Vampires and Rock Stars Contest - $25 Gift Card

Check out sexy vampire Xan Marcelles and hot rock star Lyle Crane and you could win a $25 gift card!

Click Here to Purchase

Traitors  

Vampire Xan Marcelles and his band, Crooked Fang, have been sitting idle for almost two months when Xan's given a job offer he can't refuse. Only it is not a music gig -- it's a multiple hit in a Texas town called Bartlett. Given no details except six names and a location, Xan hits the road. He's always worked alone at this sort of job, but now there's no way but to have Nin riding shotgun. Can Xan take out his marks and keep Nin out of trouble or have the years out of circulation blunted his edge?

Click Here to Purchase

Unraveled

Evie Brant lives quietly under the romantic radar until a coworker invites her to a concert where she meets Lyle Crane, the sexy singer of a heavy metal band. A little harmless flirting between the shy paralegal and the outgoing rock star provokes a crazed fan to eliminate her competition.

Chemistry brews between Evie and Lyle when a gunshot rings out in the dark and the unlikely couple is set on a collision course neither of them saw coming. 

 Who doesn’t love a sexy vampire and a hot rock star? We certainly do and we all like to win stuff, right? So, here’s the deal. Authors Carrie Clevenger and Alyssa Breck have teamed up to offer a $25 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes (winner’s choice).

How do you win this fabulous prize, you ask? It’s easy. Run over to Amazon(dot)com and buy Traitors by Carrie Clevenger and Unraveled by Alyssa Breck (buy links are below the covers as well). Both books are novellas specially priced at $0.99 each. Once you read them (they are both fun and fast reads, by the way), leave an honest review. Easy, right? Let us know when you’ve done this by commenting here or by email to alyssabreck(at)gmail(dot)com and we’ll put your name in the proverbial hat for the drawing.

 Not to worry if you’ve purchased and reviewed both books before this contest started, drop us a line and we’ll add you to the drawing as well. 

Happy reading and good luck! 

Alyssa Breck hangs out on Facebook and Twitter, follow and friend her to keep up with the latest shenanigans. 

Carrie Clevenger can also be found on Twitter and Facebook and check out the Crooked Fang website for all things Xan, including cool merchandise and links to other books.

Branded by Sin Will be Here Next Week

So, Branded by Sin, the first book in my Bad Blood Empire series, will be released by Ellora’s Cave on July 16, 2014. SQUEEE! Sit down and prepare to be amazed. 

*DRUM ROLL* 

Look at that cover! I tip my hat to the art department at EC, they’ve outdone themselves with this one. I’m beyond pleased. Seeing something I dreamed up in my mind come to life is surreal to say the least. Is it okay to say I’m in lust with my own vampire? Of course, it is, and I am. Who doesn’t love a hot bloodsucker?

Branded by Sin

  Bad Blood Empire, Book One

Sean Black’s penchant for sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll turns deadly when Christy, his occasional bed partner, takes their sexual shenanigans one step too far. There’s blood. Lots of blood. And the next time Sean wakes up, there’s even more on his hands—but not his own. Turns out Christy is a vampire, and the newly turned Sean is forced to watch her execution at the hands of her own mate, Giacomo Francelli.

Thus began Sean’s initiation into the Bad Blood Empire.

Twenty years later, Sean is comfortable with life as a BBE member, hunting bad paranormals and dating Lila, a sweet human who provides enough sex to kill an average man. But his cozy life is turned upside down when Giacomo becomes an assassin’s target. Lila gets caught in the crossfire, trusts are betrayed, loyalties tested…your basic all-hell-breaking-loose scenario. When the dust settles, the BBE issues an ultimatum for Lila. And that’s when Sean’s real troubles begin…

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

 

Writing Sean has been a labor of love. He’s been in development for a few years and it wasn’t until last year that I was finally able to start telling his story.  Or should I say that he started telling me his story and I transcribed it. Yes, I really do hear voices in my head (other crazy writers will understand this). *wink wink*

The Bad Blood Empire series is contracted by Ellora’s Cave for three books. The first two, Branded by Sin and Broken by Fate, are completed. I’m currently tapping away at the keyboard to finish book three, Bound by Blood. Will there be more? I’m not sure. But Sean is a chatty bastard, so I’m going to say there probably will be.

I’ve had a busy year. Touched by a Demon, a dark-themed erotic short story, has also been contracted by Ellora's Cave and is currently in editing. 

My rock star novella, Unraveled, will release on August 4, 2014, in the Girls Night Out bundle with fellow authors Saranna DeWylde, Beth Williamson and Tielle St. Clare. I’m super excited to be featured alongside these very talented ladies

Projects in progress include some very cool collaborations. I've teamed up with my friend and colleague, Carrie Clevenger (writing as Annice Sands), to write a fun book that features a rodeo beauty queen, an alien cowboy and glowing body parts. I see that look on your face. Haha. I confess that I’ve been a bad influence on Carrie. But it’s so bad that it’s good, if you know what I mean. I suspect the two of us will get some raised eyebrows from people over this story. *snickers* For now, we’re affectionately calling it our “ugly baby.”
I'm also in the preliminary development stages of a warrior series with my friend and fellow author, Saranna DeWylde. Oh, and there may be some Duran Duran fanfic with the wonderful Louisa Bacio and a host of other authors. My writing schedule is pretty much full until next year. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to work with some amazingly talented writers.

Moving right along. I’ll be a featured author at Authors After Dark in Charlotte, North Carolina, August 5-10, 2014. I’ll also be a featured author at the Austin Author Affair in Austin, Texas in April 2015. If you’re so inclined, come out and see me at these events. I’ll be signing books and giving away some cool swag.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I’m up to. Until next time…

Authors After Dark 2014 Is Just Around the Corner

Authors After Dark is coming QUICKLY and OMG this year is going to be INSANE!

As always AAD is about the readers, and the amount of awesome we have put together for you this year, you would be INSANE not to attend….

First, our amazing Master of Ceremonies is none other than Alexandra Ivy! She will be doing a cool little event to celebrate your favorite gargoyle, Levet on Friday! Wanna know more? Check out the FB group where Alex will be talking about the awesome that she has going on!

Torquere and authors BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot will be Sponsoring our Welcome event, the Midnight Rodeo… And it looks like We will have some VERY COOL goodies and… Riding… happening… *SNICKER*

How about Parties? This year we have a special event called the Leather and Lace Ball! Curious? We thought so! Take a ride on the wild side and let your inhibitions fly with five New York Times Bestselling Authors of erotic romance. Cuffs and corsets encouraged.

With:

J. Kenner, Liliana Hart, Carly Phillips, Janelle Denison, Jasinda Wilder and Lorelei James

The ladies will be talking more about this on the FB group starting soon!

New for 2014 is the Paranormal Party! Join over 20 Paranormal authors who will be giving away goodies, some books and hanging out with you to snack and chat! Wanna know what authors are involved? You will have to join the FB group to see!

And of course, we have the amazing Masquerade Ball! This year it’s the SINS AND VIRTUES BALL! Are you a sin or a virtue? Join us for a wild costumed event! Prizes for the best costumes, including a 200$ gift certificate to Lori Ann Costumes!

Your Sins and Virtues Sponsors:

Sin Lust
Boone Brux
Opal Carew

Sin Pride
BA Tortuga
Andrew Grey

Sin Envy
Stella Price
TJ Michaels

Sin Gluttony
Desiree Holt
Saranna DeWylde

Sin Greed
Ann Mayburn
Heather Long

Sin Sloth
Lizzie T. Leaf
Julie Morgan

Sin Wrath
Stacey Kennedy
Marianne Morea

Virtue Charity
Kerry Adrienne
Trista Ann

Virtue Chastity
Jenn LeBlanc
Annabel Jospeh

Virtue Humility
Milly Taiden
Donna McDonald

Virtue Kindness
CJ Ellisson
Alexandra Ivy

Virtue Temprance
J. Kenner
Sidney Bristol

Virtue Diligence
Denise Grover Swank
Jenna McCormick

Virtue Patience
Lousia Bacio
Kallypso masters

And if THAT isn’t enough awesome that will be going on… This year we have an amazing off site costumed event… the Ladies on the Green event sponsored by the AAD Anachronistic Society! This will be an hour and a Half on the famous GREEN in Charlotte (a half block from the hotel). It will be a Costumed event (though Costumes are not required they are encouraged!) to celebrate Gothic, Victorian, steampunk dark historical literature! Your hosts will be: Sahara Kelly, Amanda McIntyre, Leanna Renee Hieber, A.L. Davroe and S.A. Price. Prizes and readings will happen, as well as photo ops!

And NEVER forget the Amazing Open bar with Mel Schroeder and friends! They have SO MUCH awesome set up for you just before the Bookies… you do NOT wanna miss that!

Getting excited yet? How about some info on the AWESOME mini events we have going on? Ready?

On Wed. Night,  Join Sasha White and Joey W. Hill for a wild party and Q&A, Also, the Blind Date Book Party will be open to start your con right! (If you have never done a BDBP, you are MISSING out! You need to attend, Get your blind date book, find the author that wrote it, and hang out with them!)

Thursday?  Panels up the wazoo, and the Bookie Awards----- goodies and books to be given out! The hangout with The GNO girls lead by CJ Ellisson and Boone Brux for some crazy fun! And if that wasn’t enough?  Readings and a Blogger Sleepover party as well!

Friday? More panels, a games carnival with Nina Gooden and Pals, Name that Author with Cat Johnson, and some other fun surprises!

Saturday? A few panels, the Big ass booksigning with 100 authors,  the Cowboy Stampede party, the Readers Mad Tea Party with Hildie McQueen, An after the bookies event with a special publisher sponsor, And Jess Michaels’ Birthday extravaganza!

SEE? SO MUCH AWESOME! All the authors that are involved with parties will be talking about their involvement on the FB group, so join up and get ready to rock.

Oh? You say you’re not registered for AAD yet? You need to be! All registrants get put in the hat for the welcome party prizes, and these prizes are AMAZING! Breakfast with authors, Booze and Books, side trips to Carrowwinds…. We have a minimum of 90 special prizes…. So…

You need to rock this con! And as if this wasn’t enough…. AAD will be giving away something really awesome to registrants…. Wanna know what?

How about 5 VIP registrations for THE NOVEL EXPERIENCE 2015 in LAS VEGAS? YES… 5!

And…

How about this… If we hit 100 more registrations from TODAY April 10^th to June 10^th, we will give away 2 AAD registrations for 2015…  2!!!!! So get registered, get your room and get ready for one HELL of an amazing year with us!

 JOIN US! WE CANT WAIT TO HANGOUT WITH YOU!

AAD REGISTRATION

Cover Reveal and Some Things About Writing

Giving Up The Ghost

After discovering an old Ouija board in the attic of her home, Kylie McAllister unwittingly opens a cosmic door to an incubus who pretends to be the dead husband she’s desperately struggling to let go of. She falls deep under the entity’s spell of delicious sex and malevolent obsession while he gradually drains her life to fortify his own. By the time she realizes he’s an imposter, she’s powerless to stop him.

Ryan La Croix has no intention of settling down with anyone, let alone his best friend’s widow but he finds himself falling fast when he’s placed in a position to protect her. With the help of a kind voodoo practitioner and a young psychic, Ryan and Kylie wage a battle for her life that seems impossible to win. 

If you’re a writer, you know there’s nothing more exciting than seeing cover art for your story. It’s like a magic trick. You write this story and then it comes to life in a picture. I had a head start with this because it was previously published but in hindsight I realized it needed some redoing. It’s currently in the hands of a capable editor and I hope to release it in March of this year. 

Behold the cover that was designed by my friend and fellow author, Saranna DeWylde. It's completely fabulous. *LOVES* Now that you’re dazzled with the pretty, I’m going to say a few things about the craft of writing.

I struggle with staying focused. For me, one of the curses of being creative and imaginative is that my mind runs constantly, jumping from one idea to another and then out the window to a bird perched in a tree in the yard then back to looking into my empty mug and wondering who drank my coffee. Before I know it, I’ve lost an hour or two. Then I spend another ten minutes sulking about the time I wasted (which wastes more time). My brain works in cycles like that, very weird and counterproductive cycles.

I’m not above using gimmicks to keep myself in check either. Recently, I went back to using Write or Die. This works by setting a goal consisting of a word count and time frame and, once you start, if you lag and stop typing the screen fades to red like the elevator doors in the Overlook Hotel opening up and gushing blood all over your words. (Yes, The Shining is one of my all time favorite books and provides me with life guidance and reference). Then a terrible alarm screeches like the hounds of hell are approaching. I will write like the wind to keep this from happening. It may sound silly but these things work for me. I clearly need to be threatened with artificial malevolence while being chained to my office chair to get things done. Now don’t get me wrong, I love writing and crafting stories but I get lazy and tired and it’s easier for me to write when I’m hyper-focused and being chased by imaginary demons wielding hot pitchforks. Also, fear spikes my adrenaline which makes for some awesome storytelling.

Writing is about finding what works for you, finding your thumbprint and it’s different for everyone. If you’re struggling to stay motivated or meet goals, reward or punish yourself accordingly. In my twisted mind, a punishment can be a reward and vice versa.

One last thing, never discount the power of a kind word or a pat on the back. A little encouragement goes a long way. That being said, let me say thank you to some people who’ve helped me immensely with my writing: Carrie Clevenger, Amy Lee Burgess, Colum McKnight, Charlote Hodge, April Gutierrez and Nerine Dorman. Whether you know or not, I couldn’t do it without you guys. <3