Getting My Groove Back

Teardrops by Bring Me the Horizon:

We hurt ourselves for fun

Force-feed our fear until our hearts go numb

Addicted to a lonely kind of love

What I wanna know

Is how we got this stressed out, paranoid

Everything is going dark

Nothing makes me sadder than my head

Here we are ten months since my last blog post, and I'm writing again. Yes, it's been a barren ten months in this writer's life. Why? Well, I won't bore you with all the life things that have been happening. Lots of change, not necessarily bad, just A LOT. But one of the biggest things is that I've (finally!) completed the fourth book in my Archangels series. I gotta tell ya, I was getting sick of hearing myself promise this book to readers too. I felt like a huge fraud. The biggest liar in the literary world, for sure. I've been saying it will be done by the end of the year for YEARS. So, what took so damn long?

For those of you new to me and/or the series, it was originally published as a trilogy by Entangled Publishing way back in 2013. Well, that's when I signed the contract. The first three books were released 2014-2016. By the time the third one came out I was already lagging mentally, but didn't realize it. Within that timeframe both Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing closed. I had fifteen published books between the two of them. It was a huge blow to my mental health, but I didn't grasp how big until I suddenly...couldn't write. I just couldn't even open a Word doc to get started.

Lots of changes happened in my life after that. We moved from Houston where I'd lived for forty-seven years to the San Antonio area. My kids all became adults. My stepfather and one of my aunts died. Author friends I've met along the way have also died, and the Romancelandia landscape has changed drastically. My Facebook page got hacked and it blocked my FB profile that used the same email. I had to reinvent myself for that purpose and try to refriend everyone I lost. I'm still working on that. Lots of people left Twitter and FB for Bluer Skies and TikToks, but I just couldn't find the energy to invest time in a new platform. I also, obviously, forgot I have a blog.

The past few months I've decided I'm done with this shit. I started working on my archangels again with a vengeance. Sorry, I had to put my gargoyles on hold. For some reason, they speak to me more easily and I had to shut them up to coax out the angels. I joined a couple of writer's organizations so I can keep tabs on what everyone else is doing for inspiration. And it's worked. I want to be an active writer again. I slowed down attending events and will still be very selective next year. But I'm hoping to venture further in 2027. And miracle of miracles, I've finished Loving a Demon: Archangels Book 4.

I plan to release the ebook in the next week or so and have the print book available in December at the East TX Book Bash. I might host a book release party locally as well if I can convince a bookstore to host me. I'll let y'all know. Sorry again that it took so long. As a bonus, I'm including a short story at the end with Sel and Lily's HEA. I hope y'all think it was worth the wait. 

Blurb:

One look and he knew he’d fight any demon to save her. One taste and he’d fight every obstacle to be with her.

Iris and her sister Lily were raised in a cult by a father that cared more for himself than his daughters. His death helped them find a path to freedom, but not without the loss of Iris’s innocence. Now they’re being watched over by men straight from heaven, but the brothers don’t know about the evil the women had to endure.

Once the sisters reveal the full depth of all they endured Uriel must decide if he can get past the obstacles to remain with Iris, or he’ll have to let her go. Demons are still trying to attract the sisters back into their midst and the newborn child has a calling none of them expected. If Uriel is willing to fall for her, will Iris have to choose between him and her child? 

Bonus short story Captivating a Human:

Protecting her is in his nature, loving her is his new calling.

Selaphiel, archangel of heaven, has been protecting humans their entire existence. Now one woman is pushing back on his efforts when she needs him most. Something about Lily calls to him on a primal level, and he can’t resist the pull.

Lily’s entire life has been about protecting her twin sister, so what is her purpose now that Iris no longer needs her protection? Ignoring Sel’s attention is easier said than done, but she tries by moving away. Then the cult she thought she’d left behind finds her and wants her back. Now, she might need Sel more than ever. Her heart has decided; hopefully it isn’t too late to let him in.

The ebook for book 1, Trusting and Angel, is on sale for the month of October at $1.99. Buy it here.

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Find all my other links here.

Sunday Reflection: A Decision About My Writing

 I signed my first publishing contract in the summer of 2008. Before that acceptance email that completely changed the way I viewed myself when it came to writing, I basically just wrote as stories came to me. I wrote because I wanted to know the rest of the story that was playing through my mind. I wrote for myself. The first time someone told me they liked what I had written I was shocked. These crazy stories I make up in my mind weren't supposed to actually go anywhere or do anything for anyone. Not even me.

Now it's been over ten years since my first book landed on the shelves of Barnes and Noble and I'm completely indie-published. I don't have a company to help me edit, publish, cover, and promote my stories. I'll be completely honest, there are days where it doesn't feel as if all the work is worth it. Does anyone care if I ever publish another book? Is anyone actually waiting for my 3rd Gargoyle book, 4th Archangel book, 2nd Shapeshifter book, or any of the erotic stories I have yet to republish? Maybe, maybe not. I've had to really think about this over the past few months because independent publishing is not cheap. I promised my husband at the very beginning of this journey that I would only spend money I make on my books on book-related things. I lied. Luckily, he's a wonderful man with a great job, and I work fulltime as well. However, I've had to take things very slowly with anything new that requires not only a book cover (of which I am barely capable), but also a real editor rather than a free Beta reader. This, my dear readers, is only one of the reasons I don't have more books available for purchase right now.

At the beginning of the year I had great hopes of having the third Gargoyle book out by the summer. Then Covid-19 happened and I've found it very hard to concentrate on writing. The plethora of blog posts over this past months are my way of getting back into the swing of things. I'm hoping oiling my writing muscles in this way will bring my mojo back. I think it's working. I certainly am not having any trouble writing the blog posts. But even once I get the book done I still have to pay for an editor. A couple of months ago I invested in another beautiful cover from the very talented Kanaxa. I can't wait to share it with y'all, but that's not happening until I have a release date. I have to finish the book first.

So, what was my great epiphany about my writing? What is the decision I've come to as mentioned in the blog title? I've decided to stop worrying about trying to keep up with the expectations other authors have for themselves and to be more realistic in the expectations I set for myself. I've decided to start writing for ME again. I still want to keep my readers happy. I love y'all and am completely humbled every time I sell a book. However, I can't live under that pressure right now. I'm going to once again look at each book as a story I want to tell rather than a possible source of income. Luckily, I have the ability to do that because as mentioned above my husband and I both work. I'm going to stop looking at my author brand as a business (at least for the moment) and consider it an expression of myself I want to share with the world. I hope you will join me on my journey.

Happy 2016!

Happy 2016! I hope all of my readers had a fabulous end to 2015 and so far a great New Year. I finally got back into the writing groove late in 2015. I have an idea of what caused my general funk and hopefully that will never happen again. We shall see. So far things are moving along well and I've been inspired to write on multiple fronts.

2016 will bring in three releases for me. The sequel to Born of Stone: Born of Magic, will be out in the summer. Keep your eyes peeled for the cover reveal. My third Archangel book will be out this year as well, but no dated pinned down yet. Also, They Call Me Death is currently undergoing a major make-over. My initial thought was to give it a minor make-over with a basic re-edit. However, my new editor is AMAZING and has my creative wheels spinning like crazy with his initial feedback. So, there may be some major rewrites there after all.

More news: Ellora's Cave will be putting my Love Beyond Barriers series in print this year. I'm currently trying to think up titles for the two paperbacks. Have an idea? Shoot me an email or comment below. Also, if you own the series and remember seeing a typo, PLEASE let me know. I plan to spend this coming weekend rereading them myself.

On the personal front: I decided not to bother making actual resolutions this year. I'm sick of feeling like a failure in mid-February. So instead I'm going to continue to try making smarter lifestyle choices. I actually started this a couple of months ago. There have been many hiccups so not a lot of visual progress yet, but I'm hopeful. I can say that writing again feels so good, it definitely has me in the right mindset. 

That's it for now but stay tuned for more news. I'm hoping to set up some signings around my new release dates. Want me to come to your city? Please let me know.

And Now it's August

Happy August 1st. I'm not sure where the summer is going but it seems to be heading there fast. I just realized I didn't post a single blog in the month of July. To be honest, I didn't have a lot going on in my writing life last month.

August will be different. This month I am participating in the Long and Short Reviews' 8th Anniversary Bash. It lasts from August 17th through the 28th. At some point in that time frame there will be a trivia question from me. Answer it correctly and you'll be entered to win a copy of one of my books. I'm sorry to say that I don't remember which one I put up for grabs.

Also this month I will be working harder to get another book finished. My writing has been a bit stagnant for various reasons but I'm feeling the stirrings of my muse again. I have one Archangel series book left in my Entangled contract. However, there are still five more brothers who need to have their stories told. I promise those stories will be published one way or another.

As for my Gargoyle Masters... I'm still waiting on word from Samhain about contracting book two. If they decide not to offer me a contract then I might try my hand at self-publishing for the first time. I haven't decided yet if I'd like to go that route or try subbing it to a different publisher. To be honest, I don't want anyone who is waiting for this book to wait any longer than absolutely necessary.

On an unexpected note, I decided to ask Samhain if I can re-edit They Call Me Death. The contract expires this summer and there are a lot of things I would love to change in that book. They said yes. I don't know exactly what that means yet, but there it is. More info to come as I have it.

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful summer. Try to enjoy what's left of it and stay cool. We're boiling down here in Southeast Texas.

No 2014 NaNoWriMo for Me

After much deliberation and talking myself into and out of it a few times, I've decided not to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. To be honest, it's been hard for me to get in the writing groove lately and I know pushing myself in November is not the answer. Instead, I'm trying very hard to finish book two of my Gargoyle Masters series. I'm on a good flow with that WIP and already about 25,000 words in. So, halting that project for NaNo just seemed like a dumb move.

For everyone who is giving it a go: GOOD LUCK!!

What's Coming in 2014

Last year was awesome in terms of my writing. I'm hoping to make this year amazing. Here's a short list of what I've already got in the works, but I hope to add more to it:

New Releases for 2014

From Samhain Publishing:

Born of Stone 

Release Date: May                                         This book is about gargoyles and is set in a fantasy world with a medieval flare.                                     

From Ellora's Cave Publishing:

Erotic Influence

Release Date: TBA

This is the sequel to Erotic Images with related cahracters, but it can be read alone.

From Entanlged Publishing:

Zerachiel: Archangels Book I (working title)

Release Date: TBA

This is the first in a series about archangels who live among humans.

I still have a ton of WIPs as well, including the sequels to They Call Me Death and Day Shift. I'm hoping to have both of those contracted sometime this year. As for appearances, I will be attending the Romantic Times Readers Convention in New Orleans in May, and will be signing at the large book signing event on Saturday. Also, if I have any print releases this year, I will organize a small book tour to promote that as well.

Stay tuned for more!

Final NaNoWriMo update of 2013

Today is December 1st, which means NaNoWriMo has officially ended. Final word count: 35,016. So, no I didn't win again this year. But here is why I'm okay with that.

It's all about choices. I realized about a week ago that I still had a chance at winning NaNo if I really buckled down and got to writing. But what did that mean exactly? It meant doing almost nothing over my Thanksgiving Holiday break from work but writing. I'm a married mother of four. There's no such thing as doing nothing but writing in my life except in small hard-earned sprints. Sure, I could've been a real bitch and made it happen. I could've told my husband he had to make Thanksgiving dinner, and told my daughters there would be no shopping done until next weekend. There were plenty of opportunities for me to shove everyone who is important to me away and lock the door to my room so I could make the 50,000 word count by 11:59 pm last night. But no. That's not who I am.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wholeheartedly respect every single writer who made it. I could've been a lot better earlier in the month and not needed the crunch at the end. But honestly, that's just not how I write. I write when the mood strikes me at the same time I have a free moment. Yeah, that miracle combination doesn't always happen. So, I'll try again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Who knows. One year it could happen. For now I'll take my 35, 016 word manuscript and keep adding to it until I'm satisfied it's a finished product. I'll also have fond memories of Thanksgiving week from Black Friday Shopping, Christmas tree hunting, cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and overall spending time with my family. 

NaNo Week Three Update

As of the writing of this post I'm waaaaayy behind on my NaNoWriMo word count. However, I do have today off of work, so I'm hoping to catch up a bit.

NaNo always happens at the worst time of year. With the Thanksgiving holiday comes a lot of responsibilities for me as a mom to four students. There are band events, school plays, book fairs, meetings, fall festivals, and so much more. I've had a lot of running around to do. Still, If I were to be completely honest with myself, I'd admit my word count would be higher if Facebook didn't exist. Of course, then I'd just find a different site to play around on.

Anyway, my current word count as of the end of today should be 36,673. I'm sitting at 14,670. Yeah. Over 22,000 words need to be written in the next twelve hours. My best is usually 2,000 per hour if I really go at it hard. So, the 22k isn't happening today. But I am hoping to hit 40,007 by the end of Sunday. That's about 8,445 words per day over the next three days. It could happen.

Want a little taste of what I'm working on? Here ya go:

(unedited excerpt from Crossing Death)

None of the men so much as blinked until another man walked up behind them. He wore black cargo pants and a black t-shirt that looked ready to pop from his bulging muscles. The blond hair on his head was cut military short. He came to an abrupt halt behind the armed men and used two fingers to give Rex a quick salute. ‘T-Rex. I see you got your package here safe and sound.”

“You doubted me, Mad Max?” Rex asked with obvious amusement.

Max didn’t even crack a smile. “Never, brother. Never.”

With that he spun on his heel and the other men lowered their weapons. Rex chuckled and motioned for Jana to follow Max. Doubts assailed her as to whether that was a good idea, but it did beat the alternative. She was safely tucked away underground behind a brick wall, chain-link fence, and amongst heavily armed men. Yeah, she’d go where Rex told her to go.

Max led them into what looked like the control room. Television screens lined one wall and appeared to show the entire perimeter of the prison. One view was from a guard tower. It was high enough to make her dizzy so she quickly looked away. Fluorescent bulbs that had long ago been outlawed in WH lit the room with a yellow tint. Max settled into a chair at a long, rectangular table. Rex sat in one of the other nine chairs and she sat beside him.

“So,” Max began. “What brings you to my neck of the woods, T-Rex? You only stop on your way to the big D if you run into trouble.” He blatantly eyed Jana up and down. “Have you?”

He was a good looking guy but something about him gave her the creeps. She fought the urge to move her chair closer to Rex. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, throwing his arm over the back of hers. “In a way. Jana was ejected from WH but we don’t know why. I was hoping you could help us figure it out.”

She fought the urge to look at him, though she wondered about his lie. They knew exactly why she’d been ejected, even if he swore it wasn’t the truth.

Max rubbed his chin and looked her over again. “Payment?”

“The usual.”

He shook his head. “I don’t need ammunition right now, my friend. In fact, I’m craving something…a little more delicate.”

Rex’s hand settled on her shoulder and he pulled her close to his side. She didn’t fight him. He shook his head. “I don’t think so. You know I don’t like to share.”

Max tensed and beneath the table Jana barely made out Rex slipping a pistol from his waistband. He settled it in his lap. She still gripped his knife in her hand and prayed she wouldn’t need to use it. Finally Max smiled and his shoulders dropped the slightest bit.

 “Yeah, you bastard, I remember.”

NaNo Week Two Update

Today marks week two of NaNoWriMo. My word count should be sitting somwhere around 25,004 by the end of the day. I'm too embarrassed to admit exactly what it is, but will say it's only a fraction of that count. Life, as usual, has gotten in the way of my writing. I'll admit I could be doing better with my time management skills. Hopefully the second half of the month will run more smoothly. We shall see.

And you? Are you writing like crazy this month too? If so, I wish you the best of luck with your word count.

Update for the Masses

It's almost the end of the school year! I'm always happy to see the summer months because that means a little less hectic schedule with the kids. However, this year I'm absolutely ecstatic because I'll have a high school graduate also! So hopefully when school starts again I won't be stretched quite as thin.

On the writing front I've got a few things going on. I'm currently working on edits for Heather's Redemption. For those of you who have read Resignation, this book is about that Heather. Yes, I know she wasn't shown in a very good light in the first book. Hence the name of this one. I promise she is redeemed and with a sexy hero to boot. Once I finish the edits I'll get a release date. Hopefully very soon.

Also on the writing front, if you'll be in the Houston area this weekend you can meet me in person! I'll be attending Comicpalooza for the first time ever and am super-duper excited about it. I get to hang with other dorky, freaky people just like me. I can't wait! It's not too late to get one, two or three day passes. There will also be a whole ton of famous people to ogle once you're done talking to me. ;-)

And last but not least I need to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me by buying my books these past two months. I had a new release in April (Lunchtime Sex) and in May (Too Much to Lose). Though I won't have the numbers in for a couple of months I've already had some positive feedback. So I know at least one person bought each of them. Thanks to everyone who did!

Life and NaNoWriMo Week 2

I have a lot going on in the next couple of days. First of all, tomorrow, the 16th, I'll have a guest blog at Nikki Duncan's site as a part of her release party for Her Miracle Man. I'll be choosing one lucky commenter for a prize. Nikki is also giving away a ton of prizes, including 2 airline tickets!

Next I'll be joining The Romance Reviews' Year-End Splash (YES!) Party on the 17th. Answer my Q&A for a chance to win my ebook Winning Back Wednesday. Their party lasts until December 15th and they're giving away over 300 prizes from various authors and publishers. It's guaranteed to be a really good time.

Then on the 19th I'm a guest on Anna Kathyrn's blog. I'll be giving away a very unique prize, a paperback copy of Jade Lee's Dragonbound. What's so unique about it? Just wait until you see the inscription. No, it's not to me, but my name is involved. You'll just have to check out the post to see it. ;-)

And last, but certainly not least, my NaNoWriMo update. As of this morning I'm sitting at 23,599 words. I'm on track for their goal of 50K but behind for my personal goal of 60K. I've been trying to push myself to write at least 2K words a day but it hasn't been easy. I've also gotten the first round of edits back for Too Hard to Break. That will cut into my NaNo time but will be so worth it. I'm really excited about Elle's story and can't wait to share it with all of you!

So that's my week in a nutshell. If I don't have a chance to post this later I just want to say I'm VERY thankful for my readers. I hope you all have safe and joyous holidays!!!