversion, digital jacket design, to marketing and social media consultation – from some of the most highly sought after professionals in the industry, and have advantageous relationships in all areas applicable to e-books, including copy-editing, marketing and cover design. Trident and its authors will have the ability to quickly change their ebook programs in anticipation of the rapidly evolving worldwide e-book marketplace.

Trident Media Group's E-Book Operations will include out-of-print, backlist, new frontlist and original titles, special short-form nonfiction and fiction works by its prize-winning authors, enhanced e-books and new formats as the market develops, print-on-demand options, and new business relationships with traditional and non-traditional publishers. Trident will strategize with its authors regarding digital pricing, foreign sales and translations. Trident will also continue to handle sales reporting and royalty payments for all available digital editions. E-Book Operations services will become part of Trident's general commission structure for all of the agency's services.

Chairman of Trident Media Group, Robert Gottlieb, will oversee the E-Book Operations department with CEO Dan Strone, Executive VP John Silbersack, and business advisor Lew Korman. Trident has also appointed Lyuba DiFalco and Nicole Robson to the new positions of Co-Directors, EBook Operations.

About Trident Media Group:

Trident Media Group (TMG) is a prominent literary agency located in New York City. TMG represents over 700 bestselling and emerging authors in a range of genres of fiction and nonfiction, many of whom have appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List and have won major awards and prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the P.E.N. Faulkner Award, the P.E.N. Hemingway Award, The Booker Prize, and the L.A. Times Book Award among others. TMG is one of the world’s leading, largest and most diversified literary agencies. For six consecutive years, TMG has ranked number one for sales according to publishersmarketplace.com in North America. TMG is the only US agency to be in the top 10 in both UK fiction and UK non-fiction.

I got a personal e-mail from my agent, Robert Gottlieb, shortly before the press release went out on Monday morning. I had heard rumblings for the last couple of months about a possible new program coming from Trident, but I didn’t know any specifics until Monday. At first, I was excited. For me, this would be an awesome opportunity to spend more time writing and less time being a “publisher” – which is something I’ve been frustrated with recently. Then, after an hour or so…I got a little pissed. This info would have been really helpful say…mid-August…when I announced the official release date for Eternal Embrace. Because if I’d had this info then, I would have never set a release date for EE. But then I realized I can’t really blame Robert or Trident for not saying anything specific until all the deals were done, because I probably would’ve been more angry had I made plans to put EE into a program like this, then all of a sudden heard word that it was cancelled and I was back to doing everything myself. ;) And now…now I’m just scared and excited and worried and nervous and freaking out because I feel like every time I think I have things under control, something totally unexpected happens and makes me feel like I’m starting all over again.

I’ve talked my options to death with Chad (my hubby) and my Mom. And my decision to postpone the release of Eternal Embrace so I can take advantage of Trident’s new program is based on a simple concept…I don’t want to miss out. If I end my contract with Robert and strike out totally on my own again, I don’t want to look back in 6 months and see how well Trident’s program is doing, and then think to myself…wow…I could’ve been a part of that. Of course, if I take EE through this program and things don’t go as well as they have with ES and EH, then I can walk away knowing I gave it a shot and am better on my own. But there’s only one way to find out how things are going to go, and I’d rather err on the side of probability at this point. It’s more likely that Trident’s new program will be a success than not, especially considering the rapid pace at which the publishing industry is changing.

I’ll hopefully be having a conversation next week with Robert where we can hammer out all of the details and get Eternal Embrace added to Trident’s release schedule. And, as always, as soon as I have more info about a release date you’ll all be the first to know. I can’t imagine the date will be pushed back too much, a few months at most – but I don’t want to promise anything until I know for sure. I’m hoping that when I talk to Robert he’ll be able to give me some kind of rough estimate on how long the new process will take from finished manuscript to release date. That way, I can do everything in my power to avoid ever having to move a release date again.

In the interim, I’m going add When Worlds Collide back into my writing schedule, so I can keep that story going for everyone while we wait. Again, I’m really sorry about all this. I’m just trying to do what I think is best for my career, my family, the books, and for you guys. Just the notion of having more time to write because Trident is handling the business side of things makes me really, really happy. It also makes my goal of releasing 5 books a year instead of 2, that much more reachable. :)

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or drop me an e-mail.

Have a good one!

The big announcement!

2011-08-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

The bad news…

The first novella in Vouclade & Kasey’s 3 part story, Ascension: The Revelation, will not be releasing on August 31st as originally planned.

The good news…

Vouclade & Kasey’s story – still named, Ascension: The Revelation, will be releasing as a full-length novel in January 2012. Their story will also serve as the first book in the new Ascension Series. ;)

Why change the release date? Because after I made the announcement a few weeks ago that the novellas would only release as e-books – I got a wave of e-mails from print readers who were very, VERY unhappy that they’d have to wait until August of 2012 to get the story in print. And because I loathe the prospect of alienating any reader based on their favored reading format – I decided to split the difference and release the story as a full-length book in January 2012. I figure this should work for everyone, since now no one has to wait until next August for the last novella to release in order to read the whole story.

Why start a new series? Because I’ve had so many Paladin based story ideas lately that don’t fit into the Eternal Series…that I felt the Paladin’s needed their own place. As most of you know, the Eternal Series focuses primarily on the vampires, and more specifically the diabolical chess match between Stefan & Orion. Unfortunately, the chess board storyline will only allow for so much sway…and sometimes I just can’t mold a new story idea involving other non-vampire supernaturals to suit it. So the Paladins now have their very own place…and I’m very, very excited about it. :)

Okay, now for a little more good news…

Along with the Ascension series, I wanted to tell you about the Fallen Series and the Primal Series, both of which will have debut novels in 2012. The Primal Series will focus on the weres and other shapeshifters of the Darkness Within world, whereas the Fallen Series will deal with Harbingers, ghosts, and “others” of the world.

So what does all of this mean for you? 5 books a year instead of 2! :)

The Eternal Series will have 2 releases every year, one on May 1st and one on October 31st. The Ascension, Fallen, and Primal series will all have 1 release a year, with dates to be determined. And, although each of the series are set in the Darkness Within world, and will still be called Darkness Within Novels, each line will stand completely alone. That way, if you love the vamps but aren’t nearly as interested in the Paladins – you can read whichever line(s) you like and not miss anything. :)

Oh, and Oktober’s story, Eternal Embrace (book #3), will still be releasing on October 31, 2011 as planned. With Eternal Desires (book #4) to follow on May 1, 2012, and Odin’s story, Eternal Embers (book #5), to follow on October 31, 2012. :)

There will be more details to follow, especially as book covers and titles are finalized. Again, I’m sorry for any disappointment over the moving of Vouclade’s story…but splitting the difference was the best option I had in an attempt to give everyone a little of what they wanted – including me. :)

If you have comments or questions, feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to answer them! :)

Have a good one!

Eternal Embrace Final Cover

2011-08-06T12:35:00.000-04:00

So after listening to everyone who wasn't quite sold on Okotber's face, including my husband ;) - here is the final cover for Eternal Embrace...

Click on the cover to see a larger version.

We toned down the menacing quality to his features. Made his nose smaller. Fixed his cheeks and lightened the shadows. Made his eyes less slanted. Made his head a little smaller. And, of course, we brought his ears a little closer to his skull. Hopefully he looks a little more attractive now, and less elf-like - which was the main concern I heard from all of you. ;) Feel free to tell me what you think. :)

Thanks and have a good one!

Whatcha Think?

2011-08-03T13:54:00.000-04:00

I know I've been quiet for awhile now, but rest assured I have been working my ass off getting everything ready for the release of Ascension: The Revelation - which has been officially scheduled for August 31, 2011, and for the release of Eternal Embrace (A Darkness Within, #3), which has been officially scheduled for October 31, 2011. Things are going really well, just ridiculously busy at the same time...especially since the Heathen starts school again on August 24th. ;)

I also wanted to pass along that Ascension: The Revelation will only release as an e-book since it's a novella...not a full novel. Granted, most novellas currently on the market tend to run around 20,000 words in length, and each of the Ascension novellas are closer to 50,000 - but I'm still calling them novellas. ;) The second novella in the trilogy, Ascension: The Reckoning, will also release exclusively in e-book format. But the third and final novella, Ascension: The Rapture, will release in e-book and print format. The print version will contain all 3 novellas in one book.

And finally, I wanted to share with you the mock-up for the cover of Eternal Embrace. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the design if you'd be willing to share. And don't worry, you can tell me if you don't like it...I have my big girl pants on today. ;)

Click on the cover to see a larger version!

Have a good one!! :)

Turn on your radio - internet version...

2011-06-08T12:10:00.000-04:00

So...I have an internet radio interview today over at ParaYourNormal...and I'm freaking out a little. ;) Okay, a lot! I've never been on any kind of radio before. The show starts at 3:30 PST which is 6:30 EST...and YOU can call in and talk to me. The call in number is 619-639-4626. So if you have some free time today, feel free to call me. ;)

Here's the link to the website where you can listen:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parayournormal/2011/06/08/interview-with-jennifer-turner-author-of-eternal-hearts

Ahhhhhhhh! ;)

Eternal Hearts Blog/Book Tour Schedule

2011-06-02T17:56:00.000-04:00

So here's the dirty on everywhere I'll be for Eternal Hearts from June 2 (today!) until June 12th. And you should also know I'll be giving print copies of ES & EH, promo goodies (stickers, pens, etc.), and gift cards away at most of the events! :) So stop by, chat with me...and win a piece of the Darkness. ;)

Thursday, June 2nd (Today!):

Ramblings of a Book Bitch hosted by Sparkly - Review, Interview & Giveaway

http://sparklybearsy-bookbitch.blogspot.com/2011/06/eternal-hearts-review-author-interview.html

Rarely Dusty Books hosted by Janna - Interview & Giveaway

http://rarelydustybooks.com

Friday, June 3rd:

Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust hosted by Steph - Review, Interview & Giveaway (Part 1)

http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/

Saturday, June 4th:

Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust hosted by Steph - Review, Interview & Giveaway (Part 2)

http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/

Fangtastic Books - Tour Kick Off & Giveaway

http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com/

Sunday, June 5th:

Roxanne's Realm hosted by Roxanne - Sexy Excerpt & Giveaway

http://roxannesrealm.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 6th:

Book of Secrets Blog hosted by Diana - Review, Interview & Giveaway

http://www.bookofsecretsblog.com/

The Write at Home Mom - Guest Post by Moi!

http://www.thewriteathomemom.blogspot.com/

Secrets of a Book Lover - Interview & Giveaway

http://secretsofabooklover.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, June 7th:

Good Choice Reading hosted by Damaris - Review, Interview & Giveaway

http://www.goodchoicereading.com/

Wednesday, June 8th:

The Book Nympho hosted by Jennifer - Interview & Giveaway

http://thebooknympho.blogspot.com/

Getting Naughty Between the Stacks - Interview & Giveaway

http://gnbstacks.blogspot.com/

ParaYourNormal Blog Talk Radio Show

3:30 pm PST , 6:30 EST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parayournormal

Thursday, June 9th:

Sweet Vernal Zephyr Book Reviews - Review for Eternal Seduction

http://sweetvernalzephyr.blogspot.com/

Book Lover's Hideaway - Reviews for Eternal Seduction & Eternal Hearts

http://booklovershideaway.blogspot.com/

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 10th - 12th

I GET A FEW DAYS OFF! ;)

Eternal Hearts Release Party Tomorrow! (June 1st)

2011-05-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

I know I've been rather quiet for a week or two now, but I've been buried in interview questions and have also been working my butt off to get everything set up for the *official* release of Eternal Hearts tomorrow. I have a bunch of fun stuff to let you all know about over the month of June, but I wanted you to know about this right now so you can RSVP!

Release Party at Bitten By Books Tomorrow!

You can RSVP for the event here: http://www.bittenbybooks.com/?p=42935

If you RSVP for the event, you get an extra 25 entries in the contest to win free books, promo awesomeness, and a $50 or $25 gift card to the store of your choice! So RSVP, then stop by tomorrow after 1:00 PM (EST) and chat with me! :)

Thanks!! I'll be back tomorrow with my Book Tour schedule for June, which is packed with other opportunities to win print copies of ES & EH, as well as promo goodies and a bunch of gift cards! :)

An add-on to the previous post...

2011-05-17T12:44:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to add, in reference to the post below, that I greatly appreciate all reviews whether they're 1 star or 5 stars - so please don't mistake the previous post as a complaint about 3-star reviews. I have absolutely no complaints. :) I adore everyone who takes time out of their day to read one of my books and share their honest opinion. My feelings are not hurt in any way, and I am not upset. I am, however, always striving to deliver a better story to my readers...which is why I made the post below. What I love most about being a writer is that you never stop learning. I'm not a perfect writer by any means, and I don't think I ever will be, but that doesn't mean I won't try to to grow with every book I write. And your feedback definitely helps when it comes to growing and learning as an author. :)

That's all. :)

Thanks again!

What do you think?

2011-05-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

I’ve been watching some of the early reader reviews come in for Eternal Hearts on GoodReads, and I think I’m starting to notice a small trend among my readers. Granted, it’s not every reader, or even half at this point - but it would appear that some readers who loved Eternal Seduction are feeling a little ‘blah’ about Eternal Hearts, and the readers who are loving Eternal Hearts felt a little ‘blah’ about Eternal Seduction. And I define ‘blah’ as a 3-star rating instead of the 4 or 5 given to the other book. So I’ve been sitting here this morning trying to really focus in on the differences between ES and EH, and here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Eternal Seduction had a very non-traditional storyline, whereas Eternal Hearts leans much more towards a traditional storyline.

2. The heroine in ES was 30 and very detached, whereas the heroine in EH is only 22, and is much more compassionate.

3. The hero in ES was 10,000 years old, and the hero in EH is only…well, he isn’t even close to that number. Actually, there are only 2 numbers in Drake’s age. But you don’t find out what they are until the end of book 3. ;)

4. Eternal Hearts is comprised of a much larger cast than Eternal Seduction.

5. Eternal Seduction had a largely character driven plot, whereas Eternal Hearts is more plot driven overall.

So those are the elements I’ve identified as the major differences between the two books. But I’d love to hear what you guys think. I don’t know if I’m just finding the line between readers who prefer traditional over non-traditional or vice versa, but I think if I can combine the right elements from each story I can find a happy middle ground. :) And this is so important to me right now because I’m getting ready to start the final revise of Eternal Embrace. So I could really use some feedback before I start working on what is easily the darkest book of the series. ;)

And let me admit it right now, because I can already see some of the comments, I’m really not trying to please everyone. I already know that’s a fairly impossible feat. :) Each of the characters in the series is quite different, meaning not every story or couple will strike a nerve with every single reader. I know this, and I expect with every new book that I’ll always have a group of readers who don’t like that story or couple as much as another. But I think listening to my readers is important. And if something isn’t working for you…I want to give your concerns the time and consideration they deserve.

So let me have it! :) If you liked Eternal Seduction more than Eternal Hearts - why do you feel that way? Was it the characters? The overall story? Did you prefer the non-traditional aspects or the more traditional? And the same question applies if you liked Eternal Hearts more than Eternal Seduction. Feel free to leave a NON-SPOILER comment here. But if you want to tell me about something that might ruin the story for another reader, drop me an e-mail at jent@darknesswithinnovels.com.

Thank you! I really appreciate your feedback. :)

Have a good one!

Lord Stefan Nelek

2011-05-08T01:01:00.000-04:00

It's late and I'm tired, but I had to share this with you. Behold, the original character artwork for Stefan. :) The artist is Logan S. Kline (http://www.loganskline.com/) and I think he did a FANTASTIC job! Click on the image to see it full size. If you're reading this post via syndication, click the following link to see the image on my blog: http://www.jen-turner.blogspot.com/.

What do you think??

Go ahead, win some books!

2011-05-05T11:17:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let you all know about a couple of giveaways that are going on right now! :)

Giveaway #1, hosted by Vamps R Us, is for a print copy of Eternal Seduction, and to enter all you have to do is leave a comment. :) The contest is open until Sunday, May 8th.

http://vampsrus.blogspot.com/2011/05/giveway-eternal-seduction-by-jennifer.html

Giveaway #2, hosted by Book of Secrets, is also for a print copy of Eternal Seduction, as well as a paperback copy of Save My Soul by Zoe Winters, a $15 gift card to Starbucks, a fabric book cover with coffee cup print (fits trade paperbacks, a silver hook bookmark with beads and fairy charm, a colorful tote bag, a pendant with velvet cord, two mini Book of Secrets bookmarks, two scented candle tins, a small tin of mints, and lip balm. To enter, all you have to do is follow the Book of Secrets blog and fill out the entry form!

http://www.bookofsecretsblog.com/2011/04/spring-blog-carnival-giveaway.html

Thank you for checking the giveaways out! I really appreciate you guys supporting the Bloggers who've previously supported and continute to support me. Even with how much has happened with the Darkness Within series and Mr. Agent, I still get turned down for reviews because I'm self-published (which is cool, I harbor no ill feelings whatsoever - I'm well aware that not all self-pubbed authors behave themselves when they get a bad review!). But blogs like Vamps R US & Book of Secrets mean a lot to me because they were willing to take a chance when not many others were. So please help me give back to them! :)

Thanks and have a good one!

Weekly Update: May 3, 2011

2011-05-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

First, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who’s purchased a copy of Eternal Hearts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! :) You’re awesome. I adore you each and every one of you. And, much like I said in the Dedications, I wouldn’t be here without you. I still don’t know how I got so lucky. :)

With the early release of Eternal Hearts, my life has been crazy since last Friday. ;) And now that I’m done freaking out and have embraced the craziness - I wanted to let everyone know that I still have some spots open if anyone wants to get in on the Eternal Hearts Special Order. Here are some of the stickers you’ll get:

I love the Stefan sticker. I carried it all around my house last night, and every time I looked at it I smiled like a little kid. If you want to place an order, read THIS POST with pricing and all the special order details.

Okay, now onto the part wherein I ask you all for some serious help. As you know, Eternal Hearts released about a full month earlier than I was prepared for. I get e-mails all the time from readers asking if there’s anything they can do to help me with the books, and I always say not really, your support is plenty. :) But this time around, I really could use some help getting the word out about Eternal Hearts. So I compiled a short list of things you can do to help me, if you’re willing.

1. “Like” Eternal Hearts (print / Kindle) & Eternal Seduction (print / Kindle) on Amazon. The button is right up at the top of the page, above the price and next to the review stars.

2. Agree with the tags for Eternal Hearts (print / Kindle) & Eternal Seduction (print / Kindle) on Amazon. This really helps a lot, because the higher the # of tags the higher and more frequently the books will show in searches on Amazon. The tags are about halfway down the page, just under the reviews.

3. Write a review for Eternal Hearts and Eternal Seduction on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be 5 stars, and that’s not, at all, what I’m asking for. I’m asking you to write an HONEST review about the book. Talk about a few things you liked and a few things you didn’t like. Share with the world how you really feel. ;)

4. Write a review or rate Eternal Hearts and Eternal Seduction on B&N. B&N allows you to rate a book without having to write a review. Again, it doesn’t have to be five stars. Rate the books according to how you feel about them.

5. Add Eternal Hearts & Eternal Seduction to your shelf on GoodReads. Then, if you’re feeling generous, rate the books and write a review! ;)

6. Add Eternal Hearts & Eternal Seduction to your shelf on Shelfari. Then, just like with GoodReads, if you’re feeling generous, rate the books and write a review.

That’s all for now. :) Of course, pretty much anything you can think of that will help spread the word also applies to this request for assistance, so go forth and have fun with it. I’m also going to be placing a HUGE bookmark order as soon as I have the final artwork for Stefan, and I’m recruiting helpers who are willing to go to their local bookstores and drop off a stack of bookmarks to sit on the counter. If you’re willing, drop me an e-mail and we can chat about the details.

If anyone has any other ideas for promotions and getting the word out, let me know. I have never been a good sales person, and this promo / marketing stuff is extremely difficult for me because I have a fairly long list of things I just won’t do…like recommending my own book on GoodReads, spamming the Amazon forums, you know - shit like that. :) Remember the angry baby? Uh huh. I just can’t bring myself to do those things. So, I’m more than open to suggestions that won't piss readers off. ;)

Okay, I’m off to make some blog buttons and banners. Thanks for everything guys. Like I said above, you’re awesome! :)

Have a good one!

Eternal Hearts is live for the Kindle...

2011-04-30T15:53:00.000-04:00

Here's the link I think most of you have been waiting for...

http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Hearts-Darkness-Within-ebook/dp/B004YQBK6Y/

Enjoy! :)

Houston...we have an unexpected liftoff.

2011-04-30T11:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, right around 3:00PM, I started thinking about releasing the e-Book version of Eternal Hearts a few weeks early. I ran the idea by my Mom and she was totally on board…so I sat here really weighing my options, because I didn’t want my print readers to be upset that the e-Book released first. After some serious contemplation I started doing all the formatting for the different e-Book versions (which took about 6 hours), and then I began setting up EH on the different sites, but just as a draft, meaning the book wasn’t on sale, and wouldn’t be on sale until I clicked the “publish” button. Then I posted a message on my Facebook page asking if anyone would be overly upset if the e-Book came out before the print. And of course, the answer was no. :)

But then…oh, then…I went to Amazon and did a search for Eternal Hearts to see if the print listing was even up for pre-order there yet (because it’s been on B&N for a few weeks now)…and wouldn’t you know - the book was already IN STOCK and SHIPPING. And this was my face…

And let me tell you - I FREAKED OUT. I really did. I dug down deep and found my howler-monkey octave…and then I spit out every expletive I could think of for about 10 straight minutes. Even now, a little over 12 hours later, I’m still a little miffed.

For the first time in my life, I had meticulously planned every detail of something…and it was all for naught. It was one thing when *I* was thinking about releasing the e-Book early, because *I* would be the one creating the changes - but having the print book release without my knowledge was just too much. I planned for Eternal Hearts to release on June 1st, and maneuvered my whole schedule around that date. I bought advertising for June. I scheduled blog tours and interviews and PRINT book giveaways for June. I set up a Special Order for Eternal Hearts thinking (hoping) that those who ordered would get Eternal Hearts at least a few days before June 1st. And here I am…baffled as to what to do now.

I rushed to get all the e-Book versions uploaded last night…and as far as I know only B&N and All Romance have e-copies available now. The Kindle listing should go up sometime this afternoon. I’m still like #2,500 in the Smashwords queue, so I’m thinking it won’t show up there until tomorrow. And it will be at least another week before EH is available at the iBookstore, Sony Reader Store, and Kobo. So if you can’t find the e-book in the format you want yet, please bear with me - I wasn’t prepared for this…

To those who placed an Eternal Hearts Special Order, in light of the circumstances, if you’d like a refund I will promptly return your money to you. Just drop me an e-mail at orders@darknesswithinnovels.com and I will get your request taken care of ASAP. If there is anyone else who wants to place a Special Order for Eternal Hearts…I still have a few slots open. The ship dates of May 23 - May 25 will still hold, unless I get my book order early. I know that sounds bad, but I just approved the print proof on Wednesday the 27th - so *I* don’t even have print copies of EH yet! And the Special Edition Stefan prints won’t be here until May 5th or 6th. :( Like I said, I will ship the Special Orders as soon as I possibly can.

I think that’s all there is to say right now. I’m doing my best to shift with the tide here, but I feel like a chicken with my head cut off. I’m scrambling to set everything straight, but if I’ve forgotten something please don’t hesitate to let me know. I could use all the help I can get! I suppose the only bonus here, other than all of you getting the book you’ve been waiting for (which really does make me happy regardless of the surprise release!)…is at least it released a month early, instead of a month late! :)

Here are the links for the book so far, as of 11:30 PM (EST):

PRINT:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Hearts-Jennifer-Turner/dp/0982432119/

B&N - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eternal-Hearts/Jennifer-Turner/e/9780982432112/

E-BOOK:

Nook - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eternal-Hearts/Jennifer-Turner/e/2940012517098/

All Romance - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eternalhearts-544276-139.html

I’ll post the Kindle link as soon as the listing goes live.

Have a good one!

In need of assistance...

2011-04-29T12:26:00.002-04:00

Howdy! ;) I need some help... I'm trying to decide on some different promo items, and the number of things out there to slap a logo on is astounding. :) As the most fantastic readers in the world, what would you like to have with the Darkness Within logo on it? AND - do you have a favorite quote from the books so far? If so, what is it, and would you want it printed on something?

Thanks for your assistance!

Eternal Hearts Special Order:

2011-04-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails lately requesting a way to get an autographed copy of Eternal Hearts & Eternal Seduction, so this is what I’ve come up with...

Only 50 packages are available! All orders must be placed and paid for (via PayPal) by midnight on May 6, 2011.

Package #1 - For $20.00 you get:

A signed and personalized print copy of Eternal Hearts (6” x 9” Trade paperback), as well as bookmarks, pens, stickers, magnets, and other promo goodies. Plus, a signed special edition 4” x 6” digital print of the original character portrait artwork for Stefan Nelek (only 100 are being printed in total).

Package #2 - For $30.00 you get:

All of the above, plus a signed and personalized copy of Eternal Seduction (6” x 9” Trade paperback).

*The above prices include USPS Priority Mail shipping in the USA & Canada with insurance and delivery confirmation. If you live outside of the USA, send an e-mail to orders@darknesswithinnovels.com and we’ll work something out so shipping costs don’t kill us. ;)

All packages will ship out via USPS Priority Mail between May 23rd and May 25th, which means most packages shipped within the US & Canada will be received a few days before Eternal Hearts officially releases. However, I cannot guarantee you will receive the package BEFORE Eternal Hearts releases - just that all will ship between the dates above. (If USPS makes a shipping or delivery mistake, I can’t control them…although I wish I could!)

Please send an e-mail to orders@darknesswithinnovels.com with Eternal Hearts Special Order in the subject line, and the following info in the body of the e-mail (feel free to copy & paste):

Which package do you want?

How many packages do you want (limit 2):

Personalized for (name):

Shipping address:

E-mail address to send PayPal invoice to:

Comments (special instructions, request, etc):

Once we receive your order, we’ll send a *PayPal invoice within a few hours. Once your order is paid for, you’ll receive a confirmation of your order via e-mail with your order # and ship date. Refunds will only be given if you cancel your order BEFORE May 20, 2011.

*You don’t need a PayPal account to pay via Paypal. If you’d prefer to pay by another method, please e-mail orders@darknesswithinnovels.com and we’ll see what we can do!

I think that’s all. :) If you have any questions, comments or concerns, or if I left something out…just let me know!

Thanks!!

Jen

Weekly Update: April 21, 2011

2011-04-21T19:25:00.000-04:00

Eternal Hearts is still releasing on June 1, 2011.

Do you have any idea how much I love typing that? ;) Teehee. Okay, but anyway…I know my weekly update is a little late again, but it’s still in the same week so I’m happy with that. Right now, I’m all about taking the little wins where and when I can get them. :) I don’t have a whole lot to report this week, aside from letting you know that so far (knock on wood), everything is moving along according to plan. I should have the proof copy of Eternal Hearts any day now, and much to my surprise, Barnes & Noble actually has the pre-order listing for EH up already. You can find that here: B&N Pre-Order for Eternal Hearts

Amazon will probably have the listing up in the next 2 weeks or so, as well as all the other major print book retailers. I’ll let you know and share the links as soon as I see them. :)

As far as the Kindle and other e-Book formats go, there probably won’t be any pre-order listings for them. And as it stands right now, and much to my dismay, you may see the e-Books on sale a day or 2 before June 1st. Basically, Kindle’s (and others) self-publishing platform doesn’t allow an author to set a future release date…meaning I’ll have to upload the book on the 28th of May to make sure it’s available by the 1st of June (it can take 24-48 hours for the listing to go live). Which also means if Amazon is on the ball on the 28th - you may be able to get the book as early as May 29th or the 30th. It will probably be the same for the nook, All Romance E-books, Smashwords…and pretty much everywhere else the e-book will be available. I really wanted the print and e-books to release at the exact same time, but it looks like this is the best I can do. So, to my print readers, allow me to apologize now. All I can really do is hope that in the future all of these platforms will allow for future release dates.

On the Book/Blog Tour front, here are the dates I have scheduled so far:

June 1 - Release Party @ Bitten By Books

June 2 - Interview & Giveaway @ Rarely Dusty Books

June 3 - Interview & Giveaway @ Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust

June 6 - Interview & Giveaway @ Book Of Secrets Blog

June 7 - Interview & Giveaway @ Good Choice Reading

June 8 - Interview & Giveaway @ The Book Nympho

There will be more dates, I just don’t have them scheduled yet. It sounds like I’ll also be doing some radio interviews and some other general craziness to promote EH…which should be interesting. :) But much like the pre-order links, I’ll share all the dates and whatnot as soon as I have them.

I’m also making plans to attend the Romantic Times Convention in Chicago in 2012. So, if any of you are contemplating going, please let me know. :) I have this horrible fear of sitting at a signing table and no one stopping to talk to me because I’m just a small time author. So knowing a few of you will be there will help me take the planning more seriously.

I think that’s all I have for now. If any of you have any questions pertaining to the release of EH, let ‘em fly and I’ll do my best to answer them. I just can’t think of anything else that I need to tell you right now. ;)

Have a good one!

P.S. OH...I almost forgot - Eternal Hearts is up on GoodReads now, so you can add it to your shelf if you'd like. I'm also hosting a giveaway for 3 print copies of EH, which ends on May 15, 2011. And yes, that means you could have Eternal Hearts in your hands by May 20th if you win! ;) You can enter here:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Eternal Hearts

by Jennifer Turner

Giveaway ends May 15, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Weekly Update: April 15, 2011

2011-04-15T16:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry this is so late, but I've been swamped with book stuff. ;) The official release date for Eternal Hearts is...

June 1, 2011!!

The 6"x9" Trade Paperback will be priced at $12.99. (Just like Eternal Seduction) But I'm sure Amazon and B&N will both discount it to around $10.50 or so, much like they've done with ES.

The various e-Book versions will all be priced at $4.95. And you'll be able to find the book in the following places: Kindle, nook, Sony, Kobo, iBookstore, Diesel, MobiPocket, Smashwords, and All Romance. There may be more places, but those are the stores I know the e-book will be listed in for 100%.

I'm in the middle of trying to plan promo stuff, including blog tours and a release party, so I'll share that info as soon as I have it. I'm also planning some contests and other fun giveaways, but I don't have the details yet. I think that's all I have for now. Truth be told, my brain is mush at the moment. :D Too much information rattling around in there!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Update: April 5, 2011

2011-04-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

Eternal Hearts is still releasing in June 2011!! :)

You have no idea how happy it makes me to say that. ;) I've been working hard this past week on finishing the final read through, and I just finished designing the cover this morning. Behold...

Click on the cover to view it full size.

Some of the colors are a little off on the image, mainly because it was designed with print (CMYK) colors in mind and your screen shows RGB colors. It's just the difference of what colors a printer can print versus the bazillion more colors your monitor can show. But rest assured, the cover will look perfect after it's professionally printed. :)

I'll be finishing up my editing this week. I set a personal deadline to have any/all editing done by April 15th, and I WILL accomplish it. :) Then it will be on to formatting the interior book block for the print version, followed up by formatting all the different eBook versions. I swear I forgot just how much work this self-publishing thing is, but it's all worth it to give you Drake & Toni's story!

Again, thanks for being so patient everyone. I should be able to announce the actual day EH will release next week - I just need to work out a few more details with Mr. Agent before I make anything official. :)

Have a good one! Oh, and if you have nice weather...go outside and enjoy it. It's currently snowing here...

About Eternal Hearts...

2011-03-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

Well, hello there. :) First, allow me to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who’s made a comment on FB, the blog, my website, or sent me an e-mail sharing your excitement about the impending release of Eternal Hearts. Right now, I have a ridiculous number of emails in my inbox all in response to my announcement yesterday. You guys are just awesome, and I’m lucky to have you. :)

All right, so along with the email excitement and the congratulations and the mass amounts of WOOHOO-ing, there were also a lot of questions, which I’m going to do my best to answer right about now…

1. Did the series get picked up by a major publisher?

No.

2. Are you self-publishing Eternal Hearts?

Technically, yes.

3. Is Robert still your agent?

Yes.

4. What the deuce? How can you still have an agent and self-publish Eternal Hearts?

Because my agent is fabulous, that’s how. :)

Now for the explanation:

To say I was shocked when Robert called me yesterday and told me to release Eternal Hearts is an understatement. I was floored. I was flabbergasted. I was, yeah…I think you know where I’m going. ;) When I hung up with him, I stood in my kitchen for a full 2 minutes, staring down at my phone…wondering exactly how I’d managed to break every “Jen” cosmic law in existence and if paybacks were going to be a miserable bitch. You see, very rarely do things work out like this for me. The best of both worlds has always been a saying I understood, but couldn’t personally identify with.

But anyhow, even though Eternal Hearts has only been seen by a small number of editors (like I said in a previous post, you can count the # on one hand) I will be releasing EH in June with Robert’s blessing because it’s what’s best for my career right now. And I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am to have an agent who can look at my career as an author and see it as more than just the sum of traditional book deals.

Are we still hoping for a traditional deal for the series? Yes. Are we hoping that the sales numbers for EH will be phenomenal and make the series even more attractive to traditional publishers? Absolutely. Is what we’re about to do fairly unorthodox, especially while the series is still on submission to editors? I’m thinking yes. But above all else, Robert understands the publishing industry is undergoing major changes right now and the only way my career can move forward is if I keep my readers happy. So that’s what we’re going to do. :)

So here’s what you can expect now:

I need to do a final pass over EH to make sure there are no lingering typos and start formatting the print and e-book versions. Then I need to finalize the cover design and, well…design it (to the printer’s specs). I need to go through all my conversion processes to get the e-book into the proper formats for Kindle, nook, MobiPocket, Smashwords, the Apple iBookstore, etc. Once that’s finished, I need to start sending the book out to reviewers. Then I need to get all my different e-book files uploaded to the retail sites, get the final print files sent to the printer, and start working on my marketing plan.

…And somewhere during that time I will probably have a breakdown of epic proportions. I’ll spend a day or two worrying that everyone will hate the book. I’ll fret over bad reviews that haven’t even happened yet. I’ll convince myself I’m crazy for doing this self-publishing thing again, and then I’ll most likely swear off writing for good. But then my husband will laugh at me, hand me a tissue and call me a “sissy”, then calmly remind me I have a deadline to meet. And then, and only then, will I crawl out of my den of hopelessness and continue on like a nothing bad ever happened. Because that’s my process…and I never claimed to be anything even close to sane… ;)

A few days later I’ll get the print proof from the printer and look it over to make sure I’m happy with the final product. Then I’ll snicker and giggle because I have the final printed version sitting on my desk. And then I’ll find a damn typo a week before the book is scheduled to release and spend the next two days freaking out because I could have stopped it. I could have fixed it! :D Then someone will tell me everything will be just fine, I’ll believe them…and all will be well. And finally, I’ll celebrate EH’s release day and hope like hell you’ll all like the book enough to harass me about a release date for the next one.

So that’s what you can expect over the next few weeks. As soon as I’m confident of the actual date in June that the book will release, I’ll let you all know what it is. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

Again, thanks for all the well wishes everyone and for being so patient. I can’t wait to finally put this book in your hands. :)

Have a good one!

Weekly Update: March 29, 2011

2011-03-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Eternal Hearts will be releasing in June.

How's that for a weekly update? :D

I'm still working out all the details, so I don't know the exact date yet - but I wanted you all to know you don't have to wait much longer. The only bad news I have to report is that I'll have to put When Worlds Collide on hold for a few weeks while I get everything finalized for Eternal Hearts. I'm really hoping the good news out weighs the bad though. :) I'll post more EH details tomorrow. Today has just been fifteen shades of crazy and truth be told - my head's still spinning. I hope you're all as excited as I am!

Have a good one!

Weekly Update: March 22, 2011

2011-03-22T18:56:00.000-04:00

I don’t have any news on Eternal Hearts yet.

Wow… I have a feeling the weekly updates are going to open with that exact line for a while. Granted, that’s not necessarily bad…but I wish I had more to share with all of you. I’m doing my best to wade through all the info/facts to make some kind of concrete decision about the future of the series, but it would seem there are no easy answers. And if you really want to know how difficult the current publishing climate is, at least between traditional publishers and self-publishers, and what kind of information I regularly have to consider when it comes to making a decision about what to do with the series…read this article: NYT Bestselling Author Barry Eisler Walks Away From $500,000 Deal to Self-Pub

I’ll warn you now that it’s a very long post, but it hits on every single nervous thought I have about traditional publishing. And for those of you who’ve written to me asking why the decision to go one way or the other is so damn hard…that article pretty much sums it all up. So give it a read if you’re interested. :)

Now, in other news of the update persuasion- I’m in the process of integrating my original blog, Epiphany of Imperfection (jen-turner.blogspot.com) into the new and improved Darkness Within Novels website. It will probably take a few weeks, but I hope to have it finished in relatively short order. This way, you can get everything in one place, without having to bounce between my website and Blogger.com. I’m considering getting rid of my Blogger.com blog, especially since I have to double post everything right now (which is a bit time consuming), but I haven’t made up my mind yet. If you have any thoughts on the subject, be they for or against, let me know!

I’ve gotten a couple e-mails from readers asking how they can get an avatar to show up when they leave a comment on my website, so I and wanted to let everyone know that they can accomplish this by going to Gravatar.com and following the instructions there. Basically, you just associate an image with your e-mail address, and then anytime you leave a comment somewhere with that e-mail address your image shows up as an avatar. It’s a really easy process and it’s also free. :)

I think that’s all the news I have for the moment. I was up until 5:30 AM this morning because I couldn’t stop thinking about the article at the top of this post, so I’m a little tired and have probably forgotten something…but if I think of anything else, I’ll come back and do another update.

Thanks for reading and have a good one!

Where the Magic happens...

2011-03-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

Howdy! I got an e-mail last week from a reader who wondered why I didn't blog more about my personal life. And by personal life, she meant what kind of music I listen to while I write, where I write, how I write, etc. So I thought I’d share a couple pictures of the place I spend most of my time. My office...

Click on the image to see a larger version.

That’s a panoramic view, brought to you in part by my new phone. I knew I’d find a reason to mess with all the camera settings. ;) I have a big U-shaped desk made of black glass, and this is the view if I sit in my office chair and spin to my right. Which, just so you know…I do often. ;)

Starting on the left, you can see my shelves with some of my favorite books, as well as a few notebooks. Eternal Seduction and Eternal Hearts are in there too, in case I need to reference a character or a previous story line. Then there are some envelopes, a pen holder with all kind of compartments, and then there’s my beloved laptop, where all my writing is done. Next there’s another pen holder, because you can never have too many, my stapler, tape dispenser, and the monitor for my desktop system, where I do all my designing. Then there’s the odd little desert bio-dome planter thingy my daughter gave me, which, mind you, has been there for almost a year and nothing has grown in it. Yeah, I’m *that* bad with plants. Apparently, I can’t even grow a cactus. :) Next are my paper/binder clips, my Rantadine (because writing gives me heartburn sometimes), my color laser printer, a picture of my 2 oldest nieces, and finally my filing cabinet with my router and the subwoofer from my speakers on top of it.

So there you have it. That’s my office, where I typically spend about 8-12 hours a day. :) I’ll do a post later in the week about the different music I listen to while I write, and how I get into my “writing zone”.

When Worlds Collide: Chapter 1, Part 4

2011-03-19T01:52:00.002-04:00

Click HERE to read this post on my website, where you'll have to vote!

Okay, so I bled over into Saturday. :) I'm holding strong to the excuse that this part is A LOT longer than the others. It really is, but seriously - thanks for being patient. Here you go...

********************************************************************************

Corey took a moment to consider Dominus and his statement. One of her own was on the way to meet with her? They should be there any minute? That sounded all well and good, but how did “they” know where she was? At no point during their exchange had Dominus pulled out a phone, so it wasn’t like he’d called someone…

He’s lying to you. The muscles in her shoulders tensed at the thought. They weren’t exactly on the most trusting of terms. What if one of her own wasn’t on the way? What if more vampires showed up and made her situation even worse?

Corey studied Dominus’ sharp, weathered features and intense green eyes for a few more seconds. Unfortunately, they didn’t give much away when it came to honesty. “Who’s coming to meet with me?” she asked, trying her best to sound intimidating. “How do they know I’m here?”

He smiled at her. And much to her dismay - he was actually rather attractive while doing so. The fine lines around his eyes crinkled almost playfully, his firm lips parted just enough to show off his pearly whites, and the unforgiving edge to his stare relaxed. “What? You don’t trust me?”

She shook her head, even though the combination of his smile and incredibly deep voice made her want to. “I don’t have any reason to.”

“You don’t have any reason not to.” When she arched a brow, he raised a large hand. “At no point during the course of our encounter did I move to attack you. And I won’t. While some of my…proclivities…may be in direct contravention to your own now, I’ve never made a habit of harassing your kind. We both have our place in this world.” He tipped his head to the side as his eyes traced her body. “Some might even say we need each other.”

She watched as all at once his posture went from coiled and ready to strike to a purely masculine blend of lazy confidence. He slowly sauntered towards her, and she couldn’t tell whether it was his abrupt change of demeanor - or her interest in it - that made her golden barrier fizzle away. But fizzle the damn thing did…leaving nothing more than a small stretch of empty space between them.

“I’ve never seen one of you being made before,” he said, stopping barely a foot away from her. “Tell me, what’s it like?” She had no intention of answering until he added, “When I was turned…it was terrifying.” This time, his honesty was evident in the slight flinch of his eyes as he spoke the last word.

“It’s just…” She drew a deep breath as she contemplated how to answer his question. And even more importantly - if she should answer his question. “I guess it’s just hard to believe that I’m a…you know, and you’re a…yeah.” She rubbed a hand down her face. “I keep thinking I’m having some kind of mental breakdown. Like any minute now some big guys in white coats are gonna jump out and grab me.”

Dominus smiled then laughed. The rich sound rolled around her and down the alley again, but this time it didn’t seem nearly as patronizing. Believe it or not, this time his laughter held an intimate note - as if they were just two old friends sharing an inside joke.

“You’re not having a breakdown.” He reached out and wound a finger into one of the dark curls resting on her shoulder. “This really is happening. I am a vampire. You are a Paladin. And all we can do now is hope you’ll decide to be one of the kind that doesn’t try to kill me every time you see me.”

“Oh, well that’s good,” Corey all but croaked. She swallowed the growing tickle in her throat. “I mean, that I’m not having a breakdown.” She took another deep breath and did her best to ignore the way he absently played with her hair. He wound and unwound the curl, then rubbed the strands between his thumb and index finger. “So, there’s, um…more than one kind of Paladin?”

“Yes, there is more than one kind,” a new and damningly smooth voice answered from behind her. “Dominus, would you kindly remove your hand from my newest pupil’s hair, please?”

Dominus grinned wide as he gently but quickly withdrew his hand. “Jacob, your timing is impeccable…as always.”

Corey turned to find one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen standing merely a few feet away. Bald, with perfectly bronzed skin and radiant blue eyes, he looked as though he’d been painstakingly peeled from the ceiling of some beloved cathedral in Europe. The only features he was missing were the long blond hair and feathery white wings.

He extended a hand towards her. “Miss Nelson, my name is Jacob. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too,” she said as she accepted his hand. Only he didn’t shake it like she’d anticipated. He pulled her to stand next to him, and then put himself between her and Dominus, like a referee.

He stared between the both them for a few moments, but then settled back on her. “I know the answer to this question might seem fairly obvious, considering how I found the two of you, but it’s important that I ask. You can stand here with him, in such close proximity, and you’re not inclined to attack him?”

“What?” Heat seared Corey’s cheeks. “It’s not like we were doing anything. We weren’t. We were just talking.” She thrust a pointed finger in Dominus’ direction when one of Jacob’s brows rose. “He’s the one who decided to play with my hair. I didn’t ask him to. I was trying to ignore it. I thought it would be rude to push his hand away.” She fisted her hand when Jacob’s expression didn’t change and Dominus started laughing again. “I was just trying to be nice!”

“You’ll have to forgive Corey,” Dominus said. “She’s having a difficult night.” He flashed one of his mocking smiles at Jacob. “And yes, if there’s blame to be assigned for playing with her hair, I admit it should probably be laid at my feet. I’m a bad Ancient vampire. But then, I suppose you already know that, don’t you?”

Jacob chuckled in response. “Ancient you may be, Dominus, but to me you’re still a child. Now would not be a convenient time for you to forget that.”

“Wow,” Dominus said as he smoothed the sleeve of his black button down shirt, which he wore un-tucked and open, covering a matching ribbed tank top. “And here I thought you’d at least thank me for letting you know she’d been made. And right here, in your precious Chicago, no less.”

“That she’d been Chosen,” Jacob sternly corrected. “This isn’t the Mafia. Paladins are not made - they’re Chosen.”

Dominus shrugged. “Oh, my bad.”

“Your bad?” Jacob asked with a sneer. “Do me a favor, especially since it’s no secret that you don’t particularly care for the modern age - stop mixing popular phrases with your antiquated speech pattern. It’s ridiculous, at best.”

Corey stood quietly as the two men went back and forth a few more times, flinging what she could only assume were some sort of personal insults. If it were any other night, she might have asked them to go somewhere else and pick at each other, but tonight they made for a rather interesting study. Both were probably a handful of inches over six feet tall, and both had strong, muscular builds wrapped in tight, tanned skin, but that’s where the similarities ended.

And it wasn’t until she stood there, comparing the two handsome men, that she realized just how dark and sinister Jacob made Dominus look.

Although she gave in to the fact that Jacob wore a white button down shirt tucked into black, belted slacks and a pair of expensive leather dress shoes, which probably effected her overall perception of him, everything about him seemed lighter and more refined than Dominus. His facial features were regal, dignified, and…delicate? She frowned at the thought. Not delicate in a pretty sense, or even a breakable sense, but she couldn’t find another word to describe him.

He just looked…perfect.

Even while trading verbal jabs with Dominus, Jacob radiated a calm, cool and calculated serenity. Like somehow he knew, without a shred of doubt, that there was nothing Dominus could ever do to hurt him. Truth be told, she’d never seen a man who had so much authority and confidence stacked on his shoulders that didn’t come off as an arrogant asshole. Yet, there Jacob stood, looking as humble as a veteran firefighter who’d just been handed an award for saving the lives of fifty people.

And Jacob’s eyes - Corey wasn’t sure a brighter shade of blue existed.

But, Dominus, on the other hand…

Wearing his two black shirts, worn designer jeans, and a pair of box-toed leather boots - Dominus looked like the typical bad boy. His facial features were hard and weathered, including a faint scar that ran diagonally across the middle of his forehead to his upper left cheek. His jaw appeared to be cut from stone, and his lips were firm but could probably be fairly forgiving if he allowed them to be.

Honestly, in stark contrast to Jacob…there was nothing even remotely perfect about Dominus. And nothing - absolutely nothing - about him could be confused with the words dignified, delicate, or refined. He looked like a savage predator with his deep set eyes and hair that was such a dark shade of brown it was almost black. And while he was most certainly stacked sky high with the same mixture of authority and confidence as his counterpart…arrogance and expectation practically bled from every pore of his hard, chiseled body.

She smiled as she thoroughly considered Dominus’ two parts dismissive, one part lazy stance. And humble, well…the word humble had probably never been in the man’s vocabulary at any point in time, ancient or modern. He liked to push the bounds, loved to break the rules even more, and although she didn’t get the sense that he was as cool or calm as Jacob - he was definitely ruthless and just as calculating - if not more so.

Corey snapped back to the present at the sharp sound of her name. “Huh? What?” She looked between Jacob and Dominus. “Are you two done fighting yet?”

“Oh, that wasn’t us fighting,” Dominus said as he flashed a wicked smile. “That was just how we say hello to each other.”

Jacob rolled his eyes then motioned towards the end of the alley. “Miss Nelson, if you’ll allow me, I’d be happy to walk you home and answer any questions you might have about the events of this evening.”

She eyed Jacob. He might have looked like a nice guy, but she wasn’t quite ready to put all of her trust in him. The last time she put all her eggs in one basket, someone threw it down a flight of stairs. “How do I know that you’re like me?”

Dominus burst out laughing. “Yeah, Jacob…how does she know?”

Jacob offered her a polite smile. “I completely understand your concerns. Please, allow me to prove that you’ll be safe with me.” He’d barely finished the last word when a veritable thunderstorm of golden sparks exploded from his body. And far off in the distance, somewhere behind the impenetrable wall of brilliant sunlight surrounding them, the beautiful voices sang to her again…only this time it was a song of reverence.

For the first time in her life, Corey truly understood what it meant to feel humbled. Whatever or whoever she’d become tonight…Jacob had been already for a very, very long time. And she knew, deep down in the same place that told her Dominus was a vampire, that standing next to Jacob was arguably the safest place in the entire world.

When the shower of golden light faded as fast as it appeared, Jacob winked at her. “Did I win your vote of confidence?”

She nodded. “Uh, huh.”

“Good.” He motioned towards the end of the alley again. “Shall we?”

Corey started walking, but then stopped and looked around. “Wait. Where did Dominus go?”

Jacob let out an evil chuckle. “He ran away.”

“What?” she asked, somewhat confused. On the long list of qualities that could probably be attributed to Dominus, both good and bad, cowardly didn’t seem to fit. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. My barrier just tends to be a little more uncomfortable for someone of his age and power. Yours will be the same way in the future…given proper time and training.”

Corey did her best to ignore the slight pang of disappointment she felt over Dominus’ apparently hasty exit, and tried to focus all her attention on how little she knew about her new life. “So…what happens now?”

“Now, I walk you home and answer any questions you might have along the way. Learning to be a Paladin doesn’t happen in a single night, but what you learn first is up to you. Where would you like to start?”

What should Corey do now?

Head over to my website and vote by clicking HERE!

Because I want to take a short break from WWC in favor of putting some serious work into Ascension, voting for this round will be open until 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 27th. I'll post the next installment of the story sometime on Thursday, March 31st! :) Vote like you mean it! Oh, and as usual - if you want Corey to do something else just leave a comment. :)

Just a quick FYI...

2011-03-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

I'll be posting Part 4 of When Worlds Collide sometime tomorrow (Friday). My Hubster actually has a half day off today (he'll be home at 2PM), so I'd like to spend it with him. :) And I'm thinking I won't be finished writing by then...because it would appear that Dominus wants to be nice now. ;)

But here, look at this...

I made a cover for WWC. :) Each time I finish a chapter (I think part 4 will be the end of chapter 1) I'll turn said chapter into a PDF and post it on the site. This way when the "book" is finished, I can combine all the chapters and you can save it to your computer as an ebook. I can even convert it to epub or another format if you'd like to save it on your e-reader. :)

Have a good one!

Weekly Update: March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T17:44:00.001-04:00

I don’t have news about Eternal Hearts yet, but I do want to take a few minutes and explain exactly what’s going on with the book…

I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails, and I mean a lot - hundreds per week for the last few months - all asking about the release date for Eternal Hearts. I do my best to answer each one personally, without using a form letter (although I think sometimes it comes off that way because I’m saying the same thing over and over), but I have to admit that over the last few months I think I’ve spent more time answering e-mails than actually writing for the series. So, here’s a little history on the series and a breakdown of what’s happening with Eternal Hearts:

For anyone who doesn’t already know, I self-published Eternal Seduction, book #1 in the Darkness Within series, back in October of 2008. Meaning, to date, I am the one and only publisher of Eternal Seduction. I opened my own publishing company, Dark Dreams Press, and did all the work to get the book out into the wild. :) I bought the ISBNs, I designed the cover, I (and a few others) did all the editing, I also did all the formatting as well as all the initial marketing and promo. Basically, I handled every aspect of getting the book (both print and e-book) into the marketplace. If you want to know why I decided to put the book out myself, click HERE for more info.

Eternal Hearts, book #2, was originally scheduled to release in May of 2009. However, due to a number of changes in my life, an unexpected move, my Hubby becoming a full-time college student while still working a full-time job, and my daughter having some difficulty in school, I had to postpone the release of EH. My life finally calmed down around late 2009/early 2010, so I planned a June 2010 release date for Eternal Hearts. In May of 2010, I was contacted by Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident Media Group (TMG). He expressed great interest in the Darkness Within series, as well as his thought that it should be with a traditional publisher, and offered me representation. After a long discussion with my Hubby, we decided to accept Robert’s offer and give the series a chance to get picked up by a big name publisher. (By the way, I was stupid excited when it happened - just so ya know!) But by making that decision, it also meant I couldn’t release Eternal Hearts in June 2010 like I’d planned.

(When you sign with an agent, you give them a vested interest in anything you write for a specific period of time, usually 3 years. They essentially become your business partner, and rightfully have a say in what you do with your “product” - being your books. An agent’s main job is to sell an author’s books to a big name traditional publisher, and said agent doesn’t get paid until their author does.)

I signed my contract with Robert in June of 2010. I worked with him through August of 2010 to make a few minor changes to Eternal Hearts, write a series synopsis, and get everything ready for him to submit EH and the series to editors at major publishing houses. Eternal Hearts officially went on submission in September of 2010. And that’s where we are now, on submission to editors. :)

Along with the e-mails asking about a release date Eternal Hearts, I’ve also been getting a lot of e-mails lately asking why I don’t just move on and publish EH myself. The first reason I can’t do that is because I signed a contract with Robert and TMG, and I’d have to terminate that contract before I could publish EH under my own imprint. Not to mention, EH has only been on submission for a little over 6 months (minus a 2 month break around Thanksgiving and Christmas). So, yeah, EH has technically only been out to editors for a little over 4 months. Granted, the aforementioned doesn’t stop me from considering my options every now and then (I’ve always been a plan for the worst kind of person), but I’m not sure I’m ready to be the self-published author who walked away from one of the most successful agents in publishing. :) Read about TMG HERE. I’m all about rebellion and going your own way - but even I have to think awful hard about that. ;)

The second reason I don’t just move on and publish EH myself is this: As of today, March 14, 2011 - Eternal Hearts has only been seen by a small number of editors. And when I say small, I mean I can count the number on one hand. I can almost hear the resounding thud of heads hitting desks out there, but I warned you all that traditional publishing moves slowly. ;) I knew this when I accepted Robert’s offer, I still know this now…and I also know there are still a lot of editor’s desks for Eternal Hearts to cross before I can even begin to seriously think about throwing in the towel. But knowing doesn’t stop me from feeling a bit frustrated - much like I imagine all of you feel, since many of you have been waiting a year or more for Eternal Hearts to release. The simple fact is, finding an editor who loves the series is only half the battle. Not only does the series have to be loved by an editor, but then it has to be loved by the finance and marketing department of the publishing house before there will ever be a release date for Eternal Hearts. So, you see, finding an editor is really just the beginning…

I know I’m in a unique position because I didn’t find an agent who loved my series until after I self-published. But, to be honest, I think my unique position is what’s causing some of my frustration right now. Had I found an agent before I released Eternal Seduction, I’d be waiting mostly by myself. I might get e-mails from family and friends who are wondering what’s happening, but I wouldn’t have a whole host of awesome readers waiting right beside me…

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I may be frustrated with my situation, I’m not necessarily frustrated with it because of the amount of time it’s taken so far. I’m frustrated because I know a lot of you are disappointed that it’s taking so long to hear any real news about EH. Does that make sense? And knowing that you’re disappointed makes me want to do something to make you happy. But the only thing I can do is release EH on my own, which brings me back to the reasons why I can’t do that yet. It’s like I’m caught in some crazy vicious circle. More than anything, I want to give all of you what you want…because I am keenly aware that I wouldn’t be here without you. :) But at the same time, I want to give Robert more time to find the series a publisher - especially since it’s only been seen by a few editors. So all of this leaves me with a question…

What can I do, aside from releasing Eternal Hearts myself, to make you all happy? :D

I know they say you can’t please everyone, but I’m more than willing to try. I’m still working on the Ascension novella trilogy, featuring Kasey & Vouclade, which I have Robert’s permission to release on my own as soon as it’s ready. I’ve started the weekly Choose Your Own Adventure story: When Worlds Collide, featuring Corey & Dominus. I’m working on updates to the website to give you more info on the characters and upcoming books (please bear with me - I maintain my own website, so I have to squeeze updates in when I’m not writing or being a Mom/Wife). I’ll be unveiling a ridiculously amazing character portrait of Stefan Nelek next month that was done by phenomenal artist, Logan S. Kline. Logan will also be creating original portraits for all of my main characters. And yes, Odin is already on the schedule to be #2. :D And, I’m still trying to blog on a semi-regular occasion. But if there’s anything else I can do to help ease the wait for you guys, please let me know.

If there’s some specific feature or content you’d rather see than what I’m already working on - I’d love to hear about it. Believe it or not, I’m all about compromise. :) If you’d prefer full and complete character bios over the Choose Your Own Adventure story, then I’ll shift my focus to the bios. If you’d rather have more personal interaction where you can ask questions about the world/characters/books and get the answers straight from me, then I’ll spend more time working on the Forums where we can do that. Just tell me what you want and I’ll do my best to make it happen!

Thanks for reading this long ass post. ;) Thanks for giving Eternal Seduction and a lowly self-published author a chance. And thanks even more for not only waiting for Eternal Hearts…but after all this time caring enough to harass me about it. ;) Like I’ve said a hundred times before, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my very understanding husband and daughter, my always supportive mother, and for each and every one of you.

Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. ;) Let me know what I can do to make this long trip more fun for you. I’m open to anything - except mooning the people in the car behind us. Someone has to keep their hands on the wheel! :D

Have a good one!

~Jen

When Worlds Collide: Chapter 1, Part 3

2011-03-11T23:52:00.001-05:00

Click HERE to read this post on my website, where you'll have to vote!

Dominus. If my life should be the first you extinguish… Corey froze as the vampire’s words replayed in her mind, drowning out the demanding church choir. The choice she’d been given by whoever or whatever was singing to her seemed fairly cut and dry - kill him to save them. But what was she supposed to do? Just walk over and slaughter him? With what exactly?

Not to mention, why? For supposedly tainting everything he touches? For being a vampire?

Because the voices in her mind told her to?

Corey shook her head at the thought. Yeah, that would go over great with the police. She’d be behind bars or in the mental ward before morning. She couldn’t go to jail. She had to work tomorrow. She was already $5,000.00 behind on her sales quota for the month, and the last thing she needed was to give her boss any new reasons to hate her.

She ground her teeth as frustration washed away the same hatred and courage the voices had instilled only moments before. Vampires? Really? What the hell? She glared down at a jagged crack in the pavement. What if she was actually going crazy, like…right this moment? Aside from the fact that some weird gut instinct told her Dominus really was a vampire, what other proof did she have that he was anything other than some guy out for an evening stroll?

Brick walls don’t take evening strolls… Corey drew a deep breath then focused back on Dominus. Patches of metallic black and crimson still glittered like a dense fog around his body, but the wisps of shadow were gone now…and so were his fangs. He just stood there, his dark green eyes locked on her, as if he simply waited for her to make a move.

She took a small step backwards, but froze again when the line of golden sparks flared back to life in front of her. Crackling and sizzling, it hung between her and Dominus like a thick curtain of glimmering sunlight.

“I won’t be lulled by such a marginal retreat.” He sneered at the golden barrier then narrowed his eyes on her. “If you intend to strike, get on with it already.”

“Excuse me?” Corey cocked her head as a rash of irritation prickled across her shoulder blades. “I’m not really sure what’s happening right now, but I do know that I’m not afraid of you.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “So I suggest you keep your mouth shut while I figure this out.”

Something purely arrogant, if not a little mischievous, flashed behind his eyes as one corner of his mouth rose. “Or you’ll do what?”

In the scant time it took Corey to blink, fury completely overtook her. She balled her hands into fists and charged forward. “Or I’ll kick your ass…you rude, arrogant, motherfu--”

“Whoa!” Dane yelled, just as a strong arm wrapped tight around Corey’s waist. “Corey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m gonna get him!” she spat as she thrashed against Dane’s arm. “Put me down!”

“Good Lord, what’s gotten into you lately?” Dane didn’t lighten his hold on her until he’d turned and put himself between her and Dominus. “First you’re mean to the waitress, who didn’t even do anything to you. And now you’re ready to throw down in some back alley because…what, some guy got in your way?” He reached up and gently touched the back of his head, then sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. “It might be the goose egg talking, but I’m pretty sure you ran into him. What the hell were you running from anyway?”

Corey drew a deep breath so she could explain exactly what had gotten into her and why she was running, but the words escaped her when the sound of gruff, rolling laughter filled the alley.

“Be careful, Corey,” Dominus called in a half warning, half mocking tone. “If you say too much out loud, I won’t be able to let it go. After all, you know what they say about loose lips…”

“Hey, Buddy, do you mind?” Dane said as he slowly turned around. “I’m sorry we ran into you and all, but you don’t need to talk to her like that.” He took a large step towards Dominus. “And I’ll be damned if I’m just gonna stand here and let you talk to her like that.”

“You’ll be damned? And here that’s exactly what I was attempting to avoid.”

Corey’s first instinct was to grab the back of Dane’s shirt and pull him away from the mouthy vampire, but she was too busy staring at his perfectly shaped ass - or more appropriately - the golden sparks shimmering just above either side of it. Her mouth dropped open as her mind struggled to process the image.

How could he not see the line? It was right there, practically cutting him in half, beaming like a holy beacon in the night. Granted, it wasn’t like the alley was pitch black or anything. No alley in downtown Chicago was completely dark. But it was dark enough, and that line or barrier or…whatever…was most certainly bright enough.

She stared at the back of Dane’s head. “I don’t understand. How can you not see it?”

He cast a glance at her from over his shoulder. “See what? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t do it, Corey,” Dominus warned again.

“That!” She threw her arms out and pointed at the line with both hands. “That freakin’ line. That ridiculously bright golden line cutting across your ass! Please tell me you see it.”

“No matter the age, women never listen,” Dominus grumbled.

Ignoring the idiotic remark, Corey stayed focused on her friend. “Tell me you see it.”

Dane turned to face her, looked around for a few seconds, and then shrugged. “I’m really sorry, Corey. I don’t see anything. What does it look like?”

“Hey, Pretty Boy,” Dominus said as he snapped his fingers.

Dane had no more than turned his head to look at Dominus when something odd happened. One of the thin shadow wisps from earlier reached out from Dominus’ wrist and touched Dane’s forehead, then dissipated into thin air, leaving a faint crimson stain on his skin. The two men stared at each other for another long moment before Dane finally turned back to her and flashed a devilish smile. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek then started walking away.

“Have a good time, Babe,” he called from over his shoulder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Corey pinned Dominus with a nasty glare. “Where is he going? What did you do to him?”

“He’s going home to get a good night’s sleep while his dear friend Corey goes out to dinner with the very good looking man she met while walking home. As for what I did to him,” he said with a lazy shrug, “I did you the favor of making him leave before you said something that I couldn’t take back.”

She frowned at him. “What do you mean something you couldn’t take back?”

He actually rolled his eyes. “He’s human. He doesn’t see the colors around me as you do. He doesn’t see your ridiculous little barrier at all. And he most certainly doesn’t know what I truly am. To him, I’m just a normal guy. And for his sake, and yours, it needs to stay that way.” When she opened her mouth, he abruptly shushed her and continued. “The more you tell him about the supernatural, the more difficult it becomes to remove the knowledge from his mind. And if I can’t remove the knowledge via my own…powers, shall we say, there are only two other options: death or induction. Neither of which will probably please someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” She narrowed her eyes on him again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Aligon help me.” He raked a hand through his shoulder length brown hair then huffed out what sounded like a frustrated sigh. “You’re a Paladin now, which means you’re never going to look any older than you do now, and you’re never going to die. Your place in the world is to protect the poor, unsuspecting masses, also known as the Innocents, or as you may know them - mundane humans, which also happen to be my food, from vampires and other supernatural creatures. You have your own annoying powers now, including that infuriating little barrier, and eventually, unless something has changed over the last thousand years and no one bothered to tell me, you’ll even get your own shiny blade. It’s all very…what’s the phrase? Oh yes, self-righteous and vainglorious. Congratulations on your Ascension to something supposedly greater than me…even though I’m the one standing here explaining to you what you are.”

“But…” Corey stared down at the barrier still rippling between them. It was one of her powers? She was a Paladin now? And she was never going to die? She chewed at the inside of her bottom lip for a moment then looked back up at Dominus. “How? Why? I mean, what about my family…and Dane? What am I supposed to tell them if I don’t get any older?” Tears burned the rims of her eyes as the thought of having to leave her family and friends crept into her mind. “How do I explain this to them?”

“You don’t.” The hard line of his mouth relaxed as his voice took on a softer edge. “It’s the price we all pay. And even though we’re destined to become enemies, you and I, it’s the one thing we’ll always have in common. We’ll hide who we really are from the people we care for most…and hope like hell our new life never touches them.” He stood eerily still and quiet for a few seconds. “But it’s really not my place to explain that part of your life to you. One of your own is on the way to meet with you. He should be here any minute now.”

What should Corey do now?
Head over to my website and vote by clicking HERE!

Voting will be open until 11:59 PM on Monday, March 14th. I'll post the next installment of the story on Thursday, March 17th! :) Rock the vote! Oh, and if you want Corey to do something else just leave a comment. :)

I'm running behind, but I have candy... :)

2011-03-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm running a little behind on the next installment of When Worlds Collide. Fortunately, it doesn't have to do with a snowstorm this time. Part 3 is actually running longer than I anticipated, so instead of cutting it prematurely and posting it now, I'd like to keep working on it for another day. In it's place, I offer the candy mentioned above...a special sneak peek at one of my favorite scenes from Eternal Hearts!

*******************************************************************************

Drake stepped onto the sidewalk outside the hotel’s front lobby with a heavy heart. As crazy as the notion was, he missed Toni already, and really hoped Derek would be talking to Crypt soon. Having never been forced to wait for someone else to make a decision regarding his fate, he sucked in a few deep breaths and did his best to remain as calm as possible.

He frowned as he jogged across the street. Even though he wanted to, charging into Derek’s office and punching him in the eye probably wouldn’t garner the most desired results. And again, as much as he might want to…neither would showing up on Crypt’s doorstep and tearing off his sword arm. No, this time he had to play by the rules – because this time what he stood to lose was the most important thing he’d ever had.

And she was the only topic he could focus on as he walked to Grey’s.

After catching sight of the massive line forming outside the front doors of his favorite cof-feehouse, Drake veered off course in favor of going somewhere else. He liked people, he really did, but sometimes the caffeine junkies who waited in line at Grey’s were a little too much.

“There’s my favorite Big Sexy Man Beast!”

Drake stopped when a very familiar whisky feminine voice filled his ears, and probably dea-fened nearly every other non-supernatural creature walking down the sidewalk. He immediately looked up at the buildings lining the street. He was in Chicago right? He hadn’t accidently tele-ported to New York, had he? Once the names on the building assured him that he was still very much in Chi-Town, he turned around and searched for the neon spikes of hair that were usually attached to that voice.

It didn’t take long him long to find Raze as she pushed through the crowd he’d tried so hard to avoid, a Grey’s to-go cup in one hand, Jacob’s belt loop in the other.

“Drake! Wait up.” She burst into a full sprint towards him, dragging what appeared to be a rather irritated Jacob with her. “I need some company who isn’t going to groan or grimace or grumble…or do any other G word you can think of while I’m talking.”

“I wasn’t grumbling,” Jacob snapped.

“Yes, you were,” Raze said as she came to a stop in front of Drake. She shot Jacob a nasty sideways glare. “You are just one grumpy old bastard sometimes, you know that?”

Jacob nodded at him. “Good morning, Drake.” He then turned and smacked Raze’s hand away from his belt. “I have no problem keeping you company, Ekaterina. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to do so from my very comfortable seat at Grey’s.”

She rolled her signature violet eyes. “Fine. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

He pinned Drake with a bored stare. “I assure you, Mr. Black, I shall be counting the seconds with baited breath until I’m graced with her divine presence once more.”

Drake couldn’t help but to laugh when Jacob spun on his heel and walked away, leaving Raze’s mouth gaping open. “I think your Mentor just told you to go fuck yourself.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Like I said, some days he’s just a grumpy little bitch.” She beamed an amused smile. “But fancy meeting you here.”

He chuckled. “I was just thinking the same about you. Why are you outside of New York?”

Her nose wrinkled as she stuck out her pierced tongue. “Oh, I got a petition for assistance from Roman, so I thought I’d show up early and enjoy the frigid lake breeze for the next eight hours or so.”

“Roman? The library guy?” When she nodded, he arched a brow. If he remembered correctly, Roman was an Ancient Warrior, who barely ever came out of his library, let alone sent letters to neighboring cities for help. “He needs your assistance? What the hell for?”

She shrugged before she started walking again. “I have no idea. But he said in his letter that the matter was of the utmost importance and needed my full and immediate attention. And you know I can’t resist the allure of big…formal…words.” She rubbed her teeth together then growled the last word.

Drake burst out laughing. Raze’s sense of humor was second only to Odin’s, but considering she worked as the Head of Enforcement for Odin’s twin brother, Kerestyan, who happened to be the Lord of New York, he wasn’t really surprised. No doubt, she probably spent a lot of time around Odin whether she liked it or not.

“So what’s going on with you?” she asked. “You just out for a morning…” Her words trailed off as she sniffed at the air. “What the hell is that?” She wiggled her nose as she moved closer to him, drawing in short bursts of air then blowing them out again. “It’s you! You smell like double the vampire, double the fun...not to mention a whole bunch a fangtastic sex. What the hell?”

Drake fisted his hands. He should have taken a shower before he left the hotel. Then again, he hadn’t exactly expected to run into Raze, considering she rarely left her post in New York. “I, well…I guess you could say—”

“Oh, for Aligon’s sake, just spit it out already.”

“Okay. I met someone.”

She arched a brow, replete with three barbell piercings. “A fanged someone? A fanged someone who you got unbelievably kinky with then sucked on for a lot longer than you probably should have?”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”

“I thought you didn’t do that kind of dirty.”

He raised his hands, palms up. “I usually don’t, but I made an exception for her.”

“Ooh…do you love her?”

“Yes.”

Raze jumped and nearly dropped her coffee. “Holy shit, Drake! I was just kidding when I asked…but are you serious? I mean, are you like serious, serious?”

He nodded. “I really am. I’ve never met anyone like her, and truth be told, I can’t im-agine…well, I shouldn’t say that because I could, but I’d rather not imagine my life without her in it.”

“Oh, Drake…” She alternated stomping her chrome-toed leather Goth boots against the pavement before she threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so happy for you! After what hap-pened with that, that whore who shall remain nameless…I wasn’t sure you’d ever give someone else a chance.” She squeezed him tighter. “But you did…and that’s so awesome! You so deserve some happiness in your life.”

He smiled as he patted her back. “Thanks, Raze.”

“You’re welcome,” she said as she pulled away and looked at him. “So how long have you known her? What’s her name? How old is she? What family is she from? Wait. She’s not a Mys-tic is she, because you know you can’t trust those bitches, right? Come on, details, details!”

“No, she’s not a Mystic. I’ve only known her for a few days. Her name is Toni. She’s a Fled-gling. And she’s a Warrior. She’s also beautiful, smart…and more human than vampire.”

“Nice! I love it when the young ones hold on to their morals. Of course, I’d love it even more if they actually kept them when they became Elders…but that’s neither here nor there.” She tipped her head to the side and made a clicking sound with her teeth. “And you know what they say about the Warrior’s, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” He’d heard a lot of rumors about the Warrior lineage over the years, some good…some not so much. “I suppose it depends on what ‘they’ you’re talking about.”

“Warriors fight with everything they have,” she sighed as she clutched the hand not holding her coffee to her chest, “and they love with just as much fervor.” She broke into another wide grin. “Which means they’ll snap and kick your ass in a heartbeat if you piss them off, but they’ll knock your socks off between the sheets.”

“And you know this from personal experience?”

She screwed up her face. “Oh, hell, no. Sleeping with the undead pretty much flies in the face of my job description, don’t cha think?”

Drake smiled at her. He really couldn’t argue her point. As a Paladin, her life’s work entailed protecting humanity from vampires and werewolves. So getting involved with one in anything more than a friendship capacity probably wasn’t the best idea for her. “You make a good point.”

“If you really pay attention, you’ll find that I often do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She took a sip of coffee then pulled the lapels of her black, opera style long coat tighter around her neck. “So what does Odin think of Miss Toni? Has he driven her crazy like he does the rest of us yet?”

Drake shook his head. “Nope. He hasn’t even met her yet.”

Raze couldn’t have looked any more shocked if he’d actually tried. “What? Why not? Is something wrong? Have you not seen him lately?” She rolled her eyes and let out a loud groan. “Don’t tell me he was messing around in the Bermuda Triangle again. I swear to Aligon, Drake, I am so not gonna go pull his ass outta there again.”

After Drake managed to finish laughing at the memory Raze had drudged up, he drew in a deep calming breath. “Don’t worry, I just saw him the other night. We were doing the pizza and beer thing at a building downtown while we were waiting for Jake to show up with the details of my last contract.”

“Oh, well that’s good. At least he’s probably still in one piece.” She paused for a second then cocked her head. “But that doesn’t explain why he hasn’t met her yet.”

“He hasn’t met her because I’ve been working a contract for the last two days. I haven’t ex-actly had time to hang out.”

She frowned. “Okay, hold up for a minute. If you’ve only known Toni for a few days and you’ve been working a contract for the last two, then when the hell did you have enough time to do so much blood sucking that you don’t smell completely like you?”

Drake slowly shook his head. “It’s a long story, but my contract was on her.” He raised his hands. “And before you even ask, it was a protection contract…nothing more.”

“Okay,” she said, drawing out the word. “So he hasn’t stopped in, like even once, just to say hi to her?” Concern darkened her unnaturally vibrant eyes. “That’s not like him at all, Drake. Are you sure he isn’t trapped somewhere in the Dark Realm again?”

Drake shrugged. When it came to Odin, anything was possible. “I don’t think he is. Like I said, I just saw him Friday night. We ate some pizza, drank a few beers, then he left while Jake was in the middle of giving me the details of the contract on Toni. You know him, he’s probably back at Nelek Castle harassing someone.”

She stiffened. “What do you mean he left in the middle of Jake giving you the details of your contract on Toni?”

“I mean exactly what I said. I felt telepathy go off while Jake was talking, and then Odin left. What more do you want me to explain?”

“When you say he left…are you talking like he got bored, maybe chatted with Kerestyan for a minute, and then he left? Or did he just stop all of a sudden, get all pissy…then disappear?”

Drake thought about it for a minute. “Jake was talking, I sensed telepathy go off, Odin choked on his pizza, he told me to call him when the contract was over, and then he left.”

“I don’t suppose you remember exactly what Jake was saying right before you felt the telepa-thy hit?”

He tried to recall the specific order of events. “I think he said Toni’s name.” He nodded, more to himself than anything. “Yeah, because Jake thought it was weird that Odin disappeared right after he said her name. But I figured it was nothing because…well, it’s not like you need me to tell you how Odin is sometimes.”

Raze stood quiet for a few long moments while a golden sheen rippled back and forth across her eyes. But then her head jerked up and she burst into some kind of possessed fit. “That fuck-ing eyeless bastard!” she all but shrieked. “He just can’t leave anything alone. Him and his re-tarded skunk rival! They have to mess with everything.” She gnashed her teeth together. “I swear on my sister’s grave I’m gonna kick his ass someday. Then I’m gonna stand there and watch while everything comes crashing down around his evil ass and laugh. I’m gonna laugh and tell him it’s what he gets for being such a fucking asshole!”

Drake took a step back from her. He could only assume she was talking about Odin’s Sire, Lord Stefan Nelek, because he was the only one she regularly referred to as an “eyeless” any-thing. She despised the man, but to this day, she refused to explain why. He had absolutely no clue what her current rant had to do with Odin or Toni though.

He waited until she stopped her tirade to take a breath. “What are you going on about?”

She stopped all and once then spun around to face him. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“You think I’m just going to forget an outburst like that?” He shook his head. “Not happen-ing. So why don’t you tell me what the hell you were talking about, especially if whatever it is has anything to do with Toni.”

She sighed. “I can’t tell you anything.”

“What do you mean you can’t tell me anything, Raze?” He narrowed his eyes on her. “If To-ni’s in some kind of trouble – I deserve to know!”

“I mean I can’t tell you anything,” she snapped. “It’s an Ancient thing.”

Drake fisted his hands in an attempt to not only keep the animals inside him at bay, but to keep from grabbing Raze and shaking her until she told him everything he wanted to know. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know, and you’re going to tell me right now.”

“Oh, no I’m not.” She stabbed a neon green fingernail in his direction. “You can punish me however you see fit, but I’m telling you right now – whatever you do won’t be anything com-pared to what’ll happen to me if I tell you what I know. I may not be able to die unless the man upstairs says so, but it’ll take me at least fifty years to pull the pieces of my body back together if I spill these beans. And I’m not going there again, Drake. No way, no how.”

He splayed his fingers then squeezed his hands closed again. “Could you at least tell me something about what’s going on? Is Toni in danger? Is one of my enemies after her already?”

Raze actually laughed. “One of your enemies…ha! Trust me, right now the last thing any of your enemies wanna do is interrupt whatever Toni’s doing. Because if they do, they’ll be floating around the Dark Realm faster than you can say shit, wondering what the hell went so wrong.” She inhaled a deep breath as her eyes moved over him. “I can’t tell you exactly what’s going on…but I can share this piece of info. Whatever’s going on with Toni right now, it has nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to do with you. And if she’s as smart as you say she is, then she’ll probably be just fine when all is said and done.”

He ground his teeth together. “I hate this. I got Crypt telling me to stay away from her be-cause he’s pissed that I broke the rules. I got Derek telling me I can’t even check in on her be-cause she has to finish some investigation Locke put her on. And now you’re telling me she’s caught up in some Ancient…whatever the hell it is…but she should be fine, and I’m supposed to do what now? Stand back and hope she’ll be okay? How the fuck am I supposed to do that?”

She offered him a sympathetic smile. “Welcome to the real world.”

He eyed her again. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, please. You know damn well the kinds of sick and twisted games the Ancients play. It’s just that this time, instead of being their smacking hand or immune to their machinations like you’ve always been…you’re just one of the innocent bystanders left with no choice but to stand back and watch it happen to someone you love.”

Drake opened his mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut. There was nothing he could say. She was right. He’d never really had to bear the brunt of the games, aside from dealing the final blow on one of the Ancient’s behalf. And he’d never had to watch someone he cared about get crushed under some Blood God’s boot heels, because most of his friends were so old that they weren’t easily crushed.

“It’s hard to be a spectator sometimes,” Raze said as she shook her head, sadness marking her face. “And it’s even worse when you’re supernatural too and you still can’t do anything but watch. It was a hard lesson, but I learned a long time ago that sometimes you can’t interfere once the wheels are in motion. Sometimes you just have to put all your faith in the person you love, and hope that at the end of the day they’re the smarter, stronger, and faster player.”

Drake followed suit when Raze started walking again. He’d already placed every shred of faith he owned in Toni. But whether she’d be the stronger player in whatever game she’d been unwittingly dropped into was extremely difficult to determine, especially when he didn’t even know what she was playing for.

*********************************************************************************

I hope that makes up for my tardiness. ;) I should have Part 3 of When Worlds Collide posted sometime tomorrow. :)

Weekly Update - March 8, 2011

2011-03-08T19:20:00.000-05:00

I don’t have anything new to share about a release date for Eternal Hearts, aside that it’s still out with an editor at a major publishing house. :) I can also say that I’m in the process of making some very difficult decisions about the future of the series, but I can’t explain exactly what yet. Suffice it to say, the waiting is getting more and more difficult to deal with, and with the way self-publishing has changed over the last two years…I’m not entirely sure that traditional publishing is best for the series anymore. However, I’m still weighing my options and looking for what will best suit my family and my readers.

To be honest, I’m ridiculously frustrated at the moment. When I released Eternal Seduction back in 2008, self-publishing was still a VERY “dirty” thing. But now, well…now B&N has a top 10 list for self-published books, and the New York Times has begun including e-books on their bestseller lists. Times and perceptions are changing quickly, and now it seems that self-publishing is the wave of the future. I just don’t know which way to go now…

I’ll figure it out eventually, and when I do - you’ll all be the first to know. :)

Have a good one!

When Worlds Collide: Chapter 1, Part 2

2011-02-26T20:34:00.001-05:00

Click HERE to read this post on my website, where you'll have to vote!

Quick note: I just wanted to apologize for not being able to post part 2 of the story on Thursday like I said I would. I lost my internet access on Wednesday around 5PM because of a snow storm, and even though I can still get my e-mail and whatnot via my Blackberry - the browser isn't quite good enough to let me log in to my blog or website to post. I really am sorry! But, I hope this makes up for it...

*********************************************************************************

Ignoring the cacophony of voices ringing in her mind, Corey wrapped an arm around her abdomen and let out a deep groan. “Oh, I don’t feel very good…” She turned to get out of the booth, but then sank back into the red leather and drew a deep breath. “My stomach…” she’d barely finished the last word before Dane was around the table and at her side.

“Corey,” he said as he knelt down in front of her. “Are you all right?” He reached up and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead then frowned. “You don’t feel warm.” He cupped her cheeks with both hands, as if she was a little girl. “Is it cramps? Food poisoning? I told you not to order that damn burger medium-rare.”

“I just…” she purposely broke off her words with another groan. She leaned forward between Dane’s arms and rested her head on his shoulder. “Would you walk me home, please?”

“Of course I will.” He wrapped his thick arms around her shoulders and helped her out of the booth. “Just keep taking deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth.” He exaggerated his own breathing as an example, and didn’t stop until she’d followed suit. “Good girl. Just keep doing that, okay?”

She nodded at him. “Okay.”

He turned into her, keeping one arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“You want me to get my car?” Freddy offered. “I’d be happy to give you a ride.”

“No,” Corey snapped. “I mean…sorry.” She eyed the muted colors dancing around Freddy’s body for a moment, but then forced a weak smile to cross her lips. “It’s just - I think the fresh air might help. Thanks for the offer though.”

“No problem. I hope you feel better.” He clapped Dane’s shoulder. “Take care of her, man. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Yeah, I’ll be at Tristan’s this --”

“Oh, God…” Corey groaned. She sucked in a mouthful of air as loud as she possibly could and leaned against Dane. “I really need to get out of here…”

“Okay. It’s okay.” He tightened his arm around her and began steering her towards the exit. “Keep breathing, Babe. Go as slow as you need to. I got you.”

“Thanks, Dane.”

Corey kept the pace slow but steady until they were standing on the sidewalk in front of the diner. Would she win an award for her acting abilities? Probably not. But at least now Dane was away from Freddy. And as much as she hated lying, especially to her best friend, she’d do whatever was necessary to keep him safe.

Granted, she still didn’t understand exactly what she was keeping him safe from…but she couldn’t ignore that the farther they were from Freddy De Luca, the better she felt about the whole situation. Her muscles had relaxed the moment her feet had touched the damp concrete. The sudden and seemingly irrational irritation she’d felt had fizzled away. Even the strange, shrieking voices had died down to a faint murmur.

“Is the fresh air helping?” Dane asked.

“I think so.” She tipped her head back and did her best to offer an appreciative smile. “I think I’m starting to feel a little better.”

At least, she was feeling better…until Freddy sauntered through the diner’s double doors with a white paper bag in one hand and a large to-go cup in the other, which instantly sent the voices into another dizzying encore.

Corey squinted against a nearly blinding shock of pain as it wrapped fiery fingers around the back of her head. White lights flared across her field of vision. And when the choir reached a frantic, spine tingling pitch that set every nerve in her body on edge - she was left with little choice but to follow a single nagging instinct…

She locked her right hand around Dane’s left, and then took off around the corner of the diner with strength and speed she didn’t know she had. She could barely make out the details of the alley through the ghostly haze of white light, but she pushed forward as fast as her legs would move, in an attempt to put as much distance between them and Freddy as possible.

They’d just cleared an intersecting alley roughly a block from the diner when Corey slammed face first into a brick wall that shouldn’t have been there. Pain exploded behind her eyes then rattled down her neck and into her arms. The force from the unexpected collision knocked her back into Dane, sending them both tumbling in the opposite direction they’d been moving.

It wasn’t until after Corey had scrambled to her feet and somehow managed to pull Dane up beside her that her vision finally cleared. She stared down the alley in horror, her racing mind unable to truly process what her eyes were seeing.

There was no brick wall blocking their escape.

There was only a dark haired man, standing merely a few yards away - glaring at her as if he’d never hated anyone more. And in that moment, in that one awful and terrifying moment, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Vibrant swaths of black and crimson rolled across every visible inch of the man’s bronzed skin, stretching into thin wisps of darkness that fanned from his body to caress the high walls of the alley. The living shadows recessed with the same speed as they’d appeared, but then a few spindly strands of that unnatural darkness reached out for her.

Corey pushed Dane behind her with the same stiff-arm technique her father had used a dozen times to shield her while driving through Chicago, and then leveled her gaze on the dark stranger again. As soon as their eyes locked, golden sparks erupted like lightning all around her, creating a glittering barrier that stretched the width of the alley. The voices in her mind soared to a triumphant crescendo as the man took a step back, but when his green eyes traced the glittering line drawn between them and he smiled at her - the choir fell eerily silent.

For a moment, all Corey could do was stare at the man across from her. In place of what should have been a regular pair of canine teeth…he had what looked to be two very sharp fangs.

Fangs? Really? She shook her head, as if somehow the simple action would erase the unbelievable sight. Of course, it didn’t. And neither did blinking a few times.

“This must be your first time,” the stranger purred in a rough voice that made her shiver.

Corey tried to stand tall under his intense stare, but then a whisper of golden wind brushed her ear…and she knew. Somewhere deep inside her, locked away in the same primitive place that made her heart beat without her ever having to think about it, she’d always known…

The stranger was exactly what she thought he was. He was a vampire, a powerful one, and he’d always been there. Hidden somewhere behind the shadows…watching her. Stalking her. Mocking her. She frowned in response to the thought. No, not her…everyone.

She watched as a lone wisp of darkness uncoiled from his wrist and slithered along the broken pavement, turning everything it touched, even a shallow puddle of rain water, a sickly shade of crimson. The same shade that mingled with the metallic black cloud roiling around his body.

They taint everything they touch. Tears stung Corey’s eyes as the voices sang to her again, and then a wave of helplessness washed over her. But the feeling wasn’t hers. It belonged to her mother, and her father, and to Dane, and to everyone she’d ever cared for - plus a million other people she’d never even met. A million innocent people who couldn’t see the truth…

In the space of a few pounding heartbeats, the hopelessness crushing down on Corey twisted into a rage so deep, and so vicious, she could barely breathe under the weight of it. She fisted her hands as energy surged through her body and her barrier intensified, forcing the vampire to take another step back. An odd mixture of satisfaction and nervous anticipation built in the pit of her stomach as he stared at her through the golden sparks.

To save them, you must kill him. Choose. Corey squared her shoulders as the voices echoed in her mind yet again. Her glittering barrier fizzled away as she strode forward, brimming with a primordial hatred and unshakable courage that wasn’t wholly her own. And she didn’t realize what action she was about to carry out - or even consider the consequences - until she heard his gravelly voice rise above the beautiful ones…

“Dominus,” he said as he offered a curt nod. “If my life should be the first you extinguish, I would at least have you know my name.”

What should Corey do now?
Head over to my website and vote by clicking HERE!

Because my husband is on vacation next week and I intend to spend some quality time with him, voting will be open until 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 6th. I'll post the next installment of the story on Thursday, March 10th! :) Have fun voting!! Oh, and if you want Corey to do something else - just leave a comment. :)

Weekly Update - February 22, 2011

2011-02-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

Starting today, I'll be posting a weekly update every Tuesday about the status of Eternal Hearts and the series in general. So here goes...

Eternal Hearts is currently out with an editor from a major publishing house.

I know you probably wanted to hear different news…but that's all I really know right now. Unfortunately, and as I’ve said before, the traditional publishing process isn’t a quick one. And trust me when I say this - no one is having a more difficult time waiting than I am. It drives me nuts to know that Eternal Hearts has been finished since May of 2010…but I can’t share it with all of you. I am constantly tempted to publish the book myself, but not only would that not be fair to my family, who would greatly benefit from a book deal with a major publisher, but it wouldn't be fair to Mr. Agent, who’s been working very hard to find a home for EH and the Darkness Within series. And please keep in mind - Mr. Agent doesn’t get paid until I do - so it’s not like he isn’t driven to find the series a publisher that loves it as much as we do.

All I can do right now, aside from promising that I will share news as soon as I have any, is offer a big THANK YOU to everyone who gave Eternal Seduction a chance, and then ask that you try to be patient with me. I know it’s hard, and I know it's not what you want to do, but remember...I’m right here with you. ;)

When Worlds Collide: Chapter 1, Part 1

2011-02-17T20:11:00.010-05:00

Click HERE to read this post on my website, where you'll have to vote!

“What are you staring at?”

Corey Nelson forced her eyes away from the woman standing with her back to the diner’s rain dotted windows and focused on her best friend, Dane. “Nothing.” She pushed a salty French fry across the pool of ketchup on her plate then raised it to her mouth. “What were you saying?”

Dane dropped his fork, the clash of steel and ceramic ringing between them. “Are you still seeing shit when you come downtown?” He wrestled his spoon from its napkin cocoon then jammed it into a generous pile of mashed potatoes. “You said it stopped.”

“It did.” She paused to swallow her food. “I mean, it did for a little while.”

His slate blue eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me it started again?”

“Because there’s not much to tell.” She bloodied another fry and shrugged. “I don’t even know how to explain it.” It wasn’t a lie. She really didn’t know how to describe the unsettling sights that had plagued her for the last month. And if for some reason she managed to find the right words - she wasn’t sure could actually spit them out.

Dane straightened his white paper napkin. “Well, can you at least try?”

She shifted in the booth, ignoring the unavoidable burping sound the red leather made against her denim clad behind. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“I already do.” He smiled wide. “You’re the only woman in Chicago who regularly refuses to sleep with me.”

Despite her sour mood, Corey couldn’t help but to smile at him. It wasn’t that Dane wasn’t attractive, he was drop dead gorgeous. Tall, blond and tan, he epitomized the All American boy. He even had the charming personality to match. But, in her eyes, he also had one glaring fault – he knew he possessed all of those traits…and more.

She considered the golden stubble lining his squared jaw. If she chose her words just right, she could steer the conversation away from her optical issues and more towards his favorite topic. “I wouldn’t turn you down regularly if you didn’t ask so often. Besides, I’m not your type.” She picked up the last half of her double cheeseburger and squeezed it until mayonnaise bubbled out. “I plump in all the wrong places.”

He wrinkled his perfect nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Corey licked a glob of mustard from the corner of her mouth. “Put a one in front of everything about your last girlfriend…and then you get me.”

He looked confused, in a scolded puppy kind of way. “A one?”

She stared hard at him. “She was a size six, I’m a sixteen. She probably ate 1,000 calories a day,” she said as she eyed the mixture of melted cheese and grease dripping off her burger, “and I’m easily eating 11,000 this meal alone.” She tilted her head and did her best to offer him her sweetest smile. “Her IQ was 75, mine is 175.”

He let out a deep laugh. “So? Did you ever think that maybe I like your curves?”

Yeah, right. She rolled her eyes and finished chewing. “Don’t even try it. We both know the only curves you like are filled with silicone.”

Brows furrowed, he pressed a large hand to the center of his muscular chest. “You wound me, Cor. Deeply.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She popped the last bite of burger into her mouth. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

He sliced his roasted chicken breast in half then used the knife to point at her. “It’s your version of the truth, not mine.” He went back to cutting his dinner with a long sigh. “It’s not my fault I only attract bimbos. Do you know what I’d give to have a real woman approach me? Or one who took me seriously when I tried to start a conversation with her?”

Corey cast a glance out the window as a rumble of thunder rattled the glass. Swollen clouds crowded the already dark sky, matching her current mood almost perfectly. She rested an elbow on the table and propped her head up on her hand. “Oh, the injustice you must feel.”

“I’m serious,” he huffed. “Half the time they’re either convinced I’m part of some joke on them, or they just assume I’m a freak. Like they’re going to come home from work one day and find me wearing their underwear.”

The humorous image her mind had conjured of Dane walking around in a lacey pink thong distorted as a dark haired man stepped under a streetlight across from the diner. The faint vertical streaks of the lightly falling rain seemed to twist and converge, spinning around him where he stood on the sidewalk. He flickered for a moment but flared back into view a few seconds later, framed by metallic black sparks laced with crimson.

Corey squeezed her eyes closed tight. What the hell was wrong with her?

“Corey! What’s going on? And don’t you dare say nothing, because it’s pretty damn obvious something’s happening right now.”

She opened her eyes in response to the sharp note in Dane’s voice. “If I knew, don’t you think I’d do something to stop it?” She jammed her hands into the pockets of her black hooded sweatshirt. “Like I said, I don’t even know how to explain it…whatever it is.”

He dropped his utensils. “Can you at least try? Please?”

She drew in a deep breath then blew it out. “The guy across the street; the one standing on the corner in the black leather jacket…look at him and tell me what you see.”

Dane hesitated for a moment but did what she’d asked. “I see a guy. He’s probably my height, similar build, maybe a little bigger. He’s just standing there. Looks like he’s people watching, that or waiting for someone. Why?”

“Is that all you see?” She swallowed the jagged knot tightening in her throat. “I mean, you don’t see anything around him? He just looks like a normal person?”

Dane frowned, confusion marking his face. “I see people walking by him.” He turned away from the window and focused his attention back on her. “What do you mean by around him? Do you see something else?”

She nodded. “I see…colors…around him.”

He sat quiet for a moment. “Okay…what kind of colors?”

She cast a sideways glance out the window. “Like…black with some really bright red streaks.” She squeezed her eyes closed tight when the man stepped off the curb and began walking towards the diner. “It’s like someone’s standing behind him throwing big chunks of shiny confetti at him.”

“But…I don’t…how can you even see black around him?” His tone slowly changed from confused to disbelieving. “It’s dark out.”

Corey opened her eyes for no other purpose than to glare at her friend, and just in time to see Mr. Black-and-Red opening one of the glass double doors at the other end of the diner. “I don’t know,” she said, forcing the words out from between her teeth. “I just see it.” She lowered her voice as he moved towards the counter. “I don’t know how else to explain it…which is exactly why I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, “Dane said as he looked over his shoulder then turned back to her. “He looks like a normal guy to me.” He picked up his utensils and seemed to thoroughly consider his mountain of mashed potatoes before he opened his mouth again. “I think you need to see a doctor, Cor. Maybe something’s wrong with your eyes. Like some kind of retinal valve prolapse or something.”

It’s a good thing he’s pretty. For a moment, all Corey could do was blink at him. “Umm…considering there’s no valve in the retina to prolapse - I’m thinking that’s not it…at all.” She shook her head at the thought. “You really need to stop watching the Discovery channel.”

He flashed the same boyish grin that had, no doubt, won him every single girlfriend he’d ever had. “I like the Discovery channel. It makes me feel smart.”

Corey opened her mouth to respond, but changed her mind when their bouncy blonde waitress reappeared next to Dane. She didn’t quite have the heart to tell him, especially in front of an adoring public, that even though watching educational shows might’ve made him feel smart - they also made him sound like an idiot when he mixed up what he’d learned.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Handsome?”

“No thanks, Babe.” Cue the toothy boyish grin. “That is, unless you wanna leave me your number on the back of the bill…” Deploy the hand to rub the back of her bare knee.

The waitress let out a girly giggle that was far too immature for someone of her obvious twenty-something age, then clicked her pen and scribbled a line of digits across the back of their check. “I think that can be arranged.” She set the check on the edge of the table.” You have a good night, Handsome.”

He actually winked at her. “You too, Honey.”

Corey rolled her eyes as the blonde strutted away. “That was disgusting.”

Dane burst out laughing. “Hey, if you’re not gonna date me - I gotta get my love from somewhere.”

Corey dug a twenty-dollar bill out of her pocket and flipped it at him. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll leave you with something that’ll love you…for at least four to six weeks with proper medication.”

“Jesus, Corey, talk about rude.” He looked around as if everyone in the world had heard her practically whispered comment. “What’s wrong with you? When the hell did you get so damn judgmental?”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Oh, please, Dane. She’s wearing a black thong and matching bra under a bleach white waitress uniform. If that doesn’t scream ‘easy’ - I don’t know what does.”

“So, let me get this straight…” He paused to pull a fifty-dollar bill from his wallet, then crumpled her twenty into a ball and threw it back at her. “Just because she’s wearing black underwear, that means she’s diseased?” He tipped his head to the side. “I’m sorry - I guess I don’t follow your logic.”

“It’s not logic,” she snapped. She snatched her money from the table and jammed it back into her pocket. “It’s…I don’t know…that little thing called woman’s intuition?” She picked up her unused utensils and tossed them on top of her empty plate. “Can we just go now?”

Dane dropped his fork. “What the hell are you all pissed about now?”

“I’m not pissed.” She tipped her head back against the booth and fisted her hands. Truth be told, she didn’t know why she felt so agitated all of a sudden, but every single tendon in her body seemed like it was pulled tight and ready to snap. “I’m fine.”

She ground her teeth together as a low droning sound began ringing in her ears. She waited a few seconds for the noise to go away, but when it didn’t - she covered her face with her hands. “Oh my God, what is that awful sound?”

“What sound?” Dane asked.

She righted herself, intending to look for the horrible grating noise, but jumped when she realized the dark haired man was standing right next to their table. The muscles in her neck tensed as the sound grew louder, shifting to a higher and even more uncomfortable octave. She shivered as the noise crackled and popped, almost like an old radio being tuned, before it finally cleared up. Was that…a choir…singing?

Corey rubbed her left ear against her shoulder. As if she didn’t have enough problems already - now she was hearing voices? And not just any voices, but an entire church choir belting out a song so unbelievably beautiful that it almost sounded…terrible? Or was it the other way around?

Through squinted eyes, Corey watched as the dark haired man snapped his fingers and pointed at Dane. “Hey, don’t I know you?”

Dane arched a brow. “It’s possible, man. A lot of people know me.”

The man’s light gray eyes moved over Dane for another long minute. “Yeah, yeah, I remember you. You’re, Dane, right? We met at Tristan’s party last Friday. I’m Freddy, remember? Freddy De Luca.”

Recognition lit Dane’s blue eyes. “Oh, yeah. You were in the back with Sydney most of the night.” He burst into a wide grin. “Lucky man.”

Freddy laughed and nodded. “Yup, that’s me.” He extended one of his hands. “It’s nice to meet you again.”

The second Dane’s hand touched Freddy’s pale fingers, an overwhelming urge to jump between the two men crashed over Corey. The voices in her mind went wild, shrieking and screaming at her - but she didn’t understand what they were saying. All she knew was that Freddy De Luca wasn’t right… and she needed to get her best friend away from him.

What should Corey do now?
Head over to my website and vote by clicking HERE!

Voting will be open until Sunday, February 20th at 11:59 PM. Once voting closes, I'll announce the winner - and then post the next part of the story on Thursday, February 24th!

And the winners are...

2011-02-16T12:28:00.000-05:00

The first Choose Your Own Adventure couple are:

Dominus (vampire) – An unforgiving, arrogant, 5,000 year old 100% alpha male Ancient, who doesn’t have time to deal with trivial endeavors like seducing women – unless, of course, she’s for feeding purposes only. And even then, why invest the time to seduce when he can simply command? He's recently moved to Chicago in order to parlay with the other Ancients there, and to re-engage with Roman, one of his most hated rivals. Dominus finds the modern age lacking in many forms, and while he still looks human, his powerful presence tends to unsettle the majority of mortals he comes into contact with. He's ruthless, jaded, and when something or someone actually manages to catch his interest/attention - he doesn't relent until he gets what he wants.

And...

Corey Nelson (Paladin/Harbinger to be) – A plus-sized, rather normal 26 year old inside sales rep, who’s been seeing some really odd things lately... She’s not sure what to make of the colors showing up around the seemingly random people that she doesn’t even know, but she’s afraid she might be going crazy. Either that…or something is seriously wrong with her eyes. Corey lives in a nice but rather small apartment in Downtown Chicago, just outside of the Loop. She works for Millennium Marketing, a locally owned printed products company, and spends the majority of her free time with her friends and family. She’s fairly laid back, loves to laugh, and although she tends to be a little self-conscious about her plus-sized figure, she tries to love everyone, including herself, for their flaws and strengths equally.

The first installment of their story will be posted tomorrow, February 17th! The story will be posted here, as well as on my new and improved website. :)

Thanks to everyone who voted! I hope you enjoy what's to come. :)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Darkness Edition

2011-02-01T19:41:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, on February 17th I’ll be starting a weekly Choose Your Own Adventure story here on the blog. Last week I asked you to choose your leading lady, and the vote was pretty decisive. Corey Nelson, Paladin/Harbinger to be, won by a fairly healthy margin. But this week I need you to pick your leading man. So without further ado...

What kind of leading man do you want?

1. Luke Miller (human) – A somewhat quiet but very charming 32 year old bartender, who's originally from Amarillo, Texas. His younger brother, James, owns the most popular country-western bar in Chicago, and Luke's finally accepted his brother's offer to "give big city life a try". He's not exactly sure what all he's in for, having never visited a city larger than Amarillo, but he's looking forward to leaving the broken pieces of his personal life back in Texas. Luke's honest almost to a fault, would do anything for his "little" brother, and has a rather strong sense of right and wrong. It's just that every now and then his strong sense of right leads to wronging some rude bastard's face.

2. Troy Livingston (Paladin) – A happy-go-lucky 347 year old Paladin who looks to be in his early 30’s. He’s tall with a lanky but muscular build, and tends to give off a “nerdy” vibe – but in a good way. He uses modern technology to fight “the bad guys”, as he calls them, but strives to give every supernatural a chance to explain their heinous actions before he commits to violence. Troy is extremely proud of his place in supernatural society and wouldn't trade it for the world. He's currently on his way to Chicago to be recognized for his outstanding service, and to receive training from Jacob, a fellow Paladin who's rumored to be the eldest. With a natural charm and charisma that seems to draw everyone to him, Troy's seemingly never at a loss for company. He's funny, quirky in his own right, and loves to watch people living life to the fullest. Because after all - isn't that what he's fighting for?

3. Lincoln Jones (vampire) – A dangerous and very well-adjusted Fledgling vampire, who's only been under the blood for about 50 years. He's feared by most Fledglings, respected by the Elders, and has even managed to gain the favor of an Ancient or two. Lincoln oversees the part of Chicago commonly referred to as the Michigan Avenue Underground - once a thriving shopping center - now a dilapidated haven for the city's homeless population. Lincoln has taken control of the abandoned shops lining the forgotten corridors, and has refurbished them with basic amenities for the homeless. He makes sure his "residents" are fed, have warm clothes, and even have the opportunity to get their lives back together, if they so desire. In return, they offer their loyalty - giving him a network of often overlooked eyes and ears across the entire city. Lincoln is smart, cunning, and refuses to ignore someone who's suffering...unless they deserve it.

4. Dominus (vampire) – An unforgiving, arrogant, 5,000 year old 100% alpha male Ancient, who doesn’t have time to deal with trivial endeavors like seducing women – unless, of course, she’s for feeding purposes only. And even then, why invest the time to seduce when he can simply command? He's recently moved to Chicago in order to parlay with the other Ancients there, and to re-engage with Roman, one of his most hated rivals. Dominus finds the modern age lacking in many forms, and while he still looks human, his powerful presence tends to unsettle the majority of mortals he comes into contact with. He's ruthless, jaded, and when something or someone actually manages to catch his interest/attention - he doesn't relent until he gets what he wants.

5. Markus Walker (werewolf) – A fearless, out-spoken, 24 year old originally from Los Angeles, California, who was ostracized from his pack because he refused to kill a newly turned vampire. Unfortunately, the Fledgling in question was Keisha, his younger sister. Frustrated and now considered a Lone Wolf, Markus is on his way to Chicago with a single goal in mind - redemption. He intends to find one of the Ancient vampires rumored to live there, subdue them by any means necessary, and then drag their undead carcass back to his pack as a show of good faith. Because then his pack will have to take him back. Markus is powerful for his age and more than determined to achieve his goal...but he's about to learn exactly why there are none of his kind left in Chicago.

Please use the poll above or leave a comment with your vote. The man with the most votes by Midnight on February 6, 2011 will be the winner! Also, if now that the leading men have been posted - you wish to change your vote for the leading lady - leave a comment and plead your case. If enough of you want to play matchmaker, which I completely understand :) - I'll reset the ladies poll and let you have at it!

Enjoy!

Helping out fellow romance author Olivia Gates!

2011-01-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

Olivia Gates is a fellow romance author who lives in Egypt. Due to the well-known events occuring there (no internet service, phone service being shut down, etc.) she's unable to do any kind of promo for her newest book that releases tomorrow, February 1st. So, to my readers, please check out this steamy story! And, if you have a blog, please help spread the word about Olivia's book:

To Tempt a Sheikh by Olivia Gates

Born of the desert. Bound to the throne.

He rescued hostage Talia Burke from his royal family's rival tribe and swept her into his strong embrace. But Prince Harres Aal Shalaan soon discovered there was more to the brave beauty than he knew. Talia held information vital to protecting his beloved kingdom…and she had every reason not to trust him.

Marooned together at a desert oasis, Talia couldn't resist Harres. Yet even as his sizzling seduction entranced her, his loyalty to his family and country would always make them enemies. Falling for the sheikh would be her heart's greatest mistake…but she feared it was already too late…

To read the first chapter and visit Olivia's website, CLICK HERE!

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million and bookstores everywhere. Also available at eharlequin both in print and as an ebook.

Thanks for your help, and for supporting a fellow romance author!

Choose Your Own Adventure: Darkness Edition

2011-01-26T09:00:00.027-05:00

On February 17th I’ll be starting a weekly Choose Your Own Adventure story here on the blog. However, I need your help with a few details before we begin:

What kind of leading lady do you want?

1. Arianna Webster (human) – A serious, very guarded 36 year old business professional, who doesn’t bend to anyone’s whims but her own. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration, but prefers "support" positions - meaning she enjoys the idea of controlling every aspect of some high-level executives life, both business and personal. She's recently moved to Chicago to become the Executive Assistant to the President of Ballard Financial, the largest and most well respected Financial firm in the US. She lives in the Smith Building, an extremely wealthy apartment building in the Loop (Downtown Chicago). She wears the finest clothes, drives the finest cars, drinks the finest wine, and dates only the finest men. She's been a millionaire since she was 30, has no interest in marriage or children, and is a borderline sex addict. She's confident, fearless, and expects to be asked, "How high?" whenever she tells someone to jump.

2. Maxine “Max” Xavier (human) – An eccentric, slightly wild, unemployed 18 year old, whose clothes never match because the word “conformity” isn’t in her vocabulary...and it probably never will be. The Xavier name is well known in Chicago's high society, based mainly on Max's deceased father, Marcus Xavier, who was a prominent criminal attorney. Her mother, Heather, is a middle aged fashion designer who spent more time partying and out of the country than she ever did with Max. Max lives off a multi-million dollar trust fund courtesy of her father, and spends most of her time thinking up ways to piss off her mother, hence her horribly mismatched clothes and accessories. She also has a penchant for finding herself in the wrong parts of Chicago, mostly because she's always been interested in how the "less fortunate" live. She's bold, speaks her mind with reckless abandon, and tends to commit to actions without even considering the consequences.

3. Dani Walters (vampire) – A Fledgling vampire and novice 3rd shift waitress, who’s only been under the blood for a few months and is having a very difficult time adjusting because her Sire was killed within days of turning her. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Dani was a college student at DePaul University, but was forced to drop-out because of her new daylight and feeding restrictions. She currently lives in a questionable part of South Chicago, but only because she can’t afford a better apartment – and absolutely refuses to ask her parents for help. She’s smart, discerning, but she’s also feeling a little lost considering she’s in an unfamiliar city and everything she thought she knew has changed…and in her opinion, not for the better.

4. Amelia London (vampire) – A 1,000 year old Ancient who’s recently awoken from a self-imposed sleep (300 years due to boredom) and is trying to adjust to a very different and very modern world. She's fascinated with electronics and technology, especially anything involving music or video, but she isn't a big fan of public transportation or cars. Only 17 when she was turned into a vampire back in the late 900's, Amelia has a younger look about her that might give her some trouble as she tries to adjust to modern times, but she should be able to pass for at least 20 - which is the age stamped on her newly acquired ID card. She's cautious when faced with something she doesn't understand, but curious and adventurous enough to drive even the most patient person crazy. She also has a bad temper...and one hell of a right hook.

5. Corey Nelson (Paladin/Harbinger to be) – A plus-sized, rather normal 26 year old inside sales rep, who’s been seeing some really odd things lately... She’s not sure what to make of the colors showing up around the seemingly random people that she doesn’t even know, but she’s afraid she might be going crazy. Either that…or something is seriously wrong with her eyes. Corey lives in a nice but rather small apartment in Downtown Chicago, just outside of the Loop. She works for Millennium Marketing, a locally owned printed products company, and spends the majority of her free time with her friends and family. She’s fairly laid back, loves to laugh, and although she tends to be a little self-conscious about her plus-sized figure, she tries to love everyone, including herself, for their flaws and strengths equally.

Please use the poll above or leave a comment with your vote. The lady with the most votes by Midnight on January 31, 2011 will be the winner! I'll post your choices for leading men on February 1st!

Back in the saddle - kinda...

2011-01-25T18:01:00.000-05:00

That's a nice saddle... ;)

Ugh. I know it’s been a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted an update, and all I can really say in response to that fact is…I’m sorry. Since the middle of November 2010, life here in the Turner household has just been fifteen sorts of crazy. Between multiple holiday parties for Thanksgiving + Christmas and the Heathen being on an extended vacation from school, plus numerous colds, the flu, and an unbelievably debilitating impacted wisdom tooth that caused a severe infection of my jaw that made opening my mouth wide enough to even eat a mere piece of bread almost impossible…my life has just been nuts.

The good news is – I got that damn wisdom tooth pulled earlier this month after dealing with it for almost 2 months straight. ;) The bad news - I still can’t quite open my mouth all the way without pain. Oh, and I have to go back to the dentist in February, where he’ll decide how we’re going to progress with getting the other 3 wisdom teeth out before they cause the same problem as the other one. Which, mind you, the lower left one is already trying to get a jumpstart on the killing of me. I swear, I may just opt for the “pull them all” option and get some nifty dentures. Then I could be maintenance free and never have a toothache again. Because let me tell you, I’ll gladly endure the pain caused by kidney stones, labor pains, and broken bones/torn muscles over a toothache any day. ANY DAY!

But, in any event, let’s get on with the updating:

1. Eternal Hearts is still out with editors. I don’t have any information on a release date, but I swear I’ll share any news as soon as I get it! I promise you this – I’m waiting just as impatiently as you are.

2. Ascension has been on hold because of the tooth situation and my inability to really sleep or think while in mass amounts of pain. I started working on it again yesterday, so hopefully I’ll have news on a release date soon. I will warn you that I’m starting to see hints that the Ascension novellas may have to be joined to create a series book (one with the Eternal title) – but I’m not completely sold on that yet. Believe it or not, Casey and Vouclade are behaving just fine. It’s actually Raze who’s causing the issue right now. She’s apparently decided that she’s still in love with someone she shouldn’t be, and wants to drop major hints while talking to Casey about who Mr. Ex-Lover is. The problem – Mr. Ex-Lover happens to be a major character in the series…and no matter how many times I try to force Raze into a different direction, she keeps finding ways back to “him”.

Basically, if too much info that impacts the entire Darkness Within series comes out in Ascension, then the Ascension trilogy needs to become an Eternal book. Otherwise, pertinent info will be lost…especially for those who only read the print versions of the books, since Ascension won’t be released in print. It’s messy at the moment, and complicated…and it’s all Raze’s fault.

3. I am finally caught up on my e-mail. :) So if you sent me an e-mail between mid November and this week but haven’t heard back from me yet, please resend because I didn’t get it.

4. Something is wrong with the forums on my website. I’ve been tinkering with the database on and off for weeks now, but for some reason I can’t approve new members. And what I’m basically being told from tech-support is that I need to install a new, clean version of the software. So, there may be one more forums restart required…which means you’ll need to create a new account if you have one. I hope to get the new forums up and running sometime next week.

5. Because I don’t have a book to offer all of you right now, and many things about the publishing of the series is out of my control at the moment…I’m searching for ways to stay connected with all of you, my lovely readers. :) I have some major website updates planned (updated character bios, a FAQ page and a teaser page, plus a fun new weekly interactive story for the blog) but I’d like to know what else you’d like to see? What kind of content keeps you coming back to an author’s website?

Okay, that’s all the pertinent update stuff. Like I said, I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I wish I had more info on Eternal Hearts to share with you. I’m pulling in about 60+ e-mails a day from readers asking when the next book is coming out, and I really don’t know. I can tell you that it WILL come out eventually, even if the series doesn’t get picked up by a major publisher. I just can’t say for sure when that “eventually” will be. Hopefully I’ll have some good news soon, but in the interim, it’s now my #1 goal to give you all some steady, new content on the blog and my website until I have more news!

That being said, all comments and suggestions for new content are greatly appreciated! :)

Have a good one!

Drive by Update

2010-11-09T20:45:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that I still haven't heard anything about Eternal Hearts yet. Also, I'm still working on Ascension and hope to have the first novella ready to go very soon! :)

I'll let you all know as soon as I have more news...

Have a good one!

The Ascension Series

2010-10-29T14:56:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share the draft covers for the Ascension series. I wanted to stick with the same image, because the series follows the same couple (Vouclade & Kasey)...but I wanted the colors of each cover to reflect the tone/emotion of each novella. I'd love to hear what you think!

Update!

2010-10-27T22:25:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I posted, but there's been a lot happening lately regarding my family and friends that needed my full attention. And truthfully, even the things that didn't necessarily need all of my attention, still ruled my brain...which left me having a little difficulty focusing on writing. I think sometimes you just get news that's so shocking, and so...sad...that you just can't stop wondering how and why it's happening to someone you love. Add that to the fact that I've been helping my awesome niece with her school play, as well as building three websites for family members...and I've just been wiped out over the last few weeks.

But anywho - I still don't have any news on the publisher front. EH is still out with editors though, so keep your fingers crossed. :) And, as I've said before...the minute I do have news about EH and the series, I'll post it here right away.

Now, to the exciting stuff! Immortal Dreams has been retitled Ascension, and will be released as a special series via 3, possibly 4 novellas. The first novella, Ascension: The Revelation, will release in a few weeks. I was hoping for Halloween, but this story surprised me a lot, and I need a little more time to make sure the first novella covers everything it needs to. (I basically need to get a little further in the overall story to make sure nothing in the first part would need to be changed.)

As some of you probably know, I never thought I could pull off a full novel for Vouclade. I figured with his more anachronistic style of speech he would be tedious, if not a little boring for readers, especially when you're in his point of view...but how very wrong I was. He has become a fantastic character, who never ceases to amaze me. :) I'm still so floored by what his story has turned into, and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of the first novella!! :D

In any event, I'll let you know ASAP when the release date will be. I know I never gave a solid release date for ID, only mentioned I was shooting for Halloween...but I wanted you all to know what was going on.

Oh, yeah...and the Ascension novella series will still be FREE! :D I'm also looking at a few options to offer the novellas in various e-book formats, like PDF, ePub and perhaps even Kindle. Unfortunately, Kindle doesn't allow authors make their books available for free...which irritates me, but I'm still looking for a way to do it. Worst case scenario, I'd have to offer the Kindle version for .89 or .99 cents. For those of you who have a Kindle, is there another format you can easily load onto the device? And if not, would you be willing to pay the .89 or .99 cents so you can get it from Amazon? I hate to make you pay for something you can have for free...but Amazon is mean and won't play nice with independent authors.

That's all I have for now. I'll update again soon!

Have a good one! And a Happy Halloween!! :D

Friday Fun!

2010-10-08T19:49:00.000-04:00

Distractions anyone? ;) So I was doing some research on Dante's nine levels of Hell for a story idea and ran across this test that tells you which level of Hell you're going to end up in. Apparently, at least according to the results below...I'm a bad seed. ;) If you feel so inclined, take the test. I'd love to know if I'm going to be lonely on level six. :D

Disclaimer: I didn't get any kind of virus or spyware warnings, nor any pop-ups from the site, but if for some reason you do - don't click on anything and close your browser.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Extreme
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

After you take the test, you'll get a page with your results. Below your results is a line that says:

OR copy this plain text with no HTML formatting:

Just copy the code then come back here and paste it in the comments. DO NOT copy the code from the first box, because blogger doesn't like a lot of HTML formatting. And I know, because I tried to put the fancy box from my blog post in a comment and it didn't work. :)

P.S. If my Hell post offends anyone's better senses, I apologize... kinda. ;) It's meant to be fun, nothing more. I had an idea for a dark romance series, not at all related to the Darkness Within world, which is how I ended up on the whole Dante's Inferno 9 Levels of Hell topic anyway.

Just a quick update...

2010-10-06T17:12:00.000-04:00

I don't really have anything new to report about Eternal Hearts yet. Mr. Agent is still waiting to hear back from editors. I do, however, want to share this with all of you. It will be explained in much more detail a little closer to Halloween - which is when you'll get your next dose of the Darkness! :)

Why I married him...

2010-10-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

As most of you who read the blog know, Chad (my Hubby) is currently a college student. Among the plethora of reasons why he's awesome, like working 50+ hours a week while going to college nearly full-time so I can stay home with the Heathen and write the Darkness Within series, he's also a pretty damn good writer himself. So, with that in mind, I wanted to share with you a speech he wrote for one of his Political Science classes last semester, wherein he had to announce his candidacy for Congress.

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and honored guests, it is a pleasure to be here with you tonight as I announce my candidacy for Congress in Ohio's prestigious 5th district. As a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, I not only understand the trials that our district has faced, but have lived through them right alongside of you. I will use that familiarity as I approach each day and each vote as a new opportunity to not only raise our concerns, but seek roads of resolution.

As an Independant, I am not bound by the partisan politics that have been the jailer of our progress as a nation for many years now. Without contraint, I can work with other members of Congress toward realistic goals and logical solutions of our district's many issues, the first and foremost being the state of our economy.

For many years, Ohio's 5th district has been supported by farms and manufacturing. In fact, many of the factories located here are unique only to us, such as the Campbell's Soup plant or the Whirlpool factory, both of which are the largest of their kind in the world, as well as being a pillar of the employment and business community. In spite of their efforts along with many others of distinction, our economy was devestated by the housing market collapse and many lost their jobs as well as their homes. Good families with ties and investments in their respective communities were forced to relocate as the job market wavered.

And yet we remain.

Long ago in my native Bowling Green, settlers to the area were faced with a dense swampland called the "Great Black Swamp". They too had a daunting task ahead of them. In order to make a home for themselves they had to change the face of the very land itself.

And yet they remained.

We too are faced with a daunting task. Once again, the residents of northwest Ohio have to reshape the very land we live in. This time it isn't a "Great Black Swamp", but a Great Black Hole, the remnant of a damaged economy that still to this very day consumes jobs and leaves families destitute in its wake.

But yet we remain.

As your representative, I pledge to go to Washington and fight with the same ferocity and tenacity as our forebears to increase our job market and lower unemployment. I will meet with businessmen and women who are not just looking in the moment, but are casting their fortune toward the future. I will cross whatever party lines are necessary to meet with other Congressional leaders who are not just relying on words, but are working on resolutions and solutions for you, the people of this great nation.

It is my sincerest hope that on Election Day, you will cast your vote toward progress and our future. Show Congress that the "Heart of it All" still beats as strong today as ever before, and that in spite of the failures of the past, in the face of all our trials, we have and always will...

Remain.

Thank you.

All I know is...I'd vote for him! :)

Have a great weekend!

Why I love Vouclade...

2010-09-24T18:02:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share one of my favorite moments from chapter 2 of Immortal Dreams:

He took a few steps towards her, for no reason other than to draw her attention back to him. “You’re welcome.”

Her head jerked up. “What?”

“You said you came here to thank me. In turn, I said you’re welcome.”

Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red before she returned to staring at her hands. “Oh…thank you.”

Vouclade snapped a hand out and twisted the chair currently serving as her personal coat rack so that it clipped the back of her knees when it swiveled, disrupting her balance and forcing her to sit down. “How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

Her eyes widened as her amply padded behind collided with the unforgiving seat cushion. She looked up at him. “What?”

He narrowed his eyes on her. This would be the last time he’d repeat himself for her benefit. “Tell me how you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” When she simply stared up at him, seemingly confounded by his request, he raised his voice, “Now.”

She flinched hard, instinctively fisting her hands. “Uh…I guess…” Confusion washed over her face in an unsteady wave. “I…um…I’d go to the store and I’d buy some, um…bread…and some peanut butter, and then jelly…oh, and a thing of butter. And then after I paid for everything…uh…I guess I’d walk back home and, um…put everything in my kitchen.” She briefly hesitated, as if she weren’t sure of her own words, and then focused intently on where her hands rested in her lap. “Yeah…then I’d get out a plate and a knife…and um, I’d put them up on the counter. Then…I’d get out two pieces of bread and put them in the toaster. And then when they popped up, I’d put them on my plate...and I’d start with a layer of butter then put the peanut butter on top of it.” Her face began to relax as she paused to breathe, allowing a smile to slowly claim her features. “But I’d wait until it melted and got all gooey before I put the jelly on. And then I’d smush the pieces of bread together until they were as flat as I could possibly make them…” She looked up at him just as the smile reached the corners of her eyes. “And then, I guess I’d be so busy thinking about my awesome sandwich and how good it’s gonna taste that’d I’d forget to be nervous about talking to you.”

He offered a curt nod. “Perhaps now we can engage in a non-circular conversation which expands beyond the words, thank you and you’re welcome, wherein you don’t stare at your fingers the entire time.”

Have a great weekend! :)

Sneak Peek at Immortal Dreams...

2010-09-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

For anyone scratching their head right now, Immortal Dreams is the free novella I'm working on as a special thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently while my agent tries to sell Eternal Hearts (and the series) to a major publisher. I don't have any news on that front yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. In the interim, I hope you enjoy this peek at Immortal Dreams, which I hope to release in October...

Chapter 1

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Kasey Morris stared up at the sea of snowflakes swirling above the roof of Cook County Hospital for another few seconds, and then turned to face her friend and Mentor, Raze. “Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have come here with you if I wasn’t.”

“Just keep in mind what I told you,” Raze said, her husky voice edged with concern. “I know you have this little girl’s vision of a superhero stuck in your mind…but he’s nothing like you remember. And I do mean nothing.”

Kasey glared at her Mentor. If she had to listen to any more of Raze’s thoughts on that particular subject, she might scream. “I have a novel idea - why don’t you let me be the judge of him?”

Raze’s eyes narrowed in response, their deep violet color taking on an eerie, almost unnatural luminescence. “Because it’s your judgment skills we seem to be having the most trouble with lately.”

Touché. Kasey drew in a deep breath. She couldn’t argue that point, especially since she’d Ascended nearly three years ago and still hadn’t passed her final test. “Look, I won’t say I haven’t had some problems, it’s just…I don’t think it’s your place to tell me if he’s what I remember or not. You don’t know how I remember him. You weren’t there.”

“I may not have been there, but it’s not like I haven’t heard you talk about him before. And, mind you, I’ve actually seen and talked to the guy in the past ten years, whereas you haven’t. So, could you at least act like I might actually know what I’m talking about…for once?”

Kasey rolled her eyes. “I never said you didn’t know what you were talking about. I just wish you’d let me do this without all the comments…and the warnings…and all the other crap I’ve been listening to for the last week.” She fisted her hands as frustration welled up inside her. “Please…for the love of God, could you just let me do this one thing without a bunch of coaching first?”

Raze tipped her head to the side, sending a mixture of blond and neon green braids cascading across the shoulder of her black, opera-style long coat. “Did you hit your head on something while we were walking? Do you not understand what the word ‘Mentor’ means?”

“I understand what it means,” Kasey snapped between clenched teeth. “But I don’t need your advice when it comes to him. I agreed to try taking a final test in Chicago instead of New York, because you agreed to let me come here first. Now, you’re either going to keep your promise and let me do what I need to do, in whatever way I need to do it…or I’m going back home. I’m tired of arguing about this.”

“Fine,” Raze grumbled before she turned and started walking away. “I just hope you don’t get so caught up with Dr. Death that you forget what you’re really here for.”

Kasey stared at Raze’s back as granules of rock salt crunched and popped between the sidewalk and the thick soles of her black leather boots. “Uh…aren’t you forgetting something?”

Raze spun on her heel with the grace of a Gothic ballerina. “What?”

Kasey motioned to the massive hospital looming roughly thirty yards to her left. “Where am I supposed to go in there? You said you’d tell me when we got here.”

“But I thought you didn’t want any coaching?”

“There’s a difference between not wanting to hear your opinion on an issue that’s been talked to death, and asking for the directions you’ve purposely been withholding.”

Raze gave a lazy shrug, as if she either didn’t understand the difference, or just didn’t give a damn. “Pediatrics is on the sixth floor. Go to the nurse’s station and ask for Georgia. If you’re lucky, she might go get him for you – but don’t be surprised if she doesn’t.”

Kasey huffed out a breath, which quickly became a burst of steam as it mingled with the frigid night air. “Do you have any intention of telling me what that’s supposed to mean?”

Raze simply smiled. “I’m not sure, but that’s exactly what Kerestyan told me when I asked him where to find Dr. Death. Believe it or not, he didn’t really elaborate. Of course, since I’m already acquainted with the Good Doctor, it’s not like I asked for details.” She blew Kasey a kiss then began back peddling. “Now, if you’ll kindly excuse me – since you clearly don’t need me – I have to go talk to a vampire about a petition. I’ll catch up with you later…hopefully not still here.”

Kasey shook her head as she turned and made her way towards the hospital’s front doors. She loved Raze like an older sister, she really did, but even the most well intentioned sister could talk a subject into the ground so hard you wanted to smack her sometimes.

Not that she’d ever raise a hand to her sister, but even with her recent Ascension to something supposedly greater, her impulses were still exactly that – impulses…and sometimes they were difficult to ignore. Of course, those same impulses were also the main reason behind her ever growing string of judgment issues. After all, it was kind of hard for her to make an educated “live or die” decision for someone when the voices in her mind kept screaming for the death option.

But then, that’s what walking the path of Balance was all about.

Instead of becoming a Zealot, a Paladin who ran around the world hell bent on destroying every supernatural creature they could get their hands on, Kasey had accepted Raze’s offer to walk the road less traveled. Balance meant learning to ignore, if not totally silence, the voices in her head. It meant watching a target long enough to learn about their interactions with the humans around them, before deciding whether or not they were a threat to humanity. If they weren’t, then she could leave them be and make a mental note to check back later. But if they were a threat, well…then she could appease the demanding voices any way she saw fit. And usually, the more violent her final decision was – the happier the voices were.

After slipping between the automatic doors and working her way through the mildly crowded lobby, Kasey ducked into one of the open elevators and pressed the button for the sixth floor. She leaned back against the wall and shivered as a chill slithered down her spine. More than any other place in the world, she hated hospital lobbies.

Granted, the whole “death's waiting room” moniker might’ve had something to do with her feelings, but in her case, there was more. With her, there was always more. She hated the muted color schemes, intentionally designed to be deceitful. The smoky blues, frosted greens, and the dusty reds - the very same colors often found in an 80 year-old woman’s sitting room. Only, in a hospital lobby, every single splash of color was strategically placed to instill a feeling of warmth, of familiarity, of – see, it’s just like being at Grandma’s house!

But it wasn’t like being at Grandma’s house.

And even a dying child knew better…

When the digitized bells chimed and the doors slid open, Kasey stepped out of the elevator and couldn’t help but to smile at the instant and radical change of décor. If some million-dollar interior designer had to create boldfaced lies with color, then this brand of outright extravagance was the only way to accomplish that task.

Here, the muted blues and mauves of the lobby had been exchanged for cartoon giraffes, elephants, monkeys, and lions, all of whom shared the walls in absolute harmony. Painted in every vivid color imaginable, one purple elephant was even kind enough to point her in the direction of the nurse’s station, while the red cobra coiled on its back held up a sign announcing the location of the bathrooms.

How convenient. Kasey chuckled at the thought. But, if nothing else, at least she knew she was on the right floor. The pediatric ward of a hospital was the only place in the world where those two animals could happily team up for no other purpose than giving directions.

Following the instructions so elegantly scrawled on the elephant’s trunk, Kasey rounded the corner and stopped at the nurse’s station, which had been decorated to resemble a lavish desert Oasis.

She smiled when a petite blonde looked up at her from behind the counter. “Hi. My name’s Kasey Morris. I’m looking for Georgia. Would it be possible to talk to her for a few minutes?”

The nurse’s blue eyes narrowed a bit. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said as she cast a glance down to her pastel pink watch. “The Administration office closed an hour ago, and I don’t have any more Food Service applications up here at the desk. Try the Admin office in the morning. They’re open nine to five, Monday through Friday.” She punctuated the obviously pre-programmed response by tilting her head and flashing a blinding white smile.

For a moment, all Kasey could do was blink at the woman. Once again, and damningly so, Raze had been right. If you dressed in all black, had multi-colored hair, or wore shiny pants – you were automatically pegged as an incompetent degenerate.

Kasey flattened her hands on the counter and leaned closer to the snobby nurse. “Look, Barbie, I’m not here for an application. And I really don’t appreciate your assumption that even if I was, I’d only be capable of serving food. Don’t act like you know me.”

Barbie’s cheeks flamed a deep shade of pink. “Oh, my God…I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Wow…” She rubbed a hand down her tanned face, and then offered an apologetic smile. “I've just never seen you before and Georgia’s been doing second interviews for PFSWs for the last two weeks straight and I’ve had five people come in today asking for her when all they really wanted was an application.” She finally took a breath. “But I shouldn’t have assumed. I really am sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to offend you.”

Way to go, freak. Kasey backed off the counter when heat burned her own cheeks. “Yeah, sorry about that…and for calling you Barbie.”

“Oh, don’t bother apologizing for that.” She tugged at her badge. “It's my name.” When Kasey’s mouth dropped open while her brain searched for the words to convey her sincerest condolences, Barbie raised a hand. “Contrary to what you’re probably thinking right now, they really do love me. My parents, that is.”

Kasey shook her head. “Wow. That’s just…unfortunate.”

She shrugged. “I suppose it is, but I’ve learned to live with it.” She smiled again. “So, before I so rudely assumed you were looking for a Food Service job, you said wanted to speak with Georgia, right?”

Kasey nodded. “Yes, please.”

“Is she expecting you? And if not, can I tell her why you’re here?”

“No, she’s not expecting me. At least, I don’t think so anyway. To be honest, I’m not really sure. Actually, what I’d really like to do is see Dr. Nelek, but I was told I had to talk to Georgia first.”

“Oh, yeah,” Barbie laughed. “Not even the Pope could get to him without going through her first. Hold on a sec and I’ll page her for you.” She picked up a banana yellow telephone receiver then dialed a few numbers. “Georgia to PNS one, please. Georgia to PNS one.” She gently set the receiver back on its base with one hand while she ticked off three fingers with the other.

After a delay of exactly three seconds followed by a loud beep, Barbie’s firm but polite words drifted above the entire hallway.

“She should be here in a few,” Barbie said. “But while you wait, can I give you a tiny bit of advice?”

Although she’d had more than her fill of unsolicited opinions for the day, Kasey nodded. “Sure, why not.”

“I’m not saying that you are, so please don’t take it that way, but if you happen to be the kind of person who’s easily offended…you might wanna take a moment to prepare yourself.”

Kasey arched a brow. “For what?”

Barbie pointed to her right just as the rhythmic thump of heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and then she beamed yet another blinding smile. “For Georgia.”

Kasey turned her head just as a heavy-set black woman emerged from a junction about twenty feet down the hall. With her Disney purple pants and Mickey Mouse plastered all over the top of her scrubs, she looked to be a fairly jovial woman. However, her stern face told a much different story.

Georgia, at least Kasey assumed she was, stopped a few feet away from the counter and locked her dark brown eyes on Barbie. “Miss Barbie Girl, you best have a good reason for paging me like that.”

Barbie looked over at the older nurse, a smile threatening the corners of her mouth. “I do, Ma’am.” She motioned to Kasey. “This is Kasey Morris, and she wants to see your favorite doctor.”

“She wants to what?” Georgia’s hands went straight to her hips as she slowly turned towards Kasey. “You wanna what?”

Kasey smiled at her. She vaguely recalled the slightly raspy timbre of her loud voice, but the nurse she remembered that particular voice belonging to had seemed a lot younger and quite a bit thinner. “I’d really like to see Dr. Nelek.” She paused to offer her best curtsey. “That is, if you deem me worthy of such an honor.”

One of Georgia’s dark brows rose as her eyes followed an all too familiar curve around the top of Kasey’s head, as if she was admiring a headband that Kasey wasn’t wearing. Her face immediately relaxed into a welcoming smile. “You were one of his patients.”

Kasey nodded. “Not so inoperable brain tumor, ten years ago.”

“Oh, then you were over at the old building.” Georgia drew a deep breath then clucked her tongue. “I sure do miss that place sometimes. But I praise the Lord everyday for this one. It’s a lot easier on the babies with all the HEPA this and the allergen free that. They shoulda just said it keeps the city out and the oxygen in. But you didn’t come all the way up here to hear me go on about that, so come on.” She waved for Kasey to follow her. “Let’s go find Dr. Nelek.”

Kasey hurried forward when Georgia turned and started walking back in the direction she’d originally come from. “Thanks for taking me see him,” she said as she fell into step beside her. “I’ve been wanting to tell him thank you for a really long time now.”

“It’s no problem, Honey. He doesn’t get many visitors anyway, especially grown-up patients, so this should be a nice surprise for him.” She stopped in front of a simple wooden door and pushed it open until it locked into place. “Go ahead and have a seat in here. It’ll probably take me a few minutes, but I’ll find him for you.”

Kasey moved to stand near a circular table in the middle of what looked to be a small meeting room, rather reminiscent of the lobby. “Thanks, Georgia, I really do appreciate it.”

Georgia gave nothing more than a quick nod before she disappeared from the doorway. Her heavy footsteps had barely begun to fade when the purposeful sounds were abruptly replaced by the pop and creak of a metal door opening.

“You have a visitor,” her loud voice carried down the hall.

“What kind of visitor?”

Quiet but strangely resonant, Kasey shivered as the deep voice she’d been waiting to hear for nearly a decade touched her ears. She closed her eyes when heated tears stung the rims, and fought to steady the torrent of emotions clashing inside her while she listened.

“Some cute little white girl,” Georgia said. “I put her down in Interrogation three.”

“Do you mean Interview room three?”

“They’re the same damn thing aren’t they?”

“Hardly. Interview, implies a conversation will occur in a give and take manner, a free exchange of information, if you will. Interrogation, on the other hand, conjures an image wherein one party is forced to provide the other with information they’d prefer not to share.”

Kasey wiped the tears from her cheeks as an involuntary smile spread across her face. After hearing that comment, she had no doubt that voice belonged to the man who’d given her a second chance to live...when every other doctor had dignosed her as already dead.

“Have I told you that you’re a pain in my ass lately?” Georgia asked, her tone far more teasing than angry.

“Repeatedly.”

A moment of silence stretched thin until the sharp snap of fingers finally broke it. “Are you just gonna sit there and stare at those test results, or are you gonna go talk to the girl?”

“Do you know what she wants?”

“To thank you. She’s a former patient.”

“Tell her she’s welcome, and that while I greatly appreciate her desire to meet with me in person, I have current patients who require my complete and undivided attention.”

He doesn’t want you. Kasey stiffened as her heart sank. She locked her gaze on the doorway. How could he just dismiss her?

Georgia’s laughter filled the hall. “I am not telling her that.”

“Please?”

“No. That girl came all the way up here just to thank you. So you better get your skinny ass out of that chair and go talk to her. Lord in Heaven, it’s not like a little social interaction’s gonna kill you.”

Yes! You tell him, Georgia. You go girl!

After a brief storm of footsteps, Georgia reappeared in the waiting room doorway, a smile stretched wide across her face. “He’ll be with you in a minute, Honey.” And before Kasey could even say thank you, she disappeared in the direction of the nurse’s station.

Kasey ripped off her leather coat and flung it across the back of the closest chair, then stood up as straight as possible while she smoothed the scooped neck of her snug black sweater. He could walk into the room at any moment. Would he recognize her? What would he say?

Wait, what am I gonna say? She sucked in and blew out a series of shallow breaths. She could do this, she had to do this. But then, but what if she said something stupid? She bit at the inside of her bottom lip as she considered the possibility. What if she made a total ass of herself and he never wanted to see her again?

She looked up when the tip-tap of lighter footsteps registered in her mind, but this time all she could do was stare at the doctor standing in the doorway. Her heart jumped and lodged itself in her throat. The oxygen in her lungs dissipated. Standing right there, in the flesh, was the man she’d waited ten full years to see again.

Long black dreadlocks replaced the silky straight hair she remembered, but aside from that single difference, everything else about him was the same. His handsome face, made remarkable by the high angle of his cheekbones and the sharp cut of his jaw, looked to be sculpted from the purest alabaster. He was an angel in his own right, with his perfect full lips and intelligent gray eyes. The kind of intense, soulful eyes that could make a lasting impression on a girl…the kind of dark eyes that'd made more than just an impression on her.

For once, her Mentor was wrong. Raze had said he'd be nothing like she remembered. But the man standing in front of her now was everything she remembered. Everything.

Kasey cringed when a nearly deafening chorus of unearthly voices shrieked a familiar warning in her mind, drawing her reverie to a jarring halt. Less than a second later, golden sparks exploded all around her, creating a protective barrier meant to shield her from a vastly superior opponent.

She’d half expected this would happen when she saw him again. Something similar had occurred the first time she’d met Kerestyan Nelek, the vampire Lord of New York, and his twin brother Odin. The voices had risen in her ears right before her barrier flared to life, but both had lasted only seconds before they’d completely faded.

Unfortunately, what had happened back then was nothing compared to what was happening now…

Kasey wanted to close her eyes, but struggled against the instinctual reflex as the shrill screams droned even louder, urging her to get as far away from the current threat as possible.

There was only one problem…she didn’t want to run away.

She wanted to stay and talk to him. She wanted to stare into his eyes as a full grown woman, not a little girl. She wanted to rememorize every detail of the doctor who’d haunted her dreams almost every night since she was eleven.

She fisted her hands when her barrier intensified, the sun golden color taking on a more metallic sheen. She ground her teeth together. Damn it! How could she talk to him, let alone do anything else, when the angelic choir freaking out in her mind refused to shut up?

She glared at the ceiling. Yes, Dr. Nelek was a vampire. Yes, he was more powerful than she could ever hope to be. And yes, she knew the expansive gap between their generations made her a lunatic for wanting to be anywhere close to him. But, for the love of everything good and holy, was the extended racket really necessary?

Kasey wasn’t sure whether it was her mental plea for mercy or his powerful voice that finally silenced the symphony…

“Before you commence with your attack, might I request that we move to a more accommodating venue first?”

Although the thought of hurting him had never once crossed her mind, and probably never would, she couldn’t resist asking, “Why?”

He cast a slow glance over the room. “This is but a simple interview room. It was neither designed nor meant for medical procedures. Hence, Georgia would have a very difficult time cleaning what remains of you off the upholstery.”

Kasey could only stare at him. She wasn’t sure what was more unsettling, the succinct way he’d delivered his explanation, as though cleaning her off the furniture was already a foregone conclusion, or the notion that he’d put Georgia in the exact same situation at least once before. Either way, this most certainly wasn't the kind of reaction she'd expected from him.

His sharp gray eyes narrowed on her. “Well, what say you?”

She forcefully willed her protective barrier to fizzle as an entire colony of butterflies took flight in her stomach. “I didn’t come here to attack you. I just…I wanted to say thank you. In person. I wanted to tell you thank you. You know, for what you did...for me...back then.”

His eyes slowly traced the same headband-style curve that Georgia’s had followed earlier. “I do believe this is irony at its finest.”

Kasey frowned at him. “Why would you say that?”

He reached up and adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “Because it would appear I saved a young girl, who scarcely a decade later has dedicated her life to killing my kind. If that isn’t irony – I’d be curious to hear your definition.”

I owe it all to my Mom...

2010-09-17T14:44:00.000-04:00

Got Romance Novels?

Today, I thought I’d share with you the real reason why I write romance. The picture to the right is of the dining room in the house I grew up in. And for those of you who don’t recognize the spines of those books (I know the picture is a little blurry) – they’re all romance novels. Each shelf is two rows deep with books, meaning there’s yet another row of books behind the visible ones. The bottom two shelves are Red Silhouettes. I think the top shelves are a smattering of contemporary and historical, or whatever else was sent to my Mom from her monthly book clubs. But wait, there’s more…

The front door is to the left of the shelf.

This picture is of another bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. Again, the picture is a little dark, but the top two shelves are also packed two deep with romance novels. I think this one held Zebra romances, as well as various others that she collected over the years. This is also the very shelf I pilfered my first romance novel from, at the tender age of 12. Texas Temptation by Gina Robins - oh, yeah. ;)

I always chuckle when I hear women talk about romance novels like they’re some kind of dirty little secret. I think the reason is because, like I said earlier, the bookshelves in the pictures above were in the dining room of my old house. And, well…when a visitor walked through the front door of our home…they stepped right into our dining room. My Mom never hid her favored books. She never talked about romance novels like there was anything wrong with them. In fact, she loved them - and was very proud of the shelves my Dad built to hold all of them. :)

Of course, there are a few funny stories that revolve around my Mom’s chosen books. Like the time yours truly, at only 5 years old, told the person administering a Kindergarten maturity test that "my Mom bakes cakes and reads dirty books” when asked what she did for a living. Granted, while all my Mom did was laugh when she found out, I blame my Dad for the statement because he was the only one in the house who called them “dirty books”. And, in my own defense, she really did bake wedding cakes at the time.

Close-up, 1st shelf.

But, in any event, from watching her read in her favorite chair on the weekends, to seeing her smile when a new box of books showed up in the mail - my Mom is definitely the reason I write romance. And even more, she’s the reason why I’ve never thought twice about dropping a pile of romance novels on the counter at a bookstore with anything less than a smile on my face. Truth be told, it wasn’t until I started frequenting online romance communities back in 2004 that I even realized there were women out there who hid their romance novels. I still don’t completely understand why they do it – but I’m proud to say I wasn't raised with that kind of mindset, and hope like hell I can pass on the free-and-open-romance-novel-love to my own daughter.

So there you have it. Because of my Mom’s insatiable love of reading and her refusal to hide the very books she loved so much, I grew up surrounded by romance novels - literally. ;) And there isn’t a day that I sit down to write my own books that I don’t silently thank her for it.

Update!

2010-09-10T16:21:00.001-04:00

I got a call from Mr. Agent yesterday, and it's my pleasure to share that Eternal Hearts and the Darkness Within series are now officially on submission to editors! ;)

Granted, the journey to being traditionally published is still very much in its infancy...but no matter the outcome, Eternal Hearts is at least one step closer to hitting your bookshelf. And, trust me, knowing that little piece of info makes me happier than I can even begin express.

Now, I got a few e-mails yesterday (after I posted a quick update on Facebook and Twitter) asking what I'll do if for some inexplicable reason the series doesn't get picked up by a publisher...and I have to admit you guys cracked me up with how unthinkable that outcome even was. :) But the truth is - that outcome is more of a possibility than the alternative. More books get rejected by editors than published, so while I won't tell you not to be excited - I will tell you to be cautious in said excitement. We're not quite there yet.

(And to my Mom, who is no doubt shaking her head while she reads the above paragraph, and is probably grumbling something like, "Knock off the pessimism" - I can't...it's part of my genetic code. And the originator of that specific strand of my DNA is probably kicked back in his recliner right now, watching tennis. So go pick on him, not me. ;D )

If the series doesn't get picked up by a publisher, then rest assured that I'll continue to publish it myself. After all, I think I have a pretty good handle on this whole self-publishing thing...and I'm still rather comfortable with the notion. ;) Besides, like I've said before, I owe the fact that I even have an agent to you guys. If you'd never given Eternal Seduction a chance, there's no way Robert would have found out about the series. And for that, I promise you...no matter whose name is stamped on the spine...I'll keep giving you the stories as long as you want them. :D

So, once again, to all of you reading this - THANK YOU!

Have a good weekend!

A quick update and some opinions…

2010-09-08T17:36:00.001-04:00

Don't be Kanye!

Updates:

1. I wanted to let you know that Mr. Agent will be submitting the Darkness Within series proposal to editors any day now. So while the waiting isn’t over yet…we’re getting closer to a potential release date for Eternal Hearts! :) YAY!

2. Vouclade’s novella is coming along really well, but isn’t quite finished yet. You’ll also be happy to know that it’s closing in on 60,000 words, which is well past novella length. :) I’m shooting for a late September or early October release date. And yes, even though it’s turned into a full length novel – it will still be FREE! :D

Okay, so now that I’ve given you all the updated info that I have, I’m feeling inclined to share a few opinions about all the self-publishing news that’s hit the internet lately. Hence, the Kanye West picture and the caption. ;)

First, while I lurk all across the internet daily, and am especially drawn to any article or blog post with “self-publishing” in the title…rarely do I ever comment on articles/posts about self-publishing, be they good or bad. And it’s not because I’m ashamed of being self-pubbed, or that I don’t have anything of value to add considering my experience…but more because arguing with anyone on the internet reminds me of my hubby’s favorite saying – “It’s like a monkey f$@*#&g a football.” Sure, it might be entertaining for a minute…but in the end it gets you nowhere. :D

I have way better things to do than to spend hours defending self-publishing to people who’ve already made up their minds that nothing good can come from it. To me, arguing about my choice to self-publish is like arguing with a stranger about why I drive a Ford Taurus. I made the choice to buy a Ford Taurus because it suited my needs, I liked the styling, and I loved the price tag even more, which pretty much sums up the reasons why I chose to self-publish. It’s not for anyone else to question, let alone demean me for. It was my choice. Period.

No matter what industry you look at, be it publishing, technology, or even manufacturing, someone will always come up with a different way to do things. And mind you, I said different…not necessarily better or worse, just different. And when a person does set out to do something that goes against the conventional grain, there will always be those who applaud the unconventional method, and those who rail against it. But either way, the different method has still been invented, and you can bet your butt that someone else will come along and change the game again. I suppose, in some instances, it’s evolution at its finest.

Now, don’t get me wrong - are there bad self-published books out there? Oh hell yes. But saying every self-published book is awful…is much like saying every traditionally published book is great. We all know better. Common sense tells us so. Not every song is good. Not every movie is good. Not every TV show is good. Not every book is good. And even the most trusted brands produce a stinker every now and then. But even then, the labels “good” and “bad” are often applied by personal opinion. ;)

Are there self-published authors out there who’ve done a disservice to their brethren by helping to sustain and even promote the unprofessional stigma attached to self-publishing? Uh huh. I cringe every time I read a one or two star review on Amazon where the self-published author makes it a point to comment and insult the reader who wrote the review. If, as an author, self-published or traditionally published, you can’t handle the idea that someone might not like your book , please take my advice – get out of the business now and save your delicate ego for a different pursuit.

Do a lot of self-published authors fan the flames of the “self-publishing stigma” debate by constantly arguing with people from the traditional publishing industry and telling them they’re evil? (For example: All agents and editors are out to get me! They just can’t see my genius!) You bet your monkey and your football. Like I said, I’m a hella good lurker, and I see those kinds of comments nearly once a day. I see self-published authors who constantly claim that they’ve been singled-out by the publishing industry. They’ve been black balled by agents. They’ve been turned down because their fanfreakintasticness is just too much for a mere editor to handle. Seriously. It’s out there. Right next to the same people who, in nearly every debate about the merits of self-publishing, name famous self-publishers like Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and that dude who wrote THE SHACK…

Look, there will always be a few people who successfully buck the system. There will always be a few people who become a marvelous exception to the often lamented rule. But the most important point is this – those people still represent a freakishly small percentage of the whole.

In my opinion, if you’re a self-published author – don’t take the time to constantly argue your case or cause on the internet. Don’t let yourself get sucked in to a debate that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer, because every answer is based on individual and very personal opinions. Don’t comment on every blog/article that chides self-publishing or champions it. And, for the love of all that is sacred to you and yours, don’t argue with or insult readers who leave a bad review for your book.

Go work on your next book. Answer some fan e-mails. Update your website. Go do a guest blog somewhere. Even better, pretend that you’re a traditionally published, bestselling author who has a reputation to protect, and that every word you write on the internet has the propensity to either come back and bite you in the ass – or gain you a new reader. Because I’d be willing to bet that the number of traditionally published authors who stay on top after lambasting their own readers or making a fool of themselves in a public arena…is about equal to the number of self-published authors who go on to secure a lucrative traditional publishing contract.

Branding the Neleks

2010-08-02T13:08:00.001-04:00

After more time than I care to admit staring at my design program, I think I've finally finished the Nelek emblem. :D Behold...

Now you know what's etched into Odin & Stefan's chestplates, along with all the flags and whatnot that adorn Nelek Castle. Of course, their design doesn't include the name...because they know who they are, but it just seemed right to add it. :)

Cover Draft

2010-07-28T19:22:00.000-04:00

Since Vouclade is currently winning the novella war, I took some time today to design a draft of the cover for his story...

I'll post the cover for Raze's story tomorrow...if I can figure out what I want to do with it! ;)

10 Reasons...

2010-07-27T19:59:00.000-04:00

10 Reasons Why You Wouldn’t Know My Name Unless You Read Eternal Seduction Or Heard About Me From Someone Who Did:

10. I don’t blog every day about how awesome I am, or why I’m better than [insert big name author] and can’t understand why I’m not making the same amount of money they are.

9. Not every tweet or status message I write is about my books.

8. I don’t comment on other author’s sites or book review blogs and leave my name, full website address, and tagline related to one of my books at the end of every post.

7. I don’t troll the Amazon forums and recommend my own book to anyone asking for a good romance/vampire/paranormal/whatever novel to read. (To be fair, I have to admit I did this twice back when ES first came out – but quickly realized how annoying it was when I read thread after thread of other authors constantly recommending their own books.)

6. I don’t argue with any reader via the comments section who leaves a negative review of my book on Amazon, B&N, GoodReads, or any other site where readers are free to share their opinion of any book. I understood when I got into this business that not everyone would like my book – and I’m still strangely comfortable with the idea.

5. I don’t send a message to every single person who shelves my book on GoodReads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, etc., pleading for them to rate and review my book, and then follow up by begging them to write a review on Amazon too.

4. I don’t send Facebook friend requests (or accept them) then turn around and plaster a fancy ad for my book with a link to my website on my new friend’s wall. I also don’t ask my new friends to “Like” my author page every day until they do it or threaten to unfriend me.

3. If I’m running a contest or releasing a new book, I don’t make a flashy-seizure-inducing-glittery-hooha graphic and post it as a “comment” on every single MySpace page that I possibly can.

2. I’ve NEVER recommended my own book to all my GoodReads friends, and can’t even begin to understand what would possess an author to do so - especially no less than once a week for months on end.

1. I refuse to be the crazy-eyed Radio Shack sales rep that follows you around the store with some cheap plastic robot, screeching, “Did you see this? DID YOU SEE THIS?” every 37.5 seconds. Because, really, the only answer to that question is: YES, F#$@*R, I SAW IT THE FIRST TIME YOU SHOVED IT IN MY FACE!

Yes, this post is meant to be my not-so-gentle way of pointing out the kind of marketing practices I don't think self-pubbed or really any author should engage in. Granted, there are a number of authors out there who would tell you that you have to get your name out there in any and every way possible. However, as a writer who is also an avid reader, if I'm unwittingly subjected to any combination of the above marketing tactics - I purposely make it a point to never read the book, even if it does sound interesting.

What about you? Are there any marketing methods authors use that make you want to pull your hair out? And would you not read a book because of it?

Overdue Update…

2010-07-26T17:43:00.000-04:00

This update is long overdue, so I’m just going to hop right in…

I don’t have a release date for Eternal Hearts yet. I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but it’s the truth. Mr. Agent is still working on the components of the submission package that will go out to editors, so I’ve been very busy trying to turn around the different outlines and intro materials that he’s asked for in short order. I’d tell you the process has been a blast thus far, but I promised I’d never lie to you. ;) Now, I’m not saying there haven’t been good moments, because there have been – but overall I’d say the feeling I experience most often is frustration. And it basically comes down to me not having the amount or type of control over the situation that I used to have. I’m now working at the pace of traditional publishing – and let me tell you right now – traditional publishing is slower than a 100 year old man climbing a flight of stairs.

All I can really say right now is that once we’ve got the submission package where it needs to be (which will hopefully be in the next few weeks), Mr. Agent will send it off to the editors we’ve chosen and then the waiting really begins. If all goes well, a month or two later, a few of the editors he sends the package to will be interested and make an offer on the series. Once that happens (and I say “once” because my Mom yells at me when I say “if” ;) – and I accept an offer, it might be a year or more before Eternal Hearts is actually published. Yes, you read that right – a year or more. I can almost hear the wistful sighs and irritated groans right now…

I really am sorry, everyone. If I could make this process move at my speed, I would in a heartbeat. It kills me to know I have Eternal Hearts finished but that I can’t release it. And it drives me even crazier because EH has been finished for nearly two months now. I keep telling myself that all the waiting will be worth it in the end. And I think the only saving grace right now, at least for my own personal sanity anyway, is that I really do believe it will all be worth it in the end. I honestly do think, even though it’s been quite an adjustment so far, that traditional publishing will do more for the series than I ever could by myself.

So, with all that in mind, and because I know that waiting isn’t easy, and also because I want to thank you all for being so patient…I convinced Mr. Agent to let me write a free novella for the series. ;) I expect it will take me about a month to finish the novella, but first I need to know whose story I’m writing. And this is where I need your help!

Do you want to read about Raze or Vouclade?

I’m prepared to write a story for either one, but I thought it would be a lot more fun to let you make the final decision. Please vote via the poll at the top of the right sidebar. Voting is open until 7/31 at 11:59 PM. After I have the final results, I'll get to work on the story, and then keep you upated as to when it will "release". I plan to post it here, on my website, and offer it as a free downloadable PDF. I'll share any other details once everything is ready to go.

I can't wait to see who you choose!! :)

Just when I thought the excitement was too much...

2010-05-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

The news I have to share with everyone today is so unbelievably exciting – I still can’t believe it’s real!!

On Monday morning I got a surprise e-mail from Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident Media Group, asking about my series and whether I had representation for it. He went on to say that he believed there was a strong market for my series here in the U.S. and abroad, and that he wondered if I’d be willing to talk more about the possibilities with him. Needless to say, I was floored. I recognized his agency’s name…but I just couldn’t believe my own eyes. Even now, I’m still waiting for someone to jump out from behind my couch and tell me I’ve been Punk’d. :)

In any event, we chatted on the phone Tuesday morning about his agency and his accomplishments as an agent, his belief that my series would do well with a traditional publisher, then he offered me representation. And let me tell you…immediately following his words, I had one of those surreal moments where your heart jumps into your throat and you can’t even breathe, let alone talk. All I could think about was how did I go from being self-published to having the Chairman of the top selling literary agency in the U.S. asking if I’d like to work with him to advance my career as a writer. Truth be told, a day later I’m still asking myself the same question!

After talking with Chad yesterday afternoon and weighing all the pros, cons, and potential changes a decision like this might cause in our lives…I officially accepted Robert’s offer. Oh, and for those of you who know how much I adore her books, Robert is also Sherrilyn Kenyon’s agent!!!! :)

I should also mention that what made me accept his offer was his pure excitement about my series. He’s a really nice guy, and it’s very obvious from talking with him that he absolutely loves his job. He said he’s been watching my sales on Amazon climb for awhile now, and truly believes my career has just started. He also thinks I have a very promising future in publishing. And he’s also very driven to get the Darkness Within series into the traditional publishing market as soon as possible, which both excites and scares the hell out of me. :)

Now I have to share the bad news…

Eternal Hearts will not be releasing in June. I know that news will probably disappoint everyone, even I have to admit that among all the excitement over the last two days I’ve been dreading having to share this info, but the goal now is to let Robert do his magic and sell ES, EH (and hopefully the rest of the series) to a major publisher.

I am really, really sorry everyone. :( I know you’ve been waiting for Drake’s story, and I know the last thing you wanted to hear was that the release date is going to change again…but I hope you’ll bear with me one last time, because this was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. To have the representation of a top NY agent, to hopefully very soon have the support of an editor who’ll help me grow as a writer, and to know I can focus on writing the books without the stress of trying to publish them myself…it’s what I’ve always wanted. Being traditionally published was my dream when I started writing the series, and because of you it’s starting to come true. And like I said in my last post, I will NEVER be able to express the depth of thanks I owe you. I wouldn’t be here without you. There would have never been an Amazon listing for Robert to track had every single one of you not given me a chance to share my world with you.

So, again…THANK YOU!

I have a bunch of sales stats to compile for Robert now, as well as a few outlines to write for the next books, and an overall synopsis of where the series is heading with the various story arcs, but I wanted to share the good and bad news with all of you before I got lost in spreadsheet-land. And like I said, I really am sorry if I’ve disappointed anyone, but I hope you’ll share in my excitement for the future of the series. Because, and without a shadow of a doubt, the excitement and success is just as much yours as it is mine.

P.S. I promise to keep you updated as events unfold, and I even plan to blog about other things relating to the series in the interim. I figure, if nothing else, I owe you guys some Odin interviews and other fun facts about some of the characters and the trouble they get into!!

Too much excitement!

2010-05-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of news to share today, but first I wanted to send a big thank you out to everyone who responded to the questions in my last post. I really appreciate all the feedback! And to everyone who emailed me (and there we a lot of e-mails!), if you haven’t gotten a response yet - please bear with me. I intend to respond to everyone personally, but there’s a serious amount of chaos happening around me right now!

Okay, so after reading all the comments and e-mails, I’ve decided to set the release date for Eternal Hearts (in all formats, including the signed option) for late June. It appears a lot of you would prefer that all formats come out at the same time…and I think you’re right! :) I'm also researching what program I'll need to put EH out in an epub format for the Sony Reader, Nook, and various other devices, which was the e-format most requested by everyone. And, I also think releasing EH in late June will be perfect because of this little piece of news…

I’M MOVING at the end of the month! For those of you who read the blog when I actually post…you know how difficult this apartment has been in terms of my continued writing. It’s never quiet here because of the college students who’ve overrun the complex during the last year. There are always people fighting on the sidewalk right outside my windows. And I swear, over the last few months, the police are here at least once a week for some reason or another. Plus, the instance that really takes the cake...about a week ago I watched stupefied as a mother directed her 3 year old to drop his pants and pee in the sandbox on the playground while she helped her younger son pee on the tree next to the swings. So NOT cool, especially because most of the kids who live in this complex play in that sandbox. Basically, this place has become the ghetto over the last year and has also been a creative drain for me with the near constant distractions. But that’s all going to change in just under 2 weeks.

Chad, the Heathen and I are going from 650 square feet to 1,100 for only $80 more a month. We’ll still only have 2 bedrooms, but the master bedroom is big enough to turn half of it into a very nice office! :) I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am! I'll have a desk again...and it won't be five feet from the refrigerator! Oh, and did I mention we’re going to the country? Check it out:

This is the view from the living room of our current apartment. And yes, the railroad tracks are really that close. So close, in fact, if I’m trying to talk on the phone when a train comes by I have to ask whoever I’m talking with to hold on until the train passes. That’s a factory across the way, and just past the building you can see across the parking lot is a plant that slaughters pigs for processing. And let me tell you something I would have never known if I hadn’t lived here: Pigs SCREAM when the semi-truck hauling them goes over the railroad tracks. They don’t squeal. They scream…and it might just be the most unsettling sound I have ever heard in my entire life.

This is the view from the living room of our new apartment. :) And as you can see, about the only distraction there might be for me is when the farmer is planting or harvesting the corn field. But something tells me I'll be able to deal with that kind of noise fairly easily. There will be no drunk college students throwing beer bottles at passing cars. No college age couples having violent break-ups on the sidewalk less than 2 feet from my windows. No cars with stereos blasting so loud that it rattles my apartment door. Oh no, just the quiet country where I can write to my heart's content without crazy distractions. Well, as long as the Heathen doesn't get curious and try to chase a skunk or something... ;)

So while I'm trying to finalize everything for the release of EH - I'm also packing and trying to throw away anything I think we can live without. Not to mention that the Heathen still has two more weeks of school, and Chad is rapidly approaching mid-terms for his International and Comparitive Criminal Justice classes while continuing to work 50 hours a week. So, with all that in mind, I really think a late June release for EH will be perfect. It will give me time to get settled and ready for all the promotion that goes into self-publishing a book. And it will also give me time to get everything set for all the fun contests I plan to run for the release of EH. Whew...I'm almost done, but I still have one more piece of info to share...

Today, I received an offer for Eternal Seduction to be translated and published by a major publishing company in Turkey! And when I say major, I mean this is the same publisher that purchased Turkish rights to Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson and Jeaniene Frost...just to name a few of the well-known authors my name will be on the same roster with. I'm still in shock. I received the first e-mail from an agent back in February, who asked me to send him a copy of the book so he could forward it to the interested publisher, but I hadn't heard anything until today. And let me tell you, when I opened that e-mail this morning with the details of the offer...I about fell over.

I still don't know how they found out about Eternal Seduction. I still have no idea how my book landed on the radar of an editor halfway across the world...but I'm so unbelievably excited that I really don't know what to do with myself right now. I do know one thing though - if you're reading this blog post...

I owe it all to you! :)

You guys, my lovely readers, made this all possible. I'm not sure I could ever explain how much I appreciate your willingess to take a chance on a self-published romance author. Thank you so very, very much. Thank you for giving ES a chance. Thank you for telling your friends. Thank you for writing reviews on the retail sites. Thank you for all the e-mails that kept me going while I worked to rewrite EH. And thank you even more for all your understanding when I've had to move release dates. Thank you for everything.

THANK YOU!

Have a great weekend all!

P.S. I promise I'll tell you the exact release date for EH as soon as I have it (I'm thinking June 22nd or 29th). I'll also share the Turkish cover for ES as soon as I get it! You have no idea how funny it is to think I'll have a book on my shelf that I wrote but can't read!! LOL!

A few questions and some news!

2010-05-05T18:02:00.001-04:00

All right, so I’m here today to share some info and ask a few questions of you lovely readers! I’ll start with the questions first…

1. I’ve had a number of e-mails recently from readers asking if I’d be willing to offer an “order a signed copy of Eternal Hearts” option on my website when the book is available. To which I responded, of course…I can do anything I want…I’m the publisher! :) But I’m wondering how many people would be interested in an option like that. I’m thinking I can offer a signed copy of EH with a few goodies slipped in (bookmarks, pens, stickers, etc. – maybe even a sneak peek at Eternal Embrace) for about $15.00 and that would include USPS Priority shipping, within the US. Outside the US it usually costs anywhere from $15-$25 just for the shipping…so I’m not sure anyone would want that, but if they did I would certainly do my best to keep the shipping costs as low as possible. So my question is – would you like that option? FYI - Payments for that option would be through PayPal, just in case that matters to someone.

2. Because of the rampant pirating of Eternal Seduction in .PDF format (to date: well over 5,000 copies – and one person who even tried to SELL copies), I am seriously considering NOT offering a .PDF of Eternal Hearts for purchase on my website. I know this will probably irk some of you, but the book will still be available for MobiPocket and Kindle, both of which have free programs you can download for use on your PC, various phones, and whatever other devices they manage to hijack between now and the release date. ;) For those e-book lovers out there, is EH being available for Mobi and Kindle enough, or is there another format you’d like to see it in? I’m more than willing to learn how to produce another protected format, but I’d like to hear from you so I can choose the most popular ones!

3. I’m going to do my best to explain this without going into a bunch of details you probably don’t need, so please bear with me. :) I don’t have a concrete release date for Eternal Hearts yet because I’m battling a very specific issue. When the final files for EH are uploaded to the printer, it can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks for the online listings to appear on retail sites. With ES, the Amazon listing was up in a few days, but the B&N listing took roughly 2 weeks. The BAM listing took about 4 weeks, and other smaller bookseller sites took almost the full 6 weeks. And to be honest, I have no idea how long it took for ES to hit bookstore systems so that it could be ordered in your local bookstore…

The issue I’m running into with trying to set a concrete date for EH right now is fairness. Basically, the minute I upload the files to the printer, I’m only hours from being able to turn those files into the Kindle & Mobipocket versions of EH – which could be available as soon as the very next day. Meaning, while it could potentially take 2-6 weeks for you to get your hands on the print version of EH, other people who want the e-book version could have it much, much earlier. Under no circumstances do I want anyone who really wants the print version to have to buy the e-book version just so they can read it sooner. I’m not looking for double your money, and the last thing I want to do is ostracize anyone for their preferred reading method. However, in order to make sure everyone can get their hands on the book at the same time, I’d have to set EH’s release date for the middle/end of June. This way, when I upload the files to Mobipocket and Kindle, I can account for the 2-6 week delay for the print listing, and give all versions the same release date.

Of course, I kick myself in the ass every time I even consider this, because had I not decided to rewrite the book, which caused me to push back the initial release date in favor of not setting a solid one…I wouldn’t have this problem now. Granted, the only reason I chose to rewrite EH was because I thought I could tell the story better…and my readers deserved the best story I could give them…but either way, it’s causing me some issues now. :(

So, what would you guys rather have? Would you rather have the e-book versions available as soon as I can give them to you…or would you rather all versions come out at the same time?

Personal Note: I know this may seem like a no-brainer to some…but I don’t want to alienate anyone. As a reader, I hate it when the print version of a mass market paperback comes out a month or two before the e-book. I hate sitting and waiting, and reading reviews of the paperback that might contain spoilers…before I’ve even had a chance to read it simply because I prefer e-books. Now, of course, some of you would probably tell me to stop reading the reviews…but I CAN’T. :) I want to know about the boooooook! I want to know what other people thought, and not every reviewer is good about not posting spoilers. So it’s in honor of other readers who might be like me that I’m asking what you want.

Okay, so the next piece of news is about Eternal Embrace, which is book 3 in the series. I originally had it set to release this month, but after a lot of thought I’ve decided to release it roughly 45-60 days after Eternal Hearts. And I’m doing it because I don’t want anyone buying EE just because they can get it at the same time as Eternal Hearts. Because…what if you don’t like what happens in EH, and decide you’re done with the series? Then you’ve already purchased EE and wasted your money. :(

There is also another reason, a very big reason, but I can’t explain it without giving away parts of EH. Let’s just say that the hero of EE is one of those either-you-love-him-or-hate-him kind of guys. And if you find that you don’t like him in EH…something tells me you won't want to read his book. Eternal Embrace is, by far, one of the darkest books in the series – if not the darkest. And I want to make sure you have time after reading EH to decide whether or not EE will be for you. I guess, in the end, it all comes down to making sure you don’t feel like you’re wasting your money. I never want anyone to feel that way about one of my books, especially if I can warn them in advance that they may not like it.

So, that’s why I’m going to hold the release of EE off until EH has been out for a bit. I hope you understand, but if you have questions or just want to scathe me for being difficult, feel free to comment or drop me an e-mail at jent@darknesswithinnovels.com. Actually, the same goes for any of the questions I’ve asked or any of the info I’ve shared in this post. I’d appreciate any and all comments whether they’re attached to the blog or via e-mail!

P.S. Eternal Desires (Book 4) is still happily on schedule for an October 2010 release. And Eternal Embers (Book 5) – which happens to be Odin’s book – is only a few chapters from being finished, and has a tentative release date in May 2011. I say tentative only because I’m actually considering moving it up due to the very unexpected but positive attention that Odin has garnered. ;)

That's all I have for now! Have a good one!

Jen

Top 5...

2010-03-16T18:50:00.000-04:00

In my quest to blog at least once a week for awhile, which I hope will then turn in to blogging multiple times a week somewhere in the near future, I decided to take a look back at some of the comments and e-mails I’ve received regarding Eternal Seduction. Yes, I admit that I needed a little inspiration today, but I also noticed that a few questions seemed to keep popping up from readers. So, I figured I’d take a little time to share the top five with you, and of course, my answers...

1. What made you decide to make your vampires so old?

The best answer to this question is…I love science. I know you’re probably sitting there thinking, “Huh? What?” – but those three words really sum it up. Homo Sapiens, as a species, date back over 250,000 years. That means a quarter of a million years ago there existed peoples with the same cognizant and cognitive reasoning skills as you and me. They built shelter, used tools, prepared food, and cared for their families in much the same manner as we do now. Actually, now that I think about it…considering I just finished watching the local news…I can’t help but wonder whether maybe they were better people than we are now. However, I think that’s a blog post for another day. :)

When I set out to create the Darkness Within world, I wanted my vampires and other supernaturals to be as old as humanity, a presence among us since the beginning. And to accomplish that task, I had to research the beginning of the human species so that I could get a handle on what kind of ages might be appropriate. I know that depending on someone’s personal religious beliefs, the “beginning of humanity” can be rather subjective, if not a hotly debated topic – but my concern in the initial stages of creating the series had nothing to do with religion of any sort. I wanted hard facts and numbers. I wanted to know, based on scientific data, when the earliest decision-capable humans came to be. And my answer was 250,000 years ago.

Are any of my supernaturals that old? No, not even close. But most of the Ancients are older than many other author’s versions of vampires…and I’m just fine with that. ;)

2. Why doesn’t Stefan have eyes?

Stefan’s Sire, who shall at this moment in time remain nameless, burnt out his eyes shortly after turning him into a vampire. Without going into great detail or giving too much away, it has to do with the belief that of all the senses – sight is the most easily deceived.

3. Will we see Odin in other books or will he get his own book?

Yes and yes. Odin makes an appearance in books 2 (Eternal Hearts), 3 (Eternal Embrace) and 4 (Eternal Desires)…and book 5 (Eternal Embers) belongs to him. You get to meet his heroine in book 4 though. :D

4. Why does Logan brush her teeth so much?

For this one, I’m going to steal my answer from the interview I did with BittenbyBooks.com:

For her, it’s a somewhat twisted but comforting affirmation of survival. Most people brush their teeth first thing after they wake up, to most, it’s an absolute necessity. So if she lives to brush her teeth that day and has the means to do so, she knows her life could be a lot worse.

5. Do you have any plans to give Kerestyan & Logan a second book, or maybe a third?

I hadn’t really thought about it until I realized I had so many requests to do it. I’ve literally had hundreds of pleas for Logan & Kerestyan’s story to be turned into a trilogy. And most of the time the reason is because she doesn’t quite love him at the end of ES, which according to my wonderful readers, gives them an uneasy feeling that things could always change.

I guess I never thought of it that way, but I have to admit they’re probably right. So, yes…I’m currently considering giving Logan & Kerestyan at least another book, if not a trilogy. The extended story wouldn’t tie into the larger plotline happening between the series books, but it would run parallel, and at least give you more insight into the Nelek family and how Kerestyan came to be. Not to mention, it’d be really fun to share some of Logan’s daily life as a Servio to the Lord of NY, and also how she puts what she learned from Trinity to work. No doubt, her rather ruthless nature would probably cause her and Kerestyan a little trouble when it comes time for her to truly get involved in vampiric politics. ;)

The 3rd Shift Writing Project...

2010-03-11T06:47:00.002-05:00

As some of you who’ve connected with me on Facebook may know, tonight begins my 3rd Shift Writing Project. The 3SWP, as it shall now be known, came about because after taking a long look at my writing career over the last year and a half, I realized something has to change. I’m nowhere near as productive as I used to be, and there isn’t much right now I want more than to rediscover whatever formula I had when I first started writing. So I’m beginning the 3SWP by writing this very personal story about what I think is wrong with me right now, and how I intend to fix it.

In April of 2003, my husband’s father passed away and left his home to Chad and his stepmother. I’ll spare you the horrific details of the months following, but suffice it to say that someone’s true colors were shown and it most certainly wasn’t a pretty display. At the time, I was 25, Chad was 22, and the Heathen had just turned 4. I knew we weren’t ready for the responsibilities of maintaining a home, but there was no way I could look at Chad and refuse him the house he grew up in. So, he did what he needed to do and got a loan to buy out his stepmother’s half of the house. We moved in sometime in early July of 2003, and for awhile things were really good.

I’d always dabbled in writing. I think I’ve mentioned before that when I was a kid I loved to write horror stories. But when we moved into the house, which had 3 bedrooms, suddenly I had an office. I had a place where I could go and pretend to be a real writer. And in October of 2004, after falling in love with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series, I decided I wanted to write my own series of vampire novels that were darker and grittier than anything I could find in the bookstore. Plus, though I still love them to this very day, I never really saw the Dark Hunters as true vampires. I had my own crazy ideas of what a vampire should be, and I wondered if there was any way I could create characters who stepped off the pages like the ones SK wrote. It was a hell of an undertaking, and I have to admit that I might have been a little delusional at the time…but it was a goal. A goal I never thought would take me anywhere. ;)

I started writing “Sweet Revenge”, which would later become “Eternal Hearts”, in October of 2004. But in November of 2004, when I was about half way done with the book, I got the bright idea to start my own website, even though I knew nothing about building a website, because I wanted feedback from people who didn’t know me. People who had absolutely no reason to be nice to me. I was a regular in the Dark Hunter chat room at the time, and MamaLo graciously allowed me to ask for readers there and share my website address with them. Next thing I knew, I had a handful of strangers who were stopping by my shoddy little place on the web, leaving me comments about each chapter as I posted it.

And wouldn’t you know…they liked it.

Looking back at my writing then, I have no idea how they could’ve liked it. My grammar was all over the place. My paragraph structure left much to be desired. I really didn’t have any idea about what I was doing or the particulars of balancing characters and plot. I was just telling a story. There wasn’t anything fancy about it. I didn’t watch how many times I used the work “look” instead of spicing things up with stared or gazed or cast a glance. I didn’t freak out because my sentence structure was repetitive, or because I used the word “just” six times in the space of three pages. I didn’t do a search on the word “was” simply to make sure every instance of the little bastard was active instead of passive. I just wrote. I told Toni and Drake’s story…and I was happy.

I finished “Sweet Revenge” in late December of 2004. And, of course, I wanted it published ASAP – because damn it, I wasn’t the only one who thought it was good! Strangers liked it. People who read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books actually thought mine was good. They read stories penned by the AG’s magical fingers and thought my story was worthy!!! Trust me when I tell you – no one was more shocked than me. And I was also just as shocked when after doing some research and then querying a few agents, two actually asked me to send them sample chapters. It pains me to admit it now, but I spent an outrageous amount of money on getting a few copies of the query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters printed at Kinko’s. Outrageous I tell you. I’m talking well over $200.00.

Both agents who’d requested the partial manuscript rejected the book about a month and a half later.

One of them even commented that “while the story is intriguing and your voice is strong, you’re technical writing skills aren’t.” And yes, he bashed my technical writing skills all while using you’re instead of your. ;) Now I just laugh…but at the time I was heartbroken. I think I went through nearly every emotion known to man in the space of a few hours. However, when Jen’s dysfunctional wheel of emotion finally stopped spinning, it landed squarely on spite. I’d like to cushion my ego by saying it was actually perseverance, I really would…but I’d be lying. Spite was what carried me through two more books, both of which were written between February 2005 and May 2005. I kept posting chapters on my website as they were finished. I continued to garner praise and encouragement as more and more people showed up to read my work. Truth be told, by the time I finished writing Eternal Desires…I felt like I was on top of the world. Dozens of people were stopping by my website every day to see if I’d posted a new chapter. They were popping into my chat room night after night, wanting to know more about the characters and whose story was next. And I was there every single night to greet them. It didn’t matter if I had to be to work in the morning, because I’d stay in that chat room until I had no other choice than to walk out the door at 8:00 AM lest I get fired. It felt so good to be the center of attention…to have the adoration of people who were just as interested in my world as I was.

The problem was that while I was lost in the fantasy world I’d created…reality sat in the basement wondering where his wife had gone.

It’s not easy to admit that my house was a total mess for months. It’s not easy to admit that there were times when Chad would walk in the door at 1:00 AM (he worked 4pm to 1am), only to find our beautiful 5 year old Heathen being entertained by a movie in the living room because Mommy was too busy chatting on the computer to put her to bed. To this day, the span of October 2004 – August 2005, remains one of the most accomplished…but completely awful periods in my life. I wrote three books during that time, started four more, and made a handful of friends that I still talk to today – but I damn near tore my family apart in the process…

It took a lot of fighting, then being told by a lawyer that there was no way we could get a divorce without the judge ordering us to counseling first, and a few months of said counseling…before Chad and I figured out how to pull our relationship back together. I can look back now and clearly see that we both made mistakes. Me, in retreating into a self-created fantasy world because I thought it was better than my real world. Him, in bottling everything up and not talking about the problems until it was almost too late. But somehow, some way, we made it through and managed to come out better in the end. Sitting here now, I still don’t know how we did it…but I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am that we did. Neither of us is anywhere near perfect, but I’d rather be flawed and with him…than be perfect with anyone else.

I didn’t so much as touch a computer in a writing capacity again for over two years. And let me tell you…it practically took Chad sitting me down in my black leather office chair and putting my fingers on the keyboard to get me to write again. And even then, I’d close the office door behind him and just sit at the computer and cry. I was so afraid that I’d fall back into those bad habits if I started writing again. I was so scared that I’d get sucked back into my fantasy world and lose sight of everything else.

It took a few days and a whole lot of reassurance from Chad, but in November of 2007 I finally started writing again. I’d already decided that the Darkness Within series would probably start out better if the first heroine was a human, and after hanging out in the bookstore one day…Logan Ellis was born. I finished Eternal Seduction in February of 2008. I sent out a round of queries to agents again shortly thereafter, and this time when the requests came – I printed my own copies for no more than the cost of an ink cartridge and tossed them in the mail.

All three agents who’d requested the full manuscript rejected the book about two months later. :)

The only difference this time was that I didn’t get form rejection letters or nasty comments about my technical writing abilities. I had communication with each of the agents, and the consensus was simply that Logan was way too non-traditional for a heroine…and the story was just too dark for the market. They weren’t passing on ES because of my writing abilities. In fact, they had nothing but praise for my writing style and the strength of my voice. I was asked by two of those agents to change Logan’s circumstances, lighten the overall tone of the novel, and then resubmit. I’ve shared this part of my publication story before, but just in case someone’s reading this who doesn’t know…after a lot of thought – I chose not to change Logan or the darker nature of my world. I wanted to tell the story of a character who wasn’t even close to being perfect. A character who’d made mistakes, lived through the consequences…and even in her darkest moments was still worth redemption.

Personally, though I had to take an often criticized and very non-traditional route to get the book out there, I still think I’ve done pretty well with it. ;)

But to continue my story - due to a bad decision to refinance our house via an adjustable rate loan in early 2006, which caused our monthly payment to nearly double when the first adjustment came in 2008, as well as a series of job losses…we lost our home to foreclosure. I’d say I was upset about it, but I really wasn’t. For me, losing the house was actually a relief. Chad and I have always lived paycheck to paycheck. We never had the money to make repairs to the house like it needed. Granted, it wasn’t falling down around us or anything…but the damn thing was built in 1951 and still had the original windows. Not to mention it still had a fuse box and fabric covered wiring. So, like I said, I wasn’t exactly devastated.

In August of 2008 we went from a 2,200 square foot, 3 bedroom house with a full basement…to a 650 square foot, 2 bedroom apartment. Bonus: the house only had one bathroom and our apartment has two. Bonus: while we still live paycheck to paycheck, Chad makes enough to handle all our bills with a little extra left over each month. Bonus: because Chad’s paychecks cover everything, I can stay home and write. Not that I could find a job outside the house right now if I wanted to, considering all my skills are for office work and I haven’t seen an office related want ad in our local paper for over a year.

There are other bonuses, too. Big ones, like being here for the Heathen when she gets home from school. Having the time to spend with her when she wants to watch a movie or talk about why she doesn’t like some of her classmates, which is always fun. :) Then there’s being here for Chad, especially now that he’s working 50+ hours a week AND going to college full-time. I can’t tell you how great it feels to be able to give him the same kind of support he gave me when I decided to self-publish Eternal Seduction.

The problem right now is that part of lending him that unwavering support involves not having nearly the amount of time to write that I used to. And even now, almost 5 years after the relationship issues my writing once caused…I still have trouble writing for more than an hour or two when he or the Heathen are home or awake. And I still can’t focus on writing unless the apartment is spotless, and all the chores/duties I feel like I’m responsible for are finished. It doesn’t matter how many times Chad tells me that we aren’t the same people we were back then, or how many times he tells me to keep writing…I just can’t do it. I know it's a psychological thing. I know it's based on fears that are five years old. But what I feel will always win out over what I know, even when logic tells me otherwise.

I’m also finding that I really miss having an office. When I was at my desk in our former home, comfortable in my high back chair, I was damn near unstoppable. I could close the door, crank up the music, and go wherever the characters wanted to take me. When I stepped into that room, I knew I was at work. The Heathen knew I was at work. She didn’t see me sitting at the kitchen table, which is literally in the kitchen, working less than 5 feet from the refrigerator…or on the couch in the living room. She wasn’t tempted to talk to me about whatever topic was on her mind because Mom working looked the same as Mom playing a game on her laptop. And I…well, I can’t look at her when she wants my attention and tell her she can’t talk to me because I’m writing. She’s almost 11…in two years I’ll probably have to bribe her to talk to me. I don’t want to miss the moments when she actually wants to share her thoughts with me.

I should also take a moment to point out that this apartment complex is quickly turning into the ghetto of this rather small college town. When we first moved here there were some college kids…but now they’re everywhere. I can’t sit in the living room during the day and try to write without hearing people hooting and hollering outside. I also can’t sit at the table around Noon, when people are standing outside my front windows while waiting for their kids to get off the bus, without hearing the f-word 50+ times or stories about anal sex, or whatever else they’ve decided to talk about. And mind you, I can still hear them plain as day with the windows closed and headphones on.

Yes, the windows are that bad.

I wish I wasn’t the kind of writer who needs peace and quiet, aside from whatever music I’ve chosen for the scene I’m writing…but I am. If I’m engrossed in writing a scene, especially an emotional or intimate scene, it only takes three to four distractions to completely pull me out of the story. And once I’m out, it can easily take an hour or more for the irritation to subside so I can get back to where I was. This is one of my main problems with Eternal Hearts right now. Toni is a very compassionate and caring character, and one I can’t write when I’m pissed off or irritated. She’s also an extremely difficult character for me to write in the first place, mostly because her personality is so different from my own. I have a hard enough time not turning her into Logan’s evil twin as it is…the last thing I need is to already be in a bad mood when I sit down to do the final read.

I know the obvious answer is to move into a 3 bedroom apartment in a quieter complex, but right now that’s not something Chad and I can afford. Plus, we had to sign a lease for August 2010 – August 2011 back in December or they’d rent our apartment to someone else. So, at the very least, we’re stuck here until next year. The question now is how do I deal with all the distractions and irritations that this apartment complex causes me, and manage to keep writing without feeling like I’m missing out on time with my family? And, how the hell do I get my books out on time if I’m too irritated write?

I’m about five hours into the first night of the 3SWP. That stands for 3rd Shift Writing Project, just in case you forgot while reading the short book I’ve written so far…if you’ve even managed to stay with me this long. :) This is my answer. I’m writing while Chad and the Heathen are asleep. I don’t feel guilty for working while they’re sitting in the living room. I don’t feel like I’m neglecting the two people I love more than anything in the world. And so far, the apartment complex appears to be playing along. There’s no screaming, no drunken college kids running around the parking lot, and no discussions happening outside my windows between sex crazed neighbors. There’s just me, my music, and the almost 3,000 words I’ve written in the last few hours. Granted, these words aren’t meant for the pages of a book, but this is the first time in months that I’ve managed to put this much “ink to paper” in one sitting.

I know that revelation probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, and it certainly doesn’t get Eternal Hearts any closer to your bookshelf…but it means a lot to me. It means that once I take Chad and the Heathen to work/school at 8:45 AM, then come home and go back to bed until 3:00 PM…I’ll wake up to start my day having accomplished the only goal I set for myself tonight…

I wrote a story that made me smile, a story that made me cry…and a story that reminded me why I love writing in the first place. There was nothing fancy about it. And not once did I stop to check whether my sentence structure had become repetitive, or worry that I used the word “just” too many times. I just wrote. I told my story…and I was happy.

Tuesday Feature: Inside the Darkness...

2010-01-12T19:12:00.004-05:00

Today’s post was spurred on by a recent review written by a reader on Amazon, who said they would have enjoyed Eternal Seduction more if the historical and geographical facts of New York City were more realistically represented. As most of you who read the blog know, I’m pretty good at taking any reviews of my books with a grain of salt, whether they’re good or bad…but this one really got me thinking. Now, this entire post doesn’t center around the content of that review, but I bring it up because it was the catalyst that set my brain in motion. And I figure if you knew where my mind was when I started writing this post, you could follow my sometimes erratic but always bouncing mental ball. ;)

I think every author who’s published a book has a secret list of ideas/themes that they hope their readers pick up on as they read said book. You know, those little subtle details that the author drops here and there throughout the story, hoping that each one will get filed away in the readers mind until later when BAM! - they all line up and add another layer to the story that wasn’t necessarily obvious. Well, I’d like to think most authors have a list as such, but then again I may be the only one. :) In any event, my list for Eternal Seduction is rather short. And though a few of the points on this secret list have been brought up in scattered reviews over the last year, I haven’t really felt the need to bring it up because it seemed like the majority of readers understood what was happening in ES.

And I’ll let you know right now that I used to hate reading an author interview where he/she made the comment, “I’m just so glad the readers got my story. That they really got what I was trying to say.” But over the last year, I’ve started to understand what those authors meant. I’ve read/heard some authors lash out and call the readers who’ve written unfavorable reviews stupid for not getting “it”. “It” being one or more of those subtle themes/ideas I referenced earlier. First, I would say to those authors, “BAD!” You never call your readers stupid, or any other name you wouldn’t want to be called yourself. Hell, I learned that back in kindergarten. :) And second, I don’t think intelligence has anything to do with a reader not picking up on veiled hints or clues. Personally, I think how well a reader picks up on character subtleties has everything to do with how well those nuances are written, and how well the reader identifies with the character. I know that for me, as a reader, if I understand where a character is coming from, even if I don’t like or agree with them, I can usually catch the underlying elements that drive who they are.

And how all of that pertains to the review that got me thinking about this subject is - in Eternal Seduction, the description of NYC and all it entails is given mainly through Logan’s eyes. And the truth of the character is that I could stand Logan in the cleanest, most pristine alley in NYC…and she would still see it as a dark, dirty and unforgiving place. It doesn’t matter what the reality of NYC is today, because that’s not how she sees it. She views the city she lives in, and even more appropriately - the entire world - as a cruel and selfish place…and her view really doesn’t start to change until she meets Kerestyan and listens to him talk about how he sees the world.

Now, if I strip away all character perceptions and look at the reviewer’s comments from a strictly realistic and factual basis as an author, I can completely understand where the reviewer is coming from. However, the NYC I write about in my series isn’t meant to be a perfectly realistic portrayal of the city we all know. After all, I’m writing fiction, containing mainly vampires and other supernatural creatures. ;) And I’m bringing this issue up because, and by no means do I mean to come off condescending in any way, but if you’re the kind of reader who thrives on realism in terms of geography and historical accuracy – my series probably isn’t for you. And, like I said, I don’t mean that comment in a nasty way, not at all. I mean it in the sense that if those details make or break a story for you, you should save your $12 and use it to buy a book that has the qualities you’re looking for. Life’s waaaay too short to read a book that doesn’t do it for you. And if I can warn you in advance that my series may not suit your tastes, I’d much rather be honest with you upfront than find out later that you were disappointed somehow. Trust me, the last thing I want anyone feeling when they finish one of my books is disappointment.

The Darkness Within series will have stories set in a handful of different major cities, but most often Chicago. And while some well known landmarks and sections of town are mentioned in the books, there will also be a lot of places that don’t truly exist. For example, in my series, Grey’s Coffeehouse is a cornerstone of The Loop in Chicago, but last I checked – it’s not real. And while Prudential Plaza very much does exist in the Chicago we all know, something tells me if you take the elevator to the 34th floor, you aren’t going to step out into an extravagant foyer featuring a marble fountain and a big sexy vampire guarding a set of mahogany double doors. ;) So please understand that while I’ll reference real places and use the names of real cities, they aren’t going to be portrayed with 100% realism and accuracy. They’re my semi-realistic version of the cities we all know and love, which is what allows me to layer in the varying supernatural elements and create a darker world for the books.

So now that I’ve waxed poetic about my reasoning for portraying cities the way I do, I have a question for all the readers out there…

When you pick up a paranormal romance, or really any fiction novel set in the modern day, do you expect all the story elements to be 100% factual, or do you just expect those elements to have a basis in reality? And if a story is set in Los Angeles, do you just assume it’s the same Los Angeles you see on the news or in a tourist book? Also, last but not least, do you tend to assume the description of something, be it a place or an object, is the author’s personal opinion of said place/object, or do you read the descriptions as the character’s opinion of it?

I’m really curious about this whole individual perception idea because when I pick up a fictional novel, even if it’s set in present day, I don’t expect it to be factual. I guess what I mean is that if it’s set in NYC circa 2010, and the Statue of Liberty is described as being red instead of that odd green color, I just assume that either in the author’s version of the world the statue is red, or that in the character’s perception the statue is red. Now, if I was buying a tourist guide with full color pictures…I would not expect the Statue of Liberty to be red.

Wow, this whole post now reminds me of the saying: when most people hear hoof beats, they think horses…not zebras. Is anyone else expecting zebras, or is it just me? :D

P.S. A special thanks goes out to the Amazon reviewer who got me thinking about reader expectations and perceptions. Because if other readers naturally assume when they see the name of a modern city that it will be exactly as they know it in present day, it might do everyone some good if I put a short note at the beginning of the books letting readers know that the NYC or Chicago they'll be reading about, while not too dissimilar from the city they know, has a fictional bend to it! :)

Pimp-A-Book Friday: Horror Edition

2010-01-08T17:00:00.006-05:00

The first feature I've decided to bring back in my quest to blog more frequently is...Pimp-A-Book Friday! Why? Because I'm a reader too, and I want to share with everyone the books that keep me happy when I burnout on writing.

First up is a book I am completely in love with, and one I've read numerous times over the last few months...

The One Percenters by John Podgursky

Blurb: Natural selection has become unnatural. Having dealt with the vicious murder of his wife, Edward Caine takes his rightful place as a One-Percenter, eliminating those not fit for the human race. He must fight his instinct to use his role for revenge; he is after those who live on only because of money and medicine. The weak-gened are not fit to breed, and it's the job of Edward and his brethren to see that they don't. But can he finish the job before his own mind betrays him? He is an agent of the Earth. He is a One-Percenter.

Short excerpt: Death is a bad thing for those who were successful in life. For the rest of us-the majority of us-it is a new leaf. I could use one of those. I remember as a teenager wishing I could peel off my skin and remove all of the warts, the scars, the pimples that accumulate during a lifetime. Now I wish I could do the same with my soul. I am dirty. I was nature's bitch. Her little ten-dollar whore, which is more than most can venture to say.

A review by Bobby over at BookWenches is what made me click the "buy" button on this book, and I'm not sure I've ever been happier with what started out as an impulse purchase. As a reader, my first love will always be the horror/thriller genre. To quote 50 Cent, I love horror novels the way a fat kid loves cake. :) To me, a book that can disturb me, creep me out, or give me the heebie-jeebies (which doesn't happen often), is easily worth 100x its weight in gold. And that's exactly what The One Percenters did - it left me with the same creepy feeling that Stephen King's novels always leave me with. Yes, I totally understand I just put The One Percenters and John Podgursky in the same league as Stephen King. I did it, and I'm not sorry! ;)

The main character in The One Percenters, Edward Caine, is a tortured man to say the least. The brutal murder of his wife, Jill, sends him spiraling into a dark place, mentally and physically, that most people never find inside themselves. But when Ed finally hits rock bottom, he doesn't suffer a defining moment that causes him to throw in the towel on life. Oh no, when Edward Caine hits the bottom - he decides to take his rightful place as a scourge of humanity...a one-percenter. He, and the few remaining souls like him, must cleanse the gene pool of the weak and wounded. They, alone, are charged with the responsibility of returning the world to a proper balance...the kind of balance that wouldn't allow for a beautiful and vibrant woman like Jill to die the way she did.

Plainly put, there's a reason why this book lives on my bookshelf right next to my Stephen King collection. The One Percenters is a chilling foray into the psyche of a man who feels as though he's lost everything and has no choice but to take action. John Podgursky's writing style is dark but vivid, and he easily brings Ed's character to life in every tragic and disturbing way possible. The One Percenters is a phenomenal book and stands a perfect example of why I love the horror genre as much as I do.

P.S. John Podgursky also seems to have the same dark sense of humor as an author that I do, which is always a bonus in my book!! :)

You can get The One Percenters in print from Amazon and Barnes & Noble - and in almost every e-book format available from Mr. Podgursky's publisher, Damnation Books.

Here's the basic book info:

Title: The One Percenters

Author: John Podgursky

Publisher: Damnation Books

Release Date: September 2009

ISBN: 9781615720132

Length: 51,645 words

Why am I awake at 4:30 AM?

2010-01-07T04:30:00.003-05:00

Because my husband snores like a wild freaking banshee - that's why I'm still awake at 4:30 in the AM. However, his ill timed nasal symphony sent me lurking around all my sites...which in turn prompted me to change my blog layout. :) And, it also got me thinking about new posts and content for the blog. I'd really like to get some regular posts going, because one of my 2010 resolutions is to blog more often. So in an attempt to actually keep that New Year's resolution - I have a question for all of you...

What kind of stuff would you like to see here?

More excerpts? Odin Interviews? Advice on writing? A book via blog? Character features?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

Thanks for your help! I'm off to go smother the father of the Heathen...because he's now snoring so loud I can hear him all the way in the living room.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T22:55:00.003-05:00

I promised everyone a Christmas surprise...and here it is:

http://bit.ly/4HDS2o

It's a special Holiday sneak peek at the first 6 chapters of Eternal Hearts! :) I hope you enjoy it!

And a special thanks to everyone for all your support, comments, kind e-mails...and for just reading my books. I can't even begin to explain how much it means to me!

Happy Holidays to you and yours! May you get everything you want this Christmas, and more!

~ Jen

It's contest time!

2009-12-07T13:24:00.004-05:00

Hello! I know I've been seriously absent over the past few months, but I wanted to poke my head up from the rewrites of Eternal Hearts to have some fun! I feel like giving away PDF copies of Eternal Seduction for the holidays, so here be the rules:

The first 25 people to drop me an email at jent@darknesswithinnovels.com gets one! Just put "I want Eternal Seduction!" in the subject line so I can find your email easier. That's it. That's all. Nothing fancy. ;)

If you're new to my series, here's the back cover blurb for Eternal Seduction, Book #1 in the Darkness Within series:

After living on the streets of New York City for over a decade, Logan Ellis admits her perceptions might be a little skewed. But twisted or not, there’s a satisfying irony in watching a well dressed vampire stand in the middle of a ghetto alley, windblown trash scraping small circles near his feet. What she finds even more intriguing, is waiting for him to decide whether or not he’s going to kill her.

Kerestyan Nelek hasn’t quite made up his mind. As the Lord of New York, he can’t allow a homeless drug addict, whose memories are packed with knowledge of vampiric existence, to run free in his city. It’s not the first time he’s been in this situation with a human, it’s just the first time in thousands of years he’s come face to face with one who doesn’t seem to care. And that’s what makes the decision so damn difficult.

What horrors would you have to witness before you went numb? How many years would it take for you to feel that way? What would it take to make you care again?

Logan’s answers are simple: the worst humanity has to offer, almost thirty…and something she never expected.

Thanks for playing and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

P.S. If you already have Eternal Seduction, feel free to pass the word about the contest on to a friend!

Doing it my way...

2009-10-23T19:58:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to share with everyone that over the next few days, I will be posting Eternal Seduction on TextNovel.com, where you’ll be able to read the ENTIRE novel for FREE.

And why am I doing this, you ask? Why am I making a book that is still selling well available for free? Well, there are two very different reasons…

#1. It’s my feeble attempt to blatantly give those who've illegally download the .pdf version of Eternal Seduction from *file sharing sites* the finger. Yes, that finger…the middle one…my favorite finger. Screw you e-book pirates, screw you. ;)

(Notice I said file sharing sites. If you’re sharing the print version of ES with a friend or bought the e-book version and shared it with a couple friends, I am NOT referring to you. I’m directly referring to the person/persons who uploaded ES to a file sharing site where literally THOUSANDS of people can now download it at their whim. They’ve cost me nearly $15,000 in royalties, so yes…I’m pissed off and a little bitter when it comes to them. Do I want them to die? I suppose not. Do I want them to catch some itchy, uncomfortable STD and suffer until their next doctor appointment? Yes. Oh, hell yes.)

#2. If people want to read Eternal Seduction but they don’t have the money (because trust me, I know how that feels) then I want them to go read it at a place that will help out other authors in the process. You see, TextNovel.com is a place where mostly unpublished authors, of all genres, post their work in an attempt to get feedback on their writing and hopefully catch the eye of a publisher.

I understand that sometimes, especially when things are tough, people want an escape. They want to get lost in a fictional world where the only worries they have at that moment are for the characters and how their lives work out. And when the past due notices are piling up or your bank account statement reads $2.21 – buying a book easily loses to milk and bread. I know this. I’ve been there. To this day, my husband and I are still a paycheck to paycheck family. But PLEASE, please don’t go to a file sharing site and download/steal a copy of ES. Surf over to TextNovel.com and read it there for free on your computer or cell phone. All I ask is that when you’re done, you read another author’s work and if you like it, vote for it. And if you’re really feeling generous, leave them a comment. Let them know you love what you’ve read so far. Let them know that you can’t wait for the next chapter. I can tell you from personal experience…a few unexpected words of encouragement can make the difference between giving up and finishing a novel.

I, alone, may not be able to thwart e-book piracy. I may not be able to change the mind of someone who thinks downloading books from a file sharing site doesn’t hurt anyone. But if I can direct someone who can’t afford to buy ES to a place where they can read and enjoy it for free, which in turn helps another author gain a fan or more…then I see it as a win/win. :D

Thanks!!!

~Jen

P.S. I should have the whole book uploaded by tomorrow night. Here's the direct link to Eternal Seduction on TextNovel.com, feel free to pass it along: http://www.textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=2053

The band-aid method...

2009-10-14T00:03:00.003-04:00

Eternal Hearts will not be releasing on Halloween as expected.

There, I did it fast. Hopefully it hurt less, but something tells me probably not. However, the good news is that I’m making great progress on the REWRITE of Eternal Hearts. Yeah, I know, I said rewrite not revision. And to be honest, I am completely rewriting the story. I didn’t intend to, I swear. It just kinda happened as I worked on revising. But I have to say that although I’m disappointed EH won’t release on Halloween, I love this new version of the story even better. Kerestyan and Logan made for an awesome and very nontraditional couple, but I think Drake and Toni are going to steal the show now!! :D

At this moment, I’m not setting a new release date for EH. I’m shooting for the end of the year but right now I can’t promise anything…and here’s why: Chad, my loving husband, and the man who already works a standard 50 hour week, decided 2 days after I announced the last release date move back in August, to become one class shy of a FULL TIME college student. Needless to say, that decision kinda threw my household and writing schedule into a tizzy. ;)

We all seem to be adjusting okay, but my writing time has been cut in half. And with the Heathen struggling with a few subjects this year already, I spend more time helping with homework and doing housework than writing at the moment. But there was no way I could tell the hubby not to pursue the career he’s always wanted…especially with the way he stood by me while I worked on Eternal Seduction. And under no circumstances can I ignore the Heathen’s pleas for help with math and social studies - mostly because her mute button is broken and she can easily turn into a CD on skip. :D

So, in ending the bad news, while I’m sad to say Eternal Hearts will be late again, this time I feel a little more justified for the reasoning. I hope everyone can understand and will stick with me for a few more months while I figure out the right balance of writing time and family/household responsibilities.

And to show you all that I still love you, and that Eternal Hearts really is coming along well, I give to you one of my favorite *unedited* excerpts:

********************************************************************

Toni jerked awake to the sound of the hotel phone screaming at her just as the last sliver of light faded from the sky. She sat up and cast a quick glance over the suite then frowned. A rather nice fixture of the room was missing. But the lights were on, so maybe he hadn’t gone far.

She rubbed her eyes when the phone screeched again. Who would be calling her so early in the night? She rolled over to the nightstand and picked up the receiver. “Yeah?”

“Good Morning, Miss Tutoro,” a cheery, English voice greeted her.

She smiled. “Hi, Robert, how are you?”

“I’m fine Miss, and yourself?

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m good, but you can call me Toni, Robert. Miss Tutoro makes me feel old and stiff.”

“Very well, Toni. I shall do my best to remember that.”

“So, what’s up?”

“I’m actually phoning to inform you that your meeting with Lord Locke has been postponed until tomorrow evening. Unfortunately, some business has come up which requires his immediate attention.”

She frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry Miss…Toni. I’m not at liberty to discuss city affairs with you at this time. I do hope you understand.”

“I understand,” she said as she twisted her index finger into the spirals of the phone cord. “I guess I’ll just show up at his office tomorrow night then.”

“That would be perfect. In the interim, Christian says that if you’d like to venture outside the confines of your suite, you may do so, but only if you are accompanied by Drake. Since a final decision hasn’t been made with regard to the duration of your stay, he wishes there to be no trouble. Do you find his terms acceptable?”

A slow smile tugged at her mouth. “Yeah, that works for me.”

“Excellent. Do you require anything else for your room?”

She looked around again. “Unless you can tell me where Drake went, I’m all good up here.”

Robert’s warm laughter filled her ear. “Check the bathroom, my dear. He has more use for it than most.”

She eyed the closed bathroom door. More use for it than most? What the hell did that mean? “Uh…okay. Was that all you needed to tell me?”

“Yes, Miss. I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Well, if you need me, you know where I am. Have a nice night, Rob.”

“Thank you, Toni. You have a good night, too.”

Toni sighed as set the phone back on its base. Robert was smiling when he told her to have a good night; she could feel it through the phone, which felt wonderful since she couldn’t remember the last time she woke up and heard a happy voice.

Maybe coming home had been a good idea after all.

She sat up and threw her arms into the air, intending to stretch out her tight muscles, but paused when the bathroom door swung open and her missing fixture sauntered out.

Drake didn’t have a stitch of clothing on, save the small white towel wrapped around his waist. And if that wasn’t enough to get her heart pumping again, his hair and his spectacular body were still dripping wet.

He wasn’t defined…he was chiseled from the finest bronzed stone she’d ever seen. Lightly dappled with dark hair, his sculpted chest tapered into a set of rock hard abs that she could probably do her laundry on for the rest of her immortal life. And just below his belly button, sandwiched between the deep cuts of his hips, was a thin trail of hair that tauntingly disappeared under his towel, practically begging for her to get off the bed and come see where it went.

She slowly lowered her arms and folded her hands in her lap. Jagged scars crisscrossed every single inch of his rough skin, but they didn’t detract one bit from the incredible man standing across the room. If anything, each pale line added something new to explore, something new to learn about the man she now had at least one more night with.

A man who made her feel alive again…

The horny teenager trapped deep inside her somewhere wanted nothing more than to rocket off the bed and lick every last bead of water off his hard, sexy body. But the woman she’d become in the last few years, the one who saw the world in a way the teenager never would, wanted nothing less than to kiss each scar and take away the sadness and pain still hidden in his eyes.

“Welcome back to the world sleepy head.”

Toni tore her gaze away from Drake’s body and met his smiling eyes. “Good morning. I almost thought you left.”

“I figured I’d hit the shower while you were sleeping. I didn’t want my stink to scare you away.” He ended his sentence with that lopsided smile she’d become rather fond of.

She tried to mirror the gesture. “Well, thanks for thinking of me.”

The grin on his lips widened for just a fraction of a second before it turned devious at the corners. “You’re welcome,” he drawled as he hooked his thumbs inside the top of his towel and inched it down a little further, baring more tanned skin for her hungry eyes.

The teenager and the woman inside her both sat up and took notice, waiting to see how far that thin trail of hair went as the towel slid even lower down his hips. But just before they got the answer they’d been hoping for, he ripped the damn thing from his waist and clothes suddenly appeared on his body.

Toni shook her head then stared at him again, this time in disbelief. All that gorgeous skin was now covered by a tight black t-shirt, hard leather pants and a pair of boots. How did he do that?

But more importantly…why?

She blew out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Well, if nothing else, at least he looked comfortable.

“What?” his gruff voice scolded. “You were expecting to see Drake Junior?” He clucked his tongue at her. “You haven’t even bought me dinner yet.” Then, much like a little kid, he stuck his nose up in the air and stomped back into the bathroom.

Dinner! She hadn’t bought him dinner? Was he serious?

She rolled up onto her knees and glared at the bathroom door. “I don’t recall you buying me dinner last night before you made me take my shirt off and shoved your tongue in my mouth!” She clamped her hands over her mouth as heat suffused her cheeks.

OH GOD! The words fell out before she even had a chance to stop them. She closed her eyes when the laughter in the bathroom started light but slowly grew until it echoed through the entire suite.

“That wasn’t dinner,” he called. “That was just the appetizer. And from what I could tell, you were more than ready for the next course!”

She threw herself back against the bed then pulled the comforter up over her head. She had to spend the entire night with a man who she’d just thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of, and now it wasn’t because she wanted to. And yes, flaming cheeks and all, she would willingly admit that she wanted to spend more time with him.

But now…now it was because Christian said so.

She punched at the comforter. She hated playing Christian-Says. Not only because the mere thought caused her blood to rebel for some reason, but because no matter what she did she never seemed to win.

“Did you talk to Robert?” The hollow tone of his voice signaled he must still be in the bathroom.

“Yes, I talked to Robert!”

“What?” he boomed right next to her.

Not expecting him to be so close, Toni screamed, jumped and fell off the edge of the bed, landing with a loud and awkward thud. She flung the comforter away from her face only to see Drake standing in front of her.

“Kinda jumpy, aren’t we?”

She clutched a hand to her chest as the heartbeat she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed pounded out of control. “I didn’t even hear you come out of the bathroom. You scared the ever living shit out of me.”

Her cheeks burned hotter as he stared down at her half twisted, half hiked up tank top a little bit longer than he should have.

She straightened her shirt then crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you looking at?”

“I’m glad vampires can’t shit,” he finally mumbled.

She shook her head. Where did that come from? Attempting to follow the little bouncing ball, she snapped her fingers. “Why are you glad vampires can’t shit?”

His gaze slowly slid back up to her face before he smiled. “Oh, because that’s the only way you’d have ever living shit.”

She crawled to her feet and flopped across the bed again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I bet I know what you’re thinking.”

“After that last comment, I don’t even know where to start.”

“You’re thinking about how lucky you are. You’re thinking about how great it is that you have to take me everywhere you want to go tonight, huh?” He leaned across the bed until his lips hovered only inches above hers. “Will you let me buy you dinner? You can order the lobster raw. I swear I won’t say no.”

She swallowed her heart, which felt like it had leaped up into her throat. “Did you just proposition me?”

He stood up and flashed a devilish smile, but his eyes stayed glued to her mouth. “I suppose it depends on what your answer is. If you say yes, then yes, of course I did. If you say no, then you completely misinterpreted what I said. We had a communication breakdown and we should really work on that.”

“Oh, yeah?” She sat up as fast as her body would allow and whipped a pillow it at him. “Should we work on that too?”

He jumped back as if he’d been anticipating the assault the entire time, turned sideways, caught the pillow behind his back then brought it over his head and threw it back at her. She couldn’t help but giggle when the thing bounced off her head and flew across the room.

She rolled over onto her side and smiled at him. “I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again, you’re just not right.”

“If making you laugh is wrong,” he said, lowering his already deep voice, “then maybe I don’t wanna be right.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and draped a perfectly sculpted arm over her hip. “So what would you like to do tonight? Do you want to stay in or would prefer to go out?”

She took a moment to consider his question. While the teenager wanted to stay locked in the room with him all night hoping that something naughty happened, the woman who’d missed Chicago and everyone in it had a much different idea.

Toni brushed her hand over the scars littering Drake’s forearm. “I’d really like to go down to Grey’s, if that’s okay with you.”

“Grey’s Coffeehouse?” When she nodded, he cocked his head and arched a brow. “Are you some kind of closet caffeine junkie? Like a little jolt with your blood, do ya?”

“No. I…I have a friend who used to spend a lot of time down there. Well, three actually, but one’s a little more…he’s kinda like a surrogate Sire. I haven’t really talked to him since I got kicked out. I was hoping maybe he’d be there. But if you don’t wanna go I understand. It’s not like I expect you to take me around so I can see all my old friends.”

He smiled as his warm fingers drew slow circles against the small of her back. “I have no problem taking you to see Clint.”

She ignored the tingles fluttering under her skin and narrowed her eyes on him. “How did you know who I wanted to see? Are you using your Jedi mind tricks on me?”

He looked absolutely appalled. “I’ll have you know that Martin Grey gives me free beer whenever I visit one of his fine establishments. And I also happen to know that aside from him, only two people go to Grey’s so much that the couch cushions are permanently ass grooved to fit them perfectly.” He ticked off his fingers. “Clint and Jacob. And since Clint’s an old Warrior and Jacob’s an old Paladin, it only made sense.”

She blew out a relieved breath. Okay, maybe she was being a little jumpy. “I didn’t know Grey’s served beer.”

“Grey’s doesn’t serve beer, but The Underground does.”

She scrunched up her face. The Underground was a dark, rave style dance club in the basement of Grey’s. And for some reason, she just couldn’t picture Drake on the crowded dance floor. “You go to The Underground? Really?”

He gasped as he surged to his feet. “Hell yes I do.” He clapped his hands together as if struck with the most brilliant of brilliant ideas. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you to Grey’s, but you have to come down to The Underground with me afterwards so we can get our dance on.”

Toni could barely keep her mouth closed as Drake swiveled his hips in a wide, erratic circle while he pumped his arms. Nearly everything about the man was attractive, but that…that wasn’t.

She closed her eyes and tried to erase the sight from her memory. “I’ll go to The Underground with you, but you have to promise me that you will never, and I mean never, do that again.”

“What? You don’t like my moves?”

Afraid he might still be doing the broken robot dance, she opened her eyes just enough to peek between her lashes. Luckily, he wasn’t. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but some people just shouldn’t dance…and you’re one of them.”

“Oh, really?” He held his hand out. “Stand up.”

She did as he asked but hesitated as she reached for his hand. “You’re not going to hold me captive while you do that…whatever it was you did before, are you?”

He laughed and wiggled his fingers. “Take my hand and find out. Unless, of course, you’re gonna chicken out on me again, which reminds me, you still owe me fifty bucks.”

She rested her hand in his. “I don’t even have fifty bucks.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to work off your debt.”

She’d no more than opened her mouth to respond when he spun her away from him then expertly twirled her back, tango style. He even ended the fluid motion with her dipped back, one hand flattened between her shoulder blades and the other cradling her bent knee against his hip.

She shivered as he leaned forward and pressed his moist lips to her ear. “You’re not the only one with Spanish blood in you.” He gently stood her up then beamed an accomplished smile. “Now, why don’t you go get dressed so we can leave.”

She stared up into his eyes while every nerve in her body flared to life, wildly clapping for an encore. “Okay.” The word came out a little more breathy than she’d intended.

He cracked a grin. “I take it you like those moves better?”

Tell him you want a naked encore. She shook the traitorous teenager from her mind. “I think I should go get dressed now.”

It wasn’t until after she’d picked up her boots from the side of the bed then closed the bathroom door behind her that she blew out the dreamy sigh she’d been holding. If she hadn’t even been awake for a full thirty minutes and was already swooning over the man, where the hell would she be by the end of the night?

Swooning under him? Unwilling to even consider the thought, Toni went about her normal morning routine. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then dressed in a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Once she’d laced up her boots, she headed back into the main room to find Drake sitting on the couch with his eyes closed.

She walked over and stood in front of him. “Are you ready to go?”

He didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t answer. He just sat there with a weird, almost goofy smile on his face.

She leaned in a little closer. “Are you ready to go?” When he didn’t answer again, she reached out and tugged hard on his hair. “Hello?”

His eyes shot open and he flashed an even bigger smile before he met her gaze. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something. I didn’t realize you were out of the bathroom already. Usually women take longer in there.”

“Oh…well, I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

“Just give me a minute.” He lowered his eyes then frowned. “My knee is bothering me again.” He winced as he leaned back, straightened his left leg out then bent it again. “Old injuries, ya know?”

“I didn’t know it was bothering you before.” She looked down at his leg, but it didn’t take her long to realize it wasn’t his knee that was swollen. She forced her eyes away from his impressive bulge and focused back on his face. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Uh, well, no. I think it’s just stiff from falling asleep on the couch with my legs stretched across the coffee table.”

Yeah, it’s stiff all right. She cleared her throat. “Maybe the walk to the elevator will help stretch it out.” She bit at the inside of her lips as she finished the sentence. There was absolutely nothing she could say right now that didn’t have some kind of innuendo attached to it. “Come on,” she said as she held out her hand. “Stand up and I’ll ride you…err…uh…walk you, I’ll walk you to the door.”

He laughed then flashed a knowing smile. “The jig is up, isn’t it?”

She curled her fingers around his thumb and pulled him to his feet. Even though she felt like she’d just stuck her face in a bonfire, if he could hint at the obvious, so could she. “Well, it’s certainly not down at the moment, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You know,” he drawled as he tugged the tight leather away from his upper thighs, “you didn’t exactly do me any good when you asked if you could help. And offering to ride me to the door…that was just cruel.”

Eyes pinned to the floor, she swallowed the huge knot in her throat. “Ready to go now?”

“You don’t know what to say right now, do you?”

She fanned her face. “No, I really don’t. I mean, if I did something to…not that I’m saying it was for me, you could’ve been thinking about anyone. It’s just that…” She drew a deep breath and tried to order her thoughts as way too many different emotions smashed together inside her. “Did you ever think you want something…but then when it starts to happen you get scared? And then you can’t breathe, because you know you’ll mess it up somehow? Because you know you’re not the person someone thinks you are? But you get so caught up in feeling good for the first time in so long that you convince yourself that you deserve something you really don’t? But then you can’t even run away because you don’t have anywhere to go?”

He didn’t say anything in response; he just snatched up her hand and led her out of the room then down the hallway towards the elevator. He didn’t pull her, didn’t drag her, but he moved at a brisk enough pace that she had to jog to keep up with his long strides.

She didn’t get the sense that he was angry or upset, but she couldn’t really tell what he was thinking because she wasn’t in a position to see anything but the back of his head.

Once they were inside the elevator, he smacked the button for the lobby then finally turned to face her. He stared down at her, his dark eyes glowing with all the sadness and pain she’d seen before, plus at least a dozen other emotions she couldn’t even begin to place.

Panic squeezed icy fingers around her already aching heart. Had she done something wrong? Had she said something she shouldn’t have?

Oh God, had she hurt him without even realizing it?

She froze as he reached up and brushed his warm fingertips across her cheek. “In two minutes we’ll be in the lobby.” His voice was quiet and calm, but not at all steady. “There’s no bed in here. No threat that we’ll do something we can’t take back. Just two minutes we’ll probably never have again…two minutes where we can both stop pretending the scars we see are the only ones we have.”

When he slowly leaned down and claimed her lips with a soft, soul stealing kiss that sent tears streaming down her cheeks, she tilted her head and gave him full access to her mouth.

And she did so, because she’d never wanted a man more.

She kissed him back with everything she had, every shred of pain, every sliver of regret, and every ounce of hope that someday she’d find a way to be more than she was now. That someday the wounds still festering deep inside her would heal as well as the ones on her skin, and that maybe then she’d truly deserve to be in the arms of a man like him.

He matched each of her emotions as his tongue caressed hers. He told her a silent story of loss, of betrayal, and of self hatred in ways she never thought possible. And he showed her with every gentle graze of his lips that he understood, more than anything, what it was to want for something you knew you could never have again.

Together, for just the briefest of moments, they were lost in the same shadowy place - but neither knew how to find the other or how to escape.